"Kira, don't listen to them," he said softly. "They don't know the whole truth."
"And we're going to keep it that way," she said.
Because as hard as it was to admit, both men had a reason to feel the way they did. In their eyes, she was the one responsible for the nuke that killed their entire team when a mission went sideways. She was the one who'd murdered them even if it was to prevent millions of deaths.
To their eyes, it wasn't a fair trade. Most days, she agreed.
She was both hero and villain. It hadn't escaped her the edge of hero worship on the new members of the Curs, or how that worship had faded in the weeks while on the ship. Humans both loved and hated their heroes. They liked nothing better than to watch them fall from grace. Her actions might have been the catalyst that brought about the end to the war, but they'd caused a lot of deaths as well. Not everyone agreed with her methods.
Baran had straightened when Jace and Raider approached. After they left, he looked even less happy. She got the sense he and the rest of the Tuann didn't want the humans anywhere near her.
As Graydon approached, Kira fought a sense of frustration. She wasn't in the mood for another confrontation. Energy licked along her skin, the run not nearly enough to exorcize it from her system.
Her skin itched with the need for a fight. If Graydon pressed her, she was very much afraid she'd give him that fight.
He loomed over her, his size impressive and no less intimidating for the storm taking place behind his eyes. She had to lean back slightly and tilt her head to be able to see his face. The Tuann were tall, all of them. It made her wonder why she was so much shorter.
She wasn't small, especially by human standards. At five-feet-seven with an athletic build, she'd never felt short until now.
"Your run wasn't enough. You have too much energy built up," he said abruptly.
Kira blinked as she remained still. He wasn't wrong, but she was surprised he could tell. Her run had been half the length as normal, and the confrontation with Jace and Raider had ramped up her energy levels even more.
It would only be a matter of time before it boiled over, leaving her with the option to fight or fuck. It'd taken a long time before she could figure out why she sometimes felt like she'd downed a lightning bolt, her energy welling up out of nowhere. To drain it off, she had to exhaust herself unless she could find something or someone to take it out on.
Given the way he spoke, she had to wonder if this was a trait of the Tuann and not just an oddity of hers.
"We have the simulations for a reason," he said, his expression reserved. "Has no one shown them to you?"
He didn't glance at her guards or look away. He knew the answer. He was waiting for her to admit it.
"I prefer running."
"It is not enough," he said again.
She lifted an eyebrow in lazy amusement. He knew that from the considerable time they'd spent together, did he?
"I disagree."
He bared his teeth in a threatening smile. "Come, you look in need of activity before you wisp away into nothing."
He didn't wait for her agreement, his powerful strides taking him to one of the simulators. Kira glared after him, the audacity of the order rubbing her the wrong way. She didn't have to follow. There was nothing stopping her from turning around and leaving while his back was turned. Somehow, she doubted Graydon was the type to chase her around the ship when thwarted.
"Graydon is not the patient sort," Baran said.
"Yes, the last person came to regret annoying him after Graydon suspended him from the ceiling for three days," Amila added.
Neither guard's expressions changed from the bland mask they typically wore. It was hard to tell if they were joking or not.
Kira leveraged herself up and followed Graydon to one of the simulators, stopping outside the clear boundary marking its territory.
Graydon stood off to the side, swiping through simulations, his forehead creased in thought.
Jin settled in his customary place right over her shoulder. "This should be interesting."
"I'm glad you think so," Kira muttered.
He snickered. "At least there is little chance of you destroying anything this way."
"I don't destroy things," she hissed, feeling off-balance and conspicuous as Graydon's warriors drifted over.
Their interest was clear as they jostled each other and whispered as they looked her over.
"They're like giant kids," Jin observed.
"The kind who can rip your arm off and beat you with it," Kira returned, glaring at the warriors. They seemed to think that was funny. The tallest one smothered a smile as he dipped his head.
It wasn't the reaction Kira was used to. Most humans had heard of her and her reputation. When she glared, they usually ran. Those who didn't, often lacked sufficient brain cells.
"The Wanderer," Jin said.
The words came out of nowhere and Kira frowned at him in confusion.
"The Wanderer, the latest thing you destroyed. I have other examples, but it looks like the mountain is ready for you," Jin said in a lofty voice.
Sure enough, Graydon had finished and was now regarding the two of them with an interested expression.
Graydon crossed his arms, the muscles in his arms and chest bulging as he gave her a smile full of challenge, the smug conviction he'd already won in his expression. "Perhaps you can demonstrate to Joule just where he's gone wrong."
So, he'd heard that. Their senses were better than she thought. Probably better than hers.
A disquieting thought occurred to her. If he'd heard what she said to Joule, he'd probably heard the exchange between her, Jace and Raider. Not ideal but good to know.
Kira hesitated to step into the simulator, aware of how she was now the center of attention in the gym. Jace and the Curs remained in their corner, but they made no secret of their interest. Even the children had taken a break from their activities.
Kira's shoulders slumped as she fought the urge to bang her head against the nearest hard surface. She'd never particularly enjoyed having all eyes on her, and it was more irritating now, when she wanted to avoid all attention.
Worse, any thought of letting herself get knocked out in the first few seconds went out the window.
She couldn't afford to be seen as entirely weak. The Tuann were much like predators. If they sensed any weakness, they'd run right over her—for her own good of course.
No, if she wanted to meet these people on an even playing field, she needed to be strong enough to protect herself, without becoming a threat or a treasure they wished to acquire.
Just because they weren't from her House didn't mean they lacked the potential to delay her goal. Every Tuann on this ship would carry stories of the lost child home with them. Appear too weak and others might seek to take advantage, appear too strong and any hope of them underestimating her disappeared.
It put her in a tricky spot.
Reluctantly, she moved past Graydon, a shiver of sensation rocking her as her shoulder brushed his. For whatever reason, she was intensely aware of him as a man. Galling, considering he saw her as one step up from a child.
She padded over to the mat marking the edge of the simulator's domain and waited, forgetting the rest of the gym as she focused on the coming fight.