4
Failure is a necessary triumph.
“You’re staring again.”
“So are you,” she shot back.
Takeshi remained still as a statue. If it weren’t for the incensed flicker in his gaze, she would’ve been concerned that he’d passed out.
“There’s nothing else in here worth looking at,” he replied grimly.
“Careful,” she said. “That sounds awfully close to a compliment.”
“I didn’t realize the dead wanted compliments.”
“I’m not dead.”
“No,” he agreed. “Not yet.”
Ouch.
Khalani huffed, adjusting her seated position on the uncomfortable hard floor. She stretched her legs, suppressing a groan from her stiff legs and back.
Takeshi mirrored her position on the opposite side of the cell, but he didn’t shrink against the wall like her. He lounged against it like a throne.
And no, it didn’t do well for her psyche that he still managed to look sinfully attractive chained up.
Khalani had lost track of how long she’d been in the cell with Takeshi. Several hours? More? No food had been brought, and her stomach was starting to make audible growls.
Jericho had said food would not be brought for a while, but how long was a while?
Maybe they’d forgotten she was in the cell too.
Khalani crossed her arms, wincing when her stomach released another loud gurgle, as if a beast was trying to claw its way out.
“Will you desist from making that noise?” Takeshi snapped.
“Oh, excuse me. Can you prevent your stomach from growling when it’s hungry?” she countered, tired of his attitude.
“Sure. By walking out that door and getting food.”
“Nice try. But I’m not going anywhere.”
“Ah, yes.” He tilted his head. “The rebels do have a clever way of torture.”
Her eyes narrowed. And based on the cruel smirk forming, he knew he was getting under her skin.
“What about breathing?” she bit out. “Is that an acceptable noise?”
“Feel free to stop. I’ll let you know.”
One little punch wouldn’t hurt his head too much, would it?
“Why do I feel like you’re getting enjoyment out of this?” she grumbled.
“You’re the one refusing to leave me alone. I’m simply repaying the favor.” His voice was dry, and he stared at Khalani like the roaches that used to stalk her in prison would’ve been better company.
A retort formed on her lips, but she swallowed it back.
If she kept letting him get under her skin, he’d win.
So, from that moment on, Takeshi would get nothing but silence from her. But punching him in the head was still an appealing option.
He regarded her closely, and when she refused to say another word, the slightest frown appeared on his face. But he didn’t speak either.
They continued to glare and formulate plans to break one another.
The gnawing tension might have stretched an eternity if the door hadn’t swung open. Jericho labored through, filling up the doorway with his hefty frame. His black coat skimmed the floor. In one hand, he held a tray of food, and in the other, he gripped a single red apple.
Without warning, he tossed the apple to Takeshi, who caught it effortlessly, despite being chained.
When Jericho handed the rest of the food to Khalani, her mouth instantly salivated.
On the small plate rested a tiny slab of meat, strange-looking potatoes, two pieces of bread, and a fork. Her tongue swept over her lips when he deposited a jug of water on the floor beside her.
“Thanks. What about him?” she asked.
Jericho crossed his arms. “He’s not a guest. He’s a prisoner and will be treated as such.”
Khalani’s stomach twisted.
She used to be treated the same way in Braderhelm. Less than human. Merely a number to be discarded and unremembered.
“He at least needs something else, so he doesn’t starve,” she stated, ignoring Takeshi’s stare boring into the side of her head.
“Not my problem.”
Jericho slammed the door shut, and the metallic clink of a deadbolt reverberated through the air.
Khalani let her head fall back against the wall with a sigh.
She was so far from home, she couldn’t remember what peace felt like anymore. She’d held it in her hands for a moment. In a different cell.
Ironic that the man who made her feel on top of the world was the one trying to put her in a grave.
Takeshi ignored the apple and chose to study her with an ice-cold expression. She had no idea what he was thinking, but the malice and distrust radiating from him spoke volumes.
“Why did you do that?” he suddenly asked.
Khalani furrowed her brow. “Do what?”
“Ask for more food for me. I would’ve let you starve.”
At least he was still honest.
“Yeah, well…consider it proof that I care. No one deserves to go hungry.”
