Chapter 49 Forty Nine
KAZIEL
"Tell her, Kaziel," Eve calls out, laughing as she steps into the downpour. "Go on!"
Danika freezes.
"Eve," I rasp, "shut your—"
But she keeps going as she steps closer, her soaked hair plastered to her face.
"You remember, don't you?" she drawls, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. "You said you needed someone because you were... lonely." Her grin mocks me. "You asked me to stay."
My voice cracks. "Danika, she's lying."
Danika's head is bowed, rain dripping from her lashes, her breathing ragged as she stares at the ground. She isn't crying. And somehow... that makes it worse.
"Dani," I whisper, moving towards her.
She steps back, and my chest caves in. The Hollow fuels my panic, tugging at my self-control. For a terrifying second, my vision goes black around the edges.
But I force it down.
Danika finally lifts her gaze, but her eyes aren't furious. They're empty. And that terrifies the hell out of me.
"Danika," I say again, my voice raw. "I didn't touch her."
Eve laughs. "Don't be ridiculous."
I whip my head towards her, the cold inside me worsening until my blood feels like shards of ice in my veins. "I wasn't in my right mind," I growl. "And you damn well know it."
Danika squeezes her eyes shut.
"You texted me yesterday that you couldn't stay away." Her voice tremble. "Was that you? Or the Hollow?"
"I don't know," I admit, my voice barely audible. "But I meant it."
Anguish crosses her face, and I'm suddenly hit with the urge to drop to my knees and beg.
Eve moves forward, smirking.
"Aw, look at you two," she teases. "So dramatic. Just like when he—"
"That's enough!" I growl, and she flinches.
I swallow a groan, my body nearly folding from the backlash. If my mate had shown up three minutes earlier... If Eve hadn't said a damn word—
Gods, this wouldn't be happening.
"Dani," I whisper again, because speaking louder hurts.
She finally looks at me.
“I swear to you, dove, I didn't choose her. I never would."
Eve scoffs loudly, but Danika ignores her.
"Let's go home and talk," she tells me, and I exhale, relieved.
"You're making a mistake," Eve calls after Danika. "Men like him always crave more than one woman."
Danika pauses.
"You told me you wanted revenge, but it's starting to look a lot like you're starving for my man's attention. Get a grip, Eve," she snaps, and pride swells in my chest beneath the exhaustion.
"Your car, where is it?" Danika asks, and I shake my head. I couldn't drive this morning. Aaron had to act as my chauffeur for the day.
"I didn't drive today," I reply, and her brows furrow with concern.
"Come on, let me take you both to the house!" Bellamy calls out, and I nod.
Eve snarls, "Are you two seriously ignoring me?"
I don't even look at her. I'm done. I simply walk towards Danika, trying not to shiver visibly.
I should be stronger than this. I should be able to shield her from Eve, from myself, from this... thing inside me. But I can't. I'm failing, and she doesn't deserve this.
Eve scoffs loudly behind me. "Pathetic. Both of you."
I don't react, not because I'm calm. But because if I stop walking... I'll collapse.
When I reach the car, Danika reaches out to hold my hand. She gasps in surprise when she notices that I'm freezing but doesn't say anything. Instead, we both settle in the back seat. My mate feels so close but also so far away. I want to breathe her in until the Hollow has nothing left to feed on. But even while we're seated side by side, she sits stiffly, keeping her gaze on the window. And it fucking kills me.
...
The moment Bellamy parks, the cold clamps down harder. I try to get out of the car on my own, but my legs buckle the second my feet hit the ground. Everything spins, and suddenly Bellamy's arm is under mine.
"I've got him," Bellamy mutters.
"No—no, I can walk," I croak.
"You really can't," Danika says, already on my other side. Her hand slides around my waist, steadying me.
Her warmth hits me in a rush, my body leaning into hers.
Bellamy locks the car without letting go of me. "Let's move. He's freezing."
It's an understatement. I feel like I'm dying. Every step up the stairs is a battle. My feet are numb, and my hands won't stop shaking.
"Kaziel," Dani whispers. "Stay with us."
"I'm... trying."
My knees almost give out again. Bellamy curses under his breath and lifts more of my weight.
By the time we reach the bedroom, spots dance in my vision. The cold has settled behind my eyes, dulling everything.
Danika doesn't hesitate.
"I'll run a bath," she says, rushing into the bathroom.
The moment she disappears from my side, I sway. The Hollow doesn't just slam the cold deeper. It lashes out in fury, punishing me for letting her go. My legs fold, and Bellamy barely manages to catch me.
