Page 38 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

Either way, she wasn't ready to explore it—not with so much uncertainty still clouding her past and future. Not with the Doomer downstairs, holding answers to questions she'd carried for decades. But neither was she willing to ignore the first spark of genuine desire she'd felt in her remembered lifetime.

24

MAX

Max felt the current crackling between him and Kyra—a tangible thing, like static electricity but warmer, more vital. He'd seen how Kyra's pupils had dilated when he'd entered the room and heard the almost imperceptible catch in her breathing when he sat beside her.

The awareness was mutual, and her reaction sent a surge of satisfaction through him.

Patience, he reminded himself.Let her come to you.

It was against his nature to wait, to play the passive role in any pursuit. But Kyra had been through hell and hadn't had any time to speak of to piece herself together yet. The last thing she needed was a guy, hyped up on centuries of confidence, coming after her.

As everyone moved to the living room, Max followed Kyra to the grouping of plush couches and armchairs, admiring the straight line of her spine and the confident set of her shoulders that were evident despite the baggy clothes she was wearing.

The trauma she'd endured hadn't broken her spirit—a fact he found impressive but also moving.

"What do we do about the girls?" Kyra asked in a hushed voice as they settled on a couch. She glanced toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "It's becoming difficult to hide what's going on from them. Arezoo is very perceptive. She doesn't miss much."

Syssi smiled. "You can speak normally. The penthouse has excellent soundproofing, and the doors to their bedrooms are closed. They can't hear us."

"Because they're human," Kyra clarified, still keeping her voice low.

"Even immortals can't hear through these closed doors unless someone is really loud." Syssi shot Kian a playful glance, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Max stifled a chuckle at Syssi's unexpected innuendo. It was strangely endearing that she still blushed like a teenager.

He glanced at Kyra, wondering if she blushed as well—wondering what it might take to make that happen.

Kian shifted in his armchair, looking uncomfortable, probably because of the amused looks he was getting. "We should wait to tell the girls about who we are until we have some answers. If we confirm that they are Dormants as we suspect, then we can tell them because they will be coming with us to the village."

"What if something slips out?" Kyra asked.

"Don't worry about it," Kian said. "We can thrall them to forget anything they shouldn't know yet, but it's much easier to thrall the memory of a little slip-up than the whole tale of gods and immortals. I always maintain that the less thralling, the better,especially for women as young as they are with still malleable minds."

Kyra didn't seem to agree, but she didn't voice her objections.

Fenella, on the other hand, seemed eager to do so. "What about us?" she asked, gesturing between herself and Kyra.

"You will join our community in the village." He turned to Fenella. "If you prefer to live in Scotland, you can choose to join the immortal community there instead. They will welcome you with open arms."

"Max mentioned I'd be in high demand." Fenella cast him a sidelong glance.

"Yes, you will," Kian confirmed. "We are always looking for Dormants and immortals to enrich our gene pool."

Fenella winced, sinking back into her chair. "I didn't picture my future living in a small village again," she admitted. "I enjoyed traveling the world, seeing new places, meeting new people." A shadow crossed her face. "But it's not safe out there, is it? Not even for an immortal with all the advantages that come with it."

Fenella had been on her own for five decades, surviving by her wits. No wonder she had grown rough around the edges. If Din decided to pursue her again, he would find a much harder woman than the barmaid he'd fallen in love with. Then again, she'd always been feisty and outspoken, but now she had decades of experience to back up her bravado.

"What did you do for money?" he asked.

A mischievous smile teased the corners of her mouth. "Poker."

Jasmine laughed. "What a wonderful coincidence. I'm an excellent poker player, and I was one even before I turned immortal. I never played for money, though. My father warned me that it would only bring me trouble, and in this one instance, I actually listened."

Fenella's smile wilted. "Your father is a smart man. Not that I had a choice. How else was I going to survive?"

"How did you do that?" Syssi asked. "You turned immortal as an adult, so you couldn't thrall people to get into their minds."

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