A genuinely startled glance. "I donrsquo;t know. But itrsquo;s funny how my hair fits, isnrsquo;t it?"
Fire hidden in darkness. Yes, her hair fit. "Tell me about your abilities."
"You already know."
"Not from you." Judd had given him the low-down, instructed him on what to do if Sienna ever went critical and the others in the LaurenNet were incapacitated. His wolf snarled. Hawke had made some ruthless decisions in his time, but he didnrsquo;t know if he had it in him to cause her that kind of hurt, the kind that would slam her into immediate unconsciousness.
There was a long silence from the woman by his side. As the minutes passed, he began to hear faint rustling in the undergrowth, nocturnal creatures starting to go about their business again after the brutal blast of Siennarsquo;s power. "They call it cold fire . . . X-fire," she said at last. "It can burn things to ash . . . bodies to ash, within microseconds."
He heard old pain in her words. "Were you a child?"
A rough nod, but she jerked away from his touch, refusing comfort. Her voice, when it came, told him they wouldnrsquo;t be talking about her childhood pain. It was coated in frost, but he heard the tremor beneath. "The cold fire is the first wave. The power has the capacity to build until it reachesmdash;"
Another silence, his heartbeat synchronizing with her own.
"Synergy, itrsquo;s called synergy. If I ever reach synergymdash;" A sharp inhalation. "Therersquo;s a reason they call us living, breathing weapons." Turning to him for the first time since shersquo;d begun to speak, she shot him a piercing look. "You donrsquo;t have to worry about the pack being in danger. It does sometimes scare me that Irsquo;ll lose control," she said with raw honesty, "but that means I spend even more time strengthening my shields. We also have a failsafe set in place just in case."
Understanding that that failsafe might well be a lethal one, he said, "Do you really think Irsquo;d let you go that easily?"
An implacable glance from eyes that were suddenly decades older than him. "Irsquo;m not yours to let go."
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, ACTION NOT REQUIRED
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: November 18th, 1971 at 10:32am
SUBJECT: re: re: re: JA Article
Dear Dad,
Thank you for your last e-mail. Yes, yoursquo;re right. What Irsquo;m doing, it may one day help the Xs. Thatrsquo;s what I must cling to as things get harder.
This is just a quick note as Irsquo;m in Paris, about to head out to meet one of my volunteers. Hersquo;s a fascinating boymdash;intelligent, witty, and far too calm for his age. Irsquo;ve noticed that with all the Xs Irsquo;ve met in person. I hate to write this, to recognize the reason behind it, but itrsquo;s as if they live their lives in fast-forward, growing old before theyrsquo;ve ever been young.
Irsquo;ll write again after the meeting.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 14
IT WAS LATE afternoon, with both Toby and Marlee involved in after-school activities, when Walker cornered Lara in the break room of the infirmary, shutting the door behind himself.
Having obviously scented him as he neared, she leaned against the counter, arms folded. "Yes?" Her eyes, a tawny shade of brown that reminded him of a foxrsquo;s bright gaze, held nothing but professional interest. "Is someone hurt?"
He echoed her position against the door, making an unexpected discoverymdash;hersquo;d gotten used to the way Lara had looked at him until the day on the cliff. It caused a strange, sharp sensation in his chest to no longer see that indefinable something in her gaze. "How was your date?" he asked, not certain why he felt compelled to ask.
Lararsquo;s smile was a sultry curve of her lips. "Kieran knows how to make a woman feel good."
An icy calm came over Walkerrsquo;s mind, cold intent spearing through his veins. He was a telepath trained to work with children, his touch subtle, but he measured at 7.8 on the Gradient. It meant he had the capacity to kill without leaving a mark. "Hersquo;s younger than you." Too weak and green to ensure Lara came to no harm, regardless of where her vocation might take her.
Lara shrugged, her full breasts pushing against the rust-colored fabric of the V-neck sweater that shaped itself to the curves of her body. "Not by much."
"Thatrsquo;s not what I meant."
Turning, she began to prepare coffee with swift, sure movements of those capable hands hersquo;d seen care for so many in the den. "I wonrsquo;t argue hersquo;s a little immature, but arenrsquo;t most men in their early twenties?"
Walker knew shersquo;d given him her back very much deliberately, the rebuff no less pointed for all it was silent. However, the only orders Walker had ever followed were the ones that meant his family would be safe. "He has no idea who you are." Even at thirty, Lara was young, very young, to be the healer assigned to the den.
Unlike most packs, SnowDancer had more than one healer spread throughout its vast territory, each blood-bonded to a SnowDancer lieutenant to permit a type of power transference unique to changelings. Though several had decades on Lara, who was blood-bonded directly to Hawke, she held their unqualified trust and respect. Her healing abilities were unparalleled, but more, she had the will and the heart to handle the most dominant members of the pack without flinching. That woman deserved a man as strong, not a callow youth.
"Really, Walker," Lara said, facing him with coffee cup in hand, several of her curls having escaped the bun at the base of her neck to kiss her face. "Yoursquo;d think I was going to mate with Kieran." Blowing a breath across the hot surface of her drink, she stepped forward, her smile so shallow, it cut like a scalpel. "I need to check on a patient."
He had the feeling she was lying to him, but he couldnrsquo;t be certain, so he permitted her to pass, the warm elegance of her scent stroking over him as she left. She was halfway to the patient rooms when she glanced back and caught him with that fox-brown gaze. "Sometimes," she said, "itrsquo;s just about sex."
SIENNA had the afternoon free, but after completing the coursework for an advanced physics class she was taking through the online branch of a major university, she decided to head out to the White Zone and volunteer to assist with the after-school activities. As she walked, she tried to keep her mind on dry academic facts, but it was impossible not to think of the emotional storm and dark beauty of the previous night.
The moss-laden grotto Hawke had led her to after the cold burn of her ability had encased her in violent flame had been alive with night-blooming wildflowers, the small pond at the center so tranquil and clear as to be a mirror. Her soul had filled with wonder as she touched her fingertips to a delicate bloom, her heart aching with the realization that he was giving her a gift, giving her a piece of himself hersquo;d never shown to another.
It had threatened to break her. Because no matter how drawn he was to her, no matter how potent the tug between them, Hawke had a will of iron. That will would have him shredding her to bloody pieces tonight as he put his hands on another woman. As he kissed her. More.
"Sinna!" Ben skidded to a halt at her feet not far into the White Zone, breaking the agonizing loop of thought. "Hi!" He threw his arms wide.
Going down on her haunches, she cuddled him tight, whispering, "Do you want me to do up your shoelace?" in his ear.
A furtive nod.
Smiling at the male pride that wouldnrsquo;t let Ben admit the need for help to the other kids, she did up the dangling lace, then rose to her feet to find herself being called upon to referee a game of hide-and-seek. Drew tracked her down there ten minutes later. "Hello, sugarpie." Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he tugged her into the warmth of his body even as she scowled at the ridiculous pet name hersquo;d given her after discoveringmdash;and feedingmdash;her addiction to sweets.
"Temper, temper." A finger tapping her nose. "Play nice or I wonrsquo;t give you the pecan-and-nougat candy bar somebody really loves."
In spite of the pain wracking her insides, it was impossible not to smile at this man whorsquo;d claimed her as a sister, whorsquo;d laughed, tricked, and teased his way into her life. "I thought you were in Arizona with the falcons."
"Got back a couple of hours ago." He slid the candy bar into her pocket.
Leaning into him, she sniffed, loud and obvious. "Hmm, freshly showered. What did you do when you got back?"
Drew gave her a wicked, wicked smile that creased his cheeks with lean male dimples. "Well now, Irsquo;ll just leave that to your imagination, Ms. Sienna Lauren."
Laughter bubbled out of her, pumping through the giant bruise that was her heart. "You like being mated." Hersquo;d always been one of the most easygoing people in the den, but there was a fierce happiness to him now, his adoration of Indigo open.
"Yep." He lifted a finger to his lips when a little girl poked her head around the bush where she was hiding. She ducked back. "Irsquo;ve come to give you some sage advice, being as Irsquo;m so much older and wiser."
"Says the man who once stole Indigorsquo;s phone and recorded himself howling her name as the ringtone."
His responding words were unexpectedly serious. "I had the same problem as you."
Sienna went to snap back a reply but closed her mouth partway. "Yes . . . you did." Drew was only four years younger than Indigo, but he didnrsquo;t occupy the same place in the hierarchy. It had made his courtship of the lieutenant difficult.
"I didnrsquo;t give up."
Stung, she pulled away. "Irsquo;m not giving up." Shersquo;d asked Hawke to be with her, been rejected with such finality she was still bleeding inside.
"I dunno, sweetheart." Drew rubbed his jaw, his gaze astute for all that his comment was a lazy drawl. "From where Irsquo;m standing, it sure as hell looks like yoursquo;re giving Rosalie and Hawke the green light."
Cold fire licked at her fingertips. Smothering it in her palm, she checked to make sure the kids were happy in their game before hissing a response under her breath. "Irsquo;d like to point out that you had a more powerful platform." Drew might not be a lieutenant, but Sienna had seen the way Hawke and the others listened to him.
"Yeah, that does kinda suck for you."
"You make me want to throw things at you."
He hugged her again, before she could put some distance between them. Then the most sneaky wolf in the den lowered his voice and whispered, "But yoursquo;ve got an advantage, sweetheart. Yoursquo;re already in his head. And you know how to mess with it."
HAVING spent the day buried in strategy and preparation sessions for a war that seemed inevitable, Hawke didnrsquo;t get outside until after night had fallen in a lush black blanket. He was at the lake nearest the den, staring at the gentle lap of water when Rosalie appeared out of the trees to make her way across the pebbled shore. Her walk was that of a woman confident in her sensualitymdash;the complete opposite of the cardinal Psy who watched him with an unstudied hunger that had almost broken his resolve last night.
A single touch and he wouldrsquo;ve had her naked in the silver kiss of the moonlight, her back cushioned by the softness of the lush green grass, her hair a ruby red flame over the wildflowers. So vivid was the image that the wolf growled, wanting to take control, to go hunting its favorite prey.
"That is not," Rosalie said, fitting her tall, voluptuous body to his side, "the look of a man who canrsquo;t wait to get me into bed."
He played his fingers through her hair, and though the thick, mahogany waves were beautiful, his mind kept circling back to the dark fall of silk hersquo;d seen under the moon last night. "Yoursquo;re too good for me, Rosa."
A husky laugh. "Of course I am." She pressed a kiss to his jaw, her breasts brushing his chest as she shifted to face him. "I can feel your wolf tugging at the reins."
Hawke hated that he was being pushed into this by the physical needs of his changeling nature. But that had nothing to do with Rosalie. "Irsquo;m a bastard."
"That you are," she agreed, linking her arms around his neck.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, talk about alpha. Makes me want to say lsquo;yes, please and again.rsquo; " Tracing his lips with her fingertip, she gave him a solemn look from those thickly lashed eyes of deepest green. "You know this, us, itrsquo;s freely given? No strings."
Instead of lunging at the invitation as hersquo;d half expected, Hawkersquo;s wolf sat sullen, though it was being torn apart by the most savage sexual need. "I know."
She tipped her head to the side, her hair cascading over her shoulder. "Then why arenrsquo;t you ripping my clothes off?" There was no judgment in the words, only the concern of a friend.
Reaching up, he brushed his fingers over her cheekbone. The wolf found her sensual, beautiful, intelligent. The man agreed. There was just one problem. "Indigo was right"mdash;a realization that tilted his world on its axismdash;"it wonrsquo;t satisfy my hunger." The need that ravaged him was hotly specific, targeted to only one woman.
"You mean," Rosalie said, hands on her hips, "yoursquo;re blowing me off after getting me all hot and bothered?"
"You mad?" He nuzzled at her, because the wolf didnrsquo;t want to hurt her.
Rosalie laughed, and it was a big, sensual sound from a woman who lived her life with a generosity of spirit that didnrsquo;t allow her to hold grudges. "Itrsquo;s not exactly a surprise, sweetie." Still smiling, she kissed him full on the mouth. "I came to you because wersquo;re friendsmdash;you needed touch, and I figured you were too stubborn to go after her. I didnrsquo;t realize it had gotten to this point between you two."
Hawke growled at the implied conclusion in her statement. "Just because I realize the need, doesnrsquo;t mean Irsquo;m going to act on it."
"Let me make sure I have this right." Rosalie poked him in the chest. "You want her so bad I can all but taste your arousalmdash;and damn, but itrsquo;s sexymdash;but yoursquo;re not hunting her down?"
Hawke thought of how young Sienna was, how untried.
I have no plans to die a virgin.
He was no lover for a virgin, especially now, with his control so ragged it was in fucking shreds. Hell, hersquo;d probably scare her so bad shersquo;d never want to have sex again. "Itrsquo;s complicated."
"Huh." Rosalie didnrsquo;t sound convinced, but his sat phone rang before she could grill him any further.
Answering it, he was surprised to hear Josérsquo;s voice. "Itrsquo;s Lucrsquo;s turn," he said curtly, in no mood to babysit packmates who should know better. If they got into shit tonight, hersquo;d let them cool their heels in jail.
The bar owner blew out a breath. "Irsquo;m thinking you donrsquo;t want another man handling your girl."
"Shersquo;s finemdash;if you donrsquo;t count the amount of alcohol shersquo;s slugging back . . . or the cat keeping her warm."
Hawkersquo;s growl rolled up out of his chest to color the air. "Make damn sure she doesnrsquo;t leave with him." Stabbing the End button, he looked up to find Rosalie grinning from ear to ear. "Quiet."
"Hey, Irsquo;m just an innocent bystander." She raised her hands. "Though you might want to take off your mean face before you go get her."
"She can bloody well deal with it." It was a snarl.
SIENNA surreptitiously passed "her" sixth shot to Kit.
He made a face. "Did you have to order this girly shit?"
"I am a girl, in case you failed to notice." The vodkas shersquo;d ordered earlier had been easier to get rid ofmdash;the colorless liquid blended in with the empty or ice cubendash;filled glasses the wait staff cleared away on a regular basis. The shots, on the other hand, would stick out.
Shuddering, Kit made quick work of the butterscotch liqueur and slid the glass over before anyone was the wiser as to who had taken the actual shot.
"Dear God that was foul." He gulped his beer. "Thatrsquo;s the last one Irsquo;m doing for you."
"I think that should do the trick. Josérsquo;s giving me the eye." Sienna smiled goofily at the bartender, playing drunk.
The big deer changeling gave her a stare as flat as any wolfrsquo;s.
Deciding not to push her luck, she dipped her head toward Kitmdash;to find him looking unexpectedly serious. "What is it?"
"I know yoursquo;ve got strong feelings for Hawke," he said, angling his shoulders to face her, "but are you ready for where this, tonight, might lead?"
Sienna had asked herself the same question and found only one answer. "Irsquo;ll never know unless he gives us a chance." She closed her hand over Kitrsquo;s.
"Maybe Irsquo;ll discover Irsquo;ve taken on more than I can handle," she admitted, because Hawke was never going to be an easy lovermdash;if she even got him to consider the idea of a relationship. "But I know, I know, that I canrsquo;t sit by and watch him go to another woman."
An intent gaze. "Yoursquo;ve really thought about it."
"Yes." Whatever happened, continuing on as they hadmdash;with the relentless beat of unresolved tension between themmdash;was no longer an option. "Doesnrsquo;t mean Irsquo;m not nervous."
Kit turned up his hand to squeeze hers, a feline smile in his eyes. "My moneyrsquo;s on you."
Leaning forward to press her lips to his cheek, she said, "When should I climb on the bar again?"
"Given the time José made the call, and how fast Hawke is probably driving, Irsquo;d say in about two minutes."
"Good." Picking up her cell phone from where it sat on the bar, she tucked it into a back pocket, having not brought a purse. "That gives you two minutes to get out."
"Irsquo;m not running." Pure affront.
Sienna had been in a pack long enough to understand male pridemdash;even stupid male pride. "Itrsquo;s not running. Yoursquo;ll mess up my whole plan if Hawkersquo;s focused on you instead of me."
"Huh." Finishing off his beer, he rose off the barstool.
Then he did something completely, totally unexpected. Hauling her against his body, he took her mouth in a hot, wild tangle of a kiss that spoke of the man he would one day become. Her heart was pumping double-time by the time he finished. "Um, well, that was . . ." Okay, she thought, okay. Maybe they didnrsquo;t have the combustible chemistry she had with Hawke, but Kit could get her into bed if he put his mind to it. And that was a surprise. "Not nice," she finally managed to get out. "A very lsquo;not nicersquo; kiss."
Smiling in masculine satisfaction, Kit rocked back on his heels. "Fair warningmdash;now you smell like me in an intimate way. Hersquo;s not going to like that."
Cunning cat. Good thing he was on her side. "Showtime."
Kit leaned in to speak with his lips brushing her ear. "I wonrsquo;t be far. If hersquo;s too out of control, Irsquo;ll get you out."
"He wonrsquo;t hurt me." Of that she was more certain than she was of anything else in her life. "Haul me up."
Kit lifted her onto the bar beside another girl, a slender leopard female who blew Sienna a kiss. Whistles sounded from around the bar as Kit melted away, leaving the two of them silhouetted against the electric blue lights of the glass wall behind the bar, the bottles of alcohol so many glittering jewels against the glow. Well aware Nicki was only flirting with her to tease Jason, Sienna blew back a kiss, and the bar exploded.
The crowd was chanting "kiss, kiss, kiss" when Hawke walked inside.
That was when Sienna learned the meaning of the term alpha.
Chapter 15
HE DIDNrsquo;T SAY a word, didnrsquo;t so much as make a sound, but as soon as one person saw him, they nudged another. It took less than thirty seconds for the club to go deadly silent, José turning off the music at the same instant.
Nicki slid down the bar into Jasonrsquo;s arms, mouthing, "Good luck," at Sienna before she disappeared into the group of DarkRiver youths in one corner.
Reaching the bar, Hawke looked up. It was the wolf who watched her, the wolf who said, "Shoulder or feet?"
She swallowed. "Feet."
"Good choice." He didnrsquo;t step back as she sat down and slipped off the bar, his body heat slapping against her bare skin with masculine aggressiveness.
Suddenly, the corset-style top shersquo;d bought on her own after that shopping trip with Nicki didnrsquo;t seem such a great idea. It left her feeling all but naked, her shoulders bare, her breasts plumped up above the bodice, her abdomen exposed from just below her belly button to the top of her low slung jeans. With her breath coming in jagged bursts, it felt as if she was offering her breasts to him with each inhale.
Hawke didnrsquo;t say a single word, gave no indication that hersquo;d noticed her state of dress as he put his hand on her lower back and herded her to the door.
She almost went.
Halfway there, she dug in her heels, determined to make him admit he wasnrsquo;t just here to pick up a pack member whorsquo;d had too much to drink. But one look at his face and she knew itrsquo;d be a very bad idea to confront him here. She could see Nicki and Evie over his shoulder, frantically shaking their heads. Jason was wincing, but edging forward while Kit and Tai had begun to shoulder their way through the crowdmdash;as if to protect her.
Their loyalty ignited a deep warmth with her.
But this was a private war.
Sliding her arm through Hawkersquo;s, she pressed her breast against the part of his arm bared by the short sleeves of his white T-shirt. "Wherersquo;s the car?" She didnrsquo;t bother to slur her voice. His senses were too acute to have missed the fact that she was stone-cold sober.
In response, he untangled his arm from hers, put his hand on her lower back againmdash;the touch a hot, rough shock that made things low in her body clenchmdash;and walked her out.
"Good luck," the bouncer muttered as she passed, not even making a token attempt at pretending he was going to stand in Hawkersquo;s way.
If shersquo;d been him, she wouldnrsquo;t have either.
Because unlike the other night, Hawke didnrsquo;t look pissed. This was an anger that went deeper, ran far colder. Why the difference, she didnrsquo;t know . . . until they got to beside the SUV, and he leaned down to growl, "You smell of another man."
Her body flared with sensation at the heat of him so close, but she wasnrsquo;t about to surrender and lose the ground shersquo;d gained. "Yeah, well, Irsquo;m not a wolf, but Irsquo;m guessing you smell of another woman."
He bit her. No warning, no nothing. His teeth just sank into the curve where her neck flowed into her shoulder. She jumped, felt his hands lock onto her hips. Her spine was melting, her skin taut in expectationmdash;but if she gave in now, it was all over. Think, Sienna, think. Close to impossible when he was surrounding her, when he was taking her over. Damp heat bloomed between her legs, and his nostrils flared. Oh, God.
Acting more in self-defense than as a result of rational thought, she raised a fine line of X-fire where he gripped her.
He wrenched away with a snarl. "You burned me." The wolf. Very much the wolf.
Raising her hand to her shoulder, she touched the lingering heat of his bite. "Just a warning." Shersquo;d been careful not to burn, only to threaten. "I donrsquo;t like having your teeth in me."
His eyes gleamed. "Liar."
She couldnrsquo;t hold back her gasp as he was suddenly in her face again, but found the will to say, "Did you take out that ad?"
He traced the bite mark with his thumb. "Why are you half-naked?" An almost careless question . . . except that his free hand was on her lower back again, and this time, he was using the rough pads of his fingers to stroke the strip of skin bared by her top. Slow and easy. And again.
She shivered.
"Yoursquo;re cold."
Hersquo;d thrown her into the SUV and come around to take his seat before she knew it. They were already halfway down the block by the time her heart stopped racing enough that she could speak. "I donrsquo;t want to go home." Part of her was terrified because she had no idea what to do with him in this kind of a mood, but retreat was not an option. Not when she was playing for keeps. "Hawke? Are you listening to me?"
Picking up a bottle of water from the holder between the seats, he said, "Wash off his scent."
Her thighs clenched at the possessive demand in that tone, but she folded her arms. "No."
A low growl filled the SUV, tightening her nipples to painful points. Unsettledmdash;though not shockedmdash;by the visceral depth of her response, she was attempting to find some kind of solid ground when he wrenched the car to a stop on the side of the road and turned. "Then Irsquo;ll do it." Pale, pale eyes gone night-glow, a voice so calm as to make it patently clear the predator was well and truly off the leash.
