Sasha wiped her face with the back of her hand as Kira stepped into the room, sniffling, her eyes fixed on the wall. "Have you come to gloat?" she asked, her voice hoarse and raw from crying.
Even now, even here, Sasha reached for prickles first
Kira let out a short, humourless sound. "I'm not that despicable." She looked at the boy lying still in the bed. "How is he now?"
Sasha eyed her warily. She had spent enough years in this pack to know that kindness from people in power usually came with a price tag attached somewhere. She was not ready to owe anyone anything else.
"Why are you being kind to me?" she asked quietly.
"Kindness is free," Kira said simply. "It's up to you whether you give it or not." She settled into the chair beside the bed without being invited and looked at the sleeping child.
The room was quiet for a moment. Just the two of them and the steady beeping of the machines between them.
