Kage’s POV

  The city was still wrapped in darkness when I opened my eyes, my body already awake before my mind had fully caught up. Years of training had made me a light sleeper, always on edge, always aware of my surroundings. But this time, it wasn’t paranoia that made me stir—it was the steady sound of Zara’s breathing beside me.

  She was still asleep, her body curled slightly toward me, her expression peaceful for the first time since this nightmare began. The tension that usually sat in her shoulders was gone, her lips slightly parted as she drifted through whatever dream world she had managed to escape into. It was rare to see her like this—unguarded, vulnerable.

  And I liked it more than I should.

  I had spent so long keeping people at a distance, refusing to let myself care too much. But Zara had slipped past every defense I had without even trying. I had told myself I was just protecting her because it was the right thing to do, because she was in danger and I could help. But that wasn’t the whole truth.

  I wanted to protect her.

  I wanted to be the person she could rely on, the one who made her feel safe.

  My fingers twitched at my side, instinct screaming at me to put more space between us before I let this go too far. But then she shifted slightly, her hand brushing against mine in sleep, and all rational thought slipped away. I didn’t move. I didn’t want to.

  The sharp vibration of my communicator shattered the quiet.

  I tensed immediately, my instincts taking over as I reached for it. The screen glowed with Detective Hall’s name.

  I glanced at Zara. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

  A part of me wanted to ignore the call, just for a few more minutes, but Hall wouldn’t be calling this early unless it was urgent. I exhaled slowly and slipped out of bed, moving carefully so I wouldn’t wake her. The moment the warmth of her presence left me, I felt its absence too acutely.

  Stepping toward the window, I answered. “Yeah?”

  Hall’s voice was gruff, clipped. “We’ve got another one.”

  A cold weight settled in my gut. “Where?”

  “Alley behind the east market district. But this one’s different, Kage. The body’s still intact.”

  I frowned, already pulling on my jacket. “That’s not like him. He doesn’t leave bodies in one piece.”

  “Exactly. We think he got interrupted.” Hall’s voice was tense. “We need Zara. If the body’s intact… she might be able to raise them. We might finally have a witness.”

  “This isn’t a mistake,” I muttered. “He wants us to find this one.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking too,” Hall admitted. “And it means Zara might be able to pull something from the body. If the soul is still connected, she might get us a real lead.”

  My grip on the communicator tightened. Zara. She was still asleep, exhaustion weighing on her after the attack. The idea of waking her up to drag her into another potential trap made something twist in my gut. But we didn’t have a choice. If there was even a chance to get ahead of this bastard, we had to take it.

  “We’ll be there soon,” I said, already moving to grab my jacket.

  “And Kage—” Hall’s voice lowered. “Be careful. If he’s changing his methods, it means something. Could be he’s getting desperate. Or worse—he’s leading you somewhere.”

  I ended the call and turned to the bed. Zara was still curled beneath the blankets, her breathing soft and even. For a moment, I just watched her, torn between letting her rest and the knowledge that we needed to move.

  I stepped forward, placing a careful hand on her shoulder. “Zara.”

  She stirred, letting out a small sound of protest before blinking up at me. Sleep still clouded her eyes, but the moment she saw my face, I knew she sensed the shift in the air.

  “What is it?” she murmured, pushing herself up on her elbows.

  “There’s been another murder,” I said gently. “But this time, he left the body intact.”

  Her expression hardened, all traces of sleep vanishing. “You think he wants me to raise them.”

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  I nodded. “Hall thinks there’s a chance you can get something from the victim. If the connection is still there, we might finally have a lead.”

  Zara exhaled slowly, pushing the blanket aside. “Then let’s go.”

  As she stood, I reached out, my fingers brushing her wrist lightly. “Zara… this could be a trap.”

  She looked up at me, her gaze steady. “I know. But we can’t ignore it.”

  I didn’t like it. Every instinct screamed that we were walking into something dangerous. But she was right. We couldn’t ignore it.

  “Then we go together,” I said, my voice firm. “And I don’t leave your side.”

  She gave me a small, knowing smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  As we left the apartment, I knew one thing for certain—this wasn’t just another murder. The Cleansing was changing his game, and whatever came next, we had to be ready for it.

  Zara’s POV

  The drive to the morgue was silent. Kage hadn’t left my side since we got the call, and I hadn’t argued when he insisted on coming with me. I didn’t want to be alone—not with the weight pressing on my chest, not with the knowledge that another magical had died because of me.

  I clenched my fists in my lap, staring out the window as the city blurred past. “He’s angry,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. “The Cleansing. He wanted to kill me, and when he couldn’t… he took someone else instead.”

