Chapter 43 Forty Three
DANIKA
I shuffle backwards, my pulse racing. The man grins at me, his silver eyes twinkling.
"Who are you?" I demand, and he takes a step towards me. I move backwards, further into the darkness.
"Your father," he says, and my blood runs cold in my veins.
My biological father? The same man who tortured Kaziel? This...is him?
"What do you want?" I hiss, annoyance flaring inside of me.
"I need your help," he tells me slowly.
Despite myself, I burst into laughter.
"Really? You want my help? Where have you been all along? You can't just come to me, claiming to be my father. I don't know you, and neither do I want to," I spit, curling my hands into fists.
His gaze softens.
"He told you about me, didn't he? You haven't even heard my side of the story," he utters.
Frustration wells inside of me.
"I don't want to hear it. Get me out of this creepy place," I say through gritted teeth.
All of a sudden, he's standing directly in front of me. He grips the back of my head, holding me in place, and when our gazes meet, my scream dies in my throat, his eyes glowing brighter.
"You will become my weapon, baby girl. You will kill the tribrid and bring his heart to me. He is your enemy. He killed your mother and would have killed you if he wasn't running out of time," his voice is hypnotic.
I find myself nodding, losing control of my mind.
"You are my master, and I am your weapon. Say it."
My lips move on their own accord, a strange haze settling over me….
I jolt upright in bed with a gasp, my body trembling.
"You're awake," a familiar voice croaks, and I turn to look at Kaziel, who is sitting by the bedside, dark bags under his eyes.
A sudden wave of disgust washes over me, and when he reaches for me, I pull away instantly.
Hurt flashes in his blue eyes, and for some reason, my chest aches.
"You've been asleep for seven days, dove," he says, and my eyes go wide.
Seven days?
No, that's impossible.
"Did you see anyone in your dream?" He asks, and I ease out of bed, uncomfortable with staying in the same room with him.
"Dani, what are you doing? Are you...avoiding me?" He asks, his voice breaking.
"I just want to be alone," I deadpan, storming into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. I lean against the wall, bringing a hand to my chest where my heart is pounding fast.
Why can't I remember the dream I had?
Did I really sleep for so long?
When my gaze rests on the mirror, a gasp slips from my lips. My face is pale, there are profound dark circles under my eyes, and my lips are dry.
"What the..." I gasp, lifting my hands to my face in terror.
Even my collarbones are a little more pronounced than before. Wait, did I lose weight in seven days? How is this possible?
...
By the time I step out of the bathroom, Kaziel is no longer in the room. Letting out a sigh of relief, I quickly change into my own clothes. My stomach grumbles, and I pat it, carefully making my way downstairs. The last thing I want to do right now is encounter a certain Mr. Broody.
Just as I'm descending the last flight of stairs, I notice he who shall not be named lying on the couch in the sitting room with an arm thrown over his eyes. There's a beautiful young woman with short white hair measuring his blood pressure.
"It is too high, Alpha. Even for you. You should go to her. She can soothe the hollow curse's effect. You've been in pain for days. You can't go on like this," she says, and I frown.
I'd almost forgotten that he needs my touch for that.
Gross.
I guess we're going with plan B. Sneaking out of the house.
I take one careful step toward the front door, holding my breath. Another step. And another.
Almost there.
But then, a familiar warmth brushes down my spine.
Before I can blink, there's a rush of movement behind me and a rough, pained inhale.
"Dani—"
Kaziel appears behind me, grabbing my arms and spinning me to face him.
His fingers burn where they touch me.
"No—let me go!" I snarl. The disgust, the dread, and the wrongness slam into me again, and I thrash wildly, my fists flying. I hit his chest, his shoulders, his face, anything I can reach. I don't even care what part of me is moving. I just need him off me.
He doesn't fight back. He just takes it.
"Dove, please—" His voice cracks. "Something's wrong with you. Stop! You’re hurting me—"
I slam my fists harder against him.
