Chapter 83 Eighty Three
KAZIEL
"You can't do that, Alpha. It’s bad enough that your health is unstable. What if she activates the core sigil? You'll literally become a puppet!" Kira says. She's freaking out. And so is Callen. I just told them I was going to let myself walk into what I do recognize as a trap. My head is probably muddled by fever, but the urge to end Vanya's threat is overpowering.
"If she's truly inviting me to the centre of the supposed ritual, this is my chance to not only get rid of her but also the other vampires who do her bidding," I reply, and Callen frowns deeply.
"Maybe you're underestimating her, Alpha. You really shouldn't do that. She might be more dangerous than you think," he says.
"No, it's all on me. I let myself get complacent. So much so that they all think they can trample on me. I'm done playing nice—"
"Great, let's hear your plan then."
I freeze at the sound of Danika's voice. She's leaning by the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. Danika is wearing one of my black shirts, her hair wildly mussed. She looks pissed, her cheeks flushed. Shit. Angry Danika is beyond terrifying. I'm afraid she's going to melt the flesh off my bones with her piercing gaze. Even Kira and Callen had gone so still, they were barely even breathing.
When did she even get here?
"What? Looks like you've got absolutely no plan whatsoever," she drones, unfolding her arms and shuffling towards me.
"L-Luna," Kira and Callen stutter as if they've been caught red-handed in a crime.
The crease in her brows deepens when she halts in between my legs and rests her palm on my forehead. I barely resist the urge to sigh, close my eyes and melt. She feels cool against my skin.
"You're still burning," she mutters.
"Sorry," I mumble, and she smiles.
"Why do you want to go to her so badly? Do you already miss her?" She sasses, her lips still curved. Panic instantly grips me, and before I can give her an answer, both Kira and Callen rise to their feet and hurry to the door, not sparing me a glance. Fucking traitors.
"T-that's not true."
What the fuck? Why am I stuttering?
Dani arches a brow, amusement swimming in her irises. But she says nothing, waiting for me to open up to her. So, I do.
"I don't want anyone else to die," I tell her. "Not like Flo did."
Danika's teasing expression fades instantly, something softer taking its place.
I swallow, my gaze meeting Danika's. "I can't keep merely reacting. I can't keep letting bodies pile up because I hesitated..." My voice lowers. "I need to end this. Before more blood is on my hands."
"Kaz..." she breathes, brushing stray strands of hair away from my face.
"I won't let that happen again," I continue, my voice hoarse. "And I won't let anything touch you either. Or our baby."
My hand moves on instinct, settling over her belly. I haven't noticed this before now, but my goodness, there's a curve. It's almost unnoticeable, but it's there. I swallow past the lump in my throat, tears springing to my eyes.
Dani's fingers slip into my hair, stroking slowly and soothingly. I lean into her touch before I even realize I'm doing it.
"Does it have to be tonight?" she asks softly.
I look away. I bet the answer is written all over my face.
Still, she doesn't let me hide. Her fingers curl under my chin, gentle but firm, guiding my gaze back to hers. Her hazel eyes shimmer brightly with emotion.
I nod once.
She exhales, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Then mark me first."
The words feel like a back handed slap.
"What?" I pull back instinctively, panic coating my insides. "No. Dani, I can't. If I mark you, it could activate the Hollow curse. It could—" My voice cracks. "It could kill you."
She cups my face immediately, her thumbs cool against my cheeks.
"Kaz," she murmurs. "Look at me."
I do, but I'm breathing hard now. I'm so terrified, the fever is quickly overwhelming me. My body is shaking, fire licking at my organs. Still, a shiver runs through me.
"I have sanctum energy," my mate reminds me gently. "Pure sanctum. The Hollow isn't a match for that."
I swallow hard, my heart pounding.
"And marking me will connect us," she continues, her voice calm and steady. "Deeply enough that I can feed you the healing, purifying energy you need. The kind that burns away corruption."
My pulse races faster as I consider her words.
She tilts her head, her eyes glowing with hope. "Who knows? It might even melt away Vanya's sigil on your core."
I stare at her, stunned.
