Chapter 30 Thirty
DANIKA
Eve's eyes glisten as she clutches the spot where I slapped her. For a moment, she doesn't speak. She just stares at me as if I've betrayed her.
"You think I hurt him for no reason?" she snaps, her voice shaking.
I cross my arms, anger blazing inside of me.
She clenches her jaw, but her eyes soften, wet with tears that I'm not sure are real.
“He killed my sister, Danika," she whispers, her voice cracking. "He slaughtered her. You don't know what it's like to wake up every day knowing that the monster who ruined your life gets to keep breathing."
I blink, thrown off balance by the rawness in her tone. "You don't know that," I utter.
She lets out a hollow laugh. "I saw it! I saw him covered in her blood! Lakewood men are cursed, Dani. Every single one of them. They take and destroy everything they touch."
Her tears spill over now, rolling down her face as her voice rises. "He'll do it to you too. He'll tear you apart just like he did to her!”
My throat tightens, but I refuse to look away.
"That's not who he is," I manage.
She stares at me like I've lost my mind. "You think you can change him? You think love fixes something that rotten?"
Her laugh turns hysterical, grating on my nerves. "You're just another tragedy waiting to happen. And when he breaks you, I'll be right here, saying I told you so."
Something inside me flinches at her words. I hate that she sounds so sure, that she speaks like she's already seen my ending.
"I'm not her," I whisper, my voice shaking. "And he's not the man you think he is."
Eve's expression hardens. She wipes her tears with the back of her hand, her shoulders straightening.
"Then you're a fool," she says coldly. "But I'm not here to save you anymore. I'm here for revenge. And when I find him again…when I end him…you'll finally understand why I had to."
She turns before I can respond, storming off down the hallway.
I stand there, my pulse racing, the echo of her words gnawing at me.
He killed her sister.
Could that be true?
But he told me he didn’t.
Still, my stomach twists as I stare after her. Eve's footsteps fade, but the tension she leaves behind doesn't. It sits heavy in my chest, whispering doubts I don't want to hear.
...
Later in class, I sit at the front, my elbows braced on the table, pretending to focus. But my eyes are locked on him.
Kaziel.
At the front of the lecture room, he stands by the board, explaining the difference between normal and arrhythmic pulses.
His voice is low, and I can hear the strain in it. He looks pale, and the way he moves makes my chest ache.
He's still in pain. I can tell.
"Pair up," he finally says. "Listen for irregularities, record your findings, and submit them before the end of the class."
The students scatter into pairs. Cora plops down beside me, grinning as she slides a stethoscope across the table.
"Guess I'm your test subject today," she says, puffing out her chest like it's a badge of honor.
I laugh under my breath and slip the earpieces in, pressing the diaphragm to her chest. But after a few seconds, I frown.
There’s nothing there.
No rhythm. No thump. Only silence.
"Cora..." I murmur, lifting my head.
She leans in, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Did you forget already?" she whispers. "I'm a vampire, remember?"
I snort, unable to help it. "Right. No heartbeat. Great. That's not creepy at all."
She smirks, taking the stethoscope from me. "Your turn, human girl."
I roll my eyes but sit up straight. "Fine. Just don't judge me if it's offbeat. I've had a stressful few days."
She presses the cold disc to my chest and listens.
"Still beating," she teases, her lips curling.
I smile faintly. "Doesn't hearing it make you feel... thirsty?"
Cora shakes her head, brushing a curl from her face. "Please. I've got better self-control than that."
I'm about to tease her again when a loud crash fills the air.
Everyone flinches.
The metal box of medical tools hits the floor near the front desk, scalpels and scissors scattering across the floor. But my eyes don't go to the tools, they go to Kaziel.
He's doubled over, one hand gripping the table, the other pressed against his ribs. His knuckles are white, his breathing shallow.
"Kaziel—" I breathe, my chair screeching back.
He straightens slowly, his eyes darting towards me just long enough to warn me not to move. "Continue with your assignment," he says, his voice rough. "I'll be back shortly."
Then he turns and walks out, the stiffness in his gait making me anxious.
The moment the door closes, I'm up.
"Danika—" Cora calls after me, but I'm already gone.
The hallway is quiet, except for the echo of my boots against the tile. I turn down the corner and freeze.
