Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) (13 page)

Chapter 22

Suck it up, Kyra. You’re supposedly some ruler of worlds. You can’t act like a beaten puppy because a guy you barely remember doesn’t want anything to do with you. Snap out of it! What happened to your self-esteem, for God’s sake?

She kept up the steady stream of encouraging, ass-kicking statements as Ty led her through the corridors. Gren had interrupted them in the bunk room to let Ty know they were about to land, so Ty was apparently taking her somewhere to “secure her.” She used the travel time to try and talk herself out of the funk that she’d fallen into after Ty said things between them would be strictly professional from then on.

There was enough havoc in her life right now, she tried to convince herself. Dealing with Ty’s attitude had to take a low place on the priority list. Besides, she was sure that once she recovered all of her memories, she wouldn’t be into him at all.

Yeah, right.

He brought her to a section of the ship housing several rows of seats. Some of the seats were enclosed by what she thought were safety shields. They reminded her of the tube that had surrounded her when she awoke. Behind the shields, heads turned to look at them as Ty led her to a seat. She didn’t recognize anyone.

“Do we have to use the shields?” she asked Ty.

“Yes.”

Damn
.

Pressing her lips together, she sat down and waited for Ty to help her secure the complicated harness. His hand brushed against her body several times in ways that made her tingle with pleasure, but the lack of interest on his face kept her libido in check. A rush of anger—at Ty as well as herself—made her clench her fists. She had the overwhelming desire to strike him.

His eyes met hers. “Calm yourself, Ma’jah Kyr,” he murmured.

Her anger abated.
Calm…yes, calm
.

She felt his influence on her. Apparently, they had managed to remove at least that much of the barrier in her mind. She wanted to be irritated that he was using his abilities on her, but was powerless to resist him. Why would she want to? she thought as he stepped back and secured her shield. Wasn’t it better to be calm than angry or fearful?

No,
another part of her mind declared.
You’d rather be in control of your own feelings and emotions. What right does he have to tell you how to feel?

Since Ty stood outside of her shield, she held his gaze as that thought raced through her mind. He nodded once. All of her anger and fear flooded back in. She took in a sharp breath, knowing he had done it that way on purpose. She glared at him as he moved to the seat beside her and began securing his harness.

Determined to ignore him, she looked straight ahead at the bland white wall. If he didn’t want to be distracted by her, she would do everything possible to keep away from him.

Good luck with that
, her mind mused darkly.

Time felt like it stood still. She gripped her knees, trying not to think about the fact that they were hurling through space in a metal vessel. Was it even made of metal? She actually had no idea. Maybe it was made out of something sturdier. If so, why was she buckled in more securely than one of NASA’s astronauts?

Her thoughts whirled. Her pulse raced. Sweat beaded on her brow. She longed for a picture or something on the adjacent wall to focus on. Heck, even the rather gross poster of the cardiovascular system plastered to her doctor’s office’s wall beat this sterile white crap. How was she supposed to control her fear when she had nothing else to think about?

You can think about Ty
, her subconscious snidely chimed in.
And that dream…

Oh, shut up
.

The strange internal battle served its purpose, though. Not long after she had mentally wrestled herself to the ground, the movement of the ship came to a halt. The landing had been much less turbulent than on any airline flight she’d ever been on, which made her wonder about the complicated safety measures. She supposed the measures were there in case anything went wrong, something she was glad wasn’t an issue right then.

When Ty got out of his seat, she reached over and removed her shield by depressing the lever she had seen him use to bring it forth. A weight of anxiety lifted from her the moment it disappeared. Looking down at the harness, she started to get herself out of it. Before she got even one latch undone, Ty reached down to help her.

“No,” she snapped, shoving his hand away.

She avoided looking at him to see his reaction. The last thing she wanted was him touching her again. If it took her the rest of the damn day, she would get herself free.

Apparently, she decided a few minutes later, it really might take that long. She couldn’t figure out how to release the unusual latches. Her frustration mounted as she realized she might have to ask for Ty’s help, after all. Everyone else had left the room.

Come on!
she fumed.

Her nail bent backwards, making her hiss in pain.
Son of a—

…hear me, Kyr?

She stilled. Her gaze shifted to Ty’s. Had that been his voice in her head, interrupting her mental tirade?

Can…me?

It
was
him, she realized. The connection was spotty. She recalled him mentioning that he usually couldn’t share thoughts with someone who wasn’t a Mynder. He must be trying something to get through to her.

Yes
, she warily returned.

Can’t…here. Trust…

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to interpret the broken words.
Can’t hear what?
she thought.

Talk…monitored
.

Tilting her head, she pieced together the words he’d managed to get through and tried to fill in the holes. Hesitantly, she guessed,
You can’t talk to me here because the ship is being monitored?

His posture stiffened.
Yes!

And…you want me to trust you?

This time, he gave her the slightest nod. She couldn’t read anything in his expression. Her gaze moved around the room, seeking cameras or any other kind of device she knew was used for monitoring. She didn’t see anything.

But she did trust Ty.

“Would you please help me,
Dem-Shyr
?” she asked, trying to sound regal and detached.

His nostrils flared slightly in relief. She knew her subtle message had gotten through.

“Of course, Ma’jah. Allow me to show you how these work in the event you need to use them again.”

This time, when his hands brushed against her several times, his eyes touched hers. She realized then that he was doing it deliberately, but because it was under the guise of aiding her, his forearms weren’t glowing. Her breath froze in her chest and she forced herself to let it out.

Act natural
, she told herself.

She watched how he released the latches and didn’t argue when he slipped the harness off her shoulders. He took her arm and helped her to her feet.

“Thank you,
Dem-Shyr
.”

He nodded without expression. “The others are waiting for us to disembark. The Guardians will be outside to greet you.”

