[Another grumble, verging on a growl low in his throat.] Yeah, I'm aware. Not in the plan to wind up actually deified.

[He needs to survive Tech as long as it takes until it comes down to the final showdown with Kate's psychopath wizard father. In-laws. ...not that Kate has it easy with his adopted father, he considers.

He watches Erra now, closely, the beast inside the man dangerously close to the surface. Curran has come to trust her, somehow, or at least to acknowledge that they share the same priority in this, Kate and Conlan's safety. And he'll take whatever ally he can get in pursuit of that.]

We should be nearly done. We have to be.

[He lifts his chin now.] She'll figure it out before the end anyway.

[Maybe it'll be the final straw; maybe she'll leave him for not telling her their plan. He's pretty certain that will break him, but it doesn't matter. As long as she's alive to walk away, Curran can live with it.]

So it had better work. It had better be worth it.

[And then, less the Beast Lord, and more a petulant, tired man.] I hate hunting.