Going with her instincts, Ava glanced at Leo, then at Rhys. “Kyra?”
“Hmm?” The kereshta been distracted, looking out the window.
“Will you trust me on something?”
“About what?”
She leaned forward and grasped the other woman’s hand, releasing a burst of static electricity.
“Sorry,” Ava whispered. “I know how you feel.”
Kara’s body grew deliberately still. “Do you?”
Ava nodded. “All these people. And you can still feel them.”
“I am practicing the technique Orsala taught me, but being in the city is… difficult. Even here, where minds are more guarded and voices are softer, I hear things. There are just so many.”
“And you’re around new people, which makes you nervous anyway. Has the headache started?”
The slight tension between her eyes told Ava the truth even before Kyra nodded.
“I want to try something. Will you trust me that I would never do something that would make you more uncomfortable unless I thought it would help?”
Kyra was hesitant, but eventually she nodded.
“Hey, Leo?” Ava called.
The giant scribe was at her side in an instant. “Did you need something, Ava?”
Ava wrapped her arms around his middle, giving him a solid hug. Leo smiled and bent down, wrapping his arms around her and touching his lips to her forehead.
“I missed you,” he said. “Malachi has been keeping you to himself since you arrived in the city.”
Kyra’s eyes widened, so Ava was quick to explain.
“Leo’s a friend. When I lost my mate”—she squeezed him again—“he and Malachi’s other brothers kept me sane.”
Her lips parted in understanding. “You have… affection. Friendship. He is as a brother to you.”
“Yep.” Ava nodded. “Plus, Leo gives great hugs.”
The big man smiled wider. “I do.”
Ava laughed and saw that Kyra’s face had softened.
“Do you need a hug, Kyra?” Ava asked.
It seemed like such a simple thing to her now, but she knew how hard it would be for Kyra. Human contact only made the voices worse, so Ava had learned to live in isolation before she knew what she was.
“I… I don’t think…” The woman shook her head.
Ava stepped back, and Leo held out his hand.
“Give me your hand,” he said softly. “If you like, Kyra. Just your hand.”
Kyra held up a trembling hand, her fingers tense. Without a word, Leo grasped it and held it between both his hands.
She saw the deep breath he took, saw him close his eyes as her energy released. Malachi had once told her that touching Ava after they’d been apart for some time was like a surge of magical adrenaline.
Ava saw Kyra release a breath, saw the tension leave her forehead. Her restless tapping ceased at once. Her shoulders relaxed.
“You make the voices go away,” Kyra whispered, staring at him in wonder.
Leo leaned forward, elbows on his knees and Kyra’s hand pressed to his cheek, holding it there as his eyes fixed on her.
“Anytime you need me, Kyra. All you have to do is ask.”
Kyra’s eyes flew to Ava at his words. She could see the discomfort, so she simply took the kareshta’s other hand and squeezed it.
“None of us are meant to be alone.”
“KOSTAS’s men are well trained,” Malachi told her as he shed his coat and began to take off the weapons strapped to his torso. “And Sirius is an excellent second, though it was obvious his mind was on the kareshta in Prague.”
“I called Astrid today. They’re doing really well, and Orsala has been a huge help. Bruno called some people, so there’s about a dozen scribes at the house now along with some of the singers from Sarihöfn.”
“I’ll pass the message along tomorrow. It will ease his mind.” He took a deep breath and collapsed on the couch, obviously exhausted.
Ava straddled his lap, drew his forehead to her chest, and began massaging his temples.
“Sağ olun, canım.”
“You’re welcome.”
His hands rested at her waist as she continued. She could feel the tension begin to release and he squeezed her hips.
“You spent time with Kyra today?”
“I did.”
“Why was Leo’s face glowing?”
She laughed. “I think a handshake from a kareshta is rather… invigorating.”
“He didn’t—”
“Just held her hand for a little while. She needed it. Don’t you remember?”
He took a deep breath and turned his cheek to her breast. “I do now. You were like a live wire the first time I kissed you. It took all my self-control not to lay you down on that hill, strip you naked, and take you there.”
“Yes, but then you got all honorable.”
He grunted. “That didn’t last long.”
“Thank goodness.”
She felt his smile against her skin.
“Ava.”
“Hmm?” She loved being with him like this. Quiet and easy. The massive power of his body at rest against hers. She felt grounded in the best way.
“If we were not reshon, would you love me this way?”
She grabbed his hair pulled him back to meet her eyes. “What kind of question is that?”
He shrugged. “One that plagues me, I suppose.”