Page 24 of Dark Rover’s Luck (The Children Of The Gods #95)

24

KYRA

A fter so many years of living in constant danger, the tree-lined pathways of the village felt wonderfully serene to Kyra. She felt almost guilty for enjoying it and braced for the moment the universe would reverse course and plunge her back into chaos.

For today, though, she decided to enjoy the wonderful news of discovering another relative in Fenella, no matter how distant the connection might be. In the human world, Fenella's children could marry the children born to her or her sisters or to Jasmine, but in the immortal world that was taboo, and knowing who belonged to which matrilineal genetic chain was of utmost importance.

It wasn't a worry for today or anytime in the near future, but she wanted to tell her sisters about Fenella.

Would they be as happy about it as she was?

Rationally, a relation going back twenty-five generations could apply to half the population of a small town or an entire tribe of people who didn't travel far.

Standing in front of Yasmin's door, she rang the bell and waited.

The door was opened by Essa, Yasmin's eldest son, his solemn eyes brightening at the sight of her.

"Aunt Kyra." He stepped back to let her in. "Maman is in the kitchen."

"Thank you." She touched his shoulder briefly as she passed. The boy seemed to have aged years since his father's death.

"Kyra!" Yasmin walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and managing to produce a smile. "I was just making tea. Soraya and Rana should be here soon as well."

Kyra's gaze followed Essa as he stepped out through the living room sliding doors to the backyard, where his siblings were. He was such a great help to his mother.

"What about Parisa?" Kyra settled at the kitchen island while Yasmin busied herself with the kettle.

"She said she will be a little late. Vrog is with her boys, showing them how to use the self-teaching software."

Kyra nodded. "How are you holding up?"

Yasmin shrugged. "Doing my best to be there for the kids. Essa is such a great help. I don't know what I would have done without him."

The children had all experienced trauma, and each was processing it differently. "I actually have some news to share with all of you, but I can start with you if you'd like."

Perhaps it would cheer Yasmin up to know Fenella was a cousin.

Yasmin's eyebrows lifted. "Good news, I hope? We could use more of that."

"I think so," Kyra said. "Turns out that we are related to Fenella. Our common ancestress lived seven to eight centuries ago, but since we stem from the same female line, immortals consider us closely related, meaning that Fenella's children cannot marry any of ours."

"That's amazing," Yasmin whispered. "The world is so much smaller than we imagine."

The front door opened, voices filled the entryway, and a few moments later, Soraya and Rana walked into the kitchen.

"Kyra has news," Yasmin said as the two joined them. "About Fenella."

Kyra repeated her explanation as her sisters settled around the island, watching their expressions shift from surprise to wonder.

"So, we have more family," Rana said. "Our clan grows larger."

"Do you know if she has any siblings?" Soraya asked.

"I think she has two brothers," Kyra said. "But they must be old by now. She's seventy-three. And since her brothers couldn't transmit the immortal gene to their children, there's no point in seeking them out. She was very happy to discover that we are related and she's not alone."

Yasmin discreetly wiped at her eyes, hoping no one would notice, but Kyra did. She also noticed her sister's hunched-over posture, which spoke of bone-deep exhaustion, the kind that sleep couldn't help.

"What's going on, Yasmin?" Kyra put her hand on her sister's back. "Don't hold everything inside, trying to be brave. You have four sisters who are here for you."

The facade cracked. "It's so difficult. The children have nightmares. Rohan calls for his father every night, and I don't know what to say anymore." She set down her cup. "Cyra has become withdrawn. I can't reach her."

"It will get better," Rana said, though her tone lacked conviction.

Yasmin sighed. "I know. But sometimes I look at all of them—five children who need so much from me, and I wonder if I'm strong enough."

"You are not alone," Kyra reminded her. "We're all here. The whole clan is here. But you need to tell us what you need us to do. We can't just guess or assume."

