Paige Cameron by Commando Cowboys Find Their Desire Page A

hours. If you can keep the patient alive until then, you can remove a pint of his blood and give him a pint of mine.”
    “You are hoping your blood mixed with your sister’s will make antibodies to fight this poison?” Jack asked.
    “Yes.”
    “I have to tell you I doubt we can keep Harry alive that long. And if we did, why not just use Averil’s blood?”
    “Because ours mixed together will be stronger.”
    Everyone in the room stared expectantly at Kira. “Would you care to explain?” Mitch asked.
    Averil glanced at Kira. “I think we have to let the people in this room know, Kira. I’m sure our secret will stay safe with them until the right time to tell the others.”
    Kira nodded in agreement. “I chose to live away from my family because of my differences. I didn’t want to be seen as a freak of nature.” Kira glanced down, away from all the attention on her. “My mother did not know of anyone else like me, and she encouraged me to stay safe.” Kira nodded to Averil. “Averil has some of my skills, but not as many and not as strong, so she stayed with Mom and Dad and visited me as often as possible. It might be easier to show you who I really am.” Kira stood and walked a good distance from the table.
    “You’re a shape-shifter?” Daren asked.
    “Sort of.” Kira raised her arms and blinked several times. A graceful firebird materialized where Kira had been standing. Most of her feathers were red and gold, but there were deep purple feathers intertwined throughout. She spread her wide wingspan.
    “If she wanted to she could send fire out from the end of her feathers,” Averil explained.
    “I can’t believe it.” Elle walked closer to Kira. “You are the first queen to be born in our new land.” She curtsied, showing her respect.
    Gradually, Kira’s feathers grew dimmer, and she shape-shifted back to her human persona. “Thank you, but I don’t know what you mean.”
    “In all our scrolls from long ago there has been only two times when a mythical bird was mentioned. Our people called it Flaming Beauty. According to the old scrolls, such a bird is born very rarely. It was thought we would never see her again after we left our home planet. None of the families were aware of anyone carrying the gene.”
    “Come back to the table so we can discuss this sudden revelation.” Mitch waited until they sat and then asked, “Does anyone else besides your parents know who you are?”
    “No. I have a secluded cabin in Northern California. I only shape-shifted there.”
    “Wow. You are beautiful in both shapes but astonishing in your bird form.” Daren turned to Elle. “What does all this mean?”
    Elle looked down the table to Kira. “May I tell them, Your Majesty?”
    “Please call me Kira, and tell me, too. I’ve never understood why I was born this way. I hid my real self for safety.”
    “I’d be pleased to explain, and you can come to my home later and read the scrolls.”
    “I’ll like to do that.”
    Elle stood to better see all of them at the table. “In our homeland, the king and queen are identified by their birth. Few families carried the gene, and our ancestors did not think they had any family related to royalty with them when they left home. But before they left, there were rumors of a young princess falling in love with a member of the Cabinet. They had an affair, and a child was secretly born.
    “Another family agreed to take the child and said they’d adopted her from a mother who died.” Elle looked directly at Kira. “They wanted to keep the birth secret. The princess had been promised to the king. Her family had to keep the affair and birth secret so the wedding would go on. Only a son born of the king and a bride from another royal family would be accepted as the next ruler. Kira, your mother has to be a carrier of the gene from the adopted baby.”
    “Then I am not truly royalty, thank goodness. Please, no more curtsies.”
    “You would not be recognized on