His eyes narrowed to slits. "No, so I can mentally prepare."
"Aren't these kinds of things better as a surprise?"
In his place, she'd rather not have advance notice when the person she'd vowed to protect did something dangerous.
There was a crack in Finn's facade, exposing the boiling anger seething beneath the surface. "No, it isn't."
Kira shrugged. "Suit yourself."
It wasn't like Kira planned this. There was no way she could have known Jin would return with a swarm of shriekers. If she had, she would definitely have invited Finn to the party.
Partners did things like that. They shared in their brushes with death.
“Why were you so late?” Kira asked, eyeing him.
No way did she believe he hadn’t heard the fight. Shriekers weren’t exactly quiet during a hunt.
“I got hung up. It delayed my arrival,” Finn said in a tone that didn’t invite questions.
Kira lapsed into silence as the Haldeel marched them along the city streets, drawing stares as they passed. Kira spotted children she suspected of belonging to the orphanage. They watched with fascination before disappearing into the crowds around them.
At least, Selene would soon be apprised of Kira and Jin's survival.
Her hand brushed a spot of blood on her black jacket and drew a grimace.
Now she knew why everyone was so curious. It wasn’t often the Haldeel escorted someone splattered with blood through the streets of the city.
The Haldeel turned right at the next intersection, toward the spaceport. Next, they took a left.
Kira was getting a sinking feeling that she knew where they were heading. A place she'd done her utmost to avoid. The Spire. Cultural center of the capital and currently a hotbed of political activity.
If Graydon was anywhere, that was where he'd be.
Her shoulders slumped. The destination made sense. After investigating what happened in the clearing, the Haldeel guards’ jobs would be a lot easier if they could immediately turn her over to the higher powers of her race.
Lovely. Just lovely.
Sure enough, soon, they passed the arches framing the avenue. Finn shot her a look that she ignored as marched over the still water, flowers submerged beneath its surface.
If Finn had been anyone else, perhaps someone less serious, there would have been a pep in his step. And why wouldn't there be? Finn was getting exactly what he wanted—Kira back in the bosom of their people.
The Haldeel leader glanced sideways at them. "You're both Tuann?"
"What gave it away?" Kira asked.
"Just a feeling."
The Haldeel’s lingering glance in Finn's direction told Kira exactly who was responsible for that feeling.
Turns out you could take the oshota out of the synth armor, but they'd still be oshota. It was in the way they moved, the hyper-awareness and sense of purpose they carried with them.
They stopped feet from where the avenue ended and a perfectly circular lake began. From its center, an imposing spire rose. At a distance, the spire appeared to be one structure, when it was actually three separate buildings that intertwined like lovers, yet never quite touched. A series of glass walkways connected the structures.
The rest of the city butted up against the lake's edges, surrounding the unexpected oasis of calm and serenity.
The Haldeel waited patiently as the glass-like surface of the lake began to froth. Out of the depths, small flat panels rose until they jutted millimeters out of the water. They interlocked, snapping together one after another.
The Haldeel leader didn't wait for it to finish assembling before he glided onto the pathway, leaving Kira and the rest to follow.