Takeshi’s lips pressed firmly together, like he’d been told the opposite, but then he shrugged and finally took a bite from the apple. The loud crunch echoed through the windowless cell.
She picked up the white plastic fork, but something in his statement nagged at her.
“I don’t believe you, by the way,” she whispered, almost to herself, but he heard her in the tiny space.
“About what?”
“That you’d let me starve.” Her eyes met his. “Even when you hated me, the Takeshi I know wouldn’t do something like that.”
Takeshi let the apple fall to the floor, and it rolled halfway between them. But his focus remained on her.
He leaned forward, intentionally slow. “It must be difficult. Craving a man who doesn’t exist.”
“Stop,” she snapped, her grip on the fork tightening. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“I’ll make you a deal. Come closer and I’ll tell you all my thoughts.” His upper lip imperceptibly curved.
“I’ll stay over here, thank you.”
“Pity.” He clicked his tongue, leaning back. “You’re not as stupid as you look.”
Oh no. Her decision-making was questionable on the best of days.
But he didn’t need to know that.
“Maybe I just know you’re lying and have a bigger heart than you let people see.”
“Or maybe you just don’t know when to give up, Kanes.”
Her eyes widened at the familiar words, the food forgotten in front of her.
“What did you just say?”
Her name. He used her last name.
Her heart fluttered like it was ready to burst and take flight.
A muscle in his jaw tensed at whatever expression shone on her face. “What?”
“You said my last name.”
“So?”
“That’s what you used to call me.” She straightened, unable to keep the desperation leaking from her voice. “Do you remember now?”
“You said that was your last name earlier. Wipe that pathetic look off your face.”
“But you said I don’t know when to give up!”
Takeshi stared at her like she’d grown several heads. “Yeah…has no one ever told you that?”
Yes. You did.
Khalani’s lungs were barely operating. She clenched the plastic fork so tight, it was about to snap. But one look at Takeshi’s blank expression told her that he still didn’t possess a single memory of her.
Tears burned behind her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to shove them back.
“Just forget about it.” Khalani swallowed, using all the strength she possessed to keep it together. She managed to take a bite of the meat, but it was flavorless.
With each passing moment, she felt emptier than the last.
She went for another bite but realized that the apple Takeshi dropped lay just out of reach. But he didn’t seem to care. He rested an elbow on his knee, watching her with an even deeper frown.
Despite everything, Khalani wished she could sink into his mind and see if the remnants of her still remained.
“Do you want the apple?” she asked, not knowing why she was still trying to speak to him. Perhaps it was the sound of his voice that hurt so good, she wanted to drown in it. Even if it was filled with hate.
“I’m not hungry,” he said.
She bit her lip, wondering whether she’d been going about this the wrong way. Maybe the best way to bring him back was killing with kindness.
Khalani glanced at her barely touched food and stood. She left the fork behind, not stupid enough to go near him with anything sharp. Takeshi studied her warily as she crouched down, just out of reach.
“Would you like a piece of bread?” she tentatively asked.
Takeshi didn’t answer, his jaw rigid, but his eyes darted to the bread.
“It’s okay,” she coaxed. Khalani picked up one of the pieces and took the tiniest bite. “See? It’s not poisoned.”
When he still didn’t respond, she took matters into her own hands and tossed the bread into his lap. With the way his jaw tightened, she thought he’d launch it right back. But he surprised her by eating a small piece.
And in the span of a few seconds, he inhaled the entire thing.
The heavy weight in her chest lifted a fraction. He was finally letting her take care of him.
It may have been the smallest act, but to her, it mattered.
“Would you like some more?” she gently asked.
Takeshi searched her eyes, the oddest expression crossing his face. She didn’t know what it meant before it disappeared, and he quickly nodded.
Khalani shuffled closer, glancing down at the plate for a split second.
That’s when he struck.
Takeshi hooked his foot behind her back and yanked her forward. She gasped, about to fall on her face, but he snatched her elbow. In the blink of an eye, her back was pressed against his chest, with one hand closed around her throat.
She choked as the metal chains around his wrist dug into her neck, holding her tight against him while his other hand locked her arms in place.
He spoke into her ear, low and dangerous.
“You should’ve run when you had the chance.”