Hawke didnrsquo;t know whether he wanted to strangle Sienna for playing with her life that way or hold her tight, shield her from the world. Except of course, that was an impossibilitymdash;she was an X, her mind meant to be a weapon. "Will she obey your orders?" His wolf raked him with its claws, but even it knew the decision was the right one.
"Yes." A pause as the ball of metal came to a gentle rest on Hawkersquo;s desk. "Yours are the only ones shersquo;s ever had trouble with."
No fear, Hawke thought. Even after all shersquo;d been through, Sienna had never been afraid to stand up to him. Good. "I want this planned down to the last minutemdash;in and out as fast as possible."
Judd gave a swift nod, his eyes holding an icy determination, an echo of the memories. "Irsquo;ll do the prep work today. Irsquo;d rather reserve my psychic energies, so wersquo;ll fly out tomorrow morning into one of the larger cities. I can teleport us the rest of the distance after nightfall. Do you want in on the planning?"
"No." Hawke knew his instincts when it came to Sienna would get in the way. "Keep me updated."
"Irsquo;ll get Sienna now."
"Judd." When the lieutenant halted, Hawke walked over and dragged him into a rough embrace. Psy or not, he was a SnowDancer. "Thank you for getting her out." For protecting her when Hawke hadnrsquo;t known she was out there, hurting.
Juddrsquo;s eyes were midnight when he pulled back. "Shersquo;s stronger than all of us."
The words circled in Hawkersquo;s mind long after Judd left, but they didnrsquo;t make his decision any easier to swallow. He was about to send a young woman, his woman, into a hot zone.
JUDD needed his mate with a ferocity bordering on insanity. All but dragging her from her workspace in the tech core of the den, he pulled her into their bedroom and pinned her to the wall. She gasped into his kiss but cooperated when he tore off her clothes, when he opened the front of his jeans and lifted her up by the thighs.
Too fast, too fast, his mind warned. Gritting his teeth, he tried to slow down.
The whisper was a soft, hot breath against his ear. "Itrsquo;s okay, itrsquo;s okay. Come inside me."
"Brenna." Thrusting into the tight, wet heat of her in a single hard push, he shuddered.
Her nails dug into his back, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her mouth, it took his, holding him safe as he surrendered to the searing depth of his need for her.
Afterward, as they lay on the futon, he told her everything. "I wish I could protect her from this, but if we donrsquo;t give her an outlet, itrsquo;ll lead to a dangerous level of frustration."
Brenna drew patterns on his chest with a fingertip. "We women are tougher than you men realize." Propping herself up on one elbow beside him, she braced her cheek on her hand. "She doesnrsquo;t need that kind of protection anymoremdash;yoursquo;re giving her what she needs; support to live her life."
"I havenrsquo;t interfered, but this thing with Hawke . . . I donrsquo;t know if shersquo;s ready."
"Sweetheart, no womanrsquo;s ever going to be ready for Hawke." It was the driest of statements as she leaned in to press an affectionate kiss to his jaw. "But from what I can see, shersquo;s holding her own."
Her words, her touch, it anchored him, settled him. "I need you," he said to her, this woman whorsquo;d fought for her own right to live her life free of limits, "to build me some remote detonation devices."
Amazing brown eyes shot with blue peering into his as she pressed her nose to his. "You always say the most romantic things."
His laughter came from deep within, tangled with her own, as his mate cupped his cheek and took him with a tenderness that made him her slave.
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, E-PSY, ACTION REQUIRED BUT NOT COMPLETED4
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: December 11th, 1973 at 11:23pm
SUBJECT: re: Silence
Dear Dad,
Yes, this idea of Silence disturbs me, too. Itrsquo;s why Irsquo;ve been so leery of trusting the Psy archivist with my conclusionsmdash;there are certain worrisome undercurrents in the Psy population at the moment. But the good news is that one of my Es has agreed to do some "undercover" scouting for me, and you know I would trust an empath with anything. He says that what I posit should be easy to see. If he finds what I expect him to find, then Irsquo;ll have to figure out how to test the theory.
Going back to Silencemdash;George is a telepath, as you know, and a more emotional man I have yet to meet. But even he says that sometimes he wishes the voices would be silent. My Xs are all in favor of it, and I canrsquo;t say Irsquo;m surprised.
Have you spoken of it with your Psy colleagues?
Love,
Alice
P.S. Donrsquo;t think Irsquo;ve forgotten your birthday. I have a surprise up my sleeve.
Chapter 28
SIENNA SAT ON a quiet spot overlooking the lake several hours after nightfall. It had shocked her when Judd told her about the upcoming opmdash;but not because she couldnrsquo;t do it. The exercise would be relatively free from danger given the strength of her shields and the fact that she could debilitate anyone who threatened her. Of course, contact was to be avoided at all costs, their objective being to get in and out without being detected.
Soft warmth covered her shoulders.
Startled, she turned to see Hawke. It was his jacket hersquo;d put over her shoulders. "We didnrsquo;t get to play our game." The part of her that had never had a chance to be a child was bitterly disappointed.
He sat down with one hand braced on the ground behind her, their bodies close enough that they touched hip to thigh . . . more. "Itrsquo;ll keep."
Unwilling to let it go at that, she held out a fist. "Ready?"
"Yoursquo;re going to attempt to beat me up with that puny hand?" Complete disbelief. "Okay, Irsquo;ll pretend it hurts."
She would not laugh. To do so would only feed his arrogance. "Try again."
Frowning, he held out his own larger fist, smiled. "One, two, three!"
"Rock beats scissors." It was impossible to restrain her smirk.
A very wolfish look. "Best of three."
She held out a hand, called the countdown. Found her paper being cut by the scissors. Laughing at the playful way he pretended to chop at her, she made a fist again. "Last one."
They moved their hands in unison.
Hawke grinned at the result. "Well, there are people who say we both have rocks in our heads, so I guess thatrsquo;s apropos."
"Speak for yourself." But she curled her hand back inside his jacket, luxuriating in the dark masculinity of his scent. "Judd told me about South America." A silent question hidden behind the statement.
"We need to discuss that." No longer any humor in his voice. "I need to be certain yoursquo;re not only onboard with this, but capable of doing it."
The words pricked her pride. Once, she mightrsquo;ve snapped at him, but she was no longer that impetuous girl, hiding her mental fragmentation behind a mask of rebellion. Instead, she considered things from his point of view: a young, untried soldier going into an operation that required the utmost subtlety. If shersquo;d been in charge, shersquo;d have asked the same questions. "Yes, to both," she said. "Judd didnrsquo;t know until I told him this afternoon, but I did an op very similar to this in a training situation."
He stroked his hand up her back to curve around her nape, hot and strong, a shock to her system. "How old were you?"
"Fifteen," she said over the wild rush of sensation. "Ming gave me a very simple briefmdash;to get in and out of one of his installations. To pass, I had to set a number of charges in different locations and escape undetected." When Hawke remained silent, she asked, "Donrsquo;t you want to know if I succeeded?"
He moved his thumb on her skin. "You wouldnrsquo;t have remained Mingrsquo;s protégée if you hadnrsquo;t."
"Yes." Goose bumps on her flesh that had nothing to do with the temperature. "But I did make one errormdash;I escaped even Mingrsquo;s detection."
Rising without warning, Hawke took a seat behind her, pulling her into the circle of his arms, the bracket of his thighs. "Okay?" An intimate question against the sensitive curve of her ear.
"Yes." Except for the fact her heart was about to beat right out of her chest.
"The student showed up the teacher," he said, returning to their discussion of Ming. "Thatrsquo;s when you knew you didnrsquo;t have much time left."
Unable to resist, she curled one of her hands around the corded strength of his forearm, playing her fingers over the vein that ran so strong under the heat of his skin. "The rehab order came only a few months later. All orders are officially from the entire Council, but the Councilors act as individuals most of the time. Mingrsquo;s signature was on ours. If he ever finds out Irsquo;m alive, hersquo;ll do everything he can to get rid of me."
"I donrsquo;t know." Muscle and tendon flexed under her touch as he tugged her closer. "According to our intel, Ming has taken a couple of hits in the past few months. He might decide hersquo;s better off with you by his side."
"Irsquo;d kill him," Sienna said with cold precision. "The instant I had him in my sights, Irsquo;d burn him up and watch him die. And Irsquo;d make it slow, so hersquo;d hurt for a long time."
Hawke didnrsquo;t tell her that wasnrsquo;t a good thought, that revenge would eat her alive. Instead, he nuzzled at her neck, and said, "Irsquo;d rather you focus your energy on helping the pack."
She angled her head to the side in shameless invitation, her hand moving up to close over his bicep. "Irsquo;d do anything for SnowDancer." For you.
"Tell me about your designation." Kisses along the line of her throat.
Instead of pulling away, she gripped his arm tight. "Some people say itrsquo;s from the Latin word exardesco, which means lsquo;to blaze up.rsquo; " The words came out husky. "I think lsquo;ragersquo; is also another way it can be defined."
He raised his head, and it was then that she realized what it was she was saying, what it betrayed. No wonder he didnrsquo;t want to touch her. Ice in her veins, she straightened and finished the story, because that was the only thing she could do. "Itrsquo;s said we were once called the burning ones, so the Latin roots would make sense. But Irsquo;ve always thought it was because of what we leave behind when we go supernova: nothing."
Hawke snarled at the self-condemnation in that last word. "Would you call me a monster, Sienna?"
She tried to jerk up and out of his hold. "Of course not."
He wouldnrsquo;t release her. "Yet Irsquo;ve killed."
"In defense of your pack," she said, her hand gripping his forearm again, her touch satisfying a bone-deep need. "Thatrsquo;s different."
He regretted none of the blood hersquo;d spilled in defense of those who were his own, butmdash;"It leaves a mark on the soul nonetheless."
"When I was younger," she said in a voice so quiet it was near soundless, "my hold on the cold fire erratic at best, Ming would put those he wanted executed in a room with me, and then hersquo;d use every psychic method he had to push me over. It was his way of teaching me control." A jagged breath. "He made sure they were conscious. The screams . . . I hear them in my sleep, over and over, and over again."
Hawke clenched his jaw to keep his claws inside his body, knowing that wasnrsquo;t what she needed. "Thatrsquo;s on him, baby. Not you. Never you."
Sienna dipped her head, her hair sliding forward to obscure her face. "People think that after the first kill, it becomes easier. It never does."
"No." It struck him then that this wasnrsquo;t a conversation he should have been able to have with a nineteen-year-old woman. Yet that made it no less real, made her scars no less deep.
Dipping his head to push back her hair and kiss the throbbing pulse in her neck, he said, "Turn around," his voice rough with the raw fury of his emotions.
A shiver as she twisted around to face him on her knees. His jacket slipped off, but he put it back around her shoulders, finding a primal satisfaction both in keeping her warm and in having her covered in his scent. "Enough talk of death," he murmured, sliding his hand under the cool silk of her hair to cup her napemdash;driven by the wild need to do everything he could to wipe the sadness from her. "Letrsquo;s live." He dropped his eyes to her mouth.
Her lips flushed under his regard, her pulse thudding in a rapid tattoo that drove his wolf insane. "Scared?" He traced the full curves with one fingertip.
"You do bite."
Smile creasing his cheeks, he gripped her chin, pressing down with his thumb to part her lips, and then he kissed her. No sweet, playful thing this, but a hot, wet demand that had a moan escaping her throat, her body arching against the hard wall of his chest.
He half expected her to shy as she had that night outside the den, but her fingers clenched on his shoulders, her lips generous and sweet under his voracious mouth. "You shouldnrsquo;t give me everything I want," he chided.
"Why?"
"Because it makes me greedy." Stroking his hand down over her throat to her chest as he claimed her lips again, he curved his hand over the lush swell of one breast.
She froze.
Nipping at her lips, he flicked his thumb across the taut peak he could feel through her thin black sweater, had the satisfaction of shocking a gasp out of her. "Now imagine," he murmured in her ear before kissing that beautiful throat once more, drinking in the quivering intoxication of her arousal, "what itrsquo;ll feel like when I rub your nipples after Irsquo;ve stripped you bare."
Sienna shuddered. "Donrsquo;t stop."
Petting her down from the edge, he took his hand off her body, his lips off her skin, and nudged her until she lay on her back on the earth, his jacket protecting her from the cold. "Is this hurting you?" Hersquo;d caught no indication of it, but he had to be sure.
A quick shake of her head. "We disabled that layer of dissonance."
That layer.
Which meant there were more, but they wouldnrsquo;t talk about the subject tonight, because tonight, he wanted to pleasure her, tease her, indulge her. "Pretty, troublesome Sienna," he whispered, bracing himself beside her on one elbow and stroking his hand under the bottom of her V-neck sweater to lie over the taut smoothness of her abdomen.
Her muscles tensed under his touch, her eyes dark as the night.
"That feels . . ." A trembling breath. "May I touch you?"
His cock, already rock hard, turned excruciating at the polite question. That was when he realized he didnrsquo;t have the patience to play with her, to ease her into the storm of his sexuality. Not today, when his wolf had been pushed to the edge by what shersquo;d shared, the decision hersquo;d made.
More, Sienna needed to rest, to preserve her strength for the op.
Groaning, he kissed her hard and wild, then rolled up to his feet, dragging a bewildered Sienna up with him. Unable to stop himself, he cupped her face, took her mouth again with possessive heat. "Wersquo;ll finish this"mdash;another kissmdash;"later." A bite on her lower lip. "After you get back." With that, he bent, grabbed his jacket, and put it around her.
He wasnrsquo;t ready for the kiss she laid on him.
Son of a bitch.
His hands clenched on her hips, one step away from pulling her up and against the hard ridge of his cock. From there, itrsquo;d be about two seconds before he had her sweater shoved up to her neck, her bra ripped off so he could feast on her breasts. Another fivemdash;maybe ten because he had a feeling hersquo;d be greedy about her breastsmdash;before she was pinned naked to the nearest tree.
Wrenching away from the enticement of her, he stalked to the edge of the rise, but he was still too close, the autumn and spice of her lingering in his mouth, in the air, on his skin. Teeth gritted, he scrambled down the slope to the lake and walked to the waterrsquo;s edge to throw the frigid liquid on his face. Christ!
His wolf, though not normally bothered by the cold, didnrsquo;t care for the shock, but it was in control by the time Sienna joined him. He pointed a finger toward her. "Behavemdash;unless you want to be naked and under me in about five seconds flat." Or maybe the wolf wasnrsquo;t in control.
She blinked, swallowed, shook her head. "I donrsquo;t think Irsquo;m quite ready."
Neither did he. Which was why he had trickles of icy water rolling down his neck as he got to his feet. "Do you like the lake?" Not the most subtle change in the direction of the conversation, but he wasnrsquo;t exactly Mr. Smooth right then.
"Yes." She fell into step beside him. "Itrsquo;s peaceful."
"I used to play down here with my friends all the time as a child." Rissa had loved jumping in the water in wolf form.
"Did you love her very much?" Quiet, quiet words.
Though shersquo;d voiced the question, he could tell from the way she held herself, her face wiped of expression, that she expected him to tell her it was none of her business. It was what hersquo;d have done, had it been any other person of her rank. Except it wasnrsquo;t any other person asking this. It was the woman hersquo;d kissed senseless a minute ago, the woman he was sending into a potentially lethal situation tomorrow, the woman whorsquo;d had a hold on him since the instant their eyes collided in that dark green glade the day of her defection.
"We were children," he began, voice husky with memory. "I only knew her for three years." Theyrsquo;d spent those three years in each otherrsquo;s constant company. "We were two of the lucky onesmdash;we found each other early."
"How did you know?" There was a deep, haunting curiosity in her face, in her words. "That she was your mate."
"I knew." It was a resonance of the soul, a hunger of the heart, a sweet welcome home hersquo;d missed every day since her death. "I was five years old when she was born and seven when we met. I remember walking along the corridors with my mother the first time I saw her.
