Page 30 of The Silent
Her skin felt brittle. Her belly was liquid. Her emotions were everywhere, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Leo’s kiss. She’d never imagined anything feeling as good as his lips pressing against hers as he lifted her in his powerful arms and held her tight. Why had that act—which seemed so inherently messy and awkward—felt so good? Her skin felt like she’d touched a live wire. Her lips were numb. She desperately wanted to try it again, and yet she knew it wasn’t agoodidea.
Kyra felt as she imagined the humans did when they’d had toomuchwine.
Drunk. She was drunkonLeo.
“I’m sorry I did not get a chance to meet your friend,” Sura said into the heavysilence.
Kyra barked out alaugh.
Sura smiled. “If you call him a friend, you musttrusthim.”
“Ido.”
“Then I imagine he is a person worthknowing.”
“That is probably a matter of opinion. Niran didn’t seem tothinkso.”
Sura cocked his head to the side and looked up at the moon. He walked in silence for a few steps before he said, “Niran has organized his world in very strict ways. Black-and-white. Family and other. He trusts very few, and he keeps a narrow focus. He has done this in order to control himself and provide for our sisters. He was once the most feared and powerful of our father’s sons, so this order in his life is hard-won, and anything that disturbs it isavoided.”
“Iunderstand.”
“I suspect you do,” Sura said. “From reputation, your brother is muchthesame.”
“Sirius?” Kyra said. “Not really. He’salwaysbeen—”
“Not Sirius.” Sura’s lips twitched. “Kostas. The one who is not supposed to know whereyouare.”
Kyra sighed. “Do you knoweverything,Sura?”
“Hardly. But I know brothers and sisters.” He met Kyra's eyes. “And I also know that Niran has come to care greatly for you. Not only because of your work with Intira and the others. His reaction tonight does notsurpriseme.”
Was Sura saying Niran was… jealous? The idea of Niran caring for her pained Kyra. Not because he was an unworthy man, but because hewasworthy. If she was free—and if she didn’t have such complex feelings for Leo—Niran was the kind of man she wouldadmire.
But that wasn’treality.
“He knows…” Kyra blinked hard. “Niran knows my life will not last much longer, Sura. I know things for free Grigori are different now, but he must know a future with me is notpossible.”
Sura shrugged. “What we know in our minds and what we feel in our hearts are often quite contrary,aren’tthey?”
Kyra said, “I don’t know why I’ve lived as long as I have.Anytime—”
“None of us are guaranteed time.” Sura stopped and Kyra realized they’d reached her cottage. “You have to live while you can, Kyra. Not a single one of us is guaranteed tomorrow. We cannot predict the future. Trying to do so only leads to arrogance and selfishness. Exist in the present.Livein the present. If your heart is leading you to someone, it is a gift, not aburden.”
Kyra blushed. “Sura, I know he’s your brother, but I don’t think my feelings forNiran—”
“I wasn’t talking about Niran.” Sura smiled. “I think I would like to meet this scribe friend of yours. Tomorrow night,maybe?”
Kyra narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to causetrouble?”
“Trouble is life made interesting, isn’t it?” Sura said, backing up the path. “So yes. Maybe I’m trying to cause trouble. Sleep well, sister. I’ll calm Niran down bymorning.”
Kyra stoppeda block away from thehotel.
“What are you doing?” Sura asked. He frowned, his hands in his pockets. This night, he wore loose linen pants and a white dress shirt. With his head shaved, he still looked monk-like. “This is the way to the hotel. I’ve walked past itbefore.”
“I’m…” Nervous. Excited. Confused. Eager. Unsure. Kyra cleared her throat and tried to stop her heart from pounding out of her chest. “Are you sure this is agoodidea?”
“You trust thisscribe?”
