Page 123 of Seared Fates

No. I won’t think that way. Kai is coming back.

He is!

And like my thought summoned him, Kai shoots up, the silence shattering as he gulps down air into his heaving chest.

“Holy shit!” he wheezes.

“Kai!” I yell, the ice shattering as I drag him into my lap like a source of heat. “I knew. I always knew. We’re forever. Forever.”

I’m not making sense. I don’t even realise I’m crying until a sob nearly cracks me in half.

“Vidar.” He speaks my name between huge gulps of air, and when light snags on his fangs and shines, my broken heart heals. “I’m awake…”

“You’re awake.” I weep into his braids, filling my lungs with lavender and pencil shavings. “You’re awake.”

Chapter forty-four

Kai

Thick, salty blood spills down my throat, filling my stomach and sating a hunger that runs deeper than anything I’ve ever experienced. A type of craving that comes with sharp teeth.

Tingles buzz across my mouth as I run my tongue along the rim of the glass, searching for every last drop.

“Do you want some time alone with that thing?” Golden asks from where he’s perched next to me on the sofa.

I pause while tilting the glass up. “Was I moaning again?” I ask, reluctantly placing the empty glass down.

Ramy smiles, patient and without judgment. “Not really…”

“Oh yeah, dude, like you were about to fuck it.”

Laughing, I kick him good-naturedly in the shin.

We’re in the small living room, crowded on the sofa, remnants of smoke from the fireplace lingering in the air, leaving the room thankfully dim. Vampires don’t need much heat, but it was the headache-inducing light I couldn’t stand. Since being made three days ago, my senses have amplified, like I’ve cleaned my ears of wax and taken off glasses smudged with grease, and the more blood I feed on, the sharper my world becomes. As if with each sip, I’m healed of whatever wound becoming a vampire created.

Though my status as a half-demon remains up in the air, I can still create fire.

“I’m just happy to see you healthy again,” Ramy says, hugging a knee to his chest. “Turning into a vampire instead of a ghoul suits you better.”

“Better looking, too,” Golden teases.

“You’re telling me, mate. It was fucking gross, and I didn’t even have to look at myself.”

“And…” Golden’s face pinches. “And you didn’t feel any pain, right? You were okay?”

I drop my head against his, our temples rubbing together like overly affectionate cats. “Nah, mate. I’m all good.”

Golden hugs my arm and reaches for Ramy’s hand. With no hesitation, Ramy laces their fingers together, and my chest aches sweetly to see Ramy, once so uncertain, know that our love comes without claws.

“To be honest, I don’t remember much after Summer held a knife to my throat.”

The memory of a cold blade cuts away at any lingering good feelings. The shock of betrayal is the only wound I can’t seem to heal.

“She might’ve put your soul back, but I’ll never forgive her,” Ramy says, his gentle voice sharpened with anger. “We nearly lost you, Kai.”

In that moment, we pull together. Our limbs tangled, legs over knees and arms wrapped up in bows. Strengthening what we have to make up for a loss we hadn’t expected.

“I asked Apollo if he suspected anything,” Golden says. “But he’s as shocked as us.”