Zara’s POV

  The world returned to me in slow, hazy pieces—the steady beeping of a heart monitor, the distant murmur of voices, the warmth of a hand wrapped around mine.

  My eyelids felt heavy as I forced them open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent light. The first thing I saw was Kage.

  He was sitting beside my hospital bed, his fingers still curled around my own, his dark eyes shadowed with exhaustion. He looked like he hadn’t moved in hours.

  “You’re awake.” His voice was rough, like he had been holding his breath for too long.

  I swallowed, my throat dry and raw. “Barely.”

  A weak chuckle came from the other side of the room. Naja.

  I turned my head—slowly, everything in me aching—and found her lying in the hospital bed next to mine. She looked pale, drained, but she was smiling.

  “Took you long enough,” she teased, her voice hoarse. “I guess we’re even now.”

  The memory hit me in fragments—Lorne, the fight, the pain. My hand instinctively moved to my side, where the wound had been, only to find smooth skin beneath my fingers.

  “What happened?” My voice was hoarse, cracking from disuse.

  Kage’s fingers tightened around mine, his jaw clenching before he spoke. “You almost died, Zara. Lorne got to you before I could stop him.”

  The weight of his words settled over me, heavy and suffocating. I remembered the sharp sting of the blade, the warmth of my own blood spilling over my hands. The terror of knowing I might not get back up.

  “You brought me here?” I asked softly.

  He nodded. “Ran through the shadow dimension with you bleeding out in my arms. I don’t even remember getting here—I just knew I had to.”

  I smiled at him remembering the day we meant, “I knew there was a shadow dimension.” He chuckled in response.

  I looked at Naja then, her silver-glowing hands resting on her lap, exhaustion clear in her face. “You saved me.”

  Naja smirked weakly. “Had to return the favor. You’re not the only one who gets to bring people back, you know.”

  Emotion tightened in my throat. She had fought for me, just as I had fought for her.

  Kage exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. “You scared the hell out of me, Zara.”

  Naja smirked. “You should’ve seen him, Zara. Sitting here all serious, brooding in the corner like a tragic hero.”

  Kage huffed. “Says the woman who groaned dramatically every time she had to sit up.”

  Naja gasped, placing a hand on her chest. “I was recovering from saving your girlfriend’s life, thank you very much.”

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  Kage snorted. “Right, and here I thought you just liked the attention.”

  Naja laughed, shaking her head. “See? We understand each other now.” She turned to me, “We actually had a good conversation while you were out. Turns out, your guy here isn’t as intimidating as he looks.”

  I blinked at them, still processing their newfound camaraderie. But then, my mind caught on something else—your girlfriend. My heart did an embarrassing little flip, warmth spreading through me at the words. I wasn’t about to correct her.

  Kage chuckled then hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. His shadows flickered at his feet like restless specters. “Thanks. For what you said earlier. You didn’t have to, but… it helped.”

  Naja rolled her eyes. “Of course, I had to. You were being an idiot.” Then she turned to me, her teasing smile softening. “You have no idea how scared he was, Zara. He carried you here himself, wouldn’t leave your side. You’re lucky to have him.”

  I turned to Kage, who looked like he wanted to melt into the shadows rather than endure this conversation. He met my gaze, something unspoken passing between us.

  I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. “I know.”

  Before Naja could get another word in, a firm knock sounded at the door, cutting through the lighthearted atmosphere. The door swung open, and Detective Hall stepped in, his presence immediately shifting the mood in the room.

  The air shifted immediately. This was no social visit.

  “I figured you three would want an update,” Hall said, crossing his arms as he looked between me and Naja. “Michael Lorne orchestrated everything on his own. We’ve combed through his records, his notes—he had been planning this for years.”

  A cold weight settled in my stomach. Years.

  “He studied magicals, learned how to counter their abilities, used his position at the university to track potential targets,” Hall continued. “He was thorough. Careful. If you hadn’t found him when you did…”

  He didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to. More people would have died.

  I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening around the blanket. “The public knows?”

  Hall’s expression darkened. “Yes. And not everyone is happy about it. Some people are relieved, but others… they’re calling him a martyr. A man who ‘stood up’ to magic.”

  My stomach twisted. Of course.

  “So it’s not over,” Kage said, his voice low. Controlled, but edged with something dangerous.

  Hall sighed. “No. It’s not. Lorne may be dead, but his ideas? They’re still spreading. And we need to be ready for whatever comes next.”

  Two days after the fight with Lorne, I finally left the hospital.

  I was still sore, my body aching from the wound Naja had healed, but she had assured me her magic had done its job. I was whole again. Physically, at least.

  Kage drove me home, silent for most of the ride, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. He had been like this since the hospital—watchful, hovering but not suffocating, as if afraid I might disappear if he looked away for too long.

  When we pulled up to my house, a pang of sadness hit me. The front door was still broken from the attack. Inside, furniture was overturned, books scattered across the floor. It wasn’t just my home—it was a reminder of how close I had come to dying.

  I took a slow breath. “Looks like I have some cleaning to do.”

  Kage cut the engine and got out without a word. He wasn’t going to let me do this alone.

  We spent the next few hours putting everything back together. He lifted the heavier things while I focused on the smaller tasks, my body still a little stiff, but nowhere near as weak as he seemed to think. Every time I reached too high or bent too low, he shot me a look, ready to step in.

  “You know I’m not fragile, right?” I muttered after the fifth time he hovered.

  He just gave me a pointed stare. “You almost died, Zara. Forgive me for not trusting you to take it easy.”

  Before I could argue, a familiar sound cut through the tension—a rattling of bones.

  I turned just in time to see Bones sprint toward me, his skeletal tail wagging, his empty eye sockets somehow expressive.

  “Bones!” I grinned as he leapt into my arms, his weight nearly knocking me off balance. His bony jaw clacked together in excitement as I scratched behind his ears.

  “I think your undead cat missed you,” Kage said, watching the scene with an amused glint in his eyes.

  I pressed my forehead to Bones’ skull. “I missed you too.”

  Once the house was back in order, the exhaustion settled in. Kage didn’t leave.

  We didn’t talk about it—he just stayed, his presence grounding in a way I wasn’t ready to admit.