Chapter 63 Sixty Three
CORA
\[Earlier\]
The moment Dani sways, I know something is wrong. I can't see the fearwraiths the way she does, but I can feel them. I can sense those icy fingers brushing the edges of my mind. My stomach knots painfully.
"Dani?" I whisper, squeezing her hand. "Hey, hey, stay with me, okay? Don't you dare—"
She doesn't answer. Instead, her knees buckle.
"No! No, no, no!" I drop with her, catching her before she hits the ground. Her body is scorching hot, like she's burning from the inside out. My heart lurches into my throat.
"Dani, please wake up," I plead, shaking her gently. "Come on. Don't do this. Don't you dare leave me."
Her head falls against my shoulder, her eyes shut tight. The wraiths press closer. I can't see them, but I feel their hunger, that awful vacuum in the air pulling at her consciousness.
Tears sting my eyes.
"Dani, open your eyes! Please, bestie...please, please—"
A set of footsteps skids to a stop beside us. It's Tyler. The nerve of this bastard. I want to fucking strangle him to death.
"Move," he snaps, reaching for her.
I bare my fangs instantly, shoving him back so hard that he falls on his ass on the ground.
"Don't touch her!" I growl.
He freezes, stunned. "Look, she's collapsing—"
"Because of YOU!" I snarl. My voice cracks as hot tears spill down my cheeks. "You planned something, didn't you? You and whoever the hell you're working with!"
He flinches, but I don't care. Dani is the only real friend I've ever had. I haven't cared so much about anyone the way I care for her in so long. She makes me forget the past I've been desperately running from. She makes me want to be a better person. So why should I lose her now?
I curl around Dani, shielding her with my body. My hands shake as I cup her face, tapping lightly at her cheeks, brushing strands of hair from her forehead.
"Come back to me, Dani," I whisper. "Please. I-I can't lose you. Wake up. Just wake up..."
She doesn't move.
The temperature drops suddenly, the air rippling with that familiar terrifying pressure. The wraiths are here. They're feeding. And Dani is...fuck, she's slipping.
"No," I breathe, my voice cracking. "No no no...Dani, please wake up. Please. Please."
I shake her again, harder this time, even though I know she can't hear me. Her body goes limp in my arms. And that's when I feel it. The moment she finally slips under.
A scream rips from my mouth, tearing through the air. I don't care that there might be eyes on us. Students are walking past, wondering what's going on. But none of them bother to stop. It's not like any of them can help.
My hands won't stop shaking as I fumble for my phone, nearly dropping it twice before I finally manage to hit Bellamy's name. Dani's head is still in my lap, her skin burning.
"Come on, come on, pick up—please—"
Thunder rumbles overhead, and suddenly, it begins to rain in sheets, soaking us instantly. Students break off into a run right away, seeking shelter. Water mixes with the tears on my cheeks, dripping into my eyes.
Tyler sinks to his knees beside us, his hands buried in his hair.
"I—oh god—this is my fault," he chokes. "It's all my fault. I didn't know they'd...Cora, I didn't know—"
"Shut up!" I snap, my voice shaking as I shield Dani's body from the rain. "Just shut up, Tyler! If she dies—"
I can't even finish. I can't bear to think of it. But the odds are against—
Bellamy finally answers. "Cora?"
"Bell...Bellamy—" I gasp, the relief nearly knocking the breath out of me. "We're near the west courtyard...close to the fountain...Dani, she's...she's not waking up. Something attacked her. You need to come. Now. It's urgent."
"What do you mean something attacked her?" He demands.
"I can't explain...just hurry—"
The hair on the back of my neck rises stiffly when a familiar aura fills the air. I lift my head, and there he is. Professor Kaziel.
His eyes, usually that soft glacier blue, are blazing, fractured with something raw and feral. Rain pours off him as he stalks across the courtyard, ignoring the open view, ignoring everything except her.
And when his gaze lands on Dani in my arms, I swear my heart cracks in half. Real, unmistakable devastation flashes across his face.
"Kaziel," I whisper, but he's already moving.
In a blink of an eye, he's kneeling in front of us, the rain splashing against his broad shoulders as he scoops her up like he's afraid she'll break. He doesn't even register Tyler. Neither does he look at me nor attempt to breathe.
