Page 84 of Primal Hunger
A relieved sigh comes through the radio, followed by Tyler’s voice. “Hold tight, Erin. I’ll see you soon.”
Waiting is grueling.The minutes drag by, and the sky overhead gradually grows darker. We keep an ear out for any movement in the trees, listening for the rustling of leaves or the thump ofapproaching footsteps, but the forest is silent. We’re completely alone.
I try to force conversation, but Syros barely acknowledges my questions. He’s checked out, staring into the distance, simply waiting for this to all be over. Waiting for me to leave.
“You know, if this works, I can always visit you,” I attempt after countless minutes in the silent dark. “This doesn’t have to be goodbye forever.”
Syros grunts in response. “Returning would not be a wise idea for you, little human. It is not safe for you here, and there is no promise that I will be the Grim you encounter when the portal opens again.”
My shoulders sag. As difficult as it is for me to hear, I know it’s the truth.
The idea of seeing him every solstice, of traveling back and forth through the portal, comes with enormous risks that might not be worth the payoff.
Still, the thought of never seeing him again causes a dull throb in my chest.
It sinks all the way to my marrow, making my bones ache.
As much as I need to leave, a part of me will always belong here, in this wasteland of a world.
With him.
“How will we know when it’s midnight?” I ask to change the subject. My eyes are prickling a little too much for my liking, and I blink the tears away. “You said you don’t keep track of time here.”
“His skull tilts back, his glowing eyes lifted toward the dark sky overhead, and he points up to the dark expanse with a long, slender claw.
“Do you see that glowing speck?” he asks. “It is pale blue and doesn’t flicker like the others?”
I follow his line of sight and squint through the darkness at the dot he’s referring to. It glows softly against the pitch black backdrop, a pinprick in the night like a star on Earth, but it doesn’t twinkle like one. Could it be another planet?
My mind spins with the possibilities.
“I see it.”
“When it reaches the center of the sky, it will be your midnight,” he says confidently. Ah, so like the sun… kind of.
It’s nearly there now.
“Syros, I—” I want to say something, some final goodbye that will serve as closure for us both, but there are no words to express how I feel. My mind is a mess of confusion and sadness, tangling with longing and desperation. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I have to go home.”
I wait, and his fierce red orbs fall to me once again. If I expect him to accept my apology, I’m mistaken.
“It’s almost time,” he says instead.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Erin
My heart feels like a boulder in my chest, threatening to drag me to the ground, and the blood has frozen in my veins. All the hours of waiting, counting down the minutes, watching the blue dot slowly reach its apex in the sky has led to his moment, and now I can’t breathe.
Syros watches expectantly as I settle next to the radio again, my hands shaking with anticipation.
What if it doesn’t work?
What if it does?
My eyes shift to the silent Grim nearby, still wishing there was something I could say—anything to help alleviate the tightness constricting my chest—but I’ve already tried and failed.
