Page 82 of Darkness and Deceit
Kai doesn’t stop me, or even react. His gaze stays locked on the ceiling like he’s reading something I can’t see. I step outside the room and summon my bear. “Go, find Vaughn.”
Then I stop a Prey that seems vaguely familiar, but I don’t know their name. “Can you get Tanya for me? Kai is awake.”
She nods and scurries off without a backward glance.
I return to Kai’s room, keeping my steps quiet out of instinct more than necessity. He hasn’t moved. He’s still flat on his back, breathing steady now, but his eyes are wide open. Watching. Unblinking.
Whatever pulled him from unconsciousness hasn’t let him go.
“Vaughn is on his way,” I say, stepping closer. “Tanya too.”
He doesn’t respond.
I settle into the chair Lilith usually occupies, the weight of her absence settling heavier by the second. This is where she should be. She wouldn’t leave him—she hasn’t, not since the attack.
So where the hell is she?
A knock hits the door frame, and Tanya enters without waiting for a reply. Her braid swings behind her like a clock pendulum. She’s calm, and controlled, like she already knows exactly where she’s needed.
“You sent for me?” she asks, already moving to Kai’s bedside.
“He woke up about five minutes ago. Sat straight upright.”
Her eyes flick to his face. “Did he speak?”
“Not yet. Just... grabbed me. Hard.”
She nods, murmuring under her breath as she sets down her kit. Her fingers glow faintly as she hovers them over his ribs and neck. A soft flicker of diagnostic magic pulses outward like a ripple.
“His vitals are stable,” she murmurs. “No signs of magical degradation. That shouldn’t be possible.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Recovery this fast isn’t just rare—it’s unheard of.” She doesn’t look away from her work. “As you know the blue flame doesn’t simply burn, it rewrites the body’s frequency until you’re no longer balanced. The damage runs much deeper than physical. But it’s as if he’s... synchronizing with it.”
“Synchronizing?” I echo, utterly confused.
She looks at me then. “Adapting. Like his magic is learning to live with the corruption instead of rejecting it.”
A soft snort cuts through the quiet. “I’m still here, you know.” Kai. His voice is dry and cracked, but unmistakably him.
I glance at him, startled.
His eyes are clearer now. Sharper.
Tanya lifts a brow. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was set on fire,” he rasps. “Then dipped in healing potion and left to rot in it.”
“Charming.” She checks his pulse again. “You should still be unconscious.”
Kai shrugs, and it looks painful. “Guess I missed the memo.”
The door swings open, and Vaughn barrels in, wild-eyed and breathless. “Your bear found me,” he says then stops cold when he sees Kai. “Holy shit. You’re awake.”
Vaughn comes around the bed, pausing when he notices me sitting in Lilith’s chair. He glances around the room and his expression darkens. “Where’s Lilith?”
The uneasy feeling from before returns. “Fuck. I was hoping she was with you or you knew,” I say.
