Chapter 94 Ninety Four
KAZIEL
I sit rigidly in the armchair, my elbows braced on my knees, forcing my breathing to stay even. Across the room, Eve sits on the floor in a lotus position. She glances up at me through Danika's lashes, her lips curving faintly.
"You're getting worse," she says. "You look awful."
My jaw tightens. "Sit still, Dani."
She tilts her head, concern written all over her face. "You don't sound well enough to be ordering anyone around."
Kira stiffens in front of her. "Danika—"
"I'm just saying," Eve cuts in, already shifting her weight. "If he collapses, that complicates things, doesn't it?"
She plants her palms on the floor and starts to rise.
"Don't—" Kira snaps.
"Don't move," I say at the same time, my wolf surging forward.
Eve freezes halfway up, startled by the sudden tension. For a split second, something like irritation flashes across her face.
Then she scoffs and drops back down onto the rug with an exaggerated sigh. "Come on, relax."
Kira exhales shakily, pressing a hand to her chest. "You cannot stand up right now, Dani. It's too risky."
"Why not?" Eve huffs, folding her arms. "I was just stretching."
"You were not," Kira says, barely holding back her annoyance.
Sweat beads at my temples, sliding down the side of my face.
"You have to stay where you are," I tell Eve. "Until this is done."
She rolls her eyes at me. Then she pouts.
"So what," she mutters, "you're just going to sit there and watch me?"
"I'm not driving anywhere in this condition," I sigh before she can push further. "So yes. We're staying put."
She clicks her tongue. "Unbelievable."
I turn my focus inward, reaching for the mind link.
'How long,' I ask Kira silently, keeping my expression neutral. 'How long until the switch?'
Her answer brushes my mind right away.
'I'm trying to reactivate at least one of Danika's cores,' she replies. 'If I don't, Eve could jump back into her body the moment the bond destabilizes.'
My fingers curl into fists at my sides.
'How long,' I repeat, exhausted.
'A few minutes,' she says. 'If she doesn't fight it.'
I glance back at Eve. She's watching us now. It's as though she knows she's running out of time.
Minutes stretch by painfully slow. The room feels smaller with every passing second. My fever climbs steadily, my pulse pounding erratically, each beat a reminder that the Hollow is closer than I'd like to admit.
Eve shifts on the floor, restless. Her gaze darts to the coffee table. I follow it instinctively.
The fruit knife catches the light. She's on her feet in an instant, her fingers closing around the knife's handle. Before I can move, the blade is pressed to her own throat. My girl's throat.
Kira gasps.
My heart slams hard against my ribs. "Don't."
Eve throws her head back and lets out an unhinged laugh. It gets on my fucking nerve because it's still Danika's voice. This is a bloody nightmare.
"Oh," she breathlessly utters, her eyes glimmering with mischief. "This was a trap, wasn't it?"
I don't move. I can't. One wrong step will ruin everything we've planned.
Eve's gaze meets mine, delighted. "She's in there, isn't she?"
My blood runs cold in my veins.
"Danika," Eve whispers, tilting her head and pressing the blade just enough to nearly send me into cardiac arrest. "She's hiding, isn't she?"
"Eve," I say carefully, keeping my voice low and steady. "Put the knife down."
She ignores me.
"She can hear us," Eve continues, her eyes gleaming. "Can't you, sweetheart?"
My throat constricts.
"I swear," Eve drawls, "I'll slit her throat if you don't let me walk out of here."
Kira's magic flares instinctively, but then she subdues it, her jaw clenched.
Eve's smile widens. "Go ahead, try and hurt me."
My fever spikes suddenly, heat roaring through my veins as the bond aches.
"Let me leave," Eve says calmly. "Or Dani bleeds."
'Now!' Kira's voice floods my mind right in that instant.
I don't hesitate. My body moves on instinct, pushing past the fever, the pain, and the nausea. I launch forward, and Eve shrieks as I grab her by the wrist, twisting enough to make her drop the knife while ensuring that I don't cause injury to Danika's body.
The knife clatters away instantly, skidding across the room. Then I pull her down to the floor faster than she can process.
My free arm pins her shoulders down, my knee braced carefully between her thighs, without putting pressure anywhere near her abdomen.
"NO—!" she screams, thrashing wildly. "LET ME GO!"
Her body bucks beneath me, unnatural strength surging through her limbs. She claws at my arms, her nails raking my skin.
"You think this will work?" she snarls. "You think you can just fucking rip me out of this body?!"
She laughs hysterically. "Don't make me laugh!"
My chest heaves as I hold her down, sweat dripping into my eyes.
