36. Kira

36

Kira

The sun filters through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. One of the creature's bodies lies sprawled before us, a testament to our victory.

I nonchalantly wipe the blood from my blade on the forest floor, glancing over at Drasuk as he pokes the dead creature with an outstretched claw, his curiosity unabated.

"Fancy a bite?" I ask, my tone laced with sarcasm. "Seems like it could be a delicacy."

Drasuk makes a hissing cough, then a rumbling sound, his spines showing a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

As I pull out the medkit to patch up my leg, he puffs himself up and I recognize the precursor to an arrogant statement that's half joke and half insult. "Drakonids have more refined tastes, but I'm sure it would be perfect for your more primitive species."

Yep, called it.

"Don't be a wad of cum," I retort with no heat in my voice, turning back to the creature.

A glace back over to him and I see that he's shifted his spines again to show his humor. "Why so interested in my seed?" he teases, his spikes rising along his forehead. "You want some, perhaps?"

I give him a long, level look before rolling my eyes and storming off dramatically to clinch the joke, throwing up a middle finger behind me for good measure.

My lips quirk up, destroying the whole image when I hear his gravel-crunching laugh as he moves to follow me.

He's a good companion.

The thought stops me in my tracks. Since when?

And at what point did I start wanting a companion, anyway?

I think back over the fight. It felt good to be with someone who not only had my back, but was fucking awesome at it. I also enjoy his humor and teasing. I search for the usual aversion to company and overwhelming desire to be left alone, but I don't find it.

Huh.

"Did you throw that thing out of the tree?"

Drasuk's question pulls me out of my epiphany and the mixed feelings it brings up.

When I don't answer right away, he keeps talking. "I wasn't sure I saw that correctly. There was a lot of fur and goo in the way while I finished the other one off."

"Thanks for the visual. We need a bath again, Drasuk. We are so disgusting. Time to head back to the water."

"I heartily agree, but stop deflecting. Have you been keeping secrets?"

My hands are shaking now. I'm not sure if I'm ready to face just how much I've been changing. I mean, those changes just saved my life, but I still don't like it.

I don't want to talk about it. Besides, sharing isn't really my thing.

People get so fucking judgy.

I let out a huff of breath. I'm being ridiculous. Of course, he's going to tease me within an inch of my life about it. About everything, but he also sticks around.

Under all that arrogance, I have the strangest sense that I'm accepted for who I am. That I could scream at him, call him every foul name I could think of, threaten to decapitate him, even, and he would just let out that gravely laugh of his and keep following me like an oversized puppy.

I don't think I can shock him or run him off. It's so fucking infuriating.

And it's also one of the best feelings. Ever.

My eyes get full thinking about it, and I have to wrestle down my practiced response of tearing him a new one for daring to make me feel something so... big. Something so lovely and terrifying, I just want to run from it.

To deny it as I stick my fingers in my ears and say la la la .

Be an adult for once, Kira , I tell myself.

He's been uncharacteristically quiet, I realize. I'm pretty sure just the expressions that have been flitting across my face as the silence grew between us provided plenty of material to take a verbal swipe.

I glance over and his eyes and spines are so neutral it can't be natural.

He's waiting and carefully not pushing.

My eyes well up again, along with the usual unrelated, unearned anger, but I ignore both of them and speak. "I think I've changed again. I shouldn't have been able to do that. Human females, even most males, aren't that strong."

He waits a beat, then speaks. "It bothers you, even though it is an advantage," he observes.

"Yes. Humans don't like change, and I don't like giving up control. Especially of my own body."

He makes a rumble and once again passes up the opportunity to take a pot shot.

When I think back, he's never taken one when I felt truly vulnerable, only when I was acting like a little shit.

My most common mode, so there's been plenty of opportunity.

"You were exposed to braceaaer," he says, breaking me out of my musing, "and they are much stronger than they should be based on size."

A dark chuckle bubbles out. "I'm a fucking ant."

