Fortune Favors the Bold

18

"Makoa," Not-Castiel stepped into the room as Kalani quickly pushed herself off the bed to stand up. The movement was rushed and he caught the pained flinch that made her hesitate, her hand climbing to her torso as a reminder of the stitches that had yet to fully heal.

She pulled in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back, still determined to present herself in a strong light. Junfeng would see that she was back and stronger than she'd been before he tried to hurt her. Kalani would make him regret daring to touch her. That was it; she'd have to kill the version of herself that had let him in after being fooled into thinking he'd been injured.

Keep telling yourself that.

Shut up, Ellie.

Convict 286 was still standing in the bathroom doorway in silence, watching her slowly realize his lingering presence. She chuckled self-consciously, flinching again as she ran her hands gently over her shirt. "It feels nice to be back in clothes that fit me," she offered.

He spared a single glance to his own clothes that she'd taken off and placed onto the bed before walking back toward his room. Kalani followed him, eyeing the desk as she slowly walked to the end of his bed, watching the boy slide on his shoes. When he finished, he stood up to return to his towering height and stepped in front of her, extending an open hand toward her. "The knife."

She smiled nervously. "I forgot it. It's in the top drawer of my nightstand," she pointed past his shoulder.

With a sigh, Not-Castiel left her alone in the room for a brief moment to retrieve the weapon she'd nearly been murdered with. Kalani turned around, her hand coming only a few inches from the first drawer of the desk before she hesitated.

It wouldn't be wise to do anything with him in the other room. She'd have to find a time when he was occupied with another task around the building before daring to creep around his space.

"I'll keep it under my mattress," his voice preceded the nearing footsteps that quickly forced Kalani away from the desk. She tucked her hands behind her back and faced him when he appeared, not bothering to glance toward her before lifting his mattress. He pushed the bagged weapon beneath its security. "Then we'll have time to decide how we want to play this."

Kalani nodded when he finally stood up to look at her. "I know how I want to play it," she spoke confidently. Not-Castiel's brow lifted, awaiting her continuation. "He tried to kill me. I didn't die. I'm a badass," she rolled her neck to push her growing hair back over her shoulders. The movement brought a painful prick to her abdomen but Kalani stifled the gasp before it could fully form, awkwardly walking past the man whose gaze followed her.

Convict 286 let his attention slip to the floor. His eyebrows knit together, but he forced the amused expression pulling the corners of his lips down before he turned to the girl. He walked out after her and easily caught up to his Pair.

A meeting had been called in the vast basement space to finally address the broken electronics around the building. Someone had already begun speaking when the elevator of the Vlasteri quarters thundered in its separation from the ceiling. All attention slipped off Chidi to the two who came down from above.

Junfeng slowly turned around, the sight of a fully alive Kalani seeming to knock the breath from his chest. She didn't spare him a single glance, confidently walking past her attacker and toward her friends.

Tamara's grin nearly split her face in half at the sight of Kalani, who stepped into the space between her and Assad. Even though the girl acknowledged her public debut of the past few days, Assad remained silent as he stared at the ground away from her.