Chapter 26 Twenty Six
DANIKA
I don't remember calling Kaziel again. Neither do I remember how I ended up here in this infirmary. Tyler is lying in bed and I'm sitting by his bedside staring at his immobile form, a lump in my throat. He looks so pale, circles under his eyes. Even his cheeks look a little hollow. Why didn't I notice before now?
"Hey, are you okay?"
I turn to look at Bellamy who's holding out a bottle of water to me. With a trembling hand, I accept it. When did he even get here?
"Was it you? Did you bring Tyler here?" I ask and he squints at me.
"You don't remember? I came back to tell you that I found Cora. And then I saw you with Tyler," he tells me and I nod in understanding before freezing when I finally process what he's just said.
"Wait, you found Cora?!"
He nods.
"She's resting in the next room," he replies, and I close my eyes, relief sinking into me.
"What is this place?" I say, and he smiles.
"It's an infirmary for supernaturals. Think of it as an emergency centre."
"Right," I mumble, tightening my grip on the bottle.
Suddenly, the door jerks open and Kaziel steps in. His worried gaze meets mine, and I instantly rise to my feet, my body instinctively moving towards him.
He wraps his arms around me, holding me to himself.
"You're okay," he rasps, stroking my hair. I squeeze my eyes shut, breathing in his scent.
"Thank you for being here," I whisper. He hums in response.
"What's the update on Tyler? Has he been examined by a healer?" He asks. Just then, the door opens and a bald man in a lab coat steps in.
He hesitates for a moment, fiddling with his clipboard.
"Uh...family of Tyler Randall?" He says, a slight crease in his brows.
The doctor's office smells like disinfectant and metal. I told him I was Tyler's step-sister when we came in. It felt easier than explaining what we actually are or were.
He's quiet for a while, flipping through his notes. When he finally looks up, I almost choke on my breath.
Fangs.
He has a pair of freaking fangs.
Of course.
Why am I even surprised anymore?
I sigh, slumping back in the chair. At this point, I'm surrounded by werewolves, vampires, and who knows what else. I should start collecting trading cards.
The vampire doctor clears his throat. "Your brother's condition is... complicated."
I swallow hard. "How complicated?"
He studies me for a second, as if he’s deciding how much truth I can handle. "There are traces of toxin in his bloodstream. From what I can tell, he must have been exposed to it as a child. It weakened his wolf and stunted its growth."
His voice softens. "The wolf can't regenerate what's been lost. His organs are shutting down."
I stare at him. The words echo in my head, but they don't quite land. "You're saying he's dying."
He doesn't answer, but the silence is enough.
My chest tightens. For a second, I can't breathe. Then the tears come quickly, blurring the papers on his desk.
I hate this. I hate him. I hate that after everything he did, after all the ways he made me feel small and unwanted, I still care enough to cry.
....
I watch Jazmine through the glass window, dabbing Cora's forehead with a damp cloth. Tyler was gone by the time I left the doctor's office, and that was upsetting.
How could he just leave like that?
Cora looks small under the blanket, her face pale, her lashes unmoving. My throat tightens. I grip the edge of the window frame to stop my hands from shaking.
Kaziel stands behind me, silent and steady, his warmth comforting me. I lean into him without thinking, letting the faint rhythm of his silent breathing drown out the noise in my head.
"She'll be fine," he murmurs, his hands around my waist.
I nod, though I'm not sure I believe it.
Bellamy isn’t even here to explain how he found her.
For a moment, we just stay there, with me watching Jazmine tend to her sister while Kaziel watches me. The silence lingers until I can't stand it anymore.
"I should get going," I whisper, straightening and turning to face him. "I've got a lecture in twenty minutes. Think you can give me a lift?"
His brows pull together, and before I can step back, his palm comes up to rest against my forehead. His touch is cool.
"You're burning up," he mutters, frowning.
I shake my head, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine. Probably just tired."
He doesn't look convinced, but he lets it go.
Minutes later, we're in his car. I rest my head against my seat, my eyes fluttering shut as a dull throb pounds behind my temples.
Kaziel reaches for my hand, his thumb brushing against my skin. The simple contact sends a ripple of warmth through me, easing the ache in my chest.
"I'm okay," I murmur, half to him, half to myself.
