Chapter 6 #3
Jin was a badass motherfucker who’d been baptized in blood and pain. He’d probably seen more war and death than either of these oshota. He’d proven himself beyond any shadow of a doubt in conditions that would have destroyed someone weaker.
He’d earned the right to be treated to the same respect his brother, Devon, enjoyed.
“Jin!” Kira called.
Jin’s shoulders bunched as he went utterly still. If he’d had fur, it would have stood on end.
A gamut of emotions flitted across his face at the speed of light when he finally looked at her.
Surprise. Relief.
Lastly, a bittersweet delight that transformed his features.
“Kira.”
“You were expecting someone else?”
Jin threw himself forward, crashing into her at full tilt. An oomph burst from her as he wrapped his arms around her hips and buried his face in her stomach.
The oshota guarding the door touched their synth armor where their en-blades were hidden.
Finn and Talon moved forward in unison to flank Kira protectively. Their faces hard as they eyed the oshota.
Dylan, the oshota Jin had appointed, appeared from the side to wave away the emperor’s people.
“Stand down, she’s not a threat.” The sidelong look he shot her contained a perceptiveness that Kira no longer found surprising. “To him, at least.”
Damn right. Not to Jin.
He was the one person who never need fear her.
Everyone else, on the other hand…
Of course, there were a few notable exceptions like Elena.
Ignoring their audience, Kira bent to hug Jin. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Jin’s voice was muffled against her. “You too.”
It took several long minutes before he was willing to let go of her. When he stepped away, he swiped surreptitiously at his eyes. “It’s good you didn’t get yourself dead. I was worried since I wasn’t there to keep you from doing anything too stupid.”
“I’m not that reckless.”
“Say that again when you’re not fresh out of prison.”
Kira’s stare was flat. “One might argue that you’re a big part of why I was incarcerated.”
Jin’s dramatic gasp made Kira roll her eyes.
Same old Jin.
You could change the hardware, but the person inside remained as consistent as ever.
“You lie,” he declared with all the offended dignity of a seasoned soap actor.
“Do you really think I couldn’t have escaped if I wasn’t worried about you and your herky jerky act?”
Jin got a stubborn expression on his face. “You didn’t follow them over the balcony because you were doing damage control. I had nothing to do with it.”
“And how did you know what route Finn and Raider took to escape?” Kira asked pointedly.
His cheeks developed the slightest flush as his gaze wandered away from hers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know—I think I can grow to like this version of you. It’s so much easier to tell when you’re lying,” Kira drawled.
Jin’s eyes flashed to hers. “No.”
“Yup.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not.” Kira poked Jin in the forehead. “You may want to study facial expressions. Specifically, those related to lying.”
The way Jin cradled his cheeks with an expression of absolute horror made the stress of the last few hours start to fall away.
“You’re starting over from scratch,” Kira explained, taking pity on him. “You don’t have fancy gadgets that allow you to monitor vital signs like respiration and pulse.”
“Son of a gun,” Jin muttered, looking consternated.
Kira patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
“That’s the problem. Maybe I don’t want to,” Jin muttered under his breath.
Kira pretended not to hear. Like it or not, this was Jin’s new normal. Everything had changed. From the way he perceived the world to how he interacted with it. His very identity in a way. It would take time and effort to accept.
Stranger would be if he was totally okay with everything.
Kira left the question of how he’d discovered Finn and Raider’s egress for another time. She suspected she already had an idea. His spawn. They’d probably recorded events for him to playback later.
Kira glanced at the audience chamber the oshota were guarding. “What are you doing here anyway?”
Jin’s expression held disgruntlement. “I’d planned to demand your release. Looks like that’s not necessary now.”
“How sweet. You tried to save me.”
“Watch it or I’ll have them throw you back in prison.”
Kira snickered. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“We’ll see.”
Kira was so scared.
Not.
“Why are you here?” Jin asked with a frown.
Kira tilted her head at the audience chamber. “They’re discussing the attack. As Roake’s heir, my presence is required.”
It was strange seeing Jin’s look of calculation as he eyed the door and then her.
“No,” Kira objected emphatically.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You don’t have to.”
She could see the schemes taking shape in real time.
“Please,” Jin whined.
His bottom lip stuck out as his expression turned pleading.
“Damn it,” Kira groaned.
Jin pumped a fist in the air. “Yes!”
“The things you convince me to do.”
Sometimes she thought he must have some ability for mind control. How else would you explain how often he got her to go against her own better judgment?
Jin stopped his victory dance to give Kira a flat look. “Your plans are the ones that usually backfire.”
Kira wasn’t going to dignify that with a response.
She jerked her head at the oshota. “You heard him earlier. Move or be moved.”
Neither her nor Jin missed the way the oshota glanced at Dylan as if asking for permission.
Jin’s eyebrows lowered slightly before his features smoothed into a neutral expression she couldn’t help but be proud of.
Her own expression perfectly neutral, she focused on the oshota.
Their deference toward Dylan was something to consider. It suggested he outranked them in some fashion. Until now, she’d assumed he was a throwaway. Someone good at his job but who’d probably pissed off the powers that be somewhere along the way. Enough that they put him on Jin detail.
Kira grumbled silently to herself in frustration.
Trust Jin to pick someone so important that he commanded the respect and obedience of his peers.
The oshota opened the door and stepped out of the way, their reluctance obvious.
Jin ushered Kira forward. “After you.”
“You’re the emperor’s offspring. Why can’t you go first?”
“Because they see me as a child. I’ve decided to lean into that.”
The mischievous grin he shot her said he was going to raise Hell. Kira was going to be right there with him for all of it.