What are you talking about? I owe her nothing!
Oh, on the contrary. You created her with half, but she deserves the whole.
Impossible!
No, Marinette. You made a mistake by infiltrating us. This is what Juanita was leading us toward the entire time! You hand delivered exactly what we needed—what Fate wanted—to finally set things to right after all these years. Your soul. The half we need to make my wolf complete, what she should’ve received from you from the beginning. You made an error thinking you would be the victor, that your half was stronger—but clearly it’s not. You were never going to win. We just had to stop fighting you. I was waking internally now and could see my wolf. She had her muzzle up, howling her joy. My body opened up in a rush as my magic absorbed Marinette’s amber signature as quickly as it could, melding with it like Marinette had stated—like mother to child. It was a homecoming.
I cannot die this way, Marinette screamed, her voice fading fast. I am immortal!
I had no idea if she was actually dying in the classic sense. My guess was that she would snap out of existence once my wolf took her soul. That had been the only thing tethering her as a spirit all these years—she’d told us that already. If she lingered after, that would be a very bad thing. My wolf snarled her agreement, both of us on the same wavelength. As my magic swallowed up Marinette, I felt euphoric.
You may be able to take my magic, but you cannot have my soul, Marinette whispered in my mind, trying to tear free of our grasp. My body temperature began to cool slightly as she fought against us.
We might have to rip it from her once and for all, I told my wolf. Can you connect it to yours and take it completely? I couldn’t see Marinette’s soul in a physical sense, but I knew my wolf could. She began to snarl and keen, a high-pitched sound that brought tears to my eyes. Her voice was strong and determined. She was calling to her other half, that piece of her she’d been yearning for all this time. It was a beautiful cry, and our magic jumped in response.
I knew then why I was different.
Not only why I was a female, but also why I could partially change. This was the reason my wolf acted like an Alpha. I was a part of two halves. My wolf had brought her own legacy to me, and together we’d made one completely unique supernatural. Marinette had created her all those years ago, but I’d brought her new life. And in this one, she would be whole.
Marinette’s soul answered my wolf’s call, and with a huge rush of power, it coalesced inside of us with a big snap. For a single moment, my body felt like it was engulfed in flames. My chest rose and I cried out.
Then power exploded all around us in one huge surge.
17
I opened my eyes. Marcy stood over me, hands on her hips. “Way to go, champ. You just blew this place to smithereens.”
I lifted my head slightly and ran my hands through my hair, sliding them to my temples, and rubbed. I couldn’t feel a trace of Marinette inside me anywhere. Do you sense her, or is she gone? I asked my wolf. She barked happily. I took that as a sign that the goddess was gone for good.
Then I heard a roar.
“Rourke?” I croaked as I sat up. “Are they here?” I asked Marcy, my throat still sore.
Marcy ignored my question, her face a mask of both fear and frustration. “You looked dead, you know”—she tapped her foot—“and you weren’t breathing. And your body was totally blue. Your eyes were open and they were vacant and spooky and covered in a white film. Then all of a sudden there was a gigantic popping noise and all the wards exploded. You scared the tar out of me! Then I thought the loa would be ejected or there would be some sort of shift in magic, and once it was over she would be you and dominate us all”—Marcy peered down at me—“but she didn’t come out, did she?”
I grinned up at my concerned friend and simply said, “I love you too.”
“You scared me senseless. That wasn’t funny.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention. And, Marcy, I promise to tell you everything you want to know, but we have to get out of here first.” The ground beneath us began to shake. Now that the wards were gone, the makeshift island that had housed the bokor for so long was crumbling apart.
“You’re right, we do have to get out of here.” She glanced around her, making a face. “Water is already seeping in.”
“Where are Danny and Naomi?” I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I am here, Ma Reine,” Naomi said, almost too quietly for me to hear.
My body responded to the sound of sorrow in her voice and I jumped to my feet and began to run. Naomi was awake, sitting behind one of the totem poles, the flora on her shoulder bright red.
She cradled Danny in her arms. He was still in his wolf form.
Marcy came up behind me. “I sort of gave her my blood, because I didn’t know what else to do. You were playing dead and none of my spells worked. And wouldn’t you know it, she woke right up.”
The anguish in Naomi’s eyes brought me to my knees in front of her. Danny’s listless body was draped in her arms, dwarfing her slim figure. Blood tears ran in rivulets down her face. She bowed her head and said, “He is gone.”
Her words shot to my core.
She spoke the truth, but I didn’t want to believe it—couldn’t believe it. Instead, I plowed my hands into his fur and frantically sent power rushing into his body, searching for any signs of life, and for his connection to me as Alpha so I could help him. But I couldn’t find the bond anywhere.