He doesn't say anything, he simply threads his fingers through mine. I manage a weak smile, squeezing his hand gently before letting my head loll to the side.
...
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is a soft, dark fabric that is slightly wrinkled. It takes me a moment to realize my cheek is resting on Kaziel's thigh.
Somehow, we've ended up in the backseat. I blink, dazed, before tilting my head to look up at him.
He's watching the road through the half-fogged glass, one arm draped across the backrest, the other resting lightly on my shoulder. His fingers brush a strand of hair away from my face when he notices I'm awake.
"Hey," I whisper, my voice hoarse.
"Hey yourself." His tone is warm. "You scared me for a second there."
I manage a small smile. "I'm fine now. Just... really comfortable, apparently."
A faint grin tugs at his lips. "You passed out before we even left the parking lot. I didn't want to wake you."
"I guess I owe you for the impromptu nap," I mumble, stretching slightly. The headache is gone, replaced by a strange, light warmth in my chest.
"You're welcome," he chuckles, and I reach for his hand, holding on to it.
His sleeves are rolled up to expose the tattoos on his wrist. I trace my fingers along the Roman figures, intrigued. They seem to be a certain date. Kaziel sucks in a sharp breath as I continue to trace the tattoos. I frown, noticing that there are bumps underneath, like scars. I sit up abruptly, and he pulls his hand away from me, rubbing the back of his neck.
I'm just about to ask him about his scars when he speaks up instead.
"You haven't forgotten about our date, have you?"
My eyes go wide. I glance at my watch, my jaw dropping when I see that the time is a little past eight.
"No, no, no..." I gasp.
"It's okay, we can do it some other time," he says, and I shake my head vehemently.
"Come on. I've been looking forward to this for so long."
I glance outside the window, wondering where we are.
"We're still on campus," Kaziel says as I reach for the door, opening it.
The car is parked near a small, charming spot at the edge of campus that I've never really paid attention to before. There's a tiny glass booth under an old oak tree, its walls lined with colorful envelopes and postcards. A small wooden sign above it reads:
"Letters to Forever. Write one today, read it tomorrow... or in ten years."
My heart warms at the sight. "Oh my god, Kaziel, look at that!"
He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by my sudden burst of energy. "Letters to forever?"
"It's like a time capsule thing. You write a message for someone special, it gets stored, and they can read it in the future," I explain, already half out of the car. "Come on, let's do it."
He gives me the 'you're ridiculous, but I'm giving in anyway' look and follows me out.
Inside, the air smells faintly of old paper and lavender. There's a soft instrumental tune playing from somewhere, and a kind old lady at the desk smiles at us.
"One letter each," she says kindly. "You can choose to have it delivered in a month, a year, or when the person requests it."
I glance up at Kaziel. He's already picking out a blue stationery sheet, his brow furrowed in concentration. Something in my chest flips.
We sit side by side at a small wooden table together. Every few seconds, I catch him sneaking glances at me. And each time he looks away too quickly, pretending to focus on his letter, my heart does a little somersault.
I'm not even sure what I'm writing anymore. Something about how he makes me feel safe, even when everything else feels like it's spinning. It is ridiculous that I've only known him for a short while, yet somehow, he feels like the person my soul has been waiting for.
When we're done, we slip our letters into the wooden collection box. Mine goes in first, then his follows right after, the corners of our envelopes brushing together.
A tiny, silly part of me hopes they'll always stay side by side.
Outside, we start walking toward the main path. Then suddenly, his hand finds mine.
I freeze, looking down at our intertwined fingers.
"Kaziel!" I squeal, glancing around nervously. "What if someone sees?"
His thumb brushes over my knuckles. "Then they'll see a man holding the hand of the most beautiful girl he's ever met. Tragic, really."
I'm about to retort when I hear the clatter of wheels on the pavement.
"Danika!"
Before I can even react, Kaziel's arms are around me, pulling me out of the way. My back hits his chest as the bicycle whooshes past, missing us by an inch.
I gasp, clutching his shirt. My heart hammers against my ribs, but his hand stays firm on my waist, grounding me.
"You okay?" he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear.
I nod, still shaken, but then Kaziel hisses. I look down at one of my hands resting on his arm. Only to find it glowing softly with a golden light.
What the—
“Doctor Kaziel?” A masculine voice speaks, and my mate stiffens, his entire body freezing.