Page 10 of Lone Wolf

I laugh. “Lyssa doesn’t seem like the teasing type.”

“I’m not sure she meant it nicely at the start—but now it’s definitely affectionate. And Hadria calls me Sunshine,” she confides with a small, private smile. “Only when we’re alone, of course. She’d be absolutely mortified if anyone ever knew she uses a pet name for her wife. The scandal!”

I try to imagine the terrifying Hadria Imperioli using a sweet nickname and almost laugh again at the contrast.

Aurora gives me a warm smile. “So you know what? As sunshine girls, we need to stick together. Make sure we bring a little light into the lives of those around us.” She gestures subtly toward the main house. “Especially the ones who’ve lived too long in darkness.”

I follow her gaze, understanding immediately who she means. “I think that’s a mission I can get behind.”

“So,” she goes on innocently, “Are you friendly with Sar—excuse me, Ariadne?”

I give a snort of surprised laughter. “Not really. But I guess I’ve spoken more with her than most other recruits.”

“You certainly fought her better than the others today,” Aurora says.

Now I’m intrigued. “You were watching?”

“Not live. Lyssa and Scarlett were reviewing the training footage from today with Hadria. I happened to be in the room.” There’s a pause, but I feel like she hasn’t finished, and after a moment, Aurora goes on, “You enjoyed pushing her buttons.”

I grin. “I was just trying to get her attention. She’s always so closed off, I think maybe it would do her some good to be reminded she’s part of the human race now and then.” I bend over to pull at a weed, feeling the satisfying give as its roots release from the soil.

Aurora tilts her head at me. “Is that the only reason?”

This time when I chuckle, it’s awkward to my own ears. Aurora just waits, with a patient and knowing smile. I pull another weed. “She’s… interesting,” I offer at last.

Aurora is studying me. “Because she doesn’t react the way people expect?”

“Because she doesn’t react at all—or at least, not until today. And it was barely a reaction. I mean, you saw. I lasted more than a few seconds sparring with her, but not muchmorethan a few.” I remember again the pressure of her body against mine, the controlled strength in her muscles, the moment when something flickered in her eyes.

Aurora’s smile grows wider, and I’m struck again by her beauty. She’s not my type, but she’s undeniably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in real life. “You want to keep helping me pull out some of these weeds?” she asks. “The gardeners do a good job, but I like to maintain these beds myself—keep my hand in.”

I kneel down with her in the dirt, happy to help. The soil is cool and damp. “Is it true that you planted these flowers after Hadria stole you away from her brother?” I ask, before I realize that that’s probably inappropriate to ask.

Thankfully, Aurora laughs. “I didn’t plant it, but I did bring it back to life.” She gently disentangles a creeping vine, guiding it back to its trellis. “Before the new house was built, the culture of the Syndicate was to only work in the night hours. I spent a lot of time out here during that period. These days, things are different. I’m not sure if having the Syndicate function 24-hours a day is much better, but at least Hadria sees a little more sunshine since the old place burned down.”

I nod, feeling her words. Aurora is like me. We like to see the glass as half full. Sure, it must’ve sucked when the old place got razed to the ground, but there’s no point mourning things that are gone.

Well. Maybe I haven’t quite learned that lesson yet.

Aurora gently cups a moonflower in her palm, its petals luminous against her skin. “In the daytime, this garden doesn’t look anything like it does during the night, because the flowers only bloom at night. People might even think there are no flowers at all if they visit during the day. But those lovely blossoms are there, waiting. Waiting for the right time.” She looks my way. “I think people can be the same. Some take longer to bloom than others.”

I understand what she’s trying to tell me. And I appreciate it, even if I’m not entirely surewhyshe’s telling me. “I wish the other recruits would give Ariadne a chance,” I say at last, pulling out a particularly stubborn weed with more force than the others. “I know she doesn’t do herself any favors with the cold front she’s got going on, but none of us are here because we’ve had spectacularly happy lives, are we? If nothing else, I would’ve hoped that they could understand that.”

Aurora nods, and then replants the weed I just pulled up. Oops. I guess that was a flower. Her movements are gentle but sure, patting the soil around the delicate roots. “Maybe you can become a bridge between them.”

“What about that chick that Lyssa and Scarlett brought back from Vegas?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Aurora looks a little startled, though whether it’s because I know about it at all, or because I asked so bluntly, I’m not sure. “There’s a lot of gossip among the recruits,” I tell her, apologetically. “We all know about her—we’re just not sure of the details.” I bite my lip, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. I’ve always had trouble with that.

“Why do you mention her?” Aurora asks cautiously.

“Maybe she’s like Sarah. She just needs a bridge back to other people.”

Aurora pats the dirt around the replanted flower in silence, then slaps the dirt off her hands again and stands. I stand with her.

“The woman from Vegas isn’t your problem,” she tells me, and for Aurora, it’s with an awful lot of finality, her voice carrying the kind of authority I usually associate with her wife. “But I’m starting to think that Sarah is—if not a problem, maybe a project.”

“A project?” I ask blankly. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that. People need to make their own decisions.”

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