Leo’s elation lasted until dinner that night. As soon as they walked into the garden holding hands, he saw it. He noticed the glances between Sura and Niran. Saw Ginny’s unveiled curiosity and Alyah’s blank expression.

“They will not like it,” Kyra said. “Neither my people nor yours. Kareshta who decide to go with Irin men…”

“What?”

“People make assumptions.” She kept her voice low. “That the kareshta are after something. That the Irin men are taking advantage.”

“That has nothing to do with us,” he said.

Kyra shrugged, but he could see her turning inward. “People will think what they think.”

“Exactly.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her full on the lips. “People will think what they want. And we will ignore them.”

She offered him a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. He saw the trepidation, and it made him want to rage. He decided that, for the night, he would ignore the pointed looks and unspoken curiosity of the people around them. But if it persisted past natural curiosity, he’d be breaking a few heads. Irin or Grigori, he didn’t much care. Their stares had turned Kyra’s earlier happiness to caution.

Damn them.

They sat next to each other at the low table where they had taken lunch earlier in the day.

Niran was the first to speak. “We didn’t see you this afternoon, Kyra.”

“No.” She folded her hands on her lap. “I took the afternoon off to spend time with Leo.”

Leo couldn’t have been more proud of her if she’d stood on the table and shouted that she was his. Her voice never rose, but it never wavered either. He saw Sura smile in his direction and suspected they had at least one ally at the table.

“So!” Ginny was smiling. “How is this going to work?” She waved a finger between them. “I’m going to be nosy. I’ll just warn you in advance.”

Leo raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t your parents have that conversation with you, Ginny?” Kyra squeaked beside him. Actually squeaked. “I’m sorry,” Leo pretended he hadn’t heard Kyra. “Maybe after dinner, Alyah and I can find a website for you. I’m pretty sure there are a few that might explain things, probably in more detail than you want.”

Ginny laughed, but Alyah broke in with a serious voice. “You’re different. It’s not very sensible to ignore it. Your magic is different. Your lives—”

“Our lives are our business,” Leo said. “But thank you for your concern, sister. I’m sure it comes from a sincere place.”

Alyah lifted her hands and looked away, clearly not sharing Leo’s opinion but unwilling to offer offense.

Kyra was a silent statue beside him. He took her hand and put it in his lap, playing with her fingers as the monks poured tea for the table and Niran and Sura’s brothers served the food. There was fragrant rice and delicate curry. A whole fish coated in a thick layer of salt sat on a platter. Noodles with fresh vegetables were passed around the table, but the tension remained.

“Niran,” Leo began. “I’d like—”

“I am not her brother.” Niran stopped Leo before he could finish. “It is not my place to grant permission for you and Kyra to form any kind of attachment.”

“Permission?” Kyra said quietly.

Leo didn’t say a word.

“We are not seeking permission from anyone.” She looked at Leo. “We’re not seeking permission.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for it.” Leo didn’t smile, but he wanted to. His little warrior was angry.

“Good.” Kyra turned to Niran. “Leo and I met over three years ago. While we may come from different places, our experiences have bonded us. I do not expect anyone to question the decisions we make for ourselves.”

A muscle jumped in Niran’s jaw and he looked away. Disapproval had nothing to do with Niran’s attitude. He admired Kyra as well. He wanted her.

Too bad.

Kyra had chosen him.

“Am I still welcome as your guest?” Kyra asked. “Or should I find other accommodations while I am here?”

Niran’s expression said he was not expecting the question.

Part of Leo wanted them to kick her out. He was imagining the large bed at his hotel in Chiang Mai, which would offer far more comfort than Kyra’s simple cottage at the monastery.

It was a small part of him; he tried to ignore it.

“Of course you are our guest,” Sura said into Niran’s silence. “Nothing will change your welcome here when you have done so much for our sisters.” Sura’s eyes were pointed at Niran. “No matter what our personal feelings may be, your generosity is a debt we can never repay.” He turned back to Leo and Kyra. “And I believe it is a beautiful thing when two souls meet and find connection. No matter where they come from.”

Leo said, “Thank you, Sura.”

“You are welcome.” Sura raised his hands. “And now we eat.”

Everyone dug into the food, even mischievous Intira, who joined them halfway through the meal. She sat next to Kyra, watching Kyra and Leo intently.

“I have heard from the Bangkok house,” Alyah said later when the food had been taken away and fruit was laid on the table.

