Page 89 of Gathered Sparkle

A life.With them.

I let my gaze drift across the room, taking in each of their faces. Koen with a confident smirk on his lips. Nicholas, skeptical but listening. Ace, with his eyes only on me. And Sylus, leaning against me with that maddening grin that says he’s ready to burn the world down if it means winning.

Still…

“This is insane,” I whisper, shaking my head.

“It’s brilliant,” Koen counters. “Trust us, Little Thief. We know what we’re doing.”

Do they?

Because as much as I want to believe in their plan, there’s a gnawing fear deep in my chest. If they’re wrong, if even one part of this elaborate, high-stakes spectacle goes off script, this doesn’t only end in failure.

It ends in flames.

Literally.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Novalee

The faint scent of vanilla and spices lingers in the air when I wake up, the kind that makes you want to sink deeper into the bed and forget the world exists.

Koen’s bed.

I vaguely remember falling asleep in Sylus’s arms on the couch again last night, half listening to Sylus and Nicholas bickering before Koen and he argued about where I should sleep. Judging by my current surroundings, Koen won.

The sheets are soft against my skin, and for a moment, I let myself pretend I could stay here all day. But the sunlight streaming through the blinds tells me it’s far from morning. I groan, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, then grabbing my phone from the nightstand where it’s been placed and plugged in to charge. It’s already early afternoon.

There are three unread messages waiting for me.

Koen

There are breakfast burritos in the oven keeping warm for you. I’m out with Levi and Sylus to check on some things in the Lane Building. Text me when you’re awake, Little Thief.

Sylus

Hope you slept well, Sparkle baby. I love you.

Ace

I dare you to wear long sleeves and pants and come meet me outside the house.

Ace. He sent it only ten minutes ago, and my heart jumps at the thought of him waiting for me.

I send a quick good morning text to Koen and Sylus before I throw the covers back and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the lazy part of me that wants to stay wrapped in Koen’s scent.

The air is cool against my skin, and I look down to find I’m only in my panties and a black shirt that looks like Koen’s.

Huh.

I make my way to Sylus’s room, where he stashed the stuff he brought over for me. Sure enough, there’s a bag with my things sitting by his bed.

The room is a fucking mess, clothes draped over the chair, a couple of gaming controllers scattered around, and empty energy drink cans on the floor. But what makes me stop is the embroidery hoop propped on the bed. The fabric stretched tight across it is adorned with stitched green letters surrounded by pink flowers.GET FUCKE.

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. Next to it are scattered skeins of pastel thread and a needle stuck through the edge of the cloth, like he abandoned the project mid-insult.

Still smiling, I grab my bag and dig through it, pulling out fresh panties, a bra, a pair of leggings, and a hoodie. The thought of him sitting here, probably swearing at the thread while trying to keep the stitching neat, sticks with me as I head to the en suite.

---