"Later, my mother told me that all of a sudden, I just turned down a hallway and began running." Shersquo;d always laughed as she told that story, his gifted, fey mother with her sea green eyes and wild tumble of hair. "She was so startled that she decided to let me be, see what was so interesting. Until I ran into the nursery."
"Was Tarah the nursery supervisor then?" she asked, naming Indigorsquo;s mother.
"No, and Evie hadnrsquo;t even been born." He couldnrsquo;t believe that so many years had passed . . . that Rissa had been gone all that time. "My mother was sure Irsquo;d gotten myself in big trouble for interrupting naptime, especially when she found me laughing with a toddler with thick black curls and brown eyes."
He would never forget the wonder that had bloomed inside him when Rissa smiled at him. Mine. A crystal-clear thought. As a child, hersquo;d had no understanding of the depth to which that feeling would one day growmdash;back then, it had been a simple, primal possessiveness. "The healer at the time told me that that was the earliest shersquo;d ever known for a changeling to find his mate." Some people took years to awaken to each other; Drew and Indigo were the perfect example.
"Thatrsquo;s so beautiful." Siennarsquo;s words sang with wonder. "She lived the majority of her life knowing she would never be alone, that someone would catch her whenever she fell."
Hawke hadnrsquo;t ever considered it in that light, so that Rissarsquo;s short life was touched only with joy not sorrow. "Thank you." Feeling the most furious tenderness in his heart for this woman who bore so many scars on her soul, he stroked his hand over the heavy silk of her hair. "Stay safe. We have something important to finish when you get back."
LARA tracked Walker down the morning after Sienna and Judd left the den with such stealth, shersquo;d never have known they were gone if she hadnrsquo;t gotten up before dawn to check up on Elias and glimpsed them slipping out. When shersquo;d confronted Hawke, pointing out that she ranked as high as a lieutenant, hersquo;d told her what was going on.
Now, she pushed open the door to the small workspace she knew Walker had commandeered in an isolated section of the den. His tools lay neatly along a bench hersquo;d built with his hands, while the man himself stood at another bench, sanding the edges of a rocking chair so delicate and graceful, she knew it was meant for a young girl. "Did you build that for Marlee?"
He looked up, taking off and placing his safety glasses aside. "No. Itrsquo;s a gift for Sakura."
It was a kind thing to do for the little girl whose father was not yet totally recovered, the type of thing Walker did so often without fanfare or any expectation of kindness in return. "I brought you something." Steeling her shoulders, she crossed the space between them to place a mug of coffee and a plate of buttered toast on the bench. It was what he preferred for breakfast. She knew that because she noticed everything about Walker Lauren.
Putting aside the sander, he dusted off his hands and picked up a piece of toast. Neither of them spoke until hersquo;d finished. "Theyrsquo;re both skilled individuals," he said at last. "Therersquo;s no reason for anything to go wrong."
The knot in her stomach unfurled at the realization that he wasnrsquo;t going to make this hard. She was the one whorsquo;d walked way . . . but shersquo;d regretted her decision every hour since. Shersquo;d missed him. No other man came close to creating the depth of feeling in her that Walker did with a simple look, a simple word.
Faced with that indisputable conclusion, shersquo;d canceled all future dates. It wasnrsquo;t fair. Not to her and not to the males.
Instead, shersquo;d looked hard at her relationship with Walkermdash;not just what hersquo;d said to her, but what hersquo;d done. Quiet, reserved Walker Lauren, who rarely spoke to anyone, had come to her night after night, trusted her with things she was becoming certain no one else knew. Not only that, but hersquo;d cared for her in that same quiet way. Maybe the words were the truth and his actions an inadvertent lie, but Lara had made the decision to see this through to the end.
Never did she want to look back and wonder. Because he mattered. So much. Enough that she was willing to take the biggest risk of her life and continue this friendship that was nothing so simple. "Yoursquo;ll worry all the same though," she said. "Hersquo;s your baby brother, and she might as well be your daughter."
Pale green eyes widened the tiniest fraction. "Judd would be startled to hear himself described in such a way."
Laughing at the unusual show of emotion, she stole a sip of his coffee before passing it over. "I wonrsquo;t tell if you wonrsquo;t."
"Agreed." He took a long drink before placing the mug beside the plate and reaching to cup her jaw. "Yoursquo;re more rested."
Her skin burned where he touched it. "Yes."
"Irsquo;m glad." Running his thumb over her chin, he dropped his hand. "Talk to me."
As he worked, she did exactly that, keeping his mind from dwelling on the truth that two people he loved were in danger. When he touched her now and then, whether it was an accidental brush or a deliberate act as he helped her perch up on the bench, she quelled the urge to demand more.
This man, he was worth waiting for.
RECOVERED FROM COMPUTER 2(A) TAGS: PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, FATHER, ACTION NOT REQUIRED5
FROM: Alice lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
TO: Dad lt;[emailnbsp;protected] /* */ gt;
DATE: March 2nd, 1974 at 10:18pm
SUBJECT: lt;no subjectgt;
Dear Dad,
My empathic connection came through. He confirmed my hypothesis, though he tells me that in all four cases, it was near impossible to spot and he did so only because he knew what to search formdash;and even then, he had to spend considerable time studying the target minds on the PsyNet.
My tentative conclusion from this is that it must relate in some way to the Xsrsquo; rating on the Gradient. Unfortunately, I have no Xs beyond 4.2 on the Gradient in my project, so there is no way to prove that.
However, Irsquo;ve decided to continue onmdash;see if I can design a test to prove or disprove the second part of my theory. Of course, the Ethics Committee will take forever giving their approval since itrsquo;ll involve live volunteers. In the meantime, I plan to continue with my historical research.
I loved visiting the dig. I miss you both already.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 29
WE HAVE SOMETHING important to finish when you get back.
Lying flat on the earth on a moonless, starless night far from home, the air thin, the mountains unfamiliar, Sienna kept Hawkersquo;s final words close. Hersquo;d kissed her. Held her. Shared an important part of his past. Not only that, but hersquo;d sent her on this mission, accepting that she wasnrsquo;t just another young soldier, but an X-Psy honed in the coldest fire.
Finally, he saw her.
We were two of the lucky onesmdash;we found each other early.
Wolves who lost their mates never mated again. It was once, and it was for life. Did it matter? Yes. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted Hawke to be hers, to see home in her eyes as she saw it in his.
Time.
Thoughts switching to martial mode at the psychic alarm, she rose up out of the grass after ensuring the area was clear and made her way on silent feet to the first target. Shersquo;d been good at this as Mingrsquo;s trainee, but shersquo;d become even better in the years since. With Ming, shersquo;d relied as much as possible on her psychic abilities, while in SnowDancer, shersquo;d had to maintain iron control over those same abilities.
That discipline came in use tonight.
She was invisible to the psychic senses of the guards. She knew that because Judd had tested her shieldsmdash;and been surprised enough by their efficacy to ask her how shersquo;d done it. When shersquo;d shown him, hersquo;d remodulated his own shields to match hers.
It wasnrsquo;t simply because of your X status that Ming took you as his protégée.
Corralling the whisper of memory, she completed her task and crossed over to the shadow of the second warehouse to duck into a small recess. A second later, she froze as the sentry turned the corner to head toward her, right on schedule. At least here, she didnrsquo;t have to worry about being betrayed by her scent; changelings had a real advantage there.
It struck her that that might be why Ming was trying to track her. Because though she hadnrsquo;t said so to anyone yet, gut instinct kept circling around to the suspicion that it was Ming whorsquo;d been behind the four Tks on SnowDancer land, not Henry. Henry had no reason to recognize the distinctive psychic signature of an X. Ming, however, would only need to take a single look at any report to know. Hersquo;d consider her a treasure trove of information about the SnowDancers. Which she was.
Go.
Moving at the internal command, she slipped out as the sentry disappeared from sight once more, laid the second charge, and was hidden behind another building before he returned. She wanted to telepath Judd, check he was safe, but theyrsquo;d decided on telepathic silence except in an emergency.
Being able to detect telepathic communications in progress was so close to impossible that most people accepted it as such. But there were a rare few Psy who could pick up the faint psychic energy exuded during the act. Oddly enough, shersquo;d had her first experience of it with a non-Psy. Lucas apparently had Psy DNA in his ancestry and could always detect psychic activity in his vicinity, telepathic and otherwise.
Sector 7 complete.
With that mental note, she shifted to sector 8. Judd had sectors 1 through 6, all more heavily trafficked than the sectors hersquo;d assigned her. It made sense, since he could teleport in and outmdash;plus, hersquo;d been an Arrow. Sienna knew her own strengths. She also knew that Judd could snap her neck and shersquo;d never see it coming.
Time.
HAWKE decided to get the hell out of the surveillance room when eventempered Brenna almost snarled, "Theyrsquo;re maintaining radio silence. We wonrsquo;t hear anything unless theyrsquo;re in trouble."
Realizing he was agitating her wolf, he touched the back of his hand to her cheek and got out of her way, knowing shersquo;d contact him the instant she had something to report. But there was no way he could sit and waitmdash;shifting into wolf form, he headed out into the cold, clear night. As he ran, greeting his packmates in passing, he considered the information Cooper had sent through earlier that day.
"Irsquo;ve got rumors of weapons moving down into the wider Bay Area." The lieutenantrsquo;s jaw had been a brutal line. "Theyrsquo;ve learned, Hawke. Theyrsquo;re dodging our regular trapsmdash;it fucking frustrates me that we havenrsquo;t been able to find or halt a shipment."
It frustrated Hawke, too, but part of him had always known this day would come. It wasnrsquo;t just the people the Council had lost to the changelings, it was what those defections had done to the perceived power of the Council and of the packs. SnowDancer and DarkRiver were no longer seen as dumb animals but as serious threats.
Switching direction after passing through Sing-Liursquo;s patch, the human soldier calling out a hello, Hawke crossed the border into DarkRiver territory. The two packs had free passage over each otherrsquo;s land, but still, it felt different being away from his own. He was spotted at once since hersquo;d made no attempt to conceal his presence.
To his surprise, the leopard male who saw him signaled for him to stop. Sides heaving from the run though he could go for miles yet without pausing, Hawke walked to stand a couple of feet from the man. The wolf recognized this malersquo;s scent, identified it as that of Sentinel Clay Bennett.
"I tried to call you earlier," Clay said in lieu of a greeting. "The Rats found something."
Hawke cocked his head.
"Weapons components in the cityrsquo;s storm water system, so no way to know their exact origin. But," he added, "Rats were able to use a map of the system to figure out that the pieces mustrsquo;ve come from somewhere around SoMa. Maybe one of the old converted warehouses that have been shut up for maintenance."
Hawkersquo;s wolf considered that, permitting the human part of him to come to the forefront. Unlike other changelings whorsquo;d let the wolf have control for extended periods, Hawke had never been in danger of losing his humanity. His wolf had taken charge when hersquo;d needed it to as a youth, helping him make decisions the boy had been too young to make, but it had withdrawn as soon as Hawke found his feet.
The animal had a very black-and-white view of life, didnrsquo;t understand the games played in the human world. It understood face-to-face combat, understood killing to survive, to defend. It did not understand killing for political gain. The human, however, had lived through a massacre, comprehended the darkest of motivations all too well.
"Irsquo;ve got the Rats doing some more sneaking tonight," Clay continued.
"No one ever notices them. Tomorrow, I figured wersquo;d meet up, work out a plan for the rest. Irsquo;m thinking we should utilize the youngstersmdash;the novices who look like teenagers."
Clever, Hawke thought. Teens were universally ignored, they were such a ubiquitous sight in their noisy groups. Giving a crisp nod, he stepped back, leaving the sentinel to his post and allowing his wolf to rise to the surface once more. He saw several more leopards as he went deeper into DarkRiver land. A couple of the youths even ran with him, trying to outpace an alpha. The wolf laughed husky and deep as it let them play before continuing on his way, leaving them winded and tired.
He covered miles and miles and miles.
But not for one instant did he forget that Sienna was on the most lethal of playing fields.
SIENNA tripped. No, no, no!
Twisting her body with an awkwardness that went against Indigorsquo;s teachings, she fell hard. Something snapped, and she was pretty certain it was a rib. The pain was a stabbing shock, but shersquo;d evaded the searchlight sweeping over the area.
Sucking in a quiet, pained breath, she rose and did a quick physical check to confirm she hadnrsquo;t injured anything vital. Everything was functionalmdash;except that breathing had become difficult. Taking an extra minute and reworking her mental countdown to compensate for it, she divorced the pain from her conscious mind.
It was a military trick and could prove dangerous if utilized with a severe injury, as the mind would ignore the cues sent by the bodymdash;however, it was the perfect solution to a broken rib. That done, she inspected the explosive components in her pack to verify their undamaged state, then continued on her way, silent as a wolf in the forest. She was two steps from the edge of a building that shouldrsquo;ve been empty according to their recon, when everything went wrong.
The door swung open.
She froze behind it, unable to see through the metal to the individual on the other side. But she could hear him . . . them.
"How many tonight?"
"Fifteen."
"Itrsquo;s happening slower than Irsquo;d like."
"We canrsquo;t move too fast or theyrsquo;ll detect us."
"Yes." A pause. "Itrsquo;s reached this point because of the weak ones on the Council."
"We wonrsquo;t have to worry about them much longer."
One of the speakersmdash;a tall, black womanmdash;stepped out and began to close the door. Sienna held her breath, so motionless as to be a statue as the door was pulled shut from the inside. The woman checked something on a small organizer, began to turn.
Another second and shersquo;d see Sienna.
Throat dry, she flexed her telepathic fingers in anticipation of a strike.
HAWKE looked over Brennarsquo;s shoulder the next morning. "Talk to me, sweetheart." Hersquo;d kept his distance after returning from the run, busying himself drafting a list of novices who could work the warehouse district, and briefing them on the task, but it was way past time for Judd and Sienna to have checked in.
Walker had already confirmed a lack of telepathic communication. "Theyrsquo;re alive," hersquo;d said ten minutes ago, fine lines flaring at the corners of his eyes. "I can sense them on the LaurenNet."
"Can you chance contacting them through your network?" He didnrsquo;t want either Judd or Sienna distracted, but he needed to know if something had gone wrong so the pack could mount a rescue.
Walker had shaken his head. "The LaurenNet has limitations because of its size. It can compensate for one of the adults being in a distant location, but with two of them gone, the network is stretched. Itrsquo;ll hold, but I canrsquo;t risk a loss of focus."
A breach, Hawke knew, would have catastrophic consequences. "Take care of Toby and Marlee." That had to be the priority. Neither Sienna nor Judd would want it any different.
"Irsquo;ll let you know the instant I hear anything. And Hawke?" Pale green eyes holding his. "We need to talk after they return."
Now, in the communications hub of the den, Brenna shook her head in response to his words. "I gave them both untraceable cells, but they mightrsquo;ve decided not to chance a call anyway."
Hawke clenched his hand on the back of her chair. "Can you track them on the airjet?" The two were meant to board a flight home in a few hours.
"No." Brenna pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "We infected the airport computers with a subtle virus. It erased them from the systems, so itrsquo;ll be no use hacking into the visual imaging files." Releasing a steady breath, she reached back to put her hand over his. "Theyrsquo;ll be fine."
Startled by the confidence in her voice, he looked down into her face as she tipped it up. "So sure?"
"Irsquo;m worried. Of course Irsquo;m worried," she admitted, the darkness in her eyes a silent echo of her words. "But Juddrsquo;s sending me lsquo;Irsquo;m safersquo; vibes through the mating bond."
Hawkersquo;s wolf scowled, because it couldnrsquo;t keep tabs on Sienna that way.
"Plus," Brenna continued, "my mate is a complete badass. Seriously, your girl couldnrsquo;t be in better hands."
In spite of the wolf pacing within his mind, he felt his lips tug up at the corners. "Irsquo;ll have you know, Sienna is a trainee badass." Accepting that the only thing to do was wait, though such inaction grated, he said, "Irsquo;m heading down to talk to the cats about another issuemdash;the instant you hear anything, you call me. Understood?"
"Absolutely." Rising to her feet, she said, "I could do with a hug."
