Chapter 30: You're grounded

“She’s burning up, why is she burning up?”

Jack’s voice cracked as he kicked open Maya’s front door, Lydia’s limp body in his arms. Her skin was pale, clammy, and already trembling with fever.

Maya rushed from the stairs, her eyes widened when she saw the blood soaking body of lydia carried by Jack. “What happened?”

“She was bitten,” Jack panted, placing her gently on the couch. “The hybrid, he showed up during our date. She tried to fight it, but he bit her and couldn’t stop it, I couldn't do anything.”

From the corner, Peter stood, his eyes narrowing. “Where?”

Jack pointed to the side of Lydia’s ribs. “Right there, when it bit her she screamed and passed out, she's showing no sign of life. ”

Maya was already on her knees beside Lydia, ripping open her herbal kit with trembling hands. “We don’t have time if the venom spreads, it could shut her heart down.”

She began mixing powdered wolfsbane with crushed roots and dipped her fingers into the thick, green paste. Jack held Lydia’s hand tightly.

“She hasn’t said a word since it happened,” he whispered. “She didn’t even cry out again.”

Peter knelt across from Maya. “Let me see the bite.”

“It’s already turning black,” Maya said. “She doesn’t have much time.”

Jack watched helplessly as Maya applied the herbs. The moment the mixture touched Lydia’s skin, her body convulsed violently. A hiss echoed in the roomand Lydia skin was burning. .

"She’s burning!" Jack shouted, pulling his hand back from the heat radiating off her body.

Smoke rose from the wound, the paste had turned dark against her skin. Lydia’s back arched in pain, but her eyes didn’t open.

“It’s rejecting the herbs,” Peter said, alarmed. “That bite, it’s not normal. Something’s wrong.”

Maya’s eyes widened. “This isn’t just hybrid venom… it’s fused with shadow magic, that’s why it’s burning her.”

“So what do we do?” Jack demanded. “We can’t just sit here while she...”

“I don’t know!” Maya snapped, her voice cracking. “None of my healing mixes are working. She needs more than herbs, she needs...”

Suddenly, Lydia’s body went still.

Jack’s heart dropped. “Lydia?!”

Maya leaned over her quickly, checking her pulse. “She’s still breathing… but it’s slowing down.”

Peter stepped forward. “We need someone who understands this kind of magic. This was done deliberately.”

"No one but Lydia understand magic and herbs, we need to find someone." Maya added.

Jack looked between them, his jaw tightened. “So what now? We just wait? Hope she makes it through the night?”

“No,” Peter said darkly. “We find the hybrid and we find out who’s controlling it because this, ” he motioned to Lydia.“was a message.”

Jack turned back to Lydia, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“I won’t let her die,” he whispered. “Even if I have to burn down whoever did this.”

Damien pushed open the front door, the familiar creak echoing through the hallway. The lights were already on, and the smell of overcooked stew lingered in the air.

“Damien?” his mother’s voice called from the kitchen.

He sighed, dropping his bag by the stairs. “Yeah, Mom. I’m home.”

She stepped into the hallway, arms crossed, her expression a mix of worry and frustration. “Where were you?”

“School,” he said casually, walking past her toward the stairs.

“Don’t lie to me.” Her voice sharpened. “You come home late every night. You’re barely here, you leave before sunrise and sneak in after dark. What’s going on with you?”

Damien muttered."where else will I go if not school."

She rolled her eyes."I'm sure you haven't been going to school."

Damien paused mid step. “I’ve just been... busy.”

“Busy?” She raised a brow. “With what? You never tell me anything anymore and don’t think I haven’t heard about those strange fights breaking out around campus.”

He turned slowly. “It’s not what you think.”

“Oh really? Then tell me. Why are your clothes always torn? Why are you always bruised? You think I don’t notice?”

Damien didn’t respond, his jaw clenched.

“That’s it. You’re grounded,” she said firmly. “No leaving the house after school, no disappearing at night. You’re staying in this house, understood?”

He nodded slowly. “Understood.” He couldn't argue with her cause he knew who would change her decision.

She stared at him for a moment longer before turning back to the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of sight, Damien darted up the stairs. He waited until the lights in the kitchen dimmed before cracking his window open. A gust of wind swept in, and without a second thought, he climbed out and dropped silently to the ground.

Ten minutes later, he was sprinting toward Maya’s house.

Maya’s door creaked open before Damien could knock. Peter stepped aside without a word, he tuned to Damien with a wicked smirk.

Damien’s breath caught when he saw Lydia lying unconscious on the couch, her skin pale and her shirt stained with blood.

“What the hell happened?!” Damien shouted.

Jack, who was sitting beside her, looked up with guilt written all over his face.

“I told you not to go!” Damien snapped, storming inside. “I warned you, Jack! I told you that thing was still out there!”

Jack stood, voice tense. “She made the choice to fight, I wasn’t going to drag her away.”

“You shouldn't have taken her out in the first place!”

“I didn’t know it’d be watching us! We were careful!”

Damien turned to Maya. “Is she...?”

“She’s alive,” Maya said softly. “But barely. The hybrid’s venom... it’s doing something to her. Something darker than anything I’ve ever treated.”

Damien knelt beside Lydia, brushing her hair back. Her face was slick with sweat, her lips were trembling.

“This is my fault,” Jack muttered.

“You’re damn right it is,” Damien snapped. “But standing here yelling won’t fix it.”

Peter folded his arms. “We need to figure out who created that thing, that bite wasn’t random.”

Damien stared at Lydia, a deep ache tightening in his chest.

“She’s not dying,” he said firmly. “We’re going to stop this and I don’t care what it takes.”

Jack nodded slowly. “Then we need a plan because whoever’s behind this... they’re just getting started.”