Amazing how a little bit of sex could leave her feeling like a new woman.
Graydon's smirk was all masculine smugness. "It's an effect of our ki's manifestation."
Kira snorted, grabbing the covers to pull over their bodies. Graydon lifted an arm so she could snuggle into his side.
"Are you telling me Tuann just need to get a little freaky if they want a panacea for all wounds?" Kira asked, looking up at him teasingly.
"Only when their partners are as talented as me."
Kira hid a smile against his chest. "Arrogant."
His body moved under hers as he made himself more comfortable. "Yet not a lie."
Kira rested her cheek against him, contentment filling her as quiet settled around them.
Lost in thought, she drew a pattern on his chest. "I'm not sure I know how to be alone. I've always had Jin beside me."
Although there had been times where she'd felt isolated, she'd always known she wasn't truly alone. Jin was with her. That knowledge had helped stem the tide of darkness on more than one occasion, giving her an anchor to hold onto.
Graydon's arms tightened around her. "I will always be grateful for that."
Kira’s expression was bittersweet as she pressed her forehead against his side. "I always assumed that mine and Jin's relationship wouldn't leave room for anybody else."
Most partners wouldn't be able to accept how deep their feelings for one another ran without assuming there was a level of romance involved.
There wasn't. Jin was the brother of her soul.
She had never wanted to deal with the potential resentment that might arise. The jealousy that would destroy any good she and that other person might have had.
"You've never tried to get me to abandon him," Kira said, looking up at him.
Even now, when it had become clear how deep that bond truly ran.
"Of course not." Graydon looked at her as if he'd never considered it. "Your connection doesn't preclude you from developing something just as deep and unique with someone else. The same way my oath as a Face doesn't prevent me from being what you need."
Graydon understood. Furthermore, he accepted them. It was a gift beyond measure. One she'd never hoped to have.
"What?" he asked, arching a brow at the way she was looking at him.
She shook her head. "Nothing. I just can't help but wonder how much better our lives would have been if we'd met you sooner."
His lips curled up in a smile that warmed his eyes. "It's good we found each other then."
"Yeah," she agreed softly. "It really is."
Graydon pulled Kira half over him, bringing her front flush with his side. She slid a leg over his, making herself more comfortable.
"The best moment of my life was when you crashed a gondola into it," he whispered, nuzzling her temple.
"Your memory is faulty," Kira corrected. "The gondola was already crashing when I jumped on it. Jin and I merely guided it to a more optimal landing site."
"As I recall, the people in charge weren't exactly a fan of your actions."
"That's not my fault. That man was an asshole."
That waste of space had hated her guts for years. He'd have used any excuse to fuck with her.
Graydon looked like he was suppressing a smile. "If you say so."
"I do," Kira grumbled.
Graydon placed his hand over hers. "Promise me one thing."
Kira looked up at him, catching the serious cast of his features.
"Don't try to protect me by leaving me behind." He caught her chin, forcing her to look at him when she would have avoided his gaze. "I don't care what's coming or how bad it gets."
Kira pulled her chin out of his hand. "Have you ever thought that I don't want to be the reason for your fall?"
The look he gave her made her heart hurt.
"You don't get to make that decision for me. We each decide for ourselves what we're willing to risk and for who. That is what it means to love someone." His lips quirked. "And unlike a certain someone, I've had the honor of being responsible for my decisions for years."
Kira glared, pinching his side at the teasing note in his voice.
He caught her hand, holding it against him firmly. "I will not give you up. Even to death. I've told you before—you're mine. And I plan to keep you."
Twenty
Elena - Tsavitee Planet
Elena snuck through the corridors on sock clad feet. She was a ghost, passing by unnoticed. Or a phantom. She couldn't decide which.
She hummed the theme song to a popular show about a pair of kid spies as she chose a direction at random.