Intira was shooed off to play in the forest with two of the monks to guard her so the grown-ups could talk.

“They have questioned the brothers there extensively,” Alyah continued, “and can find none who were in the area at the time of Prija’s attempted abduction. So we may be dealing with travelers who misunderstood the situation.”

Sura frowned. “Ginny, do you know of any scribes in Chiang Mai that the watcher in Bangkok might not know about?”

“Lots,” Ginny said. “There are so many training gyms there. It’s very popular, especially for younger scribes from America or Canada who were never placed in a proper academy. There is only one in the United States, for instance. It’s on the East Coast, and it’s very costly.”

“You have to pay for the scribe academy there?” Leo asked.

“Yes.”

He’d never heard of that before. “So scribes wanting further training in martial arts come all the way here?”

“Sometimes.” Ginny shrugged. “It’s not just the money. In the States, they’d be different. Odd. Their tattoos would be noticeable and asked about. Here, they’re different and odd, but humans will usually dismiss it as foreign mannerisms and most people wouldn’t ask about tattoos. Also, Thai people tend to be more conservative about casual touch.” She pointedly looked at Kyra’s hand where Leo was playing with it. “So scribes can avoid contact more easily.”

“Our culture is more suited to Irin customs than American culture,” Alyah said.

Ginny said, “You’re just saying that because you hate it when I hug you.”

Alyah allowed a small smile.

“Interesting,” Leo said. “So regarding Prija, it could easily have been foreign scribes traveling through who didn’t know or understand that Prija wasn’t being exploited. That she was safe here. They must have known she had angelic blood, and they might have thought they were doing the right thing in trying to take her.”

“Possibly.”

Leo could tell from Sura and Niran’s faces they were skeptical. Perhaps Leo was being too forgiving, but he could understand how the mix-up could happen. There wasn’t enough guidance from the Elder Council on such things. The rules of this new world weren’t clear.

“Either way,” Alyah said. “What they did was not sanctioned by the Bangkok scribe house. I have explained the situation here, what you have been doing in Chiang Mai to secure the city, and our watcher is interested in further conversations to coordinate our activities.”

Niran nodded. “Thank you. I’ll talk to Sura privately and let you know what we decide is the best course for our family.”

“Of course.” Alyah nodded but didn’t press for more.

Leo suspected the free Grigori of Chiang Mai and the Irin in Bangkok would be able to form an alliance to benefit them both. While Niran wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, Alyah was more than diplomatic, and Sura’s personality tended toward cooperation. The fact that the emissary from the scribe house was female instead of male probably helped, given past tensions between Grigori and scribes. Either way, it appeared that Leo’s mission to Thailand was nearing completion.

But how long did Kyra expect to remain? And how would Leo build her trust in him when he was thousands of miles away?

* * *

Leo, Alyah, and Ginny departed the temple that night with an invitation to return the next afternoon. They spent a quiet morning in Chiang Mai, drinking coffee by the river and talking about everything they’d learned, while Ginny gently teased him about Kyra and Alyah tried to change the subject. By the time they arrived back at the temple, Leo was jumping through his skin, he was so eager to see Kyra.

To his disappointment, she was teaching her meditation classes with the other kareshta. Alyah and Ginny went to find the class while Leo tamped down his impatience and accepted Niran’s invitation to watch Sura perform a Sak Yant tattoo for one of his brothers.

Despite Niran’s subtle antagonism, the process was utterly fascinating.

“What do you use for ink?” Leo asked Niran quietly as Sura inked the tattoo with a long bamboo stick with a metal point. The process was similar to Irin tattoos, though Leo used an ivory needle rather than a metal one.

“Normal human ink.” Niran frowned and looked at Leo’s talesm. “Why? What do you use?”

“We make our ink from ash.” Leo didn’t know if he was supposed to share the information with Grigori, but Sura had been open about their tattooing practice with him, so Leo didn’t feel right being secretive.

“Interesting.”

“I don’t know if it’s only tradition or if there is a magical element to it,” Leo said. “But our sacred fires do hold power. I was healed from a heaven-forged blade by the sacred fire.” He lifted his shirt to show Niran the scar where he’d been stabbed in Istanbul. “It still stings sometimes, but it doesn’t make me weak.” The scar itself was an ink-black jagged line that Leo had tattooed around to help the wound heal. It had been two years before he felt back to full strength after the injury.

