Kade left Maenae in Stealth and Dash’s paws, without looking back. He was confident in the pair’s abilities to keep her there. Kade walked briskly back down the hall, intending to hurry and join his son and the others in their observation pod after a little detour.
He passed by the waiting rooms, paying no heed to a few calls for his attention. There wasn’t time to waste with idle chatter. Then he rounded a corner and Claudia stepped into his line of site without a word of warning. Kade flinched aside, then set his eyes on her.
“Claudia?” Kade stared at her in annoyance. She had noticeably toned herself down since the last time he had seen her. Her face was mostly devoid of makeup. Her skin tone and hair were nothing shocking or different from natural colors. Her eyes were a simple shade of brown. She was dressed comfortably, with a fluffy dice draped over her shoulders acting as a living stole.
“I know you’ve been looking for me.” Claudia stated nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. Her face was full of remorse and a touch of worry.
Kade felt his irritation melt away. It was apparent that Claudia had done some deep soul searching while she was avoiding him and it had set something off in her. She seemed more mature than the last time he had seen her.
“I could yell at you now.” Kade took a deep, cleansing breath. “But I’m over it and there are more important things that must be taken care of.”
