Chapter 27 · You didn’t look at me

"You didn’t look at me."

"I want you dead, you arrogant piece of scrap."

"Still not looking."

Her gaze snapped up.

There it was. The fear she kept buried under orders and steel. Not fear of him. Fear of what happened if she lost him before he opened the system.

Kael lowered his voice. "You don’t want me dead. You want the world to stop making you choose who gets to live."

"You don’t know anything about me."

"I know you count exits every time you enter a room. I know you sleep with your boots on. I know you give the children the clean water and pretend you’re not thirsty."

"Stop."

"I know you haven’t fired because you’d rather put a bullet in your own hand than risk mine touching that switch."

Her eyes shone.

"Shut up," she said.

"Make me."

For one sharp second, neither of them moved.

Then Sila grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled his mouth to hers.

It was not gentle. It was quick, angry, and gone before Kael could decide whether it had really happened.