Page 126 of The Silent
She closed her eyes and gave in to herheart.Yes.
“Say it aloud,” he whispered. “Please.”
“Yes.”
He captured her mouth in a fervent kiss. A worshipful kiss. They made love in the gold light of morning, and he whispered to her how much he loved her. Kyra soaked in the sunlight and let Leo’s love chase the last of hershadowsaway.
There was no darkness there. No shadowsbetweenthem.
“We’ll go to a house by the ocean,” he whispered when their bodies were joined. “We’ll run away and hide bythesea.”
“I loveyou,Leo.”
I love you,reshon.
* * *
But happiness wasthe last thing on Kyra’s mind later that day when they met with the scribes from Bangkok. Dara joined them by video conference in the dining room of the house. Sura and Niran sat on one side of the table with Leo and Kyra. Rith and Alyah sat on theother.
“The women and children you evacuated last week,” Dara said. “They are settled in homes. The girl is being fostered by an Irin family who speaks her language. The woman with the boy is staying in the scribe house for now. She won’t leavethebaby.”
“Would you leave your baby?” Kyraasked.
“I have no children,” Dara said. “But I hardly think a woman who’d been raped by anangel—”
“It’s not your decision to make.” Niran cut her off. “If she wants the baby, send her back to Chiang Mai. The child is male. We’ll know how tohelphim.”
“And the woman?” Rithasked.
“There are ways for human women to get well. To stay with their children,” Kyra said. “Leo and I have bothseenit.”
Leo nodded. “But she needs Irina magic. And knowledge. You have to tell her thetruth.”
Dara scoffed. “She’shuman.”
“She’s been brought into the angelic world whether you like it or not,” Kyra said. “She deserves to know thetruth.”
It was clear Dara didn’t agree, but Kyra decided to ask about the others. “The ones we rescued from Bagan. What will happentothem?”
“We’ll take the four girls of course,” Dara said. “We have foster homes for them too. The boys must be trained by your Grigori brothers. We don’t know what to dowiththem.”
Dara’s dismissive tone raised Kyra’s hackles, but Sura put a hand on her knee and shookhishead.
“We will care for the boys,” Sura said. “We are better equipped for their challenges. But I worry about our young sisters. When you say they will be fostered, what doesthatmean?”
“It means they’ll be raised by Irin families,” Rith said. “As mysistersaid.”
“And will they be trained as Irina?” Sura asked. “Will you teach them the magic they need to become full members of yourworld?”
Both Rith and Dara were silent. Alyah’s face was painfullyblank.
Kyra nearly choked on her anger. Only Leo’s touch kept hersteady.
“You have to decide,” she said quietly. “Decide andcommit. We cannot be your second-class citizens. We have lived in the shadows too long. Scribes wantkareshtawives—some of these women are bearing Irinchildren—but the Irina won’t teach them anything more than the most basic magic. We knowkareshtacan sing if they aretaught.”
“My own watcher’s mate has Fallen blood,” Leo said. “And Ava has been trained by ancients. Her song is powerful. She is an asset to ourworld.”
“You want our blood and our wombs, but you don’t want our voices,” Kyra said bitterly. “I refuse to let these girls grow up feeling as if theyareless.”
