Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) (26 page)

“At least I got one dance in,” Sem said as he returned her to her table. His charming grin made her own lips turn up. “I appreciate you sacrificing your comfort for me, Ma’jah.”

“Very different from hitting the frat house dance floor, isn’t it?” Kyr asked.

“Yeah. Where’s Avana’s spastic twerking when you need it?” he deadpanned.

Kyr choked on a sip of water as she laughed. Behind her, Ty reached out to tap her between the shoulder blades in an effort to help her stop coughing. The entire scene struck her as hilarious, especially when her stiff-postured parents waltzed by and frowned at her.

Twerking, indeed.

“Guess I’ll go see if Avana is up to hitting the floor with me,” Sem said, bowing at the waist. “Rest up for next time, Ma’jah.”

She waved him off, still clearing her throat from the inhaled water. Tears of laughter were just fading from her vision when JuwalDane approached. Kyr found herself sitting straighter as the much taller, curvier female stepped up onto the platform, her gaze lingering for a moment on Ty before meeting Kyr’s.

“Good eve, Ma’jah Kyr,” the female Mynder said with a bow. It was deep enough to give Kyr a glimpse of Juwal’s breasts spilling over the edge of her ivory gown’s bodice. “I hope you are enjoying the celebration. We are all delighted by your Ascension.”

“Thank you.”

Kyr struggled not to squirm under Juwal’s penetrating blue-green gaze. She shouldn’t feel inferior to the other female, she knew. But she couldn’t control that reaction on her part. Her mother had done enough damage with her barbed comments about her appearance that Kyr found herself lacking.

You’re ridiculous
, Ty silently argued. She felt his frustration behind the thought, which only made her feel worse.

“I saw you dancing with SemDane,” Juwal said, glancing in the direction Ty’s cousin had traveled. “It hasn’t escaped my notice that the two of you became close during your time together on Earth.”

Uncertain what to say, Kyr lifted a shoulder. “He’s a good friend.”

“Indeed.” Juwal turned back to her. “I just hope your feelings haven’t progressed beyond that. You have come of age and Ascended. Pairing you with the Faire-Amanti is now going to be one of my chief focuses, and you know the Guardians would never approve a Dane as your match.”

Kyr froze. She felt Ty tense behind her, too. Words struggled to find their way around the rapid pulse in her neck. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Glancing briefly up at Ty and then back at Kyr, Juwal smiled and said, “Well, I just wanted to offer you my congratulations, Ma’jah. I hope you enjoy the rest of the celebration.”

This time, Kyr managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

She and Ty watched the Mynder turn and enter the crowded dance floor. Neither of them felt like celebrating, though. They’d just been reminded in a rather stark way that their relationship with each other was short-lived.

After several minutes of silent wallowing, Kyr shook it off. She was thinking of her future as mapped out, but that didn’t have to be true. She was the Ascendant. This day was all about celebrating that. If she couldn’t craft her own future, what good was she? Sure, her parents seemed to feel that she and Ty couldn’t be in a relationship, but did that mean their minds couldn’t be changed?

There was only one way to find out…and she was determined to do it soon.

Bonus Chapter #2

Ty didn’t sleep well that night. His mind kept replaying the conversation between Kyr and JuwalDane. With Kyr having been back on Alametria less than a week, he hadn’t expected a conversation about the Faire-Amanti so soon. What was the rush? Didn’t Kyr have enough to deal with right now?

He had wanted to go to Kyr’s chambers during the night, but he couldn’t risk the mind manipulation that would entail…not so soon after having done it before her Ruvex Rite. Plus, he intended to get her back into training mode, so she needed her rest.

When the morning finally arrived, he changed into the clothing he usually wore for training: lightweight black armor that would allow him to be hit, but not injured. He ate a few energy wafers for breakfast, washing them down with water. Then he headed to Kyr’s chambers.

Thanks to remaining connected with the Mynders guarding her, he knew she was still sleeping. He had warned her after the celebration that he intended to restart her training, though he doubted she expected him this early. Unfortunately for her, he didn’t want to wait any longer to see her again.

“Good morn,
Dem-Shyr
,” said the senior of the two Mynders guarding Kyr’s chamber doors.

Ty nodded. He was still weeding out which of the Mynders were under Vycor’s influence and which ones were loyal to him and Kyr. Until he had time to do more screening, he wasn’t about to get friendly with anyone. Gren and Sem were the only two he fully trusted.

The Mynders opened the chamber doors at his silent command, closing them behind him as he walked inside. He gave another nod of acknowledgement to the Wrym who were dusting the furniture in the entry parlor, then knocked once on Kyr’s bedroom door before letting himself in.

She didn’t even stir as he stepped inside, deliberately leaving the door open to avoid questions by the Wrym. He grinned over the sight of her sprawled across her bed. She was practically sideways. One foot poked out from under the mound of her comforter on the side of the bed closest to him. Dark hair curled in a wide arc that covered part of her pillow and most of her face.

