brutal

Chapter 43

VERENA

"I thought she died?"
"Isn't that Onyx?"
"What's she doing here?"
"She looks horrible."

I tried my best not to roll my eyes at the sound of Zira's— sorry, Sarah's— grating voice amidst the cacophony of questions and insults being thrown at me through the flood of murmurs in the room. None of them mattered, really. None when only the man in the middle did.

It was the first time I'd ever seen him wearing the uniform only high-ranked agents wore. It was still black, of course. But the way the leathers wrapped around him, the ruggedness he carried while looking so clean, paired with the four grey stars on his shoulder... it almost made me forget why I was so mad.

Why did he have to look like that? Why couldn't he have just been made as someone just disgusting and downright unattractive? Why did he have to look like that? I must've been a cruel, evil person in my past life. 

"Agent Onyx. How nice of you to join us." His stance did not change at all, but I could see it in his eyes. The surprise. The miscalculation. He didn't expect me to return like this, and certainly not to him.

I tilted my head at him. "I was recently informed of the consequences of my absence, sir." The reminder of his superiority made him balk. At least it was still obvious how I still affected him. "I wish to rectify them as soon as possible."

"I'm in the middle of a class. We can talk after."

"Or," I looked up at Kai, "you could use me."

His eyes squinted. I was sure that he already knew I was mad as hell. Now, he was mulling over whether or not I was publicly challenging him because I was open to hearing his side or I just wanted to hurt him. Of course, I wasn't showing my cards yet.

I took a step forward. Everyone held their breath as I took another and another, up until I was walking straight for him and only stopped when we were just a breath away.

I didn't let the fact that I had to look up just to maintain eye contact deter me. He eyed me with great interest, the gears in his head turning and his hands curling into fists. Sensibility reasoned restraint for his anger, but hope considered he did it just to prevent himself from pulling me closer.

I learned the answer all too quickly. "You haven't fully recovered yet," he murmured, quiet enough to make sure no one else heard but me.

"I'll live," I told him, matching his tone. "You made sure of it."

Kai dipped his head and moved closer. At that point, I didn't even care if everyone had their focus on us. This was our business to handle. "I don't want to hurt you."

I stared into his eyes. "You already have."

He didn't break his gaze from mine. I could see the desire in his eyes to accept the challenge, to redo the duel we had during the Trials that was too easy to be true. He liked that I challenged him. He liked that I wasn't backing down.

And yet, he looked away and turned to where Alex stood, retreating away from me. "Qing," he ordered with a menacing calm to the room.

I scoffed. Unbelievable. The man had the gall to tell me he'd kill for me, ghost me for two weeks, delude me into thinking I was losing my fucking mind, then ignore me in a room full of agents? And that wasn't even everything he did to me. Like hell I was letting him off without a scratch.

As Kai gave me his back, I fell to a crouch and grabbed the weapon in my boot. I held the small glass dagger in my hand, gripping it by its tip. Before anyone could warn him, I aimed and followed through with an aim that would have cut through his exposed nape.