But, did she want the answers? She still didn’t know.
“My name—” Kira stopped.
This was one of those things she waffled on. She had been Kira Forrest for so long. It was a name she’d picked for herself. A way of claiming her identity from those who’d tried to strip it from her.
Her younger self had thought the name Kira meant rebirth. An attractive sentiment to someone who had grown up in hell.
It was only later that she realized she’d added an r and changed the meaning entirely.
“Did they have a name in mind for me?”
Harlow’s gaze was enigmatic. After what felt like an eternity, he inclined his head. “They did.”
Kira squeezed her hands together, the question hovering on the tip of her tongue.
Harlow waited, letting her set the pace. If she wanted this piece of her past, she would have to claim it.
Before she could decide one way or the other, Graydon appeared in the threshold, breaking the moment between her and her uncle.
Kira slammed the lid on her questions, her walls coming up.
Good thing too, as Graydon filled the room with a roiling mass of emotions Kira struggled to decipher. Anger was there. Relief. Rage.
He observed the two of them with an implacable expression, finally offering, "I can come by later."
"You're here now; you might as well stay." The Overlord stirred, waving him inside. Graydon stepped into the room, the door closing behind him with a decisive thump.
The Overlord focused on Kira and changed the subject to one no less emotionally fraught. "The Emperor's Face tells me you were recovered from a camp. Did any other children survive?"
Kira was quiet for several beats. She needed to be very careful in how she answered this. For all that the Sorrowing happened decades ago, the wounds from it were still fresh. She had no desire to reopen them.
"I was the only child rescued by Himoto and his team that night," Kira said carefully.
The Overlord's face tightened as if he'd taken a blow. All expression smoothed out. "That's regrettable. Many of our people were hoping for a miracle."
Kira had nothing to say to that.
"Little Storm, I assume you have news," Kira's uncle said, addressing Graydon.
Kira couldn't help peering at the commander in interest. That was an unusual nickname. She never would have attributed it to him if not for hearing it for herself.
He stared impassively back, not betraying by even the flicker of an eyelash embarrassment for the name. Kira found she liked him better for it. Those who took themselves too seriously crumbled and broke in the end. You had to remember the good even when the bad was at your doorstep.
"Devon will make a full recovery," Graydon revealed. "I spoke with the other initiates. They all agreed if he hadn't taken primus form, the tala dogs would likely have slaughtered them. He's shaken but mostly unharmed."
"Do we know why they ventured so close?" the Overlord asked.
Graydon shook his head. "My people are investigating. There is evidence they were driven from their normal hunting ground, but it's circumstantial."
The Overlord nodded and rose. "I'll leave you two to talk. There are other matters requiring my attention."
Graydon murmured an agreement as the Overlord made his way to the doorway. He paused before opening it, fixing his attention on Kira. "I hope you'll consider what I said."
Kira lifted her chin, not answering. She'd do that, but she doubted he'd like the conclusion she would draw. People rarely did.
Harlow seemed to read that in her, nodding as if he understood what she didn’t say. “When you’re ready for the answers to the questions you’re afraid to ask, I’ll be waiting.”
With that, the Overlord made his way out of the room, the door shutting behind him.
Graydon faced Kira, fury on his face. "We're going to have that talk now. Then we're going to discuss the military-grade drone gadding about in Roake's territory."
THIRTEEN
Alarm chased across Kira's face, disappearing as quickly as it had come. Nonchalant ease replaced it seconds later.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, managing to strike the perfect balance between confusion and bravado.
Graydon showed his teeth in a dangerous smile, catching the barely perceptible flinch before she could hide it. That's right, coli. You're caught.
There was no escaping it this time.
"Where. Is. He?"
Kira blinked innocently at him.
Graydon stared back. Not many tested him when he was in this mood. Most feared what he would do. Even if they hadn't been wary of the power he wielded as the Emperor's Face, they would have still considered him dangerous on a physical level.
He was the youngest chosen Face for a reason, and it wasn't because he was good at diplomacy.
Kira opened her mouth, a lie already forming. Graydon lifted a hand, cutting her off with a sharp gesture. "Careful, coli. Lying right now would be inadvisable."
He knew the drone was here. It had contacted him shortly after Kira started the course. The drone's warning was the only reason Graydon reached her in time. Even then, he'd been too late to prevent the ordeal she'd endured.
The reminder of his failure threatened to send his thoughts into a very dark place, and he felt a deep-seated rage building all over again.
Surprise lurked on Kira's face. Guilt. But no fear.
Graydon's mouth quirked unwillingly, the anger easing slightly. A good liar, she was not. It made the fact she'd built an entire life on deception and subterfuge all the more puzzling.
"Bring him out," Graydon said, unnervingly calm.
"Graydon," Kira started.
That snapped the thin tendril of patience he'd been holding onto. He shoved forward, ignoring her flinch.
He wasn't an untrained initiate she could run circles around or lie to without expecting severe repercussions.
He was the Emperor's Face, the highest position a Tuann could achieve except for Emperor. He wasn't someone to trifle with.
"Bring. Him. Out."
All expression on Kira's face leaked away.
"Jin. You might as well come out," Kira said emotionlessly.
Graydon didn't drop his guard. It would be dangerous to make the mistake of thinking she had been defeated.
Kira might have conceded for now, but soon enough, she'd return to challenging him on the simple basis that she could.
Silence thickened the air as they waited.
A rustle came from under the bed, the sheet hanging over its side stirring.
No one said anything as Jin revealed himself, rising until he hovered at eye level.
"Hey there, big guy," Jin said with an awkward laugh. "Long time, no see."
Graydon sent Kira a flat look. "You couldn't be this stupid."
Her mouth pulled up on one side. "I'd like to argue, but current company points to the fact I am."
Graydon's lips thinned and tightened. This was a disaster on so many levels.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Graydon asked Kira.
"I'm beginning to get the idea it isn't good," she said dryly.
Graydon stared at her, sending her a look that said "you think?"