Her only hope was that the Synestryn had taken prisoners for a reason, rather than simply killing them outright, as they had so many others. Surely if there was a reason to abduct them, they were still alive, right?
“I’m sure they’re fine,” said Joseph, obviously sensing her anxiety.
She still wasn’t used to sharing such a deep connection with anyone, but she had to admit that it was nice to have someone propping her up right now. If not for the thin thread of hope she held on to, she was certain she’d be a complete basket case. Joseph’s nearness and natural optimism helped her cling to that hope a little easier.
“Anything new?” asked Joseph from a few feet away. His sword was drawn and his watchful gaze was on the land around her.
“I’m finding the same scents as before.”
“Try using my power this time.”
“I’m not exactly sure how.”
“You’re smart. You have good instincts. Just listen to them.”
The truth was, she didn’t like the idea of becoming dependent on another person. She’d already tied her life to his. Asking her to lean on him for things she’d always managed on her own grated against her sense of independence.
He let out a faint sigh of impatience. “You’re the same woman you were before you took my luceria.”
“Will you please get out of my head?”
“Not a chance. You were born for this, Lyka. There’s no shame in doing what you were created to do.”
“It’s a lot easier to say that when you’ve grown up knowing what your position in life was going to be from day one. I grew up thinking I’d find some way to be a Slayer—stay with my own kind.”
“You are with your own kind. You were just wrong about who that was before.”
If they went down this road, she was going to get pissed, and right now she couldn’t afford to get angry at the man who held the power she needed. Like it or not, she had to suck it up, lean on Joseph, and take the blow to her ego. She might not be able to find Eric on her own, but she would find him. As long as that was the outcome, she could accept whatever she had to do along the way. That’s what Eric would have done for her.
Lyka closed her eyes to focus her senses. Just beneath the skin under the luceria, she could feel Joseph’s power sparking and eager to do her bidding. She’d grown used to the soft warmth coming from the necklace, but now that she gave it her attention with the intent to use it, the supple band began to heat.
She shivered against the sensation and immediately tried to block it out. Instead, she concentrated on the dancing strands of magic waving around, trying to get her attention.
Lyka grabbed onto a bundle of them and pulled them into herself. Instantly, her body let out a giant sigh of relief, as if she’d been starving to death and had just put the first bite of steak in her mouth.
As her cells rejoiced at the fuel she fed them, she pulled in a deep breath through her nose.
The difference in her sense of smell was like the difference between jumping through a backyard sprinkler and shooting down a three-story water slide at an amusement park. Everything was amplified, nearly choking her with the potency of it.
She gagged on the stench of demon, but forced herself to take another breath.
Eric. His scent was everywhere. And now that it was amplified, she could smell something even more familiar than her own brother.
Herself. Parts of his scent were identical to hers, thanks to their shared maternal blood.
She dropped to the ground and sniffed again. Eric hadn’t been here for the battle. There wasn’t enough of his essence here for him to have fought to protect the young here. He’d been taken from somewhere else.
Lyka pulled in more of Joseph’s power, revving up her senses even more. The animal in her was unfamiliar with what she was doing, and that made it uneasy. Fearful. Angry.
She felt her teeth lengthen, her skin tingle and itch, her fingernails grow and thicken into sharp claws.
“Lyka?” Joseph’s voice was filled with worry. “Are you okay?”
Her voice sounded odd, coming out around too many teeth. “You’ve been in my head, Theronai. You know what I am. What I can do.”
“Yes, and I accepted that, but this is not . . . normal. Even for you.”
She looked down at her hands.