"I'm not exactly a person of power, but my dam works with nanites. She's the best in her field and very overprotective. If we had this capability, then she would have injected me with them, even if it meant not telling me about it."
A quick glance confirms he has a ton of scars.
Drasuk rumbles out his discomfort, and his spines reflect the same, then he shifts his body, betraying his sudden excitement.
"Wait. Is your dam Thalvann dea Shelvoll?"
Thivoll nods. "Yes."
Drasuk makes a rumble and his spines shift in a way I haven't seen before. "She is very well respected, even among the drakonid. Is she as fierce as they say?"
Thivoll chuffs out a breath. "She certainly is. I am Thivoll dea Thalvann, her only kit."
Ree makes a strangled sound and we all look at her. "How did it not occur to me until now that we haven't even shared our full names?"
I bark out a laugh. "We've been busy, Ree, but let's just get it out of the way. I'm Kira Grayson."
"True. This whole situation is crazy. I'm Muriel Johnson."
We all look over to Drasuk, but Thivoll cuts in first. "Not to be rude, but how about the shorter version for now, Maj'Ra?"
Drasuk makes a hissing sound but starts speaking. "Drasuk celck Amelindaen flen Zisitrax stren Nievernna xent Alixueth Maj'Ra tri Raskhar."
Holy shit. There is no way I will remember that. "Damn, lizard brain. He said the short version."
Thivoll starts chuffing. "That was as short as he could make it without insulting one of his ancestors."
Drasuk huffs out a breath. "Names have power, but we need to focus. Who could be making these upgrades if not your dam?"
"I don't know," Thivoll responds, "but it scares me."
"Genali have been rising," Drasuk points out. "Maybe a genius among them?"
"Possibly, though they seem to lack the creativity needed for that kind of the leap."
"I don't like it, Thivoll."
"I am in accord, Drasuk."
I can't stop myself anymore and break in. "Awww, they're patching it all up. It'll be a bromance in no time."
Ree snickers, Thivoll's whiskers drop back down, and Drasuk's spines betray his confusion and annoyance.
"Look," Ree says with glee in her voice. "The same expression. That means confusion for Drasuk, too, right?"
I choke out a laugh. "Yes. Adorable, isn't it?"
Thivoll turns to Drasuk. "I have a feeling this human female coalition at our expense will continue. I will need an ally, Maj'Ra."
"Yes. I think a truce between us is wise, manticorid, lest we lose all semblance of pride as they grind us under their tiny feet."
"Bromance. I called it."
"She totally did."
Ree turns serious again. "We haven't come across all that many dangers here. Well, fewer than I would have expected, but they were bad enough. These drakonids don't sound like good news."
My brow furrows. "Really? Until today, it felt like it was constant danger for us."
