Page 68 of The Syndicater (Dark Verse 6)

He had been the one to give her freedom, and then send her back to a cage. She wanted to return, but things were complicated now. She had to see it through or none of it would have been worth it.

But that didn't mean she couldn't silently seethe as he refused to look at her, but only watched Amara as she opened the gift. It was a tiny gold chain with two gold charms, a tree and a wing. The twins.

"This is beautiful," Amara exclaimed, exchanging a look with Dante. "I'm sure she will love it."

"You didn't have to," Dante told him.

Dainn turned to him. "Of course I did. I'm happy for you and everything you have done with the empire."

Dante gave a nod, putting a hand on his shoulder in thanks. Dainn did not like people touching him but the look on his face never faltered. Dante turned him to face the table, introducing everyone.

"Everyone, this is Blackthorne, CEO of the Blackthorne Group. One of my old business associates," Dante announced, finally getting everyone's attention. Lyla wanted to scream that this was her man, but she was curious too, curious to see what he was playing at. Dainn didn't do anything without planning it ten steps ahead. There was a reason he was at the party that night, a reason beyond just a social event. It could be just to see her, but he could've done that any time privately. This public presentation was for a particular reason, and she couldn't waitto ask him when she got the chance, understand the fascinating ways his mind worked.

Morana extended her hand to him first. "Morana Vitalio."

Dainn shook her hand once. "Shadow Port Vitalios, I assume?" he asked, as though he already didn't know everything about her. Lyla wondered why Morana didn't recognize his voice if she'd met him before. Even without her bias and the ways his voice affected her, she could admit he had such a distinct voice and the slight accent, it would be hard for anyone with working ears not to recognize it. Maybe he modulated his voice somehow when he met them as the Shadow Man? Knowing his ways with technology, it wouldn't surprise her to know he used some kind of a modulator, even though he'd never done so with her—not as the Shadow Man, not as Blackthorne, and not as Dainn.

Morana nodded at his question. "The very same."

Dainn kept the charming smile on his face. "You've been doing good work there. I would like to discuss some business ventures later?"

"Of course," Morana gave a polite smile back. "My partner, Tristan, and I would love to arrange a meeting later."

Lyla wanted to chuckle at the subtle way Morana told a strange man that she was with Lyla's brother. Lyla liked that though. She liked that her brother had such a loyal, smart, beautiful girl in his life.

Alpha bent forward to shake his hand next. "Alpha Villanova. This is my wife, Zephyr."

"Nice to meet you," Dainn nodded to them both. "Quite far from Los Fortis."

"We're family," Alpha stated, and Lyla felt a smile on her lips at the gruff way he said it. Out of everyone she had met in the group—Tristan aside—it was the Villanovas and the work they did and the fact that Zenith had loved them both that drew Lyla to them.

Her smile froze on her lips when finally,finally,his gaze came to her.

Electricity ran up and down her skin as their eyes connected—his mismatched to her green—after so long. Fuck, she hadmissedhim, missed the intensity of his gaze, missed the scent of his skin. His mask, the one he'd been wearing flawlessly since he'd come to the table, faltered, a slight crack for a second that only she saw because she knew to look for it. His eyes notched up the intensity, taking her in.

"And you are?"

Oh, fuck.

Him looking at her like that, asking her that question in his voice—when she knew what his piercings felt like pounding into her pussy and his cock knew what her walls felt like weeping around him, when they knew how the other kissed, moaned, clutched the other in the throes of passion—with no one else knowing a thing around them, it turned herthe fuck on.

She swallowed, not knowing how to answer.

Your flammawasn't a response she could give here. She was being called Luna yet she thought of herself as Lyla, both sides of her existing together, the girl she didn't know and the girl she'd thought she was.

"Tristan Caine's sister," she answered with the only truth she could admit to openly in front of everyone.

His eyes flared a bit, before one of his fake charming smiles took over his face. "Well, Tristan Caine's sister—" he took her hand in his, eyes on her "—it's a pleasure."

His lips touched the back of her hand on the word'pleasure,' firing an arrow of arousal straight into her core. She kept her breathing normal somehow, the touch of his lips burning the skin of her hand, singeing it in a way she was surprised it wasn't smoking.

He let her hand go, and she immediately tucked it in her lap, preserving the memory of his mouth on her skin, their eyes still connected.

"Why don't you join us?" Amara offered, more warm than polite now.

He broke their eye contact, turning to Amara. "Thank you."

And he sat down right next to her.

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