Page 244 of Lana Pecherczyk
“…fly home tous…”
Blake’s consciousnessclawed its way back through layers of fire. Her skin burned. Every nerve ending screamed asawareness crashed over her like a tidal wave. Pain consumed her. Searing heat. Her bones were melting.
But River was there.
Wide blue eyes met hers the moment she stirred. His calloused fingers wrapped around her hand, anchoring her to reality in the white-walled healing center bay.
“Blake?” Tear tracks stained his stubbled cheeks. “You’re awake? Everyone, she’s awake!”
The rest of the room swam into focus. Trix sat on the neighboring bed, cradling a tiny bundle against her chest—the baby. Aeron was beside her, his face alight with wonder as he whispered to his child. Jasper and Ada sat close, her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. Sera leaned against Lark, both watching Blake with barely contained relief. Talo and Ravi hovered near the foot of the bed.
Two strange, tiny redheads sat on Blake’s legs, staring at her with big, puppy-dog eyes. Their mother—must be, her hair was just as red—called them over and smiled at Blake. One child went to her, the other to the tall, silver-haired man beside her. Blue teardrop beneath one eye. Another Guardian.
And there, behind everyone else, was Cloud. Relief flashed over his expression before he glanced away, scowling toward the door.
“I had the weirdest dream,” Blake croaked, then coughed. Her throat felt wrong. Tight. Like something had shifted inside her vocal cords.
Jasper nudged Ada. She startled awake and immediately locked eyes with Blake. Two seconds later, she was at the bed reaching for Blake’s forehead.
River’s tears fell freely now. He wasn’t even trying to hide them as he brought Blake’s knuckles to his lips and pressed a desperate kiss there. “Oh yeah? What did you dream?”
“That I was home. In me dad’s workshop. But you were there, too. As a crow.” Blake frowned, her voice still not right. Each word felt strange in her mouth. “So was Scarface. And I think I exploded into glitter—oh shit.”
Her free hand flew to her lips.
“You gonna puke, Sparkles?” River gathered her hair. His automatic care, even when she felt disgusting and sweaty and wrong inside, made her chest ache with love.
But it wasn’t nausea that kept her hand over her mouth. It was something else. Something impossible. Her lipsmovedagainst her fingers.Protruded. Her jaw elongated with a sensation like warm clay being molded. Panic shot through her veins. Horror stole her voice. Was she still in the nightmare?
Wrong wrong wrong!
Her wide eyes found River’s ocean blues and held.
Right right right.
He was her anchor. Her safety.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, never letting go of her gaze. “I’ll be right here?—”
Before he could finish, the transformation seized her completely.
“That’s it, treasure. Let it happen. I’ve got you.”
River’s comforting words continued as bones shifted inside her body. They compressed with deep, wet, crackling sounds that made her want to scream despite feeling no pain. But River was there. He wasn’t afraid—she sensed it through their bond. He was proud, excited even, as her flesh rippled and morphed, skin prickling from thousands of tiny points pressing from the inside out. Feathers. They grew beneath her skin, creating patterns of black and white and iridescent colors that glimmered like glitter.
It should have been agony.
Instead, it felt good. Like … becoming.
And then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
But everything was dark. Muted. She couldn’t see past something heavy covering her body.
“Blake?”
River’s voice came from outside the cover. Blake tunneled through the darkness, toward the light, and hopped out onto a giant bed. Wait. Everything was huge—the people, even the colors. They blazed with an intensity she’d never experienced, especially toward the window where sunlight streamed in, in places the warmth touched, in a sparkly way that called to her very soul.
“What the fuck kind of bird is that?” Jasper whispered.
