Read Online Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) by Raine Thomas - Free Book Online

vehicle’s doors lock and knew Sem had secured it. Walking along the exterior of the house, he drew on all of his senses to try and detect any danger. He looked in windows, explored every shadow, breathed in deeply to ensure the night air carried no malice. By the time he circled back to the car, he was convinced there were no enemies waiting for them.
    Giving Sem a nod, he waited until his cousin told Kyr they could exit the car. When they did, Sem started to pull Kyr to him to lift her up, but she gave him a snippy response and walked on her own. The stress was clearly getting to her.
    “Do you have a key?” he asked her when she joined him on the front porch.
    “Oh, sure,” she said. “I keep it stuffed in my underwear.”
    His gaze lowered along her body as though he could figure out where the key was.
    “She’s being sarcastic, dumbass,” Sem said. “She doesn’t have a key.”
    Ty glanced sharply at him.
    “Sorry,” Sem grumbled. “ Dem-Shyr .”
    He made the title sound like a curse word. Ty would deal with the insolence another time. They had to get inside the house and find the second locator.
    “The lock on the dining room window is broken,” Kyr said, keeping her voice down. “It’s also on the side of the house, so we’re less likely to be seen. Most people are in bed right now, but our neighbors aren’t known for minding their own business.”
    Ty had seen the room in question during his surveillance and started around the house with Kyr and Sem in tow. Reaching the window, he placed his palms against the glass and pushed up. It took a few wiggles to break the seal, but eventually the pane lifted.
    He climbed in first, helping Kyr in after him. Sem came in last and closed the window behind him. Flipping the light switch and looking around, Ty tried to identify any logical hiding places. His gaze passed over a wall containing pictures of Kyr at different stages of her life. All of the earlier ones had been manufactured to maintain the training scenario. There were some that had definitely been taken in the last two years, however. She looked genuinely happy in all of them.
    Pushing aside his feelings about that, he pulled a device out of his pocket and looked at her. “I have a portable scanner that will help us find the locator, but it can only process small areas at one time and it must be close to the locator to sense it. We should start with the most likely places first. The locator would be hidden somewhere safe. Do you have any idea where your Kyndred might have stored it?”
    “I’m guessing their room. It’s this way.”
    “No,” he said when she tried to move past him. “I always lead the way.”
    She sighed. “Fine. Into the hallway and to the right. Second door on the left.”
    Nodding, he stepped carefully into the hall. He verified it was clear before moving on to the room in question, turning on lights as he went. The doors along the hallway were open, so he spotted a bedroom that probably belonged to Kyr on his left before he reached the bedroom shared by her Kyndred. He knew her favorite color was purple, and that bedroom had been decorated in several different shades of the color.
    Her Kyndreds’ bedroom, however, was more sedate. Warm neutral tones accented with touches of earthy reds and oranges made the rich wood of the furniture stand out. He gave the room a thorough security check before returning to the task at hand.
    “Do they have a safe?” Sem asked Kyr.
    “Yes, a small one. In the closet.”
    Sem moved in the direction she pointed. Ty started to do the same, but Kyr grabbed his arm. He paused and looked down at her.
    She cleared her throat and avoided his gaze. “I have to use the bathroom.”
    “All right.”
    He tossed the scanner to Sem and started walking back out to the hallway.
    “The master bath is right—” she began.
    “That room has a window, making it insecure. You will use the other bathroom we passed.”
    She heaved another sigh, but made