Difficult as it was to withstand the impact of his dominance, she reminded herself his wasnrsquo;t the only power in the vehicle. "Touch me and Irsquo;ll singe your eyebrows off."
A shrug. "Theyrsquo;ll grow back." Tugging off the scarf shersquo;d used to tie up her hair, he dampened it in the water.
"Hey!" She pushed back at him as he crowded her into the corner.
"You wanted to play, baby." Soft words that had her freezing in place. "So wersquo;ll play."
Her mouth went dry as he ran the damp cloth over her lips with piercing focus. She knew she should protest his actions, but her voice seemed to have deserted her with him so closemdash;so big and gorgeous and furious that he took over every inch of space, every breath of air. "There," he murmured, running the cloth down her neck and over her shoulder before leaning down to press his lips to the bite mark.
Arousal twisted through her body, until she had to sink her teeth into her lower lip to still her moan. That wasnrsquo;t an erogenous zone. She knew that. And yet she didnrsquo;t dare move for fear hersquo;d stop the delicious torture. Another kiss, wet and hot. His hair brushing against her skin as he licked the mark, each strand a searing brand.
"Next time that cub puts his hands on you," he said, raising his head after another lingering taste of her skin, "Irsquo;ll tear out his throat and feed it to him." The words were said in such a reasonable tone that it took her a minute to process their meaning.
Lurching up, she grabbed the front of his T-shirt. "You will not touch any of my friends."
Patient wolf eyes. Deadly wolf eyes.
"Hawke."
He leaned forward and licked the bite mark again.
Her entire body shuddered, her breasts protesting the stiff confines of the corset. "No touching Kit," she whispered, barely able to speak past the dark pressure of a desire so long denied, it threatened to devour her.
His hand closed around her throat. Not a threat. Just the most possessive way a predatory changeling male had of touching a woman outside of sex. "Donrsquo;t say his name." He brushed his thumb across her pulse.
Closing her hand over his wrist, she said, "Yoursquo;re being unreasonable." The instant the words left her mouth, she realized she wasnrsquo;t going to get "human" behavior from him tonight. Hawkersquo;s wolf had always been close to the surface, and right now, it was in charge. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that both man and wolf had shrugged off any pretensions to civilized behavior.
"I still donrsquo;t want to go home." It wasnrsquo;t quite the truthmdash;shersquo;d be delighted to be alone with him. But if she was going to win him, and keep him, he had to understand that he wasnrsquo;t going to be able to walk all over her. Because he damn well would if he thought he could.
His gaze went watchful, waiting.
"I want to go dancing again."
A slow smile.
"In a club," she added, quite certain rational thought would become a distant memory if he took her into his arms when they were alone, if he put his mouth on her skin, his hands on her body. "There." Breasts flushing at the hot pulse of need in the most intimate part of her, she pointed to a random club. "That one looks popular."
The growl was so low and deep that she felt it with her body first, her skin shimmering in reaction, the stiff points of her nipples rubbing against the corset. Only the discipline shersquo;d learned in the Net kept her from giving in. "Stop trying to intimidate me."
Instead of answering, he returned his attention to the road and began driving. It didnrsquo;t take her long to realize they were most definitely heading back to den territory. Recognizing shersquo;d lost that round, she forced herself to regroup, to remember that she wasnrsquo;t dealing with the cool, calculating alpha of SnowDancer at this moment, but with the wildness that lived in his heart.
That didnrsquo;t mean she was about to surrender. Even if she had no idea what shersquo;d do if he decided to stop stalking her and pounced. "Do you like my top?"
"Is that what it is?"
"Latest style," she assured him, ignoring the silky menace of his response. "Laces up the side, so itrsquo;s easier to take off."
His hands clenched on the steering wheel as he headed up into the mountains.
"And the boots." She lifted one leg up to the dash, stroked her hand over her thigh. "They make memdash;"
The car shuddered to a halt near the perimeter of den territory. Hawke was turning to her when he went motionless in a way she recognized. Predatory. Listening. Snapping to alertness, she brought down her leg and swept out with her telepathic senses . . . to find more than a few Psy minds in the vicinity.
"Psy," Hawke said under his breath at the same instant. "Stay in the car." He was gone before she could argue.
Tempting as it was to disobey him, her damn boots would make her a liability. So she gave him a different kind of backup. Keeping him on the periphery of her psychic senses, she expanded her telepathic reach once more. Unsurprisingly, the intruders were shielded. Hawkersquo;s mind was even more impenetrable, his natural shields a solid wall. Shersquo;d never know if he was hurt or in trouble.
Frustrated, she slid back her door with utmost care.
The night air raised goose bumps over her body, but she brushed aside that minor concern and focused every one of her senses on listening. With all of her sensesmdash;psychic and otherwise. The instant she heard even the slightest indication of a fight, shersquo;d blow out every Psy mind in the vicinity.
This was her home. Her man. No one was allowed to fuck with either of them.
IT took Hawkersquo;s wolf a bare minute to realize that Sienna was too smart, too dangerous, not to have come up with a plan in case things went balls-up. Shit. Pulling out the sat phone from his pocket, he typed in a short, terse message.
Do not act unless I give the signal. A howl from the wolf could carry for miles in the right conditions. Donrsquo;t give yourself away. If anyone on the Council learned that she was alive, theyrsquo;d come after her, no holds barred. Since Hawke had no intention of letting them take her, things would turn brutal fast.
Then donrsquo;t get hurt.
The return message made him grin despite the tense circumstances. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he made his way with wolf-stealth to the area where hersquo;d scented the intruders. His wolf was angry at the trespass, but its anger was a silent, focused thing, both parts of him conscious of the need to uncover the enemyrsquo;s agenda. SnowDancer stood in danger of becoming arrogant after their recent successes at foiling the covert operations, but the fact was, the psychic race posed a powerful threat.
Shifting from shadow to shadow without a sound, he brought himself to within five feet of the intruders.
". . . too many trees."
"Hersquo;s correct. We need a moremdash;" The speaker paused for a few seconds. "Wersquo;ll have to continue this later. Irsquo;m needed at the base."
The third Psy put one of his hands on each of the other two menrsquo;s shoulders and teleported them out. Hawke couldrsquo;ve taken down at least one, maybe two, before the teleport, but he let them go. The first order of business was to figure out their game plan, something thatrsquo;d be far easier to do if whoever was leading this wasnrsquo;t tipped off to the fact that SnowDancer was aware of any planned assault.
Checking to confirm the area was secure, he was about to head back to the SUV when he paused. Sienna had been Mingrsquo;s protégée, had spent most of her life studying military tactics and strategies utilized by the Council. While the protective side of him wanted to cocoon her in safety, he was also the alpha of SnowDancermdash;cool, calculated, and willing to use any advantage to protect his pack.
Bringing out his phone, he called her. "Can you get to me?" he asked, stepping a small distance away from the actual site to avoid being seen or heard by any concealed technologymdash;it paid to be extra paranoid after what Henry Scott had almost pulled off last year.
"Yes. I can see you with my telepathic eye."
He frowned but didnrsquo;t say anything until she appeared out of the night, her skin silver in the moonlight where it was bared by that ridiculous strip of fabric she called a top. "Can I be tracked that way by all Psy?" he asked, figuring itrsquo;d take a single, precise claw swipe to cut the ties that held the corset so snug to her body.
Sienna shook her head, hair once more tied up with that scarf. "Not you, specifically. I meant I did a telepathic sweep and found a single changeling mind."
Satisfied, he pointed out the compromised area, told her what hersquo;d overheard. "Anything strike you?"
Scanning the lightly wooded section, Sienna rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms in an absent manner. "Nothing you havenrsquo;t already considered, Irsquo;m suremdash;if they need a more open space, Irsquo;m thinking staging post."
"Yeah." Walking over, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Yoursquo;re frozen." Not surprising. But his wolf wasnrsquo;t irritated at her choice of clothing anymore, not now that hersquo;d claimed skin privileges. "Come on," he said, breathing in the wild spice of her scent, "we wonrsquo;t learn anything more here tonight." Hersquo;d get the techs to come out tomorrow and do a sweep, check the area was clean.
Sienna was uncharacteristically subdued as they walked to the car and got in. Though the cold didnrsquo;t bother him in the slightest, he turned on the heater to high as he pulled away. "Whatrsquo;s going on in that head of yours?"
"My race attacks your people again." Quiet words. "Is that why you hate the Psy? Because they never stop?"
Echoes of blood and pain, of watching people he loved fall under claws and teeth as packmates turned on one another. "No." The scars left by the violence over two decades ago would never disappear, but hersquo;d learned to move past the feral anger that had driven him those first few years. "I donrsquo;t hate all Psy. Just those who follow the Council."
Sienna squeezed her arms tight around herself, though the car was plenty warm now. This was the one thing, the one thing shersquo;d never factored into the equation. Yes, the attraction between them was the rawest of cravings, strong enough that it had finally brought Hawke to her. But, how could she possibly expect him to feel anything deeper for her, for a woman born of a race that had caused him so much pain that his voice went wolf when he spoke of it even now, his expression grim with old shadows.
The den had become home, the SnowDancers her friends and family, but she remembered how it had been when theyrsquo;d first arrived. Coping with the dual shock of being severed from the Net and of her inexplicable, violent reaction to the alpha with ice-cold eyes, Sienna had focused on simple survival those first few months. Still, shersquo;d trained under a Councilor, was the niece of an Arrow. Shersquo;d filed away the whispers, the overheard snippets of conversation. All to do with the packrsquo;s stunned amazement that Hawke, "of all people," would give a Psy family sanctuary "after what theyrsquo;d done to his own."
Her throat was suddenly lined with razors.
"Were the Psy," she said, forcing herself to ask the hardest question, "responsible for the deaths of your parents?" She knew hersquo;d lost them as a child, but no one ever spoke of the circumstances of that loss.
Hawke didnrsquo;t react for almost a minute. When he did, it was only to say, "There are some things you donrsquo;t need to know." A slapdown. Cool. Unvarnished. Absolute.
It was in her nature to rebel against him, deepest instinct telling her that he would only ever respect a woman with the strength to stand up to him, but she had no right to ask him to return to a nightmare. "I apologize." Turning her attention to the passing darkness of the forest, her trembling fingers hidden in her fists, she stared unseeing into the night.
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, ACTION NOT REQUIRED
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: February 12th, 1972 at 10:00pm
SUBJECT: Published at Last!!
Dear Dad,
Irsquo;ve just received the first copies of my book. I know you didnrsquo;t care for the nonscholarly title but I do think The Mysterious E Designation: Empathic Gifts amp; Shadows sounds snazzy.
To answer the question in your last e-mailmdash;yes, I am still single, but I have time yet before yoursquo;re consigned to retirement without grandchildren (especially since you plan to never retire). Tell Mom I went over to the house and the flowers are blooming beautifullymdash;one of my empathic friends has been helping me with the gardens. E-Psy have such green fingers. Maybe I should study that next time.
As for the X Project, itrsquo;s been almost a year since I began and Irsquo;ve realized I canrsquo;t rely solely on my tiny live sample. Irsquo;ve asked for and received archival assistance from a Psy librarian who will mine the PsyNet for data about past Xs, while I do the same in the libraries I can access.
My premise is that this mutation would not exist unless it had a purpose, but George pointed out how many rare diseases are caused by mutations. If I were to follow that line of thought, Irsquo;d have to conclude that the Xs are so uncommon because they have no function and that their deaths are an attempt by nature to control a dangerous disease. Thatrsquo;s not a thought Irsquo;m comfortable having, but as a scientist, I know itrsquo;s as viable a theory as any.
I so wish you were home so we could have these discussions in person.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 16
LARA SAT AT her desk in the infirmary, having stayed late to keep an eye on an elderly wolf whorsquo;d had a fall, but her mind wasnrsquo;t on the papers in front of her. Shersquo;d enjoyed tormenting Walker about her date with Kieran, but her amusement had faded the instant hersquo;d left, to be replaced by a throbbing ache that mocked her attempt at getting over him.
The fact was, the attraction she felt toward Walker Lauren was no simple thingmdash;it had been growing slowly ever since he entered the den, layer by layer, word by word. The more she learned about the man behind the reserved mask, the harder she fell. His rebuff had bruised those emotions, bruised them badly, but shersquo;d been stupid to think theyrsquo;d disappear just because she wanted them gone.
It didnrsquo;t surprise her how tempting it was to cling to the apparent jealousy that had driven him to seek her out. But even if she had read him right, she was certain the emotion wouldnrsquo;t make him change his mindmdash;Walker wasnrsquo;t the kind of man who vacillated, and hersquo;d been damn unequivocal that their single kiss had been a mistake.
However Lara, too, wasnrsquo;t a woman who made decisions lightly, and shersquo;d made one to move on. And as her friend Ava had pointed out in her frank, no-nonsense way earlier today, Kieran might not have been a good fit for her, but he was the first man shersquo;d gone out with in the past six months.
"You havenrsquo;t," Ava had continued, "given any other man a chance to impact your feelings toward Walker."
With that truth in mind, she called up a senior tech whorsquo;d asked her out three months ago, and set up a lunch date for the following day. Feeling good about his instant agreement, she was just hanging up when she saw Walker in the doorway. Once, shersquo;d have assumed hersquo;d come to see her. Tonight, her immediate thought was that someone was hurt. "Who?" she asked, rising to her feet. "What domdash;"
He halted her with a hand on her wrist, his skin rough against her own, his grip unbreakable. Startled, she froze. Her shock was the only thing that muted her instinctive response to his touch. Because she loved Walkerrsquo;s hands, loved the calluses that came from what he did in his spare time, the beautiful things he createdmdash;including tiny pieces of furniture for his daughterrsquo;s cherished dollhouse.
Now, that strong, warm hand held her in place as he leaned forward to put a tray of food on her desk, the dark water and snow-dusted fir of his scent enclosing her in a sensual prison that allowed no escape. "You missed dinner. Again."
Her wolfrsquo;s entire body quivered at what from a male wolf would signal the start of a serious courtship, but Lara squelched that reaction. She wasnrsquo;t about to set herself up for more hurt. "I was busy." In spite of her calm words, when he nudged her back into her chair, she went without argument.
However, when he leaned that tall, strong body back against her deskmdash;so close that she couldrsquo;ve stroked her hand over his jean-clad thigh, the worn denim stretched taut over firm musclemdash;picked up the plate, and went to feed her a forkful, she jerked herself free of the lingering tendrils of shock. "Here," she said, taking the plate. "You donrsquo;t want to do that."
"Why?"
Sliding her chair a little farther from him, she forced herself to answer. "Itrsquo;s an intimacy . . . like skin privileges."
Walker didnrsquo;t ask any further questions, but neither did he leavemdash;as Lararsquo;s body language indicated he should. He knew he was pushing uninvited into her space, but he also knew he didnrsquo;t like it when she didnrsquo;t take care of herself and hersquo;d had enough of watching that happen. And though it mightrsquo;ve been smarter to keep his distance, given her disconcerting effect on him . . . hersquo;d missed her.
"Did you hear," he asked, because Lara was the one person with whom hersquo;d always found words, "that Marlee joined the childrenrsquo;s choir?" It was the first time hersquo;d made a deliberate effort to initiatemdash;rebuildmdash;any kind of a bond with a woman.
A genuine smile broke through the shadows on Lararsquo;s face. "I heard Ben and her practicing. Shersquo;s got a beautiful voice."
So, Walker thought, did Lara.
SIENNA jerked upright in bed, her plain black tank top stuck to her skin. The nightmare hadnrsquo;t raised its ugly head for months, but it had made up for lost time tonight. Shoving off the blankets, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed back strands of hair that had escaped her braid to stick to sweat-damp skin.
"Perfect." Ming, looking at her as a human might a high-performance vehicle. "You really are the most perfect genetic specimen."
Perfectmdash;if you wanted a cold-blooded mass murderer. Except of course, her blood no longer ran cold. "Still a potential murderer," she whispered, trembling so hard her vision wavered.
"We are who we make ourselves." Juddrsquo;s voice, compelling in its very quietness. "Donrsquo;t ever give up your will to some idea of genetic predestination."
She clung to his words. Judd had made it. Hersquo;d changed the nature of his gift from death to life, become a healer. That wasnrsquo;t a path Sienna could follow, her ability was too much of violence, but shersquo;d forge her own pathmdash;and not as the butcher Ming had intended her to be, the butcher hersquo;d spent so many years grooming in the expectation of owning her body and soul. Until shersquo;d proven too dangerous even for him. "You didnrsquo;t break me, you bastard." Not then, and not now.
Rising to her feet, she stripped and walked into the shower, setting the temperature close to boiling point. Only when her skin was pulsing with heat almost painful in its intensity did she step out and rub herself down. A glance at the clock showed her it was five a.m. Dressing and plaiting her damp hair, she logged in to the roster to double-check her schedule and saw a reminder that she was meant to attend a training session from noon until late in the afternoon.
Checking the rest of the roster, she coded in a call to Riordan. It went through with visuals. A rumpled sounding wolf said, "Irsquo;m getting up, Mom. I promise," from under a blanket. "Gimme just a minute."
Her lips twitched. "You mind if I take your shift this morning?" He was rostered on from six to eleven.
Riordan raised his head to meet her gaze, his hair sticking up in a mess that was mysteriously attractive. "Dear God, yoursquo;re showered. Crazy woman."
"Since I am . . ."
"You sure?"
"Wouldnrsquo;t ask if I wasnrsquo;t." If she kept moving, then maybe shersquo;d forget the bleak insight shersquo;d had in the SUV last night, forget that the past stood as an opaque barrier between her and the only man whorsquo;d ever broken through her own shields. "You can pay me back later in the week."
"Sounds good. Thanks, Sin."
Logging off, she grabbed a small daypack and walked out to the communal kitchen/dining area in this sector of the den. It was empty, the lighting dim. But someone had started the coffee, and there was a still-warm tray of muffins on the counter. The sight made her heart lift.
Forcing herself to wait, she stashed a water bottle in her pack, along with a sandwich she put together using the fresh ingredients in the cooler. That done, she poured herself a glass of milkmdash;a habit for which both Evie and Riordan teased her unmercifullymdash;chose the biggest muffin on the tray and sat down to indulge. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head at the first bite.
Cream cheese and peachesmdash;her favorite.
Licking her fingers after finishing it, she glanced at the tray, bit her lower lip. Food was the most innocent of sensual pleasures but one she never took for granted, remembering all too well the nutrition bars that had been the mainstay of her diet for so many years. It was Hawke, she remembered with a stab of pain deep within, who had given her her first bite of something that had set her senses humming.
Shersquo;d been shaky, on her knees on the grass, her arms around the kids as theyrsquo;d blacked out after Walker cut their connection to the PsyNet.Judd had stood in front, Walker at the back, both of them giving her time to make certain Toby and Marlee wouldnrsquo;t break away from the newly created familial net into which Sienna had pulled them, wouldnrsquo;t seek to rejoin the Net.
So blue, she remembered thinking as she raised her head and met the gaze of the man who stood opposite Juddrsquo;s protective form, his hair brilliant even in the dull sunlight that fateful morning. So lethal, had been her next thought. Theyrsquo;d done their research, and so shersquo;d known who he was, what he might yet do to the adults, herself included.
But Toby and Marlee, they were children, and wolves loved children. Judd, Walker, and Sienna had bet the kidsrsquo; lives on that bit of knowledge, hoping against hope that the two youngest members of the family would find some way to gain the necessary biofeedback from the wolf pack once the adults were gone. Because thoughmdash;once hersquo;d realized theyrsquo;d fetch no ransommdash;the wolf alpha had ordered them to cut their PsyNet links if they were to have any chance of gaining sanctuary, none of the adults expected to live through the day.
It was only later, with the children secured in the LaurenNet, that Sienna realized the wolf alpha was biting out clipped orders to his men and women. Blankets had already appeared for the children in the time shersquo;d spent on the psychic plane. Sienna stood with Marlee in her arms, while Walker took Toby, and Judd stayed as their shield. Her body swayed.
The wolf alpharsquo;s eyes snapped to her. "Give her to me."
She shouldrsquo;ve let Judd answer, but she was a cardinal whorsquo;d effectively been on her own since she was fivemdash;she knew a challenge when she heard it. "No."
A single raised eyebrow. "Yoursquo;ve defected, sweetheart. No use worrying about the big, bad wolf now."
She was aware of Judd speaking, but her attention never shifted off the man who was a predator, for all that he wore a human skin. When he peeled open and held out a bar of some kind, she took it, aware low energy levels could be dangerous when it came to her ability to keep a handle on the cold fire. "Thank you."
A faint smile, a strange amusement in those icy eyes. "Yoursquo;re welcome."
It was the most polite interaction theyrsquo;d ever had.
HAWKE spent the morning in a business negotiationmdash;the other party was attempting to get SnowDancer to increase its offer by dangling a bullshit competing bid in front of them, an underhanded tactic, but one Hawke understood. What he had a problem with was the fact the Psy conglomerate thought SnowDancer too stupid to know the difference between a fair if tough price and a scalping.
"Irsquo;m sorry," the Psy negotiator said from the comm screen, her face pristine in its lack of expression. "Irsquo;m afraid we canrsquo;t accept anything less than a fifteen percent increase."
"In that case," Hawke said, having had enough, "I guess this negotiation is over." Ending the call before she could respond, he glanced over at Jem, whorsquo;d sat in on the session from L.A. "Find us another supplier."
"Irsquo;ll have a short list by tonight." The lieutenantrsquo;s eyes narrowed. "They really think we got to where we are by being dumb shits? Yoursquo;d think theyrsquo;d know better by now."
Hawke shrugged, ignoring the flashing message that said the negotiator was trying to reinitiate contact. "They will, when their shares take a nosedive." SnowDancer was the largest pack in the country and had the attendant economic power. While Hawke had a preference for dealing with changeling or human companiesmdash;for the simple reason that the Councilors had interests in, and control over, so many Psy businessesmdash;Psy were the only option in certain sectors. Exceptmdash;"That small human start-up, what was it called . . ."
