"Rachol and I have business to discuss," he said in a sharp tone that cut her deeply. "If you don't mind, we need to be alone."
She nodded in dejection and headed to the viewing room. Opening the door, she wanted to cry. What had she done to him by a few callous, stupid words? Kiara remembered the way he had held onto her during the fight, the way he had protected her. Rachol was right, she was a spoiled brat who didn't realize just how fortunate a life she had.
Sighing, she sat the book down on the white couch and walked to the screen on the wall.
A disk cabinet sat catty-corner to it. She opened the door and flipped through Nykyrian's video disks. A smile curved her lips as she recognized several disks were of her past performances. Warmth flooded her body. Despite his constant denials of interest, she must hold some fascination for him to have bothered purchasing her disks.
When she found the group labeled private, her heart stopped. She pulled out a handful and stared at the cold pieces of metal that could tell her more in a few minutes than a year spent with the tight-lipped men around her.
The overhead light glinted across the disks in a bright rainbow of colors. Her conscience told her to put them back, that she had no right to pry into his past, but she was too compelled to see what they contained.
Tucking her conscience away, Kiara inserted her handful into the machine. She picked up the control and switched on the viewer. With a satisfied smile, she plopped down on the sofa to see just what his horrible secrets were.
The fuzzy lines cleared into the face of a young boy. Her smile widened as she recognized Nykyrian around the age of ten. He sat at a dinner table with two other blond boys who appeared to be a few years older.
"There now," a woman's voice said off camera.
"Why're we doing this?" the oldest boy whined.
"It's Nykyrian's birthday," she said, stepping around the camera to straighten Nykyrian's shirt collar. Nykyrian didn't budge, he just stared absently at the tabletop, a huge black eye on his left cheek.
"We don't celebrate his birthday," the younger boy said, kicking at Nykyrian's chair.
Nykyrian didn't move. He continued to sit there, staring at the table as if transfixed by some dream.
"Arast, Aksel" the woman snapped, shaking her finger at the boys. "How many times have I told you not to pick on him? You're twice his size!"
Aksel stood up. "Just because you're his psycho whatever doesn't mean you can tell me what to do."
"Besides," Arast whined, shoving his plate away from him, the food spilling over the edges. "He's a freak. Why don't you take him back to wherever they found him."
The nurse tried to calm them down, but they wouldn't listen. Before she could stop them, Aksel pushed Nykyrian from the chair and Arast kicked him in the ribs. Nykyrian fought against them without tears or words. The nurse disappeared.
Kiara clenched her teeth at the fierce blows Aksel and Arast delivered, amazed Nykyrian didn't cry or whimper. He stood his ground, but the two of them were too much for him to defend himself against.
After a moment, the nurse returned with Commander Quiakides by her side.
"Boys!" he said, clapping his hands as he moved to stand in front of the nurse. Instantly, they released Nykyrian.
"What's going on here?" the Comm ander demanded, his sharp glare piercing the group.
"He's been in my stuff again, Dad," Aksel said defensively. "I'm getting tired of it, too."
The nurse blustered behind the Commander. "That has nothing to do with— "
"Enough," the Com mander said, interrupting her. "I will not have conflict in my house.
Leave me with Nykyrian."
Kiara's gaze fell to where Nykyrian sat quietly studying the pattern on the porcelain floor. He hadn't bothered to stand. The room cleared and the Commander snatched Nykyrian off the floor by his arm with a grip and force that made Kiara cringe in reflex.
"Have you been in their room s again?"
Nykyrian rem ained silent.
"Answer m e," the Commander snarled, shaking him.
Nykyrian looked at him with a cold hatred that chilled Kiara. The Commander's response was much m ore active, he backhanded him. Nykyrian didn't flinch or cry out.
That knowledge hurt Kiara more than the brutal action.
"You are a hybrid animal," the Commander snarled. "Not even your own parents wanted you! You're lucky anyone would have you at all! You will either respect this home and my rules or find yourself back in the work home, chained to the wall!"
The words burned through Kiara, she couldn't watch it anymore. She switched the disk.
The next disk was Nykyrian a few years older at about fifteen. He practiced in an exercise room with his brothers. Kiara's heart was heavy as she watched the brutal way they trained. If Nykyrian missed a single defense, he caught a severe blow from one of them.
His gorgeous blond hair was cropped close to his head and a long, pink scar ran down the back of his neck, along his spine.