"S–shit. Okay, breathe," Bellamy mutters, kneeling beside me. "Let's get this jacket off. Kaz, can you lift your arms?"
I try, but nothing happens.
"Kaziel." Bellamy grips my face, forcing my eyes open. "Don't check out on me. Dani's getting the bath. Stay awake."
I try to breathe a reply, but my lips barely move. That's when Bellamy freezes.
"Kaz..." he whispers. "Your lips are turning blue."
He works faster after that. He rips open the buttons of my soaked shirt, pushing the fabric off my shoulders.
Cold air hits my skin, and I jerk painfully.
"Sorry—sorry, I know." Bellamy drapes my discarded shirt over my legs, trying to preserve some warmth while he gets the rest off. "Damnit, man..."
My vision slips again, and Bellamy shakes me lightly. "Kaziel. Don't faint. You'll scare the hell out of her."
I try to answer, I don't know if I do.
I curl forward instinctively, drawing my knees tight to my chest, trying to conserve warmth. My body twitches in small, uncontrollable spasms.
Danika's footsteps soon rush back into the room.
"Kaziel—" Her voice cracks.
I look up, or at least, I try to. My neck wobbles, too weak to hold my head fully. Her eyes widen the second she sees me.
I know what she sees: my blue lips and pale skin and the way I'm shaking so hard I definitely look like I’m possessed.
"Oh dear," she whispers, dropping to her knees beside me. "Kaziel, baby, why didn't you tell me it was this bad?"
She cups my face, her warm palms burning against my skin in the best way. I lean into her touch without meaning to, my forehead pressing into her wrist.
"Let's get you in the bath."
Bellamy nods, slipping an arm under my shoulders. "We'll lift him on three. Ready?"
She nods.
"One... two—"
They haul me up. A guttural sound tears out of me as pain and cold collide in my spine. My legs buckle immediately. Danika catches my face against her shoulder, her fingers clutching my lower back.
"I've got you," she breathes. "I'm not letting go."
Bellamy steps back, giving her space. "I'll stay outside, shout if you need help."
Danika nods, her mouth close to my ear.
"Come on, hot stuff," she whispers. "Let's warm you up."
By the time I'm seated in the tub, water up to my chest, the shaking is so violent the surface ripples hard enough to splash over the edge. Danika kneels beside the bathtub, both hands gripping my face gently.
"Kaziel... can you look at me?"
I try, blinking to clear my vision, only to find that her eyes are wet. Gods...no, no, no.
"D-don't cry," I whisper, though it comes out slurred.
"I'm not crying," she lies, wiping a tear with her thumb. "You're hallucinating."
I try to smirk, failing miserably. The heat slowly begins crowding out the cold. I groan, sinking lower into the water as sensation returns in spikes.
Danika's hand moves to my hair, pushing it back from my forehead. She hikes up her dress, swings one leg into the tub, then the other, climbing in behind me.
"You scared me," she whispers.
"I'm sorry." I rasp. "For everything. For today. For letting her talk. For being weak."
She strokes my hair. "You're not weak."
"I am," I insist, my eyes slipping closed. "I can't...think when you're gone. I can't breathe when you're far. I said I wouldn't break, but—" I gulp. "I'm breaking, dove."
Her arms wrap around me tightly, her legs bracketing mine, her chin resting on my shoulder. The steady beat of her heart against my back makes the Hollow loosen its grip.
Finally, I can breathe.
Her fingers thread through mine, holding them against my chest.
"You're okay," she whispers. "I've got you."
The sound of her voice is the only anchor I have.
I lean fully into her, my eyes slipping closed as the last of the tremors fade. After a long, quiet moment, she asks softly:
"Why didn't you tell me... it hurt this much?"
I nearly flinch. I've burdened her enough. If she had a healthier man by her side, someone she doesn't have to fuss over—
"Kaziel... what else have you been hiding from me?"
I swallow hard.
"I didn't want to scare you," I rasp.
"Your lips were blue!" she cries out, her voice cracking. "You think not knowing scares me less?"
She presses her forehead to the back of my shoulder, her breathing shaky.
"Tell me," she begs. "Please."
I grip her arm weakly.
"The Hollow isn't just tormenting me," I whisper. "It's... evolving."
She freezes.
"What do you mean by evolving?"
"The more I feel for you..." I force the words out, trembling, "The stronger it gets. And it wants all of you. Not just your presence or your proximity."
She goes utterly still.
"What does it want, Kaziel?"
How do I tell her it wants her life?
I swallow past the lump in my throat, angry tears pricking my eyes. “You’re not safe around me, Dani. But I need you like I need oxygen. What do I do?”