"Aquarius?"
"Yeah, thatrsquo;s the one. Can they supply us?"
Jem took a moment to check her files. "They have the intellectual know how, but itrsquo;ll stretch their capacity." A pause. "Of course, with a contract this big, theyrsquo;ll be able to afford to expand."
Leaving Jem to handle that, Hawke headed out for a hunt in wolf form with some of his senior soldiers. It was something he did on a regular basis, having no desire to be an alpha who didnrsquo;t know the wants and needs of his people. More, it was a need within his wolf, to run side by side with those who were his own.
As a result of the hunt, and the ensuing conversation, he didnrsquo;t get back to the den until after four. At which point, he showered, dressed in clean clothes, and took one of the SUVs for a drive down to the city.
TIRED from the physical day and devastatingly conscious that Hawke hadnrsquo;t sought her out since walking her to her quarters the night before . . . when hersquo;d been reminded once again of what the Psy had taken from him, Sienna sat cross-legged in bed, planning to work on a physics problem. It would keep her mind busy until exhaustion kicked her into dreamless sleep. That was the hope, anyway.
Shersquo;d picked up the datapad and was about to bring up the file when there was a knock on her door. Expecting it to be Evie or one of her other friends, she put aside the device and jumped up to open it without bothering about the fact that she was wearing her favorite soft black pajama pants and a faded gray T-shirt.
But it wasnrsquo;t Evie at the door.
"What are you doing here?" It came out husky, near soundless.
Ice blue eyes traced the contours of her face. "I had unfinished business." He brought out a small wrapped box from behind his back. "Here."
She took the box without a conscious decision to act, stared.
Hawke leaned his arm against the doorjamb. "Arenrsquo;t you going to open it?"
It was hard to think with him so close, his voice a deep murmur that turned her doorway into a private alcove, the moment into a slow, potent seduction. "Whatrsquo;s inside?" Her fingers closed around the box, possessive as any predatory changeling.
"If I told you, what would be the surprise?" The heat of him caressed her as he took over her world. She couldnrsquo;t see around him, his shoulders too wide, his presence too compelling. "I am, however"mdash;his voice dropping, that wolf-blue gaze focused on her mouthmdash;"willing to trade kisses for the secret."
The languid comment had her toes curling. Determined not to let him disconcert her any further, she undid the gauzy white ribbon with care and put it on top of the little shelf that stood against the wall beside the door, before beginning to unwrap the silver paper.
Hawke chuckled. "So neat."
"Itrsquo;s the way we were taught in the Net." Such habits were more necessary for her than most, a reminder to ensure mental discipline. But that was the last thing on her mind at that instant, because shersquo;d finished unwrapping her gift.
Lifting off the top part of the metallic cardboard box, she set it beside the paper and picked out the item wrapped in several layers of tissue. Hawke took the other half of the box and put it on the shelf as she pulled away the tissue to revealmdash;"Oh." Wonder unfurled within her at the sight of the tiny penguin formed of shining metal, complete with black tuxedo and gold saxophone.
"Here." Reaching out as she stood the painstakingly-crafted object on her palm, Hawke turned the key at the back.
The penguin began to "play" the sax with its fin, dipping and raising its head in time to the tinny saxophone music that appeared to emanate from the instrument at its mouth. The song was hauntingly familiar. Frowning, she turned the key when it wound down, listened again . . . and lost any hope of holding out against the wolf at her door even if shersquo;d wanted to. "We danced to this." Under the moonlight, deep in the forest.
"If yoursquo;d forgotten," Hawke said, his head close to hers, though she couldnrsquo;t remember seeing him move, "Irsquo;d have had to bite you again."
Her hand went to her shoulder. "The markrsquo;s gone."
Reaching out, he tugged at her T-shirt to bare the vulnerable skin, rubbed his thumb over the spot. Wolf-blue gleamed between slitted lids. "Come here."
The shiver that rocked through her at that low demand almost unseated the whimsical toy on her palm. Shaking her head at the wolf who very definitely wanted to use his teeth on her, she said, "Where did you find this?"
"Therersquo;s a little shop in the citymdash;Irsquo;ll take you there someday." His hand slid to the back of her nape. "I asked the owner to use that song."
It was tempting, so tempting, to lean her head against that wide chest, to stay in this perfect moment and ignore the words spoken in the car last night, but shersquo;d never been a woman to hide from the factsmdash;once, it had been because shersquo;d had no choice, but now it had become part of her very character.
Raising her head, she looked into that wild gaze, that of a human with the heart of a wolf. "Why are you giving this to me?" It was a silent apology, she understood thatmdash;but the reason behind his harsh words last night couldnrsquo;t remain unsaid. They were a dark shadow over any future relationship.
It was the wolf who answered her. "I just am."
"Do you have any others?" she asked, changing tack.
"Maybe."
It was the most peculiar feeling, having this conversation with Hawke, neither of them trying to draw blood. "May I see them?"
A shrug. "If yoursquo;re good."
Her skin was suddenly too tight over her breasts, even the softness of the T-shirt too abrasive. "How many do you have?" she asked as he stepped impossibly closer, until the muscled strength of his thighs bracketed her own.
"All these questions." His hand tightening on her nape, his body hard and demanding against the sensitive tips of her breasts. "Maybe I want something in return."
"Imdash;" she began, not knowing if she was going to surrender or push for the answers she needed when Hawkersquo;s phone beeped.
"Hold on," he murmured without breaking the searing eye contact, without removing the rough heat of his hand from her nape. "Thatrsquo;s Rileyrsquo;s code." He placed the phone to his ear.
And everything changed.
Chapter 17
"KEEP THEM CONTAINED. Irsquo;ll find Judd and head down." Hawke saw Siennarsquo;s eyes sharpen, realized shersquo;d put the pieces together. "No. No communication. If they talk in spite of the order, shoot the men in the legs."
The woman across from him didnrsquo;t appear the least shocked by his instructions. "More intruders," she said when he ended the call.
Rubbing his thumb over her lips in lieu of the slow, deep kiss hersquo;d intended to coax from her, he dropped his hand and said, "Can you telepath Judd, get him to meet me at the garage?"
"Yes. Irsquo;m doing it now."
Hawke had turned and was on his way before he stopped to think that maybe he shouldrsquo;ve said some sweet words instead of making such an abrupt departure, especially after last night. Even the most mature of women tended to get miffed about things like that. Pulling out his phone as he ran to the garage, he coded in a call.
Sienna picked up at once. "Is there a problem?" No anger, only an incisive intelligence.
That was when he remembered that this woman had been raised in a military context, understood about the need for a rapid response. "How far away is Judd?" he asked instead of the pretty words hersquo;d much rather save to whisper in her ear when she was naked and well pleasured under him. Very well pleasured.
"Almost there." A pause. "Be careful." It held the distinct edge of a command.
Surprised but not opposed to the idea of that particular command from this specific woman, his wolf pricked up its ears. "Yes, marsquo;am." Hanging up, he entered the garage just as Judd appeared from the opposite corridor.
JUDD stopped in the heavy dark of the trees surrounding the clearing where the SnowDancer unit held four men and a pregnant woman at gunpoint. "Confirmed, Psy," he said in a subvocal murmur to the man who stood beside him. It had taken him time to learn to speak that low, so low that he couldnrsquo;t hear his own voicemdash;but that changelings could discern with unerring accuracy.
"Anything else?" Hawke asked, his attention focused on the intruders.
"No symbols on their shoulders," he said. "Thatrsquo;s on purposemdash;those are military uniforms, should have emblems."
"The woman?"
"Shersquo;s not touching her abdomen." A pregnant woman who cared about her unborn child would have made some protective move that betrayed the disintegration of her conditioningmdash;rather than standing with military stiffness. Still . . . "I canrsquo;t say with certainty that her state is meant to manipulate your emotions. Her Silence could simply be too strong." He melted farther back into the dark as Hawke stepped out to stand beside Riley.
"Gentlemenmdash;and woman," the wolf alpha said with deceptive calm. "Would you care to explain the reason for this territorial breach?"
The man who replied was tall, with features that placed his ancestry as originating in the Indian subcontinent, most probably on the border with China. "We have defected." A frigid statement, but that meant nothing. Judd had sounded as cold once upon a time. "We seek sanctuary."
"What makes you think SnowDancer would offer sanctuary to a bunch of Psy?"
"There are rumors you have done so on at least one previous occasion." Juddrsquo;s blood chilled in his veins. His entire family had disappeared off the grid, was meant to be listed as dead in the Net. "Hersquo;s fishing," he said into the microphone clipped to the collar of his leather-synth jacket, though he knew Hawke was well aware of that fact.
Now, the SnowDancer alpha curved his lips into a grin that was all teeth. "We may have run across the occasional stray," he said, reaching down to pet one of the wild wolves that had streamed out of the forest in response to his presence.
Hawke stroked the wolf at his side, a beautiful creature of deepest black . . . the same shade as the much larger changeling wolf who prowled out to join the circle of watchers. Riaz. The SnowDancer lieutenant stared unblinking at the trespassers with eyes a startling shade akin to ancient gold.
"Depends what you define as sanctuary." Hawkersquo;s tone was easy, as if this was an everyday conversation. "Irsquo;m sure they no longer feel any pain . . . no longer feel anything."
"Are you saying theyrsquo;re dead?"
A faint smile. "Now, if I said that, Irsquo;d be admitting to murder." He angled his head toward the woman, and Judd knew the wolf was assessing the truth of her. "Our legal team would frown on that." Then he did something Judd would have never expected.
Throwing back his head, he howledmdash;the sound eerily beautiful, seeming to come from a wolfrsquo;s throat, not a humanrsquo;s. The wolves around him, wild and changeling, reacted in a split second, forelegs bunching as they launched themselves at the intruders. Only someone whorsquo;d been watching with utmost care wouldrsquo;ve seen that their lunge would have them streaming around the woman.
The Psy werenrsquo;t paying that kind of close attention. But the woman didnrsquo;t clamp her hand around her belly, didnrsquo;t try to shield her womb, didnrsquo;t attempt to protect her body in any way. Instead, she, like the others, slammed out a hand in a telekinetic thrust that shoved the wolves back . . . and teleported out.
At a speed that meant each had done their own personal teleport.
Judd hissed out a breath. There was no chance of four teleport-capable Tk-Psymdash;all of whom wouldrsquo;ve been pulled into the Council superstructure as youthsmdash;deciding to defect at the same time. No chance. It would provoke too much attention, incite too massive a search. No Council operative would make that mistakemdash;and all four of the intruders had been standing in a battle-ready stance that revealed their training.
"Clear!" one of the SnowDancers called out, holding up a gadget Brenna and the other techs had put together to detect any surveillance devices in their territory.
Only then did Judd step out of concealment. "Somebody suspects wersquo;re still alive."
Hawke, having crouched down to stroke, touch, and play with the wild wolves that swarmed over him, now rose. "Our demonstration should put that rumor to rest."
"Especially when it happens to be so close to the truth."
Hawkersquo;s grin was that of the wolf, amused and dangerous. "Yoursquo;re lucky I was feeling mellow the day the five of you turned up in our territory."
Judd knew now that Marlee and Toby had never been in any dangermdash;the wolves balked at harming any child, even one who might be a threat. It was their Achillesrsquo; heel, one the Council could not be allowed to discover, because they were fully capable of breeding and sending in child operatives. "Let me talk to my contacts, see if I can get an idea of who mightrsquo;ve been behind the fishing expedition."
"A Councilor has a hand in it somewhere with all those Tks."
"There is a second option."
When Hawke turned to him in question, he said, "I didnrsquo;t recognize them, but itrsquo;s possible they were recruited into the squad after I left." Arrows didnrsquo;t turn against their own, but Judd had defected and, in so doing, broken the covenant. "They might be hunting me." Feeling a wolf brush against him as he finished speaking, he glanced down at Riaz, whorsquo;d wandered over from the other side of the clearing. "Yes?"
But the lieutenant was only interested in Hawke, walking over to sniff at the alpha. Judd was certain he saw the black wolf grin before Hawke warned him off with a low growl. Judd didnrsquo;t have changeling senses but he had a brain. Still, he made no comment. Not yet.
IT was late when Hawke returned to the den. He shouldrsquo;ve gone to bed, but instead he tracked a certain scent through the corridors until he located Sienna in the same training room where hersquo;d watched her once before. This, the thing between him and Sienna, he didnrsquo;t know where it was going, and yeah, his guilt at claiming her when he had so little to offer continued to be a claw raking his gutmdash;but as proven by his inability to keep his distance, ignoring it was no longer an option.
As for the guilt? Turned out it stood no chance against the piercing pleasure he derived from being in her presence. Locking the door behind himself now, he sat down on a bench to savor the sight of her moving with such lithe grace. "Couldnrsquo;t sleep?" he asked when she saw him and halted.
She pushed a flyaway tendril out of her eyes. "I was worried." A statement without sophistication, stark in its honesty. "I wanted to telepath Judd, but I knew he wouldnrsquo;t tell me anything without authorization."
Protecting his own was instinct, but this was her lifemdash;a life shersquo;d fought for from the start. He wasnrsquo;t about to handicap her by leaving her blind to a possible threat.
She sucked in a breath as he started giving her the rundown, her face going pale under those intriguing freckles shersquo;d gained during the summer months. "Me," she whispered. "Irsquo;ve given us away."
He was already rising to cup her jaw, run his finger over the softness of her skin. "No one would have recognized you," he said, thinking she was worried about her visits to Wild, the city. "Hell, I hardly recognized you."
"No." A violent shake of her head, her eyes gone midnight. "When I lsquo;earthrsquo; the X-fire, it causes a psychic shockwave. Theyrsquo;d have to be close to feel itmdash;"
"But," he said, seeing the lethal point she was trying to make, "Henry Scottrsquo;s men have been lurking on the fringes and maybe even in interior sections of den territory for months."
She gave a jagged nod. "Irsquo;m sorry. I shouldrsquo;ve realizedmdash;"
He stopped her with a finger on her lips. "Even if they did catch something, it mustrsquo;ve only been the barest hint, or theyrsquo;d have been a lot more certain tonight."
"Theyrsquo;ll come back." She spoke against his touch, and it was instinct to trace those full lips, to indulge himself that much though he knew he couldnrsquo;t allow himself to go any further. Not tonight. Not when she was so shocked and vulnerable.
"Then," he said, drawing in her scent, "wersquo;ll take care of them." He rubbed the rough pad of his thumb over her lower lip, deeply satisfied to hear her breath catch. "Can you mute the release of your power in any way?"
"Yes." Hot breath against his skin, the thudding beat of her pulse a caress that had his body going rigid in want. "Irsquo;ll go deep into SnowDancer territory, places I know are under heavy guard and highly unlikely to be compromised."
"Good." It was beyond tempting to bite the flushed curves of her mouth, but he resisted and said, "What were you reading when I came in earlier? I saw the reader on the bed."
Sienna had been sick to her stomach when shersquo;d realized her actions mightrsquo;ve brought danger to her whole family, but now, a wholly different sensation skittered within her abdomen. "Shouldnrsquo;t we," she said against that thumb that continued to tease her until it felt as if her lips were connected in a direct line to the damp heat between her legs, "discuss the security issue?"
"Nothing more to discuss yet." Wolf eyes looking out of a human face, his body so close her own brushed against the implacable strength of him with every breath.
When he moved that tormenting touch away from her lips to close his hand over the sensitive column of her throat, she shuddered. "A physics text." Part of her said she was letting him have too much control of the situation, but the rest of her waited in strained anticipation to see what he would do next.
"Hmm." Reaching back, he undid her braid, sliding the dark mass over one shoulder so it tumbled over her breast. "Yoursquo;re getting straight Arsquo;s."
Surprise cut through the desire so heavy in her limbs, in her blood. "How did you know?"
A slow smile. "Because I know your brain never stops working."
She didnrsquo;t know how to take that. "Are you making fun of me?"
Sliding both hands down to her waist, he said, "No," and stroked his hands up, back down again. "I like how smart you are."
It was an unexpected compliment, one that meant far more to her than the most flowery of words. "I like your mind, too," she whispered as her arms rose of their own volition to wrap around his neck. He was too tall for that, so she curved her hand around the side of his neck, the shift of muscle and tendon a stark intimacy under her palm. "Your thought processes fascinate me." He could be so icily rational, and yet the wolf was always there, primal and untamed.
"Then wersquo;re equal." Cupping her nape with one hand, he moved the other to her lower back. And somehow, they were dancing, though the only music was the thudding pulse of her heart, the rough caress of his breath.
JUDD managed to get in touch with the Ghost around three that morning, the other man agreeing to meet him an hour later in the murky confines of an abandoned building project. Black plastic fluttered in the night winds, the solid skeleton of the house providing an illusion of permanence. "Yoursquo;ve been hard to track down of late," Judd said to the rebel who was so close to the Net, Judd worried its madness was starting to seep into the Ghostrsquo;s brain.
Face hidden in the gloom, the Ghost leaned back against one of the supporting beams. "You asked me once what my reason was for doing this."
"This" being their combined efforts to topple the Council . . . though no longer Silence. The question had become more complex than that. As evidenced by the second level of dissonance in Siennarsquo;s brain, some Psy needed Silence, or some aspect of it, on a basic level. "Are you ready to share?"
The only thing the Ghost had admitted to date was that there was at least one individual in the Net who had some value to him, one person he did not want dead. That was the solitary thing that kept him from annihilating the entire Council, an act that would cause a psychic shockwave and destabilize the Net, killing millions.
"No," the rebel said in response to his question. "But I have one, that much you should know."
Judd understood without further explanation that that unnamed reason lay behind the Ghostrsquo;s recent lack of availability. "I need to know if my cover is blown."
"No. Your entire family is presumed dead."
"Any rumors?"
"There is a myth of a cardinal X, but you and I both know that to be impossible."
Judd wondered just how much the Ghost knew and how far the rebelrsquo;s allegiance went. But he also knew that while Sienna had gained control of her ability with the sheer, stubborn refusal to surrender, there would come a time when the X-marker would demand more from her than she could give. He had to take a chance on the Ghostrsquo;s loyalty, to roll the dice. Because if he didnrsquo;t and Siennarsquo;s power did spiral out of control . . . "Have you heard of Alice Eldridgersquo;s second manuscript?"
"The dissertation on designation X?" The Ghost straightened. "Yes. Itrsquo;s one of the most hidden, yet persistent rumors in the Net."
"Any indication the rumor might hold a grain of truth?"
A long, quiet pause. "Irsquo;ll do a search."
"Irsquo;ll owe you one."
"No, Judd. Donrsquo;t ever say that to memdash;I may very well collect." There was a chill darkness to that statement, as if Judd would not like the payment demanded.
"Then I withdraw it." Hair blowing back in a sudden gust that sent the black plastic flapping, he glanced at the man of whose identity he was ninety-nine point nine percent certain. "Have you ever considered taking the rebellion into the open?"
"It would never succeed. First the foundations must be set. Only then can the wave crest."
Judd thought of everything theyrsquo;d done together, everything theyrsquo;d accomplished, considered the cost. "How is your mental status?" It was a question hersquo;d never asked with such bluntness, but times had changed.
"Sane." A short answer. "Though sanity is a question of interpretation."
Chapter 18
ALTERNATING BETWEEN CONTENTMENT and frustration at the remembered feel of Sienna in his arms, Hawke was drinking his first cup of coffee the next morning when he got a call from Kenji, the SnowDancer lieutenant based near the San Gabriel Mountains. With his high cheekbones, startling green eyes, and violent magenta hair, he looked like an escapee from a desert ravemdash;or maybe some avant garde catwalk show.
"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" Hawke asked, almost choking on his coffee. Because while he might be channeling a Japanese rock star, the fact was, Kenji was about as avant garde as your average elementary school teacher.
"It annoys Garnet. Reason enough." He tapped a rolled-up chart on the comm screen. "Irsquo;ve had an interesting contact from the BlackSea Coalition."
Hawke put down his coffee. BlackSea was a changeling packmdash;in a sense. It was a coalition of all the water-based changelings. As single entities, their population numbers were miniscule, with only one or two recorded instances of some changeling types. However, rather than being powerless, theyrsquo;d grouped together to form a close-knit network that gave them considerable negotiating and territorial power.
"Business?"
Kenji shook his head. "They want in on an alliance."
"Send me the data." It would go to the top of his list, because unlike any other pack on the face of the planet, BlackSea had members worldwide. "Copy Riley on everything."
"Will do." Kenji signed off.
Seeing a scrawled message on his desk, Hawke headed out to speak to Indigo about some of the younger pack members shersquo;d had under supervision.
"Yoursquo;re more balanced," she said after theyrsquo;d finished the discussion, long legs crossed on top of her desk while he stood with his back against the closed door of her office.
"Yep." The contact hersquo;d allowed himself with Sienna had satisfied both parts of him to the extent that his need was no longer bleeding out to everyone around him. More to the point, the wolf was willing to be patient now that hersquo;d decided to go after hermdash;it understood the hunt, understood that sometimes you had to stalk your prey. "I hear Tairsquo;s dating Evie," he said in an effort to distract Indigo because he wasnrsquo;t ready to discuss his decision.
Indigorsquo;s expression said she was onto him, but she let it slide. "Irsquo;ve promised to break both his arms if he makes her unhappy in any way, shape, or form." A pause. "I should promise to do the same to you."
Hawke narrowed his eyes. "Donrsquo;t go there."
"Of course Irsquo;ll go theremdash;thatrsquo;s why Irsquo;m a lieutenant." Swinging her legs off her desk, she picked up a small datapad. "But not today. Irsquo;m late for a session with the novices." Rising, she waited for him to open the door. "On second thought . . ." She pushed her free hand into his hair and pulled down his head.
"I almost let the best thing that ever happened to me slip away because I was hung up on ideas of what I lsquo;shouldrsquo; want. Sometimes there is no lsquo;should,rsquo; therersquo;s only a single chance to grab on to happiness." Pressing her lips to his in a fast, affectionate kiss, she let go and strode off.
Her parting statement, however, didnrsquo;t disappear as easily.
