Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series) (7 page)

Over the past few days, Kyr’s attitude towards the entire poisoning investigation had changed, too. She had progressed from numbness to helplessness to anger, and was now at the take-action stage. She wanted to find out who had done it and why, and she wanted to find out
now
.

Ty was in complete agreement with her, outside of her desire to plow into peoples’ minds and force information out of them. He reasoned with her that they couldn’t abuse their power that way. It would be like the human police forcefully interrogating an entire city in order to catch one criminal. Alametrians had rights, and he and Kyr had to respect them. She would regret it, he assured her, if she harmed an innocent person due to her frustration and impatience.

The truth was, even Ty’s rationalizations might not have worked if Kyr wasn’t also thinking about the Guardians and how they would react if she or Ty used their abilities that way. If she was going to convince them to allow Ty to become the Faire-Amanti, she couldn’t afford to tick them off.

So she filled her days with activities that took her mind off of the flagging investigation. Since the V’larians had finally returned home to share the news of her Ascension with their people, she didn’t have any political tasks to handle. That left her free to visit with her friend Avana and her Kyndred, Wyk and Ullah, as much as she wanted. All of them were worried sick about her and spent as much time with her as possible. It was quite the departure from her birth parents, who hadn’t checked on her once. Nor had Vycor, for that matter, but Kyr was grateful about that.

When she wasn’t spending time with those she loved, she was training. Ty had gotten her into a rotation that varied throughout the week. Some days he trained her, some days Gren trained her, and some days, like today, Ty’s cousin, Sem, trained her.

“You seem partial to the Ora blades,” Sem observed as they selected weapons for the last part of that day’s training.

Kyr held up the twin blades he referenced and gave them a considering study. The slender lines of metal, each about as long as a man’s forearm, gleamed in the pink sunlight filtering through a skylight in the training room’s ceiling. The blades had been artfully etched, giving them a deceptive beauty. She knew well enough that the blades were as lethal as they were delicate in appearance.

“They suit me,” she said as she covered the blades with protective covers for training.

“They certainly do,” Sem agreed.

Something about his tone sounded suggestive. On the far side of the room, Ty crossed his arms over his chest, telling her he thought the same thing. Not wanting to start a fight between the cousins, she turned on her booted heel and strode into the center of the room.

“Don’t go trying to take it easy on me with this lesson, SemDane,” she said in her most royal tone. “I’ll never learn to properly defend myself if you hold back.”

Sem looked affronted. “Why do you think that I…?” He trailed off at her give-me-a-break look. “Fine. I won’t hold back. But don’t blame me when you end up a weeping, sniveling mess on the mat. You’ll get no sympathy from me just because you’re a woman.”

“Well, you’ll get no sympathy from me just because you’re a man,” she countered.

She assumed a defensive stance as he whipped the bo he held in an arc to test its weight. She had to be on her toes. The pole-like weapon he had chosen gave him the advantage of range since it was longer than her blades. He was also the most nimble person she’d ever met. The guy was like a cat or one of the ninjas from the human movies she had seen. He moved quickly, silently, and lethally if he wanted to.

Fortunately, her growing abilities included extra strength and speed. Although she hadn’t been able to keep up with him yet, she found that he challenged her physically more than Ty or Gren. That, in turn, helped her develop those skills.

He was true to his word. The bo swung around him like a natural extension of his body, whirling towards her with the intent to disarm and neutralize. She used her blades and the angle of her body to deflect him, jumping, twirling, and rolling to escape his attack. The sound of her sheathed weapons contacting the solid wood of the bo filled the room. She pushed herself, moving as quickly as she could. But even with her enhanced speed and the two blades, she couldn’t get through his defenses.

She unfurled her abilities, following his movements as they circled around the mats in a combative dance. Her swords lashed out in testing strikes, thudding against the bo again and again.