"It's just not the same without him," Yasmin whispered, a tear finally spilling over. "Javad knew how to make Essa laugh when he became too serious. He knew exactly how many kisses Cyra needed before she would sleep. He..." She broke off, wiping her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for missing him," Soraya said, reaching to squeeze her sister's hand. "You're entitled to your grief."

A small, tense silence fell over the kitchen.

"We met with Vrog today," Soraya finally said, breaking the silence. "He's the guy who's in charge of homeschooling in the village. He's such a nice man. The girls liked him immediately. He's half Kra-ell, but you wouldn't know except for how tall and skinny he is."

Kyra welcomed the change of subject. "How did it go?"

"He's brilliant." Soraya's expression became animated. "He used to run a college preparatory high school in China for English-speaking students. Now he's adapting the curriculum for our children."

"He designed programs specifically for the Kra-ell children who came to the village with only minimal English, if any," Rana added. "He's going to modify it for Farsi speakers as well. We can all use it so we can stop relying on these translating earpieces."

"I almost forgot to mention," Soraya said. "In the meantime, the children will be using this fascinating AI language teaching program. Arezoo has taken to it immediately. She says it's like having a conversation with a real person."

Kyra's interest was piqued. "I'd love to see it. Is Arezoo here?"

"She and her sisters are in the backyard," Soraya said. "They are showing the program to Essa. I'll call her."

She walked to the living room, opened the sliding door, and called out. "Arezoo! Kyra wants to see the language teaching program."

A moment later, Arezoo stepped into the living room holding a laptop, her long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Hi, Aunt Kyra," she greeted with a bright smile. "This thing is amazing." She put the laptop down on the countertop. "You don't need it because your English is already perfect, but I'm learning so fast that I can't believe it."

"Show me," Kyra encouraged.

Arezoo sat beside her at the island, taking her mother's seat, and pulled up a program with a colorful interface.

"It's designed to feel conversational," she explained, navigating the menus. "You can choose different topics or just have an open dialogue. The AI learns your speech patterns and adjusts to your level. You can even talk to it instead of typing."

She demonstrated, speaking a phrase in English with a slight accent. The program responded naturally, offering corrections while maintaining the flow of conversation.

"It's quite sophisticated." Kyra was impressed. "And you are right. You seem to be picking up the language quickly."

"It helps that I studied some of the basics in school," Arezoo said. "But yes, this makes it easier. It's nice to have someone to talk to besides my sisters and cousins." She smiled sheepishly. "Someone who is always polite and complimentary."

Kyra studied her niece. Despite being surrounded by family, Arezoo was isolated—a young woman in a strange place, cut off from her group of friends and everything else familiar except her immediate family.

"It's hard to adjust to a new place," she said. "Especially when there are not many people your age here. But as soon as you learn enough English, you can enroll in college and meet many young people."

Arezoo's eyes brightened. "They will allow me out of the village?"

Kyra nodded. "This is just a transitory period. In time, you'll get your own car, and you will be able to go shopping in Los Angeles, see movies, and do all the fun stuff people your age do. Naturally, you'll be under compulsion not to reveal anything about immortals, and you won't be able to invite anyone to your house, but that's a small price to pay for all that this community gives you."

Arezoo blanched. "How am I going to pay for all these things?"

"From what I understand, the clan pays tuition, and all the expenses associated with higher education, and I'm pretty sure you'll get a stipend as well, but I'm nearly as new to this place as you are, so I'm not clear on all the details yet."

"We each got a credit card," Rana said. "We can order anything we want, and it gets delivered to the keep, and from there the Guardians bring packages here. I asked what the limit on our spending was, and the man who delivered the cards laughed, saying that I shouldn't worry about it. If I overspend, I'll get a warning on my phone."

"Interesting." Kyra frowned. "I need to tell Jasmine that. She got a credit card as well, and she's still waiting for someone to tell her to stop using it. Evidently, she hasn't gone over the limit yet, or she would have gotten a notification."

Arezoo gaped at them. "Are you serious? I need to order more clothes, more shoes, makeup, a straightening iron." She pulled her ponytail over her shoulder. "See how frizzy this is? I need to tame it."