SOMEHOW fighting the distraction of last nightrsquo;s memories, Sienna had just sent in a completed physics project using the computronic resources in the den library when she ran into an elderly changeling. "Irsquo;ve got it," she said, catching the book shersquo;d knocked from his grasp. "Irsquo;m so sorry, sir."
Dalton chuckled as he accepted the book, his white eyebrows bushy over dark, dark brown skin marked with a thousand laugh lines. "Makes me sound about a hundred years old."
Sienna wasnrsquo;t sure Dalton wasnrsquo;t exactly that age. The man the kids in the den affectionately called a whitebeard wasnrsquo;t a librarian, he was the Librarian, the repository of Pack knowledge. "Were you undertaking research?"
"Itrsquo;s all up here." He tapped his temple, his sparkling eyes the same warm tawny brown as his granddaughterrsquo;s. "I came to get some light reading." Holding up the heavy tome shersquo;d caught, he beamed. "In the original French!"
Sienna nodded as if she knew what he was talking about. "I hope you enjoy it."
"Irsquo;m sure I will." Tucking the book under his arm, he touched her on the shoulder as he passed.
Sienna blurted out, "Wait," before her courage deserted her.
"Yes, dear?"
"The Pack archivesmdash;are they accessible to anyone?"
Daltonrsquo;s eyes were piercing when he looked at her, leaving no doubt that whitebeard or not, his brain was as acute as it had always been. "Yes. But certain truths, while written, are kept out of reachmdash;because there are some wounds that donrsquo;t need to be reopened."
Sienna felt her fingers curl into fists. "I understand."
"Do you, young one?" Dalton shook his head. "The histories I write give the facts, but for the heart of it, you must ask those who were there."
Sienna didnrsquo;t move for several minutes after Dalton left, remembering the way Hawke had shut her down the one time shersquo;d brought up the past. Hersquo;d held her last night, danced with her until the entire den seemed to go quiet, as if they were the only two awake in the hushed time between midnight and dawn. Shersquo;d never felt more alive, more a woman. However, Daltonrsquo;s words made her confront a stark truth: that despite the escalating physical contact, Hawke hadnrsquo;t yetmdash;might nevermdash;trust her with his secrets.
Sienna. Juddrsquo;s telepathic voice, slicing through the bleakness of her thoughts. Hawkersquo;s office. We need to discuss what you told him about the cold fire.
The reminder of the danger stalking them was an icy trickle down her spine. Irsquo;m on my way.
HAWKE noted Siennarsquo;s expressionless face, the flat ebony of her gaze, and scowled. "You release the X-fire to keep from reaching synergy, correct?" he asked, figuring hersquo;d get to the bottom of the emotional change in her as soon as he had her alone.
A crisp nod, her stance that of a SnowDancer soldier in front of her alpha. "Earthing helps me maintain a stable psychic balance."
"How often do you earth?" Judd had told him to ask the question, though the Psy male had refused, "until he had more answers," to say why. It was a measure of Hawkersquo;s trust in the lieutenant that hersquo;d left it at thatmdash;for now.
"Several times over the past few months," Sienna admitted. "Before that, I was only doing it once or twice every half year. My theory is that the change is linked to my increasing controlmdash;Irsquo;m no longer releasing power inadvertently, so it builds up faster."
Judd spoke for the first time. "Do you foresee doing it again soon?"
"No, I donrsquo;t think so." However, there was a hesitation in her words, a ***** in her confidence. "The patternrsquo;s become less predictable of late, but that could be due to a simple fluctuation in my abilities. Thatrsquo;s happened once or twice before, and itrsquo;s always subsided without any discernible aftereffects."
Hawke pinned her with his gaze. "Yoursquo;ll tell me the next time you need to earth." He wasnrsquo;t letting her head out alone, not when the Psy might have her in their sights.
"Yes, sir."
Hersquo;d never been called "sir" with such insulting politeness. Wolf settling at the return of the acerbic edge in her voice because he didnrsquo;t like seeing her lost and unsure, he turned to Judd. "Anything else I should know?"
"No, Irsquo;m still working my contacts." Turning toward the door, he said, "Sienna?"
Hawke held up a hand. "We have something to discuss."
Judd looked up, met his eyes, but spoke to Sienna instead. "Wait outside." There was a command in his voice, that of a lieutenant speaking to a lower-ranking soldier.
Hawke had the feeling that while Sienna might have argued with her uncle, she obeyed the lieutenantmdash;albeit with a tight set to her jawmdash;sliding past Judd and into the corridor. Only when she was gone, the door shut, did Hawke raise an eyebrow at the Psy male whorsquo;d returned to stand opposite him.
"You have my loyalty," Judd said in the quietest of tones, "but she has a piece of my heart."
Hawke had known this was coming, was ready for it. "I wonrsquo;t hurt her."
"Sienna is strong," Judd continued as if he hadnrsquo;t heard Hawkersquo;s vow,
"older than she should be. But in many ways, shersquo;s far more vulnerable than any other female in this den. She broke Silence at a critical age, and it altered her emotional psyche."
Hawkersquo;s wolf wasnrsquo;t pleased at being taken to task, but he listened. "From what I see," he said, thinking of her empty eyes when shersquo;d walked into the office, "she seems damn good at reining in emotions."
It shouldrsquo;ve made him happy that she had the capacity to maintain that distancemdash;he always chose lovers who wouldnrsquo;t be hurt by his inability to give them everything. But last night, as he indulged himself by claiming the first level of intimate skin privileges, hersquo;d discovered somethingmdash;when it came to Sienna, he was beyond selfish, beyond possessive. She was his. And he wanted all of her.
"Thatrsquo;s not what Irsquo;m worried about." Juddrsquo;s eyes were arctic blue with intent when they met Hawkersquo;s. "She has no off switch when it comes to those she loves. She will do anything to protect them, even murder. Do you understand what Irsquo;m telling you?"
Hawke curved his lips in a faint smile."Sounds like a predatory changeling."
"Yes. Except unlike a changeling, she didnrsquo;t grow up around simple kindness, much less touch and affection." A harsh reminder that Sienna hadnrsquo;t even had the cold childhood of most Psy. "On an intellectual level, she might understand that intimate physical contact doesnrsquo;t mean a commitment, but when it comes to you, that isnrsquo;t going to matter a damn." Cool words no less forceful for being delivered in a tempered voice. "Once you turn that key, be sure yoursquo;re ready." It was a warning.
Hawkersquo;s wolf heard it loud and clearmdash;but it also heard what Judd didnrsquo;t say. "Why arenrsquo;t you telling me to stay the fuck away from her?" he asked, because while it was too late for that, it angered him that her family hadnrsquo;t thought to protect her.
Juddrsquo;s own anger was an icy whip. "You insist on seeing her as a child when the truth is, she was forced to make adult decisions long ago. Shersquo;s earned the right to live her life as she pleases."
"Doesnrsquo;t that piss you off? That she was never allowed to be a child?" It sure as hell pissed him off.
"Yesmdash;but she survived." Not even by the flicker of an eyelash did Judd betray the depth of emotion that had to be riding him, but the chair next to him turned into a pile of splinters between one breath and the next.
Hawkersquo;s wolf saw, understood. "Yoursquo;d kill them all if you could."
"Sienna could do that herself."
SIENNA knew they were talking about her in there, and though it frustrated her to be shut out, shersquo;d been part of the pack long enough to understand hierarchy. The truth was, annoyance at situations like todayrsquo;s aside, she appreciated it.
SnowDancer, at its core, operated very much like a military unitmdash;albeit one with a warm emotional center, and that was a pattern of behavior her mind understood and accepted, the strict nature of it acting as an outside restraint on her abilities. Sienna was deathly certain she wouldnrsquo;t have survived in a more laissez-faire environment.
However, that didnrsquo;t mean she wouldnrsquo;t be letting both Hawke and Judd know what she thought of their arrogance in excluding her from a conversation that had her as its focus. The irritated thought had just passed through her mind when a brilliant spark of joy burst onto her psychic senses. Toby. Her brother had phenomenal shields, but he tended to broadcast when in high spirits. Whatrsquo;s got you so happy?
Sascharsquo;s here.
Sienna frowned. Really? It didnrsquo;t fit with what shersquo;d witnessed of Lucasrsquo;s protective nature.
Lucas is with her. And like a hundred other soldiers.
That made more sense. Be good.
Drew says I should be bad sometimes.
Hersquo;s a terrible influence. But she let Toby feel her laughter, hear that she was joking. Just donrsquo;t be too bad.
A starburst of love from a brother whorsquo;d had this aspect of his abilities buried in the Net. Then Toby was gone from her mind and the door to Hawkersquo;s office was being pulled open. "Sascha and Lucas are here," she said to Hawke when he followed Judd out into the corridor.
"I know." He held up a sleek black phone. "Riley will handle anything they need. We"mdash;his eyes locked to Siennarsquo;smdash;"are heading out for a while."
Per their agreement, she didnrsquo;t question the order until Judd left them at the junction. "You were talking about me," she began. "Imdash;"
"Uncles," Hawke interrupted, "brothers, fathers have always had and will always have private lsquo;discussionsrsquo; with males who want to touch their women. Yoursquo;re never going to win that argument"mdash;a playful tug on her braidmdash;"so give it up."
Glaring at him, she pulled her hair from his grasp. "That is the most sexist statement I have ever heard."
"Doesnrsquo;t mean itrsquo;s not true." He shrugged. "Ask Riley sometime about the nice little chat Mercyrsquo;s brothers and father had with him."
Irritation derailed by curiosity, she said, "What about Indigo?" The lieutenant was the third-highest ranking individual in the pack, needed no onersquo;s protection.
"You know Abel," he said, referring to Indigorsquo;s father. "What do you think?"
Sienna knew right then that the arrogant wolf had won, because Abel adored his girls, had probably threatened to rip out key parts of Drewrsquo;s anatomy. "Where are we going?" she asked, foul-tempered and not bothering to hide it.
"In a bit." Nodding his head toward one of the conference rooms, he said, "Tobyrsquo;s in there." An unasked question, silent consent if she needed to go to her brother.
"Hersquo;s fine," she said, wondering how the wolf-eyed male could be so infuriating and so very wonderful at the same time. "He loves his lessons with Sascha."
"She gets something out of it, too, you know."
"Shersquo;s a cardinal empath. Tobyrsquo;s E abilities are barely 3 on the Gradient." Her brotherrsquo;s cardinal status came from his telepathy.
"But he is an E in some part," Hawke pointed out. "He exists."
Yes, she thought, Hawke was right. It explained the hereto inexplicable depth of Sascharsquo;s joy whenever she was with Toby. "Irsquo;ve never met another X." She didnrsquo;t know why she told him that.
Hawke didnrsquo;t respond until theyrsquo;d exited the den and were heading out on a path that would lead eventually to the training run that had gotten ever more fiendish since Riazrsquo;s return from a stint abroad. "How about a weak X?" he asked, his face lifted up to the clean, bright Sierra sunshine.
Beautiful man. "Itrsquo;s such a rare designation," she said when he shot her a questioning glance, "that therersquo;s probably less than ten of us at any given time." Even that was a generous estimate, considering what shersquo;d gleaned about their life expectancy. "The theory is that Xs below 2 on the Gradient donrsquo;t manifest, so no one ever realizes. As for the others . . . I know of one who died during my teen years. I heard of another two who died before I was brought in."
So much sadness, so much death.
"Of the two other living Xs I knew of in the Net," she continued, "one was psychotic and the other hypersensitive." It felt strange to talk of the X designation without feeling the vicious spear of pain down her spine that was the first level of dissonance, a warning not to speak of things the Council would prefer to keep secret. "It was possible Irsquo;d set him off if we came into close contact."
"Didnrsquo;t that volatility make him a danger?" Hawke pushed silver-gold strands off his face, catching her eye.
"Yes," she murmured, "but he mustrsquo;ve been useful in some capacity because they permitted him to live." Hawke had, she thought, the most fascinating hair, unusual and beautiful as his pelt in wolf form. "Why donrsquo;t you grow out your hair?"
"You mean like Luc?" He shrugged. "Not me, I guess."
She had to admit she loved the way the strands brushed his nape, just long enough to be rebellious . . . to invite the caress of a womanrsquo;s fingers. Unsure where they were in terms of a relationship, what hersquo;d accept, she tucked her hands under her armpits. "Why are you so like your wolf in human form?"
"There was a time when I needed it to be the dominant aspect even when I was in human formmdash;the wolf was more mature than the boy." He led her past the training run and into the trees. "My wolf was always near the surface. The experience heightened the effect."
Startled at getting a straight answer, she scrambled to gather her thoughts. "Irsquo;ve heard changelings say it can be dangerous to spend too long with the animal in control."
"It couldnrsquo;t be helped. I was fifteen when I became alpha."
"So young?"
"Our alpha was dead, and so were most of the lieutenants and senior soldiers."
"Thatrsquo;s why SnowDancer has such a young population." Nowhere near the level of older people yoursquo;d expect. She went to ask another question when she realized theyrsquo;d stopped in the shadow of a slender tree, its branches hung with elegant leaves that shimmered in the wind.
"Irsquo;ll give you," he said, "a twenty-minute head start." A pale-eyed wolf watched her out of a human face.
"You have to get to the lake before I catch you." A slow, provoking smile that kicked her straight in the gut. "Letrsquo;s see if yoursquo;re smart enough to fool the wolf."
"Why would I want to do that?" Sienna had paid her dues, earned her status. "Is this a test?"
"Nope."
Folding her arms, she spread her feet in a defensive stance. "Then I donrsquo;t have to do it."
"Irsquo;m asking you to." He angled his head to the side, the motion nothing human. "Afraid yoursquo;ll lose?"
She set her jaw. "I can beat you with my eyes closed."
"Irsquo;m scared." The wolf was laughing at her.
If shersquo;d been able to growl, shersquo;d have done it right then. "Are you allowed to circle to the lake and wait for me?" He was faster, would win even with the head start.
But he shook his head, strands of that gorgeous hair sliding over his forehead. "What would be the fun in that?"
She knew hersquo;d manipulated her into accepting the challenge, but her competitive streak had kicked in, wouldnrsquo;t allow her to back down. "Fine. Start the clock."
"Done." He closed his eyes. "Before you go, I should tell you what you get if you win."
"What?"
"A surprise."
Oh, she very much wanted the ability to growl. "What if I lose?"
"I might throw you in the lake. Maybe."
Not trusting him an inch when he had that smile flirting with his lips, she took off. He was far, far fastermdash;shersquo;d seen him run, and the sight had brought her heart into her throat. Built like the most beautiful living machine, all fluid sinew and tendon, muscle and strength, he so outclassed her when it came to speed that she didnrsquo;t stand a chance.
But there were other ways to tangle with a wolf.
MAN and wolf were both a little disappointed in Sienna. Shersquo;d gone in a straight line to the lake, hadnrsquo;t even tried to use the nearby waterways to mask her scent. The shining thread of wild spice and autumn leaves spilled out ahead of him, an unmistakable lure to his wolf. Hersquo;d have to have amdash;"Fuck!"
He was upside down, watching the pine-needle strewn earth pass this way and that several feet below him, his right ankle caught securely in a rope. Twisting to stare up at his ankle, he shook his head. Stared again. Started to laugh. Smart, smart girl. It wasnrsquo;t a rope at all, but a thick vine that grew everywhere around here. Sienna had to have spent most of her twenty-minute head start laying this trap. A trap he wouldrsquo;ve normally avoidedmdash;except that hersquo;d written off her skills on this playing field. Thatrsquo;d teach him to be an arrogant ass.
Contorting his body, he went to slice the vine with a claw.
Only to fall short just shy of his goal.
Swearing, he tried again, and again. By the time he got the damn thing off, hersquo;d painted the air blue, and it didnrsquo;t exactly help when he landed hard on his tailbone. The wolf was not amused . . . except that it was because this was a game. Getting rid of the remnants of the vine around his ankle, he stretched to reset his muscles, then restarted following her scentmdash;being far more careful this time.
He saw the vine shersquo;d strung across the path and lifted his feet over it without tripping the snare. Only to find his damn anklemdash;the same onemdash;stuck in a hole. Growling, he brushed away the leaves to discover the brat had dug three holes on the other side. Hersquo;d managed to find the center one.
Clever, his wolf thought, delighted with her, very clever.
Digging out his abused ankle, he spent several minutes undoing the trap so others wouldnrsquo;t be caught unawaresmdash;as he had a feeling shersquo;d known he wouldmdash;then changed tack. Instead of moving directly toward her scent, he took a longer route, coming in at an angle. He saw where shersquo;d rested, glimpsed another smart, sneaky trap. It cost him precious minutes to undo it but far fewer than if hersquo;d been caught up in it.
Five minutes later, a long strand of ruby red hair glinted at him from a bush, the area thick with her scent. Certain hersquo;d run her to ground, he went to part the bush . . . and only just snapped his hand back in time. His curvy little brand of trouble had almost led him into a thicket of poison ivy. Oh, now he was mad.
Grinning, he looked down and saw her sweatshirt hidden under the bush, likely pushed there by a stick. "Crafty Psy." Aware now of the caliber of opponent he had on his hands, he began to track her in earnest, flying over the earth at inhuman speed, every one of his senses on alert.
There.
She was a mere kilometer from the lake, hair tied back, her arms bared by her T-shirt as she knelt on the ground laying another trap for him. Instead of pouncing on her, he moved silently around to watch. Such a quick mind she had, he thought, seeing how she used the springy branch of a tree and another one of the vines to create her latest snare.
Every other opponent hersquo;d had in this game had tried to mask his or her scent, to confuse and disorient. She was the single one whorsquo;d thought to use her time to set trapsmdash;and the wolf appreciated her cunning. It was only her lack of speed that had allowed him to catch her. But caught her he had . . . and he had a few tricks of his own.
SIENNA went motionless as her nape prickled in warning. Nothing. No sound, definitely no shout like the one that had gone up when Hawke had walked into the first trap. Shersquo;d been less than ten meters away, having had barely enough time to pull it together. Oh, hersquo;d been pissed.
But then hersquo;d laughed.
Shersquo;d never expected that, and it had made her understand. A game. They were playing a game. Except for with Toby and Marlee, shersquo;d never played a game before that wasnrsquo;t connected to learning military tactics. Even with her brother and cousin, she was focused on their enjoyment, more a coordinator than a participant.
Thismdash;it was play for playrsquo;s sake.
The efficient X-Psy inside of her said she was wasting time, but she shushed that voice. Because shersquo;d never felt as light, as young as she did at this moment, sneaking through an ancient forest, trying to outwit a wolf with pale blue eyes and hair of silver-gomdash;"?!#"
The sound that erupted from her throat was unintelligible as she found herself dangling by one ankle at least five feet off the ground. "No," she muttered, staring around in disbelief. But of course the answer was right there in her current predicament. "You win!" she finally called out in a fit of temper.
He appeared out of the forest, looking at her with quizzical eyes. "What are you doing up there, baby?"
"Rrrr." She slapped her hands over her mouth to still the feral sound.
Hawkersquo;s cheeks creased into a delighted smile. "Do that again."
Never. "Get me down."
He rocked back on his heels. "What do I get in exchange?"
"I wonrsquo;t fry you to a crisp."
"You wouldnrsquo;t anyway," he said with such insouciant confidence it was pure provocation.
She shot a bolt of fire past his hair, but hersquo;d already shifted sideways. "Tut, tut. Thatrsquo;s cheating."
"Urgh!" Twisting her body with serious effort from her abdominal muscles, she went to aim her hand at the vine, sure she could sever it with her abilities.
"Itrsquo;ll hurt like hell when you fall."
She paused. Hersquo;d set his trap so she dangled higher than he had. It would hurt. Dropping back down, she blew out a breath. "What do you want?" It was a snarl; shersquo;d never snarled before.
Walking close enough that he could put one hand under her nape, the other on her lower back, tilting her head up into a more comfortable position, he leaned in so close that all she could see was translucent ice blue. "A kiss for the big, bad wolf."
Her throat locked, the words stuck in her throat.
But he didnrsquo;t close the distance between them. "Yes?"
Swallowing, she nodded.
"You have to say it."
"Yes," she managed to force out, gripping his shoulder with one hand.
"Yes what?"
Some of her frustration reignited, returning her voice. "You know what? I donrsquo;t think I care how far I fall!"
Laughing lips descended on hers, one big hand cupping her cheek as his other held up her neck.
It wasmdash;
It was . . . She had no words for it, this shock of sensation that speared through her, raw and primal, swelling her breasts, melting the place between her thighs. All because those firm lips were tasting hers with a playful gentleness interspersed with more than a few nips and licks. She moaned into his mouth, got a nip on her lower lip as her reward.
Then he licked his tongue across her own.
Oh, God.
Wanting more, she dared reach out with her own tongue. He made a low, deep sound in his throat and returned the caress with interest, his fingers massaging her nape. The merest pause for breath before her upper lip was being sucked, her lower lip captured between strong masculine teeth for a teasing bite.
When it felt as if hersquo;d lift his head, she arched toward him. He opened his mouth over her own, danced his tongue against hers, before breaking the kiss with a nuzzling slowness. "Irsquo;d have given you another kiss," he murmured, nipping at her pulse with his teeth, "but you made me mad."
Dazed, she said, "I did?"
"Did you really think Irsquo;d let you fall?" A bite lower down on her neck. Harder this time.
She jerked, hand clenching on that shoulder heavy with muscle. "You canrsquo;t go around biting me whenever you feel like it." It was very alpha male behavior, and he hardly needed any more encouragement.
He licked his tongue over the mark. "Cut the vine."
This time, she didnrsquo;t question him, using a targeted laser of cold fire to sever the trap. He caught her so fast she didnrsquo;t even experience the sensation of falling for an instant. Lowering her to her feet, he held her against him as she got her balance back, one of his hands on her lower back, the other playing with strands of her hair.
When she looked up, he was watching her with an absolute focus that stole the air from her lungs. "Yoursquo;re a good playmate," he said, dipping his head to speak against her lips. "You get to pick the next game."
