Chapter 100 One Hundred
DANIKA
Kira moves without warning. She grabs my arm to shove me behind her just in time for the door to jerk open. And then I see him.
My father.
He looks... ordinary. I expected him to look more like the devil. Possibly with two horns growing from his forehead. But even his head has gone bald, with slight wrinkles on his face. Horrible taste in fashion too. What's with those ugly red boots?
There's not a shred of recognition on his face. Because to him, I'm not a daughter. I'm a resource.
"Well," he says, his gaze sliding past Kira and locking onto me. His mouth curves. "There you are, baby girl."
"Don't call me that," I snarl. "You didn't raise me."
His brow lifts, his eyes swimming with amusement. "My, my, look who inherited her mother's temper."
I bare my teeth. "You tortured my mate."
"Oh, him?" he says, glancing towards Kaziel like he's nothing more than furniture. "Necessary inconvenience."
Kira growls. My father doesn't even look at her when he moves. With only one blink, she's suddenly airborne. She slams into the wall with a loud crack, then she drops to one knee with a choked gasp.
"Kira!" I scream.
At the same time, Kaziel rolls off the table with a hoarse grunt, his body hitting the floor hard. He barely has time to push up before my father is on him. He closes a hand around Kaziel's throat. Then he shoves him against the wall. Kaziel's feet scrape uselessly against the floor, his hands clawing at the bony wrist crushing his windpipe. His face is flushed, his eyes blazing with fury and strain.
"Don't," I roar, lunging forward.
My father doesn't even turn his head.
"Ah-ah," he says calmly. "You'll stay right there."
He tightens his grip. Kaziel chokes, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head. How...how is this devil doing this? What is he?
My heart slams so hard it hurts.
"You see?" my father continues conversationally, his eyes finally darting back to me. "This is the problem with you. You think love makes you powerful."
He leans closer to Kaziel's face, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"You can't do anything," he tells him. "Not for her. Especially not against me, lad."
Then his gaze snaps back to mine.
"You," he says, smiling, "are utterly useless to him."
Rage heats the blood in my veins.
"But to me?" he continues. "You're invaluable."
My claws slide out, my wolf surging to the surface.
"I'm not yours," I growl. "I never was."
His smile widens.
"Oh, sweetheart," he says softly. "That's where you're wrong."
Kaziel gasps for air, his hair sticking to his face. He looks so helpless like this. And it fucking kills me. Where the hell are Isaiah and the others? It doesn't matter though. I'll fight. I'll fight for my man.
But the moment that thought crosses my mind, a strange serenity washes over me, and I crumple to the ground, my eyes suddenly feeling heavy. I try to keep them open, but it's no use. My body relaxes, and everything goes black.
I awake with a gasp. My lungs burn as if I've been underwater too long. I try to move, only to find that I'm cuffed to stone.
My arms are bound above me, thick restraints biting into my skin. Panic hits me, and I jerk instinctively, freezing when I sense Kaziel's presence beside me.
"Kaz—?" My voice comes out hoarse.
He's there, tied beside me.
Our bodies are laid flat against a raised stone altar, cold seeping through my back. His head is turned slightly towards mine, his face ashen.
"Kaziel," I whisper urgently.
He coughs.
A harsh, wet sound slips out of him, his body trembling as blood bubbles at the corner of his mouth. He turns his head just in time to spit it out onto the stone, his chest heaving as he struggles for air.
"Kaz—" I choke, straining against my restraints.
His lashes flutter open.
"Dove," he rasps, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You're... awake."
"I am," I whisper. "I'm here. Don't you dare leave me."
His mouth twitches faintly. "Wasn't planning on it."
Before I can respond, a low sound rolls through the chamber. That annoying chanting again. It makes my skin crawl.
I crane my neck, my heart hammering, just as figures in red robes emerge from the shadows.
They're carrying coffins.
Two of them.
The coffins are carved with symbols that make my stomach drop. The cultists move slowly as if what they're bearing is sacred. Or cursed.
The coffins are lowered onto the stone floor with a dull thud, and my throat constricts.
"Kaz..." I whisper, terror slipping into my voice. "I don't like this."
"I know," he murmurs. He's so weak, he can barely keep his eyes open. I turn my head towards him, my tears blurring my vision.
