struggled to contain it. Her blood heated and the urge to kill her enemies gnawed at her.
The connection snapped into place. Kira could feel Jin again, hurt and scared, but alive.
She took a deep breath and settled, physically shaking herself as she grabbed for the gossamer-thin tendrils of composure.
When she opened her eyes again, her vision wasn't red-tinged and she no longer thirsted for destruction.
She stared at Ayela's sweet face, innocent and serene where she stood over Jin's body. The woman didn't know it yet, but she was already dead.
"What did you do to him?" Kira asked calmly.
She amused herself by envisioning leaping across the small distance and grabbing Ayela by the throat. In her imagination, she tore Ayela’s deceitful head from her shoulders before kicking it across the room.
Graydon and Liara stared at her, awareness in their gazes, both sensing how close they'd come to dying.
"I defended my Overlord by removing the threat," Ayela said with a peaceful smile. "I couldn't let the abomination endanger her."
Kira sucked in another breath. In and out. In and out.
Killing Ayela fast was too good for her. Better to draw it out. Kira could rip her arms off, one at a time, then each leg. Ayela's screams would be glorious music.
When she finally grew tired of the sound of Ayela's suffering, she could rip out her tongue.
Only after she'd exacted every ounce of revenge and left the woman a quivering mess of insanity would she kill her.
"Your advisers are plotting against you," Kira said, the very lack of emotion in her voice a warning.
Graydon shifted so he was partially facing her as well as Liara's people. He suspected what she was.
She ignored him, not finding it in herself to care.
Right now, the objective was simple. Inform Liara of the impending attack then kill Ayela.
"Enough of these lies," Alma said impatiently. She nodded at Roderick.
Kira's muscles coiled with readiness.
"Hold," Graydon snapped. To Liara, he said, "Why were no oshota guarding the Nexus?"
Liara hesitated, unease touching her expression.
A slice of Kira's bloodthirstiness eased. There might be a way out of this.
Ayela shifted closer as Kira ignored her. The other woman wouldn’t be so foolhardy to attempt something without her overlord’s command.
Kira waited, watching Liara expectantly as the other woman worked through the different possibilities and the tension in the room lessened.
Ayela shifted again, bringing her arm up. Pain blazed through Kira, fire sizzling her nerve endings. She hit the ground with her knees, her mouth opened on a silent scream.
The world around her turned to white noise as agony surged through her nerves again. Indescribable pain ate at her until she became aware again, her face pressed against the stone, her body convulsing slightly.
Stupid mistake, Kira. Not seeing Ayela as a threat even after what she’d done to Jin.
Gradually the sound of an argument came into focus as she smacked her lips together, the dull taste of copper in her mouth.
"Try it again, and I'll separate your head from your shoulders," Graydon threatened in a silky voice.
"I'm doing what's in the best interests of my Overlord," Ayela said politely. She pointed the weapon at Kira, preparing to fire again.
Graydon roared as he charged. He reached Ayela and struck, his fist crashing into her chest. Ayela’s body crumpled under the blow, flying backward.
Kira knew that voice. She recognized it. Ayela was the unknown conspirator from earlier. How had she missed that before?
Liara and Alma argued near her.
"They pulled up the defense network. They must have planned to bring it down," Alma said. "We need to reset the key to ensure its safety."
"There's no way they got in. Neither one of them are coded into the system," Liara argued.
"She shares the same blood as you," Alma snapped. "Her tie to the Mea'Ave is strong despite her long absence. She's more human than Tuann. There's no telling what dirty tricks she's capable of."
Liara was quiet as she considered Alma's words.
Kira tried to sit up, to speak over the buzzing of her ears. Her entire head rang from whatever Ayela had done to her. Even her vision was slightly fuzzy.
"Don't," she croaked, the word almost soundless.
She rolled onto her stomach. It took her three tries to push herself upright. She reached out, knowing before she touched him, it was Graydon standing over her, his legs spread as he protected her prone form.
She blinked up at a blurry Graydon. "Trap."
Realization donned as he noticed the two women near the octagon, he shouted, "Wait."
His warning came too late. Liara stepped into