“If you don’t like the way I do things, you’re always welcome to take your nose and stick it somewhere else,” Jin offered.
Oh, Jin.You’re only making things worse.
The frustrated anger with which Torvald regarded his son was something parents everywhere would understand.Having dealt with her friend for decades, Kira sympathized.Jin didn’t do well with orders.He never had.Torvald had neither earned his respect nor invested the time or effort to get to know Jin as he was now.He expected blind obedience when the truth was that Jin didn’t have an obedient bone in his new body.
Or the old one for that matter.
“You stubbornly persist in challenging me at every turn.Did it ever occur to you that I had your best interests at heart when I told you to stay away?Until now, all they’ve had were rumors about your new set of circumstances.Rumors you just confirmed.”
“Maybe you should have told him that then,” Kira quietly pointed out.
Jin was a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid.If Torvald had shared his concerns, Jin might have made a different decision.He might also not have, depending on his intentions, but now they’d never know.
“It’s okay, Nixxy.”
Kira scowled.“It’s not.”
She faltered at the wide grin Jin shot her.
For a moment, he looked so happy and young.Bright and innocent in a way neither of them had ever had a chance to be.
She didn’t know what had put that expression on his face, but the delight in it stilled any further words of objection.
“I appreciate it, Kira.More than you’ll ever know, but I’ve got this.Me and him need to come to an understanding.”
“You sure?”Kira asked, reluctant to leave Jin to face Torvald alone.
But maybe that was the problem.She was so used to it being her and Jin together against everything.To the point that they’d maybe become a little co-dependent.Jin was asking for the opportunity to handle this matter on his own.Standing in the way of that would make her no better than Torvald or any of the other Tuann who insisted on seeing Jin as nothing more than a child.
“Yeah,” Jin said with another easy smile.
“You know where to find me if you need me.”
For a moment, Kira didn’t move.Walking away was harder than she’d ever thought possible.
“No maiming,” she said, purposefully dawdling.“No setting fire to anything either.”
“Sheesh, you act like I’m a menace.”
With one last look at him, she headed toward the door, feeling uncomfortably like a parent leaving their child behind for the first time.
Jin called after her.“Just so we’re clear, Nixxy Poo—you’re not to step foot off this planet without me.”
“We’ll see.”
“No, we won’t see.You leave me behind and there will be consequences.”
Jin
“She’s definitely going to try to leave me behind,” Jin muttered under his breath.
He knew that as surely as he knew his new eyes were nowhere near as good as his old ones.
“Roake has been ordered away from this matter.There’s nowhere for her to go,” Torvald commented.
As if that mattered.Kira would find a way.
Jin had better be right there beside her when she did.
