Chapter 79 Seventy Nine
DANIKA
Kaziel still isn't waking up. The room is dark except for the faint glow of the moon slipping through the curtains and washing over his still body. He's lying exactly where Kira and Callen left him, flat on his back, with his chest unmoving. He's never been this cold before.
I curl up beside him, tucking myself into the space between his arm and ribs, my forehead pressed to his shoulder. My fingers rub small circles on his bicep, anything to convince myself that some part of him can still feel me.
But his skin is so cold. I fear he might be suffering from hypothermia. But he isn't even shivering, and his lips are blue. He's so beautiful like this, but it hurts.
It hurts to see him like this.
A wretched sound slips out of me, and I immediately clamp my hand over my mouth.
"No... no, no crying," I whisper, wiping my face with my sleeve. "You hate it when I cry. You get that crease between your brows like you want to go murder the person who upset me. Even if it's you."
My voice trembles, so I keep talking to drown out the terror burning in my chest.
"You know," I murmur, shifting closer, "the first time I saw you... you scared the absolute hell out of me."
A weak laugh bubbles up but dies halfway.
"In front of Tyler's door. Do you remember? You leaned in close, looking like a walking wet dream. And I couldn't stop staring at those sexy lips of yours."
I sniffle. "I just wanted you to kiss me."
My fingers drift down his arm, tracing the veins. I slide my hand into his and lift it gently so I can run my thumb over the crescent-shaped birthmark between his fingers.
It still sends a tremor through me.
"This," I whisper. "This stupid mark. Do you know I almost fainted when I saw it? I literally fled like a deranged chicken. My brain was like ‘nope, soulmate crap, reject it, abort mission.'"
My voice cracks again, but this time I don't stop it. I press my lips to his shoulder.
"Please come back," I breathe against his bare skin. "Please..."
His chest expands with a sudden deep breath.
I sit up so quickly my head spins. "Kaz?"
My palm flies to his cheek.
"Kaziel?"
Nothing happens. He's still out. Still limp and unresponsive. But something... has changed.
My eyes drift lower.
Beneath his pecs and over his sternum, a faint geometric shape begins to shimmer through his skin. A sigil. It looks like someone inked a celestial script under his flesh, and it's finally surfacing.
A soft light glows beneath it with a pale gold glimmer.
"What... what is that?"
My breath catches in my throat.
Is this it? His core? The thing everyone keeps talking about? The thing Vanya and the cult want? The thing that almost got him murdered?
The light pulses brighter, casting shadows across his chest.
"Is this... you?" I whisper, reaching out.
My fingers hover for a second over the glowing sigil before I finally touch it. His skin is warm there, even when the rest of him is cold.
And the moment I trace the lines, it glows brighter.
I swallow hard.
"Kaziel," I breathe, mesmerized. "This... this is your core, isn't it? It's pretty, just like you."
I can't look away.
"Please," I whisper, brushing my thumb over the glowing mark. "Don't leave me. I don't care what this is, just come back."
The sigil's glow slowly fades back under his skin, leaving him looking heartbreakingly still again.
I exhale shakily and lie back down, pressing my forehead to his cheek.
"I'm right here," I whisper. "Even if you can't hear me."
I thread my fingers through his hair and kiss his temple. My thumb brushes along his jawline. Then something warm hits my hand. I freeze. Another drop rolls down. And another.
"Kaz...?"
He's crying.
Silent tears slide down the sides of his face, disappearing into his pillow. His brows pull together, his breathing trembles, and the anguished little sound he makes shatters me completely.
"Oh god... Kaz." I wipe his cheeks gently, over and over, but the tears keep coming helplessly. "You're crying in your sleep... you must be hurting so much."
My voice cracks as the realization hits me. Vanya hurt him. She hurt him so bad. My poor baby.
I crawl half onto him, cupping his face with shaky hands.
