The cousins gathered in the main lounge after breakfast, the kind of lazy mid‑morning where everyone drifted into their own conversations. Serene sprawled on the couch with a magazine, Cassian and Orion argued over a video game, and Lyra sat curled in an armchair, pretending to read but watching everything.
Amara sat on the rug beside Serene, trying to focus on the board game they were setting up. She laughed when Serene made a joke, nodded when Orion complained, and smiled when Cassian teased her.
She looked normal.
She acted normal.
But inside, her heart was still somewhere in that small room with Adrian.
She tried not to think about the hug. She tried not to think about the way he held her like he needed her. She tried not to think about the way he whispered her name.
But her body remembered.
Her pulse remembered.
And every time she blinked, she felt the ghost of his arms around her.
"Amara, it's your turn," Serene said.
"Oh— right."
She moved her piece on the board, but her mind wasn't on the game.
It was on the doorway.
Because she felt him before she saw him.
Adrian entered the lounge with Aiden and two of the elders, discussing something low and serious — territory, alliances, the kind of mafia business Amara was never supposed to hear.
Aiden nodded along, focused.
Adrian didn't.
His eyes found her instantly.
He didn't even try to hide it.
Amara's breath caught.
He kept walking with the elders, kept talking, kept his expression unreadable — but his gaze stayed locked on her for a second too long.
Lyra noticed.
Of course she did.
Her eyes flicked from Adrian to Amara, sharp and dark, jealousy tightening her jaw.
Serene noticed too, but only enough to smirk. "Someone's distracted," she whispered under her breath.
Amara pretended not to hear.
Adrian finally looked away, but only because one of the elders asked him something. He answered calmly, voice low and controlled, but Amara could feel it — the tension under his skin, the awareness between them.
He wasn't supposed to look at her like that.
Not here. Not in front of everyone. Not when Lyra was watching like a hawk.
But he did.
Every few minutes, his eyes drifted back to her — quick, subtle glances that no one else noticed.
Except her.
Except Lyra.
At one point, Aiden said something that made the elders laugh. Adrian didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. His gaze had slipped back to Amara again, softening for a heartbeat before he forced it away.
Amara's cheeks warmed.
She looked down at the board game, pretending to study her next move.
Cassian groaned. "Amara, you're spacing out again."
"Sorry," she whispered.
Serene nudged her. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just tired."
Lyra's voice cut in quietly. "Or distracted."
Amara froze.
Lyra's eyes were on her — calm, innocent, but burning with something sharp underneath.
Before Amara could respond, Adrian's voice drifted across the room.
"Amara."
She looked up.
He stood near the doorway now, the elders gone, Aiden still talking to someone behind him. Adrian's expression was neutral, but his eyes… his eyes were anything but.
"Come here for a moment," he said.
The cousins all looked up.
Serene blinked. "Uh… why?"
Adrian didn't answer her. His gaze stayed on Amara.
Lyra's fingers tightened around her book.
Amara stood slowly, her heart pounding.
She walked toward him, feeling every stare on her back — Serene's curiosity, Cassian's confusion, Lyra's jealousy.
When she reached him, Adrian stepped slightly to the side, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
"You're not paying attention," he murmured.
"I'm trying," she whispered.
His eyes softened — just a flicker. "I know."
She swallowed. "Did you… need something?"
Adrian held her gaze for a long, quiet moment.
"No," he said softly. "I just wanted to see you."
Her breath caught.
Then he turned away, leaving her standing there with her pulse racing and her world tilting again.
Behind her, Lyra's stare burned hotter than ever.