"I didn't want to be eaten by a lu-ong," she told Graydon as she lost her battle with consciousness.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kira blinked at the white ceiling. Her body ached in ways she didn't know it could. Everything hurt. Even her fingernails.
Her left side felt like one giant bruise, while her shoulder felt like someone had ripped it open and then tried to staple it together with metal tacks.
The worst thing by far, was the scratchy, dry feeling in her throat, like someone had stuck a sandblaster in there and turned it on high.
If she hurt this much, it probably meant she wasn't dead. A good sign, given death had to be less painful than this.
She chanced looking at her arm. The drape of the white sheath she wore was undisturbed by bandages or the remnants of blood.
She touched the slightly raised scar where it ran nearly the length of her arm. That was new.
"The healers did the best they could, but you'll likely have a scar as a reminder of your close call," Finn said from the corner of the room. "Few survive a lu-ong's bite. You're lucky."
That was one word for it. She couldn’t help but feel it would have been better to never have ended up in the lu-ong's mouth at all.
Kira glanced at Finn, noting his tense posture. His muscles were coiled so tightly it looked like his tendons might snap.
His face was haggard, the skin wan and pale. He held himself in a way that indicated he was at the end of his rope.
The look in his eyes—haunted and bruised like he'd seen and done too much—kept her mouth closed against any smart comments.
Kira hated to admit it, but she tended to have that effect on people—usually it took several years to get to this point, but hang around her long enough and you were bound to get some bumps and bruises along the way.
Only this time, she suspected she wasn't the entire reason for the defeat she saw around his edges.
"You look worse than I feel," Kira said. She grimaced at the sound of her voice. It sounded like a frog had set up shop in her throat.
Finn opened his mouth but was interrupted when Jin shot up from the spot he'd claimed at her feet. Kira hadn't noticed him until then.
"Kira! You're an idiot," Jin shouted, his voice overly loud in the small room.
"Did we win?" Kira asked, blinking groggily at him. Her thoughts didn't feel quite right, like she was rising from a centuries-long nap. They were slow to start and discombobulated as she got her bearings.
"Who cares about that?" he snapped. "You damn near died."
"I care. I went to quite a lot of trouble to ensure our win. I'd like to know it was worth it," she said.
"Idiot."
She made a face, but didn't disagree. Right now, she felt like an idiot; lu-ong mouths and human bodies didn't agree.
"So, did we?" she asked, looking at Finn.
"No one won," Graydon said from the doorway.
"That's a pity. I feel like the win should be mine by default," Kira said. She made one aborted movement to rise, before letting herself ease back. The wave of dizziness that preceded the attempt wasn't worth the possible humiliation.
"That's a bold statement, considering you needed both of us to save you," Graydon said, arching an eyebrow.
Gone was the concerned and slightly distraught man who'd whisked her out of the water. The untouchable commander was firmly in control.
Kira gave him a lazy smile. "All part of my master plan."
"You planned to nearly die?" Graydon asked skeptically.
"Yup."
Kira's thoughts felt floaty and far away as Jin groaned. "She doesn't know what she's saying. Ignore her."
"I do, too," Kira said, glaring at her friend. She turned to Graydon. "I planned to get shot by the drones and fake drown. Finn would have come to save me. Wasn't sure about you, but either way Raider would have been the first across the finish line."
She smiled at them as she outlined her brilliant plan. Her head listed to the side and she let it fall onto the pillow.
"How devious," Graydon said, not sounding as impressed as he should.
She nodded into the pillow. It was so soft and snugly. "I know."
"Too bad you didn't tell your friend that. He came running when you were attacked. From reports, he took down several drones before they managed to overwhelm him. The Luatha are quite impressed," Graydon said.
Kira groaned. Of all the times for Raider to express concern for her wellbeing. "He knows better than that."
"Evidently not," Raider said dryly from the doorway.
Kira's head popped up, her hair a tangled nest around her face as she glared at him. "We should have won."
"Instead, no one won," Graydon said smoothly.
Kira's head sank and she curled around her pillow.
"What's wrong with her?" Raider asked.
"She's under the influence of the sedative they gave her. One of the side effects is lowered inhibitions and a susceptibility to suggestion," Graydon said.
Raider's gaze was speculative as he glanced at Kira.
"Where did the lu-ong come from?" Raider asked.
"That is the question everyone is after, and one I’ve already set my people to answering," Graydon said. "The lu-ong are sacred animals to the Tuann, but they're not normally aggressive unless provoked."
"I know a secret," Kira said in a sing-song voice. She paused afterward and frowned. This sedative was powerful if it could make her sing. She hadn't so much as whistled a note since—her head tilted as she considered. She didn’t want to think about that.
She tuned into the conversation to find all three men staring at her. She blinked at them. "What?"
"The secret," Raider said, exasperation in his voice. "What is it?"
"The Tsavitee did it," Kira said grumpily. Hadn't she already told them this? It was fairly obvious.
Raider scoffed. "Not this again. You're tilting at windmills. The Tsavitee are gone. They have been for nine years."
Graydon folded his arms over his chest, contemplation on his face. "It's true, I did remove one of their collars from the lu-ong, but it could be a trick to throw us off. The person responsible could have procured it from the black market. I doubt a Tsavitee was involved. Our defenses are impenetrable. We haven't had a sizable incursion in over a thousand years."
Kira made a choked laughing sound. "That's what you think."
Raider's sigh was heavy and frustrated. "I thought you gave up this line of thinking when you left the Curs. The Tsavitee were beaten. They're gone. Get that through your head."
The look she gave him was full of sympathy. "They're not. They never left. They're hiding in plain sight. Just like they always have been."
She got distracted by the room. The lack of color was beginning to bother her. "This place is too white."
"Focus, Kira. Why do you think the Tsavitee are here?" Graydon asked.
Perhaps yellow or blue would be better for the space. Those colors were supposed to be soothing.
"Kira," Raider snapped.
It was a struggle to get her thoughts to take shape. "Because I felt them before the lu-ong attacked and before the assassination attempt last night."