Chapter 80 Eighty
DANIKA
The next morning, Kaziel sits at the dining table with a blanket draped around his shoulders and a bowl of food in front of him. He lifts the spoon slowly, barely eating. The bags under his eyes are concerning. And even his eyes are distant and unfocused, as if a part of him still hasn't come back all the way.
I sit by his side, pretending to scroll through my phone. He woke up quite late this morning. It was nearly 11:30AM when he finally opened those beautiful eyes of his.
The unknown number stares back at me on my phone, my thumb hovering above it. I'm torn between calling and not calling. What if this is just another trap? I've seen enough to learn that people can't be trusted.
Kaziel shifts in his chair, pushing it back slightly as he plants his palms on the table and stands. The movement is sudden enough that I stand up too, painfully obvious.
He turns to look at me.
There's no anger in his tired blue eyes. Only confusion.
"...Are you going to tell me," he asks softly, "why you've been following me everywhere since I woke up?"
I freeze. My fingers curl around my phone.
"I'm not—" I start, the words dying off when his brow creases faintly. I swallow hard and scramble for something close enough to the truth.
"I just..." I force out a small breath. "I watched you die, Kaziel."
"I watched your heart stop. I felt you go cold in my arms." My voice trembles despite myself. "I guess I'm still scared."
It's not the whole truth. But it isn't a lie either.
His gaze changes instantly. The tension in his shoulders melts, guilt flashing across his face.
"Dove..." he murmurs.
He opens his arms.
"Come here."
I don't hesitate. I cross the space between us in two steps and press myself into his chest. His arms wrap around me carefully, like he's afraid of squeezing too hard. Then the blanket slips, cocooning us both.
"I'm sorry," he whispers into my hair. "I didn't mean to scare you. I never want to do that to you."
I cling to him, my fingers gripping the fabric of his white shirt, breathing him in.
"I know," I whisper back. "I know."
His chin rests lightly against the top of my head.
"I'm here," he says. "I promise."
I close my eyes, nodding against his chest and holding on tighter. Only for me to freeze when I realize that I'd forgotten something so important.
Oh no. Kaziel is a walking lie detector.
My stomach flips. I go still in his embrace, my heart thudding madly against my ribs as realization crashes down on me. He can definitely sense my lie. But he doesn't pull away.
Instead, he simply exhales slowly.
"I need to use the bathroom," he murmurs, and I stiffen.
He leans back just enough to look at me, one perfect brow lifting faintly.
"And if you're going to follow me," he adds dryly, "you might as well grab a chair."
Heat floods my face. "I—I'm not—"
His lips twitch with amusement, my face burning. But it doesn't matter, I follow him anyway.
In the bathroom, the light flashes on. I busy myself at the sink, turning on the faucet and splashing water on my face as if I'm not hovering two feet away while my mate does his business.
My cheeks burn.
When he finishes, he comes to the sink beside me, rolling up his sleeves to wash his hands. I can feel his gaze on me through the mirror.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I risk a glance.
Big mistake.
His eyes soften instantly when they meet mine, and I blush harder.
"...What?" I mumble.
"Nothing," he says gently. "Just looking at you."
My heart stumbles. So, I turn off the tap, swallowing hard. "Kaz."
"Yes, Dove?"
"There's... something I didn't tell you."
He nods, his face devoid of any form of tension. I pull my phone from my pocket with shaking fingers. When we step back into the bedroom, I turn the screen towards him. As he reads the message, I watch his face closely. Surprise flashes across his features real quick.
He looks at me, then he leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.
"Next time," he rasps, "you don't have to lie to me."
My throat tightens.
"I'm always willing to hear what you have to say," he adds, and I nod, guilt stirring in my chest.
"I'm sorry."
"I know." He squeezes my hand once, then he moves over to sit on the edge of the bed. I blink at him when he pats his lap lightly. "Come here."
I hesitate. "Are you sure? You haven't... you're not fully—"
He huffs a weak laugh. "Dove, I feel like a zombie barely being held together by caffeine."
I snort before I can stop myself.
"And the only thing that makes me feel better," he adds softly, "is you."
That's all it takes.
I let him pull me down onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me immediately, burying his face into the side of my neck. The contented purr he lets out sends warmth flooding through me.
"You smell like home," he murmurs, breathing me in.
My fingers slide into his hair instinctively. I can't get over how perfect his features are as I trace my finger along the back of his neck.
"You've never broken your nose before, have you?" I ask, and he smirks.
