Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sweating in the humidity outside, wondering what the hell is taking so long.”
    Ty reached out and pulled Kyr back to his side, earning a glare from his cousin. “If this is all a ruse, we must keep up appearances, musn’t we? As Ma’jah Kyr’s Dem-shyr , I’ll be her escort to this…party.”
    Avana issued a soft gasp. He watched her eyes glaze and knew she was receiving a vision. Almost all Divyners shared a similar reaction when glimpses of the future reached them.
    “Don’t worry about her,” Kyr told him, following his gaze. “She has a medical condition, but it doesn’t harm her. It just makes her space out every once in a while.”
    “Is that right?”
    She smiled at him. He realized then how close they were to each other and fought the urge to put some distance between them. His job required that he be as close to her as possible.
    The fact that it was utter torture was of no consequence.
    Avana blinked rapidly as the vision faded. She met Ty’s gaze. “We must go now.”
    He didn’t question her. He took Kyr’s arm and guided her towards the door. Her expression faltered. He knew she’d caught his sense of urgency and was confused by it. Glancing at Sem, he gave him a pointed look.
    “Uh, yeah,” Sem said. “So, some of the guys might be hiding in the building…you know, to add to the believability. Time to act like the ruler of worlds, Kyra.”
    She laughed again and nodded. Ty opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway. He nodded to Sem, letting him take the lead since he knew the best paths to take to get through the building unnoticed.
    Elevator or stairs? Sem thought.
    Stairs , Ty thought back.
    Although no one could directly read his mind, he could send thoughts to any other Mynder if he wanted to. Sem knew this and had used the connection so they could operate in silence. As much as Sem’s attraction to Kyr irritated Ty, there was no one else he’d rather have at his back in a tough spot.
    They made their way along the empty corridor until they reached an unremarkable beige door with a brown plaque depicting stairs on it. Sem eased the door open and made sure the stairwell was lighted. Then he held the door open so Ty could take the lead.
    Easing past the threshold, Ty turned his head in every direction, trying to detect any sign of an enemy presence. Kyr’s scent reached him, but he forced himself not to think about how light, fresh, and delicate it was. Her scent was ingrained in him anyway. He couldn’t afford to let it distract him now.
    Putting a warning finger to his lips to ensure silence, he glanced at Kyr until he received her nod. The humor he saw in her eyes made him want to throttle Sem. This was the furthest thing from a joke. They couldn’t afford for her to take the situation lightly. Still, he reminded himself, she was on the stairs and not talking, so the deception had served some purpose.
    Deciding there was little he could do about it now, he started descending the stairs, keeping Kyr behind him. Avana hurried after her with Sem taking the rear guard. Ty’s boots made little noise, as they were designed to do. Kyr’s shoes, on the other hand, clicked loudly on every step.
    Pausing, he turned to her and pointed at her feet. She frowned and shrugged. Reaching down, he lifted her right foot and took her shoe off. He tried not to notice how soft the skin of her slender calf was as he handed her the shoe. She gave him a soft huff of annoyance, but obediently removed the other shoe and carried it in the same hand as her purse.
    They were three stories above ground level. With each step he descended, Ty wished they had never entered the building. He knew Sem needed his weapon and locator, though. His cousin hadn’t been expecting him or he would have had those things on his person. Although the stop had been necessary and had bought them time to assure Kyr, it had also given the enemy time to plan and coordinate.
    That thought no sooner entered his head than