"Pure luck," he said.
She scoffed. "It was many things, but it wasn't luck."
He raised an eyebrow. "Now who's being arrogant?"
A small sound of frustration escaped her. The two remained locked in a glaring match until a small sound came from the door.
Finn cleared his throat and then glanced between the two of them with a placid expression. "I'm glad you're awake. Your humans won't shut up, perhaps with you awake we’ll get some peace finally."
"Unlikely," Graydon muttered.
Kira aimed a glare at him. "You should be a little nicer. They helped save you after all."
Even the ships in orbit had benefited from their interference.
Graydon’s eyes never left hers as he said, "Funny coincidence, the human ship lurking outside our borders happened to enter our space just when the Valiant needed help most."
"How fortunate for them," Kira said.
"No one can figure out how the humans knew exactly where and when to appear," Graydon said slowly.
She shrugged. "Have you asked Raider? He and the others were trying to contact the Reliance when we split up."
"Noor said they never got the chance," Graydon responded.
"Then your ship was lucky they showed up when they did," Kira said.
"Lucky indeed," Graydon murmured, his eyes narrowed.
Kira leaned forward in bed looking over the two men. "What happened to the Tsavitee who survived?"
"Any we've found, we've executed. We're searching out any survivors," Graydon said.
"The generals?"
He shook his head. "Gone. We haven't found them."
And they weren't likely to. The generals were experts at survival. They were probably halfway to rendezvous with the rest of their forces.
"The admiral on the human ship has offered his assistance," Finn said.
Kira nodded. "I'll find him and brief him, but I doubt we'll remain long."
Graydon went still. "You plan to go with them."
Kira met his gaze, sensing an undercurrent of danger. "That's always been the end goal."
And her deal with Liara made it possible.
"You could stay here," he said.
Her stomach tightened.
He didn't know how tempting his offer was. To feel companionship once more, to delve into the potential between them. It was more than she ever thought she'd have again. She wanted it so badly she was willing to do almost anything to keep it.
That was why she had to go.
If she stayed, how long before she lost herself in him and the rest of the Tuann? How long before she forgot the purpose that had driven her for so long?
She wanted him and the promise he offered more than she wanted almost anything else in her life. Those feelings were what gave her the strength to refuse.
"No," she said. She couldn't bring herself to explain, to tell him there were things only she could do. If she survived, maybe she could return.
She said none of that. He deserved to come first for whoever chose him. He deserved someone whole, not some barely functioning shell who might not survive the next year.
"No," he repeated slowly. He nodded, his expression emotionless.
Finn looked slightly alarmed from his post at the door.
Graydon stood in an abrupt movement.
Kira knew what he would do almost before he did it.
Graydon bent down, his eyes dark spears as they locked on hers. She let the kiss come, knowing it was probably the last and wanting to cling to it, to hold it close so she could remember and cherish the feeling later.
She fell into all that he was, fighting to imprint herself on him as anger and passion rose between them.
His lips left hers, leaving her cold and achingly alone as he straightened, his face once more an expressionless mask.
"I'm leaving," she told him.
"We'll see," he said before turning toward the door.
Finn shook his head at her when they were alone.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
His gaze was sympathetic. "It means things might not go the way you planned. The commander doesn't often give up his quarry."
Kira flopped back unable to think of any response.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Kira cursed the size and torturous length of the Citadel as she dragged her bag along yet another set of steps into another long hallway.
Would it have killed the Luathans to build a city with a rational layout?
She could have asked Finn for help, but the last time she'd asked which way the landing field was, he'd given her a beatific smile and a vague response.
She'd stopped asking after that.
A headache pounded at her temples.
The sunlight streaming in the windows stabbed at her eyes, despite her sunglasses.
It'd be several days before her eyes could take the sun's piercing light again. A side effect of the primus form. Until then, they were extremely sensitive, leaving her craving the cool comfort of dark, something in distressingly short supply in the bright, airy Citadel.
Right now, she felt like a herd of alien horses had trampled over every part of her body, leaving her feeling like one giant bruise. Another lovely side effect of the transformation.
While it gave her unimaginable power for a short while, it also sucked up an immense amount of energy and resources. Until her body recovered, she was left as weak as a human newborn.
It was one of the reasons she was forced to drag the duffel along after her rather than carry it. She couldn't bring herself to care about the damage she might be doing to the floor.
If they had a problem with that, they should have provided someone to carry the bag instead of refusing her any help.
The same Luathan healer who had attended her on her last visit to the medic had been furious when Kira said she was leaving on the next shuttle.
She'd ordered Kira into bed for another week of rest.
Kira had declined. She couldn't chance being left behind. The Tuann didn't often journey to human space. If she missed this shuttle, it could be a long while before she found anyone willing to give her a ride to O'Riley.
She wouldn't put it past Graydon to bribe Jace with more ships to get him to leave.
That left her schlepping her own gear to the shuttle landing zone, even though she felt like she was experiencing the most extreme form of the dreaded hangover humans so often complained of.
A glimpse of forest appeared through a doorway, and Kira made for it, spotting Raider and the rest. She pulled her duffel next to theirs and let it drop.
She was in the act of collapsing beside it when she spotted two small figures watching her through one of the arched windows on the second floor.
Joule and Ziva stared down at her with morose faces, looking like they thought she was abandoning them.
Kira struggled to shrug off her guilt. She’d told them she wasn’t staying. She’d warned them over and over. It wasn’t her fault if they hadn’t listened.
“Perhaps you should talk to them,” Jin suggested.
“It would just prolong the inevitable.”
He made a small hmm. “The Luatha canceled the rest of the tests to search for you when you went missing that night. It could be a while until they’re rescheduled given the current state of their House. The children will be in limbo until their status is settled.”