Page 63 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

Suddenly, Jasmine rose from her seat and crossed the space between herself and her cousins in two long steps.

"Come here," she said, and without hesitation wrapped her arms around Arezoo, hugging her tightly. "I always wanted to have a big loving family. Nothing could have made me happier than finding out I have four beautiful cousins."

The tension in Arezoo's body visibly melted as she returned the embrace. One by one, Jasmine moved to each girl, gathering them into hugs that acknowledged their newfound connection and a promise that there was much more love to come.

Kyra felt tears pricking at her eyes as she watched. The display of emotion and vulnerability was outside her comfort zone, but she enjoyed watching it.

"For the love of all that's holy," Fenella's exasperated voice cut through Kyra's paralysis. "Stop being such a pussy, Kyra. Get up and hug your nieces."

41

MAX

Max put a hand over his chest and rubbed it over the unexpected tightness there. Watching Kyra embrace her nieces made him surprisingly emotional. The fierce warrior, who'd fearlessly faced down the Revolutionary Guard and even Doomers, had tears in her eyes because she was hugging her family.

Hell, it even made him miss his mother.

Perhaps he should call her later and tell her about Kyra. She always complained that he didn't call often enough, but the truth was that he had nothing new to say.

His mother was always in the loop about the clan's latest gossip, so he had nothing new to share with her. He didn't want to discuss the rescue missions he was involved in because she didn't have the constitution for that. However, she would be thrilled to hear that he had finally found someone. It would give her a fresh, juicy piece of gossip to share with her friends.

He hadn't done a great job convincing the girls that he was immortal, but Fenella had been right. Learning they wererelated to Kyra and Jasmine had been the missing piece in the puzzle for them.

The supernatural element was secondary to that revelation.

Of course, they hadn't gotten to the more complicated parts yet. The girls still didn't fully understand why they'd been targeted, or rather the purpose for which they had been abducted, and that conversation would be difficult.

Max shifted his weight, wondering if it would be better for him and Ell-rom to excuse themselves when the time came. The girls might feel more comfortable speaking about their experience without men present.

He glanced at Ell-rom, who was watching the scene with a soft expression. The prince had that same otherworldly gentleness about him that Annani possessed, a radiating kindness that made people at ease around them. Max wondered who they had inherited that trait from.

According to everything he knew about their shared father, Ahn had been ruthless. Then again, his intentions had always been benevolent, so perhaps Annani and Ell-rom had inherited that side of him.

He glanced at Fenella, who was also watching the display with a small smile on her lips and a sheen in her eyes that looked suspiciously like tears. Despite her rough-around-the-edges attitude and snark toward Kyra, she appeared moved by the outpouring of emotions they were all witnessing.

Catching him looking at her, Fenella rose from her armchair and crossed the room to stand beside him behind the couch.

"It makes me wonder if I have any nephews or nieces," she said softly, her accent becoming more pronounced with emotion. "Are you still in touch with Din? Maybe he could find out for me?"

The question hit a sore spot. Max had been thinking about contacting his old friend and telling him about Fenella, but he was in no rush, especially since she wasn't interested in Din.

Instead, he offered, "I can ask one of my cousins to go to the pub and ask around for you."

Fenella's sharp eyes narrowed. "Why not Din?"

Max grimaced, knowing she wouldn't let it drop. "He won't answer my calls."

She studied him from under lowered lashes. "So, how did you plan to tell him you found me?"

He shrugged. "I planned on calling my mother and asking her to talk to his mother to convince him to call me."

Fenella laughed, drawing a quick glance from Kyra before she returned her attention to her nieces. "Talk about being a mama's boy," she said, lowering her voice. "Just leave him a message using someone else's phone, or if you want, I'll do it. If he was so in love with me back in the day, he will respond to me, right?"

That was a complete change of heart on her part.

Earlier, she'd seemed uninterested in reconnecting with Din and called him an asshole.

"What happened that you suddenly want to connect with him? I thought you wanted to check out all the other available bachelors."

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