Page 56 of Gathered Sparkle

Sylus’s hand strokes my hair, and the tension holding me upright unravels all at once. My body feels like lead, and my head is heavy against his chest. Every muscle screams for rest, but my mind won’t stop spinning.

Ace, Nicholas, Levi, Veronica.

Too many thoughts, too many feelings.

“Sleep, Little Thief.”

The warmth in Koen’s voice is the final push I need.

My eyes flutter closed, and the world around me softens into a blur of murmured voices and quiet breaths.

Later.

I’ll think about it later.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Nicholas

The garage is quiet as I pull the Mercedes into a free spot, the hum of the engine fading into silence.

It was Koen’s favorite car when we were sixteen. He’d wax poetic about how fast and perfect it was, practically treating it like some holy grail of vehicles.

Leaving it here, hidden in the bowels of this place where Veronica never ventures because she has a driver to get around, feels like the smallest, pettiest revenge. But after the day I’ve had, petty is about all I’ve got left.

The metallic click of the car door echoes as I step out. My muscles still ache with every movement, reminding me of the hours I spent trying to burn through the frustration at the gym this morning, trying and failing to quiet my head after what she did.

And now?

My head is still swimming, the exhaustion wrapping around me like fog as I trudge to the elevator.

The penthouse feels too still when I step inside, but the moment I see her, I understand why.

Veronica’s standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, her silhouette cutting against the glow of the city. The air is heavier with her here, like her presence alone changes the atmosphere, tilting the balance of power before a word is even spoken.

“Nicholas,” she says without turning, her voice sharp enough to pierce the exhaustion weighing me down. “You’re late.”

I resist the urge to sigh. “I didn’t know you were waiting for me, Mother.”

She turns then, walking over to stand in front of me, her gaze sweeping over me in that way of hers. “You stink,” she says bluntly. “Take a shower. You look like you were at the gym, not the park with your little friends.”

The jab hits, even though I try not to let it show. “You know about that?”

Fuck, and here I thought I had one thing just for myself.

Her smile sharpens. “Honey, there isn’t a thing I don’t know about.”

The air feels colder as the words hang in the space between us like a threat. She can’t know. She can’t possibly know about what went down today, or yesterday for that matter, but the way she looks at me makes my pulse spike.

“We have dinner Friday.” She moves closer. “With the Lane brothers and… probably with your sweet little new attachment you like so much.”

I blink, startled. “I never said—”

“I know my son.” She cuts me off with a wave of her hand. “And you’ve never brought anyone home before.”

Panic flashes hot and quick.

Who the fuck ratted me out?

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