"Kira!" I bark.
"I've got it!" she shouts back.
Pressure builds in the air until it is almost suffocating. Eve's screams pitch higher, her back arching as if something inside her is being yanked apart thread by thread.
"NO—NO—!" she shrieks. "GET OFF! GET OFF ME—!"
Her spine bows off the floor. Her head snaps back, her mouth opening in a soundless scream—
And then, she goes limp. The sudden stillness is horrifying. I freeze, my heart slamming against my ribs as I stare down at her unmoving body. My grip loosens instinctively, terror flooding in. Danika looks...lifeless. My hands are shaking now, my lungs struggling to expand.
"Kira," I whisper hoarsely. In a blink of an eye, she's right there by my side. We exchange a single, stunned look.
Did it work?
I drop to my knees beside my mate, gently cupping her face between my hands.
"Dove," I whisper urgently. "Open your eyes."
Nothing happens, and I'm starting to shake. It feels like I'm on the edge of a panic attack. My vision blurs, everything else fading except her face. Bile threatens to push up my throat as another second passes.
"Dani," I say, my voice louder now. "Please. Open your eyes. Come back to me."
My hands tremble harder as I brush her hair away from her face, my fever roaring back with a vengeance.
Then, she gasps. Her eyes fly open, wide and disoriented. The instant her gaze focuses on me, my body tenses. Is it really her?
"Kaz—!" she sobs.
She pushes herself up, throwing herself into my arms so hard it knocks the remaining air from my lungs. I wrap my arms around her instantly, crushing her to my chest as she clings to me, shaking hard.
"I'm here," she cries, burying her face against my neck. "I'm here—I'm back—I—"
Relief crashes over me right then. My knees finally give out, and I sink to the floor with her in my arms, my forehead pressing into her hair as air finally rushes in.
"I've got you," I say hoarsely, holding her tighter. "You're safe."
She sobs against me, and a sob rips from my throat.
That was close. So fucking close. I could've—
Oh fuck.
Slowly, I pull her up with me, and she reaches for my face, swiping my tears away with her fingers.
"Come on, let's go make sure that bitch isn't trying to escape," she tells me, pushing to her feet. I accept the hand she holds out to me, rising and entwining her fingers with mine.
"I managed to activate the vessel core. But the sanctum—" Kira starts to say, and I shake my head.
"I know you did your best. Thank you, Kira," I tell her, and she flashes me a small smile.
Together, we head over to the room. Danika doesn't hesitate. The moment we step in, she pulls her hand from mine and walks straight towards Eve.
Eve looks up lazily from where she's bound, her mouth already curving into that smug, infuriating smile.
"Well," she drawls, tilting her head. "Look who crawled back into her skin."
Danika stops right in front of her and slaps her so hard, she leaves a five-fingered imprint on her face.
Eve's head snaps to the side with a startled cry. "You BITCH!"
Danika doesn't raise her voice.
"That," she says coldly, "was for touching my mate."
Eve snarls, baring her teeth. "You think this is over? You think you won?"
Danika moves closer. "You wore my body. You stood in my place. You tried to erase me."
She lifts her hand again, and Eve flinches this time.
"Where did you learn the spell?" Danika demands.
Eve laughs breathlessly. "Oh, that? The soul-shift? My sister taught me."
Right. What did I expect? Same rotten blood.
Danika laughs. "How pathetic. You both really have a talent for being thieves, is that it?"
Eve grits her teeth, her eyes flashing with rage.
"You—!" she shrieks, thrashing against the restraints. "You miserable—”
A growl rumbles from my girl’s chest, and before anyone can stop her, she buries her claws in Eve’s right eye. Eve howls in pain, but Danika smirks. It takes me all the effort not to smirk as well. I’ve been a bad influence.
"You wore my body as if it's a costume," Dani says. "You touched my mate. You tried to bargain with my life."
Eve whimpers.
"But the worst part?" Danika continues. "You thought being me would make him love you."
The whiny bitch goes still. Danika leans down until they're eye-to-eye.
"And he rejected you," she whispers.
I’ve never been so proud.
Eve growls. "I could've been—"
"No," Danika cuts in. "You could never be me."
She steps back, disgust clear on her face.
"You're empty, Eve. That's why you had to borrow a body and a life."
Eve thrashes harder now, screaming. "I would've gotten away with it!"
Danika's expression darkens.
"You almost did," she admits. "But here's what you don't understand. I'm not done with you."
That’s my girl.
"You're going to feel every consequence of what you tried to take," Danika says. "And when I'm finished, you'll wish you'd never learned that spell."