Page 37 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

They were halfway through their meal when Kian returned. "I hope there is something left for me." He looked at the butler.

"Of course, master." He bowed again and rushed into the kitchen.

"Kian is vegan," Syssi explained. "He can't eat most of what's on the table."

"I can," he corrected as he took a seat next to his wife. "I just choose not to."

His presence at the table disturbed the relaxed ambiance they'd enjoyed before his arrival, but as the meal continued, hunger was satisfied, and exhaustion began to set in, relaxation followed.

The young girls looked ready to collapse, the combination of stress and relief taking its toll.

"Perhaps you should all rest after lunch," Syssi suggested. "It's been a long journey, and I'm sure all of you want to take a proper shower and get into a proper bed. As nice as the lie-flat seats on the jet are, they are not a substitute for a good mattress."

The butler bowed to Syssi. "Shall I serve coffee and tea, mistress?"

"Yes, please." She shifted her gaze to the girls. "You don't need to stay if you want to go to your rooms."

"Thank you." Arezoo looked grateful.

She rose to her feet and motioned for her sisters and cousin to get up.

They all murmured their thanks and goodnights, even though it was the middle of the day, before ducking out of the dining room.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and Kyra's heartbeat accelerated as she expected it to be Max.

He hadn't said he would be coming later, but she just knew he would, and she was proven right a moment later when the butler escorted him to the dining room.

He was freshly showered and changed—his blond hair still damp and combed back away from his handsome face. He wore simple jeans that hugged his muscular legs and a black T-shirt that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders.

A jolt of awareness shot through Kyra, sharp and sudden. She hadn't felt anything like it since—well, since forever, as far as she could remember.

Was she actually feeling attraction toward a man?

Max's eyes found hers immediately, his lips curving into a smile that seemed reserved just for her. "I hope there is still something left over for me."

"There is plenty," Syssi said. "Help yourself."

"Don't mind if I do." He sat down next to Kyra, where Arezoo had sat until a few moments ago.

As the butler rushed to put a clean plate and new utensils in front of him, Max leaned toward her. "Everything okay?"

"Perfect," she managed a smile, grateful that her voice sounded steadier than she felt. "This place is beyond anything I could have imagined."

What was happening to her? She'd never responded to a man this way—at least not since her memory began. In her years with the resistance, she'd been around plenty of men, some of them objectively handsome, but she'd felt nothing. No spark, no interest, no desire.

Yet here she was, practically vibrating with awareness of Max's presence.

Was this attraction a sign of healing? The first evidence that she was beginning to recover from her trauma? Or was there something specific about Max—some connection that transcended her usual barriers?

She was hyperaware of his presence beside her—the subtle scent of his soap, the warmth radiating from his body, and the occasional brush of his arm against hers when he reached for his water glass. Each small contact sent a current of electricity through her that was both thrilling and disturbing.

Across the table, Fenella watched their interaction with knowing eyes, a slight smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

Syssi said something that Kyra hadn't paid attention to, and Max laughed, the sound of his voice sending a flutter through her chest.

What was it about this man that affected her so strongly? Was it just physical attraction or something deeper?

She thought of what Jasmine had told her about immortals—about mates and bonds that transcended ordinary connections. Was that what this was? Or was she simply grasping at magical explanations for a perfectly normal reaction to an attractive man?

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