"I'm so sorry," I whisper, my tears dripping onto his skin. "You didn't deserve any of that. You didn't deserve to be poisoned or manipulated or...whatever she did to you."
He doesn't move, but his hitching breath sends a spear through my chest.
"I swear," I sniff, wiping his tears with my thumbs. "If she shows up again, I'm punching her right in the left boob first. Then maybe both. Then maybe I'll set her on fire and see how she likes it."
My voice wobbles harder.
"And if she tries to take your core again, I'm gonna screw her up so bad, she'll be afraid of the mere sound of your name."
My tears fall faster, mixing with his.
"It's not fair," I whisper. "You shouldn't be hurting like this. You shouldn't be crying in your sleep."
His fingers twitch.
"Kaz...?" I breathe.
Another tear slips down underneath his long lashes.
My throat constricts. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe. You're mine."
I lean down and kiss his wet lashes, then his cheek, then the corner of his mouth.
"I love you," I whisper against his skin. "I'm going to protect you this time."
His eyes flutter open slowly, as if the action hurts. His lashes are damp, his gaze unfocused. He looks so vulnerable it physically hurts to see.
"Kaz...?" my voice cracks.
He blinks at me, barely conscious. His lips part just slightly.
"Promise?" he whispers hoarsely, and I choke on a sob.
"I promise," I whisper, cupping his cheeks, kissing away the new tear that slips out. "I promise you're safe. I promise I've got you. I promise I'm not letting anyone hurt you ever again."
His eyes close again.
"Kaz?" I whisper again, brushing my fingers along his cheek.
His bloodshot eyes slit open barely.
A soft sob leaves his chest as he reaches for me blindly, his fingers trembling. I don't even hesitate. I pull him into me, guiding his head against my chest. He clings to me instantly, his arms wrapping around my waist weakly.
"I was such... a fool," he chokes, his voice rough with sleep and pain. "Dove... I was so blind. I let her… I didn't see—"
"Hey..." I whisper, stroking his hair. "Kaziel. Stop. None of that is your fault."
His body shakes harder, his face buried in my neck.
"I should've known," he cries quietly. "I should've protected myself... I should've—"
"You loved her," I murmur, kissing his forehead. "And she took advantage. That's on her, not you. Never you."
I hold him tighter. But something feels wrong. His breathing is too shallow.
"Kaz?" I whisper, pulling back just enough to see his face.
His lashes flutter, his lips pale.
"...I'm tired," he breathes.
"I know. You're okay. I've got you."
He swallows stiffly, and it takes him a while to speak again.
"Dove... I need... blood. Just a little.”
My heart squeezes painfully. He looks like he barely has the strength to stay conscious.
"Okay," I whisper immediately. "Anything you need."
I lift my wrist to his lips and press gently.
"Take it."
He tries to shake his head, weak. "Not too much... you're— you're pregnant, you shouldn't—"
"Kaz," I whisper, brushing his cheek. "Drink."
Gratitude, shame and desperation war in his eyes. Then his lips part, his fangs brushing my skin with the softest touch.
The bite is feather-light, barely more than pressure. He's so weak he can’t even draw properly. His hand comes up to hold my wrist, but his grip is pathetically gentle. And the moment my blood reaches him, he sighs into my skin.
"That's it," I whisper, cradling the back of his head. "Take what you need."
He drinks a little longer, then he lets go.
"Thank you..." he murmurs, his eyes already closing. His thumb strokes my arm weakly, almost like he's trying to soothe me even though he's the one dying in my arms. "Dove... stay with me..."
"I'm not going anywhere," I whisper.
He tries to nod, but his body slumps softly against me. His breathing evens out right then. So, I kiss the top of his head and pull the blanket over us both.
"You're safe," I whisper into his hair. "I've got you this time."
Just then my phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I reach for it to find a text lighting up the screen. It’s from an unknown number.
It reads:
“Don’t let your boyfriend out of your sight. You’ll lose him if you do. Call me when you get this message. I know something you don’t.”