Kyra laughed. "Go for it, girl."

Soraya shook her head. "We are guests here, and I will not buy anything above what's absolutely necessary. I will get a job, and you and your sisters should get jobs as well to pay for your things. I heard that babysitters are in high demand."

Arezoo's face fell, but she didn't argue with her mother.

Kyra herself still wasn't sure about what she was supposed to do in the village. Everyone had to contribute in some way, but Max encouraged her to take her time and figure out what she wanted to do.

Working for Eva's detective agency appealed to her, but she wasn't ready to take on a full-time job that would take her away from the village for days. Her relationship with Max was too new to take breaks from, and she'd just found her daughter, her sisters, and even a new cousin.

Besides, Max was more than happy to cover any and all of her expenses, which were relatively modest. She hadn't ordered anything new since returning from the mission, and now that Jasmine had forced her to take a small portion of the clothing in her overstuffed closet, Kyra wouldn't need to go shopping anytime soon.

She could allow herself to be a little spoiled for a while. It was okay not to be one hundred percent self-reliant at all times.

"Everyone has been so nice here," Arezoo said. "But I still feel shy about asking people if they need a babysitter. They don't know whether they can trust me with their kids. It's an awkward situation. Besides, I mostly stay home with my mother, sisters, and cousins."

"I know someone you should meet," Kyra said. "You've met her, but you were so out of it when we were rescued that you probably forgot about her. Her name is Drova, and she was part of the rescue team that got us out of that hellhole. She's a Kra-ell, a bit younger than you, but she's a powerful compeller, which is why she's training to become a Guardian despite her young age."

Interest sparked in Arezoo's eyes, but then her shoulders slumped. "What could I possibly have in common with a girl like that? And a compeller? I don't want someone to take my will away from me."

"She won't do that because it's against the rules to use compulsion on anyone unless it's to save lives." Kyra put her hand on her niece's arm. "Give it a try. If the two of you don't hit it off, then you don't, but maybe you will."

"Fine," Arezoo agreed grudgingly. "How do I go about meeting the Kra-ell girl?"

"I could arrange something if you'd like."

Soraya cleared her throat. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Kyra asked.

"I'm concerned about the influence." Soraya folded her arms over her chest. "I don't want Arezoo to get ideas into her head about joining the Guardian training program."

"She can't even if she wanted to," Kyra said. "Not as long as she's still human."

Soraya let out a relieved breath. "That's good to know."

"I'm not a child, Maman," Arezoo bristled. "I'm nineteen, and I'm not easily influenced by anyone. Stop worrying about me."

Soraya's expression softened. "I know, sweetheart, but I can't help it. You will always be my baby even when you have babies of your own."

Feeling a little emotional over the tender exchange between mother and daughter, Kyra decided to shift the conversation to another area of interest. "Have you met any immortals who caught your eye?"

Arezoo blushed. "Not really. As I said, I rarely leave the house."

"That's for the best," Soraya interjected. "She's not ready to date yet. It's too soon."

Kyra raised an eyebrow at her sister. "She's nineteen, Soraya. And the sooner she transitions to immortality, the better. You know that."

A tense silence fell as mother and daughter exchanged looks. Finally, Soraya sighed. "Yes, I know. But everything has happened so quickly. Is it wrong to want a little more time before my daughter takes such an important step? It's not something that should be rushed, you know. She needs to find true love."

"I would like to meet more people," Arezoo said quietly. "I don't know how to do it here."

"The gym is a good place to socialize," Kyra suggested. "And you could ask about a part-time job at the café. It's where everyone gathers, so you'd get to know most of the village residents while working there."

Hope brightened Arezoo's face. "Great ideas, Aunt Kyra. I need to do both." She glanced at her mother. "You just said that I need to find a job."

Soraya looked conflicted but nodded. "We could inquire about a part-time position at the café, but schooling comes first."

"Of course," Arezoo agreed quickly, as though afraid her mother might change her mind.