“Scribe houses have been attacked,” Kostas said. “The house in Istanbul was attacked only a few years ago.”
“And they have been defended,” Leo growled. “There are seven highly trained scribes and singers in the Istanbul house and—”
“Has Kyra agreed to this?” Kostas asked. “Or did you assume her wishes, scribe? Does she want to live in a hot, busy city like Istanbul?”
Leo shut his mouth and breathed deeply while Kyra reassured her brother that Leo was not taking over her life. Reassured him that she was happy. Reassured him that she’d been fed that morning, she had clean clothes, and no one was coercing her into the present phone call.
He wondered if dealing with Kostas was going to become his new least-favorite pastime. The idea of requesting some kind of permission to take Kyra as his mate grated on him, but Leo recognized how close Kyra and her brother were. They had literally been tied since birth.
“Of course you’ll be welcome,” Kyra said. “You’re my family, Kostas. That does not change.”
So there’d be regular visits from his interrogator. Wonderful.
“And when will you be home?” Kostas said. “What will happen to our sisters here? You would abandon them?”
Leo’s lip curled when he saw Kyra’s face fall. He reached over and squeezed her hand.
“Kostas, Kyra has told me everything she’s done for her sisters.” Leo didn’t try to keep the sharpness from his voice. “She’s also told me that she’s trained them as much as she’s capable of. She is not her sisters’ keeper. She’s allowed to have her own life and find her own happiness. As a brother who clearly loves her, I would think you’d want that for her.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
“Take me off speakerphone,” Kostas said.
Kyra pushed a button and put the phone to her ear before Leo could object. The conversation that followed was in a language Leo didn’t speak, but he immediately made a mental note to learn it. Kyra’s voice was soft but not pleading. After a few moments, she hung up the phone.
She didn’t speak for a long time.
Leo rubbed her back and prayed to heaven that she wasn’t second-guessing her decision to take him as a mate. It would be a transition for both of them, but Leo was convinced that leaving her brother’s house was best for Kyra. He was equally convinced, especially after this trip to Thailand and Myanmar, that she needed her independence.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
“I don’t like making him angry.”
“He’s angry with you?”
“I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and leaned back. The way she curled into Leo’s side reassured him. “He’s angry… at life, I think. At the fact that I can’t learn more without leaving home. At his inability to give me everything I need.”
“He’s protected you for two hundred years. With your power maturing and the knowledge you’ve gained both here and at home—the knowledge Ava can teach you—you can be more independent. Maybe this is what Kostas needs too.”
“He won’t see it that way. Not for a while.”
Kyra’s phone rang again, but this time when she picked it up, she smiled. “It’s Sirius.” She pressed the button to answer and put the phone on speaker. “That didn’t take long.”
“Is it true?”
Leo smiled at the clear pleasure in Sirius’s voice.
Kyra smiled at Leo. “Leo is here. You’re on speaker. And is what true?”
“‘That damn scribe’ was in Thailand?” he asked with a laugh. “I can’t believe it!”
“Kostas was quick to spread the news,” Leo said. “Hello, Sirius.”
“Leo, do you love my sister?” Sirius asked.
He pulled her closer. “With everything in me.”
“Good,” the Grigori said. “She deserves the moon.”
“And all the stars too,” Leo said.
Sirius laughed, and Kyra hid her face. “I like him, Kyra. I always have. And I know you have too. I’m pleased for you, sister.”
“Thank you, bata.”
“Don’t worry about Kostas. He’ll get used to the change. He doesn’t like anything he can’t control. He’s like an old man shaking his walking stick; you know that.”
“The Grigori in Chiang Mai might help with that,” Kyra said. “They’ve agreed to share the Sak Yant with you.”
“That’s excellent news.”
“I’m going to warn you though. Only send mature brothers. The tattoos do help with control, but they also increase power.”
Leo said, “Some of Niran’s men could stand nearly equal with Irin scribes well versed in battle magic.”
