47. Kira

47

Kira

Ree and I are laying in a heap, still giggling between pants. Our two scary beasts really put on a show, but you'd never guess it now. They are both doing their best to look like they don't remember hopping around the clearing like playful puppies. Both of them crouched in their respective protective poses like nothing just happened.

Too bad, because I'll never forget it. And if they won't join us again, I'll be sure to make sure they never forget either.

Either way, I win.

Ree lets out a contented sigh and looks at me. I give her a grin and I can tell the little dance party helped heal something for her.

It feels good that I sparked it in her. Really damn good.

Thivoll breaks the silence. "As I was about to say, Ree needs protection."

"Of course, big guy. We'll crush anything that tries to get near."

"Let me finish. She mostly needs protection from herself."

Ree groans and throws an arm over her eyes. My eyebrows lift. There's a story or two there.

"Alright," I tell him. "I've met her sort. I know what you mean."

She whips the arm away. "Kira! What about human solidarity? Help me out here."

"Nuh, uh," I tell her. "Pretty sure kitty cat knows you better than I do. I trust his judgment."

"Thank you, Kira," Thivoll says with a purr. "We need her protected so she can strategize and recruit."

"Well–"

I don't get to finish because Drasuk cuts me off.

"I think it would be wise to let those with the most combat experience make such important decisions."

Thivoll starts chuffing and then turns to me. "Has he not realized you are in charge of him?"

Now I'm the one laughing. I turn to Ree. "What did you do to the poor cat-man, girl? Withhold tuna? Sneak catnip into his food and hypnotize him while he was high? He's whipped already."

Ree laughs and flaps a hand to dismiss my teasing. "He isn't whipped. He just, uh, seems to think I'm the commander of a bunch of troops."

Drasuk lets out his rock scraping scoff. "You are even smaller than Kira. What kind of commander could you possibly be if anything here could kill you?"

Thivoll goes from relaxed and purring to standing with his fur puffed out in rage in a blink. I dart to my feet in response, spilling Ree off me. A grunt from her and Thivoll's tail is whipping around and Drasuk is on his feet with spikes in their most menacing position.

He's hissing from between all those scary sharp teeth as Ree calmly stands and brushes herself off.

"Drasuk. Thivoll." Ree doesn't speak loudly. In fact, she doesn't raise her voice at all, but it is deadly serious. "Stop acting like kits right this instant."

My hair's standing on end as the two of them immediately de-escalate. I'm pretty sure any one of us could break her over our knees in half a second, but her voice sends chills down my spine.

It's somehow soft, confident, kind, and pure fucking steel all at once.

I'm in awe.

Part of my brain is screaming at me to even consider being part of a squad again, but the rest is too caught up in being fucking impressed to resist where this is headed.

Thivoll turns to Drasuk with a purr. "See. Like I said. A commander."

"Well, fuck me sideways, Ree. You are definitely in charge," I tell her as I poke her in the ribs.

Thivoll puffs up his mane in outrage again. "She will do no such thing. She is mine, Kira."

"Keep your claws in your pants, kitty. It's a figure of speech."

Thivoll lets out a grunt as his whiskers drop. "I don't wear pants, but if I did, that would be a terrible place for my claws."

I turn to the only other sane person in this group. "What is wrong with the rest of the universe, Ree? Are they all so fucking literal?"

Ree makes a humming noise and pats me. "I see you, Kira."

"Of course you see her," Drasuk breaks in. "She is right in front of you."

Ree lets out a snorting laugh. "Wow, Kira. I thought it was bad for me talking in circles with Thiv, but Drasuk is next level."

"Oh, sis. The validation warms my heart," I tell her with a chuckle.

"As I just said," I drawl out with emphasis. "You've got command presence, Ree."

Drasuk lets out a rumbly scoff. "There is no way your talk of fornication meant that, Kira."

"Shut up, Drasuk. Oh, deity, that feels so damn good when it translates correctly. Anyway... command presence. Natural and strong. It's really rare, and I would know."

Ree's face has turned a deep shade of red. "Thanks? I don't like being in charge."

"That makes you a great choice, then. But, for more pressing matters, we're being hunted."

"Yes, we figured that out, too," Ree tells me.

"No, I don't mean just by usual riff raff. By drakonid traitors."

Thivoll is back on alert, pulling whistling breaths through the roof of his mouth. Ree does the same with a grimace on her face.

She got a super nose or something? Huh.

I look closer and notice her changes. Orange hair, black scales, then I do a double take when I realize she has claws extended.

"Wow, girl. Look at those beauties."

She looks sheepish as she retracts them.

"I want," I tell her, my tone downright lustful.

It makes me remember my questions about our changes. "Are these changes Ree and I are going through something your people came up with, Thivoll?"

He shakes his head, and I dart a look over to Ree. She's done a far better job training her dragon than I did. I should have watched that damn movie.

Not to mention cats are notoriously hard to train, so she really is next level.

"What about us not having scars?"

His whiskers drop to his chest. "You don't have scars?"

"So it's not your nanite healing upgrade in us either, I take it."

Ree makes her suit recede from one of her arms, then grunts. "We've been too busy to pay attention, but she's right. I don't have a scar where I was shot."

My eyes narrow at the news of someone shooting her. We really do need to exterminate all the bugs from this place.

"Maybe it's something your government made in secret?" Ree asks.

"No."

"How can you be so certain?" I ask.

"I'm not exactly a person of power, but my dam works with nanites. She's the best in her field and very overprotective. If we had this capability, then she would have injected me with them, even if it meant not telling me about it."

A quick glance confirms he has a ton of scars.

Drasuk rumbles out his discomfort, and his spines reflect the same, then he shifts his body, betraying his sudden excitement.

