BLOODBOUND: THE LAST MATE
THE THIRD STAR
Nyra returned on the twentieth day, appearing at the outer gate with the equanimity of someone who considers timing to be something she controls rather than something that controls her. She was admitted after the guards performed their startled recalibration — they were, Lena noticed, getting faster at it — and met Lena and Rafael in the small receiving room. She sat, surveyed the room, and looked at Lena's mark with the expression of someone confirming an expectation. "You have been to the vault," she said. It was not a question. "Yes," Lena said. "And you know the bloodline." "Enough of it," Lena said. "Tell me the rest." Nyra looked at her for a long moment. Then she said s