Page 25 of Us Dark Few

She quickly pulled her arm back, attempting to hide the ugly cut. She wasn’t prepared to talk about what happened. Khalani didn’t have any siblings growing up. Dealing with problems on her own was how she’d survived thus far. She didn’t know how to operate any other way.

“Happened on shift today.” She waved her hand dismissively.

Serene’s eyes narrowed. “That happened in the library? The wound looks fresh. Did a guard do that?”

Damnit. Serene noticed way too much. “It’s no big deal.” She glanced away dismissively, wanting to disappear once more. Forever invisible.

“Khalani,” Serene repeated in a soft voice.

She turned back and saw the worry plastered on her face. Khalani felt a strange presence in her chest, like a physical weight as real as food swallowed down her throat.

“I’m worried about you. I know you like your space, and we haven’t known each other long…but you can talk to me. You don’t have to go through everything alone,” Serene insisted.

She froze. No one had cared about her well-being or got close enough to worry, not since Douglas died. She drove people away because the pain of losing someone you loved was too agonizing to bear. Affection was akin to weakness.

“I’m sorry, Serene. But it’s better this way. People who get close to me, they always get hurt. That’s what I do. I hurt people. And this time…I’d rather it just be me.” Khalani shook her head, fighting back tears. It was all too much. She wanted to scream and never be heard again.

Serene stepped closer, and Khalani nearly shifted back at the warmth in her expression. “Cruel people don’t look back on the pain they inflict,” Serene insisted. “And that’s not you. I saw it in your eyes the first day you spoke of your family. We are more alike than you think, and if I didn’t have my brother…it would be worse than death. That’s why I’m here. I told you I would look out for you.

“I knowwhy you keep pulling away,” Serene emphasized. “I get it. But you don’t have to worry about us leaving you. We’re in here forlife, too. Remember? Deep down, you know that being alone isn’t what you want. So, talk to me.”

Serene’s words impacted her like a chipped knife slicing her open, leaving her exposed. Khalani wanted to run, but another part, a stronger part, ached for someone to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay. Even if it was a lie.

She fidgeted, uncertainty clawing through, but Serene waited patiently for her to make up her mind.

“Are you sure you wanna hear this shit?” Khalani tentatively glanced up, her resistance faltering.

“Yeah. I do.” No hesitation. Her crystal blue eyes were filled with compassion, like Sereneunderstoodthe trials and toles of loneliness.

Khalani fully let out a breath, like she was about to walk off the edge of a cliff. She wavered but decided to tell Serene everything that happened in the guard’s quarters. By the time she finished, Serene’s jaw hung open in shock and outrage.

“You should’ve killed that asshole when you had the chance.”

“Shh, keep your voice down.”

“Have you seen him in here at all?” Serene cast an incensed look around the room.

Khalani gave another slow perusal of the pit and slowly shook her head. “No. But hewillfind me. I can’t escape.”

Serene placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t think this is a death sentence. He’s not your block guard, and I don’t think he would try anything out in the open, like in the pit. They’ve been cracking down on guards killing prisoners because there aren’t enough of us. We just need to make sure he doesn’t get you alone,” she stated.

“How?” The skepticism was evident in her tone.

“I’m sure if you tell Winifred what happened, she won’t make you go to the guard’s quarters again. In the meantime, you stick with us on the way to your assignments. Only the Captain has access to all the cells, and although Steele has a major boulder stuck up his ass, I don’t think he would allow a prisoner to be murdered on his block.”

Wonderful. Putting her life in Takeshi Steele’s hands. She was as good as dead.

The fear and paranoia were evident on her face, and Serene gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll get through this. We all will.”

“Have you always been so positive?” Khalani asked.

“No. But why worry about something that hasn’t happened yet? That’s just putting yourself through it twice.”

Khalani didn’t know how to argue with that logic. She nodded, grateful for Serene talking her down. There was no smiling or hugging. Just an understanding that filtered through the space. An acceptance that whatever came their way, whether it be a short death or a long painful life, it wouldn’t have to be experienced alone.

That tiny, singular thought was enough to keep her body moving forward. Serene guided her toward the fighting pit, insisting it would be a good distraction.

And for once, she agreed.

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