Chapter 59 Fifty Nine
DANIKA
"You can see that she's alive," Bellamy snaps. "She's not dead or even bruised."
Eve throws her hands up. "I'm clearly not dead! Stop manhandling me!"
Kaziel lifts his head, barely. His glazed, unfocused eyes land on her. But he doesn't react.
The judge stutters, "Ms. Hart, we were informed that—"
"That I was murdered?" Eve snorts. "Yeah, well. Obviously not."
Isaiah moves forward. "Your Honour, this invalidates the entire case."
The prosecution look like they swallowed knives.
"That... That doesn't change the fact the defendant assaulted his interrogators—"
"He was hallucinating from hypothermia and psychological shock," Isaiah fires back. "And you kept him in chains anyway—"
I'm already moving. I push past the guards and ignore their protests, my feet carrying me straight towards Kaziel. His head lolls to the side.
"Kaziel?" My voice cracks as I fall to my knees beside him.
His dull eyes barely move in my direction. So I reach out for him and cup his cheeks. A tiny moan slips from his lips, and I blink back my tears.
"I'm here," I whisper, stroking his face. "I'm right here, Kaz."
His shackled hands twitch, trying to reach for me. The entire courtroom goes silent.
Isaiah speaks carefully, "Your Honour... the defendant is clearly in medical crisis. And the only thing stabilizing him is that young woman's presence. We need immediate medical release."
Kaziel's forehead presses weakly to my palm.
"Dani..." he croaks. He looks at me with a pleading look in his eyes. It seems like he wishes to tell me something privately. So, I lean in close.
"What is it, baby?" I ask.
"Poison," he croaks. My eyes widen. Wait...he was poisoned? When?
"Your Honour, Evelyn Hart is alive. The accused is deteriorating before our eyes. Continuing this trial violates every medical and legal code—" Isaiah utters.
The judge slams the gavel one last time, his hand trembling. His eyes dart between Kaziel, the evidence, and the defence team, and he swallows hard.
"I... I hereby declare Kaziel Lakewood... innocent of all charges," he stammers, his voice cracking. "He is... free."
Guards release Kaziel's restraints as he's helped to his feet. His legs wobble from exhaustion, but he holds himself upright, the faintest spark of relief lighting his bloodshot eyes.
Eve screams.
"You think this changes anything, Kaziel?!" She shrieks, lunging towards him before the guards grab her. "You'll need me! You'll see! I am the vessel! And you—"
She laughs like a madwoman. "You can't live without me! You'll come crawling back!"
The joke's on her.
Step by step, I help Kaziel out of the courtroom with Isaiah's help. Kira follows behind us, sobbing softly.
"You're safe, you're going to be okay," I whisper, and he exhales shakily.
...
"How is he, doc?" I say to Doctor Callen a while later. I'm standing in between Kaziel's legs as he's seated on the edge of the bed. My hand is in his damp hair which falls to his collarbone. He's fresh out of the shower and since he’s too weak to dry his hair, I’m helping him do it.
Gently, I run the blow dryer over his hair, massaging his scalp.
"His temperature is still too low. Heart rate, oxygen and blood pressure are all dangerously low as well. It's a miracle he's still conscious," Doctor Callen says.
Kaziel might be conscious, but he hasn't uttered a word or moved in the past thirty minutes. He's been staring blankly at empty space.
"His body's exhausted. He needs calm, warmth, and something to trigger his healing."
I feel my chest tighten. "What do you mean?" I ask.
Callen gestures for me to step aside, lowering his voice.
"Skin-to-skin. Physical contact. It helps stabilize circulation, warms him, and can give his body a small boost to start repairing itself. If his strength comes back even a little, we can add intimacy at a safe and controlled pace to accelerate recovery."
My eyes go wide. "Intimacy... as in—?"
He nods. "Just... be gentle. Guide him. It should be nothing forced."
"What about the poison? Doesn't he need an antidote? Someone wanted to get rid of him so badly, shouldn't we be investigating that too?" I say, glancing at my mate.
He's still shivering so hard despite the blanket wrapped around him.
"Don't worry about the investigation. Aaron is on it. Just...please...take care of our Alpha," Callen tells me, and I nod, turning off the blow dryer and placing it back in the drawer.