And then, like a glimmer flashing in her mind, her intuition spoke to her. She went low, sweeping across Sem’s legs so he had to jump to get out of the way. He instinctively brought the bo up and then down as he landed. She allowed it to whistle past her shoulder as she turned, using the sword in her right hand to slice in the direction of his neck.

He moved at the last possible second. Her sword swept uselessly through the air, upsetting her balance. Before she could right herself, the end of the bo smacked her under the chin, snapping her head back. She flew back onto the mat.

As her breath returned to her, she blinked a few times. She registered that Sem and Ty were both leaning over her. How had they gotten to her so quickly?

“You blacked out,” Ty said.

“I did? Well, that sucks.” Her gaze moved to Sem, who looked a little pale. “I’d like to point out that I’m not weeping or sniveling.”

The anxiety in his eyes eased a bit. “And I have no sympathy for you,” he said. “You should have anticipated my move and angled yourself to strike me from behind. If you had, you would have won that match.”

Ty reached along her collarbone to cradle her neck. “Let me check your injuries. You were hit at a dangerous angle.”

His anger towards his cousin was clear to her, even though his tone was calm. “Don’t be upset with Sem,” she said. “I wanted him to challenge me.”

Ty’s fingers moved along the back of her neck as he felt for injury. His touch sent pleasant shivers along her entire body. She suddenly wished the injury had happened somewhere other than her neck.

Giving her a look as he picked up the thought, he said, “Everything seems fine. I think we’re done for today, though.”

Sem nodded in agreement. He helped Kyr sit up. “You know, if you wanted me on top of you while you were flat on the mat, all you had to do was ask.”

She couldn’t help but grin over the cheesy line and accompanying eyebrow wiggle. Ty didn’t appreciate Sem’s flirtations, but she had to admit she got a kick out of them.

“You obviously haven’t undergone the Rite yet,” she observed.

“Nope,” he confirmed, grabbing their weapons and walking over to the weapons rack to put them away. “Ty agreed to let me keep all of those pesky feelings and emotions that the Guardians wanted repressed. At moments like this, I think he regrets that decision.”

A smile threatened her, but she held it back. This was actually a serious subject. Like all Alametrians, Sem was supposed to have undergone the Ruvex Rite when he returned from off-planet so that he could be purged of negativity and sexual impulses. Ty’s decision to allow his cousin to bypass the Rite could have serious consequences if anyone found out.

You and I both know he’s hardly the only one
, Ty thought.

He was right. They had both discovered over the past couple weeks that Alametrians were experiencing all kinds of feelings that they shouldn’t. As her abilities strengthened, she picked up on those feelings more and more.

The problem was, they didn’t know why. It seemed things had changed while they were off-planet for her life lessons. So far, they hadn’t discovered exactly how.

But she suspected
who
. Vycor.

Maybe it was time she met with the Advisor, she privately mused as Ty led her from the training room and they parted with Sem. Vycor had shown some level of interest in her. She wasn’t sure if it was physical attraction or just a lust for her power, but she knew there was something between them that she could possibly play upon in order to gather information.

If an opportunity presented itself, she would see what she could discover. Maybe she’d even have the chance at her Day of Life celebration that afternoon. Vycor was obviously up to something.

She owed it to the people of Alametria to find out what it was and put a stop to it.

Chapter 9

“Welcome back, Ma’jah Kyr,” Zasha greeted her as she and Ty entered her chambers.

Kyr smiled. Per her request, the Wrym who worked with her every day had recently started speaking to her, though they only did so if Shaya wasn’t around. Zasha seemed the most comfortable with this change.

“Thanks, Zasha. I’m ready to get refreshed after that training session.”

“Would you like some tea, Ma’jah?”

“No, thanks.” Kyr headed straight to the bathing chamber. “I really just want to have a bath.”

Zasha hurried ahead, signaling to Heshi and J’li, the Wrym waiting to draw the bathwater. They added scented foam that filled the air with musky hints of wild tilly blossoms as the central cascade of water filled the pond-sized tub. Kyr stood compliantly so the Wrym could help her remove her lightweight armor. She noted that Ty was the only Mynder keeping watch over her bath and barely contained her smile.

