Page 9 of Lone Wolf

But she sure did. Those expressionless blue eyes widened just a fraction, enough for me to know she felt the heat rising between us.

Enzo comes in with a bunch of the others and leans over me where I’m sprawled out on one of the couches. “Damn, Santiago. You must have a death wish—you almost got yourself killed today.”

I smile up at him, all teeth. “Yeah. It was fun.”

The others gather around, ready to snark and gossip as usual, but I don’t plan to join in. I get why they’re so interested. Ariadne has been untouchable up until now. In fact, I’ve never sparred one-on-one with her before. But I’ve been watching her closely, learning her style, adapting my own unconsciously.

Because I admire her. Ariadne, the woman who survived Grandmother’s house.

I know her history. I know she was trafficked, didn’t have a choice. And I know how hard it is to break away from that kind of life. Maybe that’s why all I have for her is admiration, none of the envy and ill will that the other recruits have.

They chatter on for a while, and I only half listen. I have to admit, I still feel pretty smug about the outcome of that fight, even though I lost. Because Ariadne lost something too: that reputation of hers as completely untouchable.

“You think she’s pissed?” Vanessa asks, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

I shrug. “I think she’s confused.”

The noise in here is starting to get too loud. The air is thick with competing scents—someone’s cheap body spray, the lingering aroma of pizza, the faint staleness of a room filled with too many bodies. There’s still an hour before I can reasonably head to bed, but I feel like some time alone. I’m a people person, that’s for sure, but sometimes the people I need to be with is myself.

“Gonna get some air,” I announce to no one in particular, pushing up from the couch. A few nods, but no one really notices as I slip away. I’m good at making myself both seen and unseen when I need to be.

I go out the back door into the quiet of the Elysium gardens. Even at night they are spectacular, and the transition into silence is calming. I take a deep breath, letting the clean air fill my lungs, washing away the staleness of the common room.

My mind returns inevitably to Ariadne. She isn’t just a fighter, she’s a damn fortress. A locked door with no key—no lock, even. A glacier that’s been frozen for centuries, layers upon layers of ice protecting whatever warmth might exist at her core.

And I’ve always loved a challenge. The harder something is to obtain, the more I want it. I know I should let it go. For a second when she had me pinned there, I thought I saw a flicker of something in her eyes beyond the frosty fighter. But I was probably imagining things.

Yeah. I should let it go.

But I already know I won’t.

I’ve found myself in what I’ve heard people call the night garden before I really know it, the pale garden of night-bloomingflowers that gossip says was built by Aurora Verderosa after Hadria first stole her away. Moonlight bathes everything in silver, making the white jasmine glow. A heavy perfume of the blooms hangs in the air, intoxicating and mysterious.

I like Aurora. She’s my kind of girl—sweet and kind, always smiling. She’s so completely opposite to Hadria Imperioli, I wonder how those two ever got it together enough to fall in love. The stories I’ve heard about when Aurora first came here suggest things used to beverydifferent.

And it’s Aurora that I happen to bump into now—literally, because she’s on her hands and knees in one of the garden beds, pulling out weeds. The collision sends me stumbling forward, my hand catching on a trellis to steady myself.

“Oh!” We both say at the same time, and then laugh. Even kneeling in the dirt, Aurora manages to look like a fucking goddess. She pushes her long blonde curls back as she smiles up at me, and I have to suck in a breath at that beautiful face. It’s the kind of beauty that doesn’t get old, no matter how many times you’ve seen her. She must lead a very different life to mine, looking like that.

“Sorry,” I offer at once. “I hope I didn’t kick you too hard.”

“I’ve had worse,” she says with a laugh, and dusts off her hands as she stands up. Dirt clings to her jeans in a way that would look messy on anyone else but somehow just emphasizes her beauty. “And you’ve given worse, I hear.”

“Yeah? You heard about me?” That’s interesting. I’ve never seen Aurora in the training room, and sometimes I wonder just how involved she is in the business. But I know that Hadria always consults with her before making decisions. I’ve seen it with myown eyes at the few Syndicate meetings I’ve been able to attend. Aurora’s presence may be soft, but her influence is undeniable.

“I have,” Aurora says. “That was an interesting sparring match you had today with Sarah.”

“Ariadne,” I say. “I mean—she prefers Ariadne.”

“Does she?” Aurora says, and she sounds almost sad. “I didn’t know that. But speaking of names, I have to say, I like yours very much. It’s bright—like you.”

“Thanks. My big sister gave it to me, actually. My real name is Susana, but she started calling me Sunny when I was little, and it stuck.”

Aurora’s eyes light up. “That’s lovely.” She glances around as if checking that we’re alone, then lowers her voice conspiratorially. “I’ll tell you a secret, if you promise not to spread it around.”

“Cross my heart,” I say, genuinely curious.

“Have you ever heard Lyssa calling me ‘Suzy’? Well,” she goes on as I nod, “it’s from ‘Little Suzy Sunshine.’ She called me that when I first arrived here.”

---