Her eyes had barely closed when the bed moved under her. She popped upright, staring at the covers in horror as they bulged.
"That's why I took the liberty of coming up with an alternate plan," Jin said proudly.
Kira drew aside the sheet to find a small metallic lizard. He cocked his head at her, his movements incredibly lifelike as his tongue flicked out, tasting the air.
"Ta da," Jin sang. "I've spawned. Meet the new mini Jin."
Kira choked, dismay and disbelief written on her features as her gaze lifted. She shook her head.
"What?" Jin asked. "He's cute."
"No," Kira finally managed to say. She shook her head again as if by doing so Jin might listen. "Absolutely not."
Jin happily talked over her. "I've decided due to certain events, you can no longer be trusted on your own."
"What events?" Kira asked through gritted teeth.
Jin ticked them off one by one. "The primus. The confrontation in the classroom. Meeting Odin unsupervised. Jumping off a cliff to have sexy time with Graydon."
Kira's glare burned hotter.
"I've decided I need eyes on the ground, so to speak. This is the best solution." Jin flew a figure eight over the lizard as it rose onto its hindquarters and tried to bat at the drone. He missed, plopping onto all fours. With a dissatisfied flick of his tail, the lizard waddled toward Kira's pillow.
She slowly shook her head again. "What part ofyou have to stay hidden and not draw attentiondid you not understand?"
"All of it."
Kira rubbed her temples. All she wanted was sleep.
"Mini Jin can be with you while I'm stuck in here," Jin promised. "And bonus, he'll make sure Odin can't get her greedy little claws into my hardware by ensuring you, the weak link, is protected."
This time, Kira snatched the pillow from under the lizard and lobbed it at her friend. It hit him before bouncing to the ground. The lizard righted itself, its mouth opening in a silent mew.
Kira fought the urge to feel guilty, knowing the lizard wasn't a living creature. It was harder than it should have been, mainly because of the pain in her ass hovering in midair.
"Rude," Jin complained.
"What's if he's seen?" Kira asked.
"Min, play dead."
The lizard froze, his surface hardening until he looked like he was carved of stone with faceted jewels as his eyes.
“Min?” Kira asked.
“Short for mini Jin,” he explained.
Kira sent him an unamused look. Cute—not.
"The Tuann will never see anything but a very interesting bracelet," Jin promised.
"A very weird bracelet," Kira muttered.
"His presence means I won't feel the need to explore," Jin cajoled.
Kira frowned at him. "You're starting to make a habit of ultimatums, and I don't like it."
Jin's snort was unimpressed. "Too bad."
