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"Bye, honey. I'm out for work."
Dante slipped out of the room, leaving Silvija chuckling with that teasing remark. The hallway felt colder on bare feet so he circulated a bit of solar radiation through his feet. He regretted leaving his shoes back in the training room. Silvija had stocked her wardrobe with his clothes but forgot to get shoes. Well, Silvija had said he would find a new pair at the reception, thanks to Anna's quick shopping trip.
He patted his jacket, verifying the two tiny symbiotes remained attached to the interior fabric on both sides. He took out his phone, finding some goodnight messages.
[Emma: I'm ending this alliance if I don't see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams~]
A threat wrapped in sweetness—that was just Emma in one nutshell.
[Gwen: Goodnight]
[Gwen: Tomorrow, we work in the lab. The symbiotes gotta go]
Always working for the greater good was Gwen, the rookie hero.
There was surprisingly one from Ava.
[Ava: Early morning training tomorrow?]
[Ava: Already sleeping?]
[Ava: It was a tiring day, huh?]
And a goodnight message two minutes later.
[Ava: Rest well, Amigo]
Ava knew that Silvija wouldn't change her mind. The only thing to do was adapt, and this was the result. Having this, whatever their current relationship, was still better than having to deal with her murderous glares all the time.
'Nothing from Felicia.'
He was heading towards Felicia's room since she would be necessary to work out the locks and security measurements in the facility. At first, he had planned to just invite her over the phone, but that would be quite the jerk move after Felicia had seen him and Silvija being intimate. Not only had he broken his word to meet her later, he had done so to fuck Silvija.
His original plan was to spend a lot of time with Felicia tomorrow, heal the wounds left behind by Walter's possession, and just offer company—his way of looking out for Felicia now that she herself had become a tad more honest and more open to showing weakness.
But the Hand's attack changed everything. Felicia, who hated being treated as an afterthought, would be genuinely pissed to be summoned like she was just a tool for the heist. He wouldn't be surprised if she just decided to put an end to their ambiguous relationship.
He found himself before her door in a few moments. With a deep breath, he knocked twice.
"Give me a minute," Felicia answered.
He heard the rustle of sheets being thrown back and then water running briefly in the bathroom. Two full minutes crawled by before the door finally swung open.
"Fel—" What he saw wiped the smile from his face.
She wore an oversized black sweatshirt that hung loosely off one shoulder, white shorts barely showing beneath. Her platinum blonde hair stuck out in chaotic tangles, not any less messier than Silvija's after he had fucked her for hours, except Felicia's disorder wasn't from pleasure. It was from crying herself to sleep. The concealer she had rushed to apply under her eyes couldn't fool his sharp eyes. The redness on her nose was another sign of her struggle.
"Hey, Darling…" she said in a flat voice, missing the usual wicked energy. "Come inside."
She turned around, taking slow, heavy steps toward the bed.
Despite being taller than Silvija at 5'10" (178cm), her hunched shoulders and lowered gaze made her look smaller than the queen. So lonely. This wasn't a performance designed to tug at his heart for sympathy. She was too exhausted for games, and he could read her well enough by now to know the difference.
This was real.
Felicia was hurting. Of course, she was. The trauma of symbiote possession alone would've broken most people. She had barely held herself together when they were in his apartment. Then the police inquiries, the medical examination, the cameras pointed at her by the news outlets, and the pain of knowing her father's current fate would've opened her wounds he had tried to stitch with care. That wasn't even considering how she dreaded if Walter had made the choice or was forced by Norman.
And he wasn't there when she needed his comfort. He was indulging in his lust while she was crying in her room.
The realization gutted him, more so when he had literally promised to be there for her earlier and told her he would see her later. He hadn't expected her to be this fragile, but it also didn't erase the guilt in his chest.
"What do you want? Coffee, tea, or beer? Silver gave me everything."
He kicked the door shut. Three steps brought him to her, and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against him.
She went rigid from the sudden hug. "What are you—"
"I'm sorry." The words felt inadequate, but he said them anyway. If he was going down the harem route, he had to own up to his mistakes. Caring for each one of them was just as if not more important than physical intimacy.
Felicia shook in his arms. Her hands came up, hesitated, then gripped his forearms.
"I should be apologizing for barging in on you two and ruining your moment." She tried to laugh it off, but it only felt forced in the moment. "My bad luck can't stop messing up, huh?"
She tried to turn in his arms, to smile and lie in his face that she was fine. He kept his hold on her waist, not letting her move an inch.
"How was it, Darling?" She asked, seemingly desperate to fill the silence with anything but the truth. "How would you rate the Queen in bed? I'm betting eight. Maybe nine if she wore her sexy tactical bodysuit."