His undivided attention is on Dani. His thumb brushes over her cheek, trembling.
"Dove?" His voice cracks. It's a sound I've never heard from him. "Dani, open your eyes. Sweetheart, please..."
She doesn't move.
Kaziel's jaw tightens, the muscle there ticking as the storm around us grows heavier.
"I'm sorry, I heard you. I was too far away. But I'm here now. Please look at me, baby," he croaks.
His long hair sticks to his face, dripping water on his red shirt. Metal glints from his ears, rainwater dripping from his eyelashes. But despite how untouchable he appears, he's clearly on the verge of breaking apart.
Kaziel's grip tightens around Dani's limp body, his breathing strained. The rain runs down his face, but nothing can wash away the horror in his eyes.
"What happened?" he finally growls.
My throat constricts. I open my mouth, but before I can speak—
"It's... it's my fault," Tyler stammers from behind me. "I—I didn't know they'd go this far. I just—"
Kaziel's head snaps towards him. In a blur of motion, he rises to his feet, steps forward, and slams his fist into Tyler's face with such brutal force, Tyler's nose shifts to the side. He collapses to the ground instantly, unconscious.
Kaziel doesn't spare him a glance.
His entire being is locked on Dani. The fury rolling off him is suffocating and colder than the rain.
He kneels again, pulling Dani to his chest.
"Tell me everything," he says to me, his voice barely human. "Now."
...
\[Later\]
"Did you reach her?" I ask Kaziel, watching him kneel by Dani's bedside, his hands holding on to hers.
He nods, water still dripping from his hair. I'm not sure he remembers that his clothes and hair are still soaked through.
Bellamy had arrived earlier and driven us to Kaziel's home. It's the first time I'm coming here, and yeah, it's the dream of any vain girl. It's obvious he's overwhelmingly rich. But Dani has never once made it obvious. My sweet Dani.
"What are you going to do with Tyler, Kaz?" Bellamy asks as he walks in and hands me a steaming cup of hot cocoa.
"Thanks," I whisper, and he smiles softly, stroking my hair.
"I'll kill him," Kaziel growls, and a shudder runs down my spine.
"He's still your younger brother, though," Bellamy points out with a wince.
Kaziel just closes his eyes, his jaw clenched.
"I promised her that I would protect her. I promised I wouldn't let her suffer," he croaks, his voice laced with pain.
My chest tightens.
"There's something she was going to tell you, but she seemed to have forgotten to," I tell him. He slowly turns to look at me, and I nearly flinch from the terrifying intensity of his gaze.
"What?" he asks hoarsely.
"There was this red-haired girl who wanted Tyler to hand her Danika's heart. Tyler might have had something to do with tonight's incident. The wraith wouldn't have attacked Danika if they hadn't been given something they could use to trace her. Something that belonged to her," I explain slowly, and a shadow of fury darkens his features.
The door opens and a beautiful Asian woman walks in.
"How is she, Alpha?" she asks, her brows creased with worry.
"Kira?" he says, and she stiffens.
"Yes, Alpha?"
"I want all the info you can find on Hera. I want to know where she's been, her favourite spot, and who she's been with. Every goddamn detail."
She swallows hard. "W-will you be going hunting after that?"
His eyes turn pitch black.
"Yes. Now, go."
She nods. "Yes, Alpha."
“Is he always this scary?" I whisper to Bellamy, and he crouches in front of me, pulling the blankets tighter around my shoulders.
Not many people know that I’m still half human. And that means I’m still weaker than the average vampire. Bellamy seems to have caught on to that.
“No, princess. He’s usually much worse. He’s only ever soft for her only,” he replies, and I gulp.
Watching Kaziel makes me understand what grief-induced rage looks like. His eyes are closed. He almost looks like he’s praying. But he’s trembling so hard.
Suddenly, Danika’s back arches and blood oozes from her nose. Terror washes over me, fresh tears welling up in my eyes. Oh no… we are losing her.
Just then, Danika’s phone vibrates on the nightstand. The caller ID is one simple word that makes my heart sink:
‘Dad.’