Stealing tiny kisses as she stood with her chest pressed to his, she felt the vibration of his growl in every inch of her. "When?" she managed to get out, her nipples hard little points, her breasts so sensitized she wasnrsquo;t sure shersquo;d be able to take it if he touched her.
"Tomorrow." Leaning down, he nuzzled at her, only taking a small bite before rubbing his lips over the spot. "Time to go back."
"Just a minute more." Scared this was a dream, she dared to wrap her arms around his neck, stroke her fingers over his nape. He was much taller, but he stayed in position so she could hold him, his breath hot against her skin. Just for a minute.
LARA wasnrsquo;t surprised to see Walker in her office that night. Hersquo;d come to her the previous evening, too. The part of her that was still bruised had her keeping a wary emotional distance, but that same part held her complex, painful feelings for the quiet Psy male, and they left her unable to ask him to leavemdash;especially when she sensed a subtle difference in him, a lessening in that wall of reserve.
However, not wanting to set herself up for another fall, shersquo;d brought up something she was sure would have him making a fast exit last night. "You never talk about Marleersquo;s mother."
To her shock, shersquo;d gotten an answer.
"Her name was Yelene," hersquo;d said, his expression telling her nothing of his emotions toward the woman who had borne him a child. "We lived together in a family unit, both of us of the opinion that psychologically speaking, it was the most secure way to bring up Marlee and, later, Toby."
Such a cold rationale on the surface, and yet beneath it was a love that had led him to walk into near-certain death on the slim chance that the children would find sanctuary. "Irsquo;m sorry about your sister." She knew Walker was the eldest of the three siblings, Judd the youngest. Sienna and Tobyrsquo;s mother had fallen in the middle . . . and died far too soon.
"Kristine was gifted but troubled."
"Irsquo;m glad Toby had you to turn to." Because Walker, he wouldrsquo;ve understood a childrsquo;s pain at the loss, even in Silence.
"I couldnrsquo;t protect Sienna"mdash;dark, edgy wordsmdash;"but I wouldnrsquo;t have allowed anyone to seize Toby from us."
Devastatingly conscious of what it mustrsquo;ve cost him to see Sienna taken by Ming, she hadnrsquo;t asked the question on the tip of her tongue yesterday. Tonight, however, as they sat at the small table in the break room, his long legs encroaching on her space, she couldnrsquo;t contain it any longer. "Yelene," she said. "What was she like?"
"Our genes were a good match." His big body betrayed nothing of his inner thoughts as he gave her that nonanswer. "It was predicted that wersquo;d create high-Gradient offspring, and Marlee is living proof of the veracity of the geneticistsrsquo; predictions."
Lack of overt body language or not, Lara knew he wanted her to back off. But she had no intention of turning back the clock, of returning their relationship to what it had been before the kissmdash;when shersquo;d allowed him to dictate the boundaries in that subtle way of his. "You felt something for her, didnrsquo;t you?" Every instinct she had urged her to touch him, to connect with him on the most basic level, but Walker hadnrsquo;t acceded her those skin privileges, and even if they had had more between them than this strange friendship, he wasnrsquo;t the kind of man with whom a woman could demand.
"I was Silent," he said, his jean-clad leg brushing her own in a rough caress that made her breath catch in spite of her warning not to let herself read too much into his visits, his words. "I felt nothing."
"Walker."
He put down the coffee shersquo;d made him. "There was no love or affectionmdash;not as you feel it. But there was, I believed, a true commitment and loyalty to the family unit. I was wrong." So cold and final, the statement told her the subject was now off-limits.
It wasnrsquo;t Lararsquo;s determination that had her fighting his dominance to say what she did next, but the deepest instincts of her healerrsquo;s heart. "She hurt you."
A tendon pulled taut on his jaw. "She made the most logical choice when the entire family was slated for rehabilitation." Walker would never forget the day, the minute, he was served the edict and told he had three days to put his affairs, and those of the minors under his care, in order; three days to prepare his daughter and the boy he considered a son to undergo a psychic brainwipe that would turn them into vegetables suitable only for the most menial tasks.
"According to the rehabilitation order, the Lauren line had been judged lsquo;unstablersquo; and lsquo;undesirable.rsquo; " Kristinersquo;s suicide had been listed as one of the pieces of evidence, but Judd and Walker had always known that to be nothing but a convenient excuse. "Yelenersquo;s name wasnrsquo;t on the notice."
Hersquo;d gone home to discuss the situation with her, to lay out the plans he and Judd had put in place, both of them having seen the writing on the wall when the extent of Siennarsquo;s powers became clear. Add in Juddrsquo;s telekinetic strength and Walkerrsquo;s telepathy, as well as Marleersquo;s and Tobyrsquo;s nascent abilities, and the Lauren family had become a threat that needed to be neutralized.
"She was packing her bags when I walked in." At first, hersquo;d believed she was preparing for a defection attempt. To this day, he didnrsquo;t know what had stopped him from sharing their plansmdash;perhaps some part of him had always understood that though Yelene had carried Marlee in her womb, their child was only a collection of cells to her . . . a replaceable entity. "When she saw me, she said point-blank that she didnrsquo;t intend for her genes to die out alongside mine."
Lararsquo;s pupils dilated, taking over those tawny irises. "I canrsquo;t understand." Disbelieving bewilderment. "I never will. All I can do is . . ." She put her hand on the table, palm up.
A silent offer of surcease.
Walker had learned to touch since his defection, learned to hug, to give pats on the back or a squeeze on the shoulder. But hersquo;d never touched a woman for no reason except that it would soothe something jagged in him to do so. Lararsquo;s fingers began to curl when he didnrsquo;t move, her hand starting to slide away.
His fingers closed around her wrist before he was aware of moving his hand, his thumb on the fluttering beat of her pulse. Her skin was so soft, stirring fantasies of what it would be like to explore the skin of her breasts, her inner thighs. Softer still, he thought, shersquo;d be softer still in those places.
"Irsquo;m not Yelene," she said, a quiet strength to her that had compelled him from the first. "I wonrsquo;t ever walk away from those who are mine."
No, that wasnrsquo;t the way she was built. Butmdash;"Yelene has nothing to do with this."
"Liar." A whisper that put him on notice that she wasnrsquo;t about to back off. "What she did hurt you on a level you wonrsquo;t accept, and that hurt continues to drive the decisions you make about women, about relationships."
"The old bonds," he said, holding that tawny gaze so she would know he told her the utter truth, "the love for the children, they survived Yelene, survived the defection. But the rest of me is damaged." In spite of his need for her, he wouldnrsquo;t lie . . . even though he knew his words would push her into the arms of one of the other men drawn to the warm glow of her spirit.
His mind went cold with anger, but he wrenched it back, knowing he had no right to the emotion. "I was too long in Silence."
Lara shook her head, something in her expression he couldnrsquo;t read, fine lines around her mouth, fanning out from the corners of her eyes. "Yoursquo;ve formed new bonds of loyalty, of trust, with packmates. Wersquo;re . . . friends."
"Yes." He rubbed his thumb over her pulse, wanted to touch his lips to the spot. Physical hunger wasnrsquo;t the problem, but Lara wasnrsquo;t a woman for whom that would ever be enough. She was a healer, built for family, for laughing children, and a mate who knew how to love with the same fierce depth of heart as shersquo;d love him. "I donrsquo;t appear to have the capacity to feel anything deeper." Maybe the scar tissue was too thick, or maybe a critical aspect of his emotional psyche had been broken beyond repair, but there was a wall inside him that nothing could penetrate.
Not even Lara.
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, ACTION REQUIRED2
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: April 10th, 1973 at 11:44pm
SUBJECT: re: hello
Dad,
Irsquo;m so excited! Perhaps I shouldnrsquo;t be, but I may have found the most extraordinary correlation. It began when I was able to track down the descendants of a woman named Jena Akim, an X-Psy who lived in the sixteenth century and was part of a high-Gradient family. The information on her and her family is more legend than fact, but if true, it might be the answer.
What is crucial is that unlike most Xs, who are put into specialized training as soon as they begin to show their X tendencies, Jena was never separated from her family unit. That of course is the key and why this has been missed so far. Perhaps it might even be that it is hidden or less visible in weaker Gradient mindsmdash;but I canrsquo;t draw any conclusions until Irsquo;m able to confirm if my theory is correct.
If so, it cannot be coincidencemdash;my studies show that the rules of the psychic plane are multi-layered and textured, so complex that even the Psy donrsquo;t have a handle on them, but, and this is critical, there are rules.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 20
SIENNA OPENED THE door the night after the kiss to find Hawke waiting, his hand braced on the doorjamb.
Her heart kicked against her ribs, the memory of the wild bite, of his taste entangling with the blatant masculinity of his scentmdash;but just like with his previous visit, his phone beeped before she could respond to the invitation.
"This better be important," he barked into the receiver, clearly as frustrated.
A pause and then he snapped upright. Reading his expression, she went for her work boots, tugging them on with hard, fast motions. He glanced over but didnrsquo;t say anything.
"Where?" he asked, his tone so calm and controlled she knew something bad had happened. "No, yoursquo;re right. Do what you can. Irsquo;m on my way with Lara."
Sienna jerked up her head at the name of the SnowDancer healer. Pulling her unbound hair into a rough ponytail, she pushed past him into the corridor. "Irsquo;ll alert Lara," she mouthed as he asked the person on the other end for further details.
Eyes very much that of the alpha, not the sensual predatory changeling male whorsquo;d come to her door, he broke from the phone conversation to say, "Bring her to the lower garage. Shersquo;ll need extra suppliesmdash;more than one injured. Donrsquo;t bother Judd. He needs to recover from some teleportation he did earlier."
Leaving the instant he gave another nod, she ran to the healerrsquo;s apartment, which happened to be right next to the infirmary. No answer. But when she looked in the infirmary itself, she found Lara at her desk, reading some kind of medical journal. Giving the healer a concise summary of everything she knew, she helped gather the supplies.
"You did level-two medic training, yes?" Lara asked, moving fast and efficient.
Sienna acted the pack mule as Lara loaded her up with gear. "I completed the level-three class while I was with the leopards." All soldiers were required to have a secondary proficiencymdash;a tech course wouldrsquo;ve been far less demanding for Sienna, given the way her mind worked, but being able to help people on any level was a gift beyond price for her, a tiny way to balance the violence of the X-marker.
"Thatrsquo;s right. I got the competency notice." The healer nodded, as if making a decision. "Lucy did a double shift, so Irsquo;m not waking her up," she said, naming the young SnowDancer whorsquo;d just finished nursing school to take up a full-time position as Lararsquo;s assistant. "Yoursquo;re drafted." Her phone beeped at that moment. A quick conversation later, she said, "That was Hawke. Wersquo;re going to need more help."
"Judd isnrsquo;t wiped out." Sienna didnrsquo;t know where her uncle had been teleporting, but shersquo;d seen him at dinner with the children, was able to gauge his energy levels. "I donrsquo;t think hersquo;ll be able to teleport us down," she said, aware Lara had been briefed on his Tk, including his ability to heal using telekinesis on the cell level, "but he can help with the injured."
"Get him," Lara said, then rubbed her forehead. "Irsquo;m going to have to wake poor Lucy up after all."
Five frantic minutes later, Lara and Sienna reached the garage with a couple of packmates whorsquo;d pitched in to carry the gear, to discover that Judd had beaten them there. "Hawkersquo;s already gone," he told them, strapping the supplies onto the bed of the truck. "Irsquo;ll drive you two down. Another team will follow in a bigger truck with stretchers to help ferry the wounded back to the den."
"Lucyrsquo;s coming as well." Lara turned to look over her shoulder at the entrance to the garage. "She should bemdash;There she is."
A rumpled, red-eyed Lucy scrambled into the backseat beside Sienna. "Whatrsquo;re we dealing with?"
"Any critical injuries?" Judd pulled out and onto a narrow forest track. "I may be able to get you down there faster, but itrsquo;ll wipe me out."
"Itrsquo;ll be better if yoursquo;re able to help with the healing. Hawke will hold everyone until we get there."
Judd glanced at the healer, verbalizing the question Sienna had been about to ask. "I realize Hawke can push his strength into those with whom he has a blood bond, but is he able to reach others in the pack as well?"
"Yes." Lara was checking her phone for updates as she spoke, in touch with the person who had made the original call for help. "Itrsquo;s not as easy or as effective as the blood bond with the lieutenants, or the bond he has with me, but he can hold them there with the power of his presence."
"Hierarchy," Sienna said, realizing the true depth of the foundation that underpinned the pack for the first time. "Wolves will obey their alpha, even in that extremity."
"Exactly."
Sienna turned to Lucy when the nurse reached back to plait her sleepmussed hair. "I can do that if you like."
"Thanks."
"Are you going to be okay with so little sleep?" Lucy reminded Sienna of Riley, though they had no physical similarities. It was, she thought, the calm stability of their natures. From everything shersquo;d heard so far, that solid calm would be much needed tonight.
Lucy nodded. "Got used to it when I did some work for CTX during my breaks from nursing schoolmdash;the news sleeps for no one." Her stomach growled on the heels of that statement. "Damn, forgot to grab something to eat. Crashed without dinner."
"Here." Judd threw a granola bar over the seat. "Had it in my jacket pocket."
"I avow my love for you here and now," Lucy said as she tore open the wrapper.
Sienna wondered if Judd had really had the bar, or if hersquo;d executed a deft telekinetic "fetch." Having witnessed the price it demanded from him, she knew telekinesis wasnrsquo;t an easy ability in any sense of the word, but it was one she wouldnrsquo;t have minded in place of the fire and pain that was the X designation.
It was that kind of violence, however, that awaited them on a border section of den territory that backed onto DarkRiver land, an area thick with firs that pierced the glittering beauty of the night sky. Two of the cats were there, one of them performing first aid. The other, she realized, as her vision adapted to the glow of the field lamps stuck into the ground, had been shot through the armmdash;and yet he was attempting to do what he could for the others, all of whom were more badly injured.
"Oh, God," Lucy whispered, grabbing a medical kit from the truck. "Riordan mustrsquo;ve come down early for the shift change."
Sienna followed the nursersquo;s gaze to see that the big, playful wolf was bleeding heavily from a wound in his abdomen as he sat propped up against a tree. "Hersquo;s hurt bad." So was Elias. The senior soldier appeared to have been hit with a laser along one side, his burnt flesh no doubt causing him horrible pain, though hersquo;d gritted his teeth against the screams. "Wherersquo;s Hawke?"
They both realized the answer at the same instant. Simran, Eliasrsquo;s partner on watch and the woman whose place on the border Riordan wouldrsquo;ve taken, was down, blood seeping from a wound in her neck. Sienna knew it was a fatal injurymdash;or shouldrsquo;ve been. Hawke knelt beside Simran, his hand clamped over the bloody gash, such intense focus in those wolf-pale eyes that she knew he was holding the sentry to life with his will alone.
It was only when she saw the light gleam over his naked back that she understood hersquo;d run here, his speed outstripping any vehicle when it came to this place of mountain and forest, rivers and lakes. But to have reached Simran before the sentry slipped away . . . It was unimaginable, the sheer fury of his speed.
"Juddrsquo;s got Riordan," she said to Lucy, compartmentalizing because if she allowed herself to think about the people who lay bleeding on the cold earth, it would paralyze her. "You take Eli and Irsquo;ll check out the leopards."
Barker didnrsquo;t protest when she sat him down against the rough bark of an ancient pine, having lost enough blood that hersquo;d started to waver on his feet. "Through and through," she said after inspecting the wound. "I donrsquo;t think the bullet caused any major damage, but it needs to be looked at by someone better qualified." Slotting an antibiotic magazine into the pressure injector, she placed it against his skin.
The medicine punched through to his system an instant later. She followed it up with a painkiller before he could tell her he didnrsquo;t need it. "Irsquo;m guessing you want Tamsyn to look at this?" she said, referring to the DarkRiver healer.
It was Barkerrsquo;s partner, Rina, who answered, having returned to his side. "As long as you think he can wait another hour or so? Tammyrsquo;s on her way."
Sienna checked Barkerrsquo;s vital signs using a scanner. "Hersquo;s stable for now." Glancing up at a slight sound, she realized the clearing was ringed by wild wolves, their bodies sleek shadows in the dark.
"They arrived with Hawke," Rina said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I think theyrsquo;re standing guard."
"Yes." Sienna began to disinfect the mangled fleshmdash;to Barkerrsquo;s withheld hiss. "How did you end up in the middle of this?" As to what this was, that would come later, after the injured were safe.
"Our watch overlaps with Elias and Simranrsquo;s," Rina said as Sienna nodded for the voluptuous blonde soldier to press sterile pads over both sides of the wound so she could bandage it up for the time being. "We sometimes stop for a couple of minutes, shoot the breeze. Wersquo;d barely gotten here tonight when those Psy bastards came out of nowhere." A pause, a wince. "No offense."
"None taken." Sienna knew who she was, knew too that had things been different, she might have ended up one of the Councilrsquo;s pet killers. "They teleported in?"
Rina brushed Barkerrsquo;s rich brown hair back from his sweat-soaked forehead, tucking her body even closer to his in that changeling way. "Rappelled down from a stealthcraft."
That made sense, because teleport-capable Tks were a limited commoditymdash;though you wouldnrsquo;t know it from the way Henry Scott had sacrificed several of his in recent months. "How did they get you all so fast?"
"Overwhelmed us with sheer force. It was obvious they meant to leave no survivors."
"The craft was close to silent," Barker said, leaning into Rinarsquo;s tender touch, "but we caught a hint of it the second before they began to rappel." He clenched his jaw as Sienna fixed the bandage, the painkiller obviously not strong enough for the bone-deep pain of the wound.
Calculating his body mass and concluding it was safe, Sienna upped the dosage.
That he didnrsquo;t object told her how bad he was hurting. "That," he continued after she put down the pressure injector, "and the fact Reen, Riordan, and I were here tipped the balancemdash;they werenrsquo;t expecting the three of us."
Siennarsquo;s gut went cold with the slowly dawning realization that the attempted murder of five people was only the tip of the iceberg. "If you start to feel worse," she said to Barker as she finished up, "I want to know right away."
"Irsquo;m fine." White grooves bracketed his mouth.
"How bad," she said, "would it suck to have lsquo;stupid moron died of shockrsquo; on your gravestone?"
A roll of bright hazel eyes. "Definitely trained by Indigo," he muttered, skin sheened by cold sweat. "If I donrsquo;t tell, Rinarsquo;ll tattle."
"Thatrsquo;s my job, doofus." Rina pretend thumped him on the forehead. Satisfied, Sienna got up and walked to where Lucy sat beside Eli, doing what she could for the now-unconscious soldier. Burns charred the entire left-hand side of his body, glimpses of raw pink flesh beneath. "You sedated him?" Sienna thought of little Sakura, what it would do to her to see her father so hurt. And Elirsquo;s mate, Yuki . . .
"He was in a lot of pain." Tight words, anger contained. "He needs Lara, but Simran and Riordan were more critical."
"Will Lara be able to heal him?" Nausea churned within her as she knelt, helpless, beside the soldier . . . because she could burn a living being, too. Worse than any laser.
"Yes, but itrsquo;ll take her some time."
Thank God. "Anything I can do?"
"Help me shove these sticks into the ground so the thermal blanket doesnrsquo;t touch his skin when I unfold it over him."
That task done, Sienna rose to see that Lara had moved from Simran to join Judd at Riordanrsquo;s sidemdash;the young male had also lost consciousness, his face leached of color. Not far away, Hawke had Simran curled up in his lap, her head tucked under his chin, her sleek black hair cascading over his arm. Noticing the woman was shivering, Sienna ran back to the truck and pulled out two more of the silvery thermal blankets. "Here," she said, giving one to Rina for Barker, before heading over to cover Simran.
Hawke tugged it around the fallen sentry, careful not to jostle her. "Theyrsquo;re all okay." The wolf in his eyes, in his voice.
Never had she been more aware of the fierce strength of his love for his pack. "Yes," she answered, though it hadnrsquo;t been a question. "I think Elias is going to end up the worst offmdash;at least, until Lara can get to him." Sienna wasnrsquo;t sure if Judd could heal burns using his Tk-Cell abilities, even if he had the strength after helping Riordan. "We can keep him sedated till then."
Tucking in the edge of the blanket under Simranrsquo;s feet, she looked around, thought back to the supplies shersquo;d hauled for Lara. "I think there are energy drinks in one of the boxes. Irsquo;ll get some into everyone whorsquo;s conscious." Healers and injured both needed to keep up their strength, especially given the chill night air.
SO calm, so efficient, Hawke thought, watching Sienna move with grace and speed across the clearing as she bullied and cajoled the drinks into the others. His wolf felt more than a lick of pride, but it was focused on far more painful matters. "Lara?" he asked when the healer drew back from Riordan.
The answer was instant. "Yes, more."
A single instinctive thought and the strength of his men and women flowed into him through the alpha-lieutenant blood bonds. Indigorsquo;s incredible heart, Rileyrsquo;s solid loyalty, Matthiasrsquo;s quiet determination, Riazrsquo;s intensity, Alexeirsquo;s barely tempered power, Cooperrsquo;s stubborn tenacity, Jemrsquo;s wildfire, Kenjirsquo;s calm will, Tomásrsquo;s energetic wildness. The only thing missing tonight was Juddrsquo;s cool touchmdash;the Psy male was focused on healing the last of Riordanrsquo;s injury as Lara staggered over to Elias.
Funneling that power to Lararsquo;s form through the bond that every alpha had with his healer, he watched color spill into her cheeks . . . then drain away as she ran her hands over Elirsquo;s ravaged flesh. She cried no tears. Never did Lara crymdash;not until her people were safe. Only then would she collapse.
Dark rubies glimmered in the light of the field lamps as Sienna ran to meet the truck that had just arrived, helping to snap out the field stretchers. She, too, he thought, wouldnrsquo;t break down here, on this bloody spread of ground. Not Sienna. Not the woman whorsquo;d survived a Councilor, survived the brutal demands of her own savage gift . . . and almost won a game played against an alpha wolf.
