Wind tore at them.
The sky was smoke, ash, and feathers. Vordi's wings beat like collapsing thunder, each motion jarring, uneven, desperate. Kail clung to a coil with both arms, her cheek pressed to hot scales. Her lungs burned. Her heart was louder than the storm.
"Hold on!" she screamed, though no one could hear over the wind. "Hold the f*** on!"
Aiden's hand clamped her wrist, strong and cold. "Don't let go!"
"No sh*t!" she spat, hair whipping into her eyes. She pulled tighter around Lizz, who was limp in her lap, her skin pale, her lips cracked, her chest barely moving.
"Lizz," Kail gasped. She shook her. "Lizz, hey. Hey! Wake up, you can't—don't you dare do this!"
Nothing.
Her chest fluttered once, shallow, too shallow.
Kail felt the world tilt under her. She slapped her cheek lightly, then harder. "Don't you dare check out now. You're not leaving me with Mr Tall Dark and Angsty, okay? I'll lose my mind!"
Aiden's jaw tightened. His eyes flicked to Lizz. "She's fading."
"No, she's not fading!" Kail snapped, voice already breaking. "She's breathing. She's fine. She's just tired. Right? You're just tired, Lizzy, right?"
Lizz groaned faintly, but it was thinner than smoke.
Kail turned wild eyes on Aiden. "Do something! You're the ancient vampire wizard or whatever—fix her!"
Aiden shook his head once, slow, deliberate. "Not with human methods. She gave too much of herself."
"What the f*** does that mean?!"
"It means she's empty," Aiden said, voice like stone. "Her body cannot sustain what she poured out. The burns aren't killing her. The absence is."
Kail's throat felt like it was closing. "So—what? What do we do? Don't just stand there being poetic! Do something!"
Aiden's gaze didn't waver. "There is one thing."
"Then f***ing do it!"
"It could kill her," he said sharply.
"She's already dying!" Kail screamed. Her voice cracked, raw. "You want to sit here and watch? You want me to sit here and watch her choke out while you brood? No! Do the thing! I don't care what it is!"
Aiden's eyes narrowed, his knuckles white on his sword even though he couldn't use it here. "You don't understand."
"Then explain, damn it!"
"The blood," Aiden said at last. "Mine. I can give her what I have. Strength. Fire. But it is not pure. It is tainted with shadow. It will tie her to me in ways she may never escape."
Kail's face twisted. "And you didn't lead with that because—what? You thought I'd say no?!"
"You should say no," Aiden said coldly. "Better her die herself than live half mine."
"Shut up!" Kail shouted. "She's not dying while I'm sitting here. If she has to be tied to you, so what? She'll be alive! That's better than being ash in my arms, isn't it?!"
Aiden's jaw flexed, but his eyes flicked again to Lizz. Her chest barely moved. He whispered, more to himself than them, "It will damn her."
"Then damn her alive," Kail said, tears streaking her face. "Because I'm not letting her die like this. Do it, Aiden. Now."
Aiden's teeth clenched so hard Kail swore she heard them grind. For a second, he looked away, his face tight like he was fighting himself more than her.
"Stop hesitating!" Kail yelled. Her hands shook on Lizz's shoulders. "You always do this—stand there, brood, look scary—but when it f***ing matters you freeze. Not now, Aiden. Not with her. Not with my Lizz."
His eyes snapped to hers, sharp and furious. "You think this is hesitation? This is restraint. If I do this, she may never forgive me."
Kail's throat burned. "Forgive you? Who cares! She'll be alive to yell at you later! Right now she's not even—" Her voice cracked. She bent over Lizz, whispering, "Don't you leave me, okay? Don't leave me."
Aiden closed his eyes. One breath. Two. Then he moved, fast and certain, kneeling beside them. "Hold her still," he said.
Kail blinked at him. "Wait—you're really—?"
"Hold. Her. Still," he snapped, and his voice was a blade.
Kail obeyed, pressing Lizz's shoulders down against Vordi's hot scales. She could feel her trembling, faint and broken, like a string about to snap.
Aiden pulled a dagger from his belt. Not the sword—this was smaller, wicked sharp. He didn't hesitate. He dragged it across his own wrist, a clean deep line. Dark blood welled, thick and strange, not red exactly, not black either—something in between.
Kail's stomach turned. "Holy sh*t—"
"Quiet," Aiden hissed. He pressed his wrist to Lizz's lips. For a moment, nothing happened. Blood smeared but didn't go in. Her head lolled.
"Drink," Aiden whispered, voice low and commanding. "Take it."
Lizz didn't move.
"She's not—" Kail started, but Aiden cut her off with a glare.
"Drink," he said again, harsher this time. His other hand cupped the back of her head, forcing her lips against the wound. "Take it, or you will die, foolish girl."
Kail's chest heaved. She wanted to rip him away, to scream, but then—Lizz twitched. Just a tiny jerk of her throat. Then another. Then her mouth opened the smallest bit.
Kail gasped. "She—she's—"
She swallowed. The sound was faint but real.
Aiden's face twisted. His eyes fluttered shut for half a second. Relief and pain in one. "Good," he muttered. "Take more."
Lizz's hands jerked weakly against Kail's grip. Her throat worked, swallowing again, then again.
Kail felt tears sting her eyes, dripping down her dirty cheeks. "Yes, yes, that's it. That's my girl. That's it, Lizzy. Don't stop."
