Graydon
Harlow had downplayed Kira's state. She was much worse off than he'd led Graydon to believe. The cracks in her psyche from the soul bound's missing link were already starting to show.
She was like an abused etair, a creature the Tuann had used for eons to race with. Her agitated energy filled the room. Aggressive and snappish as it hunted for an opponent. This version of Kira was the one from the end stages of the war. The Kira who had lost too many friends and was little more than a walking corpse.
She hadn't quite reached that state, but Graydon sensed it wouldn't take much to push her over the edge. Tuann who got to that point rarely came back from it.
Kira had. A minor miracle Graydon wasn't sure they'd be lucky enough to repeat.
You could only get so close to the flame before it burned you beyond recovery. Kira had fractured before and put the pieces back together. Shattering a second time could make it so there was nothing to reassemble, the shards so small and numerous that it'd take an eternity to sort through.
He would have spared her this if he could. Even if her distress was what had summoned him back to himself. If not for their bond, he'd still be unconscious. Locked in his own body, aware of everything, yet unable to do anything.
Graydon's heart squeezed as she whispered his name, her face crumpling.
It'd been so hard not seeing her. Devastating to know she was so close yet unable to touch her.
But he couldn’t. The emperor had threatened to put him under house arrest if he couldn’t prove he was fit for duty. Graydon refused to let that happen. No way was he allowing Kira to traverse the universe in her current state without him.
He’d known there would be no stopping her. Despite what the emperor might think.
It was why he’d given his full attention to passing the battery of tests the healers and the emperor had thrown his way since waking. The fall out of which meant that he hadn’t had the time to check in on Kira.
He regretted that oversight now.
"Coli, I sleep for a few days and you plot treason. Whatever am I to do with you?"
Tears welled in her eyes a second before Kira threw herself at him.
Graydon barely had time to open his arms before her body collided with his. The force knocked him back a step.
"I was so afraid you weren’t okay," she sobbed into his chest.
Graydon clutched her to him with relief as he reminded himself not to hold her too tight. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head, closing his eyes and absorbing the feel of her in his arms.
That piece of him that had been missing finally felt filled.
Graydon rocked Kira back and forth, crooning wordless sounds of comfort as her agony put a knot in his throat. Her pain felt like a white hot poker jammed between his ribs, digging deeper with every second.
"We'll get them back," Graydon promised.
Kira pulled away, looking up at him with a tear stained face.
He brushed a thumb down her cheek. "I'll do everything in my power to see Elena and Jin home."
Kira pushed herself fully out of his arms.
Graydon let her despite the ache her absence left.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"It would seem—helping you with a prison break."
Kira
"You can't do that."
Graydon looked at her like he thought she was adorable. "And why is that?"
