“I’m glad,” he said. “Because that means I am deserving of you.”
“Leo—”
“Say yes.”
She closed her eyes and gave in to her heart. Yes.
“Say it aloud,” he whispered. “Please.”
“Yes.”
He captured her mouth in a fervent kiss. A worshipful kiss. They made love in the gold light of morning, and he whispered to her how much he loved her. Kyra soaked in the sunlight and let Leo’s love chase the last of her shadows away.
There was no darkness there. No shadows between them.
“We’ll go to a house by the ocean,” he whispered when their bodies were joined. “We’ll run away and hide by the sea.”
“I love you, Leo.”
I love you, reshon.
But happiness was the last thing on Kyra’s mind later that day when they met with the scribes from Bangkok. Dara joined them by video conference in the dining room of the house. Sura and Niran sat on one side of the table with Leo and Kyra. Rith and Alyah sat on the other.
“The women and children you evacuated last week,” Dara said. “They are settled in homes. The girl is being fostered by an Irin family who speaks her language. The woman with the boy is staying in the scribe house for now. She won’t leave the baby.”
“Would you leave your baby?” Kyra asked.
“I have no children,” Dara said. “But I hardly think a woman who’d been raped by an angel—”
“It’s not your decision to make.” Niran cut her off. “If she wants the baby, send her back to Chiang Mai. The child is male. We’ll know how to help him.”
“And the woman?” Rith asked.
“There are ways for human women to get well. To stay with their children,” Kyra said. “Leo and I have both seen it.”
Leo nodded. “But she needs Irina magic. And knowledge. You have to tell her the truth.”
Dara scoffed. “She’s human.”
“She’s been brought into the angelic world whether you like it or not,” Kyra said. “She deserves to know the truth.”
It was clear Dara didn’t agree, but Kyra decided to ask about the others. “The ones we rescued from Bagan. What will happen to them?”
“We’ll take the four girls of course,” Dara said. “We have foster homes for them too. The boys must be trained by your Grigori brothers. We don’t know what to do with them.”
Dara’s dismissive tone raised Kyra’s hackles, but Sura put a hand on her knee and shook his head.
“We will care for the boys,” Sura said. “We are better equipped for their challenges. But I worry about our young sisters. When you say they will be fostered, what does that mean?”
“It means they’ll be raised by Irin families,” Rith said. “As my sister said.”
“And will they be trained as Irina?” Sura asked. “Will you teach them the magic they need to become full members of your world?”
Both Rith and Dara were silent. Alyah’s face was painfully blank.
Kyra nearly choked on her anger. Only Leo’s touch kept her steady.
“You have to decide,” she said quietly. “Decide and commit. We cannot be your second-class citizens. We have lived in the shadows too long. Scribes want kareshta wives—some of these women are bearing Irin children—but the Irina won’t teach them anything more than the most basic magic. We know kareshta can sing if they are taught.”
“My own watcher’s mate has Fallen blood,” Leo said. “And Ava has been trained by ancients. Her song is powerful. She is an asset to our world.”
“You want our blood and our wombs, but you don’t want our voices,” Kyra said bitterly. “I refuse to let these girls grow up feeling as if they are less.”
“You ask us to give magic to those whose blood killed our mothers and our sisters and our children,” Dara said. “You weren’t there—”
“And neither were they!” Kyra shouted. “Neither were they. You are the children of the Forgiven.” She gestured across the table. “Congratulations on winning the blood lottery. Because that is the only difference between us.” Kyra glared. “Anything else you believe is self-delusion. I’m not asking you to train grown men or women in magic. I’m asking you to treat children as if they’re not marked by evil. That’s all I’m asking. If you’re going to take those girls, don’t foster them. Adopt them. Your people want for children, and we are offering you our own. Is that not what your precious council mandated?”
“It is,” Alyah said. “I agree with Kyra. The girls should be given the full education of an Irina. If you do not agree, Dara, I ask for an audience with my watcher.”
“As would I,” Leo said. “I was assigned by the council to facilitate relations between the free Grigori here and the scribe house. I believe part of my assignment is to see to the well-being of innocent children caught in the conflict. If you do not agree that the kareshta rescued from Arindam’s control deserve the full care, compassion, and education of Irina children, then I will need to speak to the watcher of the house.”
Dara eyes didn’t change, but a grimace around her mouth told Kyra she didn’t like being reminded that she wasn’t the true watcher. Perhaps it was an injustice, but it was the reality.
“Fine,” Dara said. “We will leave the education of the children to the families who have volunteered to take them. Just as we do with Irin children. They will be treated no differently, Leo of Istanbul. Your assignment to my house is complete. Farewell.” With that, the screen of the computer went blank. Rith rose, closed the laptop, and left the room without a backward look.
Alyah was the only one who stayed.
“They are rigid,” she said. “But they are not bad people.”
Sura said, “No one is saying they are. It is a difficult situation. We know.”
“But those girls deserve to live a full life,” Niran said. “A life where they are accepted and loved.”
“I’ve already spoken to the Irin families who volunteered to take the girls,” Alyah said with a smile. “All four are very, very eager for children. Any children. They are more than excited about welcoming them.”
