Gran leans over me, her brows pinched together. She smiles when she sees I’m awake, a thousand tiny lines spreading from her eyes.

When did she get here?

“There you are,” she says.

I try to reply, but my voice comes out in a raspy croak.

“Save your strength,” comes an airy voice from my left. A cool cloth presses against my forehead, and I glimpse Rose with a wisp of a smile on her lips.

Anna hovers behind her, one arm wrapped around her stomach, the other hand worrying at her lips. “How is he, Rose?”

“He’ll be fine.”

I wet my lips and try again. “What happened?” I ask hoarsely.

By now I’ve worked out we’re in the library, but I can’t remember how I ended up stretched out across the couch, and the world outside the windows is dark. “The last thing I remember is the Saint Knives.”

Anna points at my injured arm. “It was worse than we thought.”

I turn my stiff neck to get a glimpse of the scratch, courtesy of Kaden’s claws. It looks disgusting. The edges are rimmed in black that reaches out in tiny, vein-like streaks across my chest, shoulder, and ribs. It’s as though someone punched me and cracked my skin, and I swear the black spots are pulsing. The dark areas are the only part of my body that feel cold.

I don’t have enough energy to panic. Instead, I melt deeper into the couch, feeling overwhelmed. “Kaden did this?”

“It’s a wraith toxin,” Gran replies. “On a normal human, it’d create hallucinations. But since you’re a Raven, your body fought it off for a while. I would surmise the introduction of your new powers, the toxin, and your training were too much to handle all at once.”

Something slimy presses against my skin and I flinch, but it’s only Rose spreading a light pink paste across the black lines. The burning sensation fades and I close my eyes, sighing in relief.

When I reopen them, a pair of glowing green eyes stares back at me. I recoil before realizing they belong to a very furry, very amused face.

Max.

“He’s been waiting to do that.” Anna rolls her eyes.

“And here I thought he was worried about me,” I mutter. Max curls up behind my head on the pillow, purring softly. The sensation is a tangible lullaby, and my exhaustion soon catches up with me.

Anna chews her lower lip. I can tell she wants to say something, but she’s holding the question in.

Rose tilts her head as if catching a distant tune, her eyes fluttering shut. When they reopen, her pale skin is flushed.

“The trees are frightened,” she says distantly. “They sense something coming.”

“Not the trees again,” Anna mutters.

Rose blinks. “I only listen, Anna. I can’t control—”