Chapter 103 Hundred And Three
DANIKA
The house feels wrong. It's been that way since six months ago when I regained consciousness but Kaziel didn't. Aaron had blamed himself for what happened. If he hadn’t gotten into an accident on his way, maybe he could’ve prevented Kaziel’s disappearance. A selfish part of me blamed him too. But not anymore.
Black fabric drapes the banister downstairs. Candles burn in careful little lines along the hallway, their flames steady.
I sit on the edge of the bed, my belly heavy and swollen. Kaziel's framed picture is pressed to my chest so hard it aches.
The witches confirmed it.
'He's not coming back,' they said.
I laugh weakly, tears sliding down my cheeks.
"I miss you so much it feels illegal," I whisper to the photo.
My thumb traces the glass. His smile is soft, his blue eyes shimmering and full of life.
"I'm not going," I tell him. "You don't get a funeral if I'm still breathing."
I lean forward slightly, pressing my forehead to the frame, my shoulders shaking.
"You should be here," I choke. "You were supposed to be here. You promised you'd stay until—"
"—until you started yelling at me for hovering too much?" A familiar voice interrupts me.
The air vanishes from my lungs. Still, I don't lift my head.
No.
Absolutely not.
"Wow," I mutter hoarsely. "That's new. Grief hallucinations with commentary."
"I missed your voice," the voice speaks again.
I squeeze my eyes shut, a tear already crawling down my cheek. "Nope. Not today. I am not mentally stable enough for this."
The mattress dips slightly, and every cell in my body freezes.
"Dani," he says again, gently. "Look at me."
I lift my head, a gasp tumbling from my lips. He's sitting right there. Painfully real.
His hair is longer and darker at the ends. His face is a little thinner and paler. But his eyes—
Goddess.
His blue eyes are alive.
I stare at him for a long, silent moment.
Then I sniff and say flatly, "You look terrible."
He lets out a shaky breath that ends up in a chortle. "I died. I think that's allowed."
My vision blurs instantly.
"You're not funny," I whisper.
"I know," he says softly.
I let out a wretched sound and shove myself upright despite the ache in my hips.
"You're not real," I say, unable to hold back the floodgates of tears. "They were going to bury you. I watched them put you in the coffin."
His expression tightens, turning solemn.
"I know," he breathes. "I woke up somewhere dark. Turns out it was indeed a coffin."
I shake my head. "Stop. Don't. You can't just—"
"Dani," he says softly. "I came back to you."
That does it.
I let out a loud sob, and he's there instantly, his arms wrapping around me, careful of my stomach, holding me close.
"You're real," I gasp into his chest.
"I am," he whispers, burying his face in my hair. "And gods, I missed you."
I pull back just enough to glare at him through tears.
"You let them plan your funeral."
A corner of his mouth lifts tiredly. "I thought it'd be rude to interrupt."
I smack his chest weakly. "You're an idiot."
His smile widens. "Your idiot."
I cling to him, breathing in his familiar dark chocolate scent.
"You really died," I whisper.
"Yes," he admits. "And apparently I’m back."
I let out a hysterical laugh that turns into a sob. It doesn't feel like a dream anymore. So I cry and cry and cry. He strokes my hair, my tears soaking his shirt. And then I feel him cry too.
When I pull away enough to look into his eyes, they are swollen and bloodshot, filled with tears.
"My Kaziel," I croak, and he smiles, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"I'm back, Dove," he replies, his voice hoarse.
All the heartaches of the nights I slept alone missing him crash over me, and I hug him once more, melting against his chest.
"What happened? What did you offer the moon goddess? It's a miracle that I came back," he breathes, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
"She took everything that makes me supernatural."
He stiffens. "Everything?"
"The sanctum, the vessel, and even my wolf. Now, I'm just pregnant plain Jane."
He goes still completely.
Slowly, he lifts both hands and cups my face, his thumbs brushing the wet tracks beneath my eyes. His touch is warm and tender.
"Hey," he murmurs. "Look at me."
I do.
His hypnotic gaze searches mine with an intensity that makes my chest ache. "That changes nothing."
I shake my head weakly. "Kaz—"
"Nothing compares to my woman," he repeats, his voice firmer. "You're still you. You're still mine."
My lower lip trembles. "Do you still have your power?"
He hesitates. But then he nods once.
"I do," he says. "I’m no longer immortal though."
"What if..." My voice cracks. "What if one day you get sick of me? I won't be able to protect you. I won't be able to anchor you. I'll just be—"
"Human?" he finishes gently.
I nod, sniffling miserably.
He brings my knuckles to his lips and kisses them.
"Dani," he whispers, "listen to me very carefully."
I clutch the front of his shirt with trembling hands.
"In every life," he says, "in every form, in every world, I will find you."
My breath catches in my throat.
"I will love you," he continues, his thumbs brushing my chubby cheeks. "Not because of power. Not because of magic. But because you are you."