"You'd be surprised by how many times it's happened. If I were human, I'd probably have the ugliest nose you've ever seen."
A giggle slips out of me at the thought of it.
He lifts his head slightly. "Go on," he says. "Call the number."
I nod and tap the call button. It rings twice before it finally connects.
"I was wondering when you'd call," a girl's voice says calmly.
I freeze.
"Who is this?" I ask.
"My name is Flo," she replies. "I'm Vanya's ex-boyfriend's younger sister."
Kaziel stiffens beneath me.
"And I know exactly what she did to him," Flo continues softly. "And what she plans to do to your mate next."
...
The café is warm. Steam curls from my cup, fogging the small window beside our table. The world outside is blanketed in heavy snow. Flo sits across from us, wearing black from her beanie to her glove, a pair of round glasses perched on her dainty nose.
She's younger than I expected. Early twenties, maybe. Her blue eyes are sharp and assessing.
Kaziel sits beside me, one arm draped protectively over the back of my chair. His presence is solid, but I can feel the tension humming beneath his skin. Flo exhales slowly, her fingers wrapped tight around her mug.
"I'm not here to scare you," she says. "I'm here because if I don't tell you, he'll die."
Her gaze falls on Kaziel, and I swallow hard. Does she know that he's an immortal?
"Kaziel already knows she wanted his core," I say, keeping my voice steady. "That part isn't new."
Flo nods. "That's just the surface. That isn't what she truly wants."
Kaziel's jaw tightens.
"She used you as an anchor," Flo says softly. "Your core doesn't just generate power, it regulates. It absorbs excess magic, stabilises frequency, and prevents magical backlash."
I feel sick.
"She learned that early," Flo continues. "Before the cult. Before everything. That's why she targeted you."
Kaziel stiffens visibly.
"She didn't fall in love with you," Flo says. "She selected you."
Tears sting my eyes.
"She started small," Flo goes on. "Micro-doses of poison. Herbs that cause fatigue. Emotional dependency. She needed your core weakened, but not dead."
I grip Kaziel's sleeve.
"She drugged you during moments of emotional vulnerability," Flo adds. "Grief. Stress. Pain. Because your core opens wider when you're suffering."
Kaziel's breathing trembles.
"And when the Hollow didn't react around her," Flo continues, "it was because she faked the bond."
She looks him dead in the eye.
"And also because she was feeding it."
My stomach drops.
"She was siphoning you slowly," Flo says. "Letting the Hollow eat the pain while she took the energy. That's why you probably felt wrecked all the time."
I press my hand to my mouth.
"There's something else," she says. "Something worse."
Kaziel straightens subtly beside me. I can feel his body recognizing danger before his mind catches up.
"What?" he asks.
Flo lifts her gaze to him, and there's grief there.
"She's not trying to become you," Flo whispers.
My stomach drops.
"She's trying to replace you."
What the hell does that mean?
"She had a lover before you," Flo continues. "Before the cult. Before everything went wrong."
My heart starts pounding.
"My brother."
I gulp, my throat going dry.
"She loved him," Flo says. "I mean…truly loved him. Obsessively. Recklessly. The kind of love that doesn't know when to stop."
Kaziel's voice is low when he speaks. "What happened to him?"
Flo swallows.
"She got involved with someone powerful, and she started looking for a way to make my brother an immortal. She wanted to live with him forever. So she dabbled in forbidden resurrection magic. The kind of spells that require... sacrifices."
My hands curl into my lap.
"He found out," Flo continues. "About the lives she was taking. About the bodies. About what she was becoming."
Her voice cracks just slightly.
"He tried to stop her."
I already know the answer, but I ask anyway.
"And?"
"She let him die," Flo whispers. "Or maybe... she caused it. I'll never know which is worse."
A cold wave washes over me.
"She never accepted it," Flo says. "She refused to grieve. Instead, she started preparing."
Kaziel's jaw tightens. "Preparing for what?"
"For the right body," Flo replies.
Her eyes dart to him.
"She needed someone strong enough to hold another soul without rejecting it. Someone with a core powerful enough to survive a forced soul fusion."
The air whooshes out of my lungs.
"You," she says. "You were perfect."
Kaziel goes utterly still.
"She didn't want your body because it was yours," Flo continues. "She wanted it because it could house him."
I can barely breathe at this point.
"She intended to overwrite you," Flo says softly. "Suppress your consciousness. Bury you deep enough that her lover's soul could take control."