He enfolded her in his arms without a word. She was Pack. It soothed something in him to hold her, too. But he knew the wolf would continue to prowl half-mad inside his mind until Sienna was back safe in his territory. "Better?"
"Yes."
He left with a caress to her cheek. Picking up Riley from the cabin the lieutenant shared with Mercy, he drove them both down to the meeting spot, which happened to be the home of the DarkRiver healer.
"Itrsquo;s a huge indication of trust, isnrsquo;t it?" Riley said as they came to a stop in front of the graceful split-level home. "To allow us so close to their healer. Wersquo;ve come a long way."
Hawke had to agree. "Honestly? I never expected an alliance of any kind with the cats when they first began to make their presence felt." Hersquo;d wanted only that they stay out of his way while he rebuilt his shattered pack.
"No."
Neither of them made a move to exit the vehicle.
"Hawke," Riley said into the tense silence, "I can handle this. You donrsquo;t want to be here."
"I need to be doing something. Might as well be this." He got out, slamming the door.
Riley glanced at him when they met at the front of the vehicle. "Word of advice. Strong women donrsquo;t take well to being snarled at."
"Tough." Shersquo;d be lucky if all he did was snarl at her he thought as he headed into the meeting, his mind on the phone in his pocket.
When a message did come in, it only said, "Still no contact."
Chapter 30
ADEN LOOKED OVER at the Arrow who stood beside him on the sandy beach along the Amalfi Coast. Abbot was a telekinetic, 9.1 on the Gradient, incredibly powerful, incredibly skilled, incredibly cursed. It had come as no surprise to discover that the twenty-six-year-old was drawn to the idea of Purity.
"Have you come to stop me, Aden?" the other Arrow asked. "Ask me not to join Pure Psy?"
Aden shook his head. "Irsquo;m not Ming, to force you to follow my own political agenda. But you must knowmdash;you cannot be both an Arrow and a member of Pure Psy."
"So you would exile me."
"No, Abbot. That isnrsquo;t who we are." The water held an edge of luminescence in the dark of the night that had fallen on this side of the world, and he made a note to do some research, find out what sea organism caused the effect. "But the squad works on unconditional trust." On the knowledge that the Arrow at his back would never use the position to knife him. "Once you give your allegiance to Pure Psy, you must follow their goals."
Abbot took his time replying, his ink black hair blowing back in the salt laced wind coming off the Gulf of Salerno. "Yoursquo;re not a Tk."
"No."
"What does Vasic say?"
Aden thought of the Tk-V who could lift blood out of walls and bodies from within graves. "You should ask him."
"No games, Aden. You know his mindmdash;he speaks to you."
Aden looked down at the glowing foam before the sea sucked it back in. "Vasic believes it doesnrsquo;t matter the Councilor at the helm, or whether the machinery is called Council or Puritymdash;in the end, wersquo;re nothing but warm bodies to bleed for them." So many Arrows had died to protect Silence. Their only reward had been more death.
"Yet we give our allegiance to Kaleb Krychek."
"There are reasons."
Abbot looked out toward the lingering golden light in the windows of some of the homes that hugged the cliffs, and Aden saw bleak longing in those eyes as blue as the deepest part of the Aegean. A breach of Silence, but an Arrow never betrayed one of his own.
"We are Arrows for a reason," the other man said at last. "We cannot survive without Silence."
"Perhaps." Aden thought of Vasic again, of the price the Tk-V had paid to retain his sanity. "But perhaps the price of survival has become too high."
Chapter 31
TEN HOURS AFTER the meeting on DarkRiver land, Hawke had to fight the urge to simultaneously pull Sienna to his chest and strangle Judd. The two of them walked into the den after having finally checked in by phone when they landed in San Franciscomdash;six hours behind schedule. He did neither.
"Why the hell," he said the instant the office door was shut, "did you not tag Walker with a telepathic report?"
"We had a situation," Judd said, making Hawkersquo;s blood run cold. "I had to do a fast teleport to get Sienna out of a tight spot. Combined with the teleport in and out of the village for both of us, as well as what was necessary to complete the op, it brought me close to flaming out."
Eyes on Sienna, Hawke said, "Explain."
She drew up her spine. "Since Judd was effectively drained, we made the decision to conserve my psychic energy. A long-distance telepathic report wouldrsquo;ve only utilized a small amount of power, but that may have counted in a confrontation."
Heart an ice-cold block in his chest as he read between the lines, Hawke nodded at Judd to continue.
"We missed our scheduled flight because I needed time to recover enough that there was no chance of a collapse." Judd carried on when Hawke didnrsquo;t interrupt. "The charges have been placed. Brenna can activate any or all of them from here."
"Have her build two remotes as wellmdash;Irsquo;ll carry one, you take the spare," Hawke ordered. "We need to be prepared in case we have to abandon the den."
Juddrsquo;s eyebrows rose. "Has that ever happened?"
Hawke gave a curt nod. "Once. The location had been leaked." As a lieutenant, Hawkersquo;s father had known too much when hersquo;d been compromised.
The only reason SnowDancer had managed to reclaim the den was that the men and women whorsquo;d been left after the blood and death had gone out and quietly executed the small group behind the psychic rapes. No one had ever connected the deaths to SnowDancer, a deliberate choice on the packrsquo;s part. Theyrsquo;d been too weak to chance a Psy reprisal. But they were no longer weak, no longer broken. "Tell Brenna the remotes are a priority."
Judd nodded. "We also captured detailed images of the camp with the cameras hooked into our collars."
"Mariska can clean up and summarize the footage." The twenty-eighty-ear-old senior tech was so shy she appeared standoffish, but had a mind like a scalpel.
"Irsquo;ll drop it off to her. If you havenrsquo;t got any more questions, we should get changed and try to rest."
"From the way Brenna kissed you at the entrance, I donrsquo;t think yoursquo;ll be doing much resting," Hawke said, and saw Siennarsquo;s lips tug upward a tiny fraction.
Judd, on the other hand, showed no physical reaction. "Goodnight, Hawke." Cool, very Psy, very Judd. "Sienna, you should get to bed, too."
Sienna glanced up, expecting Hawke to stop her, but hersquo;d already turned away to look at something else on his desk. Deflated, she exited with Judd.
"Sienna," he said, halting her when they wouldrsquo;ve split two corridors later, "you did very well."
Her shoulders went tight at the memory of that instant before the guard had been distracted by a call. It had given Judd the time to answer her telepathic hail and rsquo;port her out. "I couldrsquo;ve gotten us both caught."
"Things happen in the fieldmdash;the mark of a good operative is how you respond to the challenge. You stayed composed and silent, the right course of action given the circumstances."
It felt good to hear that. "Thanks."
"Howrsquo;s your rib?"
"Fine." Judd hadnrsquo;t mentioned it to Hawke, but the work hersquo;d done to knit the bone was the real reason hersquo;d been so wiped out. Shersquo;d been hurt worse than shersquo;d thought. "Doesnrsquo;t even feel bruised."
"Good." Leaning over, he pressed his lips to her temple. "Go shower. Irsquo;m sure yoursquo;ll be having a visitor in another ten minutes, at the absolute maximum." His tone was so even, it took an instant for the words to penetrate.
"Irsquo;ll attempt," he added, "not to rsquo;port in and break his legs for having the gall to be in your room."
She stared, stunned, after he stalked off.
Ten minutes, at the absolute maximum.
Jolted to action by the mental echo, she ran to her room, dodging any attempts by packmates to stop her. The instant she closed the door behind herself, she stripped and jumped into the shower.
She was rubbing the towel over her wet body when there was a hard knock on the door.
Definitely not ten minutes.
More like four and a half.
"Just a second!" Grabbing her dirty clothesmdash;scattered all over the floormdash;she threw them into the bathroom, then raced to pull on underwear.
The knock came again, more impatient.
"Irsquo;m coming!"
Her jeans hooked on her ankles. Cursing, she managed to get them on and struggled into a forest green T-shirt, pulling her damp hair out from under the back as, breathless, she opened the door partway through the third knock. "Whamdash;"
The door was closed, and she was pressed up against the solid mass of it before she knew what was happening. "Hawke, Imdash;"
His hands cupped her face, the wolf looking out of his eyes. Her words faded away, her heartbeat accelerated, and still he continued to watch her with that complete and unwavering focus. When his thumb moved over her cheekbone, she jumped.
"I," he said in a quiet, quiet tone, "will not send you into a hot zone again."
So easy, it would be so easy to let the overwhelming power of him take her over. "You must." Her voice came out husky. "I was born for war."
One hand stroked down, over her jaw, to collar her throat. "No." A single word spoken in a warm rush of air against her skin, his body aligned to hers.
"I am what I am." It was hard to continue speaking when he was so very hot and beautiful against her, the maleness of him a living caress. "Fire contained in a small box diemdash;"
Hawkersquo;s mouth stole her words, the taste of him a blast to the senses. This kiss was unlike any of the others. Moving the hand on her throat to cup her jaw, he angled her head just the way he liked, pressed his free hand to the door beside her head, kicked her legs farther apart . . . and then he took her.
Hot and wet and open-mouthed, it was a devouring kind of kiss, the kind of kiss that made it plain he considered her his.
Sienna shuddered. He was so big, so gorgeous, so close that her hands didnrsquo;t know where to land. Gripping at the back of his black shirt, she tried to make herself taller, to offer up more of her mouth, taste more of his.
A growl rumbled out of his chest as she moved her body, and she realized that somehow, she was riding his thigh. Another time, it might have embarrassed or shocked her, but tonight . . .
More, she thought, give me everything. She might never hold all of him, but this she would claim. His lost mate had never touched this wild, hungry part of him, never caressed the powerful body that pinned her against the door, never tasted the dark heat of that demanding mouth. This fire between them, it was for her and her alone.
"Why arenrsquo;t you wearing a bra?"
Shocked by the rough question against her lips, she sucked in a gasping breath. "You didnrsquo;t give me time."
A wolfish smile. Kisses over her jaw, along her neck. She braced herself for a bite, but it didnrsquo;t come. Instead, he slid his hand down to her lower back and nudged her more firmly onto his thigh. She couldnrsquo;t help the whimper that escaped her throat.
Yes, she knew about sexmdash;quite aside from her clinical lessons in health studies, the womenrsquo;s magazines in the novicesrsquo; common room had proven extremely instructive. But no amount of research couldrsquo;ve prepared her for this. Never had she understood what it would be to be so very, very close to him, the muscled strength of him rubbing against her most intimate place.
"Such big eyes." That was when she felt teeth.
On her lower lip. A slow, sexy bite that dared her to retaliate. Shifting her hold to around his neck, she clenched her fingers in the thick silk of his hair and arched up to claim his mouth. She was Psy, her mind her greatest assetmdash;shersquo;d made note of what he liked without realizing it, used the data, and was gratified at the growl that rolled into her mouth . . . vibrated against the stiff peaks of her nipples.
Jerking back, she looked down at the soft cotton of her T-shirt. And wondered what it would feel like if they were skin to skin.
But Hawke hadnrsquo;t had enough of the kiss. Tugging her back with a grip in her hair, he reclaimed her mouth. Darkly intense, a searing brand. His free hand stroked down to grip her thigh as he urged her to move on him. "Thatrsquo;s it, beautiful." Husky words against her lips as her body began rubbing against his without her conscious control, a tight kind of need unfurling in her abdomen.
More kisses, strokes along her thigh. "Open your mouth." She obeyed because she didnrsquo;t want him to pull away, to leave her bereft when she could almost tastemdash;
The seam of her jeans pressed onto her clitoris and everything fractured. Even the agonizing pain of the second level of dissonance wasnrsquo;t enough to blunt the impact.
HAWKE saw the flickers of dangerous red and lethal yellow out of the corner of his eye, plastered his body to hers. "Baby, you hurt?"
"Whmdash;what?" A dazed sounding question. "Hurt?"
"Did the fire touch you?" Reaching down, he stroked her hair off her face.
Huge obsidian eyes looked up at him, devoid of the stars that denoted a cardinal. "Only inside."
Figuring out what she was talking about, he grinned, then took mental inventory of his own body. No burns. "Interesting," he murmured.
Something in his voicemdash;likely the smug arrogancemdash;had her blinking, trying to come back. He didnrsquo;t want her thinking coherently yet. She was all loose and sated right now, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her, to pet her as he wished. Shifting before she could stop him, he sat down on her bed with her cuddled into him. "You sure got a quick trigger, Sienna," he teased, in control for the simple reason that she was in his arms, under his protection again.
A solemn look. "Is that bad?"
He couldnrsquo;t help it. He kissed her, indulging himself in the vibrant life of her. She wasnrsquo;t dead in some Pure Psy camp, hadnrsquo;t come back bloody and broken. "No," he answered. "I like making you come. I plan to do it often and well."
Color swept up on a red tide over her face, and she pressed it down against his chest. So young, he thought, feeling the raking claw of conscience. But he was no hypocrite. Hersquo;d sent her into an enemy camp, sent her into a situation that couldrsquo;ve resulted in death. If she was old enough to die for the pack, she was old enough to choose who she wanted as a lover. "Tell me," he said, weaving his fingers through her damp hair, "about the operation."
Instead of pointing out that Judd had already done so, she gave him a step-by-step debrief. "I know I shouldnrsquo;t tell you the next fact because it puts me in a lesser bargaining position," she said, "but I was scared."
He squeezed her thigh. "Irsquo;d be more worried if you hadnrsquo;t beenmdash;fear keeps us alive, keeps us alert." Now if hersquo;d just listen to himself instead of feeling a feral anger at the idea of her afraid and alone in the dark.
Sienna sat up, one hand braced on his chest. "Thatrsquo;s not true. Arrows feel no fear, and that makes them strong."
"Yes," he agreed. "But an Arrow wonrsquo;t have a kiss waiting for him at the end of a hunt, no warm body next to him when a nightmare strikes."
A steady lookmdash;no longer that of the girl whorsquo;d blushed, but of the woman who had taken him on more than once. "Hawke?"
"Yes?"
"What does this mean?"
He curled a strand of ruby red around his finger. "It means you have to learn to deal with me." There was no going back. Not from this.
Furrows on her brow. "Perhaps you should learn to deal with me instead."
His wolf bared its teeth in a feral grin. "Baby, Irsquo;ve been trying to master that trick since the day I met you."
"Liar," she said. "Your wolf thinks it can control me." A shift of her lower body as she got more comfortable.
He hissed out a breath. "Easy."
"Yoursquo;re aroused." Such a cool statement, but he could scent the earthy warmth of the damp heat between her legs, hear the rising pulse of her heartbeat.
Leaning forward, he nuzzled at her throat, licking up the salt and spice of her. "I can handle it." His wolf had had a taste, was starving for more, but it understood that to claim her to the deepest level, man and wolf both would have to move carefully. Neither part of him ever wanted to see fear in her eyes when she looked at him, especially in bed.
SHIVERING against the impact of those slow, wolfish licks, Sienna clenched her hand in Hawkersquo;s hair. "Your hair is beautiful. You know it, donrsquo;t you?"
She felt his lips curve against the sensitive skin of her neck before he nipped at her. Jerking, she curled her other arm tighter around him, her cheek pressed against the abrasive stubble of his. Then she did what shersquo;d wanted to do for so long. She petted him, stroking her fingers through the heavy strands of silver-gold until he relaxed . . . and switched their positions so she found herself flat on her back with him stretched out on top of her, his weight braced on his forearms.
For a second, she halted in her caresses, overwhelmed by the sheer, wild masculinity of the wolf in her bed. He growled low in his throat . . . and her skin stretched tight over her body. Sucking in a breath, she began to pet him again, this gorgeous, powerful man who wore his wolf so very close to the surface. One of his own hands settled on her hip, heavy and warm and possessive.
"What was it like?" she dared ask. "To have the wolf in charge while you were in your human skin as a teenager?"
Nudging her legs apart, he settled more heavily against her. "It just was." A very wolf-like answer. "The wolf sees in black or white, no shades of gray. At that time, that was what was needed.
