Her hand rose, palm up, fingers splayed as if creating a barrier. ‘I don’t know why I didn’t see it before, but whatever she’s doing is allowing me to see it clearly.’

‘What? Why? What am I doing?’

‘You’re healing the torn edges of his soul. I don’t know how—it shouldn’t be possible. Especially not for a maternal wolf with no powers. But I can’t deny what I sense, what I see. His soul is torn and you are healing it.’

Ivy swallowed hard. ‘Should I let go?’

‘No!" Water surged around them as Mariella took a sudden step forward. ‘Whatever you do, you can’t let go. You are the only thing stopping him from turning into a shade.’

‘I am not turning into a shade.’

‘I know what I saw. She knows what she saw.’ Her gaze returned to Ivy. ‘You can’t let go. If you do, we might lose him.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said, sounding a little drunk. ‘I don’t think I can let go.’

Paul snorted. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He really couldn’t deal with sitting this close to Ivy any longer. It was torture. Especially as he could feel her in every pound of his heart, in every spark of every nerve. ‘I need to go.’

‘No!"

Mariella thrust out her hand and he was pinned to the spot. ‘What the fuck? Let me go.’

Mariella shook, her nostrils flaring as if she was fighting tears. ‘I’m sorry, Paul. But I can’t let you break the contact with Ivy. She’s the only thing keeping you here.’

‘You are being overdramatic.’

‘Am I? Look at yourself.’

He looked down.

At first all he saw was the glowing golden threads under and over his skin, emanating from the point of contact with Ivy. But then he noticed that under the golden threads, his skin held a grey sheen, like mist. And like mist, he could see through the areas where the golden threads had yet to reach.

Bloody hell. Mariella was right. He was fading. He was turning into a shade.