Elena sat forward eagerly. "Shall I tell you a story?"
"No." Kira sent her a warning look.
Rebellion flared in Elena's expression. "You made promises, Auntie, but I didn't."
"Don't you dare," Kira growled.
"Let her speak." Raider's gaze held Kira’s, a silent dare there. "You owe me."
Kira shook her head. He didn't know what he was asking.
Elena ignored Kira, bouncing in her chair with excitement. "It all began long ago on the night Auntie and Uncle Jin were rescued."
Kira held in a groan. Why, why, why, couldn't she have raised an obedient child?
A soft rumble of amusement came from Graydon. Kira stiffened but didn't look his way.
"The others had planned their escape for weeks. That night Uncle Jin failed a test and was thrown into a punishment cell. The rest knew escaping from there would be impossible. They regretted his loss but not enough to postpone their plans. Only Auntie was willing to sacrifice herself for him."
Harlow had a frown on his face as he studied Kira and Jin, suspicion moving through his eyes.
Kira's expression smoothed out, no hint of emotion revealing what she was thinking. This right here was reason number one why she would have preferred this story remain buried.
Someone smart would be able to take what was revealed and read through the lines, arriving at a truth that only a handful of people had ever touched upon.
Because Jin hadn't always been a machine, made of metal and spare parts. Once he'd been flesh and blood, just like her.
Kira readied herself, prepared to defend Jin and Elena if Harlow or Graydon decided they were monsters to be exterminated. It'd kill something inside of her to hurt either one of them, but she'd do it.
Blissfully unaware of the danger, Elena continued, "When the others fled, Auntie and Uncle Jin made their own escape. For years, each group suspected the other had perished that night, but they had no proof. Then the war with the Tsavitee came, and out of its ashes a woman known as the Phoenix rose to acclaim. Hearing the stories, the others sent someone to investigate.”
“Elise,” Raider said flatly.
Elena nodded happily. "Yes, Mother."
Kira's expression was carefully blank as Raider studied her.
"They feared this unknown woman would expose their existence—or worse, that she was a trap laid by their former captors," Elena continued. "Never in their wildest dreams did they think they'd find the two they'd abandoned."
Nor were they entirely happy when they did.
By then, Kira and Jin had made a name for themselves, drawing attention from the very sort of people the others wanted to avoid.
"Mother had orders to stage the Phoenix's death and bring her into the fold where it was safe. Only, the Phoenix refused to go, and not even Mother could force her."
Raider focused on his daughter as he compared Elena to the woman he'd once known
Physically, Elena was an almost exact replica of her mother. Enough so that Kira had been tempted to think she was a cleverly designed clone when they'd first met. Jin had been the one to assure her he'd found genetic material in her DNA that could only have come from Raider.
Her ears were as pointed as Elise's and Kira's had once been before they were docked. She had the same delicate features, complete with a pert nose, lips in the shape of a cupid's bow, and a pointed chin that only made her look more mischievous.
"Mother struck a deal with the rest. No matter how bad the war got or how much she needed help, the Phoenix would never reveal their existence by word or deed. She would face her enemies alone with no help from the rest."
What Elena left out—because she didn't know—was the fact that Elise had tried to kill Kira a time or two before they came to that happy compromise.
While Elise was the sister of Kira's heart now, she hadn't always been that way.
Not that Kira blamed her or the rest. At that time, she'd been an unknown entity, and their existence was precarious.
