Page 35

35

KYRA

K yra watched Max walk toward the galley to make their coffees, his gait slightly unsteady as if her words had physically knocked him off balance. She bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. The mighty Guardian, who had fearlessly faced Doomers and torn out their hearts, was utterly flustered by her straightforward declaration that she was ready to take him to bed and unleash over two decades of stifled femininity on him.

She hadn't meant to be quite so blunt about it, but she wasn't a blushing virgin, and the guy deserved a forewarning. Life was too short, even for an immortal, to waste time waiting for what she wanted.

The stunned look on his face had been priceless. His blue eyes had widened, his lips parted in surprise, and he'd actually stammered before offering to get them both coffees .

Max stammering. It was adorable.

Kyra returned to the text she'd started and read it again.

We're airborne and safe. Everyone is on board and unharmed . Well, save for Parisa's husband, Javad, but she wasn't going to start with that. She pressed send and waited for Jasmine's response.

It came almost immediately: Thank the Goddess! How are my aunts and cousins?

Processing everything . Yasmin is grieving her husband, but having her children with her is helping. Soraya and Rana are eager to see their daughters . Kyra pressed send.

Are you in Iranian airspace still?

The question touched on Kyra's lingering fear. She glanced out the window at the vast expanse of clouds below. They were still flying over Iran, with its Revolutionary Guard and potentially Doomer-thralled military commanders.

Yes , she wrote. Max says it's unlikely they'll pursue us by air, but I won't feel truly safe until we're clear of Iranian airspace .

Three dots appeared as Jasmine typed her response: I understand. We're on our way to the village now. The bus has these strange windows that turn opaque for security. The girls were startled at first .

Kyra smiled, recalling what Max had told her after his call with Kian. Max mentioned you're going to look at houses.

That's the plan. The girls are going to help choose. They were nervous about leaving the penthouse, so I told them we were just visiting for now. I'm hoping once they see the village, they'll want to stay, and I'll just ask someone to bring their things over .

Kyra understood Jasmine's reasoning, but she wondered if that was the best way to handle it. Maybe they need a proper goodbye to the penthouse first? It was their safe place after their ordeal. They might need closure .

You're right . I didn't think of that . The three dots started dancing again, and then the message appeared: Have you told your sisters who you really are yet?

The question made Kyra's stomach tighten. Not yet. They still think I'm Jasmine, Kyra's daughter .

The girls will want to speak with their mothers when they find out they're safe , Jasmine wrote. You need to tell them before that .

I know. I'm just gathering my thoughts first. I'll let them talk with their mothers after I explain everything to my sisters .

The three dots appeared again. Call me when you're ready. The girls are going to be over the moon .

I will , Kyra promised. Send me pictures of the houses you're considering. I can't believe I'm finally going to have a real home . Oh! And if possible, try to choose houses that are close together.

She put her phone down just as Max returned with two steaming cups of coffee. He handed one to her, their fingers brushing in the exchange, and Kyra felt that familiar spark between them.

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip. It was perfect— strong and black, just as she preferred. "You remembered."

Max settled into the seat beside her. "I remember everything about you."

He had mastered the art of delivering simple statements that somehow carried the weight of poetry.

"Jasmine says that the girls were nervous about leaving the penthouse," she told him, changing the subject.

Max nodded. "That's not surprising. They were clinging to the first place that offered them safety after what they'd been through."

"That's what I said." She smiled at their synchronicity. "Jasmine told them it's just a visit, hoping they'll fall in love with the village and want to stay."

"That's very possible," Max said. "The village is beautiful, and the community is great. They will feel at home right away."

Kyra wasn't sure about that. The girls had grown up in a very different society, but as the saying went, getting used to good things was easy. They would love to have a world of opportunities open to them with no gender-based discrimination and restrictions.

"I think you are right, but it's not going to happen overnight. It's a big change for them." She chuckled. "I can only imagine them putting on a swimming suit for the first time in their lives and jumping into the pool."

Max nodded. "I bet. I've seen those ridiculous photos of women getting into the water clothed from head to toe. It's like they want to erase women from existence." He let out a breath. "It's the teachings of Mortdh made manifest. He was the original misogynist."

