Catheryn dragged herself over, moving like every step cost her.
That last battle had almost emptied her out. She was slower now, and the leftover energy around her wasn't exploding outward the way it had before—just a thin current rolling quietly along her skin. But her eyes were still sharp. When she looked at Ethan, there was something complicated in them, like she hadn't decided what to call him yet.
She stopped in front of him and placed a snow-white gemstone into his hand.
The instant it touched his palm, Ethan felt a purity so intense it was almost unreal. The power seeped through his skin and into his body—warm, dense, completely non-hostile. It moved like a heated stream, forcing its way through the heavy blockages his constant fighting had left behind.
His weakness eased almost immediately.
