Page 107 of The Silent
“It’s fine.” Sura was predictably pleasant. “You’re hot and you’ve had a headache for two days. I should have given you a dark room and music, not tried to show you thesights.”
They rode in silence back to the hotel where they’d taken rooms. There were far more tourists in Bagan than anywhere they’d been in Myanmar. Kyra was still getting used to seeing European faces again. It was one of the reasons, Sura explained, that Arindam had such a big compound near Old Bagan. Not only did the nearness of Western tourists give his sons good cover, but the hotels and tourist industry attracted young women from surrounding villages who came to work at the many hotels and restaurants near the temple complex. They came. They disappeared just as easily. There were always more young women from villages who needed work. Who was going to look for one who’d run off, even if her family camelooking?
It was a typical pattern in the Grigori world. Kyra had been sheltered by her brothers, but nokareshtacould hide from the truth unless they completely gave in to the madness. Wealthy tourists equaled Grigori presence because the poor would always come to work and serve where there was money to be spent. It wasn’t the tourists who usually suffered; it was the most vulnerable who lived on theedges.
Despite the growing shadows of Grigori presence, Kyra was grateful for one thing about the busier tourist site. Very few people looked at her, other than those who were drawn to her angelic blood and typically sent her admiring glances. And more than half of those looks were diverted when Leo was with her. Some because they were more drawn to his golden beauty than her darker features. Some because Leo was more than a littleintimidating.
It had shocked her to see the reaction when they arrived at the hotel and he was mingling with other guests. To her, Leo had always been the most gentle of men. She was surprised to realize human men were frightened of him. Women, of course, were drawntohim.
But unlike most Grigori, who were incapable of ignoring female attention, Leo hardly seemed to notice the admiring or wary glances. He moved through the world utterly self-contained, cheerfully curious, and wholly focused on her and herneeds.
She’d had to shove him out the door that morning. He knew his touch helped to keep the Fallen’s voiceatbay.
“Let’s have lunch,” Sura said. “Leo will be cross with me if I don’tfeedyou.”
“Can we eat in oursuite?”
“Of course.” Sura hopped out of the carriage, which had taken them to the steps of their hotel. “Why don’t you go to the room, and I’ll order something light for us toshare?”
“Thank you.” She put up an umbrella and hated the fragility of her steps. Without Leo, everything in her body felt hypersensitive. Even her skin felt like it was picking up sound from the humans around her. The background noise grew louder the longer she stayed. She could hear the angel most of all, but she also was picking up disturbing thoughts from Prija. She’d homed in on the woman the moment they drew near thetemples.
What she’d heard wasn’tpromising.
* * *
She was hidingin darkness when Leo returned. Without waiting a beat, he slid his shoes off at the door, unhooked his knife holsters, and joined her on the bed, sliding a hand under the loose shirt she wore and pressing one palm to the small of her back while the other slid to cradleherhead.
Kyra took a deep breath and let the silenceenvelopeher.
“Better?”hesaid.
Shenodded.
“How badtoday?”
“It’s the same. It hasn’t changed since we arrived inthecity.”
“He’s in the compound. We got visual confirmationtoday.”
“How did you escape hisnotice?”
“I kept back with Rith. Alyah and Niran are the ones whosawhim.”
Though Irina had long ago developed magic to hide themselves from the Fallen, Irin still had a difficult time evading detection. Niran, a Grigori, and Alyah had the best chance of remaining under Arindam’s radar and escapingdetection.
“How many sons?” Kyraasked.
“I’d estimate nearly fifty in the compound, though only two-thirds are what I’d considerfightingage.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” A Fallen would send little children to fight if it suited his purposes. Children were disposable to them. They could always breed more. “Women?” Kyraasked.
“A dozen or so. Around half of them pregnant, according toAlyah.”
“Children?”
“Kyra, why are youdoingthis?”
“I wanttohelp.”
