"Why do you have that?"
Tila’s eyes locked onto the cookie in Kael’s hand, her sharp features twisting with suspicion, her black hair falling ssily around her face, the power-suppressing collar glinting under the room’s dim bulb.
Kael raised an eyebrow, his hazel eyes glinting with amusent, the cookie dangling casually between his fingers.
"What? It’s a cookie. I want to eat it. What’s the big deal?" He tilted his head, his grin teasing. "You want it or not?"
Tila’s glare sharpened, her lips pressing into a thin line, her bound hands straining against the handcuffs securing her to the bed’s tal fra.
She knelt before him, her body tense, her ankles cuffed to the bed’s leg, her defiance unbroken despite her vulnerable position.
After a long pause, her voice dropped, cold and accusing. "You know it. Did you co back for revenge?"
Kael’s grin faded, his hazel eyes narrowing, confusion flickering across his face.
"Revenge? What’re you talking about?"
"Don’t play dumb," Tila snapped, her eyes blazing, her voice rising with a mix of fear and fury. "If you dare touch or Lila, we’ll make you pay a hundred tis over. I’ll crawl back from the grave to rip your heart out, you bastard!"
Kael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, his expression shifting to exasperation.
"Okay, Tila, your taunts were creative at first—points for style—but now they’re just boring. You’ve been at this since yesterday, and honestly? It’s getting old."
He leaned against the wall, his stun baton clipped to his belt, his tone dry.
"Look at you, kneeling there, all tied up. You’re an A-rank villain, high-tier, badass. I’m what? A B-rank hero, mid-tier at best. I could’ve turned you over to the authorities, let them lock you in a hole forever. Could’ve hurt you in ways you can’t even imagine. But what’ve I done? Fed you burgers, chips, water, toast. Ever think—you know, with that brain of yours—why I’m doing this? Where you are?"
He stepped closer, his hazel eyes locking onto hers, his voice sharp. "All you use that head for is cooking up gory threats. If I wanted those, I’d Poogle ’edgy villain monologues/ threats’ and get better ones... Also, so far I haven’t treated you or Lila any different—okay, maybe I slipped Lila a ketchup packet with her burger last night, but that’s ’cause she’s quiet, unlike you and your gaphone mouth."
Tila’s jaw tightened, her glare unwavering, but for the first ti, she had no retort.
Kael’s words hit like a slap, his bluntness disarming her.
If she had to describe him in one word, it’d be annoying.
She studied his face, searching for intent—anger, lust, cruelty—but found nothing.
His hazel eyes were blank, unreadable, a void that left her grasping for his motives. If he wanted her body, he had Freya and Rhea—won who outshone her in every way.
Unless...
"You’re a pedo," she said, her voice flat, her eyes narrowing with accusation.
"Wha!" Kael choked on air, his hazel eyes widening, then burst into laughter, doubling over, the cookie nearly slipping from his hand.
"A pedo? How the hell did you land there?" He wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "No, Tila, I’m not a pedo. And no, I didn’t chain you up for your body—which, let’s be real, is modest at best."
Tila’s face flushed, the word "modest" stinging like a barb.
"Then why?" she shouted, her voice cracking, her bound hands jerking against the cuffs, the tal creaking.
Kael’s laughter faded, his expression turning serious, his hazel eyes steady. "I want to rehabilitate you," he said, his voice honest, cutting through the room’s tension.
Tila’s eyes widened, then she threw her head back and laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that echoed off the walls. "Rehabilitate ? That’s your big plan? What a shitty joke. Tell the truth, or shut up."
Kael didn’t flinch, his grin returning, but it was colder now, resolute. "I’m not joking, Tila. Like it or not, that’s what I’m doing. By the ti you and Lila leave the Haven, you’ll both be done with the villain life. That’s a promise."
Tila’s laughter died, her sharp features hardening, her voice low. "And if I don’t play along?"
Kael leaned closer, his hazel eyes glinting with a rare, chilling edge, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Let’s just say the shadows you love so much? They won’t even follow you to your grave."
Tila’s breath caught, her heart lurching, a cold wave of fear washing over her—the first she’d felt in years.
She’d faced heroes, monsters, death itself, but never this: a mid-tier hero, calm and unyielding, stripping her of control.
Her helplessness sank in, her cuffed wrists and ankles a stark reminder, her collar a chain on her powers.
For the first ti, she felt small, her bravado crumbling under his gaze.
"You’re... forcefully rehabbing us?" she asked, her voice quieter, almost disbelieving. "If that’s your ga, fine. I quit being a villain. Right now. Let us go. I’ll tell Lila."
Kael shook his head, his grin wry as he opened the cookie packet, popping one into his mouth, the crunch loud in the tense silence.
"That’s not how it works, Tila," he said, chewing slowly. "I’m serious about helping you. As a hero, I’ve t villains, felt their pain. Nobody’s born a villain. I want to help you—really help—overco whatever pain, anger, or tragedy drives you."
Tila scoffed, her glare returning, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please. You think you can fix with a hug and so pity? ’Oh, Tila, I’m so sorry you had a rough life.’ ’Wow, that’s tragic, let’s hold hands and sing.’ You think your sad little therapy shtick will erase years of pain, betrayal, loss? You’d make a great custor service rep, Kael—’We’re sorry for your trauma, please hold.’"
Her mockery was sharp, but Kael didn’t bite, his hazel eyes calm, almost empathetic. "You’re right, I don’t know what you’ve been through. If I had, maybe I’d be out there with villains, torturing heroes to death. But maybe I’m here, like this, for a reason. Maybe because I haven’t walked your path, I can help you find a way off it."
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