Kyra asked, “Are you sure?”
“Very sure. As long as Dara leaves their education up to their adoptive mothers and fathers, there will be no problems. I’ll make sure of it. I promise you. I’ll be sure to check in with all of them.”
Sura said, “Alyah, you have become a true friend to us. If there is any help we can offer, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“I may take you up on that.” She looked at Niran. “The pregnant women here. Take them back to Chiang Mai. Do you need money?”
Niran and Sura exchanged glances. “Our father was… quite wealthy,” Niran said. “Money is not an issue.”
“Then take the women back. Care for them with your brothers. I trust your compassion, and I know Ginny will be happy to work with you to keep the mothers as healthy as possible.”
Kyra said, “That’s an excellent idea. I can share with her what I know and put her in touch with others who have more experience.”
“We don’t need to involve any scribe houses,” Alyah said. “It’s probably better that we don’t.”
Leo asked, “And Kyra?”
She frowned. “What about me?”
“You have fulfilled your own mission,” Leo said. “Weren’t you promised something in return?”
Sura smiled. “The Sak Yant. Your brothers are welcome to our hospitality and teaching, should they desire it, Kyra. I will make sure to inform your brother.”
Kyra let out a long breath and turned to Leo. “It looks like both our jobs are finished. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“A long-overdue holiday?”
“Not yet.” She took her phone from her pocket. “First we have a long-overdue conversation with my brothers.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Where will you live?”
Kyra looked helplessly at Leo. She’d put the phone on speaker
so they could speak to Kostas together.
“We’ll live in Istanbul,” Leo said. “My home and assignment is there, and that is where Kyra can receive further training to utilize her gifts. Also, there is no place safer than a scribe house.”
“Scribe houses have been attacked,” Kostas said. “The house in Istanbul was attacked only a few years ago.”
“And they have been defended,” Leo growled. “There are seven highly trained scribes and singers in the Istanbul house and—”
“Has Kyra agreed to this?” Kostas asked. “Or did you assume her wishes, scribe? Does she want to live in a hot, busy city like Istanbul?”
Leo shut his mouth and breathed deeply while Kyra reassured her brother that Leo was not taking over her life. Reassured him that she was happy. Reassured him that she’d been fed that morning, she had clean clothes, and no one was coercing her into the present phone call.
He wondered if dealing with Kostas was going to become his new least-favorite pastime. The idea of requesting some kind of permission to take Kyra as his mate grated on him, but Leo recognized how close Kyra and her brother were. They had literally been tied since birth.
“Of course you’ll be welcome,” Kyra said. “You’re my family, Kostas. That does not change.”
So there’d be regular visits from his interrogator. Wonderful.
“And when will you be home?” Kostas said. “What will happen to our sisters here? You would abandon them?”
Leo’s lip curled when he saw Kyra’s face fall. He reached over and squeezed her hand.
“Kostas, Kyra has told me everything she’s done for her sisters.” Leo didn’t try to keep the sharpness from his voice. “She’s also told me that she’s trained them as much as she’s capable of. She is not her sisters’ keeper. She’s allowed to have her own life and find her own happiness. As a brother who clearly loves her, I would think you’d want that for her.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
“Take me off speakerphone,” Kostas said.
Kyra pushed a button and put the phone to her ear before Leo could object. The conversation that followed was in a language Leo didn’t speak, but he immediately made a mental note to learn it. Kyra’s voice was soft but not pleading. After a few moments, she hung up the phone.
She didn’t speak for a long time.
Leo rubbed her back and prayed to heaven that she wasn’t second-guessing her decision to take him as a mate. It would be a transition for both of them, but Leo was convinced that leaving her brother’s house was best for Kyra. He was equally convinced, especially after this trip to Thailand and Myanmar, that she needed her independence.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
“I don’t like making him angry.”
“He’s angry with you?”
“I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and leaned back. The way she curled into Leo’s side reassured him. “He’s angry… at life, I think. At the fact that I can’t learn more without leaving home. At his inability to give me everything I need.”
“He’s protected you for two hundred years. With your power maturing and the knowledge you’ve gained both here and at home—the knowledge Ava can teach you—you can be more independent. Maybe this is what Kostas needs too.”
“He won’t see it that way. Not for a while.”
Kyra’s phone rang again, but this time when she picked it up, she smiled. “It’s Sirius.” She pressed the button to answer and put the phone on speaker. “That didn’t take long.”
“Is it true?”
Leo smiled at the clear pleasure in Sirius’s voice.
Kyra smiled at Leo. “Leo is here. You’re on speaker. And is what true?”
“‘That damn scribe’ was in Thailand?” he asked with a laugh. “I can’t believe it!”
“Kostas was quick to spread the news,” Leo said. “Hello, Sirius.”
“Leo, do you love my sister?” Sirius asked.
He pulled her closer. “With everything in me.”
“Good,” the Grigori said. “She deserves the moon.”
“And all the stars too,” Leo said.
Sirius laughed, and Kyra hid her face. “I like him, Kyra. I always have. And I know you have too. I’m pleased for you, sister.”
“Thank you, bata.”
