Invaded (Alienated, #2)(84)

She didn’t look up again until she heard David say “I love you” in a firm voice.

The boy fastened his weapons holster around his hips while staring expectantly at Syrine. Cara didn’t understand at first, but then he placed a kiss atop the girl’s head, and everything made sense. Well, as much sense as Syrine dating a human could possibly make.

Syrine’s copper skin darkened a few shades and she pushed at her bodyguard’s chest, giving him nothing but a shy grin. “Go on.”

“One of these days you’ll tell me,” David said, zipping his coat. He stood there watching her, hesitating to leave, until Aelyx tugged on his jacket. Then the two of them disappeared out the door.

Cara crossed the room and glanced out the window to the city block below, where a stagelike platform stood naked of the decorations and folding chairs that belonged there. If the weather didn’t let up, they’d have to relocate the ceremony indoors. Two figures appeared on the sidewalk, and she recognized Aelyx and David jogging across the street and darting inside what appeared to be a vacant building.

Running an errand? Whatever. More like running away from her.

Syrine invited Troy to help himself to the contents of the refrigerator—an offer he didn’t refuse—then waved Cara into the living room. Cara sat at the far end of the sofa, and Syrine surprised her by settling so near their thighs touched.

Leaning away, Cara scanned the girl’s face for an explanation for their proximity. Syrine’s impatient smile made it seem like she had an agenda and was waiting for the right time to set it in motion.

“I’m sorry,” Syrine said. “For what I did to you on the transport last year.”

Cara didn’t want to discuss it. “That’s okay.”

“I wasn’t myself then, but I am now.”

What was Cara supposed to say to that? She and Syrine weren’t friends, and this encounter was starting to creep her out. “I’m glad you feel better. What happened to Eron was terrib—”

“Did Aelyx tell you what the Aegis trained me to do?” Syrine leaned farther into Cara’s space.

Holy clinger. Cara pressed against the arm of the sofa. “You mean the ‘emotional healer’ thing?”

“Yes. I can help you.” Nodding like an eager kid, she reached out to touch Cara’s hand but seemed to think better of it. “I know you’re conflicted about your decision.”

Assuming Cara needed therapy—which she so didn’t—the last shrink she’d confide in was Syrine. “That’s all right. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We don’t need to talk.”

“Come again?”

“I’m not a therapist, Cah-ra,” Syrine explained. “Think of me more as an empath.”

“You can feel other people’s emotions?” Cara didn’t see the big deal. All L’eihrs could do that.

“I alter emotions,” Syrine corrected. “I know you can use Silent Speech. If you open your mind to me, I can bring you clarity and comfort.”

The word no took shape on Cara’s lips. Her experiences with Jaxen and Aisly had left her wary of mind tricks, and she didn’t trust Syrine. The girl had never liked her, so why the sudden interest? And yet Cara hesitated to turn down the offer. Clarity and comfort sounded awfully tempting.

“Please,” Syrine implored. “Aelyx is hurting and this is the only way I can help him.”

The desperation in Syrine’s eyes reached straight into Cara’s heart and softened it to the consistency of cream cheese. Syrine had her faults—big time—but she loved her best friend and Cara admired her for it. Releasing the tension in her shoulders, Cara sank back into the sofa cushions. “I guess I could use some clarity.”

Syrine’s mouth stretched into a wide smile. “You won’t regret this.”

I hope you’re right. “Do I need to project my feelings?”

“No.” Syrine closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath through her nose as if trying to reach her Zen place. “Just open the connection and relax. I’ll do the rest.” When her lids fluttered open, she warned, “I might be emotional when it’s over, so don’t take offense to anything I say. It’s not personal.”

Cara wanted to issue her own warning—Hit me again and I’ll knock you on your ass—but she bit her tongue. If this worked, it would be worth a thousand slaps. She let go of her mind and stared through Syrine’s chrome irises.

She felt the surge of energy that established their connection, followed by a sudden and delicious sense of warmth trickling over her skull like she’d tipped back her head into a stream of shower jets. Cara had to focus to keep her eyes from rolling back. She no longer cared if this was a trick—it felt too good. Tiny chills raised the hair along her scalp, and her anxiety began to leak away one drop at a time until nothing was left but peace. The sensation reminded Cara of the time she’d received a morphine injection for a dislocated knee, but that had left her mind in a fog. Right now, she could recite the periodic table if she wanted to.

The connection broke, and instantly Syrine’s posture sagged while Cara’s lifted—lighter by a hundred pounds of worry and doubt. “Wow,” she breathed, blinking at the girl she’d once considered an enemy. “You’re a walking opiate. I can’t believe you did that for me.”