The question was why.
"You know I was in the military. Why the shock that I know how to handle myself?" Kira asked.
"I've seen humans fight. They're not that impressive."
Then he hadn't been watching the right humans. It was true most humans couldn't compete one on one with Graydon or any of his men, but given enough training and incentive anything was possible.
Any one of her old team could have set Graydon on his ass. Even Jace and Raider wouldn't go down easily.
"That's not arrogant or anything," Kira said.
He shrugged, not seeming bothered about her words. "I call it like I see it."
Kira shook her head. The more time she spent with this man, the more he irritated her.
Graydon's teeth flashed in a dark smile. He knew he was getting to her, knew it and liked it.
She didn't know what to make of that. Few had ever challenged her in such a way. That he did, someone who wasn't an ally but also couldn't yet be considered an enemy, was unsettling.
"You don't like humans, do you?" Kira asked.
He reclined onto the grass, resting his weight on one elbow as he angled his body to face her. His expression thoughtful as he considered her statement. "Not particularly."
It was truthful enough to startle a small sound from her. Of course, he didn't. The sentiment shouldn't surprise her. More surprising was the fact he'd admitted to it. In her experience, most preferred to lie to themselves. Pretend they were less judgmental and prejudiced than they were.
"You realize my loyalties are with them, right?"
He didn't seem particularly bothered by that statement, his lips curling up for a reason only he could know. "For now."
"Cocky."
He chuckled, the sound whispering across her skin like velvet. She suppressed an involuntary shiver.
There was an awareness in his eyes, one echoed within her. It had been a long time since she'd had such thoughts about another, and definitely never about one who saw her as a duty and a liability.
"I have reason to be," he said. "Becoming the Emperor's Face is difficult. You don't get to my position without understanding things."
Kira gave him a deadpan look. "Please. Regale me with your wisdom. I don't know how I made it this far in life without it."
His teeth flashed again at her sarcasm, the look in his eyes saying he enjoyed their banter. Kira wasn't sure that was a good thing. It was kind of like being the sole focus of a tiger. You didn’t know if it wanted to eat you or just maul you a little.
He leaned forward, his eyes half-lidded. "Try as hard as you want, but you'll never be one of them. They'll never fully understand you, not like we would."
This time her smile was dry and humorless. "You assume I want someone who understands me."
The playful seduction in his expression faded, and this time the look he gave her was strangely sympathetic. It made that tight feeling Kira carried around with her all the time worse.
"We all want that," he said simply. "We're not meant to traverse this life alone."
Kira lifted her chin. Maybe not, but that's exactly what she was doing. The time for companions had passed. She'd found a balance in her life. She wasn't sure she wanted to disrupt that for maybes.
"Kira, I found a flower you need to see," Jin shouted, zooming out from the underbrush and breaking the fragile moment. "It looks exactly like cat ears!"
Jin's flight stuttered when he caught sight of Graydon.
Kira was grateful for the distraction and rose. "Let's see this flower."
"I'd be interested in seeing what could so shock your drone," Graydon said, uncoiling as he rose.