"I'm not sure what that is, but I do know you aren't that. You are Kira. There is only one of you in the whole universe and you will keep adapting right along with each stage of your metamorphosis. You'll figure out how to use every single change to make them wish they had never made the mistake of touching you."

There's something in my chest that hasn't been there since my parents looked at me with pride when I enlisted. It's more than just gratification. It's... hope.

War has a way of making you forget. Making you hard.

My nictitating membranes slide across my eyes and sweep out the welling tears. It makes me realize they stopped bothering me at some point. Stopped popping across when I didn't want them to, but protected my eyes when I was in the stream.

Hell, when I think back, they were over them during the fight in the tree.

I look down at the nanite suit I haven't bothered to command to fix itself and I see the long cuts made in it by the creature. The only reason my intestines aren't spilled all over that tree, along with buckets of blood, is the patterned hide from the sand creature.

"Just how strong are the braceaaer?"

"A factor of ten times their body weight."

I do some quick math. I used to deadlift about 210 pounds. So... what? I can lift a ton now?

I stand there in shock, briefly consider trying to lift Drasuk, then realize he's probably heavier than that.

Maybe not by much, though.

I shake my head. My curiosity isn't worth the awkward social interaction.

I pick up a rock, then chuck it as hard as I can. It pulps a couple of tree limbs as it flies up into the canopy and I don't even hear it fall, though I assume Drasuk heard it thump to the ground somewhere in the distance.

Okay, that is pretty damn useful.

Drasuk makes a sound of appreciation, and when I look over at him, his spines betray his surprise. "Very impressive, Kira. We might have to wrestle after we are done destroying every last hunter on this planet."

I tilt my head back and let out a laugh. "You wish, iguana breath."

When I look back, his spines have shifted toward confusion. "I'm not sure what was lost in translation. You always seem ready for a good fight."

I let out a snort. "Are you incapable of understanding double meanings?"

"Of course not," he huffs. "You just never make sense. I am perfectly capable of grasping nuance."

"Of course you are," I say dryly.

"I'm glad you agree."

"It's called sarcasm, Drasuk."

He snorts. "I've had enough human words for now. There is no need to keep discussing this since we agree that you are confusing, while I am adept at understanding."

I let out another laugh.

"Sure, you are."

"Is it common for humans to simply repeat phrases while acting like they are saying something pithy?"

"Oh, yes. I am adept at pithy," I shoot back, mimicking his arrogant tone.

"You are hopelessly opaque."

"And your manticorid overlords entered the wrong commands into the evolution machine."

He bristles, his spines shaking in the intensity of his affront. "You betray your shocking ignorance. We were from the same star system as the manticorids, already toughened by our lava-ridden planet, and over the course of millennia the early empire hastened our evolution. They took care to groom desired traits for loyal, vicious, and intelligent servitors, but they were our traits. We were the perfect shock troops for a first wave against the more resilient races. Drakonids have only improved since. When we spread our proto-wings to the greater universe at large after our independence, every single species held its breath until the clans finished taking whatever planets they wanted to subdue."

My eyebrows are both raised as he takes a ragged breath and continues his tirade. "We are evolution perfected. No mistakes were made, I assure you."

I blink a couple of times as he catches his breath.

"Whoa there, cowboy. It was a joke."

He grunts, his spines still raised in outrage. "You make no sense, human. None!"

He stalks aways and part of me feels bad, especially after he said so many nice things about me. The bigger, more childish part of me is what makes me jiggle my ass in an impromptu dance to finally be the one who gets a rise out of him.

I let out a couple more oorahs while popping my hips and then trot to catch up.

Time to make peace.

That way, the next time I get him mad, the victory will taste just as sweet. Besides, he's not the worst person to have on your team. I like our banter, and I want it back. I should go plant the seeds for another round of teasing once I inspire the return of his usual arrogance.

Hell, maybe I can teach him some dance moves. He's got a heck of a lot more ass than I do to shake, and not many humans can say the same.

I pity them.