Page 111 of Halfblood Deceived

Sebastian offered his hand. “As a recurrent victim of Aylana’s favorite move, I salute you.”

Zeydan snorted, letting himself be helped to his feet again, hoping no one noticed how dizzy he felt. “You are quite the opponent, Aylana,” he said to the stunning halfblood.

She smiled, but there wasn’t a trace of smugness on her face. He supposed Sebastian filled that bill for both of them.

“Thanks,” Aylana said. “So are you.”

“Enough with the moony eyes, Zeydan,” Sebastian said with a faux glare. “She’s all mine.”

Aylana thwacked Sebastian on the back of his head with her palm.

Zeydan pressed his lips not to laugh. The others had no such qualms. Even Andreas smiled.

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, expression smug. “What? It is true, love. There’s no point in pretending otherwise.”

Aylana’s cheeks turned pink. “Cocky idiot.”

“But I’m your cocky idiot,” Sebastian said, wrapping an arm around Aylana’s waist and kissing the corner of her mouth. She giggled. Her hazel eyes went liquid with love and lust.

Something twisted inside Zeydan’s chest at the sight, and he looked away.

Not jealousy, because despite Sebastian’s accusation of moony eyes, and the fact Aylana was an impressive, beautiful female, Zeydan wasn’t attracted to her.

No, it was something bittersweet. More bitter than sweet.

Yearning.

Zeydan had never felt quite the way Sebastian and Aylana felt for each other. That burning desire and fierce love mixed with protectiveness, and spiced with possessiveness he could feel coming from them, was alien to him.

He’d been in love with someone before, of course. Namely, Gabby. But not in a way that he knew would melt and forge something anew inside him. Not like Gabby loved Lex, and he loved her. Not like Andreas had loved Elizabeth—so much that her loss had almost destroyed him and haunted him even half a decade later.

Maybe it was a tad masochistic yearning for something that could rip him apart if it were taken away from him. But Zeydan had long ago learned that logic and emotion didn’t mix at all.

“Breakfast, little gremlin?” Evan offered.

“Yes, please,” Luce responded.

Sebastian and Aylana didn’t even seem to notice Zeydan and his family leaving the training room.

When they were halfway toward the kitchen, Kamilla and Kerian entered through the doors at a sedate pace, despite the early morning sunlight at their backs. They both looked beyond tired.

Kerian had told Zeydan about the exhaustive meetings he and Kamilla were holding to mediate a territorial dispute between a clan of witches and a werewolf pack. As a result, they were coming back home late more and more often.

Zeydan really didn’t envy the twins’ position as rulers of Darkwood.

Delaying Kamilla’s resting time made him uncomfortable, but the matter he had to discuss with her was beyond urgent.

The twins shared a tired ‘good morning’ with Zeydan’s family before the small party disappeared into the kitchen, then gave Zeydan a worried glance as one.

It was amusing at times, how in sync Kamilla and Kerian were.

Zeydan approached them, squeezing the back of his sore neck.

“You look as bad as we feel,” Kerian said, followed by a yawn that flashed his double canines. “What’s up?”

“Is Aella alright?” Kamilla asked.

Zeydan blinked at her, checking his mental shields just in case. Kamilla was nowhere near his mind, and he wasn’t sure if it made the ease with which she read his mood less or more alarming.

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