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CHAPTER SIXTEEN ▪▫▪▫▪
WEAKNESS HAD NO PLACE in Kira's life but it managed to shove itself on board either way.
They were few, her weaknesses. The obvious ones were physical, she could bleed out just as well as anyone else, her bones would break and shatter like anyone else, she could drown and she could burn. Being human was a weakness no one had the luxury of escaping.
As much as she refused to admit it, the blow to her head had weakened her physically but other than that it had been exhilarating. It didn't take away her charms or her ability to smile but it affected her in some way she wasn't quite ready to admit to anyone.
She had never been there. So close to Death she could see Him. Death looked dark and dirty and like magical havoc. It was ready to steal her soul away, but the truth was Kaz had gotten there first. Like the thief he was, he'd stolen that last bit of her the moment he picked her up.
However, coming back from a near one-way trip to the realms of Death... It was as if the chaos within her nightmares had been unleashed inside her mind. She craved that feeling now more than ever. Being so close to Death made her feel alive.
The thrill of clawing her way back to life... Because she had one. A life. She finally had a life to claw her way back to.
She wasn't surviving anymore. Not really. She'd found her home. Wasn't that what it was? Not where you're from but where you're wanted. Kira felt wanted amongst the Crows. Her family. And she would crawl back from Death every time just so she could keep living with them.
But she was scared.
Now more than ever. Because what she had realized during those moments in limbo, was that she had more to lose than she cared to admit. How she had gotten to this point she didn't know. But love didn't really ask permission. It hit her over the head like a bag of bricks with every friend she'd picked up along the way. And how terrible it was to love something death could touch.
Jesper grunted from beside her, as the four of them stood below deck on the skiff. He was frantically cleaning his guns and Kira was watching him amused.
Weakness is a guise, her brother's voice echoed in her head, wear it when they need to know you're human, but never when you feel it. Kira would hide every one of her weaknesses behind bright smiles and laughter, and at some point, she started to believe her guise herself. It was easier. To laugh in the face of fear than cower before it.
"This is a bad idea," Jesper muttered.
"Every good plan starts with a bad idea," Kira replied and smiled when Kaz nodded.
"I think it's rather practical," he said.
"What? Why?" asked Jesper, incredulously.
"I don't see how we step off this boat without you pulling those guns," replied Kaz. Jesper let out a humorless chuckle. Kira bit her lip in order not to laugh. "So, cleaning them is a good idea."
