"Yes."
"I think she's talking about Gurtis," Soraya said.
Given the sheepish look on Parisa's face, she knew who he was. "That description could fit a hundred different males in this place."
"Whatever." Angelica picked up her brush. "Today, you all look even better. The four of you are going to walk onto that lawn and shine like stars. The only reason none of you has found an immortal mate yet is that you have been broadcastingdo notapproachon every available frequency." She turned to Soraya. "Especially you with your attitude."
"What attitude?" Soraya asked.
Everyone in the room turned to look at her.
"The dragon lady attitude," Angelica said. "The one that says, don't get on my bad side or I'll torch you."
Yasmin laughed first, her hand over her mouth and her shoulders shaking. Parisa fell over on the floor and clutched her belly. Even Soraya, who had been the target, was laughing, with her cheeks turning red and her head shaking.
"Is that what they are saying about me?" she asked.
"They are saying that about all of us," Yasmin said. "We are all dragon ladies. It runs in the family. I think it's Kyra's fault. They think that we are all dangerous rebels like her."
"I'm not a dragon," Kyra protested. "No one calls me that, not even the rebel forces I command."
"We should ask Max," Arezoo suggested. "He must know what they are calling you behind your back."
"I'm an immortal. I know what they are thinking. I don't need Max to spy for me because I can hear them talking when they think they are out of range."
"What do they call you?" Donya asked.
Kyra's lips lifted in a smirk. "Not dragon, but they have some interesting nicknames for me that don't translate well into English."
Arezoo didn't believe her, but she wasn't going to press the matter. She could imagine what the human fighters thought about their leader, who was stronger and faster than all the men, and healed from injuries in minutes instead of days or months.
"I am going to ask Max to give me a list of available Guardians who are interested in settling down," Kyra said.
Arezoo's mother looked horrified. "Don't you dare."
"Why? You need help."
"Kyra, please."
"Soraya, you are forty-four. You have raised three daughters. The oldest is getting married this afternoon. You are at a stage of your life where you get to think about yourself again. In six months, Donya will be in college, in two years, it's Laleh's turn, and then what? You sit alone in a kitchen and tell yourself you are really too old to start dating again?"
"I've never dated," Soraya said quietly. "I was married off. I wouldn't know the first thing about dating."
A spark ignited in Kyra's eyes. "So, that's the problem. You are scared because you don't know how to act on a date."
The room had gone even quieter, and Soraya's eyes filled with tears.
Angelica pulled a tissue from a box and handed it to her. "You're lucky I didn't redo your makeup yet."
Soraya took it and dabbed at her eyes. "I'm too old for this."
"Forty-four is a baby to these immortals."
Parisa was watching the exchange with a wary expression, knowing that she was next on Kyra's matchmaking agenda.
"Don't even look at me, Kyra," she said.
"I am looking at you."
