Invaded (Alienated, #2)(83)
Aelyx was happy for Syrine—David, too. He cared for them and knew the colony would be a brighter place for their presence, but that didn’t stop a lump from rising in his throat. He continued sipping his tea, but nothing would push it down.
For months, he’d been forced to watch the romance blossom between his friends, reminding himself to be patient, that his turn would come when he was reunited with Cara. But things were different now. All the patience in the world wouldn’t resurrect what he’d lost. Aelyx didn’t know how he was going to stand the presence of two perfectly paired lovers and still maintain his sanity.
He’d just finished his tea when Syrine knocked on the door and stepped inside, her gaze both giddy and repentant. He could tell she empathized with him.
“You made the right choice,” Aelyx said, setting his cup on the dresser.
Syrine gave a noncommittal grunt, though the glow illuminating her skin showed that she agreed. “Time will tell. He may disappoint me, but I believe it’s a worthy risk.”
Aelyx laughed. “Practical to a fault, as usual.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She closed the distance between them and rested a hand on his forearm, then peered into his face, softening her focus to connect with his mind. Let me help you.
Quickly, he turned his head aside. “No.”
“This is what I’m trained for,” she insisted. “I can’t erase your pain, but I can lighten the burden.”
Aelyx knew full well what Syrine could do. Emotional healers were sacred on L’eihr because of their rarity. But he also knew how the session would affect her. She’d take on his suffering by proxy, feeling his heartbreak as if it were her own, and he wouldn’t allow it. She was entitled to her joy. “It’s just a breakup.” He faced her with a manufactured smile. “I’m fairly certain I’ll survive it.”
“Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”
“You know I would.” Touched by her compassion, Aelyx took her cheek in one hand and bent to kiss the top of her head, where he paused and added, “But you wouldn’t let me.”
“No,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t.”
David appeared in the doorway. His expression darkened as he jerked his head toward the foyer and mouthed, Cara’s here.
Like a bolt of blistering electricity, painful tingles shot down the length of Aelyx’s spine. His flesh chilled and his pulse lurched. The visceral reaction proved what he already knew—he wasn’t ready to face her. He glanced at David in a silent plea for advice.
David seemed to understand. “Grab your coat,” he whispered. “I need to make a quick call, then we’ll get out of here.”
“I’ll come, too,” Syrine said.
“No.” David’s curt tone surprised them all, and he compensated with an apologetic smile. “You stay and talk some sense into her.”
“Her mind’s made up,” Aelyx told them.
Syrine patted his shoulder, slipping a hurried thought into his mind before she flitted out the door. You underestimate me.
“Breathe, Pepper. You look like you’re choking on your own tongue.”
Cara leaned into her brother and released the breath she’d unconsciously trapped inside her lungs. Tugging her coat lapels together, she shivered in the heated living room. It wasn’t the freak ice storm that had her trembling. The alliance ceremony didn’t begin until noon—three hours from now—and Colonel Rutter had ordered her to report to the ambassador’s penthouse.
With Aelyx.
No, that wouldn’t be weird at all.
“Jesus, pull it together,” Troy whispered, wrapping a quick arm around her. “You’re literally shaking in your boots.”
He didn’t understand—how could he? He’d never been in love, not like this.
“Hello, Cah-ra.”
Flinching, Cara whirled around to find Syrine smiling at her with the polite detachment of a salesclerk. The last time their paths had crossed, it ended with Syrine bitch-slapping Cara and wishing death upon the human race. Now the girl extended an arm, offering to take their coats.
Cara held firm to her lapels. “I’ll keep mine, thanks.”
Troy yanked his arm free and shook out of his camouflage jacket while Cara snuck a few covert glances behind their hostess. Aelyx was nowhere in sight. Maybe he’d decided to stay in his room until the ceremony began. She knew she should feel relieved, but she caught herself biting her lip in disappointment.
Syrine followed the direction of Cara’s gaze. “Aelyx is leaving for an errand; otherwise he’d join us.”
Cara felt herself blushing. Busted.
When Syrine strode to the closet to hang up Troy’s coat, a distant door clicked open and nearly sent Cara’s heart catapulting out of her chest. She tried to play it cool, but her eyes found Aelyx the instant he entered the room.
His jaw-length hair concealed part of his face, but the visible side was breathtaking, even marred by the dark circles of insomnia. Cara hated herself for thinking it, but she was glad he hadn’t been sleeping. That made two of them. His silver eyes widened when he spotted her. He held her gaze for a pregnant beat as if gauging her expression to see if she’d changed her mind. Breaking contact, she stared at the hardwood floor and gave him an answer. She hated herself for that, too.