Page 68 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

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MAX

Max stretched his legs on one of the cushioned loungers and gazed at the city through the glass railing. From this height, Los Angeles was sprawled out before them, and the penthouse terrace, with its lush potted plants and elegant furniture, felt like an island floating above the bustling city.

"What else did you learn from the Doomer?" Ell-rom asked.

"The bastard was planning his own little breeding program, using Kyra and Fenella as the starting point, then going after every female in Kyra's family he could get his hands on. The boys are also possible targets as they can be turned immortal and trained to become soldiers."

"Did he go after Fenella's family as well?" Ell-rom asked.

Max shook his head. "We didn't ask, but we should." He frowned, trying to recall details from his history with her. "As far as I remember, Fenella had one younger brother, but I don't know whether her mother had sisters who could have daughters. We didn't spend enough time together for me to learn about herextended family." He ran a hand through his hair, considering the implications. "Still, Scotland isn't as easy to infiltrate and grab people from as Iran is, although these days, things are crazy all over Europe."

"What about your clan there?" Ell-rom asked, his expression turning concerned. "Are they safe?"

"For now they're okay." Max shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun with his hand. "That's where the Clan Mother started the clan, and it's been our stronghold ever since. We've weathered plenty of storms in that castle, which we built with our own hands."

"I would like to visit there one day," Ell-rom said. "Perhaps when things calm down here, Annani could take me and Jasmine to visit Sari."

"Good idea. If things continue on the same trajectory over there..." Max trailed off, not needing to finish the thought. Instability was spreading like wildfire across the globe. It was a vicious cycle that he'd witnessed too often to count, but the difference nowadays was how interconnected the world was. When the dominos fell, everything would collapse in rapid succession.

"They should leave," Ell-rom concluded quietly. "This country is safe."

"For now," Max said. "But convincing a bunch of obstinate Scottish immortals to relocate is a challenge that even Kian can't overcome. His sister stubbornly clings to that old castle, and I don't blame her. It's her home, and even though I chose to move away, I still love it. How are they supposed to just abandon it and move on?"

Ell-rom chuckled. "I'm not the one to ask. I'm a prince without a country, and maybe because of that my advice is to go where you are treated best and where your family is safe."

The sliding glass door opened behind them, and Max turned to see Kyra stepping onto the terrace. The sight of her still caused a little hitch in his breathing—something he hadn't experienced with anyone else.

There was just something about her that tugged at all his heart strings and lit up all of his soul. She checked all his boxes, including the ones he hadn't known he had.

Max had never imagined he would find a warrior female so attractive.

Ell-rom rose to his feet. "Is the talk over?" he asked.

"For now," Kyra said, offering a tired smile. "We've got all the names and addresses, and Jasmine has forwarded them to Kian. She is ordering food delivery and showing the girls the options. She asks what you would like to order."

"I'll go inside and look at the menus," Ell-rom said, already heading for the door.

Max chuckled. "He probably can't even read the menus," he said as the prince disappeared inside. "I don't know how far along he is in his English studies."

"So, that's why he always wears the earpieces." Kyra settled onto the lounger Ell-rom had vacated. "I thought it was to converse with the girls."

"That too." Max turned on his side. "How did it go?"

She sighed, tilting her face toward the sun. "Better than I expected. I now know my sisters' names and how many kids each one has." A small smile played at the corners of her lips. "I have three more nieces and six more nephews, ages eight to fifteen."

"That's a lot of family to discover in one day."

Kyra nodded, her fingers hovering over her pendant. "I asked the girls to tell me about my sisters and the kind of relationships they have with their husbands. Three might want to join their kids here, but the fourth is happily married to a nice guy." Her brow furrowed with concern. "Then again, they have five kids together, and those kids need to be protected." She looked at him with rare uncertainty in her golden eyes. "I don't know what to do, Max. How can I take the children away from my sister? How can I leave my sister to her mortal life?"

The conflict in her voice plucked at his heart, but he had no answers for her.

"I don't know," he said frankly.

"And what if those who choose to leave everything behind and accompany their children to safety are too old to transition? What then?"

Max pushed himself up from his lounger, moved to sit beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Everything will work out," he said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "The Fates will have your back." A thought occurred to him, and he couldn't help but smile. "Who knows? Maybe the nice husband is a Dormant?"

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