“We don't tattoo around injuries.”

“You might try. This tattooing is powerful,” Leo said. “I can feel it.”

“Day-to-day practice is where the power comes from,” Niran said. “The tattoo is only a symbol of that.”

“Don’t discount the power of the tattoo,” Leo said. “Your natural magic lies with the written word. It’s the same magic that allows us to learn languages so quickly. Any written system speaks to us, even if it’s human in origin. The fact that this practice is so old means it holds power. The words are in Sanskrit?”

“No, Pali. Older than Sanskrit, but I believe they are related.”

“I believe you are correct.”

The origins of Sak Yant were very interesting, in Leo’s opinion. He’d spoken with Ava about the spells she’d learned from the Fallen, primarily from the trickster Vasu, and Azril, the angel of death, who was neither Fallen nor Forgiven. The spells she’d learned from both of them reminded Leo far more of Sanskrit than the Old Language of the Irin. Leo made a mental note to find a Pali scholar among the scribes in Thailand or India as soon as possible. It could be the Pali language was more closely related to the Old Language than any scribe had realized before.

“How many brothers do you have now?” Leo asked.

“Around fifty altogether,” Niran said. “But not all of them live here.”

“Your father was prolific.”

“He was a bastard. And he was prolific. I’m only counting the sons who follow our path. There are more who have fled north. They’re not allowed in our territory unless they’re willing to follow Sura’s and my rules.”

“Similar to how Kostas operates then.”

Niran nodded. “That’s what Kyra said. I think Kostas and I would agree on many things.”

Oh, I bet you would.

Leo ignored the jab at his relationship with Kyra. Niran had been a good host, and he was hardly to blame for being attracted to a woman like Kyra.

“When will Kyra be done teaching?” Leo asked.

A muscle jumped in Niran’s jaw. “She usually teaches until dinnertime.”

Leo smiled. “I’m so glad Sura invited us.”

“Yes,” Niran said. “I’m sure you are.”

* * *

But somehow, despite Leo’s best intentions, they never seemed to find a minute alone. Kyra waved at Leo from a distance as Intira dragged her away to show her a new game before dinner. They sat beside each other during the meal, but both of them were peppered with questions on one topic or another.

As the hours passed, Leo’s frustration grew.

“Come with me for walk,” he said. “After the meal is finished. We’ll walk in the forest.”

Kyra smiled. “I would love to. But before we do that—”

“Kyra, do you have a moment?” Sura asked.

Leo squeezed her hand, then released her to talk with Sura.

Niran and Alyah remained at the table with two other free Grigori warriors, chatting about training regimens and discussing logistics for merging activities and improving communication between the houses.

Leo stood and wandered through the garden between the temple and the forest. It was clear night, and the moon was nearly full. The wind soughed through the bamboo, and Leo let his imagination run wild. He wanted to kiss Kyra in the shadows. Watch the silver moonlight touch her skin. He felt greedy with desire for her.

Ginny was sitting in the garden, smoking a thin cigarette and staring at the moon.

Leo walked out to her. “Those are bad for you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I know. Good thing I’m magic.”

“True.” He sat next to her on the bench. “Tell me your story.”

She eyed him. “Are you always so cheerful and up-front?”

“I try to be. My cousin is the secretive one. There’s only so much stealth allowed in one family, so I’m the optimist.”

Ginny smiled. “I can see that.”

“So?”

“My story?”

He nodded.

“Not very interesting.” Her eyes told him different. “I live here. I’d like to say quietly, but it doesn’t suit my personality. I didn’t feel comfortable in America. The few Irina there tend to be very…”

“Conventional?”

“Yes.” She took another drag on her cigarette. “So I came here. I keep to myself and avoid Bangkok. Chiang Mai is much more relaxed, and I can train with good fighters.”

“Were you always a warrior?”

A flicker in her eyes. “No.”

And that was that. There was clearly more to the story, but Leo wasn’t going to get it out of her no matter how cheerful and up-front she found him.

But the conversation about convention gave him an idea. “I want to ask you a question. Please know that, despite having three new sisters in my house with whom I talk frequently, I am ignorant of most Irina magic.”

She smiled at the corner of her mouth. “What makes you think we’d answer your questions if you asked, scribe?”

“Nothing.” He raised his hands. “Obviously it’s none of my concern.” He glanced at Kyra. “Except when it is.”

Ginny’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

The reminder of Kyra’s mortality felt like a punch to his solar plexus. “How old are you, sister?”

