Page 15 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

Her daughter.

Part of her was thrilled at the chance to reconnect, to compensate for time lost with her child, but another part of her grieved for Jasmine's childhood that she'd missed and could never recover.

After quickly scrubbing the grime from the rest of her body, she reluctantly twisted the knob, shutting off the water. Shivering in the cooler air, she grabbed the towel from a hook and dried off.

Hopefully, there were more clean towels for the other women.

She hung up the towel, and with a sigh, grabbed Max's sweater from where she'd folded it on the closed toilet lid. It was large, swallowing her frame, but it was clean enough—barely. It still hinted at that faint masculine scent she'd noticed earlier, layeredwith gunpowder and dust. But there was something comforting about wearing it, even if she barely knew the man.

Remembering his teasing about her being his soulmate, Kyra smiled and tugged the sweater on, letting it fall around mid-thigh.

She had no pants to wear yet, but at least the garment covered her decently. Well, as decent as having nothing underneath could feel.

She opened the door a crack. "Jasmine?"

"Right here," came the immediate reply. Jasmine's beautiful face appeared in the gap. "Feeling better?"

Kyra stepped into the aisle, hugging the sweater around her hips. "Much better. Do you happen to have a comb?"

Her wet hair hung in messy clumps around her shoulders, and if she didn't comb it out, it would be a nightmare to do so when it dried.

"I do." Jasmine reached out, gently tucking a stray strand of wet hair behind Kyra's ear. "I also have some makeup, but I don't think you use any."

"I don't," Kyra admitted. "I don't need it."

"No, you don't." Jasmine wrapped an arm around her middle to prop her up. "You are beautiful without any help from cosmetics."

"So are you." Kyra lifted on tiptoes and kissed her daughter's cheek for the first time she could remember doing so. "You are so tall in addition to being beautiful."

Jasmine chuckled. "I grew more than an inch during my transition. I had to replace half of my shoe collection so I wouldn't tower over everyone whenever I wanted to wear heels."

10

JASMINE

Jasmine's acting skills helped her mask her shock at her mother's simple gesture of kissing her cheek.

Tears prickled her eyes, and a sob was lodged in her throat, but she refused to allow them out and distress Kyra. This was supposed to be a happy moment, the beginning of healing for both of them.

How many of her childhood nights had she lain awake, dreaming of what it would be like to have a mother who loved her? Not that she'd stopped dreaming about it as an adult, but she had done it less frequently, and then rarely since Ell-rom had entered her life.

Her sweet prince, who was still sitting across the aisle where she had left him.

She stopped next to him and leaned down to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

"Sorry." She smiled at her mother. "I just had to." She turned around and lifted the blanket so Kyra could return to her seat.

"Never apologize for showing your love." Kyra sat down and pulled the long sweater over her knees.

Jasmine draped the blanket over her and tucked it in. "Can I get you something warm to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

She desperately needed a few moments alone to collect herself, and preparing coffee was a great excuse.

Kyra's eyes brightened. "Coffee sounds heavenly." She sniffed the air. "But there is none brewed, and I don't want you to go to all that trouble."

"It's no trouble." Max rose to his feet. "They have a pod machine in the galley. How do you like your coffee?"

Damn. Why did the guy have to become so chivalrous all of the sudden? Perhaps he really was smitten with her mother.

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