relaxed the stranglehold she’d somehow managed to retain over her inner monster. Her primus surged up from the deep.
*
The aftermath of a carnage confronted Graydon and his oshota when they arrived at the location Finn had indicated.
Streaks of blood smeared the hulls of nearby ships. Headless torsos rested precariously on the edge of the walkway, and a dismembered limb waved at Graydon from the nose of a ship.
"This is—" Solal started before trailing off.
"I finally see why you're so taken with this woman." Torvald studied the massacre with a dispassionate gaze. "This level of blood thirst is terrifying in one so young."
Graydon didn’t hear, his gaze already locked on the woman perched on the beams high above. Crouched up there, her enemies’ blood coating her arms and streaked across her face, she resembled a nightmare.
Her skin was charcoal gray, violet runes scrolled all over it. Her eyes flashed in the same way an animal’s would, catching the light and refracting it.
Abruptly, her gaze shifted from the slaughter to them, the weight of her regard oppressive.
Feeling as if he was in a dream, Graydon started toward her. He didn’t care how this had happened. He was simply grateful she’d survived.
“Careful,” Torvald warned. "I'm not sure what happened, but if she ever had control, it’s gone now."
The primus was a double-edged sword. It was an ultimate weapon, but it was also a weakness.
They were nearly indestructible, graced with an insane amount of speed, power, and strength. The flip side lay in how easy it was to lose yourself in the form.
It was a creature that operated on instinct. Tuann history was littered with tragic tales of Tuann who couldn't control their primus and wound up killing those they loved as a result.
They were never more vulnerable than in the years after their first transformation. It took decades of rigorous training to exert their mind over their primus. It was one of the reasons a child with Kira’s bloodlines wasn’t released into the galaxy unrestricted.
The Tuann knew an uncontrolled primus would cut a wide and bloody swath through the universe before someone finally put it down.
Kira was still and calm at Graydon’s approach. Not reacting even when he stopped beneath her and looked up.
"Cheva nier, you should come down from there," Graydon said in Tuann.
Kira's primus regarded him silently.
Graydon didn't look away as he lifted a hand toward her.
Between one second and the next, Kira disappeared.
Graydon grabbed the claws aimed at his throat, smiling at the expressionless primus. "I'm sorry I'm late."
The primus's eyes searched his. After a moment, a purr rumbled from her throat.
“Beautiful,” the primus whispered in halting Tuann.
With a slow blink, it withdrew into Kira’s mind, the runes on her body fading.
Kira sagged in his arms. "Did I kill any of ours?"
Graydon shook his head. "No."
Even if she had, he wouldn’t tell her. There was some guilt she didn't need to live with.
"Jin?"
Graydon didn’t answer for long seconds. “I haven’t seen him.”
Kira tensed as Torvald neared, his expression curious as he studied the woman in Graydon’s arms. “Was this all your work?”
Kira looked around the docking bay with a blank expression. “Probably.”
Torvald quirked an eyebrow at her. “You don’t sound sure.”
Kira rolled her head to look up at Graydon. “Should I be flattered or scared that the man you serve sees me as important enough to leave the battle to come to my rescue?”
Torvald’s head tilted as he examined Kira with interest. “You’re quite smart.”
Her smile was humorless. “Or you’re quite bad at hiding your identity.”
Torvald let out a hm.
Before either of them could say anything else, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Torvald’s frown was perplexed. “What is that?”
The oshota crouched defensively as the headless body of a Tsavitee jerked and danced. The center of his chest glowed red.
With a scream, a round shape burst through it.
Jin hovered several feet above the deck, panting. Covered in blood and other internal matter, he regarded them for several seconds.
"Is it over?"
Kira leaned her head on Graydon’s shoulder. "Yeah, you missed it."
Jin spun, taking in the scene. Kira's primus hadn't just killed the Tsavitee. From the looks of things, she had toyed with them like a cat did a mouse, reveling in their pain and terror.
"Lost your temper, did you?"
Kira listed to the side, her eyes closing. "A little."
Graydon had had enough of restraining himself. Finally, he acted on the impulse that had been beating at him since the second he caught sight of Kira.
He swept her into his arms before