Selene's hand trembled as it hovered above the glowing core in front of her. Her breath came in shallow gasps, skin clammy and pale.
Her lips, cracked from dehydration, parted as she forced herself to bring the core closer. The energy radiating from it pulsed against her skin—hot, wild, alive.
Her body screamed in protest. Muscles seized.
Veins bulged. Her heart pounded like a war drum in her chest.
'Just one more'
She told herself.
The core slipped into her palm. It burned her skin, and her fingers twitched uncontrollably as if trying to drop it.
She clenched her jaw and forced it upward, pressing the core to her chest. The energy leapt into her, stabbing into her heart like molten lightning.
She didn't scream. She couldn't. Her throat was raw from the last one.
In the back of her mind, the voice returned.
[It won't take long now. We're almost there. Keep going, Selene.]
it whispered.
But Selene couldn't even remember what "there" was.