"And," he continued, surprising her with his willingness to talk, "I was always present. The wolf didnrsquo;t truly take over, so much as allow the boy to borrow its strength for a while."
Sienna parted her lips to ask about the Psy, what theyrsquo;d done to SnowDancer, closed them before the words could escape. That darkness had no place here, no place in this room, in this bed. Instead, she continued to stroke him, not realizing until several minutes later that her own body had relaxed under his, one leg raised at the knee to press against his side.
Smart wolf.
He began to kiss the sensitive slope of her neck again, slow and wet and a little rough.
Sexy wolf.
Chapter 32
HAWKErsquo;S WOLF WAS drunk on the taste of Sienna, on the scent of her, but it halted, clawed at the human half until it paid attention. Raising his head from her neck, he shook it, trying to find a glimmer of rational thought.
"Hawke?" Siennarsquo;s hands stroked up his nape and into his hair, the spot so sensitive that had he been a cat, he wouldrsquo;ve purred. "Why did you stop?"
It was the answer to his own confusion, putting the wolfrsquo;s hesitation into words. "Because," he murmured, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the hollow of her throat, "yoursquo;re tired on both the physical and psychic levels." His need for her was a wild thing, but for her first time, she deserved better than a frantic coupling.
Scowling, she tugged at his hair. "I donrsquo;t need you to make that decision for me."
He settled his lower body flush against her, growled in satisfaction when she made a hot little sound in the back of her throat. "I need to make this decision for me." No regrets, thatrsquo;s what he wanted to see in her passion flushed face after their first time together.
Fingers going motionless, she searched his eyes. "All right." It was a solemn whisper, as if shersquo;d read his thoughts. "Kiss me before you leave."
"Baby"mdash;a nip of that lush lower lipmdash;"I have plans to do a lot more than that." He wouldnrsquo;t take her, not tonight, but neither was he noble enough to walk away without indulging himself with a long, deep taste.
Her nails dug into his nape. "How far?"
So serious. It turned his wolf playful. "I intend to get to second base."
When her chest rose up in a jagged breath, he knew full well she understood the sexual reference. "Whatrsquo;s second base on a man?"
Blinking, he raised his head, having never had cause to consider that question. "The same, I guess."
"Then take off your shirt." She undid the first button, went for the second.
A hundred images flashed into his mind, all of them involving the sweet heat of her breasts rubbing against his bare chest. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her hands in one of his and pinned them above her head. "No touching."
"Hawkemdash;"
Kissing the complaint off her lips, he slipped his hand under her T-shirt to spread his fingers over the taut silk of her abdomen. Her skin quivered as he moved that hand up to settle over her ribs, her heartbeat jagged under his skin. "Yes?" he whispered, nuzzling a kiss to the tender spot beneath her ear. "Itrsquo;ll feel so good." For both of them.
Her wrists flexed in his grip, but she didnrsquo;t attempt to pull away. "Yes." Husky acquiescence.
Lifting his head from the intoxication of her skin, he held her gaze as he moved his hand up just enough to brush his thumb along the underside of her breast. She came up off the bed, pushing her soft flesh into his touch. Shuddering, he cupped her, squeezed her, rolled her nipple between his fingertips to her restless movements, her erotic cries. His mouth watered to push up her T-shirt, taste the hard little nub.
It took every ounce of will he had not to reach down, undo the damn zipper on his jeans and put her fingers on him. Patience. Patience. He chanted the word at the back of his mind as he moved his hand to her neglected breast, as he petted her to piercing need . . . and found he was rocking his cock against the feminine arousal he could taste so earthy and rich on his tongue.
Shit.
Sienna stared up in disbelief as he jerked up and out of the bed. Her nipples peaked against the soft cotton of her T-shirt, taunting him. "You canrsquo;t justmdash;"
"Leave you hot and frustrated?" Leaning down with his hands braced on either side of her, he closed his teeth over one provocative nub, wetting the cloth with his tongue. Her cry was sharp, her arousal a lash against his senses. "I damn well can," he said, raising his head, "when my cock is about to break in half."
Chest rising and falling as she gulped in air, she shook her head. "Not my fault."
"All your fault." Not daring another kiss, he cupped her jaw, stroked his thumb over her lower lip. "Damn, but I like making out with you Sienna. Letrsquo;s do it again tomorrow."
He left to the sound of a feminine snarl. It made his lips curve into a feral smile.
SASCHA was in the large, comfortable chair in the living room, Nadiya in her arms when Lucas stepped out for a second. He walked back in with an envelope in his hand. "Kit said this was delivered to the office by courier earlier today. Addressed to both of us."
Smiling at the thought of the youth who was growing into a strong, wonderful man in front of her eyes, she said, "Has he gone?"
A nod. "He had a perimeter shift, but hersquo;s going to drop by in the morning before he heads home. Not to see either of us, of course."
Laughing, she watched Lucas tear open the letter, scan it. His own grin faded. "According to this," he said, "an anonymous benefactor has opened a trust fund worth five million dollars in Nayarsquo;s name for her education, the balance to be paid out when shersquo;s twenty-five."
Sascha let Naya grip her finger as their little cat yawned, settled back down to nap some more. "Mother."
Placing the letter on the coffee table, Lucas said, "What do you want to do?"
She loved him so much, but it was at moments like this that it struck her how very lucky she was. So many men wouldrsquo;ve rejected the trust fund out of hand, never asking the why of it all. "Irsquo;ve come to realize that I donrsquo;t know my mother as well as I thought I did." It had changed her perception of her childhood, forced her to view everything through a different lens. "Let me talk to her."
"Do you want me to put Naya down?"
"You just want to go cuddle with her."
He didnrsquo;t deny the charge as he took the drowsy newborn from Sascha, his lips curving in the most tender of smiles. Fatherhood suited her panthermdash;though she knew shersquo;d have to watch out for his overprotective tendencies or poor Naya would never go on a single date. A quiet laugh bubbled out of her. It delighted her to think of the future, of all theyrsquo;d experience together as a family.
Following her mate into the bedroom, she watched as he settled down on the bed with Naya skin to skin on his chest. His hand all but covered her tiny body as he stroked her in that changeling way, bonding with her on the most elemental level. Then he purred, and Naya made a happy little sound of delight, very much a cat in her love of touch.
Sascha laughed at the sight of the two of them so contented and lazy. "Room enough for three?"
Lucas held out his arm, eyes panther-green. "Always and forever."
He stopped her heart sometimes, this man. "Donrsquo;t make me cry. Irsquo;m still hormonal." Cuddling next to him when he smiled, she reached for the cell phone on the bedside table. It took a bare few seconds to send the text message. Nikita answered using Tp an instant later, her reach long enough that shersquo;d hear Sascharsquo;s far weaker telepathic voice.
Sascha.
Mother, wersquo;ve received the letter advising us of the trust fund.
What does that have to do with me?
Her mother lied, Sascha thought, with such effortless ease. Instead of forcing the issue, she said, You know I rsquo;ve given birth?
Your child carries a Russian first name. I expected you to sever all ties with your past.
Sascha had considered that, but she carried the past within her. The echo of it would resonate to her child, if only in the fierceness of the love Sascha felt for her. Lucas and I decided it was important for Nadiya to know both parts of her heritage. The line of Slavic monikers went back to Sascharsquo;s grandfather, while Nayarsquo;s middle name had been that of Lucasrsquo;s healer mother. Would you like me to e-mail you an image of her?
We cut our familial ties, Sascha. A statement so cold, it was beyond cruel. She means nothing to me.
Once, the words wouldrsquo;ve made her bleed. Now, Sascha saw the truth buried beneath the lie. No, of course not. Because if Nikita acknowledged Nadiya as her grandchild, the baby became a target. Mother, the trust fundmdash;
Is a private matter in which I bear no interest.
A single tear trickled down Sascharsquo;s cheek. All right.
The telepathic connection ended in silence.
"Sascha." Lucasrsquo;s arm curled around her chest to hold her against his side, the tension in him communicating itself through the mating bond. "What did she say?"
"Nothing hurtful." Turning, she rubbed her face against his chest as she watched Nayarsquo;s fragile body rise and fall in innocent sleep. "Irsquo;m a mother now, Lucas. I would do anything to keep Naya safe, even if it meant she would hate me for the rest of her life." Swallowing, she touched a finger to their babyrsquo;s plump cheek. "It makes me wonder if that isnrsquo;t exactly what Nikita did."
STILL able to feel the canvas of Siennarsquo;s body against his own the next afternoon, and wondering why the hell hersquo;d given in to his good side and stopped, Hawke finished clearing the decks. He and Kenji had had an interesting conversation with the BlackSea Coalition this morning, and the lieutenant was following up on the details.
In Los Angeles, Jem was doing the same with Aquarius. Shooting back a reply to an e-mail shersquo;d sent, he checked the other things on his mental list. The novice teams were scoping out the warehouse district, Brenna was building the remotes, while Mariska and Judd were going over video footage. Riley had the rotation of soldiers in hand, Indigo and Riaz the newly revised training schedule.
Finding Lara, he got an update on everyone whorsquo;d been injured in the attack. Simran was almost recovered and resting at home, as was Riordan. Elias, however, remained in the infirmary. "I almost broke a scanner over his head today," Lara muttered. "Never knew it would be Eli who drove me to drink."
Hawke grinned. "So hersquo;s on the way to being healed?"
"Yes." A faint smile. "I have to keep him here because his new skin is so fragile, but hersquo;ll walk out with no scars in less than a week."
"You do good work, Lara." He kissed her on the cheek, then popped in to see Riley.
"No one else needs you today," the lieutenant said and pointed to the door. "Take advantage of it while you can."
Doing exactly that, Hawke went tracking his favorite prey. "Toby," he said, catching the young boy as he ran outside with a soccer ball in his arms, school having let out half an hour earlier. "Have you seen Sienna?"
Toby shook his head, his hairmdash;not yet as dark a red as Siennarsquo;smdash;getting into his eyes. Hawke narrowed his own eyes. "When was the last time you had a haircut?"
Pushing back the strands, Toby shifted from foot to foot, his face flaming a shade perilously close to that of his hair. "Um . . ."
"Toby." Never before had Hawke needed to use that tone with the preteen who was so well-behaved, it left his wolf a bit bemused.
"I donrsquo;t like scissors," Toby blurted out. "Near my head, I mean."
"Walkerrsquo;s okay with this?" The Psy male wasnrsquo;t the type to let things slide.
"Sienna kind of got me out of it."
That, Hawke understood. Sienna was fierce in her protectiveness when it came to Toby. Maybe too much so. Hawke understood taking care of those who were his own, but he also understood that a boy needed to explore and be proud of his own strength. "Come on, yoursquo;re having a haircut today," he said, shifting his priorities because no matter the searing depth of his need to see Sienna, this young member of his pack needed him. "How can you get anything done if you canrsquo;t see?"
Toby dragged his feet, but he obeyed. Hawke had him dump the soccer ball in the backseat of the truck as he started it up.
"Where are we going?"
"To see Sascha." His wolfrsquo;s curiosity about the baby was too strong for him to wait any longer, and he knew the empath would be happy to tidy up Tobyrsquo;s hair.
Except Toby went stiff at the idea, the scent of his distress slapping against Hawke. Stopping the truck at once, he reached out to rub the kidrsquo;s down-bent head. "Whatrsquo;s the matter?"
"I like Sascha. A lot."
"I know." Thatrsquo;s why hersquo;d figured the whole haircut deal would go down better with the empathrsquo;s help.
Fisted hands on tense thighs. "I donrsquo;t want her to think Irsquo;m a baby."
Oh. "Same with Riley?" The kid worshipped the lieutenant, who treated him like a much younger brother.
Tobyrsquo;s nod was hard and fast.
"Hmm. In that case, Irsquo;ll have to do it." Driving to park the car deeper in their territorymdash;and aware of Toby gaping at himmdash;he had the boy get out, then rummaged around in the storage well until he found a pair of scissors in the first-aid kit. When Toby gulped, he pointed to the bed of the truck and said, "Sit."
The boy clambered up onto the tailgate, legs hanging off the edge and words tumbling out at high speed. "My mom used to use Tp to make me sleep when I had a haircut. I never liked it."
Happy to hear that the fear was a harmless remnant of childhood, not based on hidden trauma, he said, "Wersquo;re not using the sedatives in the first-aid kit, so forget about it."
Tobyrsquo;s face fell. "Those look really sharp."
Reaching up, Hawke snipped off a bit of his own hair to test the blades. "Yeah, should do the trick."
"Uh-oh." Huge cardinal eyes. "You shouldnrsquo;t have done that."
"Why?"
" rsquo;Cause every time you cut your hair, Sienna gets mad."
His wolf pricked up its ears. "Yeah?" He stepped closer.
Toby froze.
"Okay," Hawke said, having had enough experience with pups to understand logic wouldnrsquo;t help right now, "close your eyes and scream as loud as you can."
"What?"
"Just do it."
Toby took a deep breath, scrunched his eyes closed . . . and screamed.
Wincing at the earsplitting volley of sound, Hawke snipped off the boyrsquo;s far too long bangs in one cut, making sure not to touch the metallic blades to the kidrsquo;s skin. "Not bad." It wasnrsquo;t crooked in any case.
Tobyrsquo;s eyes snapped open. "Did you do it?"
Hawke handed him his hair. "What do you think?"
"I donrsquo;t think anyone else will let me scream." A pensive statement.
"Well, as long as you donrsquo;t mind looking like a prison escapee, I can do it."
"You can leave it that length on the condition it doesnrsquo;t get in your way."
Toby frowned, considered. Serious little man, Hawke thought, realizing he hadnrsquo;t spent that much time with the boy. But man and wolf both liked himmdash;Toby had a simple and deep kindness to him that Hawke knew would never disappear. The last vestiges of childhood fears aside, there was strength there, too. Hesitant yet, still growing, but when Toby came into his own, hersquo;d make the pack proud, of that Hawke had not a single doubt.
"Cut it." A decisive statement. "I can have it longer after I pass my outdoor lessons."
Hawke was impressed. "You sure?"
A strong nod. Then Toby closed his eyes, inhaled. It took three screams and by the last one, Toby was laughing. So was Hawke. They sat on the tailgate afterward, eating peanuts from a bag Toby had had in his pocket. The nuts were crushed, but that didnrsquo;t matter.
Hawke found himself reevaluating his opinion of the boy as they talked. Toby had the gentleness of an empath, but he saw everythingmdash;and he understood that the world wasnrsquo;t always kind. Who better, after all, to know the dark side of the human heart than someone gifted with the ability to sense emotion?
But he was also a child.
"Irsquo;m thirsty," he said after crunching the last peanut.
"Me, too." Turning around, Hawke hunted through the first-aid kit and came up with a bottle of water. "Aha."
"Yoursquo;ll have to replace that or Lara will tell you off."
"Donrsquo;t I know it." Taking a gulp from the bottle, he passed it to Toby.
Who copied his actions.
Hiding his grin, he grabbed the soccer ball. "Come on, squirt."
Tobyrsquo;s face beamed. "Really? Me and you?"
Hawke played the ball over his foot. "Move it."
"Irsquo;m coming!"
They spent over a half hour together, with Toby proving to be both nimble and intelligent as an opponent. Afterward, they finished off the bottle of water before getting back into the truck.
Toby did up his safety belt. "How come you didnrsquo;t ask me stuff about Sienna?"
Hawke raised an eyebrow as he started the vehicle.
Toby shrugged. "I figured you were spending time with me to find out about my sister."
Yeah, the kid saw everything. "Maybe I thought about it," Hawke said, because he didnrsquo;t believe in lying to his pack. "But turns out I like hanging out with you."
Tobyrsquo;s whole face lit up. "You mean it. I know."
Mussing the kidrsquo;s hair, Hawke drove him home. He went with Toby to the practice field to ensure the boyrsquo;s coach was aware Toby hadnrsquo;t played hookey, and the kids begged him to stay. He was alpha. Caring for pups was instinctive. As a result, night had fallen by the time he was able to go after Sienna again.
