Free Lost Soul (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 2) by T.G. Ayer

course there are walkers who are Mages."
    "That's not what our elders told us. As far as we knew, there were no known Walker Mages in existence."
    "I'm sorry, Lily. Either your elders didn't know or they were keeping the truth from your people. Maybe they were trying to protect your clan, but the truth is Walker Mages exist. I am proof of that."
    "And so is your mother."
    "No, she isn't."
    "Oh man, Kai. You're making my head spin. You just told me she was a Walker Mage." Lily rubbed her temples and scowled.
    "No, I said she was a Demon Hunter. Not a Walker Mage. And not a Walker."
    "Dear Ailuros, Kai. Your mother is a human?" Lily's jaw dropped and she stared at me.
    I nodded, probing myself for feelings of shame or embarrassment. There were none. And there was no judgment in Lily's expression either. "So you're okay with this?" I asked her.
    "Why shouldn't I be?"
    " 'Cos not too long ago you didn't even want me anywhere near Anjelo, Alpha or not."
    "That's 'cos you're too hot for your own damn good and I had dibs on Anjelo."
    I snorted. "You were afraid I'd steal him from you? You're nuts."
    "I guess I just didn't realize at the time what type of person you were or why Anjelo always had your back. Now I do. And you being a Demon Hunter and a Walker Mage makes no difference to me. I'm still here. By your side. Not going nowhere." Lily nodded more to herself than to me, asserting her status by my side.
    "And what do you plan to do when I go to the Greylands?"
    "I'll wait for you. And I do have school. Storm will kick my ass if I skipped without a good reason."
    "How is Storm?" I hadn't seen the Immortal in ages.
    "Worried about you. He asks way too many questions every time he sees me. He said to tell you to take care of yourself. I think there are many people who've wanted to see you but kept away so you could recuperate."
    "Yeah, tell him I'm much better."
    "I will." Lily placed the tub of ice cream on the coffee table and turned to face me. "Now, tell me for reals. Are you okay? You've been through so much in the last few weeks. Clancy. Niko. Finding your mother. And now this whole Demon Hunter thing."
    "I'm fine. I'm dealing with it. Lots of time to think when you're too weak to do anything else but lie in bed all day."
    "And the center? Have you thought about your job?"
    I snorted. "Yeah, I can see Dr. Hyde just jumping up and down with excitement knowing I'll be back full time." I shook my head. "I'm not sure I can go back. I'll have to think about it."
    "I can understand that. So what about your studies?"
    "That too. I'm still thinking about it, but I might take a year off. Find my feet with this whole Demon Hunter thing. I have a feeling I have some work to do to brush up on skills I never knew I had." I stabbed the ice cream with my spoon, suddenly feeling the weight of all my responsibility begin to suffocate me.
    "So this demon killing stuff. Is it like the Wraith hunting?"
    "I assume so. I could track the Wraiths because of the trail they left behind. It's like a residue, almost a dust. A pinky-coral color. They used to leave it everywhere, on the doors and the walls. And on the people they spent time with. I'm not sure how to track a demon, but I believe the Wraith tracking is part of my abilities since Wraiths are demons."
    "Makes sense." Lily met my gaze but I hesitated. I wanted to tell her about the prophecy but I convinced myself I still needed to know more about it before I began sharing the information. "So what's your next move?"
    "I wait on Logan to see if we get an appointment with the Death-talker's High Priestess and then pray like crazy that she grants us the use of a seal."
    Lily's eyes widened. "Man, Kai. I can't believe you're actually going to go to the Greylands. There's only ghosts and demons there. How will you protect yourself?"
    "I'm waiting on some weapons and ammo from Tara. Specialized demon-hunting stuff."
    "Oh, good," she said, her stiff shoulders relaxing a little.
    I looked at Lily with