his eyes snap to me.
"And you," he barks. "What the hell were you thinking?"
I swallow hard, pushing myself up on one elbow.
"She was going to—"
"You don't rush a Strigoi alone!" he cuts in. "You call it in. You wait. You don't act like you're invincible!"
My chest hurts when I breathe.
Everything hurts.
But his words sting worse.
"I didn't have time," I rasp. "It had her."
"And now it almost had you too," he snaps back. "That's not bravery. That's recklessness."
Silence.
Heavy.
My throat burns.
Then Demari speaks, calm like he isn't standing next to death.
"She moved," he says simply. "Faster than anyone else."
Xavier's jaw clenches. "And it nearly got her killed."
Demari's eyes flick briefly toward me.
Then back.
"Or it bought you time."
Xavier turns on him instantly. "Stay out of it."
Demari's mouth twitches. Not quite a smile.
Not quite a laugh.
Xavier's eyes sharpen. "You think this is funny?"
Demari's voice stays even.
"Not really," he says. "I just think you're blaming the wrong person."
The air tightens between them.
Like a second fight is about to start.
"Maybe you're right..."
A pause
Then he continues "If you had kept your damn lust under control for five minutes and stopped trying to crawl into every girl's panties the moment you saw them, maybe I wouldn't have been distracted.
So yeah… you're right.
It's not her fault.
It's yours."
And I'm still on the floor, bleeding, trying to breathe
while the Strigoi lies dead beside us.
I've heard the stories about Strigoi.
How they die. How they burn. How they leave nothing behind.
But I've never been this close. Never seen it with my own eyes.
And now… I am.
The fire erupts. Bright. Hungry. Fast.
The body collapses into ash before I can blink.
My stomach twists.
My hands shake.
First time seeing death like this up close.
Footsteps echo. Heavy. Authoritative.
The team captains arrive, eyes sweeping the scene—ash, blood, Sameen limp in Xavier's arms.
Then they stop.
Their gaze lands on Xavier – as if they already know he's the one responsible or in trouble, even though no one says a word.