More games. What would Dr. Cooper do to Kira while he was gone? He couldn't defy an order from the Phaedra, but he couldn't leave her here either.
“I'll be fine.” Kira sat forward and nodded. “Dr. Cooper wants me to feel at home here. I enjoyed having an unlocked door. I feel safe.”
If only that lie detector was still hooked up to her. He didn't believe it for a second. Why did Kira attempt to smooth this over?
“I also have a request,” Kira said.
Ah. So that was why.
“I want someone to deliver my letters to my friends,” she said. “They need to know I'm okay. I'm aware that I can't share sensitive information with them, so I told them my mom found me and has a position in the government. I won't be returning.”
“The letters could be encoded,” Zayne said.
“You think that she'll include a code her friends can decipher, but we can't?” Luke looked incredulous.
Actually, yes. Luke didn't know who she really was or what she'd done. It wasn't that Zayne minded Kira sharing a coded message so much as he feared the ramifications of anyone else getting involved or someone discovering her deception. An advanced code would raise too many questions about her.
“We'll deliver the letters,” Dr. Cooper said. “We have specialists who can check it for code. Does that satisfy your concerns, Sergeant?”
“Fine,” Zayne said, casting a warning glare at Kira.
“I know it may not seem like it, because as you said, Zayne is a distant and emotionless asshole who assaulted me less than ten minutes ago.” Dr. Cooper looked between Kira and Zayne. “But you're fortunate to have him, young lady. I questioned choosing him at first because of the aforementioned traits. It's clear now he was the right choice. He cares about you. He did something for you that he's never done before. I hope you'll appreciate him and take what he says seriously.”
Kira had a complicated look about her as she stared at Zayne. “The Phaedra is as brilliant as I've heard.”
She trusted him now more than if he'd just been kind to her. Zayne needed to rethink his strategy.
“That's that, isn't it?” Dr. Cooper rose. “I have no doubt you all will make our Phaedra proud.”
“Keep the prisoner secure,” Zayne said. “I'll hold you responsible for every single thing that happens in my absence.”
“Of course.”
Turning to Kira, he risked an honest look into her eyes. “Do what I said.”
Defiance didn't fill her tone this time. “Okay.”
That night that she'd dangled from the roof with him, he'd held her close, able to keep any danger away from her. He felt all that space between them now, and with it, his inability to protect her.
The ache dug deep into his chest, where the pain of losing Edwards bored into him every second of the day.
It felt just as hard leaving Kira alone in the hands of Dr. Cooper as it had been leaving his squad behind in Bluehaven, not knowing who lived or died.
If anything happened to her, he'd make good on his promise. No more games.
The Capital
Kallum, Ciondo
Zayne straightened a picture frame in the Phaedra’s personal study, counting the minutes that separated him from Kira.
He needed to keep his wits about him during this meeting. The Phaedra always took control of the conversation and left him lost. Zayne should use this opportunity to gain information about the operation the Phaedra planned, but his mind strayed to Kira. To the soft strand of red hair sticking out from her headband last night and the tears in her eyes. The stubbornness.
What if Dr. Cooper hurt her? No matter how effectively Zayne banished his memories of the reprogramming, his body didn't forget, and that old pain etched into his scars. Especially the ones too deep in his spirit to see. Kira should never experience anything like that.
The door to an adjoining room opened, and discipline attuned his attention to this conversation.
The Phaedra's long, slender form eased into the doorway. He raised his hands up, his sheer crimson sleeves falling to the waist of his flowing gown, every movement carrying the grace of a dancer. Never one to tolerate discomfort, he wore only fine silk, or gauzy gowns, always looking elegant, even in the robes he wore at bedtime. The cutting stare of his dark hazel eyes shadowed the bright colors heoften wore and hardened the softness of his attire. He reminded Zayne of those nightmarish giant bats he'd read about, a lithe body wrapped in soft wings that had been dyed gold like the sun or scarlet like blood.
