Graydon didn't seem concerned. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."
Pallas bared his teeth but dropped his hand from the hilt of his sword.
"Kira, you good?" Graydon asked with his en-blade still against Pallas's neck.
"Define good."
The J1N trying to murder Pallas hadn't been on her itinerary for the day. The fact that the matter had passed with no bloodshed could be considered a minor miracle.
"You can put away your en-blade. I won't do anything to them," Pallas said with a snide look at Kira.
She glared at him. "If I were you, I wouldn't trust anything out of that psycho's mouth."
Her history with Pallas said he wasn't the type to let an attack of this nature go so easily.
Pallas's gaze lingered on the J1N long enough for Kira to grow uncomfortable. "Let me guess. That's not Jin."
Kira met his gaze, ice sliding through her veins.
The corners of Pallas's lips lifted. "I thought something was off about him. Why didn't you tell the forty three that in addition to Elena, Jin is also compromised?"
"It didn't feel necessary. I doubt it would have made a difference anyway."
The enigmatic smile on his face widened. "It's so good to see you finally understand the purpose behind keeping secrets. Even when it comes to your nearest and dearest."
"Like you did with your little yer'se?" Kira cut her eyes to Lathan. "After all the threats you made regarding me telling the Curs and you reveal the forty three’s existence to him."
Pallas dismissed her argument with a wave. "We're not talking about my precious disciple. We're talking about you. Telling us might have changed things."
Anger filled Kira. She hurled the J1N at Pallas's head. "Like it did with Elise?"
Pallas caught the drone, making a tsking sound with his tongue. "What discourteous treatment of our youngest's body."
"Screw you," was Kira's mature response.
Kira jerked a shoulder up in apology at Graydon's questioning look. If she thought the J1N was still in danger from Pallas, she never would have used it as a projectile weapon.
That being said, she'd prefer Jin never learn about this. He would not be so understanding.
Pallas tossed the drone into the far corner. It hit the deck and bounced, catching itself in midair.
Kira rolled her eyes as its lens once again pointed in the wrong direction.
"You realize you'll likely die if Jin does," Pallas said conversationally.
"What's your point?"
"Merely to ask why you made no effort to prevent him from undertaking such a dangerous venture. You had to realize what was happening."
"It was his choice," Kira said in as even a voice as she could manage.
As much as his absence hurt her, she'd support him a thousand times if it meant Elena wasn't going through this trial alone.
Pallas regarded her, his face breaking into a lightning fast grin at odds with his earlier seriousness. "That's what I've always liked about you, little sister. Your dogged insistence on choosing everyone over yourself."
"Return me to my ship," Kira ordered, tired of this conversation.
Pallas dismissed Lathan with a look. The yer'se nodded, excusing himself with a low murmur.
Once he was gone, Pallas cast a look at Graydon as if debating the likelihood of convincing him to give them privacy.
Graydon grinned at him, dropping into the co-pilots seat next to Kira and stretching his legs out. He waved a hand. "Don't mind me. Just consider me a concerned citizen. It'll be like I'm not even here."
Kira doubted that. Graydon wasn't that type of man. You could remove his tongue and paralyze his vocal cords and he would still be the first person people noticed.
He couldn't help it. His charisma demanded attention without him ever having to lift a finger.
"I can't send you back," Pallas announced.
"Can't or won't?"
Pallas offered her a faint smile. "Both."
Kira eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was telling the truth or just trying to make her think he was.
There was a lot about his abilities that she didn't know.
For one thing—how was he able to pinpoint her location to port to? He'd known right where to find her. Appearing in exactly the perfect spot for an ambush. There had to be some type of marker. A tag of some kind that he could hone in on whenever he wanted.
That thought was a scary one. If true, it meant Pallas could find her at anytime, anywhere.
She could think of a lot of applications for an ability like that. Assassination among them.