Chapter 95 Ninety Five
DANIKA
The water is cool against my skin. I lean over Kira's sink, bracing my hands on the porcelain as I splash my face again. When I lift my head and meet my reflection, relief wells inside of me. My hazel eyes stare back at me, sparkling. I let out a shaky laugh that borders on a sob and press my palms to my cheeks. I'm back. I'm really back.
The house is quieter now. Aaron had showed up earlier and taken Eve away bound and gagged. She'd suddenly begun to cough up blood and shiver. Kira mentioned that Eve might've destroyed her body in the process of the soul shift spell. Serves the greedy wench right.
Now I'm alone in the bathroom, the aftermath settling into my bones. I cup my small baby bump with trembling fingers, warmth blooming in my chest.
"Hey," I whisper softly. "It's me. Mama's back."
My throat tightens.
"I was so scared," I murmur, tracing slow circles over my skin. "But you're okay. We're okay. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."
I let out a shaky breath.
"You're so strong," I add softly. "Just like your dad."
I rest my forehead against the mirror for a moment, letting the relief wash through me. When I straighten, I dry my face and take one last steadying breath before heading out of the bathroom.
The hallway is dim, the lights low. I pad towards the sitting room, already anticipating the sight of Kaziel.
I'm only a few steps from the doorway when voices drift towards me. Kira speaks first, her voice laced with concern.
"Kaziel," she says. "I know you want to wait for the blood moon. I understand why."
I slow down, unease gripping me.
Kaziel answers her in a low voice. "It's safer. She'll be more stable. The timing—"
"The timing doesn't matter if you don't make it that far," Kira cuts in.
I gulp.
"There's too much at stake already," she continues. "The Hollow isn't just circling anymore, it's pressing in. Dani's sanctum has been compromised. You nearly passed out just now, Kaz."
He did?!
My stomach tightens. I move closer to the door, my pulse thundering in my ears.
"If we wait," Kira says carefully, "it's not just you who'll suffer. You'll lose control. And when that happens..." She hesitates. "You could hurt her."
My breath catches in my throat.
"Under the Hollow's influence," Kira goes on, her voice softer but no less firm, "you can’t differentiate threat from love. Danika will be right there, pregnant and vulnerable."
A chill travels down my spine.
"I won't hurt her," Kaziel says hoarsely.
"I know you don't want to," Kira replies gently. "But this isn't about want. It's about capacity."
I press a hand to my stomach.
"You don't have days," Kira finishes. "You have hours. We do the ritual tomorrow night... or this gets much worse."
There's a long, terrible pause. I don't wait to hear his answer, my feet carry me past the doorway and into the sitting room. They both freeze as if I've just caught them red-handed in the middle of a crime.
My heart pounds faster, but my voice stays steady when I speak.
"Then we do it tomorrow."
Kaziel's face drains of color. "Dove—"
"I heard," I say softly, meeting his eyes. "And I'm not afraid."
That's not entirely true. I'm terrified. But I'll be damned if I run away from this. It's our chance to be free. It's Kaziel's chance to be free from pain. He's been unwell most of the time because of the curse. I need to do this.
I walk towards him and take his hands in mine. "This is our chance, Kaz. I don't want to see you suffer anymore. You deserve better, babe," I say, holding a hand to his face.
His throat bobs as he swallows, his forehead resting briefly against mine when he leans over. Kira watches us quietly, relief flashing across her face.
Tomorrow.
Holy shit, it's really happening.
....
The sheets rustle for the fifth time in under a minute.
Kaziel shifts beside me, his movements restless. His breathing is uneven now too.
"Kaz?" I whisper.
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he inhales through clenched teeth and turns onto his back, one hand fisting into the sheets, the other tangling hard in his hair.
"I can't sleep," he finally admits. "It won't... let me."
My throat tightens.
I push myself up onto my elbow and lean over him, brushing my thumb along his temple. His skin is burning. My gaze drops to his face, and the air flees from my lungs. One of his eyes is pitch black.
"Kaz," I whisper, keeping my voice steady even as fear sinks into me. "Look at me."
His jaw tightens. "Don't," he says softly. "I don't want you to see it."
"I already do," I reply gently. "And I'm still here."
His chest rises heavily. And then he squeezes his eyes shut, like he's trying to force it back.
"It's loud tonight," he says. "It keeps telling me to give in, to rest and stop fighting."
I barely hold myself back from flinching. "It wants you to surrender."
"I know," he breathes. "That's why I'm scared."
I shift closer, sitting up fully. Carefully, I guide his head into my lap.
"Hey," I murmur, gently slipping my fingers through his hair. "I've got you."