“Rise and shine, Ma’jah,” he said, sitting down on the bed hard enough to jar her.

All he received in response was a grunt. Reaching over, he poked her in the side. She grumbled and brought her arm down to protect herself.

Grinning, he moved over to the edge of the bed where he’d seen the exposed foot. Reaching down, he lifted it in one hand and trailed his fingers over it with the other.

She issued a shriek, jerking awake like he’d zapped her with electricity. Tightening his grip, he tickled her until she was crying with laughter and trying her best to shove him off the bed. He finally had mercy on her when she said she really had to pee.

“If you want to learn how to get yourself free from that kind of hold in the future,” he said as he headed into the parlor to allow the Wrym to take over, “get ready for training and I’ll show you.”

“How rude,” she huffed.

It was all for form, though. He felt her gaze on him, appreciating the way the armor displayed his body. Her thought came through loud and clear.

I can’t wait
.

* * *

An hour later, it was his turn to admire her in her training gear. The Wrym had helped her don the midnight blue armor that hugged her slender figure. Ty was glad she had managed to deactivate whatever it was that caused his forearms to glow when he had inappropriate thoughts about her, or he would have been in serious trouble.

He sensed her humor over that as she walked beside him along the secluded hallway leading to the training room. They had entered the hallway through the hidden door in her closet. Ty knew the hallway wasn’t private, though, so he had to keep his hands to himself…for now.

After conversing with her the night before, he knew she didn’t remember the rules in place around her training. He, on the other hand, was only too aware of them. Shortly after he assumed his powers as the
Dem-Shyr
, he and Gren had a conversation with the Guardians about Kyr’s training. Gren had pointed out that anyone who knew all of the logistics of her training lessons would also know how to work around them to possibly harm her. Thus, no single person should oversee all of her training, and no one should be in the room with Kyr and her trainer during a session.

Well, no one except Ty.

It was mandated during that conversation that all of Kyr’s training should be done in private for her protection. That meant Ty now had at least one hour of uninterrupted time with Kyr ahead of him. It would be their first time truly alone since their time together after her Ruvex Rite.

Although he wasn’t sure how he would manage it, he knew he had to focus on her training before he touched her in the way he really wanted to. He had to make sure she could defend herself. Before she left for her life lessons, she trained nearly every day in many different disciplines. Years had passed since then, but the knowledge was still there. He would help her rebuild her muscle tone and recover the skills she had forgotten.

When they entered the training room, he made sure to lock the door behind them. Then he shoved his libido to the side so he could focus on Kyr’s safety.

“We’ll start by warming up,” he said, walking over to a section of padded flooring. “Stretching first, followed by cardio.”

“Stretching?”

He heard the disbelief in her voice. Puzzled, he met her gaze and waved her over so she joined him on the mats. “Yes, stretching. Do you not remember that we begin all of your training sessions this way?”

“I do remember,” she said, her eyebrows drawn together. “But we’re alone. I thought…”

He tried to pull her thoughts from her mind so he understood why she was hesitating, but she kept them guarded. He tried again to explain. “Kyr, it’s important that you know how to defend yourself. Vycor proved that you need to—”

“Fine.”

She issued the word in an abrupt way that told him it was anything but. He started to try and finish his explanation, but she dropped to the mat and parted her legs in a wide V to begin stretching. Judging by the ease with which she bent down to grab her flexed foot while her forehead touched her knee, she hadn’t been out of practice in her physical activity during her lessons away from Alametria.

“Well? Aren’t you going to stretch?” she asked, switching to her other foot.

“Uh…huh.”

That was all he could manage. Closing his open mouth, he lowered himself onto the mat. He made sure his position allowed him to watch her.

“Are there any particular stretches you think will best prepare me for today’s training,
Dem-Shyr
?” she asked.

Her blue eyes met his as she reached for the ceiling with her joined hands, making her breasts press against the tight armor. His mouth went dry. He paused in the middle of a stretch that had him hovering over his right quadriceps as she leaned back. All of the blood rushed out of his head.

“
Dem-Shyr?
” she prompted.

“You’re doing fine,” he said in a strained voice.

They worked in silence for a few more minutes. He stopped watching her in an effort to get himself back under control. His body was telling him to skip the training, but his mind argued that he couldn’t. The conflict continued even as he got to his feet and helped Kyr to hers.

“Let’s focus on hand-to-hand combat,” he said.

“By all means.”

Something in Kyr’s tone told him that she was upset. He still couldn’t read anything in her thoughts, though. Suppressing his frustration, he walked over to another section of padded flooring, this one surrounded by padded walls on two sides.

“Do you remember the Bantova techniques you learned before leaving Alametria?” he asked.

“I think so.”

“Good. We’ll start with those.” Walking to one side of the mat, he turned to face her. “You’re on offense.”

She launched herself at him. He barely had time to lift his arms in a defensive pose. Her foot whirled by an inch from his head, followed by two swift punches to his upper body. Instinct had him deflecting the blows and shoving her backwards.