“Ah,” Ginny said. “I think the more important question is, how old is she?”

“Too old. And she fears… She doesn’t know how long she has. I know it frightens her.”

“With good reason,” Ginny said. “If kareshta are anything like Grigori, they don’t have that much longer than humans without help from the Fallen. They don’t age like humans do, but one day they’ll just snuff out. Like they’ve got an expiration date or something. I’ve seen it happen. A Grigori fell to dust in front of my eyes without me lifting a finger. Weirdest thing I ever saw.”

He stood—wanting to rage, to hit something—but then he sat again. There was nothing he could do to prevent it. Kyra was clearly not open to mating with him solely to save her life, even though Leo was willing. For some reason, he’d thought they’d have some warning. To hear Ginny say Kyra’s life could be extinguished like a candle flame filled him with fear and anger.

“Will she know?” Leo asked.

“I don’t have any idea. Maybe ask Sura or Niran? If you love her, why don’t you just—?”

“She’s not willing,” he said. “Not right now. She’s probably right. It’s too early. She knows we mate for life, and she’s not willing… I mean, we’ve known each other for three years, but we’ve only just—”

“She’s not sure of her feelings,” Ginny said. “Or yours.” She nodded. “I can respect that.”

“Can you?”

“Yes.” Ginny tapped an ash off her cigarette into a small brass ashtray. “It’s better than rushing into something to save her life and then being miserable for eternity.”

“I don’t want her miserable. I don’t want her trapped,” Leo said. “But I do want her alive.”

She tapped her finger on her knee. “I don’t think your feelings are in question, are they?”

No. The rage-inducing thought of losing Kyra was enough to make Leo near-certain Kyra was his reshon. He didn’t care that she wasn’t Irina. Ava wasn’t technically Irina either. The Creator wouldn’t continue to set them in each other’s path if they weren’t. His touch wouldn’t give her so much comfort and his voice wouldn’t be so clear.

His heart wouldn’t feel raw at the thought of her death if she wasn’t meant to be his life.

“I don’t want her coming to me out of obligation or fear,” he said, his voice rough. “Is there anything you can do?”

Ginny pursed her lips. “I could sing some magic for her. It wouldn’t be anything long term, but it would give her a boost. Give you two some time.”

“Can you teach her the spells to use herself?”

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

“She’s powerless, Ginny. The Irina teach the kareshta to shield their minds, but everything else? They’re on their own. They have nothing.”

“Leo, you’re asking me to give Irina magic to Grigori sisters.”

“I’m asking you to trust Kyra,” he said through gritted teeth. “Are they our allies or not?”

“You tell me.” Ginny’s voice was brittle. “You tell me if they’re our allies, Leo.”

“I can’t believe you’re asking that. You know—”

“I know what?” Ginny stubbed out her cigarette in the grass. “I know… They say the right things. They have sympathetic stories. I’m open to listening. I’m open to believing they could be more.”

“But you don’t trust them?”

“You think I don’t have reason to doubt?” Ginny asked. “Did you see your sisters slaughtered by Grigori? Have you seen whole families wiped out from their savagery? I’ve felt their blood spill hot on my hands after they raped and killed my sister, so you tell me. Should I give them magic that could make them even more powerful? I’m glad it’s so easy for you to know.”

Leo heard movement at the edge of the garden. Sura and Kyra stood near the pond, clearly having overheard Ginny’s devastating words. Sura’s eyes were wet with grief. Kyra’s face was stricken.

Ginny stared at them, then she stood and walked toward the temple without a word.

“Kyra.” Leo stood.

She was shaking her head. “It’s not going to work. It’s not fair for anyone, Leo. We can’t ask them to accept—”

“We can!”

“No.” She turned and walked toward the forest path.

Leo started after her, but Sura grabbed his arm. Leo was surprised at the iron grip of the smaller man.

“Wait,” Sura said. “Think about what she’s saying before you go to her.”

Leo wrenched his arm away. “Do you think she’s right?”

“No. I think union between Irin and Grigori brings healing. But healing can be painful.”

Leo could still hear Ginny’s footsteps on the gravel. He could hear Kyra walking through the bamboo.

“I’ll try to talk to Ginny if you think it will help,” Sura said quietly. “I don’t want to cause her more grief.”

“I don’t know her well enough to know what is right. Perhaps you should talk to Alyah.”