  Kage’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “This isn’t on you, Zara. He’s the one making the choice to kill. Not you.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, not answering. He could say that all he wanted, but I knew the truth. This magical had died because I was still alive.

  By the time we reached the morgue, my stomach twisted with dread. I had done this countless times, had felt the pain of the dead over and over again. But this felt different. This wasn’t just about finding answers. This was about hearing the message he had left for me.

  Kage stayed close as we entered, his presence grounding me as I prepared for what was to come. I pulled my bag over my shoulder, mentally preparing myself for the toll this would take. The act of pulling a soul back was never easy, never without consequences, but I had no choice.

  The victim lay on the cold steel table, his face pale, his body still marked with the violence of his death. But what made my breath catch was how young he was. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen—just a kid. His features were frozen in terror, his skin too smooth, too untouched by life’s hardships to belong on a morgue slab.

  My hands trembled as I reached forward, pressing my palm against his forehead. The connection was immediate.

  Pain slammed into me.

  It was always like this—the final moments of the dead playing through my mind as if they were my own. Fear. Panic. The sharp sting of a blade cutting through flesh. My breath hitched as I saw through his eyes, the alley around him dimly lit, the scent of damp stone filling my nose.

  And then…

  A voice. A voice I knew too well.

  “This is because of Zara. I couldn’t kill her so I am going to kill you.”

  I gasped, my body seizing as the words struck me. My name. He had spoken my name.

  I forced myself to hold on, to push through the overwhelming pain and panic, but my vision blurred, my chest tightening like I couldn’t breathe. The Cleansing had wanted this message to reach me. He had whispered it into this young magical’s ear, knowing I would hear it.

  Kage’s voice cut through the haze. “Zara!”

  I pushed harder, clinging to the fading tether of the soul. My magic surged, my green eyes glowing brighter as I willed the connection to strengthen. The body beneath my hand shuddered, life pulling back into it with a ragged gasp. The victim lurched, coughing violently as he sucked in air, the unnatural return to life shaking through him.

  The medical staff rushed forward, moving him upstairs for treatment. I barely registered them. My hands were shaking, my breath unsteady, and before I could stop it, the first tear slipped down my cheek.

  “Zara—” Kage started, but I shook my head.

  “He said my name, Kage,” I whispered. “He did this to send me a message. This was supposed to be me.”

  Kage’s POV

  Zara was trembling. It wasn’t obvious, not to anyone else, but I saw it—the way her breath hitched just a little too sharply, the way her hands curled into fists like she was holding herself together through sheer force of will.

  I knew that feeling.

  The revived victim had been taken away, but Zara hadn’t moved. Her eyes were locked onto the empty steel table where the boy had lain just moments ago, her green glow fading but not gone.

  I stepped toward her. “Zara—”

  “I’m fine,” she cut in, voice flat, distant.

  That was a lie. And I wasn’t letting it slide.

  “You just pulled a kid back from the dead,” I said, lowering my voice. “You’re not fine.”

  Her jaw tightened, and she turned away, shaking her head. “We need to go. We have work to do.”

  She moved past me, but I caught her wrist, not hard enough to stop her—just enough to ground her.

  She went still.

  Her pulse was racing beneath my fingers, her skin too cold.

  “You don’t have to act like this doesn’t get to you,” I said, keeping my tone steady. “You’re allowed to feel it.”

  She swallowed, but she didn’t look at me. “If I stop to feel it, I won’t be able to keep going.”

  “Yeah, you will,” I said. “Because that’s who you are. You don’t have to carry this alone.”

  Zara closed her eyes for half a second, and in that breath, something cracked.

  The tension in her shoulders collapsed. The mask of control slipped.

  And then she moved—not away, but forward, pressing her forehead against my shoulder, her body shaking with the weight of everything she had been holding back.

  I didn’t hesitate. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.

  She didn’t cry, not really. She just breathed, deep and uneven, like she was forcing the panic out of her lungs before it could take root.

  I pressed my chin against the top of her head, my fingers curling against the back of her coat. “I’ve got you,” I murmured.

  She didn’t respond, but the way she clung to me, the way she let herself be held, said enough.

  We stood there for a long moment, the cold air of the morgue pressing in around us, the weight of what we had just done settling deep in our bones.

  And for the first time in a long time, I thought—maybe neither of us had to do this alone anymore.

  As we finally pulled away, she wiped her face and took a shaky breath. “Let’s go.”

  I gave a single nod, my expression dark with resolve. As we walked out of the morgue, I knew one thing for certain—this wasn’t just about stopping a killer anymore. This was personal.

  And The Cleansing had just made the biggest mistake of his life.