"I'll hover around. You can call me if he develops any new symptoms."
"Okay."
He leaves, and I let out a sigh.
"Kaz?" I say, kneeling between his legs.
His tired gaze shifts to mine, and I smile gently.
"You look like hell, babe," I say, running my hand over his light stubble.
"Thanks. I feel...like it too," he croaks, a spark of amusement in his eyes. Relief hits me all at once. He's coming back. After retreating into a shell, hearing him speak again feels like a breath of fresh air.
It's strange how after the intensity of everything we went through, this moment suddenly feels light.
"Doc says you need skin to skin and maybe some intimacy," I say, taking off my T-shirt. His eyes follow the motion like he's starving, his darkened gaze zeroing in on my boobs. His tongue slips out to wet his lips.
"Did they get...bigger?" He rasps, and heat flushes up my neck. I can't believe him! He's sitting there shivering like he's dying, and he's trying to decipher if my boobs got bigger or not.
"Are you serious right now?" I say, wiggling out of my shorts.
His gaze drifts over my hips, down my legs.
"Yes. What did…you do? They look prettier..." He asks hoarsely, and a giggle slips from my lips.
I move over to lie under the sheets, patting the space beside me. "Why don't you come closer and find out?"
A soft smile tugs at his lips as he shakily moves the blanket off his body. Then he drags himself over to lie beside me in his boxer briefs.
"I'm not... I'm not saying what I really...want to say," he suddenly slurs as I wrap my arms around him, his forehead resting on my collarbone.
"Why is that?"
"Too many electric shocks," he croaks, and I freeze.
My chest tightens. Of course. The slurred words and the unfocused gaze are signs that his nerves are still misfiring from the shocks. I cup his face gently, furious at whoever dared to lay a hand on him.
He buries his face against my boobs, a groan rumbling from his chest.
"My head still...still hurts from the...shocks."
I press a kiss to his temple. Then another. Then another. All with the intention to tell him without words that he's safe, that I've got him.
His trembling hand slides up my thigh and squeezes, just once.
"M'sorry," he slurs. "Hands... not listening..."
"They're fine," I whisper. "Touch me."
Slowly, I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him flush against me. His lips drag across the top of my breast, barely there, as if he's too shy to kiss and too needy not to.
My breathing quickens.
"Kaz..."
"You... smell good," he murmurs, the words uneven and slurred. "Missed you... so much."
My throat tightens.
"I'm right here," I whisper, brushing my lips across his forehead again. "I'm not going anywhere."
A shiver runs through him, his whole body reacting to the warmth of mine. Instinctively, I pull him closer, sliding my hand across his stomach. His abs tense beneath my touch right away. I let my palm glide up the curve of his ribs, then down his back in slow, soothing strokes.
And then, he proceeds to cling to me with surprising strength for someone so weak, burying himself deeper into my chest.
"Warm," he breathes. "You're warm... feels good..."
"I've got you," I murmur, my fingers tracing the dip of his spine. "Just rest, baby. Let your body heal."
Just then, there's a sudden knock on the door. I look up, wincing.
"Don't worry, I won't come in. But this is urgent," Bellamy's voice drifts in.
"Okay, what is it?" I say, running my fingers through Kaziel's hair.
"We found out that the judge and a few other officials were fake. They were planted by your father with the intention of weakening Kaziel. I'm not sure what he's planning, but I suspect that it is something big," Bellamy says, and my heart sinks.
Why?
Why would that bastard do this to Kaziel? What exactly does he want? Me?
"I suspect that he was trying to trigger the hollow. I'm not sure why, though," Bellamy adds, and I gulp.
"Why would he do that? The Hollow wants me dead. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me when we met," I say.
"Maybe there's something you possess—"
Before he can finish the statement, I hear another knock on the door. I recognize her coconut scent right away.
"Kira?" I breathe.
Kaziel groans, opening his eyes slowly.
"Alpha, can you hear me?" She says, her voice laced with urgency.
"What is it?" He responds unsteadily.
"It's your mum," Kira chokes out.
Kaziel's body goes rigid against mine. "W-what?"
"She's here, Alpha."