“Thank you for preparing my bath, ladies,” she said once she had been completely disrobed. “But now I would like for you to give me some privacy.”

The three Wrym in the room looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes. They obviously didn’t know how to respond.

“As I’ve mentioned,” Kyr explained as she entered the scented water, “I still retain my memories from my time on Earth. I’ve found that I miss taking care of certain personal tasks on my own, including bathing. Since it’s my Day of Life celebration today, I would like to ask that you please give me the gift of privacy. I’ll call you back in here the moment I’m ready to be prepared for today’s event.”

The silence stretched for so long, she didn’t think they’d do it. Zasha was the first to recover.

“Of course, Ma’jah,” she said with a bow. “As you wish.”

She took the arms of her still-befuddled companions and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind them. Ty watched them go before turning back to her.

What was that all about?

Rather than answer him, she walked back out of the water. She had only gone in far enough to reach her waist, so it didn’t take more than a few steps to leave the water and cross the room to him. He showed no reaction as she stood naked before him, but she sensed his uncontrollable surge of desire.

It’s your Day of Life celebration, too
, Dem-Shyr, she thought, reaching for the fastenings of his tunic.
Others may wish to ignore that, but I refuse to. We were born on the same day, at the same time, under the same star. We’re fated to be together. That deserves celebrating.

He held her gaze as she bared his chest.
This is a risk
, he warned.

We live every day with risk. If we were still on Earth, we’d be celebrating with my college friends, enjoying some drinks and having a good time. I don’t see why we can’t enjoy ourselves at least a little just because we’re on our home planet.

She didn’t have to convince him any further. He took over for her, disrobing in swift, efficient movements that made her lips turn up at the corners. There was no denying he was just as excited about this daring tryst as she was. Even if his body didn’t betray him, she could read his thoughts loud and clear.

As he finished undressing, she made sure the door was locked, then led him into the water. She noticed his gaze move to the tray of cleansers on a nearby ledge and recalled some of the stray thoughts he’d had while watching the Wrym bathe her.

Do you want to wash me?
she thought.

Yes.

She smiled and lifted her chin towards the ledge, silently encouraging him to get the cleansers he’d need. Then she waded to the waterfall in the center of the bath so she could douse herself. Ty moved the cleansers onto a floating tray and brought them to her in the waist-high water. She closed her eyes and presented him with her back as he poured some hair cleanser into his hand. Slowly and tenderly, he worked the cleanser into a lather. His fingers felt wonderful as they massaged her scalp.

He repeated the scalp massage with the conditioner after she had rinsed the cleanser from her hair. The experience was both relaxing and arousing at once. By the time she finished rinsing her hair, her entire body was tingling and craving more of his touch.

Blinking water from her eyes, she watched him pour some of her body cleanser into his hands. He obviously didn’t intend to use a cleansing cloth. Pleasurable heat flushed through her as she met his gaze.

May I?
he asked.

She moved to a shallow, chaise-like seat built into the water and settled on it.
Please
.

His sexy smile made her breath catch. He started by washing her arms and sides, making her fight back laughter a couple of times when he reached ticklish spots. From there, he moved down to her legs, rubbing his soapy hands over each foot, calf, and thigh in a sensual massage. As it had been while he washed her hair, his touch was relaxing. It also made her ache for him, especially when he neared the junction of her thighs.

But he didn’t linger there, instead lifting her from the seat so she once again stood in front of him. He paused to get more cleanser and then moved behind her again. His strong hands glided along her neck, across her shoulders, and down to the base of her spine, massaging as they went. When his hands slipped down to cup her backside, she couldn’t stop a moan from escaping.

“Do you like that?” he whispered.

The sensation of his touch combined with his breath against the side of her neck had her knees feeling like they were going to give out. The ache he’d caused in her lower body was now agonizing.

I do
.
Please, Ty
.