HAVING taken a bare few minutes to shower to wash off Simranrsquo;s blood after Lara pronounced that there was no more healing to be done, Hawke returned to the infirmary. "Tell me," he said to Lara, aware of Sienna moving between patient rooms, keeping an eye on thingsmdash;the healer had ordered both Lucy and Judd to bed as soon as everyone was stable.
"Riordan and Simran should pull through okay," Lara said, raising a hand to the wild energy of her curls. Her fingers trembled for a second before she fisted her hand, dropped it to her side. "I heard from Tammymdash;Barker will be fine, too."
"Eli," he asked, conscious she hadnrsquo;t mentioned the senior soldier. "I know you have to heal burns in small steps. How bad is it?"
Lararsquo;s eyes drifted to the room where Elias lay under a curved panel that covered his body from neck to toe. "Irsquo;ve taken care of the life-threatening damage, but he had to wait so long his body went into shock. I wonrsquo;t be sure of anything until he wakes."
"You did everything you could," Hawke said, knowing the words wouldnrsquo;t be enough, not for a healer. About to ask her to go into the office so they could talk privatelymdash;so she could drop her stoic front for a therapeutic minutemdash;he saw someone unexpected walk out of Eliasrsquo;s room.
Yuki flew into the infirmary at the same instant, stopping only long enough to whisper, "Thank you, Walker," and brush her hand over the Psy malersquo;s, before she entered the room where Elias lay unconscious.
Hawke knew Yuki had left to check that Sakura was fine with her grandparents, hadnrsquo;t realized Walker had stepped in to sit with the fallen soldier, though now that he thought about it, it wasnrsquo;t a surprise. Hersquo;d seen Elias and Walker talking more than once, noticed their girls playing together, realized that the two must have formed a friendship.
"Elirsquo;s got Yuki watching over him," Walker said to Lara, his intent gaze taking in the shadows under her eyes, the lines around her mouth. "The other injured are in a medicated sleep. You canrsquo;t do anything until they wake. Rest."
Lararsquo;s lips thinned. "Irsquo;m fine." Folding her arms, she turned back to Hawke. "Irsquo;ll monitor them through the rest of the nightmdash;I need to make sure we didnrsquo;t miss any hidden damage."
Hawke waited to see what Walker would do.
The other man folded his own arms and said, "Hawke, notice how shersquo;s wavering on her feet?" in the most reasonable of tones.
Lararsquo;s eyes flashed fire, but Hawke had to agree. "Take an hourmdash;Irsquo;ll keep an eye on everyone," he ordered, tugging her into an embrace and nuzzling a kiss into her hair. "Donrsquo;t be ornery just to piss Walker off." His wolf didnrsquo;t know what was going on between the two, but there was no mistaking the tension.
A scowl marred those fine features. "Ornery?" But she softened in his embrace. "A rest does sound good. Wake me the instant anything changes."
Hawke didnrsquo;t miss the way Walker watched them. Neither did he miss the fact that the tall Psy male followed Lara to her office, where she kept a sofa. Moving out of hearing range, he checked in on the injured, found Sienna sitting at Riordanrsquo;s bedside, her hand on his. "His mom started to cry so his dad took her out for a few minutes," she said in a subvocal murmur, her eyes devoid of stars. "They didnrsquo;t want him to hear it in his sleep."
He waited with her until Riordanrsquo;s parents returned. The couple allowed his wolf to give comfort to theirs, but he knew nothing would truly soothe them until their child woke. Leaving them with their hands touching Riordanrsquo;s skin in silent support, he intertwined his own fingers with Siennarsquo;s.
Chapter 21
LARA FELT THE back of her neck prickle with awareness as the door shut with a quiet snick. Conscious her tiredness could undermine her resolve where Walker was concerned, she bought time by shrugging off the sweatshirt shersquo;d pulled on over a faded pair of jeans after a two-minute shower to wash off the blood. Her wolf had been unhappy to leave the injured for even that long, but the doctor in her knew the value of cleanliness in a medical surrounding.
"Look," she said at last. "I know wersquo;re friends"mdash;it physically hurt to say that in spite of the fact that shersquo;d made the decision to accept the friendship, continue on with her life in every other waymdash;"but I really would prefer to be alone." A painful lie. She was a healer, a wolf. She loved being around her pack. But more, she needed to be around her man. Unfortunately, the man both woman and wolf had chosen was unable to give her what she neededmdash;Silence and a stranger named Yelene had ruined the finest man Lara had ever known . . . and it appeared the damage was irreversible.
Sinking down on the sofa with that truth weighing down her already heavy heart, she bent to unlace her boots.
Dark blond hair threaded with the barest glimmer of silver filled her vision as Walker knelt to do the task. "Donrsquo;t," she whispered, her defenses shattered by the events of the night, until she could no longer hide the ache in her soul, the empty space where he shouldrsquo;ve been.
He ignored her to undo the laces and remove her boots with quick, steady hands before tugging off her socks. She gave up trying to stop him, gave up trying to fight the need tearing her apart, and simply indulged in the sight of those strong shoulders below her, the fabric stretched taut over solid muscle.
A teacher, thatrsquo;s what everyone said hersquo;d been in the PsyNet. But Lara had always wondered if there was more to itmdash;there was something about Walker that spoke of shadows, of hidden truths. Things she knew hersquo;d never share. Not Walker.
"Sleep." A single deep word as he rose and picked up the blanket from where it had fallen off the couch.
Surrendering both to exhaustion and to his indomitable will, she laid down her head and closed her eyes. She felt the blanket being unfurled over her, felt his fingers push rebellious curls off her face with a tenderness that made her throat lock, but she didnrsquo;t open her eyes. For this single, shimmering moment, shersquo;d indulge in a fantasy in which Walker wasnrsquo;t broken. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
ONCE in the break room, Hawke grabbed a seat at the small table and pulled Sienna into his lap. She turned stiff. "What are you doing? Anyone could walk in."
His wolf peeled back its lips, a low growl rumbling in his chest. "Do you think Irsquo;m planning to hide this, hide us?"
"No." Yet the edgy distance remained.
Neither part of him liked it. "Yoursquo;ve seen me holding packmates."
"Never me." The absolute lack of emotion in that simple statement killed him.
"No," he agreed, stroking his hand over the dark beauty of the hair. "Let me hold you tonight."
It took time for her to soften, to curve her hand over his shoulder, settle her head against him. And he knewmdash;because he knew hermdash;that that would be all shersquo;d give him unless he pushed. Sienna was used not only to keeping secrets, but to fighting her battles alone. No more.
One arm around her shoulders, the hand of the other on the sleek muscle of her thigh, he said, "Elirsquo;s injuries got to you." Hersquo;d been focused on Simran, but his wolf had sensed Sienna arrive, had him glancing up to see her eyes turn to midnight when they landed on the injured soldier.
There were no words from her, not for a long time. When they did come, they were brittle shards. "I could do that. I have done that . . . and worse." Sienna said, not knowing why she was admitting to the true horror of her nature. "No one knows."
Hawkersquo;s hand stilled on her thigh for a fraction of an instant before he began to pet her again with those small, slow movements. "Talk to me."
Shersquo;d kept the secret for so long, not wanting anyone to see her as a monster, but tonight, she knew that to be a false hope. She was a monster. That could not be changed. "When I was five years old," she said, her mind acrid with memorymdash;the lash of cold fire, the agonizing sound of a high pitched scream, the nauseating scent of burned flesh and melted plas as the datapad fused into the soft flesh of a hand that had only ever touched her in gentleness, "I set my mother on fire."
"Ah, baby." The tenderness in his voice almost broke her.
"Thatrsquo;s how it happens with the lucky ones," she said, the piercing echo of her motherrsquo;s screams something she would never forget. "The unlucky ones immolate themselves the first time the X-marker kicks in." Unlike with the majority of other designations, it was near impossible to identify an X while the ability lay dormant.
"I know your mother survived."
"Yes, she was a powerful telepath." Siennarsquo;s shields had been basic at that stage, with her mother providing the necessary psychic protections. As a result, Kristine had had full access to her mind. "After the first shock, she did the only thing she could and knocked me unconscious." The medics had been able to repair all but the damage done by the datapad. Kristine had carried a fused patch of skin and plas on her palm until the day she diedmdash;and never once had she blamed Sienna for it.
Hawke settled her deeper against him, the hand that had been on her thigh moving up to cup her face. The guilt inside of her made her want to avoid his gaze, duck her head, but shersquo;d never before done that with him, recognizing instinctively that to bow down in such a way was to signal something to his wolf that she did not want. "That was when Ming came," she said, meeting those wolf-blue eyes though shame curdled her stomach. "He wanted to cut me off from my family at once, except that my mother had been unconsciously subduing my urges since birth."
No judgment on his face, nothing but an intense concentration. "Is that normal?"
"In a way. Psy children often donrsquo;t know what theyrsquo;re doing with their abilities, so most parents keep a psychic eye on them."
"The same way adult changelings make sure pups donrsquo;t claw each other by accident."
His words, the attempt to find common ground between them, thawed a little of the frozen lump in her chest. "Yes. But my mother, she was a cardinal telepath, very, very strongmdash;she didnrsquo;t realize just how much power shersquo;d been utilizing to block me. If shersquo;d been weaker . . ." She shook her head, the chill returning to infuse her very bones. "I wouldrsquo;ve killed either myself or another child much earlier."
Hawke sensed the gut-deep pain behind the calm, almost flat words. Five years old. A baby, and shersquo;d been in Mingrsquo;s care. "Your mother went with you?"
A nod. "I didnrsquo;t know then, I didnrsquo;t realize, but my mother was different. Most women wouldrsquo;ve handed me over to Ming and released themselves of all liability, but even after he was able to take over what shersquo;d been doing to help me on the psychic plane, she refused to sign away her rights as my mother." Gleaming pride melded with a furious depth of tenderness.
"However," Sienna continued, "she couldnrsquo;t teach me control. She was a communications specialist, not gifted in mental combat like Ming. It took him four months to safely isolate and contain me behind his own telepathic shields. Then he taught me. It was hard."
Such a simple statement. Such a terrible statement. "I hate Ming for what he did"mdash;because that isolation, that containment, Hawke understood it had been a prison cell around the mind of a scared childmdash;"but he helped you stay alive."
"No," Sienna disagreed, "he helped me become Silent. Most Psy graduate the Protocol at sixteen. I was Silent by age nine. Sometimes, I think thatrsquo;s why my mother decided to have Tobymdash;because she knew I was gone from the instant Ming walked into our home."
And yet, Hawke thought, Sienna had never lost her soul. Shersquo;d retained the capacity to love Toby with a fierceness that was wolf in its strength, retained the loyalty to family that had seen her defect to save the childrenrsquo;s lives. It staggered him to realize the incredible will she mustrsquo;ve had even as a child that shersquo;d been able to hide and protect that part of her psyche from a Councilor.
About to speak of the depth of his pride in her, to tell her she had no reason to carry any shame, he heard a slight sound. "I think Simran is up."
Sienna flowed off his lap, concern replacing the heavy darkness that had fallen over her face as she spoke of her mockery of a childhood. "Should I fetch Lara?"
"No, let me check first. But why donrsquo;t you look in on the others?"
When he walked into Simranrsquo;s room, it was to find the injured sentry smiling weakly at the woman who sat by her side, a lanky soldier so fleet of foot that Hawke often used her as a messenger across den territory. "Inés," he said, running the back of his hand over her cheek. "When did you get back?"
"Ten minutes ago." Her body trembled as she leaned in to rest her head against his side. "Simran wonrsquo;t tell me how badly she was hurt."
Simran said, "No need," her throat husky.
Making a hushing sound, Inés reached for the bottle of water on the bedside table. "Irsquo;m talking to my alpha, if you donrsquo;t mind." The words were chiding, the tone affectionate as she put a straw into the bottle so the wounded sentry could take a sip.
Hawke pressed his lips to Inésrsquo;s temple when she put down the bottle. "It was bad," he said, ignoring Simranrsquo;s scowl, "but I had her and I wasnrsquo;t letting go."
"Irsquo;m so glad yoursquo;re a stubborn bastard." Inésrsquo;s thin arms hugged him tight before she leaned over to brush the hair off Simranrsquo;s face with fingers that were exquisitely tender.
Riordan, when Hawke glanced into the novice soldierrsquo;s room, remained in a sedated sleep, but Elias had regained consciousness, his hand on his matersquo;s head as she pressed it to his uninjured side. Thank God. Figuring Lara would forgive him for not waking her up since it was good news, he was about to leave the couple in privacy when Sienna brushed past him and into the room. "Here," she said, putting a warmed-up cup of soup in Yukirsquo;s hand. "Drink it or you know hersquo;ll keep fussing."
"I donrsquo;t fuss." Rasped-out words. "Now drink it."
Deep shadows lingered beneath the liquid dark of Yukirsquo;s expressive eyes, the lids swollen and red, as was the tip of her nose, but there was no lack of energy in the face she made at her mate. "Bossy man."
"Yoursquo;re stuck with me."
"Yeah." A smile so intimate, it felt wrong to witness it. "For the next century, at least."
Lara appeared in the doorway beside Hawke right then, her cheek bearing marks of sleep. "Whatrsquo;s the ruckus?" she asked with a beaming smile before shooing both Hawke and Sienna away. "Get rested in case I need you tomorrow."
Seeing that Walker had returned to the infirmary, Hawke acquiesced. "I want to grab some fresh air," he said to Sienna.
"Good idea."
It wasnrsquo;t until they were outside, with her leaning up against a gentle knoll in the White Zone, that she said, "It must be nice, donrsquo;t you think?"
He braced one arm on the grassy surface beside her head, his wolf strangely content in spite of the skin hunger that continued to be a constant ache at the back of his mind. "What?" Twining a strand of her hair around his finger, he rubbed it between fingertip and thumb.
"To have a hundred years with someone." Her voice held such haunted need it shook him. "I never imagined that was possible before I came here."
"Most folks live at least three decades beyond a hundred," Hawke said, stepping close enough that one of his thighs brushed hers, "so itrsquo;s not unusual."
Sienna didnrsquo;t pull away, the scent of her an unintended caress across his senses. "But together . . . imagine how deeply yoursquo;d know someone after all that time, how very complex the love would be between the two of you."
It was time, he thought, to lay things out into the open. "No hypotheticals, Sienna. Me and you. Is that what you want?"
"Irsquo;ve made that pretty clear." An acerbic reply accompanied by arms folded across her chest.
His wolf liked the bite of her, but he had to be certain she understood the implications of being with him. All of them. Fisting a hand into her hair, he pressed in close until she had to unfold her arms, her hands landing on his waist. "Do you know what it would mean for you if I take you as mine?"
Though her pulse was a frantic beat he wanted to lick, she stood her ground.
"No matter what, I canrsquo;t give you the matimdash;" he began, because he would not lie to her.
"I know," she interrupted. "I heard . . . I put things together."
Of course she had, his smart Psy. But that wasnrsquo;t the only thing he had to say. "No more flirtations with boys your own age," he said, gripping that stubborn jaw with his fingers. "No more dancing with any male but me. No more time to learn who you are before you have to hold that personality against mine. No more freedom to explore your sensuality before I own it."
Right at that moment, face-to-face with the dominant force of his personality, Sienna realized exactly how much Hawke had been holding back, and part of her hesitated. The fact was, while she was intelligent and off the charts when it came to psychic strength, she had no true knowledge of how to deal with males . . . no, with this male. He was the only one whorsquo;d sliced through her every shield to impact the very core of her, the part shersquo;d protected with single-minded determination even as the rest of her turned Silent.
"Scared?" Hawkersquo;s smile held no humor. "You should be, baby." Then he kissed her, and it was no tender exploration, no playful tease. This was the kiss of a man who knew precisely what he wanted and had no compunctions about getting it. Using his grip on her jaw to angle her how he wanted, he nipped at her lower lip hard enough that she gasped, opened her mouth.
Making a deep sound low in his throat, he swept in, tasting her with a proprietary thoroughness that caused a tremor to shiver through her frame. Instead of easing up on the kiss, he pressed deeper into her, letting her feel every hard inch of him as he licked and tasted and demanded. Never had she realized how soft her body was in comparison to his, how much hotter he burned.
It was a lesson, and when it was over, she had kiss-swollen lips, a body so sensitized to his touch that it burned a craving across every inch of her . . . and a sudden awareness that maybe, just maybe, she hadnrsquo;t thought this out as well as shersquo;d believed.
Chapter 22
THE GHOST THOUGHT of the uses he could make of a cardinal X, fully cognizant that he was more than capable of double-crossing Judd. Except for one thingmdash;his reason for building the fires of rebellion, for not executing the entire Council in a bloody burst of violence, it held him back, acting as the conscience he didnrsquo;t have.
As a result, instead of spending his time strategizing about how to gain control of the rogue X, he dove into the slipstream of the Net, the psychic network created by the minds of millions of Psy across the world, each mind an icy white star on an endless spread of black. The Net existed in every place on the earth, a vast sprawl that had no limits.
In this infinite system ran rivers of data, millions and trillions of pieces of information uploaded each and every day by the minds hooked into the network. It was the biggest data archive on the planet, the storehouse of knowledge for their entire race. The unwary could get buried under the weight of it, but the Ghost was a shark gliding through the slipstream in lethal silence, filtering data with a speed and specificity that was almost preternatural.
Rumors, whispers, conspiracy theories centered around the time and manner of Alice Eldridgersquo;s death, all of it floated to the top of his consciousness as the Net gave up its secrets. None held anything of substance. Either the Arrows had done an immaculate job of wiping Eldridge from the Net, or the data had degraded in the years since her death.
That left him with the Obsidian archive. Created by the NetMind, the neosentience that was the guardian and librarian of the Net, the Obsidian archive was a backup in case the PsyNet ever suffered a catastrophic failure. The Ghost had named it Obsidian because the complexity of data within it made it all but a wall of black. Only a rare few individuals had ever realized the Obsidian archive existed.
Even fewer knew how to access it.
If there was anything to find on Alice Eldridgersquo;s second manuscript, it would be buried in that immense hoard of information. Otherwise, Sienna Lauren was on her own.
Chapter 23
SIENNA CAUGHT HAWKE as he was heading out of the den early the next afternoon. "Wait." The tense line of her spine told him shersquo;d forgotten nothing from the previous night.
Neither had he. "Talk fast, baby." It came out curt. Yes, hersquo;d meant to scare her, but to be honest, he hadnrsquo;t expected it to work. That it had had irritated his wolf. "Irsquo;ve got a meeting."
"If itrsquo;s to do with the attack, you need to hear this." She walked at a rapid clip beside him as he continued on outside, where hersquo;d left a vehicle.
"Irsquo;m listening."
"What they did, itrsquo;s a tactic Ming used to talk about."
"A quick hit designed to hurt the packrsquo;s morale." The death of five changelings wouldrsquo;ve been considered a bonus. "I guessed that." His fury was a cold thing, his wolf thinking with clear-eyed precision.
"No, itrsquo;s more." She almost ran as he lengthened his stride. "Itrsquo;s the beginning of a war of attrition. Theyrsquo;re not going to come at you full force until theyrsquo;ve whittled down your numbers through surgical strikes. Because you donrsquo;t have an obvious target against which to retaliate, yoursquo;ll splinter your forces in an effort to keep up, further fragmenting your strength."
Catching the assurance in her voice, he came to a stop. "You sound certain."
"I am." There was nothing of reserve in her now, only steely eyed conviction. "The fact that whoever was behind this used a stealthcraft rather than telekinetics, when they know changelings have superior senses and might well detect a physical intrusion, tells me their Tks were doing something else."
"Yoursquo;re assuming they have telekinetics."
"Anyone with enough power to mount that kind of op has the pull to have a unit of Tks under his or her command." She put her hands on her hips. "I want to borrow Brenna for a couple of hours, have her bring up satellite images of certain areas."
She was a novice soldier, didnrsquo;t have the rank to make such a bold demandmdash;but shersquo;d also been the protégée of a Psy most considered the Councilrsquo;s military mastermind. "How do you plan to figure out where to look?" he asked instead of dismissing the request outright.
She tapped her temple. "Ming was, and probably still is, the best of the best when it comes to martial strategy. No matter whorsquo;s running this, I can outthink them if I think like him."
He took an instant to weigh the variables, almost able to see the impatience flashing in her eyes. That was his girl, he thought, hiding his grin. "You can have Brennamdash;for half an hour," he said. "Shersquo;s got too many other things on her plate."
Lines formed between her eyebrows but she nodded. "Irsquo;ll narrow things down as much as possible before I go to hermdash;thatrsquo;ll make it more efficient."
An hour and a half later, he could still see the white-hot rays of the Sierra sun glinting off the red in her hair as she turned to jog back to the den. The woman in front of him was an altogether different creature, had no fire in her soul. Nikita Duncan had given birth to an empath, then thrown her away. She was as cold as her daughter was full of heart. Even in looks alone, they were poles apart.
Nikita had cool white skin, eyes from Japan, and cutting cheekbones that complemented the razor-straight jet of her hair. Sascharsquo;s skin was colored a warm brown, her hair a curling tumble of soft black, her face softer, more rounded. Both unquestionably beautiful women. Except one had the blood of a reptile, while the other would spill her own to save a stranger.
"How are you, Sascha darling?" he murmured under his breath as Nikita turned to say something to the other Councilor at the table, the enigmatic Anthony Kyriakusmdash;tall, patrician, his black hair silvered at the temples.
Sascha made a rueful face from his left. "About to give birth. Thatrsquo;s what it feels like, anyway."
Her muttered words made him grin, but he could see that Lucas wasnrsquo;t amused. He wondered how big of a fight the two had had today about Sascharsquo;s attendance at this meetingmdash;not that Lucas wouldrsquo;ve taken any chances with really riling her up now that she was so close to her due date. If Hawke had to guess, hersquo;d say the leopard alpha had bitten his tongue even as his animal went insane at the idea of his pregnant mate so close to those who might cause her harm. And for once, Sascha, the empath, seemed clueless.
Moving his lips to her ear, he murmured, "Sweetheart, you know I love you, but you need to get Luc away from here before he loses his mind."