Kaziel is halfway down the hall, half-collapsed against the wall, his weight braced against Bellamy.
"Damn it, cousin," he mutters, looping an arm under Kaziel's shoulders. "You really don't know when to sit your brooding ass down, do you?"
"Bellamy," Kaziel grits out, his voice strained. "Let go. I can—"
"Yeah, yeah," Bellamy cuts in, tightening his grip. "You can walk it off, I've heard it before." His tone is light, but I can see the tension in his jaw and the worry behind the sarcasm.
I rush over, my heart hammering. "Kaziel!"
Bellamy glances at me, raising an eyebrow. "Hello there," he says with a lopsided grin. "Do you mind giving me a hand before this macho man here face-plants?"
I duck under Kaziel's other arm without hesitation, ignoring Bellamy's teasing smirk. Kaziel's body feels heavy, his skin hot against mine.
"Kaziel, you shouldn't be here," I whisper, my voice trembling. "You're still weak—"
His breath brushes my ear. "I needed to be around you today," he mutters, his voice barely audible.
Bellamy snorts. ""C'mon, Dani, help me get him to his office before he keels over."
I nod quickly, clutching Kaziel's arm tighter as we move.
By the time we reach his office, he's trembling, cold sweat gathering on his temple. Bellamy eases him down onto the couch, and Kaziel curls instinctively onto his side, one arm wrapped around his rib.
"Hey, hey, easy," I whisper, kneeling beside him. I grab some tissues from his desk and gently dab his temples, my throat tight.
"You should've stayed home," I mutter, sniffling.
He groans, his eyelashes fluttering weakly.
Bellamy's pacing behind me, running his hands through his hair, frustration written all over his face.
"Dove..." Kaziel whispers, trying to reach for me. I hold onto his hand, worried. "I'm okay."
"Don't," I cut in softly, my voice shaking. "Don't tell me that when you look like this."
He exhales shakily, and suddenly a crippling thought hits me.
"You haven't gotten the antidote, have you?"
He goes still. Completely.
"Kaziel." My voice shakes. "Tell me the truth."
Bellamy stops pacing, his head snapping towards him. "Wait—there's an antidote?"
Kaziel swallows hard, his eyes darting between us. Then he sighs, his shoulders sinking. "It's... complicated."
I lean closer. "Try me."
After a long, heavy silence, he finally speaks. "Eve is the antidote."
The words hit me like a freaking blow to the chest.
I blink, unsure if I heard him right. "What?"
He doesn't look at me. "Only her touch can heal me."
Bellamy freezes. Then his face twists, and he lets out a curse. "She used that poison? What the fuck, Kaziel?!"
I stare between them, my pulse pounding. "What poison?"
Bellamy rakes a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath. "It's a derivative of the Seraphine toxin. Old vampire alchemy, nasty stuff. It’s designed to bind the victim to the caster. Ordinary contact gives him relief, yeah, but—"
He cuts himself off, glancing uneasily at Kaziel.
I look from one to the other, my voice trembling. "But what?"
Kaziel's eyes close briefly, as if the words themselves hurt.
Bellamy curses again, spinning towards me. "He'll only fully recover if he gets intimate with her."
My jaw drops to the ground, the floor tilting under me.
"You're saying she poisoned him, and now he has to sleep with her to survive?"
Bellamy grimaces. "That's exactly what I'm saying."
For a second, all I hear is the faint ticking of the wall clock, Kaziel's ragged breathing and my own pulse hammering in my ears.
Then I shake my head, backing away slightly. "No. There has to be another way."
“Oh, there is one,” Bellamy says, and Kaziel shakes his head, glaring at him in warning.
“Tell me, what is it?” I ask.
“It’s commonly known as double cultivation. It’s usually between a vampire and any other creature. And since Kaziel is part vampire, it can work.”
I straighten, my heart pounding faster.
“What do I have to do?”
Bellamy smirks. “Experience mind-blowing, earth-shattering orgasms together.”
Instantly, Kaziel grabs the tissue box and hauls it at Bellamy with lightning speed.
I glance at both of them confused. Kaziel is sitting up, clearly seething. And Bellamy is grinning like the devil himself.
“That’s it?” I ask.
“Nope. He has to drink your blood while you…you know…” He winks. This time, Kaziel reaches for the coffee table, and Bellamy bolts for the door.