More hiding behind the flirtatiousness and humor. Either their moment at the apartment had taught her nothing, or she had reverted back to her shell after experiencing first-hand jealousy. Witnessing her crush being intimate with another woman would especially hurt Felicia, who was an impossibly loyal person underneath her playful mask.
"Her legs are killer too. She is flexible as hell," she added. "And you probably liked that she could actually keep up with your stamina."
His arms tightened around her waist, eliminating the last inch of space between them. He felt the tremor that ran through her shoulders.
"I should've been with you."
She stood perfectly still as her fingers gripped his forearms with more force, as though deciding to overpower him and run away.
He released her before she tried anything.
"Darling, come on." She turned, presenting him with that too-bright, perfectly acted smile. "Don't make me feel bad for putting that sorry expression on your face. I already owe you a lot—like, a lot a lot. Anything you do is instantly forgiven."
He put his hands on her shoulder, but she refused to meet his eyes.
"I know it was selfish." He cupped her face in both hands, seeing that hollowness deep within her eyes. "I should've come to you first. I should've been here."
"Don't turn this into some big dramatic thing. I'm fine. Totally fine." She raised an eyebrow before smirking mischievously. "Is this a trick to get me to kiss you? Darling, you just have to ask, and I'll open these legs wide for you. It'd make me less trash about relying on you for everything."
His thumb brushed along the edge of her lower lashes, catching on the thick layer of concealer. It smudged under the gentle pressure, revealing the raw, puffy skin beneath—evidence she had cried alone in the dark.
"Are you?"
"I am!" The words came out too loud like she was trying to convince herself as much as him. Her hands flew up to press against his chest. "It's just tears for my dad… it's nothing to do with you."
"You said you'll try to be honest with me."
Her lips trembled as her glazed eyes caught the light from the bedside lamp. For one moment, every mask she had put on crumbled, revealing the wounded thief underneath.
"I want to be…"
BZZZZ. BZZZZ. BZZZZ.
His phone vibrated violently against his thigh.
Felicia blinked, and then the vulnerability vanished behind a well-practiced charming smile. The broken girl disappeared, replaced by the playful cat. Just like that, her mask was back on.
She slipped a hand into his pocket and fished out his buzzing phone.
"It's your mercenary chick, Darling." She held the device to show him, Silvija's name glowing on the screen. "Better answer. The Queen doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Dante cursed under his breath and snatched the phone from her fingers.
"Hey."
"Over hundred and ten armed men. The Hand have gone insane." Despite the great threat, Silvija's voice was neutral and professional. Gone was the woman who had been moaning his name on the bed. She was back to her commander mode. "We have to move. Now."
He frowned. Although the Wild Pack held a defensive advantage, the sheer number the Hand had brought might pose a problem. Silvija couldn't afford casualties of any of her core members. Even the hired numbers were part of her country, her strength. Thankfully, Dante had just the right person with a knack for being nosy.
"You should leave first. I'm on my own mission anyway."
Silvija hummed. "Okay—"
"But I'll get someone else to watch over your side," he said. "And tell Piotr to stop holding back if things don't look good."
"Piotr? Wait, is he also like you?"
"No, but he's powerful. A fucking tank."
"Got it. I'll keep you updated."
He ended the call. Felicia had overheard everything and retreated—physically and emotionally. She had crossed the bed, rummaged through a duffel bag with her back against him.
"Felicia."
"I'm getting my stuff," she said without looking back. She took out her Black Cat suit, her tablet, and other gadgets from the bag. "This attack is our chance, isn't it? While the Hand hits the first site, we steal the core symbiote."
She had buried her feelings to prioritize the mission, or using the mission as cover to hide herself.
He let out a sigh. "This conversation isn't over."
That made her pause. She put down her suit and walked to him. Putting a hand on his collar, she rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his lips.
Her lips barely moved, unsure of the rhythm, the pressure, and the angle that a veteran like him knew. She was like someone who had studied the theory but never taken the test. It lasted maybe three seconds before she pulled back, eyes still closed and her cheeks flushed.
When she finally looked at him, her eyes were wet but clear.
"I know I'm a broken mess right now… Let's…" Her hand slid from his collar down his chest, lingering over his heart for just a moment before dropping away. "Let's talk when my father is safe. I'll be honest then. I promise."
He wiped his thumb along his lips, cleaning the faint smear of her lipstick. It had been Felicia's first kiss. She wasn't lying about never having a real boyfriend before.
But before he could reflect more, something more important surfaced in his mind.
'Null, activate Elixir's Resonance Link.'
***
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