And this time, nothing was going to keep him from his prey.
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 12th, 1974 at 11:04pm
SUBJECT: lt;no subjectgt;
Dear Dad,
I received a notice today terminating my access to the X-designation volunteers and "requesting" I cease my research. Irsquo;m a scientist. I canrsquo;t do that, especially when Irsquo;m on the brink of discovering the answer.
What worries me is that if Irsquo;m right, I may well be giving those who seek to control the Xs a way to hold them hostage. The promise of safety could be used as an "incentive" to force them to act as psychic weaponsmdash;I wouldnrsquo;t have worried about such a thing a few years ago, but the Psy Council is no longer what it once was.
Call me when you get this e-mail. I canrsquo;t get through to the dig.
Love,
Alice
Chapter 33
SIENNA WASNrsquo;T IN her room. Nor was she in the family quartersmdash;but Walker was. The telepath jerked his head toward the corridor. Realizing the eldest of the Laurens wanted to have this conversation away from the kids, Hawke led them to a small, private alcove before saying, "Irsquo;m surprised you waited this long."
"Therersquo;s a time and a place. This would be it." Holding Hawkersquo;s gaze in a way that not many men could, Walker said, "You will be good to her." Not a statement, but an order.
Hawkersquo;s wolf stirred. "Do you think Irsquo;d be otherwise?"
"If I did, yoursquo;d be dead."
It was Judd whorsquo;d been the assassin, but Hawke had the sudden, crystal-clear realization that when it came to Sienna, Toby, and Marlee, it was Walker who was more dangerous. "Understood." If he had a daughter, hersquo;d kill any man who dared hurt her. And whatever their actual relationship, Walker was the closest Sienna had to a father.
Shersquo;d said as much to him when hersquo;d asked about her father as they danced that night in the training room.
"I know his identity, but per the reproduction contract, his only involvement in my lifemdash;and Tobyrsquo;smdash;was biological."
"Did you ever feel the need to track him down, demand more?" hersquo;d asked, unable to comprehend how a man could walk away from his children.
"No. I donrsquo;t think Toby has either." Therersquo;d been no emotional distress in her tone, her next words explaining why. "Wersquo;ve always had Walker, you see."
Now Walker gave a clipped nod. "Then wersquo;re clear." Turning on his heel, he walked back to his quarters.
Hawkersquo;s wolf shook its head, staring after the Psy male with pale green eyes. "You told me you were a teacher in the Net."
The man looked over his shoulder. "I was. You never asked me who I taught." The door closed.
Deciding that conversation could wait, because whatever hersquo;d been, Walker was now loyal to the pack, Hawke continued on his search. Sienna wasnrsquo;t hanging out in the common areas. He checked Lararsquo;s domain next, discovered shersquo;d been in an hour earlier. Starting to lose his temper, he shoved into his own place to grab a bite to eat before resuming the hunt.
The scent of autumn and spice in the air, in his every breath.
"You owe me a game," Sienna said, picking up a card from the deck shersquo;d placed on the carpeted floor of the front room of his quarters. Dressed in jeans and that sexy-as-sin black shirt with those tempting snap buttons, she sat cross-legged on the carpet, her hair a sheet of dark fire licking down her back.
His wolf growled, bad-tempered because shersquo;d outwitted him. "How did you get in?"
"Itrsquo;s not like you lock your door."
"No, because people donrsquo;t waltz into an alpharsquo;s quarters."
"So, punish me."
Hersquo;d expected challenge, was caught by the wickedness. His wolf came to attention. "I might just do that," he said, prowling over to crouch down and nip at her lower lip.
A tremor silvered over her skin. "Is that it?"
Satisfying as it wouldrsquo;ve been to gorge, he decided to eat her up in small, luscious bites tonight. "For now." Rising, he went into the compact galley and threw together a plate. "Have you had dinner?"
"Yes."
Coming down to sit across from her, he fed her a plump grape anyway. As her lips closed on the ripe fruit, his wolf watched, fascinated. "Poker," he murmured.
"Of course." A husky answer.
He ate half a sandwich before speaking. "We have to have stakes."
Lines on her forehead. "For credits, you mean?"
Poor innocent baby, about to get fleeced. "Tut-tut, gorgeous. You know when you play poker with a man behind closed doors, there is only one acceptable currency."
Her mouth fell open. "Yoursquo;d play for that?"
Enjoying shocking cool and collected Sienna, he took his time eating the other half of the sandwich. "Clothes, Ms. Lauren. What did you think I was talking about?"
She blew out a breath between gritted teeth. "Sometimes I really want to"mdash;a frustrated soundmdash;"bite you!"
He froze. "I might let you."
"I wonrsquo;t do it if yoursquo;d enjoy it."
Bad tempered thing. His wolf liked that about her. "Letrsquo;s play."
"I might not be Silent any longer, but I still have the perfect poker face." A smug smile.
It stayed on her face as she divested him of his socksmdash;hersquo;d kicked his shoes off earliermdash;his shirt, and his belt. That was when her concentration began to falter, her eyes flicking over his chest and back. Again. And again.
The wolf arched its back, preening for her.
And Hawke stopped playing nice.
SIENNA had seen Hawke unclothed beforemdash;it was impossible not to catch such glimpses since changelings came out of a shift naked, but pack protocol meant shersquo;d always forced herself to look away. Even if she hadnrsquo;t, those times, shersquo;d been nowhere near this close.
His chest was taut with muscle, his abs washboard flat, his skin a warm, strokable honey lightly furred with silver-gold. She wanted to press him to the carpet and lick him all over.
"You planning to fold?"
She jerked up her head, almost dropping her cards. "What?"
"Time to show your cards."
Certain she had him beat, she laid out her spread. "Full house." Her eyes went to his jeans.
She was so busy imagining him naked, she almost missed the smile that flirted over his lips as he said, "Nice, but not good enough," and fanned out a royal flush.
Stunned, she stared.
"Strip, beautiful."
She went to pull off her socks, her skin shimmering from the impact of that verbal caress.
"Nu-huh." A shake of his head. "Shirt."
That snapped through the sensual fog. "But I let you take off your socks first!"
"Yeah, I didnrsquo;t know you had a foot fetish. Shirt."
She glared.
"You reneging on the bet?"
Fuming, she began to unsnap the buttons of the black shirt.
Hawke watched her with predatory alertness. "Yoursquo;ll be cute dressed in just your socks."
The image made her fingers halt on the final buttons, but when he raised his eyebrows, she kicked herself back into gear, shrugging off the shirt before she could lose her nerve.
His groan made her thighs clench. "Yoursquo;re wearing a fricking tank top underneath!"
"Frustrationrsquo;s not so funny now, is it?" she said with a smirk.
A slow smile that made her stomach go twisty and tight. "So this is revenge?"
"Maybe." Her satisfaction lasted until she figured out that Hawke was a cardsharp. Heart in her mouth, she was certain hersquo;d make her strip off the despised tank next, but he rubbed his jaw and said, "Tank with the socksmdash;could be cute."
Nervous anticipation or not, she couldnrsquo;t keep from stroking her gaze over his chest as she waited for the verdict. What would it feel like to touch him, to rub hermdash;
"Socks."
"What?"
"Want me to change my mind?"
"No!" Getting rid of the socks, she dealt the next game since he appeared to be content with her playing dealer. Except it was impossible to concentrate with him lying on his back only two feet from her, one leg stretched out on the carpet, the other bent at the knee as he held his cards up above him. It was like being shown the most beautiful classic statue in the world and being told not to touch.
Her nails dug into her palms.
"Baby?"
Expecting more of the sensual teasing that had her melting from the inside out, she was surprised at the tenderness she caught in that wolf-pale gaze. "Yes?"
"Do you want to be naked?"
"I agreed to play the game." Sienna always kept her word. It was a choice shersquo;d made after leaving the Net, a stance that defined her.
"Thatrsquo;s not what I asked."
She couldrsquo;ve lied to spare her pride, but that wasnrsquo;t what she wanted between them. "Irsquo;m not as comfortable being naked as a changeling." Shersquo;d never been nude in front of anyone after the age of five, except in a medical setting. Those werenrsquo;t good memories.
Hawke put down his cards. "Want to touch?" The sensual invitation sliced right through the cold echo of the humiliation that had been her yearly physical, when her entire body was inspected from head to toe to ascertain that she had no imperfections that might make her a less viable weapon.
"Yes," she said, her throat thick with raw want.
"Then Irsquo;m all yours."
Pushing aside the cards, she crawled to kneel beside him. "Anywhere?"
"As long as you donrsquo;t indulge your weird foot fetish." A lazy smile that invited her to play.
It was an irresistible temptation. Leaning down, she kissed that teasing mouth. His hand immediately fisted in her hair, holding her to him as he tasted her with breath-stealing thoroughness. "Will you ever," she said, chest rising and falling as she attempted to take in air, "give me control in this kind of a situation? In a sexual context?"
"No." The wolf looking up at her. "Does that bother you?"
She put her hand on his chest, the tensile warmth of him a sudden, acute addiction. "I have to be in control of my power every minute of every day." It was impossible not to stroke him, not to sleek her hand over the light covering on his chest that was even softer than it looked. It made her wonder how it would feel against her nipples.
His hand tightened in her hair. "What just went through your head?"
"Figure it out," she murmured, because while she discovered she wasnrsquo;t averse to handing him the reins in bed, she wasnrsquo;t about to roll over either. "I want to touch now."
His chest vibrated under her palm, and she realized hersquo;d growled. But the sound held no anger. It was more sensual, deeper . . . intimate. Thinking back to what shersquo;d been doing, she realized shersquo;d grazed one flat male nipple with her nail.
So she did it again.
Making that same rumbling sound, he tugged her down with the grip he had in her hair, and took her mouth again, his lips a possessive brand. She found herself on her back, with him heavy between her thighs a second later. When she pushed at his shoulders, he said, "You can still touch." A light kiss on the corner of her lips, his stubbled jaw scraping across achingly sensitive flesh.
"Not if you keep doing that." It was beyond impossible to concentrate with him so big and warm and aroused above her. "Hawke."
Something in Siennarsquo;s voice made Hawkersquo;s wolf go motionless. Bracing himself with his forearms on either side of her head, he looked into eyes of inky black. "You need a break?" He hadnrsquo;t forgotten who and what she was, the demands her gift made on her.
Her hands smoothed down his chest.
It took teeth-gritting control not to order her to stroke those hands over the hard ridge of his cock. "Baby, thatrsquo;s not going to make me behave."
"You have to," she said, "because itrsquo;s my turn. I need to touch you."
A cool statement, but he heard the very real frustration behind it. As evidenced by the last time theyrsquo;d been together, frustration in bed could be funmdash;but not the kind he heard in her voice. Need stripped bare, the same raw-touch hunger that had had him in its claws before hersquo;d allowed himself to indulge in her. She was right. It was her turn.
So he locked his muscles, dropped his head, hair falling around his face, and let her pet him. Remaining quiescent under her exploration was torture, hungry as he was to claim her. Yet the wolf grit its teeth along with the human, as if aware that this woman, while strong enough to survive a childhood that wouldrsquo;ve broken most, was also deeply vulnerable in certain ways.
"Yoursquo;re so beautiful." A husky murmur that was a rough stroke across his taut flesh. "Your chest hair, itrsquo;s so smooth, so fine. Like the thinnest of pelts."
It was also highly sensitive. "Use your mouth," he found himself demanding as the leash slipped.
But Sienna didnrsquo;t shy. "Oh, yes. I want to do that." While he was still trying to quiet his primal response at the unhidden delight of her response, she wiggled down a fraction and placed a hot, uninhibited kiss right above his left nipple. He bit back a very blue word, a sheen of sweat coating his entire body. As he knew, Sienna learned fast. Her next kiss included the scrape of teeth.
Hawkersquo;s growl raised every hair on Siennarsquo;s body. Shivering, she licked at him, taking the salt and heat of him inside her. Part of her couldnrsquo;t believe she had her hands on him at last, that she was free to stroke and taste as she wanted. The rest of her wanted to gorge, her legs clenching around the sensual intrusion of the big body between her thighs.
It would be easier to reach all of him if she pushed him to his back, but first, she wasnrsquo;t entirely sure hersquo;d go, and second, being surrounded by him was . . . beyond pleasure. His thighs pushed against the insides of hers as the thick weight of his erection pressed through his jeans, just brushing against her. His arms were tense with muscle on either side of her, his chest above her, his hair falling sexily around his face as he watched her with a predatorrsquo;s focus. One who wanted to bite.
She tried to reach his lips, fell short. "Kiss me."
Leaning down without a word, he ran his lips across hers. It was a tease, made her attempt to rise toward him once more.
"Nu-huh." He shook his head. "Be good."
Trembling, she lay back down.
Her reward was a suckling kiss, teeth closing over her lower lip, a languid release that made things low in her stretch tight. "I hope you like teeth," he said in that rough, deep voice that made her want to do infinitely wicked things.
"I like yours."
He settled himself more heavily on her. She felt at once caged and as if she would fly into a million pieces with the slightest touch. Panic fluttered in her throat, the shock of a woman whorsquo;d grown up in a prison of discipline and darkness. "Hawke."
"Shh." Kisses on her cheekbone, his forearm bracketing her head as he used his free hand to play with strands of her hair. Another kiss, this one on her nose. "Wersquo;ve got all night." A whisper of a kiss on the corner of her mouth. Another. "No need to rush."
Gentling her, she thought, he was gentling her.
The unexpected tenderness of him surprised her . . . undid her. Yet, even at this moment, there was no doubting the power of the wolf who prowled behind his eyes. "Did you always know yoursquo;d be alpha?" she found herself whispering into the intimate hush.
His expression changed, became touched with darkness. "I knew when I needed to know," he said at last, and though the words were unspoken, she understood he wanted her to drop the subject.
That was the one thing she couldnrsquo;t do, though she knew her persistence might shatter the magic of this sensual moment. Touching him, being with him, it was only part of what she needed from his man. She couldnrsquo;t have his soul, couldnrsquo;t have the mating bond, but shersquo;d fight for the rest of him even if it left her bruised and bloody. "What did the Psy do?"
"They broke my father." Clipped-out words. "It took them a week."
Bile burned the back of her throat. It was near impossible to disrupt changeling shields without killing or injuring the target, but given a week with a wolf who, in all probability, had been dosed with drugs . . . "Irsquo;m sorry."
"Nothing for you to be sorry about." His fingers tightened on her hip. "You didnrsquo;t have anything to do with the experiment."
A chill over her skin, the first glimmer of horror. "Experiment?" She reached out to stroke his jaw, found it hard as stone.
"Enough. Therersquo;s nothing there except blood and death." He thrust his hand into her hair. "What we are now, thatrsquo;s whatrsquo;s important."
How could he say that? The past had savaged himmdash;he carried the scars on his heart to this day. "Donrsquo;t," she whispered. "Donrsquo;t shut me out like that." Donrsquo;t give me even less of you.
Shaking his head, he moved as if to kiss her, to end the conversation . . . froze. "Sienna, your eyes, theyrsquo;re burning."
Jerked back to the cold reality of her life, she dropped into her mind, saw the storm of flame. It shouldnrsquo;t have built to critical again this fast, shouldnrsquo;t have incinerated her shields and poured into her eyes, a violent voracious thing that would consume everything in its path and search for more. Fear squeezed her throat, but she had no time for the ice of it. "I need to get out of the den. Now."
Chapter 34
THEY TOOK ONE of the all-wheel drives as deep into the isolated interior of den territory as possible before Sienna said, "Stop." Tumbling out of the vehicle the second Hawke braked, she ran toward a small clearing surrounded by the tall bulk of dark green firs, her feet cushioned by millions of pine needles. "Step back," she ordered when Hawke caught up to her.
"You donrsquo;t scorch the earth when you release your power," he said, the planes of his face a study in pure, implacable will. "You didnrsquo;t burn me when you lost control as you came." He locked his arms around her.
"Let go!" It terrified her that shersquo;d hurt him. "Please!"
His arms were immovable steel. "I trust you. Trust yourself."