He sucks in a sharp breath as my nails scrape lightly over his scalp. I feel his body relax slightly.
"I don't think I can shut my mind off," he admits.
"That's okay," I say. "Then I'll borrow it for you."
He huffs weakly. "How generous."
I smile softly and begin to massage his scalp in slow circles. "Want to hear a story?"
He cracks his untainted eye open, looking up at me. "What kind of story?"
"A harmless one," I say. "From when I was little."
His lips twitch. "Go on."
I take a deep breath. "When I was six, I was convinced our house was haunted."
He hums. "Convinced how?"
"I heard noises in the walls," I say solemnly. "I told my dad it was ghosts."
"And?" he breathes.
"He told me ghosts didn't live in walls. Mice did." I smile at the memory. "I refused to believe him. So I decided to confront them."
His brow furrows faintly. "You confronted... ghosts."
"Yes," I say proudly. "Armed with a plastic sword and my favourite pink blanket. For protection."
His chest vibrates with a soft, breathy laugh. His unnatural eye flickers between black and blue.
"What happened?" he asks.
"I stood in the hallway at midnight, Dad wasn't home that day," I continue, stroking his hair slowly. "So, I demanded they leave immediately or face justice."
"Terrifying," he murmurs.
"They ignored me," I say. "So I cried. Very loudly. And I woke our neighbors up."
He exhales, his eyelids drooping. "Did the ghosts retreat?"
"No," I whisper fondly. "But the mice did. Mostly because my dad finally called an exterminator."
His fingers loosen in the sheets.
"Were you scared?" he asks softly.
"Yes," I admit. "But I pretended not to be. I thought being brave meant not shaking."
I tilt my head, watching his eyelids grow heavier.
"Turns out," I murmur, "being brave just means doing the scary thing anyway."
His breathing slows eventually, the tension in his shoulders easing inch by inch.
"What color was the sword?" he asks sleepily.
"Purple," I answer. "It was very fierce."
He goes silent for a moment.
"And the blanket?"
"Pink. Covered in stars."
His lips curve faintly. The black recedes, leaving behind the familiar blue.
"Good weapons," he murmurs.
I keep stroking his hair, my touch steady.
"I love you," he whispers, barely awake now.
"I love you too," I reply.
His breathing evens out at last, deep and slow, his weight sinking fully into me. I look down at the man fighting monsters inside his own skin, my heart aching for him. For tonight, he's still here with me. That's enough.
...
I wake up gagging. I barely have time to disentangle myself from Kaziel's arms before I'm scrambling out of bed, a hand clamped over my mouth.
"Oh—no, no, no—"
In no time, I’m dropping to my knees in front of the toilet, retching hard as my stomach revolts. Tears stream down my face as I heave.
"Dani?" Kaziel's voice is instantly there, groggy and alarmed. "Dove?"
I feel him behind me a second later. One arm comes around my waist, while the other gathers my hair back from my face.
"I'm here," he mutters, rubbing slow circles into my back. "I've got you."
When it finally eases, I sag forward, exhausted and trembling.
"I'm sorry," I croak weakly.
"Don't," he says immediately. "Not even a little."
I rest my forehead against the cool porcelain, breathing hard. "Can I... can I have some water?"
"Of course." He kisses the top of my head softly. "Stay right here."
He's gone, and in seconds, he's back. I shakily rinse my mouth, gargling with mouthwash and spitting it out. Then I rinse again, disgusted by the taste of the mouthwash itself.
Gently, Kaziel presses a glass of water into my hands. I sip slowly, fighting the wave of nausea threatening to rise again.
"My head," I whimper, my voice small. "It hurts so bad."
He helps me up gently and guides me back towards the bed, but halfway there I turn into him instead, burying my face against his chest. His arms wrap around me instantly, holding me close.
"Killer headache?" he murmurs.
I nod miserably. "Feels like my brain is trying to escape."
He cradles the back of my head and rubs my spine.
I follow his gaze as it shifts past me, towards the nightstand. The digital clock glows faintly in the dark.
4:05 AM.
The eclipse is happening by eight p.m., I think dizzily. That's still hours away.
Slowly, Kaziel looks back down at me. Our eyes meet and my heart sinks.
"You're thinking about it," I whisper.
His jaw tightens. "Dani—"
"You're about to change your mind," I say.
He exhales, "I can't put you through—"
I lift my head just enough to look at him. "I'm okay," I say, even though my head still throbs and my stomach feels tender. "And I don't want you getting worse while we wait."
He closes his eyes, a pained sound slipping from his lips as he pulls me closer.
“I don’t like this at all.”