Puppet {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 20

The little knife was hidden away, tucked in my right sleeve, and there was no emotion on my face or in my eyes. I was zoned in on my mission, walking down the hall towards Kailas' room. I couldn't tell you how I knew where he was, I must have stopped to ask someone, but I can't remember. I was playing out the scene in my head, what I would say and the perfect moment to kill him, but when I knocked on his door, which was beautifully made and had a carved phoenix on the front, and it opened, all words left me and my mind went blank.

When he saw that I was the one standing there like an idiot he frowned, confusion in his eyes, "Demi?"

I opened my mouth to speak. Nothing. There was no reason at all as to why my words had disappeared, he wasn't naked, he wasn't shirtless, he wasn't suddenly the hottest thing on earth, he was still Kailas, but suddenly that was more than enough to have my nerves tingling and my throat closing as butterflies broke out of their cage in my stomach to crowd my chest and make my heart beat faster than it medically should have been.

"Ugh...," I finally managed to make a noise, but it sounded confused, and Kailas leaned against the door frame with his arms folded like he was fully prepared to wait there as long as he needed for me to remember how the English language worked.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, and I nodded furiously, "Did you need something?"

"You," I answered instantly, and my face burst out in heat at how dumb I sounded.

This wasn't how an assassin was supposed to act at all! What was I blubbering for? Why was I blushing? He was a target, a mission, not a school football jock, I should not be feeling so flustered and confused. He was my best friend! Nothing more!

He didn't seem to understand at first, but he stepped back and held the door open for me, "Come on in, I guess. I'm not busy so if you need to talk I'm here."

I think I answered him, said okay, but in my ears it sounded more like a garbled mess of words that came together as a blur. I get the feeling he heard the same weird shit I did because he was staring at me like I had three separate heads.

Fuck! Why was this so hard for me?! I'd done this a hundred times before, it should have been easy! I knock, the target opens the door, I slam on the charm or what little I have of it to get them to let me in, then rub against them till they try to kiss me. I couldn't do that right now. Hell I could hardly walk! I stumbled as I stepped through the door, skittering away from Kailas before he could try to help me.

I was an idiot. I had to get my act together so I could finish my mission.

In order to calm myself I looked around the room, a little surprised at what I saw, though I shouldn't have been. Being the leader of the rebellion, it made sense his room would be a little bigger. It was nice. The room I was in now was like a greeting room, there was a couch in front of a coffee table covered in paper, maps, and books, two more chairs on the other side of the table, a bay window against one wall with dark, open curtains.

There was an open door against the opposite wall where his bedroom and adjoining bathroom were, a long table against the wall to the left covered in more books and papers, all it was missing was a kitchen. It wasn't super big, just enough to fit everything and still have plenty of room to walk around without stubbing a toe, but it was nice, a lot nicer than the room Kailas used to have at his father's home.

I was glad he had something better now.

"You needed to talk to me, right?" he asked, shutting the door when I finally stepped into the room.

I'd managed to calm my racing heart while I looked over his room, but I knew looking at him wouldn't help my case, so I stared at the floor and fiddled with the scarf around my neck, tugging at it and holding it up to cover my mouth as I spoke.