Catalyst Page 0,19

blame him. He knew she would.

Kahli arched an eyebrow at him and chugged another gulp of water. "You're having a conversation in your head again, aren't you?"

Will smiled, "Not really. The other voices aren't chiming in this time. Just the shrilly old man that keeps telling me to kiss you." Will laughed and pulled out a metal chair from the table. Kahli was sitting on the tabletop, her legs dangling off the side. "He seems to think getting punched in the head would be very exciting."

She choked, laugher bubbling up from her belly. Kahli leaned over and punched him on the arm lightly. "How was it for you?" she laughed.

Will looked at her. For once, she seemed happy. It wouldn't last long, and for that he was sorry, but it was the way things were. There wasn't much that could be changed, until Kahli realized what she had to do. The question was, would she do it? Will leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair, breathing deeply. He placed his foil packet on the table, untouched.

Kahli poked the freeze-dried food. "Coward," she goaded.

Will glanced up at her, "No, Bane. And, since I don't have to eat as much as you, I'm not going to."

"Well, then, stuff it in your pocket or something. It's already been a day since we left the palace. And you haven't eaten anything. Plus you nearly died. I would have thought you'd be hungry by now."

He shook his head, "Nope. I had enough blood, rather recently, to overcome my freeze-dried food needs." Kahli looked down at him.

The way that white suit clung to her drove him crazy. Will tried not to look at her, but it wasn't working. Kahli was impossible to ignore. When he mentioned blood, the smile slipped from her face. Will took the moment to press her. "We need to discuss the Queen."

Kahli glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her fingers drifting to her throat. She nodded and slipped off the tabletop and onto a chair, across from Will. "But the King - "

"The King is secondary at this point. He should be removed from the equation before we even step foot in the palace. The Queen won't let him get away with all the things he's done. The Purging was his only gift. The other things, the other girls, were stolen. Each and every human belongs to the Queen. Although she plays the part well, she is stronger than the King. Stronger than the Regent. That's why she's maintained her throne for so long."

"How is it that you're able to speak of this, but not other things?" She sounded curious, not angry.

"It's information that wasn't sworn to secrecy. Most of the servants in the palace know what I'm going to tell you, they just wouldn't have found a crazy wild girl, and armed her, to kill off the royal family."

"And you are?"

"That's the plan," he grinned.

"And people say I'm the crazy one. What makes you think I can do anything? I couldn't even hold you off." Kahli looked discouraged, her shoulders slumping as she looked away.

Will's stomach twisted with guilt. "There was a reason for that." Kahli straightened in her chair and looked at him. He didn't want to say it, but she had to know the reason why she lost those fights when she first arrived at the palace. "I used your name. If I hadn't, you would have beaten me. I cheated."

Kahli didn't move. Her green gaze locked with his, her jaw tightening as she clenched it shut. "You cheated?" Her voice was too calm. It made his heart race faster. Stepping toward him, her emerald eyes locked with his. Kahli's open hand connected with the side of his face in a satisfying slap. The sound bounced off the walls. Will didn't flinch when her hand connected. There was something in his eyes that made her hold back before ripping his head off. Arms tense at her sides, Kahli was so mad she could barely form a sentence, "That's not cheating. That's being a vampire, Will." She searched his face wanting to find something that wasn't there. Breathing hard, she glared at him, "This is what bothers me about you. You said you wouldn't use my real name and then you did. You must have made me forget, because I sure don't remember. And then - " the pitch of her voice continually rose until it entered squeaky territory, "you tell me! How could