The Tuann were hardheaded and arrogant, thinking they always knew best. It was something they and Kira had in common. Despite that—or maybe because of it—they called to the lost, broken pieces of her.
But the others weren't like her. They weren't looking for a home or friends. Those who wanted those things already had them, and the rest were so broken that trying to fit them into the Tuann rules would cause them to lash out.
If she revealed who they were, the Tuann would spare no effort in reclaiming their lost progeny. She didn't have to be a fortune teller to know how that would end—with blood and mayhem and a whole lot of hurt feelings on both sides.
Better if that never happened.
Elena planted a boot on the deck and swiveled her chair side to side. "It's not her decision. The others don't want to be found right now."
Harlow's gaze dropped to her niece. "What do you mean?"
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.
None of them had wanted to chance being someone's science experiment again.
Kira understood.
There was no way she could assure them that humans wouldn't resurrect the project again, their aim to create a super-soldier.
Alone, Kira had been deemed a freak, her abilities mostly kept under wraps and categorized as top secret, courtesy of Himoto. Only people like Raider and the Curs knew the full extent of what she could do. Everyone else had simply thought there was a new weapon or that the Curs were exceptionally lucky.
If the others came forward, the Consortium might have considered how they could replicate their abilities, and then the whole nightmare would have started again.
Knowing how painful this subject was for her, Elena slipped her hand into Kira's and squeezed. "Mother couldn't abandon the Phoenix so she joined her. For a time, the Phoenix and Sunshine were happy. Then Mother became pregnant. Sunshine knew a child of hers would draw the attention of those who sought nothing but death and destruction. To protect her child, she hid her—even from her lover and sister. In fact, she hid the child so well that it took the Phoenix and Tin Man years to find her again."
Raider was quiet as his gaze lifted to Kira's. "Did you know back then?"
"Raider," Kira started.
"Did you?"
"No," Jin said, answering for her. "It took a long time to put the pieces together. Kira was still in her coma when I finally tracked Elena down."
Raider's eyes held a glassy sheen as he dropped his gaze to his feet.
"I knew it was too dangerous for Elena to be in our vicinity, especially with Kira out of action. I placed her with a guardian I trusted," Jin said.
"Did you never think I had the right to know?" Raider asked through gritted teeth, clinging to control by only the slimmest of margins.
"I couldn't do that without risking Elena's safety."
Raider made a harsh sound rife with disbelief.
"Think about who you were then," Jin snapped. "You were damn near crazed. You both were. You'd just lost your surrogate family. Kira threw herself into the war. She damn near killed herself a dozen times. What did you do?"
Raider started to turn away.
Jin didn't let him, invading his space and hovering menacingly over Raider. "Because I remember the words you said after it all went down. How you wished it was Kira who died. I remember the messages I sent that you ignored."