Chapter Seven

Riddick's POV

Shit. A family kill. Your Uncle. This ain't good.

"Okay," is all I say. You'll tell me where you want this conversation to go soon enough.

"OKAY?" You're upset now. "Riddick, I just killed my Uncle!"

Your heart is still beating a little too fast. Thought it was just adrenaline from the kill. Hmm. Could it be something else? Is it a bad thing that you killed your Uncle, Kyra?

You're looking at me questioningly. What to say now. "And?" The animal in me is bored.

"AND?" What's wrong with that question?

"Kyra, you going to come up with something else, other than repeating my answers?"

I'm still concentrating on our surroundings. No additional sign of life, besides us, out here. Good. Still on track. Get to planet…7 days. A lot can happen in seven days. I hear you rise out of your seat.

"You going somewhere, Kyra?"

I stare at you as you dare to walk away. Your Uncle was using your name to bait me. Shit, he tried to take me back to slam. Can you even see that? A fuckin' payday is all I was to him, and you? You were the fuckin' bait. Some family ties you have woman. You keep moving. That's it. I move and before I know it I have you pinned against the wall. I no you don't like it, so I do it anyway.

"I asked you a question," I growl out.

"Piss off, Bal – "

I brace my arm against your throat and add a little pressure. "Be very careful how you finish that sentence, Kyra. I'm not in the mood."

Your body relaxes, too quickly from my perspective. What, no fight left in you? Instinct tells me to be prepared.

"You ever feel anything Riddick?"

That's not what I was expecting. You want to talk about feelings. Feelings? I'm feeling more things in the past five years then I have ever felt before. Jack stirred those feelings, but Kyra –

"Do I look like I feel anything?" I really want to know what you think. Being alone like this, with you, yeah woman, I want to know what you think.

"I killed my Uncle." That's all you say, effectively avoiding the question. Honesty with you is like a rainbow. No gold at the end even after I chase down the origin of it. Shit, where the hell did that come from?

Your body is relaxed, but your eyes are angry. I let go of you and you begin to walk away. You stop and turn to face me when I speak.

"Family is not always defined by blood." I know where I want this conversation to go. I just have to get you there Kyra.

"Family is blood," you spit out angrily.

"How ignorant of you, Kyra, to think that the only way to define family is by blood alone."

"He was my Uncle and I killed him. I li– " You stop. Finish it Kyra. Finish what you start. I wait. You turn your head away from me. You're not going to finish it, are you? Fuck it, you need to get through this conversation.

"You liked it, right?" Your head snaps back to face me once again.

"Yeah." Total admittance. Interesting.

I understand now. You hated him, and that's why you're hurting. You're hurting because you killed him without fulfilling a promise you made to yourself. I look into your eyes. "Never thought you'd get the chance to kill him, did you?"

"No. Seeing that ship blow up, man, it was the sweetest thing ever. I just wish I could have tortured him, you know?"

Yeah Kyra, I know the feeling, too well sometimes. What did he do to you Kyra?

"It's over now. Move on."

You only nod. "Gonna get some sleep Riddick. Wake me if you need to."

I heard you, I just don't want to answer. "His name?"

"Jordan, Jordan Taylor." It comes out as a whisper. The name doesn't ring any bells for me. I'm not worried about you Kyra. You'll bounce back.

"Riddick, how do you define family?"

I knew you'd ask that question. It took you long enough to ask me that, but I knew you would do it. Your very nature demands that you fight what you've always wanted, a family. No more fighting, Kyra. The sooner you accept me, the better we'll be, together.

"You and me, Kyra."

"What?" How is my answer possibly confusing to you, Kyra?

"You and me." I shrug. I keep eye contact so you have to look me in the face to hear my answer.

You turn slightly away from me but I can still make out your lips. You're grinning. Good. I'll let you get some sleep now.

Kyra's POV

A family? You and me. Family. Can we be? I mean, fuck, you left me once. How do I know that you aren't going to take off again to save you own ass? You wouldn't. I know you wouldn't. Shit Riddick, I know nothing about you. Maybe you would. If I trust you again, you'll leave. No that won't happen. You'd never leave me like that. Not again. That couldn't happen. But if I care for you, you'll die on me. Just like Im– Be strong Kyra. Strong. Like Riddick.

Richard B. Riddick. You're smart as hell, and always one step ahead everyone. You're detached, unemotional, calm, and let's not forget, smart. You're really good at playing with people's heads too. Fucking mind games. I hate them, but at the same time, they intrigue me. The way you twist my words, I hate it. I want to be in control at all times. Kyra wants to be in control. Jack? Well Jack would just let you do and say anything to her, just as long as you stayed with her. I'm thinking too much. Jack no longer exists. She doesn't. Right? My fuckin' head hurts.

I rub my temples. This is probably a test. A Riddick test. Trying to make me weak by insisting that we are a family. Family is blood, and my family, well now they're all dead. All of them. I'm sorry Carly. I sorry I couldn't hurt him slowly. So many people to think about, Imam and his family, and now you too Carly. I really do hate you Uncle. I'm lying down by now, but I doubt I'll sleep much.