Studying. Measuring. Like she was trying to solve me.
And now somehow we’d ended up at an exclusive rooftop club hidden above half the city.
Music pounded hard enough to shake the floor beneath my heels. Lights flashed over packed bodies while the skyline glittered endlessly behind the dance floor.
Aniyah and Nova kept forcing drinks into my hands faster than I could finish them and I’d danced until my legs hurt.
Taken shots directly from Aniyah while she shouted increasingly concerning advice about “optimal vampire stamina.”
Nova spent twenty minutes teaching me how to throw a proper punch, then laughed and slapped my shoulder hard enough to nearly knock me sideways when I actually landed one correctly.
“You’ve got potential,” she’d grinned.
Riot, somehow still completely sober-looking, had walked me through every blind spot and weak point in the club like she was training me for war instead of a night out.
“Always know your exits,” she’d murmured while pointing toward the balcony doors. “Never let someone trap you near corners. Watch hands before faces.”
Now I sat curled in the booth beside Ezra while the rest of the club blurred together around us.
Nova and Aniyah were somewhere on the dance floor causing chaos. Riot lingered high above us along the rafters, eyes slowly scanning the crowd below like a silent predator. Meanwhile I sat beside the most terrifying woman I’d ever met trying not to fidget under her silence.
My fingers kept clenching around my glass, because there was no way this night happened without a reason.
Finally, Ezra spoke. “You’re intelligent.” Her voice cut cleanly through the music despite how softly she said it.
I looked over immediately. One leg crossed elegantly over the other while her gaze remained fixed on the sea of bodies below us.
“Likable, too.” She lifted her drink slowly, taking a sip before continuing. “You adapt well. Different personalities. Different perspectives.”
My stomach tightened.
“I’ve also reviewed the projects you’ve been working on.”
That got my full attention instantly. Her eyes flicked toward me briefly.
“The intention reader is particularly interesting.”
My breath caught. Only Calix and Rack had seen that prototype. I’d worked on it secretly for weeks.
“How did you?—”
Ezra suddenly snorted into her drink. Not a laugh, but close enough to completely throw me off.
And before common sense could stop me, my mouth moved. “Do you always spy on your siblings and their mates?”
Ezra turned her head toward me slowly. Those icy pink eyes locked onto mine fully for the first time all night.
My stomach dropped instantly. Oh no. I fucked up.
“I-I mean?—”
“Yes.” The answer came immediately. Calm. Certain. “I monitor all of my siblings, and their mates.”
The club suddenly felt quieter despite the pounding music.
“They carry our name,” she continued evenly. “Represent our family. Represent the Syndicate.” Her fingers traced slowly along the rim of her glass.
“And if there are problems,” she said coolly, “I prefer discovering them before they become disasters.”