“It’s customary to wait for the trainer’s go-ahead,” he pointed out as they circled each other.

“Would an attacker give me a warning?” she countered. “If you want to train, let’s freaking train.”

She was more than upset, he realized. She was pissed.

“Kyr, what’s troubling you?”

This time, her kick came dangerously close to his groin. “Not a thing,
Dem-Shyr
. Just trying to make the most of our time together…training.”

Her deliberate use of his title combined with her caustic tone had his own temper rising. He couldn’t question her further because she continued to attack, coming at him with a series of kicks and jabs that backed him right up to one of the padded walls.

Well, at least she had retained a good deal of her training.

He let her go for a few minutes, then said, “Defend.”

She didn’t stop, though. Her punches grew in intensity, making him wonder how she wasn’t crying out in pain. Her strength astonished him. She was hitting harder than many males he’d trained with. Was she gaining in physical strength due to her Ascension?

“Kyr,
defend
,” he repeated.

She lifted a foot in a deliberate move meant to further defy him. He grabbed it and twisted, knocking her to the ground. She wrenched herself over onto her back. Before she could get to her feet, he fell on top of her, keeping her down. Their chests rose and fell as their exertion caught up with them.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Get off of me,
Dem-Shyr
,” she ordered, bucking against him. “I’m doing what you said you wanted to do. I’m
training
.”

She tried to push him off, so he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. His legs weighed hers down. For a moment, she tried to yank herself free, writhing violently in a bid to escape. He felt every bit of her emotion as she let her control slip. Hurt. Anger. Heartache. It all struck him at once.

“Kyr…you think I don’t want you anymore?” he asked.

“Get out of my head!” she shouted, turning to avoid his gaze.

But he saw her tears anyway.

“Kyr.” The word sounded like a caress.
How could you possibly think that? I love you
.

She made a choking sound as his thought reached her. Her emotion heightened. Confusion. Fear. Uncertainty. It all created a churning whirlpool inside her. But why?

He connected more deeply with her mind, catching glimpses as she remembered the encounter with Juwal the night before. In Kyr’s mind, Juwal was more beautiful than she was, and she thought Juwal was secretly enamored with Ty. Juwal also held Kyr’s future in her hands as the Mynder who would select the Faire-Amanti. All of these things served to heighten Kyr’s insecurities.

She had expected Ty to come to her room during the night so they could discuss things and figure out what to do, but he didn’t. She had expected him to want to spend their time alone in the training room making love to her, but he didn’t. Clearly, he didn’t want her anymore.

He knew then that he’d never fully understand the way a female’s mind worked. But he knew enough to figure that he was somehow to blame for Kyr’s distress. So it was only right that he fix it, wasn’t it?

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against her temple. The move made her turn in surprise. He took advantage, claiming her mouth.

I love you, Kyr. Stop doubting yourself. You didn’t sense Juwal’s envy of you, but I did. You’re perfect
.

She responded to both his kiss and his thoughts, allowing her anger and confusion to ebb away as her lips softened against his.
I’m sorry, Ty. Everything has just been so overwhelming. I don’t know how I’m going to handle all of this
.

I’ll help you
.

When she tugged her hands free of his, he didn’t fight her. She ran her fingers through his hair as they kissed, her lips parting beneath his as she moaned with pleasure. His hands caressed her as the taste of her shot through him like a stimulant. He could never get enough of her.

They kissed until they were both struggling for air. Ty pulled himself away from her mouth, propping himself on his elbows to keep from crushing her as he caught his breath. There was no way he’d be able to focus on training now.

Guess you’ll have to make love to me instead
, she thought.

He started to smile. Then a soft noise propelled him to his feet. His eyes caught the faintest movement of shadow beneath the bottom of the door on the other side of the room. The noise he’d heard had been the door closing.

Someone had seen them.

Running across the room, he wrenched the door open. It was no longer locked, just as he’d suspected. Glancing either way along the hallway, he saw no movement. His mind reached out, but all he caught was a low-level sense of shock. Whoever had seen them was skilled at masking their thoughts. He couldn’t leave Kyr unprotected by trying to hunt the other person down.

In short, his relationship with Kyr was likely about to come to an unhappy end.

“No,” Kyr said from behind him. “I won’t let it.”

Stepping back into the training room, Ty closed the door. “We don’t have a choice, Kyr.”

“I’m the Ascendant. I’ll make it a choice.”

Over the past ten minutes, her demeanor had undergone a dramatic transformation. Gone was the insecure and afraid young woman. Here stood a strong, confident woman who made him want to believe her.

She reached up to touch the side of his face. “That’s because I know I’ll have you by my side, Ty. As you reminded me last night, we can do anything together.”

Maybe she was right, he thought as she leaned up to kiss him again. Maybe they really could change the way things were done on Alametria. Maybe they could make everyone see reason.

Right then, they had no way to know. All they could do was love each other and try.