"Wait. Is your dam Thalvann dea Shelvoll?"

Thivoll nods. "Yes."

Drasuk makes a rumble and his spines shift in a way I haven't seen before. "She is very well respected, even among the drakonid. Is she as fierce as they say?"

Thivoll chuffs out a breath. "She certainly is. I am Thivoll dea Thalvann, her only kit."

Ree makes a strangled sound and we all look at her. "How did it not occur to me until now that we haven't even shared our full names?"

I bark out a laugh. "We've been busy, Ree, but let's just get it out of the way. I'm Kira Grayson."

"True. This whole situation is crazy. I'm Muriel Johnson."

We all look over to Drasuk, but Thivoll cuts in first. "Not to be rude, but how about the shorter version for now, Maj'Ra?"

Drasuk makes a hissing sound but starts speaking. "Drasuk celck Amelindaen flen Zisitrax stren Nievernna xent Alixueth Maj'Ra tri Raskhar."

Holy shit. There is no way I will remember that. "Damn, lizard brain. He said the short version."

Thivoll starts chuffing. "That was as short as he could make it without insulting one of his ancestors."

Drasuk huffs out a breath. "Names have power, but we need to focus. Who could be making these upgrades if not your dam?"

"I don't know," Thivoll responds, "but it scares me."

"Genali have been rising," Drasuk points out. "Maybe a genius among them?"

"Possibly, though they seem to lack the creativity needed for that kind of the leap."

"I don't like it, Thivoll."

"I am in accord, Drasuk."

I can't stop myself anymore and break in. "Awww, they're patching it all up. It'll be a bromance in no time."

Ree snickers, Thivoll's whiskers drop back down, and Drasuk's spines betray his confusion and annoyance.

"Look," Ree says with glee in her voice. "The same expression. That means confusion for Drasuk, too, right?"

I choke out a laugh. "Yes. Adorable, isn't it?"

Thivoll turns to Drasuk. "I have a feeling this human female coalition at our expense will continue. I will need an ally, Maj'Ra."

"Yes. I think a truce between us is wise, manticorid, lest we lose all semblance of pride as they grind us under their tiny feet."

"Bromance. I called it."

"She totally did."

Ree turns serious again. "We haven't come across all that many dangers here. Well, fewer than I would have expected, but they were bad enough. These drakonids don't sound like good news."

My brow furrows. "Really? Until today, it felt like it was constant danger for us."

Drasuk breaks back in. "Of course. We've been moving straight toward it most of the time."

"What? Are you crazy? I could have used a hell of a lot more naps, Drasuk. I thought you had super senses."

Thivoll makes a hacking sound. "That's typical drak behavior. Straight into the fray."

Ree growls at him. "Be nice, Thiv."

Drasuk lets out a rock-grinding laugh. "It is a well-known fact, Ree. No offense taken."

Thivoll lets out a chuffing sound I assume is his own version of a laugh, then speaks again. "Well, I would prefer to continue avoiding danger where we can. We should head back to our cave and get both of you some rest and armaments."

I perk up at his last word. "Hell, yes, kitty-cat. Weapons. You know how to extend a proper welcome."

Ree smiles at me, but then turns to Thivoll. "Are you sure we should leave a trail back to Amethyst?"

She turns back to us. "How far behind you are they?"

"We will have at least a sun cycle before they are in range, maybe more," Drasuk responds.

She looks up, thinking. "I suppose if you found us, I would assume they would recognize Thivoll's scent and also want to take him as a prize. By now we have left enough scent trails even I could follow them."

She nods. "Alright, fine. Let's regroup in the cave. It's better than them finding Amethyst while we are somewhere else. But after we take out this group, we are going to need to move her."

Something tells me that if anyone tries to touch Amethyst, Ree will make them wish they were never born. She is crazy intense now, when just a few moments ago she seemed all cute and fluffy.

"I assume she is still in her chamber if you don't know her real name?" I ask Ree.

"Yes. I want to give as many of them as I can the choice to choose their metamorphosis. Silver was badly wounded and just a little bit of contact changed her."

I let out a breath and my heart constricts. I got a quick glimpse of her on the ship. "You don't have her with you? Is she dead?"

"No, thankfully alive, but some stupid snake man took her and won't give her back," her hands clench and rage flits across her usually smiling features, but then she continues.

"Trust me. I've tried to convince his stupid face three times now. Navy died in the crash, I'm pretty certain. I have two other males out looking for more women, but we need to deal with this threat as quickly as possible so we can find the rest of them."

I nod. "Lead the way, Commander."

She shoots me a look and rolls her eyes, but simply walks over to Thivoll, climbs on and turns to us.

"Can you ride on Drasuk's back? I don't think you'll be able to keep up with Thivoll otherwise."

I let out an explosive laugh, then look over to see the look of absolute affront all over Drasuk's spines, and just keep cackling.

When I stop, Ree still looks deadly serious. "Let go of your pride, Drasuk. It has no place here."

I wipe the tears from my eyes. "Burn. Oh, I think I'm going to love serving under you, Ree. So. Much."

Drasuk takes a long, deep breath. "I never agreed to serve, but will consent to carry your soldier, small female."

I look over at him, my jaw dropping, then shake my head to clear the shock that he agreed. "You could always just carry me, Drasuk. Or maybe my new ant legs can keep up."

He lets out a grumble. "No, she is correct. I will need to be on all fours to match a manticorid's run and there is no point in exhausting you."

As I jump up and find a spot to park my ass between his back spines, I feel like I've entered some new, even weirder reality. I grab a couple spikes in front of me and squash down the urge to kick his sides and tell him he is a good little horsey.

Even I know when it's best to stay silent and let a person lick their wounds.

Alright, fine. That isn't what stops me. He wouldn't get the damn joke.