"Hawke!" Energy poured out of her in a screaming rush. Acting on primal instinct, she threw a shield of cold fire around every part of Hawke that touched her a split second before she punched a massive pulse of the same fire into the earth. It rippled in an eerie wave of crimson and gold on the surface before sinking below the forest floor. Beautiful.
Then there was no more thought. Only the brutal cold of an X.
She didnrsquo;t know how long the fire burned through her, but she wouldrsquo;ve crumpled to the ground afterward if Hawke hadnrsquo;t been holding her up. Shuddering, she leaned against him only for the seconds it took her to get her legs working again. Then she shoved, surprising him into releasing her.
"You bastard! I couldrsquo;ve killed you!" Shock continued to shudder in her blood, fighting with terror-fueled rage for dominance.
"Yoursquo;re allowing fear to drive you," he responded, eyes grim with determination. "Mingrsquo;s still in your head, keeping you in a cage. Break out and own your ability."
"Thatrsquo;s a load of bullshit!" Never before had she screamed at anyone. Never before had she felt such bone-chilling fear. "You donrsquo;t know anything about being an X! Have you forgotten I almost killed my own mother?"
"You were a child."
Her laugh was flavored with bitterness. "You have no idea what I can do." All this time, shersquo;d been fooling herself that he wanted her despite knowing she was a monster. If hersquo;d understood in truth . . . "You felt the intensity of what I earthed. Yet I can do this." A single flick of her hand and X-fire encased a forest giant that had stood for centuries.
Ash, fine as dust, rose into the air between one blink and the next.
"Now you know."
HAWKE gritted his jaw as Sienna swayed on her feet. "That was a singularly stupid thing to do." Grabbing her in a firemanrsquo;s carry, he threw her over his shoulder.
"Put me down." A weak protest before her body went limp.
Worry tore through his veins, but he could feel her heartbeat, sense her breath. Focusing on that, he strapped her into the passenger seat before digging out his phone. "Siennarsquo;s unconscious," he said when Judd answered.
The other man took a second to reply. "Shersquo;s fine. Her mind is intact."
Relief was a punch to Hawkersquo;s gut. "Irsquo;m going to strip her hide when she wakes up." Shutting the passenger door, he jogged around to the driverrsquo;s side and switched the phone to the hands-free comm mode before beginning the drive back.
"It sounds," Judd said when Hawke finished relaying what had led to Siennarsquo;s collapse, "like she overloaded her psychic pathways."
Hawke frowned. "So she does have a safety switch." Hersquo;d gotten the impression that conscious control was so necessary to Sienna because she had no built-in off switch.
Judd didnrsquo;t reply long enough that Hawkersquo;s blood went cold. "What arenrsquo;t you saying?"
"I think we need to have this discussion after you return."
Hawkersquo;s patience was nonexistent when it came to Siennarsquo;s well-being, but he saw the lieutenantrsquo;s point. "Wersquo;ll be there soon."
Judd met them at the infirmary, where Lara ran a high-tech medical scanner over Sienna and pronounced her in perfect health. Only then did Hawke nod at Judd to follow him out into the corridor. "Tell me."
"Shersquo;s accelerating at an exponential rate," Judd said, pulling up a chart on the tiny datapad he carried in his pocket. "After she confirmed shersquo;d been purging her power more often of late, I spoke to Walker to see if we could pinpoint any specific times or dates. It took me until just before the South American operation to realize it was Toby we needed to speak tomdash;she allows him closer than anyone else."
White lines bracketed the former Arrowrsquo;s mouth. "He knew before all of us. Hersquo;s been making a note in his diary each time he feels shersquo;s about to go critical. Since she hasnrsquo;t had any incidents, the logical conclusion is that she instituted a purge in each case." Judd turned the datapad so Hawke could see the screen.
The pattern was impossible to miss. It had been almost a year between Siennarsquo;s arrival and the first time she earthed herself. The next came after eight months. Then six. The last few had been mere weeks apart. Hawkersquo;s wolf rose to the fore, helping the man think with clear-eyed purpose. "Can it be stopped?"
"No." An absolute statement. "Thatrsquo;s what makes her an X."
"Silence"mdash;he forced himself to say that word, to consider that optionmdash;"kept her under some kind of containment."
"Only to an extent. Shersquo;s the sole cardinal X ever born, according to our records. Even Ming was playing a game of Russian roulette with her. No one had any idea what would happen as her power matured."
"Does she know?"
"I think she doesnrsquo;t want to know." Black erased the gold-flecked brown of Juddrsquo;s eyes, a rare indication of strong emotion. "The only way she can survive is to believe that she can change the inevitable."
"Then we leave it at that." He could see Sienna growing deeper into her skin day by day. No way in hell was he going to cut her off at the knees. "You sound certain that it canrsquo;t be stopped, but is there any way to slow the progression?"
Judd shoved a hand through his hair. "Irsquo;ve been searching for the manuscript I mentioned to you once."
"The dissertation on X-Psy?"
The other man nodded. "Irsquo;ve found no evidence to confirm its existence, but Irsquo;m waiting to hear back from one final contact."
Hawkersquo;s wolf caught the minute change in Juddrsquo;s expression. "The Ghost. You donrsquo;t trust him."
"Not in this. Shersquo;s a weapon of infinite potential."
And the Ghost, Hawke knew, had an agenda that had nothing to do with peace.
EIGHT hours later, with the mountains kissed white-gold by the morning sun, Hawke stood staring at the door that had just been slammed in his face. "Sienna," he growled.
Silence from the other side.
He slammed his hands palms down on the flat surface hard enough that she couldnrsquo;t miss it. Waited. Still nothing. Part of himmdash;the part that made him alphamdash;wanted to rip the door off its hinges, throw her onto the bed, and teach her what happened to a woman who dared defy him. He wouldnrsquo;t hurt her. But he would bite her. Hard.
Strangling the primitive urge, he decided to walk it off but changed his mind midway and headed to the garage instead. The drive gave him enough time to settle so that he wasnrsquo;t feeling completely feral when he arrived at his destinationmdash;after having made a small detour to pick up something.
Sascha laughed when he handed her the stuffed toy wolf. "How did you talk your way past the sentinels?"
"Natural charm." He thought about kissing her on the cheek but decided to cut Lucas a break.
"Whatrsquo;re you doing here?" the leopard demanded, his hands on Sascharsquo;s hips as they stood in the doorway of the cabin.
"Irsquo;ve come to meet my new girl," Hawke said, doing his best to look harmless. "Where is she?"
Lucas scowled, but moved out of the doorway when Sascha turned to press a kiss to his jaw. "Come in," the empath said, heading deeper into the cabin.
Hawke hung back long enough to stick out his hand. "Congratulations."
Lucas shook it. "Thanks." Jerking his head toward the bedroom, he said, "Sascha refuses to move the bassinet to the nursery yet."
"Just Sascha?" Hawke raised an eyebrow.
The snarl was quiet but no less powerful for it. "Do you want to see her or not?"
Hawke caught a delicate new scent hidden beneath the protective markers of a panther and an empath as soon as he crossed the threshold. Baby powder and smiles. The innocence of it made his wolf stop pacing, anger and irritation temporarily shelved.
Conscious of the instincts that had to be clawing at Lucas, he kept his hands behind his back as he peered down at the tiny creature in Sascharsquo;s arms, her curious eyes already as bright green as her fatherrsquo;s. "Hello, sweet darling." It was impossible not to smile, not to fall in love a little.
Sascha nuzzled the baby with a gentle, maternal kiss before saying, "Would you like to hold her?"
Hawke glanced to Luc first. The leopard alpha nodded. "Irsquo;ll tear your throat out if you even breathe wrong."
"Fair enough." Taking the precious bundle from Sascha, he cuddled the baby close to the warmth of his body. When she scrunched up her face, he laughed. "Yes, I am a wolf, little cat." Touching a careful finger to her nose, he was startled to feel tiny hands grip at it. "Look at that."
Fascinated, Sascha thought, looking from one man to the other. They were both fascinated. It hadnrsquo;t astounded her in the least when Naya had wrapped Lucas around her finger, but somehow, shersquo;d expected Hawke to last longer. But really, was it any surprise? He was alpha, too, had those same strong protective urges running through his blood.
The baby made a fussy noise.
Taking her from Hawke, Lucas held her against his chest, purring low and steady until their princess quieted in contentment. Sascha didnrsquo;t know how she stood it, the love for her mate and child that filled her body. It was so visceral, so intertwined in every cell of her being. An impossible, huge thing that eclipsed all that had come before.
It threatened to blind her to everything else, but she was an E-Psy. And so, she caught the whisper of darkness in the man who was an alpha without a mate. Glancing at Lucas, she tilted her head. He scowled. She pursed her lips. Sighing, he said, "I think baby girl here wants to go for a walk."
Hawke exited first, with Sascha following Lucas out. He walked across the clearing until he was out of hearing rangemdash;if they kept their voices low. "Yoursquo;re worried about something," she said to Hawke, cutting to the heart of it.
Black thunder rolled across that harsh but beautiful face. "Stop doing that."
"I canrsquo;t help it." She never intruded on peoplersquo;s emotions, but she could no more stop sensing them than Hawke could turn off his sense of smell.
Folding his arms, he leaned against the cabin wall while she perched on the window ledge a foot away. "What happened?" She prodded, because you had to with men so used to keeping everything contained. "Does it have to do with Sienna?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Shersquo;s the only one who incites this reaction in you."
Hawke stared at where Lucas walked the baby. "Shersquo;s refusing to talk to me."
"That shocks you." No, Sascha thought, that wasnrsquo;t quite it. "It stuns you that shersquo;s able to hold out against you."
Hawke scowled. "You make me sound like an ass."
"Not an assmdash;just a man who rarely has anyone stand up to him." She felt the babyrsquo;s searching mind, sent reassurance as she did a thousand times a day. "Tell me why shersquo;s not talking to you."
After Hawke finished, she said, "I see."
Pale eyes pinned her to the spot, his dominance a staggering wave. If she hadnrsquo;t been used to living with Lucas, she mightrsquo;ve wilted. As it was, she touched her fingers to his jaw and pushed a fraction. "Stop that."
The wolf continued to prowl behind that icy gaze, but he glanced away.
"Let me ask you one thing," she said, wondering if shersquo;d be able to get through to him, this man who, from what she knew, had become alpha at an even younger age than Lucas. "If Judd told you to keep your distance, would you?"
He folded his arms, biceps pushing against the sleeves of his white T-shirt. "The two situations arenrsquo;t the same."
"Shersquo;s a cardinal, Hawke." Gentle words, but Sascha was a cardinal, too, and the statement held a piercing power as it settled on Hawkersquo;s skin. "If yoursquo;re to have any kind of a relationship with her, you must accept what she ismdash;ignoring her when she makes a decision about her own power is about as far as you can get from acceptance."
Hawkersquo;s wolf paced inside his mind, wanting to tear at her words with its claws. "I have to get back." There were a hundred things he had to handle today, but the most critical, he thought as he said good-bye to the leopard pair, would take some careful planning. There would be no more doors slammed in his facemdash;of that much, both man and wolf were certain.
RESPONSE FROM ESTES PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT TO QUERY BY GEORGE KIM ON BEHALF OF PROFESSORS MAE AND ELLISON ELDRIDGE: JANUARY 8, 1975
We regret to inform you that Alice Eldridge appears to have suffered a fatal accident during her most recent climb. A search-and-rescue unit is attempting to recover the body, but it is lodged so deep inside a crevasse that it may not be safe to proceed. Telekinetic assistance has been denied.
Chapter 35
ACCORDING TO A packmate, Lara had headed down to the waterfall, but Walker found no sign of her when he arrived. In the end, it was the crimson of her wool coat that gave her awaymdash;she was sitting tucked into the trees, her face turned toward the wild fury of the water.
Knowing shersquo;d catch his scent, he walked to sit by her side, his shoulder touching hers. "You have shadows under your eyes." He wanted to reach across and wipe them away, even knowing that to be impossible. When she didnrsquo;t reply, he said, "Talk to me, Lara." He wasnrsquo;t used to silence from the woman who had become his closest friend.
"I had an emergency call from one of the women this morning. She was three months pregnant."
Everything in Walker went quiet. "Something was wrong?"
"She had a miscarriage." She took a ragged breath. "There was no warning, nothing to indicate a problem. I keep a careful eye on the pregnant women, but I didnrsquo;t catch thismdash;" Wet in her voice. "I couldnrsquo;t fix it."
He touched his hand to the wild energy of her curls. "Some pregnancies terminate without any apparent reason, you know that."
"Intellectually, yes. But . . . Shersquo;s in so much emotional pain right now."
Stroking his hand down the stiff line of her spine, he rested it on her hip. "I saw Hawke in the infirmary with a young couple when I went to find you."
Lara nodded. "I called him in. Hersquo;ll be able to help her wolf to an extent, help her mate, too." She wrapped her arms around raised knees. "Shersquo;s strong, healthy, will heal. I just hate that shersquo;s having to go through this hurt. I hate it."
Walker wasnrsquo;t female, would never carry a child, but he was a father. "Yelene," he found himself saying, speaking a secret hersquo;d never shared, "was pregnant with our second child when we got the rehabilitation order."
Lara sucked in a breath. "She lost the baby."
Of course shersquo;d think that, this healer who worried so much about her pack. "The order was for everyone who bore Lauren blood. Shersquo;d already aborted the child by the time I came home." Everything else, he would have accepted, would have survived, but that act, it broke something inside him. Because even in the PsyNet, hersquo;d worked with children. Dangerous, gifted children, but children nonetheless, and hersquo;d done everything in his power to protect them. Yetmdash;"I couldnrsquo;t protect my child."
Hearing Lararsquo;s quiet sobs, he turned and took her into his arms, weaving his fingers into her hair. She buried her face against his chest and cried as if her heart was splintering. She understood, he thought, knew that it wasnrsquo;t only his unborn child that had died that day. But . . . as Lara cried for the child hersquo;d lost, as she gave voice to the grief he couldnrsquo;t express, the tight knot of sorrow inside him began to unravel fragment by jagged fragment.
"I sometimes wonder," he whispered, the soft skin of her nape delicate under his palm, "what my son wouldrsquo;ve been like."
Lararsquo;s hand spread on the fabric of his shirt. "Tell me what you imagined." Her voice was raw with weeping, but her strength, it was an enduring flame.
It took him a long time, but as the water continued to thunder into the pool below, Walker held the warmth of her close and spoke of the son who lived deep within his heart and always would.
HAWKE nodded at Lake as he jogged down to the perimeter in the quiet of the hour before midnight. "Any problems?"
The soldier shook his head. "Spotted a couple of falcons in the distance when it was light, but they stayed clear of den territory."
"Good." Hawke spent several more minutes talking to Lake, having had a heads-up from Riley about him. Intelligent, Hawke thought, and not only that, but he had the capacity to think outside the box. "Are you happy with your current duties?"
Lake took a deep breath. "If I had the choice, Irsquo;d prefer more complex tasks."
"Talk to Riley tomorrow," Hawke said, because he didnrsquo;t want the talented young male getting bored. "Hersquo;ll shift your duties."
"I understand wersquo;re at high alert after the recent events." An intent look. "I can wait until wersquo;re better situated to move things around."
"No. Wersquo;re not going to allow anyone to stifle the growth of our pack."
"Yes, sir." Lake glanced down, back up. "I wanted to say somethingmdash;about Maria."
"Go on."
"Shersquo;s still pretty cut up about stepping off watch that time. If you could . . ."
Hawkersquo;s wolf liked the boy better for his request. "Irsquo;ll take care of it."
"Thank you." A faint smile. "Sienna should be about five hundred meters to the north."
Hawke pointed south. "Go."
Lake left with a salutemdash;and a grin.
Jogging along the perimeter until he caught the rich, vibrant scent of a woman who was well and truly under his skin, he drew in a deep breath of the cool mountain air and leashed his wolf. Demands would get neither man nor wolf anything when it came to Sienna. Neither would orders. This was about male and female. Hawke and Sienna.