“Don’t worry about Kostas. He’ll get used to the change. He doesn’t like anything he can’t control. He’s like an old man shaking his walking stick; you know that.”
“The Grigori in Chiang Mai might help with that,” Kyra said. “They’ve agreed to share the Sak Yant with you.”
“That’s excellent news.”
“I’m going to warn you though. Only send mature brothers. The tattoos do help with control, but they also increase power.”
Leo said, “Some of Niran’s men could stand nearly equal with Irin scribes well versed in battle magic.”
“Truly?” Sirius’s voice had shifted from happy brother to wary commander. “That’s good to know.”
“It’s a practice,” Kyra said. “Not just a tool. That’s why I’m telling you: Be careful. Choose wisely. Sura and his brothers take their vows seriously, and they do not stand for Grigori who only want power without discipline. If you send anyone who doesn’t fall in line with their teaching, there will be consequences.”
“I’ll remember. Thank you for doing this, Kyra.”
“You’re welcome.” She pressed her cheek to Leo’s chest. “I needed this push, Sirius. Thank you for giving it to me.”
“Her power is formidable,” Leo said. “We couldn’t have accomplished this mission without her.”
“Kostas said you took out one of the Fallen?”
“And freed many women and children,” Kyra said. “The Irin and free Grigori here will be sorting things out for a while.”
“Will you stay to help?” Sirius asked.
“For a time,” Leo said, stroking Kyra’s hair. “But we have our own lives to begin. The scribes and singers in Bangkok are more than capable.”
“And the kareshta in Chiang Mai have learned everything I am able to teach them.” Kyra took a deep breath. “Our work here is done.”
“Then come home after you take your holiday,” Sirius said. “Leo should meet your family.”
“I will,” Leo said. “And you are always welcome in Istanbul, Sirius.” With Sirius, Leo had no reservations.
“It’s only four hours away. Don’t worry.” Sirius laughed. “You won’t be able to get rid of us.”
The air in Phuket wrapped around Leo’s legs like a warm caress. It rolled off the Andaman Sea and rustled the fronds of the coconut palms overhead, teasing Kyra’s hair from the knot where she’d tied it. The ocean waves lapped at the shore before them, lulling them with their constancy.
Kyra lay draped over Leo’s chest, napping in the shade. It was warm on the island, but the breeze cooled them, and the small house they’d taken was only steps from the beach. If it became too warm, they could always retreat to the air-conditioned interior.
He ran his hand up and down her back, thinking about the ritual he’d perform that night.
He had the ink. He had the brushes. He had a piece of the sacred fire from Bangkok with which to pray and light incense. He’d been practicing his vows for days. He didn’t want to get a stroke wrong. The words he wrote would become part of his beloved’s skin, fusing his magic to her and binding them together. Though it was only a few lines that were the formal vows, he wanted every word he wrote to be perfect.
Leo was giddy as a bride the night before her wedding.
“Leo,” she murmured.
“Hmm?”
“Should we go in?”
“Are you getting warm?”
Kyra tilted her head up, and her full lips spread in a warm smile. I can hear you, reshon.
He adored it when she called him reshon.
“There’s no rush,” he said. “We have the house all week.”
/> “We both slept for two days.” She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “We’ve swum. We’ve eaten on the most beautiful beach in the world. I heard you this morning. Your vows are finished.”
There’s no reason to rush, he thought.
And there’s no reason to wait. Her voice sounded like a chime in his mind. “I’m ready.”
Kyra had made her peace with the ritual, even knowing she didn’t yet have the magic to sing her part. Leo was convinced that Kyra would have her own magic someday. Whether it would be Irina magic or something unique to the kareshta was the mystery. If Leo had to guess, he imagined a combination of the two. Kyra’s unique listening and projecting skills—that had only grown stronger over the days since she’d thrown her mind open to Prija—and the Irina magic she’d already begun to master.
She rose and offered her hand. “Come. Make me yours, Leo.”
He didn’t have to be told twice.
The shades were closed and afternoon light filtered through them, lighting the room with a golden illumination enhanced by candles lit by the sacred fire. Kyra sat on a pillow, meditating in the lotus position with her hair twisted on top of her head. She was bared to the skin, a perfect canvas for him to write his magic. They’d bathed together, and Leo had anointed her with almond and olive oil, massaging every inch of her body as he worked to prepare them both for the ritual.
“Will I feel it?” she asked.
“You’ll feel the brush on your skin.” He kissed her shoulder as he settled behind her. He was also bare, his ceremonial wrap the only clothing he wore. His talesm already burned with anticipation. “You’ll feel the magic when I start. When I’m working.”
“How long does it take?”
He smiled. “It takes a while.”
“An hour?”
He laughed. “More than an hour.”
“I’m glad I picked a comfortable cushion,” she said. “And where do you paint?”
Leo smiled and lifted her arm, holding her delicate wrist in his fingers. He ran his tongue from her shoulder to the crease of her elbow, peppering kisses up to her wrist. “Everywhere.”
“Everywhere?”
“Mmm.” He released her arm and put his hands at her waist, kissing her neck and enjoying the scent of frangipani in her hair. “Everywhere. Every inch. I’m going to cover you in magic.”