Nykyrian scoffed. “Damn, you’re slow, Syn. He’s been eyeballing me for about five minutes now.”

Syn snorted. “Eyeballing. Ar, ar. I get it.”

Unamused, Nykyrian released an elongated breath, but Zarya thought it was funny.

Sick, true. Still…

She sobered as Kyr and his four League escorts came over to them. Given the way he’d been staring, she expected him to approach Nykyrian.

Instead, he stopped in front of her and raked her with a sneer. “What are you doing here?”

She gifted him with her best eat-crap-and-choke smile. “I was personally invited by the governor. You?”

Caillen started laughing, then had to quickly pretend to cough as Kyr glared at him. And she couldn’t help noticing the amused quirk to the corners of Safir’s mouth. A quirk he quickly hid before the others saw it.

Returning his attention to Zarya, Kyr curled his lip. “No wonder the air in here is stale.”

Nykyrian scoffed. “Little boy, don’t. Darling already cleaned your clock. I think you’ve had enough humiliation for one night. But if not… I am willing to hand you your other eye.”

Yeah, that comment didn’t go over particularly well. Part of her expected Kyr to go for Nykyrian’s throat. But apparently his common sense held sway over his suicidal tendencies.

“One day, Quiakides, we’re going to tangle again.”

Nykyrian quirked a humorless smile at him. “Oh you better hope not. Next time, I won’t be merciful.”

“Neither will I.” Kyr’s attention went past Nykyrian’s shoulder to where Maris stood. “Gods, you get more disgusting every time I see you. Have you had surgery yet to become a woman? Not that anyone could ever tell the difference.”

Maris tsked at him. “Oh, my brother… you always underestimated me. That’s all right, though. I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’m the only creature alive who has ever knocked Nykyrian unconscious. Instead of insulting me, you should have teamed up with me. Then you could have killed him and completed your assignment, and not have that ugly blemish on your record. That must really suck for you. But I wouldn’t know. My military record is flawlessly perfect.”

This time, Safir was the one possessed of a coughing fit.

Infuriated, Kyr responded to Maris in Phrixian.

Maris made an air kiss at him.

If looks could kill, Maris would be a stain on the wall. Kyr swept her entire group with a withering grimace. “I shall see all of you later.”

“We’re so looking forward to it,” Caillen called after him. “Fuck you very much, Commander. Have a good day.”

As soon as Kyr and crew were gone, Maris let out a low whistle. “Poor Saf. He’s going to get the dog end of every assignment for the next year or more.”

Zarya hated that for him. Unlike Kyr, Saf had seemed like a decent enough… assassin.

Pushing that thought out of her mind, she turned toward Nykyrian. “What exactly did you do to him?”

“I gouged out his eye.”