I leaned back in my chair, watching it unfold. For once, I was the good one.
Ezra never had to raise her voice to make a point. She was the type to lay it all out piece by piece, calm and precise, until there was nowhere left to step without tripping over your own feet.
She lifted her fist, counting off her fingers.
“So that leaves us with two possibilities.”
Aniyah's chest rose and fell, keeping her mouth shut. Nova’s lips parted slightly, then pressed closed again.
“You’re either under-utilizing your people,” Ezra said, holding up one finger, then she quickly raised a second, “or this meeting isn’t a priority. Which is it?”
Aniyah’s shoulders stiffened. The tension in her posture gave her away her frustration, but for once, she didn't let it out. She swallowed that Desmond pride we all held close to the chest.
Being the older brother, it pained me to see my sisters put in this position, and I felt a small nagging piece of me wanting to save them from the Ezra wrath.
“I get what you’re saying, Ezra,” I said, cutting into the silence before it stretched any tighter. “But they just got mated.” I slipped in a flick of my hands and a roll of my eyes, trying to lessen the tension. “They’re still figuring out how to balance that with everything else.”
Riot’s head tilted the smallest amount, then, as if magic had happened, she nodded.
I blinked at her.
Oh,nowyou acknowledge me?
“While that might be true,” Nova said, fully straightening now, her shoulders squaring as she lifted her gaze to meet Ezra’s, “she’s still right.”
Her hands came together in front of her, fingers lacing tightly.
“The fault is ours,” she added. “No one else’s.”
Aniyah glanced at her, then back down again with a heavy sigh, nodding her agreement. It almost made me shed a tear. My baby sisters were all grown up.
“I’m sorry,” Nova continued, her voice steady despite the tension in her posture, “if it came across that this wasn’t a priority. It is.”
Aniyah inhaled. “Me too,” she said, sitting up straighter. “It won’t happen again.”
Ezra leaned back in her chair, the movement smooth and deliberate, her hands coming together in a loose clasp in front of her, making a triangle with her pointer fingers. The tension that had been hanging over the call didn’t disappear, but it shifted, softening just enough to let everyone breathe again. She gave a small nod, acknowledging the exchange without lingering on it.
“Calix and Riot are right,” she said, her voice steady. “You’ve both had to adjust to new situations, and that takes time.”
On the other side of the call, Aniyah’s shoulders eased slightly, her posture no longer quite as rigid. Nova mirrored it in her own way, sitting a little straighter but no longer braced for impact. The reprimand had passed, and Ezra—true to form—was already moving on.
“I appreciate the effort you’ll make going forward,” she continued, her gaze steady between them. “To ensure the Syndicate remains your priority.”
And just like that, it was done.
Ezra shifted in her seat, posture sharpening again as she redirected the conversation. “Now,” she said, turning her attention to Nova, “I’d like an update on the locations from the cave. Have you learned anything?”
Nova adjusted immediately. The remnants of earlier tension slipped away as she settled into her role, shoulders squared, hands folding neatly before her. When she spoke, her tone carried a practiced clarity, her gaze fixed forward as if she were presenting to a room rather than a projection of her siblings.
She walked us through each location she had investigated, her hands occasionally lifting to mark distances or indicate structural similarities. As she spoke, her expression stayed composed, but there were small tells. The way her fingers pressed together, the brief pause before certain details, all that hinted at the frustration beneath the surface.
“The sites all matched the original cave,” she explained. “Same structure. Same signs of occupation.”
She paused briefly, then continued.
“But they were cleared out.”
A faint shift moved across the call. Aniyah leaned forward, her brows drawing together. Riot’s gaze sharpened, focusing more intently on Nova. Ezra remained still, her attention unwavering.
