Afterlife by Claudia Gray Page A

image of the wrist, the palm, and the fingers. A soft blue form
appeared, fragile as a wisp of smoke. It was nothing like it should have been;
maybe this was what wraiths looked like just before they vanished forever.
    Then Lucas wrapped something around my wrist.
    The bracelet! I saw the coral and silver in the same second
that I felt a jolt of inner power. Within an instant, my body became solid, and
I fell hard to the floor. The answering pain was wonderful. It meant I was
real, and that I had escaped. Something about turning solid negated the power
of whatever it was that had grabbed me.
    Lucas dropped to his knees and gathered me in his arms. In
horror, I saw the manifestation of the vortex that had nearly swallowed me — a
swirl of fog and darkness that had opened up within the library wall. As we
watched, though, it shrank and quieted, smoothing out into uneven plaster once
more.
    “What the hell was that?” Lucas said, clutching me against
his chest. “Are you okay?”
    “I think so.” My voice shook, and I felt a little like I’d
throw up, ifl still had a stomach. But the disorientation diminished each
moment. “Mrs. Bethany’s not just hunting the wraiths. She’s . .. trapping them.”
    “Is that what that was?” His eyes narrowed. “Stand back.”
    Scooting backward, I put as much distance as I could between
me and the wall as Lucas went to the wall, ran his hand against it, and then,
with all his vampire strength, punched through. Fine motes of plaster dust
puffed out as shards of the wall fell to the floor.
    “They’ll know somebody was here,” I said.
    “Let ‘em know. We need to figure this out.” Lucas reached
into the wall and pulled out a small metal box — curiously shaped, with odd
curves and angles: a little like a seashell made of silver and obsidian. The
lid was open, revealing an interior of motl1er — of — pearl. At first I thought
it was no more than a lovely antique jewelry box, but then — as I focused on
the mother — of — pearl, on the living substance within, I felt its pull on me
anew. With the bracelet strengthening me and keeping me solid, I was in no
danger, but the sensation was still terrifying.
    “Lucas, close it! Put it back!” I cried. He did so at once,
looking back at me in alarm. But as soon as the box was shut, I felt at ease
again.
    As Lucas ran to my side, I said, “That’s a trap. A trap for
wraiths. Mrs. Bethany put one here. She could — she’s got to have them all over
the school. She’s hunting us and trapping us.” Why ?I thought. What can she want with us? Is it only hate, or something more ?
    He frowned as he cuddled me close. “jesus. Don’t ever come
back in here.”
    “Not without the bracelet,” I said, with a glance down at
it. “That was good thinking.”
    “Figured whatever was after you, you had a better chance if
you could hit back.”
    I brushed my hand against his cheek. “You heard me. In your dream.”
    “Yeah.” Lucas raked his fingers through my hair, “How did
you know about that nightmare? Were you trying to visit me, before?”
    “I tried, but I couldn’t break through. I couldn’t make you see
me.”
    His lips brushed against my forehead as he spoke. “We’ll
work on it. We can get better at it.”
    “Okay.” I realized that this was the first moment Lucas had
truly seemed like himself since he’d risen from the dead. Saving me had given
him back a sense of purpose — a reason to be here.
    And I realized that he was my reason to be here, too.
    Lucas studied me in the dim moonlight, once again focused
and sure. “We’re going to fmd all these traps. Figure out a way to keep you
clear of them. Nothing’s going to happen to you, Bianca. Not again. There’s no
way I’m letting that happen.”
    “And I’m going to take care of you.” I remembered how
frightened I had been for everyone I loved, even while the trap had been
sucking me in. Yes, I was dead now, but my heart remained alive. For