He pulls back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression fierce and tender all at once.
"We have a soul tie now," he says. "That's not something gods give or take. That's something we made."
I stare at him, awed. "We... made it?"
A soft smile curves his mouth, his dimples popping out. "Together."
Suddenly, there's a loud knock on the door.
My heart leaps into my throat. "That's—"
"Probably the elders," he says calmly. "I'm sure they already heard how I crawled out of my coffin."
I grin and try to ease off the bed, but my hips protest immediately. Kaziel is there in an instant, one arm bracing my back, the other steadying my elbow.
"Easy," he murmurs. "I've got you."
I take one step. Then another, and suddenly, a warm liquid slides down my thighs.
"Oh no," I whisper.
His brows knit in a frown. "What?"
Warmth spreads down my thighs.
My eyes widen as realization dawns on me. "Kaz..."
His gaze drops. Then it snaps back to my face.
"...Is that—"
"My water just broke," I say faintly.
For one perfectly still second, he just stares at me. Then his eyes go wide.
"Okay," he says quickly. "Okay. That's fine. We're fine."
The knock comes again, louder.
"Kaziel?" someone calls from downstairs.
I wince as another contraction rolls through me.
He tightens his grip on me. And I notice that his hand is shaking.
I'm still in shock from his impromptu appearance.
"Looks like," he murmurs, letting out a breathless laugh, "I really did pick the worst possible day to come back from the dead."
I huff out a shaky laugh through the pain. "Maybe our baby is just excited to see you."
He presses a kiss to my temple.
"Okay," I gasp. "Okay, we need to move."
As though he knows the exact place I kept my things, he hurries over and takes hold of the bag containing everything I would need.
"The funeral's canceled," he says, his voice trembling. "We're having a baby. I'm freaking out, Dani. Are you scared?"
I nod frantically, and he scoops me into his arms. "Let's be scared together," he says and hurries to the door. I reach for the doorknob and open it, wincing at both my contractions and the sight of Kira, who's standing there with her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
"Get the car, Kira!" Kaziel urges, and she jumps right into action. My fingers dig into his shirt as I squeeze my eyes shut, the pain building.
Holy shit, this is really happening.
...
Hours later,
A loud, shrill cry pierces through the air. My body is shaking, my ears are ringing, and my vision is blurred with tears and sweat and exhaustion. Then the sound comes again, stronger this time.
"Oh—" I sob, my breath hitching. "Oh my God."
The nurse lifts my baby slightly, her voice warm as she speaks words I barely hear. All I see is, oh…my baby is a boy. He’s red-faced and wrinkled, his fists clenched tight, his cry fierce and indignant, like he's already offended by the entire concept of leaving my body. I turn my head just in time to see Kaziel’s knees buckle.
He sinks down hard beside the bed, one hand gripping the railing like it's the only thing keeping him upright.
He's crying and shaking, his shoulders heaving as tears roll down his face.
I reach for him weakly, my fingers curling around his hair. "Hey," I whisper. "Hey... look."
The nurse gently places our baby on my chest. The small weight of him knocks the air out of me.
"Oh," I sob again, a laugh slipping out. "Hi. Hi, baby."
His cry falters, his tiny body settling against mine like he recognizes me. Kaziel lifts his head slowly. The moment his eyes land on him, he stops breathing altogether.
Our son blinks up at us, his thick dark lashes clumped together. Those are definitely Kaziel’s lashes. Our baby lets out a small, offended huff. One tiny hand uncurls and grips the fabric of my gown.
Kaziel lets out a strangled sound.
"That's—" His voice cracks completely. He swallows hard, his eyes shining like glass.
"Yes," I whisper, smiling through my tears. "That's our son."
“He’s so small,” Kaz whispers.
Our baby squirms, then he goes still again, his head turning slightly towards Kaziel's voice.
"He knows me," Kaziel breathes. "Dani... he knows me."
"Of course he does," I murmur. "You used to talk to him a lot."
Kaziel shakes his head, overwhelmed. "I wasn't supposed to be here," he whispers.
He looks up at me, his eyes swollen. "And somehow... somehow I get this."
I cup his face with my free hand, my thumb brushing away his tears. "You deserve this.”
The nurse clears her throat softly. "Would you like to hold him, Dad?"
Kaziel freezes.
"I—" He laughs weakly. "I don't know how."
I smile at him. "You'll figure it out. You always do."
With shaking arms, he rises and carefully gathers our son into his chest. The moment the baby settles against him, his crying stops completely.
Kaziel lets out a choked sound.
"Oh," he breathes, clutching him closer. "Oh, gods... I've got you. I've got you."
Our son yawns and then he grips a stray strand of Kaziel's hair like he's claiming him.
I watch them, my heart so full it literally aches.
"My boys," I whisper.
“Do you have a name already, Dani?” Kaz breathes.
I beam. “Azren Miles Lakewood.”