He found her standing watch on a cliffrsquo;s edge, keeping an acute eye on everything that passed. Quiet as it was, it took her the barest instant to detect him. "Would you like a report, sir?"
He narrowed his eyes at her tone, but where the alpha in him wouldrsquo;ve delivered a quick and lethal verbal response to anyone else, that wasnrsquo;t the relationship he wanted with Sienna. "No, Irsquo;d prefer a kiss."
Back as stiff as steel, she said, "Irsquo;m working," but then, to his surprise, glanced back. "I heard about Amelinersquo;s miscarriage." Her expression was solemn.
The memory of his packmatersquo;s silent cries had his wolf wanting to lift its muzzle in a mournful howl. "Shersquo;s hurting bad, but shersquo;s strong. So is her mate. Theyrsquo;ll survive this."
"You sat with her?"
"Yes." Controlling the impulse to fist his hand in her hair, tug her close until he could breathe in the warm spice of her skin . . . until he could unwind on the deepest level, he focused on the land that was his home. The night was stunning, the velvet sky dotted with diamonds. "Do you wonder if the Council understands why wersquo;d fight to the last breath to hold this?"
"Yes." Her own face lifted to the sky. "The psychologists will have done a full workup. But they wonrsquo;t believe yoursquo;d refuse to surrender even at the threat of massive casualties."
"Some things are beyond logic." Losing their home would rip the heart out of the packmdash;it wouldnrsquo;t matter if they survived. "We both know that." He stroked his hand down the thick rope of her braid.
She jerked away, the truce over. "You ignored me."
"Yeah, I did. And Irsquo;m not sorry I did it." Maybe hersquo;d been an ass, but hersquo;d also been rightmdash;she had been short-changing herself, had now learned that she could wield and direct the cold fire, choose her targets even at that level of pressure.
"Surprising." Sarcasm dripped off the single word.
"But," he added with a growl, "I wonrsquo;t disregard your views about your own abilities next time."
Sienna froze at the unexpected statement. "Not much of an apology," she said, scrambling to reorder her thoughts.
"Thatrsquo;s because I wasnrsquo;t apologizing."
Of course not. "Go away."
He tugged at her neat braid instead, unraveling it before she realized what he was doing. Gritting her teeth to stop from reacting, she stared out at the hush of the forest as he smoothed out the strands. "You have curls in here," he murmured from behind her. "Did you braid it while it was damp?"
That sneaky wolf charm was not going to weaken her defenses this time. "Irsquo;m working, in case you didnrsquo;t hear me the first time."
Arms sliding around her waist, tugging her back against a warm male chest. "Irsquo;ve come to keep you company."
Reaching back, she pulled her hair out from between them. "I like being alone."
A quick nip of her ear. "Such a liar."
Folding her arms, she resisted the urge to kick back at him with a booted foot. "This patch is quiet," she said. "Lake wanted to run tonight, so Irsquo;m standing as sentry."
Hawkersquo;s arms came up to cross over her chest as he held her impossibly closer, his thighs on either side of hers. "That was one of my first tasksmdash;sentry." His voice was quiet, full of memory. "The alpha started putting me on watch when I was nine."
"Nine?" Far too young, according to SnowDancerrsquo;s own rules.
Hawke chuckled. "I was making troublemdash;had too much energy and nowhere for it to go. They tried running me to exhaustion, but I outlasted everyone except Garrick, and the alpha couldnrsquo;t spend every day with me."
Sienna realized shersquo;d relaxed against him, but she was too fascinated by this tiny glimpse into his past to worry. "Were you a good sentry?"
"No," he said to her surprise. "I couldnrsquo;t stop moving long enough to keep watch." Another laugh. "So Garrick made me a messenger. I ran constantly along the perimeter, taking messages from one sentry to another, spending time with the soldiers, learning from them." Looking back, he knew half the messages had been created to give him something to do.
"It was the best thing Garrick could have done." The work had not only provided an outlet for his energy, it had begun to teach him the skills he would need in the futuremdash;as well as connecting him to the men and women he would one day be called upon to lead.
"This Garrick was a good alpha?"
Hawke thought of the slender black man whorsquo;d appeared about as strong as a willow branchmdash;and who had fought like a gladiator for his pack. "Yes."
"Oh." Sienna paused. "I guess . . . no one ever mentions him, so I thought maybe he was a bad person."
"No." Hawke forced himself to speak. "They donrsquo;t say anything because they donrsquo;t want to hurt me." But it wasnrsquo;t fair to the man, the alpha Garrick had been. "Garrick died fighting one of his lieutenants." The next words were stone fists in his chest. "My father."
Siennarsquo;s hands came up to close over his. "You said he was abducted, hurt. He was no longer the man you knew."
Hawkersquo;s mind filled with the memory of the agony on his fatherrsquo;s face as blood poured out of his chest. Hersquo;d taken his last breath in his matersquo;s arms, his hand held by his mortally wounded alpha as their already weak healer tried to save them both.
"Was your father the only one?"
"No."
"Your mother . . . she lost her mate."
He never spoke of his laughing, gifted mother and what it had done to her to lose her mate, not to anyone. "Therersquo;s Lake, coming up now," he said instead of answering her question. "I think we should go for a run." A high pitched whistle and Lake raised his hand to signal he understood.
When Hawke shifted to face Sienna, he saw her eyes had turned to midnight. "Yoursquo;re good at keeping a distance between you and a lover, arenrsquo;t you, Hawke?"
He curved a hand over the column of her throat, stroked. "I havenrsquo;t exactly been keeping my distance from you."
"Therersquo;s more than one kind of distance." Not saying anything further, she took a black hair tie out of her pocket and pulled her hair into a sleek ponytail.
Her words disturbed both man and wolf, but his past wasnrsquo;t why hersquo;d tracked her down. "Come on, Lakersquo;s almost to us." Loping down the slope, he waited for her to catch up. They ran the watch at a moderate speed, which allowed them to take in their surroundings, confirm everything was as it should be. "Your need to purge the cold fire," he said, wanting to get that out of the way, "was that because of my touch?"
"No," she said at once. "I was aware it was buildingmdash;just made a miscalculation as to how close I was to critical."
Hawke thought of Juddrsquo;s revelation, placed it against Siennarsquo;s will. He knew where he was putting his money. "You fully recovered?"
"Yes."
"Good." Deciding to set the issue aside for tonight, he asked, "Whorsquo;s your preferred partner on watch?" It wasnrsquo;t a question from alpha to soldier, but man to woman. He wanted to simply be with her on this beautiful night, her voice brushing against his skin as they passed under the moon shadow of forest giants.
"You wonrsquo;t believe me, but Maria." Sienna ducked under a branch, leaving a strand of ruby red behind.
He liked that shersquo;d inadvertently marked their territory. "Yoursquo;re right, I donrsquo;t believe you."
She wrinkled her nose at him. "Until the fight, we worked well together. Wersquo;ve actually kind of become friends since then."
"Yeah, I remember your buddies from Wild."
Ignoring his snarl, she pointed out a fleeing rabbit. "Lake is very seriousmdash;too much like me. I think we become too quiet together."
Hawke could see how that could happen. Sienna needed a wolf who was willing to play. Though of course, wolves werenrsquo;t the only predators in this region. "Seen that leopard cub lately?"
"If yoursquo;re talking about Kit, yes. I had lunch with him today."
He felt claws pricking at the insides of his skin as they came to a halt on top of another rise that allowed them to look out over the territory. "Lunch."
Most women wouldrsquo;ve either bristled or frozen at his not-so-subtle attempt at intimidation. Sienna showed how shockingly well she knew him by ambushing him with an unexpected bite on his lower lip as he bent to demand more information. She was gone before he could retaliate.
His wolf bowed its back in pleasure, happy to play with her at any time and delighted shersquo;d initiated this game. Catching up to her, he shot her a look that promised revenge. Her response was pure cool-eyed Psy . . . except for the laughter hidden in that cardinal gaze. He was about to tug her to him, taste the laughter, when he heard something that had his wolf coming to a dead stop.
STOPPING at once when Hawke went motionless, Sienna shoved her amusement to the back of her consciousness. "What do you sense?" She kept her voice subvocal, in a range she could only just hear herself.
Not answering, Hawke angled his head to the left, narrowed his eyes, then arched his neck.
The eerie beauty of the howl electrified every tiny hair on her body. It seemed impossible that it was coming from a human throat, and yet she could see the reality of it in the corded strength of his neck. Responding howls came back to them over the air currents as the last echoes of Hawkersquo;s warningmdash;and shersquo;d learned enough about wolf harmonics to have figured out that thatrsquo;s exactly what it had beenmdash;died out.
"Letrsquo;s go." Hawke set what was a brutal pace for her, leading them away from the perimeter.
He sent up another howl maybe thirty seconds into the run, waited only long enough to get a response from each of the sentries. But a bare minute after theyrsquo;d begun to run again, he slammed her body to the ground, in the hollow created by the roots of a centuries-old tree, covered it with his own, and said, "Hands over your ears."
Stuttering blasts of noise sounded an instant later. She tried to turn, see where the bullets were hitting, but Hawkersquo;s body was too heavy, keeping her pinned. Hands over her ears as hersquo;d ordered, she stayed in position and hoped with everything in her that Lake and the others in the strike zone had gotten under cover before the attack.
It seemed to go on forever, an endless hail of violence. The increasing level of noise indicated the offensive craft was getting closermdash;she was about to try to talk to Hawke, tell him they needed to move when the sonic boom of a massive explosion set her ears to ringing.
Chapter 36
A SECOND EXPLOSION followed on the heels of the first.
Hawke rolled off her an instant later. "Baby, you okay?"
She said, "Yes," through the buzzing in her ears, aware he had to be in acute pain, given the sensitivity of changeling hearing. "You?"
"Hurts like a bitch, but eardrums didnrsquo;t blow." Getting to his feet, he hauled her up.
"Wmdash;" Her dazed brain rallied to make sense of the debris raining down from the sky only meters away. "We need to check the wreckage as soon as possible, in case they have a Tk clean-up squad ready to mobilize." The destroyed craft might yield information the pack could use to its advantage in the growing hostilities.
"Go," Hawke said to her surprise. "Do what you need to if Tks rsquo;port in. I have to check on the others."
"Be careful."
Getting his nod, she took off. The debris was lumps of blackened and twisted metal at first glance, nothing of any use. Keeping her sensesmdash;physical and psychicmdash;on wide alert, she did a crisscrossing grid search at high speed, hoping like hell the packrsquo;s air-defense systems had left her something to find.
As it was, she almost missed it.
It had to have been part of the hull, a tiny warped square that she glimpsed with the corner of her eye. Running back to it, she gloved her hand in a layer of cold fire before picking it up. Her ability protected her from the blazing heat coming off the debris, but it did nothing to affect her vision.
The single silver star on the metal fragment was as bright as platinum.
HAWKE made contact with Brenna as he ran, the sat phonersquo;s reception crystal clear. "Are the skies clean?"
"Yesmdash;and the aerial defense systems are rearmed and ready."
"Has Lara been notified?"
"Shersquo;s on her way. Rileyrsquo;s coordinating everything. Irsquo;ll patch you through."
"Casualties?" he asked as soon as Riley came on the line.
"No reports so far." Crisp, collected words. "But wersquo;ve got some severe injuries."
"Why did it take so long to blow those bloody things out of the sky?" SnowDancer knew its weaknesses, had prepared defenses. "They shouldrsquo;ve been picked up before they ever got close enough to hit anyone."
"Same stealth technology they used last time," Riley said. "Irsquo;ve asked the cats to send in teams to secure the wreckage until we can spare the peoplemdash;what we find could prove critical in modifying our detection systems."
"Were they hit?"
"No. The attack was focused on SnowDancer."
Seeing Lakersquo;s fallen body, Hawke said, "Irsquo;ll call you back," and hung up.
The young soldier had taken a shot through his back, but he was breathing. "Go," he whispered. "Irsquo;m not going to fucking die and give them the satisfaction."
Good man. "Lararsquo;s on her way," he said, making the tough decision to take Lake at his word, check on the others.
It was a long night.
Lake had lost a lot of blood, but the bullet hadnrsquo;t nicked anything major. Sam had been hit once, the bullet digging a channel across the side of his skull and knocking him out, but Lara assured Hawke the damage looked worse than it was. Inés had taken a bullet in the leg, Riaz had been hit in the shoulder and a newly promoted Tai had fractured his left arm as he dived to avoid the bullets, while Sing-Liu had been hit twice, both bullets entering through her back to crush a path through her internal organs.
The small human woman was the most badly injured, alive only because her mate, Drsquo;Arn, had shoved his energy into her in an effort to keep her alive after he felt her pain through their bond. Hersquo;d collapsed where he stood in the den, but hersquo;d kept her alive. It was now up to Lara and her team.
The DarkRiver healer, Tamsyn, worked beside Lara. She couldnrsquo;t heal wolves, but as a qualified physician, she could take some of the burden by dealing with the less severe injuries. Riley and Indigo had the security situation under control, had made sure the attack left no gaps in their defensive perimeter, while the techs were combing through the wreckage. That left Hawke free to remain in the infirmary.
It was near dawn that he put his hands on Lararsquo;s shoulders and said, "Go to bed." All the injured had been treated and were now resting.
"Irsquo;m okay," she mumbled, cheek against his chest, "one more espresso and Irsquo;ll be set. Wherersquo;s Tammy?"
"Her mate carried her off an hour ago." Literally. "Now go to bed or Irsquo;ll handcuff you to it."
"Kinky." But she didnrsquo;t resist when he walked her to her room and pushed her in the direction of the bed.
Turning around when he was certain she didnrsquo;t plan to sneak back out, he made his way to his own quarters and stepped into the shower. Dressed in sweats and a clean T-shirt afterward, he didnrsquo;t crash, but headed to Siennarsquo;s, knowing shersquo;d only returned to the den thirty minutes agomdash;shersquo;d been on protection detail over the techs since the attack. Her strength made his wolf raise its head in pride.
She opened the door at his first knock and said nothing as he pulled off his T-shirt. When he nudged her into her bed, she went without argument. He curled himself behind her, nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck, and fell headlong into sleep.
LARA had fallen asleep the instant she stumbled facedown into bed, not bothering to strip, but her wolf nudged her awake what felt like moments later. "What?" she mumbled, feeling someone tugging at her shoes. "One secmdash;"
"Shh." A strong, warm hand on her hair. "Just getting these off." Another tug and her medical coat was gone, too.
"Kids," she mumbled, not able to find the will to move.
That big, callused hand stilled on her body. "Theyrsquo;re with Drew and Indigo."
She tried to say that that was good, but exhaustion kicked her hard. Right before everything went dark, she felt Walkerrsquo;s lips on her temple, warm and firm. Wishful thinking. But it was a nice way to go into sleep.
NO, no, no, no, no, no, no, no . . .
"Perfect." Ming walked into the room to examine the pile of fine ash where there had once been a screaming person. "While your lack of control is problematic, I canrsquo;t be less than pleased with the strength of your ability."
She was a monster trapped in a room with another. Maybe she should just burn them both up, end it all.
A vice around her mind, black and vicious, a reminder that her thoughts werenrsquo;t her own. "Stop, " she said, blood trickling out of her nose.
"Remember, Sienna," he said, the birthmark on the right side of his face the same color as her blood. "I own you. You are my creature."
A growl in the evil silence of that room, shaking the very walls.
As she watched, Ming began to disintegrate until he was nothing, less than nothing. The sight of it caused her such violent pleasure that when the growl turned into a voice and ordered, "Rest. I rsquo;ve got you," she snuggled back into a big, muscled body and surrendered to the wings of sleep once more.
SIENNA woke perhaps three hours after Hawke had come into her room. At the time, therersquo;d been no need or time for wordsmdash;though she had a vague memory of hearing his voice sometime in between. Frowning, she thought back, caught fragments of what mightrsquo;ve been a nightmare, but there were no lingering remnants of terror.