Her parents
. Battling a surge of anxiety, she returned his nod and allowed him to lead her through the ship’s corridors. People were moving in different directions, some of them pushing metal containers that appeared to float.

“Magnets,” Ty explained when her eyes bugged.

“Ah.” She supposed the floor was somehow magnetized and the containers were, as well, but with the opposite polarity. “Glad I’m not wearing anything metal.”

Ty didn’t respond. His hard-to-read expression grew more and more grave as they continued towards the door leading outside. She thought maybe he was worried about the number of people they’d be encountering, since there were at least thirty people lining the corridor they had just entered. She knew the sight of them alarmed the hell out of her.

At the end of the corridor was a rectangle that looked like a door. It hadn’t been opened yet. Ty prompted her forward, making her realize she had stopped walking when she saw all of the people. Squaring her shoulders and praying for confidence, she started walking.

All of the people she passed bowed deeply and murmured some form of greeting she couldn’t make out. She spotted Sem and Avana, but they both bowed and avoided her eyes. Her paren—
Kyndred
—did the same thing. That sliced at her. She wanted to throw herself in their arms and beg for their guidance and love. She wasn’t going to be able to bear treating them like anything other than her parents.

Ty led her past them. She struggled to keep tears at bay. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Were the people she cared about going to avoid looking at her, avoid being friendly with her because of some title she didn’t want?

Calm
.

The word entered her mind as though Ty had spoken it. She realized that he had done whatever he could to push his thought into her head. She also realized that he hadn’t forced the feeling on her…just sent her the thought.

He was respecting her wish to control her own reactions. Warmth flooded through her, as did renewed strength.

She could do this.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Ty nodded at Gren, who stood behind a console. Gren pressed something and the door slid open. Bright light hit Kyra’s eyes, making her blink several times so she could see the world beyond. She waited for Ty to exit ahead of her and then followed him out the narrow door. They were on ground level, she realized. She had expected to have to descend down some stairs.

Her curiosity over this vanished as Ty took her arm and led her towards the small group awaiting them. She concentrated on keeping her emotions in check and her expression contained, mirroring her behavior off Ty’s.

Please help me out if I do or say something stupid, Ty
, she thought.

He gave her elbow a squeeze, so she knew he’d heard her. That gave her more confidence. Her gaze flitted around, trying to take in more of their surroundings as they walked. Judging by the vastness of the space, she guessed it was a hanger. The ceiling contained rows of skylights. Outside, the sky was dusky pink. Was it dawn, she wondered, or sunset?

There wasn’t much else to see aside from the ship itself and what was obviously a control console manned by three different people. Her brief glimpse of the ship over her shoulder showed her a large, round hull that stretched back farther than she could see. Only two windows broke up the ship’s smooth, pink surface.

Pink?

Before she could think any more about it, Ty stopped walking. She hurriedly turned her gaze forward. She caught the eye of the male and female standing in front of the others.

Her parents.

Her father stood nearly as tall as Ty, though he was much more slender. The colorful tunic and pants he wore displayed a form more suited to studies than physical labor. Jewels decorated his bright clothing and the tops of his knee-high boots. He wore his brown hair long, pulled back and held in place by a gold coronet glittering with even more jewels. His eyes were what she thought of as hazel, the lightest shade of brown she’d ever seen.

A few inches to his left stood her mother. Kyra’s breath caught over her beauty. Her dark red hair was piled high in a sophisticated style that revealed her long and graceful neck. Jeweled hairpins winked in the light, as did the tiara, drop earrings, and necklace she wore. Her eyes were a shade of blue that made Kyra think of Earth’s sky on a crisp winter day. Her creamy skin was flawless, her features mesmerizing.

“Ma’jah Kyr,” she murmured, stepping forward. Her gaze swept along Kyra’s unbrushed hair and simple gown before she smiled and took both of Kyra’s hands in hers. “Welcome home, daughter.”

Kyra struggled to produce some element of warmth or familiarity from the contact, but felt nothing. It made her anxiety rise several levels.

“Thank you, Guardian Shaya,” she responded as her mother stepped back.

Her father met her gaze and gave her a small smile. “I trust you are well, Ma’jah?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

She shifted uncomfortably as they once again scrutinized her appearance. This all felt so formal and stiff. That feeling struck her even more keenly as the ship’s occupants filed past and she spotted her Kyndred watching her with sorrow etched in their features. It took all of her willpower not to run over to them.

She made herself return her attention to the group in front of her. Her gaze fell on a tall, dark-haired male standing just behind her mother. Although a short beard covered the bottom half of his face, she saw enough of his features to note that he was quite handsome. His depthless brown eyes met hers. She couldn’t read the look in them. An unpleasant shiver went through her, though.

Moving slightly in front of her and blocking her from the male’s view, Ty said, “Guardians, I have a few important developments to discuss with you.”

“Of course,
Dem-Shyr
,” her mother said. “Why don’t we all return to the palace and allow Ma’jah Kyr to get…refreshed before the welcome ceremony? You can brief us then.”

Kyra frowned. She got the sense that her mother found her appearance displeasing, though her expression reflected only serenity.

“As you wish,” Ty agreed with a slight bow.

“Transport awaits in Bay Two,
Dem-Shyr
,” a female called from the console.

Ty nodded and turned to the left, pulling Kyra after him. She saw the small crowd move closer to her parents as they walked away. Murmurs reached her, but she only heard her name and not what was said.

“Who’s the guy?” she asked, knowing Ty would understand who she was talking about.

“VycorDane, Advisor to the Guardians.”

Kyra heard the light undercurrent to his tone. Something was off there, but she didn’t have time to pursue it. They entered another area through a sliding door and approached their transportation.