Page 93 of Dark Rebel's Fortune

Kyra punched him lightly in the arm. "Overconfident much?"

"Always. It's my trademark."

"Yeah, and I kind of like that about you. I hope it sustains you while you take part in the family circus. Don't think you can just disappear into your Guardian training."

Max grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Are we underground?" Soraya asked.

"Just for a short while," Max assured her. "As I said before, the entrance to the village is through a tunnel."

The lift that took the bus up several levels wasanother cause of gasps and children's frightened voices, but then they finally emerged into the underground garage, the windows cleared, and the audible gasps turned into the admiring type as the boys got a look at some of the fancy cars parked there.

"It's enormous!" one of Parisa's sons exclaimed, pressing his face against the glass.

"The village has several underground levels," Max explained. "This is just the parking area. The actual village is aboveground, on top of the mountain."

"We've arrived," Okidu announced as he parked the bus near the elevators. "Welcome to the village."

As the doors opened and the family began to gather their belongings, Max turned to Kyra. "You know," he said, "for all the chaos and danger, this mission ended well. Your family is safe, reunited, and starting a new life together. I really love happy endings."

"This is not an ending," she corrected him. "It's just the beginning."

46

KYRA

Kyra stepped off the bus, scanning the parking garage for familiar faces. She'd half-expected to see Jasmine and her nieces waiting for them, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that they weren't there—not for herself, but for Soraya and Rana.

"I thought Jasmine would be here," she said quietly to Max as her sisters and their children gathered behind them.

"She probably wanted to prepare a proper welcome in their homes." Max put his hand on the small of her back. "Jasmine is not the type who would let an opportunity for celebration go to waste."

Yamanu and the Kra-ell warriors filed out after them, their expressions relaxed now that they were safely back home.

"Where do we go now?" Soraya asked, herding her nephews and nieces together.

"This way." Max pointed toward the bank of elevators lined along the far wall. "The village is above us."

Kyra led her family across the garage, noting how they huddled together like a small flock of birds, their eyes darting around the cavernous space with mostly awe but also uncertainty.

"Is this America?" Arman asked.

Parisa smiled, ruffling his hair. "Yes, my sweet. This is a little tiny piece of America."

They divided into groups for the elevators, with Max, Kyra, and the family squeezing into the first one while Yamanu and the Kra-ell took the other.

Standing in silence they all faced the doors, waiting for them to open, and as they did so to reveal a magnificent glass pavilion, Kyra joined in her sisters' collective gasp. It wasn't just because of the unique structure or the beauty of the village beyond; it was because of the assembled crowd waiting for them in the pavilion.

A banner was attached to the opposite wall, its Farsi script declaring 'Welcome to the Village' in elegant calligraphy. Jasmine stood front and center, flanked by Ell-rom, Kian, and Syssi on one side and Arezoo, Donya, Laleh, and Azadeh on the other. Behind them was Fenella, who stood together with an immaculately dressed blonde woman, who Kyra guessed was Ingrid, the interior designer Jasmine had mentioned. The one in charge of housing in the village.

But Kyra barely had time to register the welcoming committee before a piercing cry cut through the momentary silence.

"Maman!"

Arezoo broke from the group, running toward them with Donya and Laleh hot on her heels. Soraya stumbled forward, her arms opening just in time to catch her daughters in a fierce embrace. The four of them collapsed together in a tangle of limbs and tears, clinging to each other as if afraid that a sudden wind might tear them apart.

Not to be outdone, Azadeh raced forward and launched herself at Rana with such force that her mother staggered, steadied only by Parisa's quick hand at her back. Mother and daughter held each other, sobbing openly, the weeks of separation and fear dissolving in an instant.

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