"Don't call me that! DON'T TOUCH ME!" My voice shakes with an overwhelming fury. The kind I can't explain.
Kaziel's grip loosens.
Then he releases me entirely as if I have just burned him. His hands fly to his chest, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as a strangled noise rips out of him.
"Kaziel?" I choke, my body freezing despite myself.
He collapses back against the wall, sliding down it, his eyes squeezed shut.
I can hear his heartbeat going out of control.
He reaches out blindly, one trembling hand lifting towards me.
It only makes the haze in my head wrap tighter around me.
I stumble back.
No.
No, I need to get out of here.
I turn and start to run—
"NORA," Kaziel roars, his voice commanding despite his pain. "STOP HER!"
The white-haired nurse is instantly at my back, her hand clamping around my wrist with surprising strength.
"Sorry, darling," she murmurs. "I can't let you leave."
My heart slams into my ribs, fear sinking into me. The front door is only inches away.
Freedom is inches away.
But her grip tightens. And behind us, Kaziel groans, dragging in a shaking breath.
I don’t want to be here.
….
“Untie me!” I scream, struggling with the restraints around my wrists. I’ve been screaming for the past thirty minutes or more. But all of my cries have been ignored.
I’m writhing on the bed like a worm, desperately trying to free myself, but it’s not working.
“Alpha, you really don’t look so good. At this rate, you’re going to collapse,” I hear Kira say, and I nearly roll my eyes.
The man is immortal, she’s just being dramatic.
“Will you really do it? Nora says she’s under strong hypnosis. It won’t be easy to break it off,” she continues.
“I know exactly what’s going on with her. You don’t have to worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Pain suddenly pierces through my skull.
‘Bring his heart to me,” the words slither into my mind, and I curl my hands into fists, my claws elongating.
The door finally creaks open.
And there he is. Mr. Broody.
He looks much worse than before. Almost like he’s barely standing. He smiles weakly.
“You make me want to spank you, sweet thing. If you keep glaring at me, I’ll be forced to fuck that frown out of your face,” he drawls, and against my better judgment, my stomach flips.
He places a tray of food on the nightstand, the aroma making my mouth water.
“Now, you’re going to be a good girl and sit still for me. No biting or attempting to give me a black eye, do you understand?”
My spine tingles at the sound of his voice, but at the same time I have the strong urge to rebel against him.
The moment he reaches for me, I twist, sinking my teeth into his hand. He doesn’t flinch or hiss in pain. Instead he chuckles darkly, strokes my hair, and suddenly yanks at it, causing me to gasp and release his hand.
“You’re really asking for it, aren’t you?” He says, his voice calm.
He releases me, and I look away from him, annoyed.
“Do you want the food or not?” He demands.
Yes! I want to scream. Instead, I turn away from him.
“You can go and fuck yourself.”
“Dani, please. This is hard on me too,” his voice cracks. “I’m not asking you to hold me or anything. I just want you to eat. I know your mind is a mess right now, but you haven’t eaten anything in days. So, please let me feed you.”
My heart aches hearing him speak. But I refuse to budge. Suddenly, he sighs.
I turn to look at him, my eyes widening as he covers the food and takes it out of the room with him. My stomach grumbles louder, but I refuse to eat from his hand. I refuse—
The door slams open again, and I flinch. There’s a storm in his eyes, the food tray nowhere to be found. He silently locks the door behind him and starts to unbutton his shirt.
“I didn’t want to do this, sweetheart. But I need you back. And…the witch is taking so long to arrive,” he says, taking off his shirt.
“W-what are you doing?” I croak, trying not to let myself get distracted by the flex of his abs.
He unbuckles his belt, and my eyes bulge in their sockets.
“What am I doing?” An evil smirk tugs at his lips. One that instantly sends a flutter through my belly.
“I’m about to fuck the hypnosis out of you. Even your father will feel it wherever he is.”