Page 90 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

"Leave him," Donya said. "He doesn't love us."

"I'm sure that's not true." Jasmine turned toward the girl. "He might not show his emotions, but I'm sure he loves you."

"He doesn't." Donya joined Jasmine on the floor. "He calls us useless girls and berates our mother for not giving him a son. The idiot doesn't even know that he is the one who determines the baby's gender. Didn't he go to school?"

The other girls looked at her with stunned expressions, probably because none of them would have dared to say a thing like that before, but Donya's eyes blazed with defiance. "You are all thinking it, and it's time someone said it."

The other girls did not protest, so Kyra took this to mean that they agreed with Donya.

"Okay. That's good. I mean it's bad because you deserve a father who loves you. But it's good that no one would care if he's left behind." She cast a quick glance at Laleh, who had previously voiced a different opinion.

She'd said that her mother would miss their father, but perhaps her sisters had convinced her that wasn't true.

"You'll be doing him a favor," Arezoo murmured. "You have no idea how many times he threatened our mother that he will take another wife. The only reason he hasn't is because it is frowned upon even though it is allowed."

A long moment of silence followed, and then Jasmine rose to her feet. "Time for sleep, ladies. It's a big day tomorrow for all of us." She bent to kiss Laleh's forehead, then Arezoo's. "I'll beright next door if you need anything, okay? And tomorrow Ell-rom and I will move into Kyra's room so we can be close to you."

That seemed to ease some of the tension, and after several rounds of hugs and kisses, final goodnights, and promises to wake them up before Kyra left in the morning, Kyra and Jasmine retreated to the living room.

Jasmine's posture changed as soon as they were alone, a subtle slumping of her shoulders that revealed the strain she'd been hiding from the girls.

"Finally," she said, sinking onto the sofa with unusual weariness. "I don't know how you maintain that steady confidence all the time. I'm exhausted just from an evening of trying to pretend everything is hunky-dory, and I'm an actress, which means pretending is my thing."

Kyra joined her, tucking one leg beneath her as she turned to face her daughter. "You've had a full life with many experiences. My life was one-dimensional. I was a rebel and then a rebel leader, and I always had to keep up the brave face because I could never let the team see me wobble." She smiled when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Perhaps you got your knack for acting from me. During the many infiltrations and reconnaissance missions, I've played different characters. Frankly, those were the moments I was most terrified because I was on my own without any backup."

"You were?"

"Well, maybe terrified is too strong of a word. Anxious. Determined. A little angry."

"Angry?"

"At those who took my memories away." Kyra's hand went to her pendant, finding comfort in its familiar weight. "I'm still angry about all the time that was stolen from us."

Jasmine's eyes started to glisten. "And now that we've finally found each other, you have to leave." She shook her head, frustration evident in the tight line of her mouth. "I know you have to go, but I don't have to like it."

The raw emotion in her daughter's voice pierced Kyra's heart. She reached across and took Jasmine's hand. "I don't like it either," she said softly. "If there were any other way…"

"There isn't." Jasmine squeezed her fingers. "I know that. Those are my aunts, my cousins. They deserve the same chance we've been given." She attempted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Doesn't mean I won't be counting the minutes until you're back."

"I'll be careful," Kyra promised. "I've survived worse odds with far less support."

"You'd better." Jasmine's voice took on an imperious tone. "I have plans for us when you get back, you know."

"Like what?"

Jasmine's expression softened. "Mother-daughter things. Shopping trips. Movie nights." She pursed her lips. "We can sing together."

Kyra had no idea if she had a good singing voice. She occasionally hummed a tune, but she didn't remember ever singing.

"I don't know if I can measure up."

"I remember you singing to me when I was little. In my mind, it sounded beautiful."

"I don't remember that," Kyra admitted. "I don't know any children's songs or lullabies. In fact, I don't remember the lyrics to any songs. The best I can do is hum a tune." She sighed. "Even my short-term memory leaves a lot to be desired. The monster in the dungeon might have given me immortality, but he did irreparable damage to my mind."

"You can train yourself to remember lyrics," Jasmine said. "It's a skill, and like everything else you want to get good at, it needs to be practiced." She smiled. "By the way, Max is an amazing singer. You should ask him to sing for you. If you have a good voice, we can have fun singing together."

She hadn't known that. What else didn't she know about the man who had captured her heart?

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