Page 65 of The Syndicater (Dark Verse 6)

She picked it because it was black.

Hiscolor.

The color ofhome.

And she didn't know if it was her longing that was making her hope he was there, making her imagine his eyes, or if it was real, but she stood straight, reveling in the idea that maybe he was watching her like he'd told her he would. How, she didn't know, since the party was exclusively invite-only and the guest list was curated, security was all around, and the grounds were being patrolled. She didn't know how, didn't question why, not this time. It felt familiar, the weight of his eyes on her, watching from a corner she could not find. She had felt this weight, craved this weight, sought this weight every day for years, her heart like an erratic bird in the cage of her ribs every time she had waited. And then, feeling it, the bird had broken free, pounding with heavy wings, escaping into her bloodstream.

Though there were many eyes on her as there had been many-a-times, the weight of his had always been different. Darker. More possessive.

She was most likely imagining it. It had been days and he hadn't contacted her.

"Thanks to you," Lyla told Zephyr sincerely. "I appreciate everything."

Zephyr waved it off. "Don't mention it." She turned to her husband, who was standing next to her but looking around.

"Honeybuns?" Zephyr tugged his arm, and Lyla raised her eyebrow at the fact that Alpha actually responded to theridiculous nickname. She had seen him respond to all the ridiculous nicknames.

"Yes, rainbow?"

It made her wonder if this was how couples were supposed to behave. Was this an unsaid relationship rule she hadn't known about? God, they were cute, but Lyla wondered if she needed to think of a nickname too. She already had one he called her, but she'd never given him one. Shit. Had she messed up? Had he felt neglected because of it?

He doesn't feel like everyone else does,she reminded herself. Being around other people, surrounded by couples who were clearly head over heels in love with each other, had somehow made her humanize him more in her mind. But he wasn't like everyone else. His brain didn't work like everyone else. She had to remind herself of that.

All the lovey-dovey stuff was firing her faculties.

Tristan and Morana joined them. Her brother—it was still surreal to call him that—was dressed in a navy suit with with a silver tie that brought out his eyes, and his girl was dressed in a sequined short strappy silver dress. They were matching.Adorable.Though, from the little she knew of her brother, he would kill anyone who called him that except maybe Morana. Her lips twitched and her eyes locked with his.

God, she still couldn't believe he was related to her, that she had actual blood, and now extended, family.

He watched her smile, something shifting over his face. His mouth relaxed, giving her a matching smile, albeit much smaller. And a hint of dimple popped out on his cheek, taking him to another level of handsome. Lyla wanted to see what it would look like when he smiled fully, how deep it would go.

It was so tentative, nothing like she could have imagined. They were both learning their way back to each other, understanding who they had become and working around it. But one thingwas for certain—he loved her, no matter who she had become. She could feel it in her bones, calling to the love inside her, deepening it when she saw the way he was with her son. Her silent brother had such deep love for the people around him even though he never said it. Heshowedit. And Lyla had learned how to understand actions of love, no matter what kind it was.

"So, met anyone interesting?" Zephyr asked, and Lyla watched the smile drop off her brother's face.

Oh boy, they had no idea.

Morana gave her a long look, one she couldn't decipher.Huh.Maybeshedid. Lyla remembered what Dainn had told her—that Morana would be stupid not to figure out whatever clue he'd dropped.

"A few people have introduced themselves," Lyla answered Zephyr's question instead. "Now that the lost sister has returned, people are curious." She got it. It was big news, Tristan Caine's long lost sister coming back from—what everyone had assumed to be—dead.

In the few days Lyla had spent with Zephyr, she had learned one thing about the girl—she was a hopeless romantic. It was such a luxury, a privilege that she'd led a life that had allowed her to be one. Despite her hardships, she had grown up in a loving home, loving her sister and loving her man. To someone who had spent the majority of her life wishing for death, hanging on just to get one answer that had sustained her, it was such a bizarre idea, but not an unwelcome one. It felt almost aspirational. Lyla wanted to be in a place where she would be hopelessly romantic and hopelessly optimistic about love and life.

That was the reason why Zephyr's next question didn't surprise her one bit.

"Anyone hot?"

Lyla shook her head, cating a furtive glance toward her brother who was glaring at Zephyr, in turn causing Alpha to glare at him. As patient and gentle her brother was being with her, he was a completely different person anyone someone even vaguely mentioned anything about her potential love life. Her brother was having a difficult time reconciling his baby sister to the grown adult.

To diffuse any building tension, she immediately answered and reassured everyone. "No one here interests me."

Which was the truth. She doubted anyone could, not after the man she had claimed and been claimed by.

"Let's go dance, caveman," Morana changed the topic, dragging Tristan away with her to the middle of the dance floor where couples were already swaying to the live orchestra playing by the bar. Lyla expelled a sigh of relief. She could understand why her brother, knowing how he was now, would feel protective over her potential romantic overtures so soon, but damn when he found out the truth, it would not bode well. Lyla didn't want a confrontation with him, which was why she had no idea how she was going to tell them.

But also because she was possessive, protective ofhim.She didn't want to share him with the others, because the moment they found out who her lover was, there would be questions she would have to answer.

Dante dragged Amara to the dance floor, both of them moving gracefully together as Tempest and Xander were escorted inside the mansion by her grandmother. Zephyr, though next to her, swayed pressed into Alpha.

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