But then Lizz's body spasmed. She arched against them, her back bowing, a strangled sound ripping from her throat. Her veins glowed faintly under her skin, dark then bright, like fire crawling inside.
Kail panicked. "Aiden, what's happening?!"
"She's fighting it," Aiden ground out. He pressed harder, forcing more blood into her mouth. "Her body doesn't want my corruption. But she needs it."
"Then fix it! Make it stop burning her!"
"I can't."
"Then f***ing try!" Kail screamed.
Lizz cried out, a broken, choked noise, but she was moving now—her fingers clawing at Kail's sleeve, her chest rising and falling in ragged, desperate gasps.
"She's breathing," Kail whispered, half laughing, half sobbing. "Oh my god—she's breathing."
Aiden ripped his wrist away, clenching his fist to stop the blood. He was pale, sweat streaking his temple. "It's enough. Any more will—" He cut off, shaking his head. "It's enough."
Kail cradled Lizz's face, wiping blood from her lips with her sleeve. "Hey. Hey, sunshine. You're back. You scared the living sh*t out of me, you know that?"
Lizz's eyes cracked open, hazy, unfocused. "K…Kail?"
"Yes! It's me! Idiot, who else?" Kail laughed, hysterical relief spilling out. "Don't you dare do that again or I swear I'll—I'll—"
"Kill me?" Lizz whispered, weak but teasing.
"Yes! Exactly!" Kail shouted, sobbing harder. "I'll kill you if you die again!"
Aiden let out a sound that was almost a laugh, almost a sigh, and sat back heavily.
Kail glanced at him, her face blotchy with tears and fury. "Don't think you're off the hook. You almost let her die!"
Aiden met her gaze, eyes darker than night. "And I saved her."
"Barely!" Kail spat. "And you probably cursed her or something!"
"She's alive," he said, voice flat but soft at the edges. "That is what matters."
Kail's chest ached. She looked down at Lizz, then back at Aiden. "I hate you," she said, but it sounded more like thank you.
Kail brushed Lizz's hair back, still trembling. "You're okay. You're okay. Say it."
Lizz groaned. "I'm… okay. Maybe. Sort of. Tastes like pennies."
Kail laughed through her tears. "God, you're disgusting. Don't ever do that again."
"Wasn't… my idea," Lizz mumbled. Her eyes flicked to Aiden weakly. "You did… creepy blood magic on me?"
Aiden didn't flinch. "Yes."
"Gross." Lizz coughed, but it was a real cough, alive. "Thanks."
Kail hugged her so tight she squeaked. "Never ever scare me again."
"I'll try," Lizz muttered, "but no promises."
Kail pulled back, eyes red, and rounded on Aiden. "Okay, broody. Tell me if she's, like, cursed now. Or half vampire. Or sprouting bat wings in a week."
Aiden's lips twitched. "She'll live."
"That's not an answer!" Kail snapped.
"It's the only one that matters," Aiden said. His eyes lingered on Lizz, something soft in them that he tried to smother.
Kail glared, then looked down again—and froze.
Her chest burned. Just a flicker, right beneath her ribs, hot and sharp. Like a coal dropped inside. She gasped, clutching her shirt.
Aiden noticed instantly. His eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Kail hissed, still clutching her chest. "Nothing. Heartburn. Too much stress."
"No," Aiden said, leaning closer. His voice was low, dangerous. "I saw it. A spark."
Kail's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"The transfer," he said slowly. "It didn't all go into her. Some of it touched you."
Kail's stomach dropped. "Wait—are you saying I'm… glowing inside now?!"
"Briefly," Aiden said. "I don't know if it will stay."
"Oh my god." Kail groaned, pressing her forehead to Lizz's shoulder. "I cannot deal with being half phoenix or half vampire or whatever. Pick a lane!"
"Maybe it means something," Aiden murmured, more to himself. "Maybe you…"
"Shut up! Don't you dare make this into some prophecy bullsh*t!" Kail snapped.
Lizz coughed again, weak but alive. "If you both don't shut up, I'll die just to spite you."
Kail barked a laugh. "Don't you dare. We already filled your punch card for near-death experiences."
For a heartbeat, there was something like peace—exhausted, bloody, but peace.
Then Vordi screamed.
The sound ripped through the air, shrill and burning. Her body lurched, wings spasming. The air dropped out from under them.
Kail's stomach plummeted. "Oh no. No no no NO—"
Vordi's feathers flared too bright, burning uncontrolled. Heat seared their skin. Her body twisted in mid-air, struggling to hold steady.
"She's losing control," Aiden said, gripping the coil beside him. His knuckles turned white.
"No sh*t!" Kail screamed. She clutched Lizz tighter, pressing her face into her hair. "Not after all that! Not now!"
Vordi flapped, harder and harder, but each motion sent them lurching. The world spun. The ocean below loomed closer.
"Hold on!" Aiden barked, reaching across and grabbing Kail's hand. His grip was crushing, anchoring.
Kail's eyes were wide, wet, locked on him. "If we die, I'm haunting your broody ass forever."
Aiden's teeth bared in something that wasn't quite a smile. "Then don't let go."
Vordi shrieked again, and the world dropped out beneath them.
The horizon split—sky torn open with fire, sea boiling as cracks of light spidered across the water like shattered glass.
Kail screamed, clutching Lizz, as the air itself seemed to rip apart around them.
They weren't just falling.
They were being pulled.
Dragged toward something vast and wrong that waited beneath the waves.