Kira’s quick smile held a touch of wickedness. “When all else fails—beat them until they submit. Or you could kill them. Whichever you think best.”
Jace stared at her in stunned amazement. “That is a spectacularly bad plan. I would be court martialed. They might even bring back hanging as a method of execution.”
“Naw. I’d help you hide the bodies.”
Jace barked out a laugh as he strolled toward the room and those waiting inside. “I’ll keep that in mind, Nixxy.”
She hoped so. She really did. A little bloodshed never hurt anyone. Sometimes it was even necessary.
Graydon’s shoulder brushed hers as he came up to stand beside her.
“Get what you wanted?” Kira asked him.
“You’d be surprised.”
Kira flashed a smile designed to butter Graydon up. It was sweet and innocent—or at least it tried to be. “About that second favor.”
Graydon’s amused sidelong glance told Kira she wasn’t fooling anyone. “You haven’t even heard the payment for the first.”
Kira made a come-on motion with her fingers. “Let’s hear it then.”
The smile that spread across his face did dangerous things to Kira’s insides. Particularly when he stepped into her personal space, using his larger size to loom over her.
There was nothing threatening in his manner, but that didn’t stop a delicious thrill from sliding through Kira’s insides as Graydon caught a disobedient strand of her hair and tugged.
His bewitching gaze snagged hers, tempting her to close those last few inches and steal a kiss.
Kira’s gaze dropped to his lips, her resolve teetering. It didn’t help that she knew exactly what they’d taste like. The way they’d feel against hers.
Kira swayed forward as those tantalizing lips formed words that were as effective as a splash of cold water on her libido.
“You’ll travel back to Ta Sa’Riel with the rest of the Tuann contingent on our ship.”
Kira jerked back, her hair sliding out of Graydon’s grip as he watched her with a predator’s stillness.
“You asshole,” Kira swore.
There was always a catch.
“Big favors require an equitable exchange. I could have asked for something much more difficult for you to give. In the scheme of things, I’m letting you off easy.” Graydon was unrepentant in the face of her anger. “I don’t think you realize how upsetting Yukina found your involvement in the discussion regarding Selene’s future. It’s almost like she’s afraid you’ll infect Selene with your bullheadedness.”
Kira’s scoff would have contained fire had she been a dragon. “She should be thanking me. My interference resulted in another of their lost children coming forward.”
“Which is why I was able to ask this in exchange as opposed to the price she wanted to exact.”
Kira’s mouth clicked closed on the rest of her argument. She’d known when she asked Graydon to get her into the meeting that it would put him in an impossible position and that she might have to give up some things as a result.
At the time, she’d judged the risk as necessary.
“I’m not leaving my ship behind,” Kira snarled.
The last time she left the Wanderer unattended her niece had stolen it and put herself in danger. While Elena would be under Kira’s close supervision for the foreseeable future, Kira didn’t want to leave anything to chance. The Wanderer was staying with her. End of story.
“No need to fret, coli. There’s plenty of room to store your vessel in our ship’s docking bay.”
“Why can’t I travel to the Tuann’s home planet on my ship?”
Graydon threw his head back on a roar of laughter, the smooth line of his throat distracting Kira for a moment.
