Chapter 17

(3rd Person pov)

Lani's heart pounded in her chest as she knelt beside her mother, panic clawing its way up her throat. Amiriah was thrashing wildly, her body convulsing against the bed as guttural screams tore from her lips. Dark tendrils, like living shadows, began to seep from her skin—slow at first, then thick and inky, curling around the edges of the bed. The air grew heavy with something unseen but terrifyingly real.

"Mom! Mom, wake up!" Lani's voice trembled as she shook her mother harder, tears burning her eyes. "Please—someone help her!"

Jackson, Briyah, Mikeal, and Catanlia stood in the doorway, their expressions tense as they watched the shadows creep further into the room. Lani spun to face them, spreading her arms wide to block their path. "Don't come any closer! She doesn't need more pain—she needs help!"

The group exchanged a glance, unspoken words hanging heavy between them. Without warning, Catanlia lunged forward, grabbing Lani by the waist. "No! Let me go—" Lani thrashed against her hold, panic flaring to rage. "She needs me! Let me go. I want my mama" Lani cried out sobbing while in Catanlia arms.

"It's for your safety," Briyah said softly, stepping forward with a syringe in hand. Before Lani could react, the needle slid into her neck. Cold fire bloomed under her skin, her limbs growing heavy. "I'm sorry," Briyah whispered as Lani's vision blurred, the fight draining from her body.

As Lani crumpled in Catanlia's arms, Jackson and Mikeal moved swiftly to Amiriah's side. The shadows swirled around her like a living storm, pulsing with a strange, unnatural energy. Amiriah let out a broken sob, her face pale and streaked with tears as her body arched violently beneath their touch.

"Hold her still," Jackson ordered, his voice strained as he pressed a syringe against her neck. Mikeal's hands shook slightly, but he obeyed, forcing her thrashing limbs down as the needle pierced her skin.

Amiriah's breath hitched, her body shuddering before slowly beginning to still. The darkness recoiled, fading back into her body like smoke drawn into a void. Silence fell over the room, thick and heavy.

A tear slipped down Amiriah's cheek as her lips trembled, barely forming words. "Kai... why did you leave me?" Her voice cracked, fragile as glass. "You were my love..."

The words hung in the air, raw and full of pain, as the last traces of shadow disappeared. The group stood frozen, the weight of her broken plea pressing against their chests, knowing that no matter what they did—some wounds could never fully heal.