“Truly?” Sirius’s voice had shifted from happy brother to wary commander. “That’s good to know.”
“It’s a practice,” Kyra said. “Not just a tool. That’s why I’m telling you: Be careful. Choose wisely. Sura and his brothers take their vows seriously, and they do not stand for Grigori who only want power without discipline. If you send anyone who doesn’t fall in line with their teaching, there will be consequences.”
“I’ll remember. Thank you for doing this, Kyra.”
“You’re welcome.” She pressed her cheek to Leo’s chest. “I needed this push, Sirius. Thank you for giving it to me.”
“Her power is formidable,” Leo said. “We couldn’t have accomplished this mission without her.”
“Kostas said you took out one of the Fallen?”
“And freed many women and children,” Kyra said. “The Irin and free Grigori here will be sorting things out for a while.”
“Will you stay to help?” Sirius asked.
“For a time,” Leo said, stroking Kyra’s hair. “But we have our own lives to begin. The scribes and singers in Bangkok are more than capable.”
“And the kareshta in Chiang Mai have learned everything I am able to teach them.” Kyra took a deep breath. “Our work here is done.”
“Then come home after you take your holiday,” Sirius said. “Leo should meet your family.”
“I will,” Leo said. “And you are always welcome in Istanbul, Sirius.” With Sirius, Leo had no reservations.
“It’s only four hours away. Don’t worry.” Sirius laughed. “You won’t be able to get rid of us.”
The air in Phuket wrapped around Leo’s legs like a warm caress. It rolled off the Andaman Sea and rustled the fronds of the coconut palms overhead, teasing Kyra’s hair from the knot where she’d tied it. The ocean waves lapped at the shore before them, lulling them with their constancy.
Kyra lay draped over Leo’s chest, napping in the shade. It was warm on the island, but the breeze cooled them, and the small house they’d taken was only steps from the beach. If it became too warm, they could always retreat to the air-conditioned interior.
He ran his hand up and down her back, thinking about the ritual he’d perform that night.
He had the ink. He had the brushes. He had a piece of the sacred fire from Bangkok with which to pray and light incense. He’d been practicing his vows for days. He didn’t want to get a stroke wrong. The words he wrote would become part of his beloved’s skin, fusing his magic to her and binding them together. Though it was only a few lines that were the formal vows, he wanted every word he wrote to be perfect.
Leo was giddy as a bride the night before her wedding.
“Leo,” she murmured.
“Hmm?”
“Should we go in?”
“Are you getting warm?”
Kyra tilted her head up, and her full lips spread in a warm smile. I can hear you, reshon.
He adored it when she called him reshon.
“There’s no rush,” he said. “We have the house all week.”
“We both slept for two days.” She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “We’ve swum. We’ve eaten on the most beautiful beach in the world. I heard you this morning. Your vows are finished.”
There’s no reason to rush, he thought.
And there’s no reason to wait. Her voice sounded like a chime in his mind. “I’m ready.”
Kyra had made her peace with the ritual, even knowing she didn’t yet have the magic to sing her part. Leo was convinced that Kyra would have her own magic someday. Whether it would be Irina magic or something unique to the kareshta was the mystery. If Leo had to guess, he imagined a combination of the two. Kyra’s unique listening and projecting skills—that had only grown stronger over the days since she’d thrown her mind open to Prija—and the Irina magic she’d already begun to master.
She rose and offered her hand. “Come. Make me yours, Leo.”
He didn’t have to be told twice.
The shades were closed and afternoon light filtered through them, lighting the room with a golden illumination enhanced by candles lit by the sacred fire. Kyra sat on a pillow, meditating in the lotus position with her hair twisted on top of her head. She was bared to the skin, a perfect canvas for him to write his magic. They’d bathed together, and Leo had anointed her with almond and olive oil, massaging every inch of her body as he worked to prepare them both for the ritual.