What was he talking about? "Who's Mortdh?"

"Mortdh was a powerful god who had an arranged engagement to our clan mother. She chose to marry another, her truelove mate, and Mortdh felt scorned. He was insane to start with, but that must have pushed him over the edge. His son Navuh is the leader of the Doomers, and he carries on his father's legacy of rabid hatred for women." He snorted derisively. "Although truth be told, he's only pretending to believe in that crap because it serves his purposes. Apparently, he loves his mate, and although he has a harem full of concubines, he never touches any of them."

"The definition of insanity is that it doesn't make sense, so he can love his wife and hate all other women and somehow justify it to himself." Kyra took another sip of her coffee. "But how do you know that he loves her? Do you have spies in the Doomers' stronghold?"

"In a way, yes, we do." Max smiled. "I love how you always think like a warrior." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love everything about you. "

"Same here." She looked into his eyes and suddenly realized that they had started talking about loving each other as if it were a given.

It had just happened.

"I love everything about you. From your sarcastic humor to your enormous heart and everything in between."

His eyes were glowing as he stared back at her. "Fates, Kyra. I want to kiss you so badly. Do you think we can sneak into the bathroom together without your sisters noticing?"

And just like that, the serious moment was gone and she burst out laughing. "We could, if Yamanu was here and shrouded us. Regrettably, he's on the other plane."

Max groaned. "I don't think I ever missed the bastard as much as I miss him now."

"He's not a bastard." She playfully flicked his arm. "I like Yamanu." She smiled. "My sisters like him too. I need to tell them that he's taken."

"Among all the other things you need to tell them." Max leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "For now, it will have to do. Anyway, back to your sisters, there are plenty of eligible bachelors in the village."

Nodding, Kyra sipped her coffee and thought how long it would take her sisters to shed the shackles of their oppressive past and embrace their newfound freedoms. The new houses were a good start.

"I've never had a real home, not that I can remember anyway. The resistance camps were always temporary."

"You'll have one now." Max took her hand. "A place of your own, your family nearby. It's one of the best things about the village—the sense of belonging. The same is true for our castle in Scotland. It's a smaller community, but with most everyone living in the castle, it's like one big family."

"It sounds wonderful," Kyra said softly. Then, a thought struck her, and she felt a strange hollowness open in her chest. "I had a home and a family once. I just can't remember it."

Max's expression didn't change, but she caught the subtle tightening of his fingers around his coffee cup. "Yes, you did."

"I have—had—a husband." The notion was abstract, disconnected from any emotional reality she could access. "Should I go see him?"

Max set his cup down carefully. "We can't let Boris see you and keep his memories of that encounter, for obvious reasons, so what's the point? It will just cause him distress. And I'm not saying that because I'm jealous or anything like that."

"What if I wear a disguise to make myself look older? I'm sure Eva can do that for me. I feel like I need closure. Like he does. After all, we have a daughter together."

Max considered that for a moment. "That could be done. If Eva can make you look twenty years older, seeing you will be a great relief for Boris. He blames himself for your death."

She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "You are incredible, you know that?"

"Of course." He puffed out his chest. "I'm Maximilian the Great."

"Would you come with me to see Boris?"

"Naturally. He is nearly bald and pudgy, but I'm still a little jealous of the history you two shared." He took a long breath. "I was in his head. I've seen the love he still has for you. And even though I feel sorry for him, I won't let him take you away from me."

She chuckled. "As if that could ever happen. I just want closure. Besides, he's married, right?"

"That never stopped any human from lusting after another woman, and I'm not about to let him lust after you. You are going to wear that fat suit when you meet him."

She cast him a glare that would have terrified most men. "Don't even joke about it. I come from a place where women are considered evil temptations and men place the burden of their own desires on them, forcing them to cover themselves from head to toe."

"I'm sorry," he said solemnly. "I keep forgetting you came from Iran and that you had to live with the restrictions and the oppression and fight for your rights."

She let out a breath. "I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I just hope to never even look at that fat suit again."