Sascha froze, stared. Her eyes turned midnight within one blink and the next. "Oh dear," she whispered. "How did I miss that?"
"Probably because yoursquo;re nine and a half months pregnant."
Rolling her eyes at him, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.
Lucasrsquo;s growl was audible.
"Lucas," Sascha said at the same moment, "I donrsquo;t feel that great."
The DarkRiver alpha shoved back his chair and bundled Sascha out of the room so fast that Anthony and Nikita were left staring. Vaughn, having been holding up the wall at their backs, slid into Lucasrsquo;s seat with smooth feline grace, while Nathan took the one Sascha had vacated. Across from them, Nikita continued to stare out the door.
"Shersquo;s not about to give birth," the Councilor said into the silence a second later, and Hawke realized shersquo;d been telepathing her daughter.
Interesting.
"How close is she?" Max Shannon asked as he walked in. "Sorry Irsquo;m latemdash;got caught up in traffic."
"Wherersquo;s your J, cop?" Vaughn asked instead of answering the question.
"On her way," Max said, referring to his wife, a former Justice Psy who remained uplinked to the Net in spite of her broken Silence. "She might have some info for us."
Hawke didnrsquo;t trust anyone hooked into the PsyNet given how deep the Psy Councilorsrsquo; tentacles were on the psychic plane, but he had nothing against Maxrsquo;s J in particular. In fact, he kinda liked hermdash;Sophia carried shadows in her eyes. Shadows meant a life lived, a personality beyond the ice.
Riley stirred beside him. "Did you both read the report we sent through?"
"Yes," Nikita and Anthony answered simultaneously.
Again, interesting. It made Hawke wonder what other machinations the two were getting up to behind everyone elsersquo;s backs.
"Neither one of us orchestrated the attack on your people," Nikita said. "Whether you believe that or not is up to you, but it makes no logical sense for us to weaken this region at present."
Meaning that if the other Councilors hadnrsquo;t been a threat, Nikita might well have spilled changeling blood. Then again, Hawke thought, considering everything they knew about her, Nikita followed the moneymdash;war would be bad for her bottom line. There was also the fact that her security chief was a man with an impeccable code of honor, a man whorsquo;d laid his life on the line to protect the innocent.
As for Anthony, quite aside from the fact that the cats had vouched for him on previous occasions, the man controlled an empire of F-Psy worth billions. No one and nothing could shake him from that position. More to the point, the NightStar Group had always been willing to deal with anyone who could pay the fees demanded for a forecast: human, Psy or changeling.
Max tapped the table now. "Plus, neither Nikita nor Anthony have the manpower. Simple as that." It was an admission of weakness, an opening gambit.
"Who else can you rule out?" Nathan, the most senior of Lucasrsquo;s sentinels and a man with a head as calm and clear as Rileyrsquo;s, leaned forward.
"Itrsquo;s not Kaleb," Nikita said at once. "Hersquo;s distracted by another matter at present."
"Our information," Riley inserted, "is that Kaleb has either gained, or is close to gaining, control over the Arrow Squad."
A long, careful pause. "You have excellent sources," Anthony replied at last. "Yes, it does appear the Arrows have shifted their allegiance from Ming to Kalebmdash;and their priority has always been Silence and the integrity of the Net. The squad disassociated from Ming because he lost sight of that priority. Kaleb is unlikely to repeat the mistake."
That tracked with the information Judd had been able to get from his contacts.
"Itrsquo;s possible Tatiana is backing the Scotts," Nikita added, "but shersquo;ll have kept enough distance that nothing rebounds back on her. As for Ming, he has spoken against the Scotts in Council and appears to be more focused on internal matters."
Hawke entered the conversation. "You seem certain the Scotts are behind this." Their own intelligence supported the same conclusion, but he wanted to hear Nikitarsquo;s and Anthonyrsquo;s reasons.
"Itrsquo;s patent they want total, unopposed control of the Net," Anthony said, the aristocratic lines of his face without expression but holding a charisma that wouldrsquo;ve made the man a force even without the foreseers under his command. "Aside from Kaleb, who is too formidable an adversary to challenge at this stage, Nikita and I are the only ones standing in their waymdash;because wersquo;re acting together and in a region that can defend itself."
"We wonrsquo;t be able to pin it on them," Nikita said with a frigid bluntness Hawke was coming to associate with her. "Theyrsquo;ll have made certain of it."
SEVENTY minutes later, Hawke had another discussion, this time with a much tighter group. Him, Riley, Judd, the two DarkRiver sentinels whorsquo;d attended the meeting, plus Lucas and Sascha. They met outside the alpha pairrsquo;s cabin. Hawke didnrsquo;t tease the leopard male today, knowing how on edge he had to be, having his mate so close to those who werenrsquo;t Pack. It didnrsquo;t matter that the wolves were alliesmdash;it was about the animalrsquo;s need to protect.
Frankly, Hawke was surprised Lucas had agreed to the meeting . . . but no, perhaps he wasnrsquo;t. Sascha and Lucas had the kind of relationship that every alpha craved, Hawke included. Sascha wasnrsquo;t just a lover, wasnrsquo;t simply a playmate in the best sense of the world; she was a partner, Lucasrsquo;s first port of call when he needed advice.
It was instinctive to think of Sienna. So young . . . too young.
Ming was, and probably still is, the best of the best when it comes to martial strategy. No matter whorsquo;s running this, I can outthink them if I think like him.
Frowning at the reminder of exactly how shersquo;d gained that depth of knowledge, he turned to Luc. "Whatrsquo;s your gut say?" He knew the alpha had sat in on the meeting via the subtle comm system Vaughn had been wearing.
"Nikitarsquo;s rightmdash;no way to pin the violence on the Scotts, though everything points to them." Lucas rubbed at his stubbled jaw. "But who says we have to?"
"If we strike back and hit the wrong target," Hawke responded, "we lose the element of surprise."
"I know itrsquo;s not my mother," Sascha said from the cushioned wicker chair positioned against the cabin wall. "Not because shersquo;s my mother, but because I know how she works. If someone was trying to mount a hostile takeover of SnowDancerrsquo;s assets, cut you off at the knees in financial terms, Irsquo;d be the first to point the finger at her."
"Itrsquo;s not Anthony," Vaughn said without clarifying. The fact that he was mated to Anthonyrsquo;s daughter, however, did give the jaguar changeling a high level of credibility. It also made Hawke wonder, not for the first time, about Anthony Kyriakusrsquo;s loyalties.
"I agree with Nikita about Ming and Kaleb Krychek," Judd said. "Mingrsquo;s taken a hit with the loss of the Arrows and will still be consolidating his remaining troops. I can say with categorical certainty that the squad wonrsquo;t have mobilized on this big an operation for Kaleb yet."
Riley, pragmatic as always, asked the critical question. "Does Krychek have access to other operatives?"
"Yes. But fact is, hersquo;s a powerful enough telekinetic that he doesnrsquo;t need anyone when it comes down to it. This is a man who could cause an earthquake, collapse the entire city."
"Jesus," Vaughn said as Lucas whistled. "Seriously?"
"His abilities are so far off the scale that the Gradient is meaningless." Juddrsquo;s tone was matter-of-fact. "Hersquo;s a master game player, so I wonrsquo;t discount him totally, but Kalebrsquo;s got two powerful packs in his region, and hersquo;s exhibited no aggression toward either."
"BlackEdge and StoneWater." Riley nodded. "Wersquo;ve got a line of communication with them, and from what theyrsquo;ve shared, it looks like Krychek leaves them alone as long as they do the same with him. Doesnrsquo;t make sense that hersquo;d come out here to pick a fight with us."
"If we take Krychek off the table," Hawke said, "it leaves us with the same three Anthony and Nikita fingered."
"We go after all three." Lucasrsquo;s tone was hard. "Surgical strikes, same as their hit."
Hawke, his mind awash in the blood scent and pain of his fallen, growled in agreement. "It has to be hard, and it has to be fast." The enemy had to understand the packs had teeth and no hesitancy about using them.
"The Scotts and Tatiana," Judd said, "are all protected behind walls of near-impregnable security. Itrsquo;s going to be difficult to get close to them."
"Not them," Sascha said, then yawned. "Sorry."
Everyone laughed, and the moment provided some much-needed levity.
"Okay, what I was saying before I fell asleep"mdash;she leaned against her matersquo;s thigh, where he stood with his back to the wall by her sidemdash;"is that you donrsquo;t go after them. You go after something that represents them. Something big and shiny."
Juddrsquo;s eyes landed on Sascha. "Are you sure yoursquo;re an empath?"
"I grew up with Nikita for a mother."
It was relatively easy to choose a target for Henry Scottmdash;his London residence was in an eminent location and worth millions. The bonus was that Judd had been in and around the place as an Arrow, knew how their people could evade security. Shoshanna Scott also presented little problem. Shersquo;d bought a huge office building in Dubai a month agomdash;currently untenanted, it had minimal security.
"No casualtiesmdash;security guards have to be clear before we strike," Hawke said, because killing innocents would make them no better than the Councilors. "We donrsquo;t compromise on this."
"Agreed." Lucas closed his hand over Sascharsquo;s shoulder. "Do you have anyone in London? I know Jamiersquo;s roaming in that area, so we can pull him in."
Hawke gave a crisp nod. Wolves didnrsquo;t go roaming as often as the cats, but given the Councilrsquo;s increasing aggression, SnowDancer had made a deliberate policy of stationing people in and around the worldrsquo;s major cities. Riley rotated their more lone-wolf types until the men and women wanted to come home. The latest to return had been Riaz.
The bulk of their time was spent handling SnowDancerrsquo;s international business interests, but they also kept an eye on certain more covert matters, feeding information back to the den. However, every one of those lone wolves was a high-level soldier, more than capable of handling this type of task. "Dubai wonrsquo;t be an issue either." There was a SnowDancer within easy flight distance.
Lucas nodded. "That leaves Tatiana."
"Thatrsquo;s a problem," Judd said. "Shersquo;s bought interests in human companiesmdash;we hit any of those, we affect a large number of blameless people."
Hawkersquo;s cell phone rang at that moment, the code making his wolf come to wild attention. "Hold on," he said to the others and walked a small distance away. "Talk to me, pretty baby." Yeah, he was having trouble with the boundaries when it came to Sienna, even when he was the one whorsquo;d put them into place.
Brennarsquo;s voice came over the line. "You sweet talker." The words were tart.
His wolf grinned. "Put her on."
"Heremdash;she was just double-checking something."
"Brenna and I were able to pinpoint three incursions made by the Tk team," Sienna said without any prelude. "Far as we can figure, they were laying charges. Indigo took people to check out the locations, and from the data she sent back, theyrsquo;re getting smarter. No metal components, hidden deeper to beat your senses, difficult to detect unless yoursquo;re right on top of the devices."
Hawkersquo;s wolf bared its teeth, but his thought process remained icily rational. "Good work, both of you." Certain Indigo would have the situation under control, he moved to another matter. "Sienna, while you were with Ming, did you ever learn about a property or holding on which Tatiana Rika-Smythe places particular importance?"
"She has a tendency to buy into other companies," Sienna said, "rather than building herself. But . . . wait a second."
Brenna came on the line. "Your pretty baby is running a search."
"Smart-ass."
"Irsquo;m casually walking over to where she canrsquo;t hear us."
"Why?"
"To ask you if yoursquo;re courting her properly. Really, Hawke, a girl deserves flowers at least."
"I donrsquo;t do flowers." And right now, the whole courtship thing was in the air. As last night had shown with inescapable clarity, she was nowhere near ready to handle the truth of him. The thought had his hand clenching on the phone.
"Itrsquo;s not hard," Brenna muttered. "Call up a florist, buy a bouquet."
Hawkersquo;s wolf liked her too much to be annoyed. "Let me talk to her, brat. I have to get back to my meeting."
"In a second. Firstmdash;howrsquo;s my pretty baby?"
Hawke glanced over to see Judd listening to something Vaughn was saying, his head angled toward the ground, a frown on his face. Unusual for the former assassin. "Flirting with a jaguar."
"Yoursquo;re not funny, mister," Brenna said before the phone passed hands and Sienna came back on the line.
"Yoursquo;ll have to confirm this," she said, "but it looks like Tatiana is still the sole owner of a sculpture that stands in the middle of a small park in Cambridge, England."
"A sculpture?"
"Yes, Ming found that odd, too, so he had me research it as part of my training. It was commissioned by a Smythe a hundred years ago, after the deal that led to their fortune. I donrsquo;t know if itrsquo;s the kind of thing yoursquo;re looking for . . ."
"I might even kiss you for it. All over." Hanging up to her sucked-in breath, he walked back to the others. "I have a target for Tatiana." As for Sienna, hersquo;d give her a bit more time, but . . . he was a wolf. Who the hell said he had to play it civilized? She was his. She would learn to deal with him.
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, ACTION REQUIRED AND COMPLETED3
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: April 14th, 1973 at 10:32pm
SUBJECT: re: re: re: hello
Hi Dad,
Yes, my last e-mail did make no sense. Irsquo;m afraid I was giddy from the possible discovery. However, as you know from my phone call to Mother, my theory will be difficult to prove without bringing others into the equation, people who may not have the best interests of the Xs at heart. If only I was in the PsyNet, I could see for myself.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 24
WALKER WALKED INTO the infirmary the night after the attack to find Lara coming out of Eliasrsquo;s room. "How is he?"
The deep purple shadows under her eyes when she met his gaze betrayed how little shersquo;d rested since waking from her nap the previous night. "Good. Healing. I have to wait for his body to recover from this session before I can carry on. Hersquo;ll be here for a while yet."
Seeing Lucy examining the readout on the panel in Riordanrsquo;s room, he held out his hand. "Come with me, Lara. You need to have a break."
"No, I canrsquo;tmdash;"
He took her hand, halting her words midstream. "Either you walk out with me," he said, keeping his tone calm though his words were nothing reasonable, "or Irsquo;ll take a leaf out of Hawkersquo;s book and carry you out." That situation, too, was something he had his eye on, but it wasnrsquo;t time for him to say his piece. Not yet.
Lararsquo;s mouth fell open. "You wouldnrsquo;t."
He waited, let her eyes scan his face, see the truth.
Cheeks flushing a dull red beneath that deep tan skin, she said, "You would." A small tug as she tried to free her hand, failed. "I need to tell Lucy."
"Shersquo;s seen." Then he began walking, pulling Lara along.
She made a small growling sound hersquo;d never before heard from her. "Irsquo;m a wolf, not a dog."
"Yoursquo;d treat a pet better than you treat yourself."
Neither of them said another word until they were some distance from the den, beside a waterfall that froze in the winter months but was at present a roaring spray.
Releasing his grip on her, he pointed to a rocky ledge. "Sit before you fall down."
"Argh!" She slammed fisted hands against his chest. "Would you like me to shift and wag my tail while Irsquo;m at it?" Anger turned her tawny eyes dark, thinned the soft invitation of her mouth.
"No," he said, grabbing her wrists, her bones delicate under his touch. "Irsquo;d like you to permit me to take care of you." It was a raw craving, this need he had to ensure she wasnrsquo;t hurting herself. He didnrsquo;t understand it, had never felt its like.
Lara shook her head. "I canrsquo;t do this." Breath hitching, she pushed against him. "You can be my friend, Walker. But you donrsquo;t have any other rightsmdash;you didnrsquo;t want them."
"Lara," he began, continuing to maintain his grip, but she shook her head again.
"You were honest with me, so Irsquo;ll be honest with you. The kind of rights you want, the kind yoursquo;re trying to claim? Theyrsquo;re intimate rights." Wet shimmered in the expressive depths of her eyes. "I canrsquo;t give them to you. They belong to the man with whom Irsquo;ll build a life, have children."
This time, when she pulled, he released her wrists, watched her leave.
The spray of the waterfall was cold on his skin.
THE day after running the surveillance search, Sienna found herself with time on her hands. Aware Hawke was busy organizing something with DarkRiver, she decided that rather than give in to her frustration at being shut out because of her rank, shersquo;d make productive use of her time to go speak with Sascha.
When she moved out of the woods near the cabin, it was to see the empath walking back and forth in front of the home she shared with Lucas. "Thanks for agreeing to talk to me."
"Hush." A hand cupping her cheek for a warm moment. "You know yoursquo;re always welcome."
"Wherersquo;s Lucas?" It was a given that he wouldnrsquo;t be far with Sascha now only days from her due date.
Sascha lifted a finger to her lips, then pointed up. Following the cardinalrsquo;s gaze, Sascha found a black panther draped in graceful sleep over one of the thick branches that supported the aerie the couple planned to move back into after Sascha recovered from the birth.
"Wow," Sienna whispered, having never before seen Lucas in animal form. "Hersquo;s beautiful."
The catrsquo;s tail waved lazily.
Sascha laughed. "He heard youmdash;hersquo;s just dozing. Stayed up rubbing my back most of the night."
"Shouldnrsquo;t you be sitting down?"
A black scowl. "Sienna, donrsquo;t make me deck you."
"I donrsquo;t know much about pregnancy aside from the facts, or what Irsquo;ve learned from being around you," she admitted. "I wasnrsquo;t there while my mother was pregnant with Toby." No, shersquo;d been trapped in a telepathic prison created by a master of mental combat. Awful as that had been, she wouldnrsquo;t change itmdash;because Ming had trained her in his own image, taught her the skills to fight those who would hurt her brother, her family, her pack . . . her man.
"Then wersquo;re in the same boat." One hand bracing her back, Sascha reached over to tuck Siennarsquo;s hair behind her ear. "You wanted to talk, kitten?"
Sienna looked up at Lucas, dropped her voice. "Can he hear us if we keep the volume low?"
"Irsquo;m afraid so. Hersquo;s got bat hearing these days."
The panther made a low grumbling sound but didnrsquo;t leave his branch.
Much as she respected the leopard alpha, Sienna wasnrsquo;t sure she was comfortable discussing this particular topic with him in hearing range. "Itrsquo;s okay. You need to relax anyway."
"Talking to you is hardly a strain." A chiding look. "Luc will be a Sphinx, wonrsquo;t you, pussycat?" Her matersquo;s responding rumble made Sascha smile. "Hersquo;s feeling very grumpy this afternoon."
Needing answers, Sienna decided to ask her questions and trust in Lucasrsquo;s discretion. "With Hawke," she said, walking with Sascha as the empath continued her easy pacing, "I . . . something happened." Though it was in her nature to be private, she shared the gist of what had taken place between them the night of the attack. "Hersquo;s been busy since then, but even when wersquo;ve run into each other, he hasnrsquo;t made a single movemdash;itrsquo;s like his wolf is watching, but for what, Irsquo;m not certain."
"Hmm." Sascha rubbed at her belly, her head cocked at a listening angle. "Oh, well, yes."
Sienna looked from the empath to her mate. "You have a telepathic bond?" Extraordinary.
"Itrsquo;s grown exponentially during the pregnancy." Digging the heel of one hand into her back while cradling her abdomen with the other, she blew out a breath. "I think Lucas is rightmdash;he says Hawke is waiting for you to go to him."
"Hersquo;s not the kind of man who waits." If Sienna knew one thing, it was that immutable fact, which was why his sudden watchful distance had left her so at sea. "Sascha," she said, noticing the wince on the empathrsquo;s face, "your backrsquo;s hurting you."
"Itrsquo;ll be worse if I sit." Waving off Siennarsquo;s gesture toward the wicker outdoor furniture, Sascha continued to walk. "The thing is, Hawke needs to know yoursquo;re making a conscious choice to be with him, even understanding that itrsquo;s not going to be an easy roadmdash;though I have no doubt his patience will be shoved aside by his arrogance very soon and yoursquo;ll find yourself hunted."
The black panther jumped down from his branch to stand against Sascharsquo;s side as she completed that dry statement. Smile curving her lips, the empath stroked her hand over that proud head. "Therersquo;s alsomdash;" A startled cry, liquid gushing down her legs.
And Lucas was shifting in wild sparks of color. "Sascha, did your water just break?" Stunned leopard-green eyes.
"Irsquo;ve been having small contractions since the middle of last night," Sascha admitted, chest heaving. "I didnrsquo;t want to call Tamsyn too early."
Rising without another word, Lucas gathered his mate into his arms, carrying her with no evidence of strain. "Sienna."
"Irsquo;m on it." Grateful she had the DarkRiver healerrsquo;s code on her cell phone, she stabbed at the touchpad of her phone, missed. Tried again.
Tamsynrsquo;s calm response settled her own frantic heart. "I want you to go in," the healer said, "time her contractions, keep me updated. Can you do that?"
Sienna nodded, then realized Tamsyn couldnrsquo;t see her. "Yes, yes, of course." She was a cardinal X and a SnowDancer soldier. She could time contractions. Sascha was having her baby!
"Irsquo;ll be there in less than ten minutes."
Heading inside, Sienna knocked on the bedroom door before entering. Lucas had pulled on a pair of sweatpants and sat behind Sascha on the bed, one hand tangled with hers, the other petting her abdomen with soothing strokes. "How long till Tammy arrives?"
"Under ten minutes."
Sascha blinked. "So soon?"
"You think Irsquo;m an idiot?" Lucasrsquo;s voice was a growl, his touch unbearably tender. "I knew you were having contractions, stubborn woman."
Sascha laughed, then winced. "Oh, here we go again."
Sienna started timing.
SASCHA felt another contraction building as Tammy walked in through the door, a competent, unruffled presence. "Irsquo;m so glad to see you." Shersquo;d been so sure shersquo;d timed it right, except her own body had decided to reschedule things.
"I was never far away," the healer said with a smile as she checked the progress of the labor, her touch gentle and capable. "Siennarsquo;s in the kitchen with Nate. Shersquo;s putting together food for the people she knows are going to start dropping by any minutemdash;that girl is terrifyingly efficient."
"I thought," Sascha said, clutching at the topic to keep her mind off the rippling waves of pain, "she was going to pass out when my water broke."
"No, that was me," Lucas growled next to her ear. "Now, remember, donrsquo;t try any more shitmdash;do it like we practiced. Funnel the pain through the mating bond and into me."
