Page 5 of Dark Rebel’s Reckoning (The Children Of The Gods #93)

5

KYRA

K yra shifted in her seat, the taste of warm pasta lingering on her tongue as she savored each bite. Even the disposable fork felt luxurious in her hand compared to the cold metal utensils she vaguely remembered from the prison.

So much of her imprisonment seemed like a bad dream, a nightmare, and in a way, she was grateful for not remembering much of it. Hopefully, those memories would remain locked away along with the memories of what had been done to her in the asylum.

She glanced across at Fenella, who seemed more vibrant now that she'd eaten. The woman was still gaunt and looked tense, but her eyes no longer looked dead, and there was a new spark in her gaze—a cautious curiosity.

Was that how she looked to others as well?

Kyra hadn't spent as long in captivity as Twelve—Fenella was her name, she reminded herself—so she should look a little better, but she was still apprehensive of what she would see in the mirror once she had a chance.

Speaking of which, she probably should visit the restroom, but she didn't trust her legs to carry her there. Besides, she was afraid to leave the comfortable seat and the soft blanket draped over her, mostly because she didn't fully trust that the nightmare was truly over.

What if all of this was an induced hallucination?

What if she dispelled the illusions and discovered that she was still in that prison cell?

Glancing around, Kyra focused on details that she couldn't have imagined to reassure herself that she was indeed free and that this was real.

The cabin wasn't big, but it was luxurious, like something belonging to a billionaire or the president of a multinational conglomerate.

Since Kyra couldn't remember ever flying on a plane, she had no point of reference, but she'd seen movies and commercials, so she knew what a regular cabin looked like as opposed to the interior of a private executive jet, and this was definitely the latter and not the former.

Large plush seats sat in pairs on either side of a narrow aisle, and overhead, discreet lighting lent the space a cozy warmth. Even the carpeting underfoot felt impossibly soft.

Fenella smiled tentatively at her. "Hi," she said. "Have we ever met before?"

"I don't think so."

The woman chewed on her lower lip. "How did you know I was in cell number twelve?"

"As I said, it's a long story, and I'm sure what Jasmine is about to tell us is much more interesting than that."

She was almost sure now that she could trust Jasmine and could tell her about her rebel friends, but after a lifetime of being cautious, she preferred not to rush. Satisfying Fenella's curiosity was not a priority.

She turned to look at her daughter—the daughter she still could hardly believe she had—and felt a mix of awe and remorse. That first moment of recognition in the helicopter had been overshadowed by her drugged haze, and yet the memory still tugged at her heart. She'd looked at Jasmine and seen her own eyes, her own features, and had discovered that she was a mother.

Someone had robbed her of motherhood because she was absolutely certain that she would never have left her child voluntarily.

The thought brought about a spike of fury, but Kyra pushed it down to be dealt with later. Right now she wanted to enjoy the company of the daughter she'd just discovered and learn from her as much as she could about her past.

The man who volunteered to bring her meal returned with a small stack of clothing in his hands and stopped by Jasmine's seat, looking unsure. "That's all I could find, and that's not enough for six ladies."

"We'll look at it later. You can put it over there for now." Jasmine motioned at a seat across the aisle. "I want to introduce you properly to my mother." She smiled. "This is Ell-rom, my mate."

"Thank you for carrying me," Kyra said.

He dipped his head. "You are welcome."

It took her a moment to realize that the sound had come from a small, teardrop-shaped device hanging from a string near his throat.

"What's that?" She pointed a finger at the device.

"Ell-rom is still learning English," Jasmine explained. "He can understand what we are saying thanks to the specialized earpieces he's wearing, and the device you see around his neck translates what he speaks back to us."

"That's amazing," Kyra said. "Is that a new thing in America now? Translating equipment?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Actually, it's proprietary technology, not something you can buy in stores."

When Kyra lifted her gaze to Ell-rom, he smiled. "I'm happy to see you are getting better."

"Wow. This is truly extraordinary." She turned to Jasmine. "Does he also sound like that without the device?"

Jasmine pursed her lips. "It does a very good job of mimicking his tone and inflection, but since we're communicating mainly through earpieces, I'm mostly used to the sound as it is transmitted through them." She smiled at her mate. "Ell-rom says I sound much like what he hears through his earpieces. Isn't that right, darling?"

His expression changed, becoming softer, and he took Jasmine's hand. "Your voice is even more beautiful in reality than it is through the earpieces, but I love every sound you make." He shifted his gaze to Kyra. "Your daughter is a talented singer and actress. She has the most beautiful voice."

Kyra's heart expanded at the praise and ached at the same time for all the things she'd missed about Jasmine growing up, learning to sing, becoming an actress.

"I've missed so much," she murmured. "Motherhood was stolen from me, and you were deprived of a mother's love. Who was the monster who did that?"

"That part I'm not sure of," Jasmine said. "But we can speculate about it later. The good news is that we have eternity to compensate for time lost because we are both immortal, and I promised to explain how and why."

Kyra nodded. "You promised to tell me how I can have children despite not having periods."

Across from them, Fenella gasped. "Is that possible? I don't have periods either. I was sure it meant I was infertile."

"You can have children," Jasmine said. "But your fertility is extremely low. That's the price of immortality. Nature has to ensure that we don't overpopulate the planet, so it makes it difficult for us to conceive."

Kyra let out a breath. "That makes sense. What else should we know?"

Jasmine chuckled. "A lot, but before I launch into the grand story, let me set a few ground rules. There is no single 'aha' moment that explains everything in one sentence. It's a tapestry of events, going back millennia. Also, there are a lot of things I don't know yet because I'm a baby immortal and haven't had time to learn everything yet. I'll do my best to be clear, but if you can, try not to interrupt until I'm done, or we'll never get through the main arc."

Kyra nodded, though her heart thrummed with impatience.

Fenella took a shaky breath. "I'll do my best not to interrupt."