The rush she got as air swept by her was familiar.
Kira crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her toes an instant before she hit the water.
Its icy embrace closed over her head as she held her breath. When her descent slowed, she opened her eyes and started to swim for the surface, the lights she'd seen playing on the waves all around her, emanating from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Kira's ascent paused as she stopped to study a fleck where it bobbed next to her. She reached out to touch it and withdrew in surprise when it winked out.
Her curiosity thwarted, and her lungs burning, she kicked, propelling herself toward the surface. The first gasp of blessed air was a welcome relief.
As soon as she could breathe properly again, she shouted, "Graydon, you bastard. You'd better not have drowned."
A warm chuckle sounded in her ear seconds before arms wrapped around her. Kira had enough time to mentally curse and suck in a lung full of air as he sank beneath the waves, taking her with him.
She wiggled free, using his torso as a springboard as she made her escape. They surfaced at the same time. Graydon remained mostly submerged, only his eyes and nose peeking above the water.
It was surprisingly mischievous—and disturbingly adorable.
A wall of water hit her from the side, nearly drowning her in the process.
Kira coughed and choked when she finally surfaced. "How is that fair? I can't use ki to exact revenge."
He smirked at her. "The strong know you have to make your own justice."
He wanted to play like that, did he? He had no idea what he'd started.
The smile that flared on his face said he did and looked forward to the battle.
Kira dove before he could grab her, cutting through the water with the efficiency of a shark. She might not have spent much time planetside, but she'd always loved the water, spending as much time in it as she could.
Unburdened by armor, Kira found herself with the advantage. Graydon was fast, but here, she was faster. She grabbed his leg, yanking him down, disengaging before he could retaliate. She was already swimming away, disappearing into the inky darkness.
The water grabbed her, an invisible current dragging her toward the surface and above where she hovered a foot above the ocean as Graydon laughed.
With a sly grin, Graydon released his ki, and Kira splashed into the water, going under.
Graydon was waiting for her with a taunting smile as she surfaced. "That's not all you've got, is it? I must confess to being disappointed if it is. I was looking forward to a challenge."
Kira snarled, whipping the water off her face.
"Now, what are you going to do, coli?" he said, his voice wrapping around her like decadent silk.
She was going to conquer.
Before she got the chance, waves, disobeying the laws of physics, swamped her, sending her spinning. She grinned as she tumbled through the water. It wasn't going to be that easy.
She reached out with her senses, her heart leaping as the faintest trickle of ki answered her. It was nowhere near the tsunami that had once flooded her, but after weeks of nothing, its presence felt like the first battle cry of victory.
As it flowed through her fingers, Kira considered her best options. She couldn't compete head to head with Graydon, not with ki. Not yet.
However, there were other ways.
Kira started to swim away from him, letting him think he'd won, and she was trying to escape. A chuckle rumbled from him as he sliced through the water toward her.
That's it. Come to mama.
The ki trailed out from her, gossamer-thin strands barely visible in her mind’s eye as Graydon cut through them. Sweat popped on her forehead as she coaxed more of those strands out of her, faster and faster, tangling them to create a deceptive web, one that looked fragile but wasn't.
Those threads wrapped around Graydon's limbs, creating a lasso that tightened the more he moved.
She flexed that internal muscle she associated with the ki, and the lasso tightened, halting his movement.
Surprise reflected off Graydon's face, and she chortled at his shock as he was yanked beneath the surface of the waves.
That was her chance. The web she'd spun with ki, creating dozens of wire-thin currents to impede his progress, wouldn't delay him long. Kira sliced through the water toward the shore, reaching for every bit of speed she had.
Her feet touched bottom, and she stretched, victory within reach.
He yanked her back, murmuring in her ear. "Nice try. Give up yet?"
"You should know by now, I don't know the meaning of the word," Kira taunted. She drove her elbow into his face, a victorious grin chasing across her face at his muffled curse as he dropped her.
That'd teach him not to take victory for granted.
She sloshed forward, feeling the ki build. She tried to hurry, the water fighting her. He barked a word and a wave crested, sending her tumbling. She scrabbled at the seabed as it dragged her backward, dumping her at Graydon's feet in waist-high water.
She burst from the water, aiming a punch at the arrogant angle of Graydon's jaw. His head shifted as one hand changed the trajectory of hers. "I believe this is my win."
"Not yet," Kira snarled.
She thrust the heel of her palm into his chest, much as she had the woman from House Dethos. Unlike the woman, Graydon barely budged as pain rocketed through her wrist and palm.
Graydon's hand was gentle as it cradled hers where her hand still rested on his chest. "Was that a love tap? I barely felt it."
Kira bared her teeth. Love tap, her ass.
She kicked out, aiming for his knee. Graydon stumbled sideways, recovering in time to block the two punches she aimed at the side of his head. He grabbed one of her arms, twisting. Kira twisted with it, unprepared for him to shove her away.
This time she was the one to stumble, barely defending against him as he hammered a blow against her side. She caught it with a side block, her grin bloodthirsty and vicious. Another man might have retreated. Not Graydon. His answering grin invited her to reciprocate.
Normal ocean waves battered at them, making footing difficult.
Kira thrilled at the challenge, whipping a feint at his head before dropping and hammering both fists into the side of his knee. It collapsed, a grunt of pain leaving Graydon.
Was that love tap enough for him?
She didn't get the chance to dwell on her victory as he followed up with his own feint and lunge, forcing her to back away. They fought like that, each gaining and losing ground as they battled.
"What's wrong? A little tired?" he asked, his chest moving from his exertions.
"Please, this is nothing," she returned, as out of breath as him.
They leaped toward each other, coming together with a crash. Pain blossomed along Kira's side and arms. She ignored it, returning the favor seconds later when Graydon's guard dropped.
He shoved her back, using his bigger mass and greater strength as a battering ram.
Kira cursed as a wave nearly sent her under. The same wave caused his balance to wobble.
She moved before he could recover, latching onto his arm and attempting a judo throw. He let his balance fall forward, changing his grip at the last minute and taking her with him.
She felt her balance reach the point of no return and sucked in a breath as they both went under. Graydon wrapped her in a bear hug and rolled them away from shore.