It went against everything in Sascharsquo;s nature to cause him pain, but she knew hersquo;d never forgive her if she didnrsquo;t allow him to help her through this. "You have a terrible bedside manner."
A nip on her ear. "This is my first time."
Her heart bloomed. "Me, too." Gripping his hand as her abdomen rippled, she diverted the pain along the mating bond to the panther who held her so tight, so close.
His body jerked before he hissed out a breath. "Jesus H. Christ. I have new respect for the female of the species suddenly."
Tamsyn snorted. "You ainrsquo;t seen nothing yet, buckaroo." Glancing at Sascha, she added, "I think itrsquo;ll help if you walk around for a while. Nate will keep everyone from the back of the house if you want to go out there."
"Yes, okay." The next several hours were the most scarymdash;and most wonderfulmdash;of Sascharsquo;s life. Exhausted, her hair sticking to the side of her face, she clung to Lucasrsquo;s hand and rode out the contractions as they got progressively longer and closer together, until she couldnrsquo;t stay on her feet. He took most of the pain, her panther, but her muscles ached, so many strands of jelly in her body. "Oh dear," she said toward the end of the third hour.
"What?" Tammy and Lucas asked at once, acute concern in their voices.
"The babyrsquo;s decided it wants to stay right where it is." Sascha could feel its anger at the current circumstances clear as day. "It is not impressed by all this squeezing and jostling about and could we please stop."
Tamsynrsquo;s eyes widened. "Wow, everyone knows babies must feel like that, but you actually know. Since you domdash;yoursquo;re going to have to convince the little darling to come on out. Your body is ready."
Sascha touched her babersquo;s mind. Itrsquo;s warm in my arms, too, she cajoled. Your paparsquo;s waiting to kiss you, pet you. Donrsquo;t you want that?
A vocal negative, for all that their child had no words yet.
"Come on, princess," Lucas murmured in his deep voice, stroking Sascharsquo;s abdomen with strong, loving hands as she lay with her back to his chest, "you know Irsquo;ve been waiting a long time for you. How am I ever going to hold you if you stay in there?"
The baby wasnrsquo;t convinced, but Sascha felt a slight hesitation. "Keep talking," she said, continuing to reassure their child with her own loving murmurs until another contraction bowed her back.
The baby was shocked, scared.
Yoursquo;re safe. Yoursquo;re safe. She wrapped it in a warm blanket of love. Irsquo;ve got you, my baby.
"This time," Tamsyn ordered, "push."
"Hear that, princess?" Lucas whispered, pressing his lips to Sascharsquo;s temple. "Help your mama out."
Their child still wasnrsquo;t sure they knew what they were talking about, but it was ready.
Just in the nick of time.
The next contraction almost lifted Sascha off the bed. She forgot all about funneling pain, all about doing anything but pushing, her grip on Lucasrsquo;s hand a steel trap.
"One more time," Tammyrsquo;s encouraging voice. "Come on, sweetheart."
As Sascha shuddered, tried to breathe, Lucas tangled his fingers with those of her other hand, too, bent to press his lips to her ear. "Irsquo;ve got you, Sascha darling."
Those were the last words she heard before she pushed one final time, and suddenly, her child was no longer inside of her, its angry screams filling the air. Our baby. Her heart clenched, and she felt Lucas stop breathing. "Go cut the cord," she urged him, knowing he was torn between the need to hold her and cradling their baby. "Go."
Sliding out from behind her with care, he followed Tammyrsquo;s directions to cut the cord. The wonder on his face as he took their squalling child into his arms was a gift for Sascharsquo;s heart, a moment she would never, ever forget. "Hush, sweet darling." A deep murmur that washed over mother and child both. "Paparsquo;s got you." When he looked up, those wild green eyes shimmered with such protective love that she knew their child would never, for one single minute, feel unwanted, unloved.
Fingers shaking, she opened the top buttons of her maternity smock. Lucas moved to lay their baby skin to skin against her without a word. Tears rolling down her face, Sascha held their babyrsquo;s fragile body while her mate cupped her cheek and touched his forehead to hers. "God, I love you."
Her laughter was tear wet. "Even now yoursquo;ve gotten your little princess?"
Lucasrsquo;s smile creased his cheeks, brought the cat into his eyes. "I told you it was a girl."
Chapter 25
SIENNA FELT AS if shersquo;d burst out of her skin when she heard the babyrsquo;s first cry.
The bedroom door opened what seemed like years later to reveal Lucas holding a tinymdash;so tinymdash;bundle wrapped in a soft white blanket. The sentinels and their mates, all of whom had arrived over the past two hours, crowded into the cabin.
"Irsquo;d like you," Lucas said, his smile touched with a fierce tenderness, "to meet Miss Nadiya Shayla Hunter."
"Donrsquo;t flirt," Lucas said as he handed the baby to the blond sentinel, who was immediately surrounded by his mate as well as the mates of the other men. Stealing the newborn for a cuddle, the women finally handed her back to a scowling Dorian before slipping in to see Sascha. Laughter drifted out of the bedroom soon afterward.
Deciding to take advantage of the lower number of people between her and the baby, Sienna made strategic moves around the room until she ended up next to Mercymdash;whorsquo;d stolen Nadiya from Nate, whorsquo;d stolen her from Clay, whorsquo;d stolen her from Dorian.
"Here," Mercy said, "you want to hold her?"
"Irsquo;m terrified." It was the first time in her life shersquo;d ever said that aloud.
Laughing, Mercy showed Sienna how to support the babyrsquo;s head, and then Nadiya was in her arms. "Shersquo;s so small." Brushing aside the blanket, she looked at that miniature face, those fisted hands with their tiny fingers and miniscule nails. Lucas and Sascharsquo;s baby had slept through the adoration, but she waved her fists now before settling back down. Sienna was fascinated, couldrsquo;ve watched her for hours.
Aware, however, that everyone in the room wanted to hold the newborn, she reluctantly relinquished her to Vaughn. The jaguar sentinel touched a gentle finger to the sleeping childrsquo;s nose. "Hello, little Naya," he said. "Arenrsquo;t you a pretty darling?"
Lucas smiled. "Thatrsquo;s what Sascha thought for a pet name, too." Reaching out, he took the baby from Vaughnrsquo;s careful hands. "Come on, princess. Mamarsquo;s missing you alreadymdash;you can break hearts later."
Everyone laughed. And that was the sound Sienna remembered most as she described the events to fellow SnowDancers later that night.
"We got a message both mother and child were doing well," Hawke said, leaning against the counter of the common room where theyrsquo;d gathered, "but I figured Irsquo;d better not go down just yet."
Sienna, sitting at a table opposite him, had to fight the urge to get up, cross the distance between them, and reinitiate the contact that had been missing for over twenty-four hours. Now that shersquo;d touched him, kissed him, she couldnrsquo;t imagine how shersquo;d survived before. "I think thatrsquo;s a good idea," she said. "Lucas is very close to his cat right now." The alpharsquo;s eyes had been those of the panthermdash;a happy panther, but still a wild thing.
"What does the baby look like?" Brenna asked from beside her, jumpy with excitement.
"Tiny with her eyes scrunched shut."
"Marlee looked like that, too," Walker said when the laughter faded. "She cried as if shersquo;d had her favorite toy stolen from hermdash;on both the physical and psychic plane."
Judd glanced at his brother. "She was loud."
Sienna hadnrsquo;t known her uncles had both been around at the time of Marleersquo;s birth. Before she could ask about that, Brenna touched Juddrsquo;s thigh, where he sat beside her. "How do they handle childbirth in the Net, honeypie?" The last word was clearly a private joke, because Judd reached out to tap his matersquo;s lips, saying, "Remember the rules."
It was Walker who answered Brennarsquo;s question. "A strong telepath," he said from where he sat on Siennarsquo;s left-hand side, "will ease the mother into a near-unconscious state as he or she takes over the fetusrsquo;s mind for the duration of the labor."
A long silence.
Sienna hadnrsquo;t known that, found herself asking, "Doesnrsquo;t it hurt the baby?"
Walker shook his head. "Itrsquo;s something our race used to do before Silencemdash;the telepaths are trained to handle developing minds. We had to come up with something since women in childbirth are unable to neutralize their pain on any level."
Sienna believed him about the birthing process not harming the fetusmdash;Psy cared too much about the mind to risk damaging one. "I think I heard Tammy say that Sascha was talking to her baby to convince her to come out. Wouldnrsquo;t that kind of connection be worth the pain?" Her eye caught Hawkersquo;s at that moment, glimpsed the dark, unnamable emotion in the wolf-blue.
She knew without asking that he was thinking of his mate, of the children he would never have with her. But for the first time, Sienna didnrsquo;t turn away, didnrsquo;t yield to a ghostmdash;shersquo;d listened, shersquo;d learned, so she knew that while it was harder than in a mating, changelings could and did have children in long-term, committed relationships.
Hawkersquo;s eyes narrowed at the challenge in hers. Later, after everyone else had left the room, he snapped his fingers around her wrist, tugged her close and whispered, "You sure you want to play with the wolf, baby?"
Her stomach somersaulted, but she was ready. "Sure yoursquo;re ready to handle an X, wolf?"
Chapter 26
FOUR HOURS LATER, in a fortified compound in Southern Australia, Tatiana Rika-Smythe looked at images of the wreckage that had once been a solid marble sculpture. The cost of the piecemdash;minisculemdash;was of no relevance. The destruction was a message, and as that, it hit the mark. She used the comm panel to input a call to Henry.
It wouldnrsquo;t go through to his London residence, so she traced him via the PsyNet. "Youmdash;" she began when he answered her psychic hail.
"I canrsquo;t have this conversation now, Tatiana," he interrupted without any attempt at courtesy and disappeared back into his mind.
Tatiana wasnrsquo;t used to being brushed off, but she was also not stupid. Dropping out of the PsyNet, she brought up the feed from the spy satellite she used to get information on Henry, having increased her surveillance of him after hersquo;d begun to act in away that suggested he had become the driving force in the Scott partnership.
A two-second delay and the visuals came into crisp focus. Henryrsquo;s London residence was collapsing. Slowly enough that she could see it had been evacuated, but there was no way to rescue it. The charges had been laid with careful precisionmdash;which begged the question of how anyone couldrsquo;ve skirted Henryrsquo;s security to get that close to the building.
Certain now that there would be a third target site, she began switching through the news channels. It took her only seconds to find it. Shoshannarsquo;s new office tower looked spectacular as glass fell in rippling blue sheets from its windows. The building was a skeleton in under a minute, its metal bones gleaming under the unforgiving desert sun.
The conclusion was clearmdash;the Scotts had underestimated the changelings. Again.
Picking up her cell phone, she sent Henry a text message, the method of communication an indication of precisely how much she valued his mind at present. Leave me out of it.
HENRY received a call three minutes after Tatianarsquo;s curt message.
"A miscalculation," the male voice said. "But better now than later."
"So," Henry said, "you donrsquo;t plan to pull out?"
"No."
Chapter 27
"WE MIGHT HAVE given them pause," Hawke said to Riley, Riaz, and Indigo as they stood on a cliff overlooking SnowDancer territory four days after the retaliation, "but theyrsquo;ve succeeded in one respect. Wersquo;re running at high alertmdash;how long can we keep that up before our people begin to get exhausted?"
"I have an idea about that." Rileyrsquo;s eyes swept over the clearing below, and Hawke knew he was looking out for the sentry on duty. "A soldier can maintain this pace for a week without starting to slipmdash;we run each for five days, swap him out with a soldier from one of the other sectors."
Right then, a wolf loped across the verdant land below and into the thick stand of firs that seemed to sprawl to the horizon. Tai, Hawke thought, identifying the large tan-colored wolf. "Can that be done without flicking up warning flags?" They could betray no hint of weakness.
"We do it in stages," Indigo said, namesake eyes even more intense in the mountain sunlight. "Set it up so the ones closest to den territory are moved in first, those who are farther out rolling in to take their places. We do it right, no one knows any differentmdash;Psy sure as hell canrsquo;t tell one wolf from another when wersquo;re in animal form."
"Except for you," Riaz muttered to Hawke. "Because you have the bad taste to be a color that yells lsquo;Here I am, shoot me now.rsquo; "
"Letrsquo;s see whorsquo;s a target when the snow falls, shall we?" Hawke turned a fraction to welcome the feral wolves loping up the rise. They wiggled between Indigo and Rileymdash;on either side of himmdash;to press against his legs.
"Spoiled," Indigo said, shaking her head. "They think yoursquo;re theirs."
Hawke let his lips curve a little. "Do the rotation. But shorten the shifts to four days spread out over a weekmdash;I want everyone rested up if we have to kick into full defensive mode. Can we work that?"
Riley and Indigo both nodded, though Indigo was the one to speak. "I think it might actually work better that way." She growled when one of the feral wolves pushed too hard.
The wolf retreated.
"What about the cats?" Riaz asked, hunkering down to mock fight with another wolf. "Are they going to need extra manpower in the city?"
"Irsquo;ve talked to Mercy about it," Riley said, "and wersquo;re splitting duties unless any of you disagree. Leopards are going to focus on San Francisco while we handle the rest. Wersquo;re also aligning our sentries so rather than doubling up in some spots, wersquo;re going to start working DarkRiver and SnowDancer land as one big territory."
No one disagreed, and for a moment, they simply stood there, looking out over the flourishing green of the valley, the slender spires of the pines, the jagged snow-kissed peaks of the mountains. It was a beautiful piece of the earth, but more, it was their heartland, singing a song of welcome to any lost or wounded wolf.
The operation against the Councilors and the ensuing time hersquo;d spent helping maintain security, along with his other responsibilities as alphamdash;in combination with Siennarsquo;s duty schedulemdash;had kept him from following up on her brazen challenge, but Hawke was ready to hunt today. Unfortunately, Judd had other ideas.
The Psy male walked into his office just as he was about to head out. "We need to discuss the Pure Psy camp in South America." Using the comm panel on the wall, he brought up surveillance footage on one side, a map on the other.
"How recent is this?" Hawke asked from beside him.
"Early this morning. Irsquo;ve kept a constant eye on any and all movements since I first became aware of its purpose."
Hidden deep in the mountains, Hawke knew the small "village" was a training facility for Henry Scottrsquo;s increasing army of fanatics.
"As we discussed when I first located it," Judd continued, "it didnrsquo;t make sense to eliminate or disable them at the time."
"Better to know where the bastards are hiding," Hawke muttered, zooming in on an aerial photograph taken by a falcon in animal form.
Judd wondered if Hawke had thought that far ahead when negotiating the alliance with WindHaven. Knowing the way the alpharsquo;s mind worked, Judd wouldnrsquo;t be surprised. "However," he added, pulling up an overlay that showed the population inside the camp, "therersquo;s been a significant increase in their numbers in the past three weeks. Theyrsquo;ve also begun to bring in a large number of weapons. Intel about their target remains the same." The city, den territory.
"Will they be able to teleport out that many people and weapons at a speed that could prove dangerous to our defenses?"
Judd took a moment to do the mental calculations. "If they had an Arrow named Vasic, it would be a problem." Vasic was a Tk-V, the only true teleporter in the Net. He was also one of the extremely rare Tks who could go to people as well as places. As such, hersquo;d have discovered the Laurens two seconds after they dropped out of the PsyNet if Walker hadnrsquo;t used his considerable telepathic skill to create and then teach both Sienna and Judd how to weave a deflective shield around their minds prior to defection.
His brother had handled the children, though Toby, Marlee, and in all probability, Sienna, no longer needed that shield, their appearance having changed enough to deny Vasic a "lock." "Irsquo;ve seen no sign of him in the surveillance footage, however," he continued, "and therersquo;s no indication that Henry has Arrow support." Though Juddrsquo;s gut said at least some of the squad would find themselves compelled by the idea of Purity, of unadulterated Silence, of the promise of peace from the raging violence of their abilities.
Hawke brought up an older report. "Henry lost several telekinetics in the last skirmish with us."
"Yes, so even a generous estimate of the number remaining in his unit doesnrsquo;t give him anywhere near the capacity to move the camp using Tk. Logic says hersquo;ll want to save their energy for the assault, so the camp will mobilize using more standard means." Increasing the image size, he pointed out the half-complete runway. "We need to start thinking about how wersquo;re going to disable them when the time comes."
"Ideas?"
"Itrsquo;s not subtle, but I could work at rigging the entire place to blow, focusing on the sections where theyrsquo;ve stockpiled weapons." He could teleport in under cover of night, place the charges, and be gone with security unaware of a breach. "If I link the charges to a remote signal, we can detonate when necessary."
Hawke shifted the images around, bringing up more detailed terrain and aerial maps, the population overlay. "The area is too large for you to handle alonemdash;the teleporting will wipe you out," the alpha said at last, displaying an understanding of Juddrsquo;s abilities that, at one time, wouldrsquo;ve surprised him. That was before hersquo;d learned that Hawke knew the capabilities of each of his lieutenants down to the wire. "Aside from the delay while you recover, a second incursion increases the chances of discovery."
Judd had to agree. "Alexei and Drew would both be suitable for this kind of an op, but itrsquo;s a risk to go in with anyone who canrsquo;t teleport out, though I can handle a second individual if the circumstances demand a quick exit." It was the other issue that was more problematic. "The guards will be on constant alert for non-Psy minds. Even a hint of an intruder, and floodlights will blaze over the entire compound." Not to mention the number of Pure Psy units whorsquo;d respond to mount a search.
Hawke cleared the maps and brought up a list of names. "Psy in the packs. Who has the training to do what you need?"
When the Lauren family had first joined SnowDancer, Hawke wouldrsquo;ve never trusted two Psy with such a critical operation. It humbled Judd, how the changelings had the capacity to accept with such depth and honesty. Once Pack, you had to betray their trust at the basest level to be booted out. It was, he thought, strangely akin to the blood-loyalty that tied the Arrows to one another. An odd correlation.
"Walker is an exceptionally strong telepath," he said, "but hersquo;s had no training in handling explosives." No, his brother had been trained in something far more subtle. "Ashaya isnrsquo;t military. Neither are Faith or Saschamdash;quite aside from Sascharsquo;s current physical status."
He brought up a separate screen. The woman on it wasnrsquo;t Pack, but she was linked to a group that had proven friendly. "Katya Haas has had some military instruction, from what Irsquo;ve been able to discover, but not enough to make her suitable."
"I donrsquo;t think Santos would go for the idea anyway." Hawke rubbed his jaw as he named Katyarsquo;s husbandmdash;the head of the Shine Foundation. "You trust any of your other contacts?"
Judd thought of the Ghost and his enigmatic priorities. "No." Then he added another name to the list of Psy who were Pack. "She has both the training and the psychic skill to escape detection."
"No." Flat. No room for compromise. "I canrsquo;t believe yoursquo;d even suggest it."
"Ignoring who and what she is," Judd said, fighting his own instinctive need to protect the girl who looked so much like his lost sister, "is more dangerous than taking her into an operation." Sienna wasnrsquo;t only powerful, she was disciplined and knew how to obey orders in a tactical situation. "Therersquo;s a reason Maria felt compelled to challenge her. You know it and so do I."
Hawke had been called a cold-hearted bastard more than once. But never when it came to those who were hismdash;he valued the life of each and every member of his pack, would lay down his own for them without blinking. "I donrsquo;t send novices into situations that could be lethal."
"Thatrsquo;s not what this is about."
Hawkersquo;s wolf bristled at the quiet challenge. "I wouldnrsquo;t send Maria or Riordan, even Tai, into that situation."
"None of those three spent ten years living with Ming LeBon." Judd kept speaking as Hawkersquo;s vision went wolf-bright. "She was taught to handle explosives when she was nine years old."
Hawke snapped his head around to face the former Arrow. "Not even in the Net would they do that to a child."
"Yes, they would." Judd stared at the stone walls with piercing intensity. "What better way to teach a child control than to put her in a room designed to blow up with her inside if she got something wrong."
Hawkersquo;s wolf wanted to savage the bastards whorsquo;d tortured Sienna, its rage turning his voice almost unintelligible as he growled, "Damn it, Judd. You were an Arrow!"
Judd flinched. It was such a slight reaction Hawke only caught it because his wolf was watching the other man with a predatorrsquo;s gaze. "We couldnrsquo;t risk defection when Marlee and Toby were babies." Words so precise, they were coated in frost. "There was a high probability the severance of the PsyNet linkmdash;and we always knew wersquo;d have to do that to truly escapemdash;wouldrsquo;ve killed them outright."
A metal letter opener flew off Hawkersquo;s desk and slammed into the stone wall, the handle quivering from the force of the impact. Judd closed his eyes, fisted his hands. It took him over two minutes to speak again. "We had to wait." The bleakness in those words betrayed the cost paid for that wait.
With a wolf, Hawke wouldrsquo;ve clamped him on the shoulder, dragged him into a hug. But Judd wasnrsquo;t wolf. Grabbing the handle of the letter opener, he pulled it out with a grunt and handed it to the Psy male. "Get it out."
The letter opener began to twist methodically into a complicated shape before being crushed into an unrecognizable ball of metal, which Judd began to slam into the wall again and again using his telekinesis. Stone chips flew to the floor.
"Did Sienna know she was going to be getting out?" Hawke asked when he judged the Psy male was able to speak again. Know she hadnrsquo;t been abandoned?
"No. Not for a long time." Judd caught the distorted ball, held it in his hand. "She was too young, and she spent the majority of her time with Ming. We could only trust her with the plan once her shields were strong enough to hide her thoughts from him."
Hawke imagined Sienna as a small girl with eyes of cardinal starlight and hair of darkest red; thought, too, of the fear that mustrsquo;ve stolen her breath, squeezed her chest as she was locked inside rooms full of explosives. "One slip of her gift . . ."
"It was a lie at first," Judd said. "Ming wouldnrsquo;t have risked a cardinal X in such an accident. When she did make a mistake, they triggered explosions calibrated to knock her unconscious and injure her enough that shersquo;d remember to be more careful next time."
Hawkersquo;s claws sliced out. "And later?"
"She asked to be put in those rooms." The metal ball spun at rapid speed in the air. "She had to know shersquo;d be safe enough to defect with us."
