Chapter 60 Ominous

Chapter 60 Ominous
INDIE
       The gym was dim and quiet, the only sound the dull thud of my fists hitting the heavy bag.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Each punch was pathetic. Weak. My knuckles were already red and stinging, but I kept swinging anyway, my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. Sweat dripped into my eyes. My arms burned. Still, I punched harder.

It wasn't working.

Nothing was working.

If Varak didn't need Sweetpea anymore... if he'd used her up completely and discarded her like a broken toy... then Enid's words kept echoing in my head like a curse.

‘You're feeding off him.’
‘Every time your flames grow stronger, you're draining him faster.’
‘Your fire and his darkness can't exist together without one destroying the other.’

My next punch landed crooked. Pain shot through my wrist. I hissed but didn't stop.

What if she was right?

What if every training session with Leon, every time I pushed my power to burn out the venom, I was slowly killing Zade? What if the mating bond itself had become poison? What if I was the weapon Varak had been counting on all along?

Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I punched the bag again, harder. My knuckles split. Blood smeared across the black leather.

"Fuck," I whispered, my voice cracking.

Behind me, a low, familiar voice pierced through the silence.

"You're going to break your hand if you keep throwing punches like that."

I froze.

Zade leaned against the far wall near the door, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. He looked pale and exhausted, shadows heavy under his violet eyes, but he was standing. Actually standing. Without Leon or Mason holding him up.

My heart lurched.

"You shouldn't be moving around," I said, my voice hoarse. "You were freezing last night. You could barely breathe—"

He shrugged one shoulder, the movement slow and careful.

"Probably the placebo effect," he said dryly. "I heard that Sweetpea was dead and suddenly felt better. Funny how that works."

He pushed off the wall and walked towards me, each step slow. When he reached me, he gently caught my wrists, lifting my bloody hands between us. His touch was delicate and reverent, his thumbs brushing just below the split skin on my knuckles.

"Look at you," he sighed, his voice soft. "Beating the hell out of a bag because you're scared."

The tears I'd been fighting finally unleashed themselves.

"I am scared," I choked out. "What if Enid's right, Zade? What if every time I get stronger, I'm hurting you? What if the bond is killing you? What if I'm the reason you're dying?"

My voice cracked completely on the last word.

Zade didn't speak right away. He simply pulled me forward, wrapping his arms around me even though I could feel how much effort it took him to stay upright.

One hand cradled the back of my head, his fingers threading gently through my damp hair. The other pressed firmly against my lower back, holding me tight against his chest.

I buried my face in his neck and sobbed.

"I don't want to lose you," I cried, the words muffled against his skin. "I can't lose you. But what if staying with you is what's killing you? What if I have to walk away to save you? I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to choose—"

"Shh." His voice was low, rough, but impossibly steady. "Breathe, bunny. Just breathe."

He held me tighter, rocking us slightly even though I knew it hurt him.

"You must listen to me," he whispered against my hair. "You are not killing me. You are not the poison. If my body is too weak to hold your fire, that's my problem, not yours. I've survived worse than this. I survived the pit. I survived Varak. I will survive this."

His hand stroked down my back in slow, soothing passes.

"And even if the bond is draining me... even if every flame you light costs me something... I would rather burn out with you than live in the dark without you. Do you understand me?"

I shook my head, still crying.

"I can't lose you," I whispered again.

"You won't." His voice dropped into that dark, possessive register that always made my knees weak. "Because I won't let you go. Not now. Not ever. If you try to run to save me, I will drag you back. I will chain you to my side if I have to. You are mine, Indie. And I am yours. Even if it kills me."

He pressed a slow kiss to my temple, then my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.

"Let me be selfish," he murmured. "Let me keep you. Even if it's dangerous. Even if it's stupid. I'd rather die with you than live without you."

I clung to him, my fingers digging into his shirt, tears soaking the fabric.

Zade held me like I was something precious and breakable, even while he was the one barely standing.

For a long moment, the only sound was my quiet sobbing and the steady beat of his heart against my ear. It was too slow and too weak, but he was clearly still fighting.

"I'm scared," I whispered again.

"I know," he said softly, his soft lips brushing my hair. "But you're not alone. Never again."

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me out of Zade's arms.

A young enforcer appeared at the balcony entrance, breathing hard, his eyes wide with urgency.

"Luna Indigo," he said, his voice tight. "There's a messenger at the front gate. He says West is here... and he's asking to see you."

I stiffened.

West.

My ex.

Zade went very still beside me. I felt the shift in him immediately. That dangerous, calculating tilt of his head, the way his violet eyes narrowed into something cold and predatory. He didn't speak, but I knew exactly what he was doing.

He was already planning West's demise.

I swallowed hard.

The enforcer continued, shifting nervously on his feet. "West claims he wants to see his daughter. He says it's important. He won't leave until he does."

A heavy sigh escaped me. I wanted to tell the enforcer to send West away, to tell him to rot. But I couldn't. Not when it came to Lila. No matter how much I hated West, he was still her biological father.

I turned to Zade, searching his face.

"Can I... go see him?" I asked weakly. "Just for a few minutes. For Lila's sake."

Zade stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched. Then he let out a slow, tired sigh.

"Go," he said. "But don't waste more than five minutes. If you take longer than that, I'll probably drop dead before you return."

The words were meant to sound dry, maybe even teasing, but they landed like a punch to the gut.

I didn't find them funny at all.

My eyes stung instantly. Tears blurred my vision as I stared at him. He was pale, exhausted, and still fighting to stay upright.

"Don't say that," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Please don't say things like that."

Zade's expression softened, just a little. He reached out and brushed his thumb across my cheek, catching the tear that had slipped.

"Go," he repeated, gentler this time. "I'll be here when you get back."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak, and turned away before I started crying in front of him again.

I found Lila in the sitting room, curled up on the oversized couch under a soft blanket, Mr. Wolf tucked under her arm. She looked so peaceful, her curls splayed across the pillow. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Lila, baby," I whispered, kneeling beside her. "Wake up. Your dad is here to see you."

She didn't stir.

I gently shook her shoulder. "Lila?"

Nothing.

My heart stuttered. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead.

She was burning up.

Alarm shot through me like lightning. This wasn't normal. She'd been fine earlier.

The dream flashed in my mind. My mother-in-law's asking me to return so she can heal Lila's poison.

No. No, no, no.

"Lila?" My voice rose, panic creeping in. I shook her again, gentler at first, then firmer. "Baby, please wake up."

She remained limp, her breathing shallow. Her skin was far too hot.

Heartbroken and pissed beyond words, I scooped her into my arms. She was heavier than she looked, but I didn't care. I carried her straight towards the front gates, my legs moving on pure adrenaline and fear.

West was waiting just outside the iron bars, looking gaunt and hollow-eyed, like he hadn't slept in days. The moment he saw me approaching with Lila in my arms, relief flashed across his face.

I stopped a few feet away, refusing to get closer.

"What the hell did your mother do?" I demanded, my voice shaking with fury. "Lila won't wake up. She's burning with fever. Tell me what your mother did to my daughter!"

West's eyes widened. He took a half-step forward, his hands raised.

"Indie, I swear I don't—"

"Don't lie to me!" I snapped, holding Lila tighter against my chest. "She was fine yesterday. Now she's like this. If your mother put some kind of poison on her, I swear to the Goddess I will—"

The rest of the threat died in my throat as Lila let out a tiny, pained whimper in my arms.