"I'm so sorry," I choke. "If only I was stronger—"
"Hey," he breathes, forcing his gaze to stay on mine. "No. Don't do that."
He swallows hard, another cough wracking his body.
"You came," he continues softly. "Even if I didn't want you to. You came to save me, my hero. I feel like a princess now."
I let out a choked laugh, and he smiles too. Leave it to Kaziel to crack a joke in such a dire situation. Worse, I can't tell if he's mad that I showed up or if he's just too tired to feel anything.
I tug uselessly at my restraints, my muscles screaming. Our hands are so close—just inches apart—but it might as well be miles.
"I can't lose you," I whisper. "I won't."
He exhales shakily. "You won't."
"Don't lie to me," I sob.
"I'm not," he rasps. "I'm just... very tired. I can't seem to regain my strength."
Fear slices through me.
"Kaziel," I say, voice breaking. "Look at me. Stay with me. Please."
He turns his head fully towards mine, his forehead almost brushing my temple.
"I love you," he murmurs. Tears roll down my cheeks. It feels like he's saying goodbye, and I hate that more than anything. But I have to let him know that I adore him too.
"I love you too, babe," I breathe. "More than anything."
I strain again, desperate, my fingers stretching until pain flares up my arms. A gasp slips from my lips as our fingertips finally touch.
The contact sends a sharp jolt through me. Kaziel inhales at the same time, a shudder rolling through him.
"Dani," he whispers.
I lace my fingers around his, trembling. "Close your eyes," I tell him softly. "Just for a second."
He does, and I do too.
And that's when I feel it. Warmth buzzing through our mate bond.
It stirs in my chest, spreading slowly outward, threading through my veins with a familiar, steady hum.
My breath catches in my throat.
"Kaz," I whisper, afraid to hope. "Do you feel that?"
His grip tightens around my hand.
"Yes," he breathes.
The heat is familiar. Like that of the sanctum. It pours out of me in an intense wave.
Candles snuff out all at once, plunging the chamber into chaos as the sanctum expands outward from my chest. The chanting turns into screams. Bodies are thrown back as if struck by an invisible force.
I sit up, the restraints melting off my wrists. Then I slide off the stone, and the moment my bare feet touch the floor, I see him.
The heartless devil is crumpled a few feet away, sprawled on his side like something that has been broken and discarded. He's screaming in pain.
I move closer, and the moment I do, he howls.
His body convulses, his back arching as if something inside him is tearing him apart. Blisters erupt across his skin in real time, angry and swollen, the flesh smoking where the sanctum brushes against him. The smell of burning fat seeps into the air. When he tries to crawl away, I crouch in front of him, fascinated. He shrieks louder just because I'm there.
"I didn't raise you to be this cruel," he cries, tears streaming down his ruined face.
I tilt my head, studying him. I’m amazed that someone so arrogant can suddenly look so pathetic. It makes sense that he can’t stand the Sanctum. He’s evil impersonified. He’s the kind of darkness that should be erased.
"You didn't raise me at all," I reply calmly. "And this isn't cruelty."
His skin splits open as another blister bursts. He wails.
"This is the consequence you sowed. Did you really think you would get away with everything you’ve done, unscathed?”
I lean closer, my voice low enough that only he hears it.
"I won't end you," I tell him. "Because that's not my right."
He sobs harder, choking on the sound.
"Kaziel deserves that."
Behind me, Kira yells my name. I’d almost forgotten about her.
"DANI—!"
I spin just in time to see her on her knees beside the altar, both of her hands pressed to Kaziel's chest.
He's writhing in agony now. Blood pours from his nose and mouth, splattering on the stone as his body arches, the Hollow lashing out. His eyes are rolled back, his breath coming in strained pants.
"Kaz!" I rush to him, dropping to my knees.
"The Hollow's fighting to take over. It’s being affected by the Sanctum and is redirecting the backlash into Kaz’s body," Kira shouts. "It knows it's losing!"
I grab Kaziel's face, forcing his gaze towards mine.
"Stay with me," I plead. "You can’t let it take you now."
His fingers twitch weakly. And right in that instant, the sky outside darkens unnaturally fast. My eyes go wide as realization hits me.
The eclipse.
Kira gasps. "It's happening now! Dani, we have to begin the ritual!”