How did I not think of that?
The realization hits me hard, followed swiftly by guilt. All my power. All my knowledge. And still... she's the one seeing further than I did.
"Fuck," I whisper hoarsely. "I should've thought of this."
She smiles softly, forgiving as always. "You're allowed to be scared. But you can't carry everything on your own anymore. That's why I am your Luna. I may be young, but I'm sure as hell not dumb."
She leans in and kisses me gently. Her soft lips tentatively brush mine, and her short nails lightly rub slow circles into my scalp, and the tension in my body melts completely. Cloud nine doesn't even begin to cover it.
"What do you think?" she whispers between kisses.
I don't answer with words. I pull her closer and kiss her deeply, pouring every ounce of fear, hope, and devotion into it.
"Yes," I breathe against her lips. "Let's do it."
It's a long shot. But for the first time in a long while, I feel hopeful.
We kiss our way back towards the bedroom, slow and unhurried. I barely register our clothes coming off. In bed, the moonlight spills through the windows in soft silver ribbons, illuminating my girl's skin. She looks so fucking ethereal like this.
I hover over her, braced on my hands, utterly undone by the sight of her beneath me.
She blinks, her thick lashes fluttering. And her teeth lightly graze the soft pink flesh of her lower lip. I want to marry this goddess. It's a pressing need.
I draw in a deep breath, steadying myself, and feel the familiar pull in my jaw as my fangs lengthen.
"Dani," I murmur, my voice rough. "You have to mark me too. It has to go both ways." I suck in a sharp breath. "And you have to want it. Fully."
Her eyes widen. She brings a hand to her mouth as her own canines slip out, cheeks flushing with heat and wonder. For a moment she looks almost shy, then her gaze sharpens with determination.
"I'm ready," she whispers.
I exhale slowly, mentally pleading to the moon goddess that nothing goes wrong.
The intoxicating scent of her wetness smacks me, and a wicked smirk tugs at my lips.
I slip a finger between her folds, and she gasps. Wow. She’s dripping. She looks away, biting the inside of her cheek.
“Don’t blame me, you can’t see the view I’m seeing from this position. It’s like a freaking wet dream,” she murmurs, and I chuckle, kissing her cheek and stroking her clit slowly. She moans softly, her back arching slightly.
“Are you sore from before? Maybe—”
She grips my bicep, shaking her head. Then she leans up to kiss me. “Turns out that being a pregnant wolf means you get horny all the time, and because your body literally refreshes itself all the time, you don’t get to feel sore for too long.”
I laugh, returning her kisses. “Remember when you had to recover for days after I rammed you hard? Explain that.”
Her face turns even redder. “Maybe my power wasn’t fully unlocked then. I promise I’m telling the truth.”
“Of course you are, sweet thing,” I say, thrusting into her warmth. A groan spills out of my lips from the maddening sensation. Holy fucking shit.
Her nails dig into my back, her lips parting in ecstasy. Even her eyes are half rolled towards the back of her head.
“Your cock is so fucking big, I love it,” she moans thickly.
“Tell me how much you love it, dove. I want you to scream it,” I whisper, kissing her again.
“I love it!” She cries out as I quicken my pace, her full tits bouncing. She screams, cursing wildly.
When she’s seconds from hitting her climax, I sink my fangs into her neck, marking her. I have no idea how she pushes through to mark me in between my shoulder and neck. I pitch off the cliff with a hoarse cry, pleasure sizzling down my spine. The mate bond snaps in place, stealing the air from my lungs. Danika screams my name, clutching at me with all of her strength. And then our bodies go limp.
It takes me quite the effort to move off her body, something is happening in my body. I’m not sure what it is, but I can barely speak or open my eyes. It burns.
“Kaziel?” I can hear Dani speak to me, but I can’t for the life of me respond.
I feel my back arching, my chest tightening until it feels like something has just exploded. And then I let out a gasp, jolting to a sitting position.
I can’t… I can’t believe it.
My core activates in my chest, brighter than I’ve ever seen it, and the sigil…
My gaze locks with Dani’s wide eyes. “It’s gone,” we both echo.