Sura nodded and walked toward the dining room.

Leo took a deep breath and headed toward the cottages. He wasn’t willing to give up. Not when she was finally giving him a chance.

* * *

He marched to her cottage and paused before he knocked. He didn’t want to barge in like the tank his brothers joked about, but he wanted to take some action to make everything better. Fight something. Break something. Get everyone laughing. He was good at those things.

Leo knew this wasn’t a problem that could be fixed that way.

Think about what she’s saying before you go to her.

Kyra had lived in secrecy, watching her brothers killed by those of Leo’s kind, often after they had already turned away from preying on humans. By all rights, she should be terrified of him. Irin law had been black-and-white. Irin good. Grigori bad. There had never been any nuance allowed.

With good reason, from the Irin perspective. Grigori had slaughtered their families, wiping out eighty percent of their women and children in the Rending. Irin society had been torn apart for hundreds of years and was changing now only by increments. Layer upon layer of trust had to be rebuilt. Between Irin and Irina. Between free Grigori and wary scribes. And trust between free Grigori and Irina?

Did you see your sisters slaughtered by Grigori? Should I give them magic that could make them even more powerful?

Perhaps they were asking the impossible.

Frustrated, Leo turned and sat on the top step of Kyra’s porch. He sat there, looking at the moon and feeling the weight of Kyra’s sorrow in the back of his mind. He didn’t know how he felt it, but he did. He could feel her pain. Feel her hopelessness.

He tangled his hands in his hair and gripped hard, wishing he could take her pain into his own body and knowing that every moment that ticked by could be her last.

The thought of it pushed him toward madness.

Her door opened, and Kyra came and sat beside him, being careful not to touch. “You aren’t shielding your thoughts very well.”

“I have nothing to hide from you.”

She drew in a long breath. “Leo, what were you asking Ginny?”

“To give you the spells you need to save your life.” He paused, kept himself from looking at her. If he looked at her, he’d want to hold her, and he didn’t think she wanted to be touched. “It seemed like a reasonable request at the time.”

“Irina were targeted for centuries,” Kyra said. “Hunted down. Forced into hiding. They have reasons for their secrets.”

He let out a rueful laugh. “Trust you to be understanding about someone withholding magic that could save your life.”

“It’s not about me.”

“It should be!” He couldn’t help himself. Leo turned toward Kyra and cupped her cheeks in his big hands. She was so small. So delicate.

Like a fairy princess, Ava had once said.

“It should be about you,” Leo whispered. “Because you’re kind and wise and beautiful, inside and out. You deserve more than to have your life taken away just as you’re beginning to really live.”

Tears fell down her cheeks, and Leo’s heart went to his throat as he brushed them away with his thumbs.

“It should be about you,” he whispered. “Hasn’t anyone told you that before? You deserve that. You deserve everything.”

“Leo.” She closed her eyes.

“Please don’t stop looking at me,” he said. He kissed her cheeks, felt her tears hot on his lips. “Please stay with me.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Be my mate, Kyra. Let me give you my magic. Let me give you everything.”

“I can’t,” she said. “Not yet.”

“Because you might be taking advantage of me?” He curled his fingers around her shoulders. “Please take advantage of me. I’m begging you.”

Kyra let out a watery laugh and sniffed. She lifted a hand to Leo’s cheek and let it rest there.

Leo let out a long breath, grateful that she hadn’t pulled away but still frustrated at her stubborn sense of honor.

Even though it was one of the things he loved about her.

He loved her. Everything about her. It wasn’t just about her being his reshon, even though he was nearly certain of it. He loved her. Her goodness and her loyalty. Her quiet determination and pride.

The words were on the tip of his tongue when he heard a child running toward them.

Leo let Kyra go and stood, sweeping his eyes through the trees. There was something about the panicked breath of a child that put every instinct on alert. He brushed a thumb over his talesm prim and activated his magic between one breath and the next. His heartbeat slowed and steadied. His eyes became sharper. His hearing keener. Power rippled over his skin like armor.

“There.” Kyra stood next to him, pointing into the forest. “It’s Intira. She’s terrified. The others are already coming this way.”

Leo bounded down the stairs and toward the sound of the frightened child crashing through the forest. He saw her stumble over a rock and caught her as she fell. “What’s wrong?” he said, going to his knees. “Intira, what has happened?”

“It’s Prija.” Her face was dirty and tearstained. “They took Prija.”