Hardly surprising given the protective heat of the man who slept curved around her. Hawkersquo;s thigh was pressed demandingly against the softest part of her, his hand flat on her abdomen beneath her favorite old tank, his arm under her head, his face nuzzled into the curve of her neckmdash;the reality of him was a sensual pulse under her skin.
Part of her wanted to turn around, to rub her face against the fine, silky hairs on his chest, but a bigger part was scared to shatter the moment, to have him wake and leave. She knew hersquo;d have to go. He was alpha, and last night, the pack had been attacked. Hersquo;d given himself and his people a little time to rest and regroup, but morning had brokenmdash;everything would kick into high gear as soon as he rose.
A rumble against her back, his hand moving in lazy circles on her abdomen as he wedged his thigh more firmly against her. "Morning." That rough, male voice made her skin go taut, her face flush with heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with throat-clenching desire. Shersquo;d never woken up with a man tangled around her, never thought that when it happened, it would be him.
"Morning," she managed to say, readying herself for the loss of his presence. "I can make you coffee before you go." Yes, she wanted him to stay, but he was the heart of SnowDancer, being alpha as much a part of him as her abilities were of her. Shersquo;d never consider getting in the way of his loyalty to the pack, had understood even as a girl barely out of the Net that he was loved by many, needed by many. "I only have instant, but itrsquo;s not bad."
"Not coffee," he said, kissing the curve of her neck. "Give me something sweet to take into the day."
She squeezed down on that slowly rubbing thigh, her body tight, hot. "What do you want?"
His hand moved, his fingers trailing along the top of her waistband. "To pleasure you."
"Imdash;" Shersquo;d never stuttered in her life, but it looked like that was about to happen. Swallowing, she attempted to rearrange her scattered thoughts. "I donrsquo;t know if I can handle it."
"Wersquo;ve played before." Another kiss. "You said that wasnrsquo;t what made the cold fire spill over."
"No, it didnrsquo;t."
"Then?"
"Irsquo;m not sure my control is good enough," she admitted, because while emotion didnrsquo;t drive the X-fire, it did have an impact on her capacity to cage it. That was what Silence had given those of her designationmdash;a cold, calm place in which to stand. "After last night I feel as if my emotions are on a hair trigger. I might lose my grip on my abilities if I . . ."
Teeth nibbling at her shoulder, a wolfish tease. "Orgasm. I think thatrsquo;s the word yoursquo;re looking for." His fingers dipped just below the waistband of her pajama bottoms, making her pulse jump. He licked over the spot on her neck.
She clenched around his thigh. "Hawke."
"Say stop and wersquo;ll stop." Words spoken against the flush of her skin, but they held a serious undertone.
It turned a key inside of her to realize he was doing exactly as hersquo;d said hersquo;d domdash;respecting her decision when it came to her abilities. "Not yet," she whispered, keeping a rigid psychic grip on the reins of the cold fire.
Murmuring in approval, he withdrew his fingers, shifting their positions until he was braced on his side beside her as she lay on her back. Throwing a leg over her own, he said, "Wouldnrsquo;t want you to escape," as he bent to kiss her.
It was slow, lazy, as if he had nowhere to be, though she knew he had a thousand calls on his time. Curling her arms around his neck, she drank in the warm masculinity of him as he continued to play his fingers over her skin. "Yes?" he asked into her mouth when she broke off to catch her breath.
Her stomach held a thousand frantic, trapped butterflies. It scared her how much he made her feelmdash;and that angered her. Sienna Lauren, Cardinal X, was never scared. It wasnrsquo;t who she was. "Yes," she said.
He chuckled, pressing affectionate little kisses on the corners of her mouth. "So stubborn." Another kiss, a little bite of her lower lip as he slid his hand a fraction lower. "Exactly like I like you."
She felt her abdomen quiver, was powerless to stop it. Gripping his arm with one hand, the other on his shoulder, she luxuriated in the sensation of the muscle and tendon of him moving under her touch as he drew more of those languid circles low on her navel.
Lower.
A gasp escaped her, smothered against the skin of his neck. He smelled of warmth and man and Hawke. Just Hawke. Always Hawke. So when he slipped his hand under the waistband of her panties to run his finger down the center of her, she arched her body toward him in instinctive response.
He liked that. She knew because he kissed her jaw, murmured, "Yoursquo;re damp. I can smell you, all luscious and ready. Makes my mouth water." His finger stroked back up, and then he used two to spear through her, trapping her clitoris in between.
SO responsive, Hawke thought as her body arched again, so sweetly responsive. It was all he could do not to pull down the pajama bottoms and panties shersquo;d worn to bed with a faded red tank and lick her up like his own personal dessert banquet. The sole thing stopping him was the fact that he knew hersquo;d have to rush it.
"Thatrsquo;s it," he murmured against those lush lips he loved to kiss, to bite, to suck, "let me pet you. Let me please you." Circling one finger at the slick entrance of her body, he pushed in gentle demand.
Her hands clenched on him again, but he tasted no fear in her scentmdash;only the earthy, intoxicating musk of feminine arousal. Still, he kissed and stroked and nuzzled until she relaxed, until she let him in. God, she was tight. Her cry was a breathy sound against his senses, her hips motionless for two long seconds before she began to shift them in experimental little moves on the intrusion of his finger.
He shuddered, kissed his way back up her throat to capture her mouth. "Damn, yoursquo;re beautiful," he said when she gasped for breath.
Using his thumb to rub at the tight bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs even as he continued to thrust in and out of her with his finger, he bent his head and very carefully bit her nipple through the soft fabric of her tank.
"Hawke!" Her body fractured around his hand, the slick heat of her such wicked temptation that he continued to stroke inside her as she trembled down from the orgasm, inciting tiny aftershocks of pleasure and indulging himself in the silken tightness of her at the same time.
Withdrawing his finger only when she moaned, her body limp, he cupped her with possessive intimacy and took her mouth again, nipping and licking and tasting. "Good morning."
That cardinal gaze was a soft, hazy black when her lashes lifted. "Good morning." Kiss-swollen lips shaping the words, the skin of her face marked red from the roughness of his stubble.
He shouldrsquo;ve been sorry he supposed, but he wasnrsquo;t. He liked seeing his marks on her. Playing with the damp curls between her legs, careful not to touch her oversensitized clit, he simply watched her for long moments. His cock was a hard ridge in his sweats, his need painful, but no way in hell was he going to settle for a quickie their first time together.
Then she reached down to close her fingers over him.
Chapter 37
CHRIST. SLIDING HIS hand out from between her legs to press against the bed, he allowed himself to push into her touch. Once. Twice. "Enough." Grabbing her wrist, he pinned it by her head.
Lazy, sated eyes smiled at him. "You felt so hard and hot andmdash;"
"You put your hand on me again," he warned, "I wonrsquo;t be satisfied with a few strokes." No, it would just take the edge off . . . and unleash the wolf.
Curving her leg over his hip, Sienna leaned up to kiss his throat. "Thank you for my orgasm."
His cheeks creased. "Yoursquo;re welcome."
Another kiss before she lay back on the bed, looking up at him in a way that said shersquo;d glimpsed the harsh reality that had begun to force its way back into his mind.
"Wersquo;re going into war," he said, releasing his grip on her wrist. "Therersquo;s no longer any doubt about it."
An intent gaze, fingers stroking his nape in tender affection. "I think conflict has been inevitable since the instant the packs decided to stand against the Council on any level."
He took another kiss before changing their positions so that she lay on top of him, his hand on her lower back. Skin, his wolf insisted, skin. So he pushed his hand under the waistband of her pajama pants and panties to lie over the sweet curve of her butt. She jerked but relaxed almost at once. Good. He wanted her to get used to him, to his touch, to his body, since he planned to be indulging her, and indulging in her, on a regular basis.
"We didnrsquo;t go looking for war," he said, caressing her with small, slow movements as he allowed himself a few more minutes of rest. "If the Council had left us alone, wersquo;d have left them alone." Discussing such a critical issue with Sienna was not something hersquo;d have considered even a few months ago, yet it now felt natural.
"They canrsquo;t accept," she said, playing her fingers over his collarbone, "that yoursquo;re a power in the world."
"Thatrsquo;s always been the problem, hasnrsquo;t it?" He placed his free arm under his head.
"Silence takes away everything else," she mused, "but powermdash;there is nothing in the Protocol that prevents a hunt for more. In truth, Silence rewards those who are cold-blooded enough to go after it with single-minded focus."
Hawke tried to think of what it must be like to live in the PsyNet, couldnrsquo;t imagine it. "Irsquo;ve heard people say the Net is beautiful."
"Yesmdash;in the same way as a perfectly cut gemstone. Pristine and cold." Her hand stilled on his skin. "I didnrsquo;t understand that while I was in there, but even then, I knew it was wrong for a mother to be parted from her child."
He heard the pain in her, slid up his hand to press against her lower back. "You loved her."
"She tried to save me, but she was a cardinal telepath with a secondary telekinetic ability"mdash;a hitchmdash;"and in the end, she couldnrsquo;t save herself."
Hawke knew her mother had jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, could guess at the scars the tragedy had left behind. "Did her shields shatter?"
A shake of her head, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. "She went mad. It happens with some strong telepaths, even under Silence. Itrsquo;s as if no shield is enough to protect them, as if other peoplersquo;s thoughts sneak in under cover of night and take up residence." A touch of wet on his chest, the taste of salt in the air. "Free," she said. "Thatrsquo;s what my mother shouted as she jumpedmdash;that she was free. Everyone believes she spoke of Silence, but I know my mother wouldrsquo;ve done anything for silence. She wanted only to be free of the voices."
Such a pragmatic tone hiding so much pain. Such a slender body hiding so much power. Everything about Sienna was a contradiction. But on one thing, he wanted no doubt. "Yoursquo;re mine," he said. "Understand that." Hersquo;d meant to reassure her that she need never fear hersquo;d abandon her, but her body was suddenly all tense muscle and bone against him.
"Irsquo;ll never be yours until yoursquo;re mine."
He fisted his hand in her hair, tried to make his response gentle. "I canrsquo;t give you the mating bond, Sienna." Hersquo;d been honest with her from the start, had hoped she wouldnrsquo;t make him hurt her this way.
"I know."
A taut silence . . . because what else was there to say?
But Sienna spoke again. "I donrsquo;t think the attack means the Scotts intend a rapid escalation."
He didnrsquo;t try to force the conversation back to the original topic, though the possessive heart of him didnrsquo;t like the answer shersquo;d given, no matter how unfair it was of him to demand more from her than he could offer. "Explain."
"Itrsquo;s part of the scattergun approach we talked about earlier." Self-possessed words, no hint of the tears drying on his chest. "The Councilors are well aware by now of how a changeling pack functions. Theyrsquo;ll expect the attack to motivate you to evacuate your young, your vulnerablemdash;and so theyrsquo;ll be ready with an ambush."
Hawkersquo;s heart went cold at the idea of the pups being hurt.
"The targeted strikes, the ships designed to evade your defensesmdash;everything indicates that whoever is behind this has done their research," Sienna continued. "In my opinion, theyrsquo;ve figured out that the best way to demoralize the pack to the point of no return would be to wipe out the young." Her words were cool, crisp, but he didnrsquo;t make the mistake of thinking she didnrsquo;t care. He knew how many hours she volunteered in the White Zone, how many of the pups called her "Sinna" and raised their arms for a cuddle.
But the fact that shersquo;d seen that stomach-turning prospect, had the background to even consider it, was stark evidence of the darkness in which shersquo;d grown up. Shersquo;d spent her childhood with a monster. And still shersquo;d managed to retain her personality, retain her soul. He was so fucking proud of her.
Right at that instant, her phone beeped. Though she made no move to answer it, there was no ignoring the fact that their time together had run out. "I better go," he said.
"Yes, of course." She scrambled up to sit on the bed beside him when he rose.
"In one hour," he said, getting to his feet and glancing at the oldfashioned wall clock she had to have found in a secondhand shop, "I have a lieutenant meeting. I want you there."
A startled pause, followed by a quick nod. "Irsquo;ll be there."
Reaching over, he gripped her nape, kissing her deep and wet and again. "Next time," he promised, "I wonrsquo;t stop with just petting your sweet body."
Spice in the air, the taste of Sienna. "That assumes therersquo;ll be a next time."
"You should know better than to dare a wolf, baby." Nipping at that full lower lip he loved, he pointed a finger at her. "One hour."
NINE a.m. and decisions were being made. Judd, Riley, Indigo, and a bandaged-up Riaz, along with Andrew, Sienna, and Hawke, were physically present in the conference room that had been designed to connect the lieutenants to Hawke no matter their location. It took a couple of minutes to patch everyone else in. Tomás was the first to spot Sienna sitting unobtrusively to the side.
"Why, Sienna Lauren, as I live and breathe." A smile that held more than an edge of flirtation. "Arenrsquo;t you looking pretty these days?"
Sienna, to her credit, retained her cool. "I saw you doing the chicken dance once, Tomás. It wasnrsquo;t sexy."
That made Kenji hoot with laughter, Alexei flash a megawatt grin. Hawkersquo;s wolf was pleased to see that Siennarsquo;s face didnrsquo;t go slack at the sightmdash;most women had a hard time resisting Alexei, even when he wasnrsquo;t trying to charm. "No time for play," he said, and the entire room snapped to attention. "We have the same two choices we did earlier this year. Strike first or wait for them to come to us."
"Strike first and we might have a slight advantage," Tomás said, dark eyes incisive, "but if we send out teams, we leave our territory vulnerable. Could be exactly what they want."
"Agreed." Juddrsquo;s practical voice. "Aside from that, while the compound in South America wonrsquo;t be an issue, we donrsquo;t know how many other operatives the Scotts have under their command."
"And," Riaz added, "we know theyrsquo;re coming. This assault was an attempt to get us to retaliate, squander our resources. They want to soften us up before they attack."
Matthias nodded from one of the comm screens, the rugged beauty of the Cascade Range visible from the window at his back. "Our previous strikes made sense at the time, but things have changed. I say we wait, we prepare."
"We need to check something else, too," Riley said from beside Hawke. "All indications are that theyrsquo;re focusing their aggression on SnowDancer and DarkRiver, but we need to make sure they havenrsquo;t also got plans in place for the city."
"Any luck tracking down the weapons?" Matthias asked.
Riley gave a grim shake of his head. "No."
"Their past actions," Judd said, "would seem to suggest they wonrsquo;t destroy San Francisco, but given Henryrsquo;s recent behavior, therersquo;s a possibility he and Shoshanna may be willing to sacrifice the city if it wins them the war."
Cooper agreed, his face set in hard lines as he looked out from the comm screen. "Fact is, they get us and the cats out, therersquo;s only Nikita and Anthony left to stand in their way. And neither has any significant military strength."
"Still," Drew pointed out, "it might not be a bad idea to scope those two out, see how many offensive Psy abilities they might be able to add to the mix. Even if itrsquo;s a few powerful telepaths, they can help hold off the mental strikes of the other side. Anthonyrsquo;s people might even be able to predict some of the moves."
"Irsquo;ve already asked," Hawke said. "Seems war throws predictions off course because so many things are done in the heat of the moment. But he says every one of his foreseers, Faith included, are certain the violence is set to hit soon. Might even be a matter of days."
"So"mdash;Indigo leaned forwardmdash;"we take a stand?"
Hawke nodded. "The more we spread out, the thinner the wall they have to breach."
"Far better to dig in and make them dig us out," Jem agreed, her blonde hair dull in the cloud-drenched light in her part of the state.
"That leads us to another question." Riley tapped the twisted piece of metal hersquo;d placed on the table when the meeting began. "According to our records, the single star is Kaleb Krychekrsquo;s personal emblem. We decided he wasnrsquo;t involved in this, but what if hersquo;s playing everyone for fools?"
They all looked to Judd. Who picked up the fragment of hull and turned it over in his fingers. "Kaleb is difficult to predict, but my gut says this is a deliberate attempt to implicate him, confuse the picture."
Indigo took the piece of debris from her fellow lieutenant. "Any way to confirm?"
"I asked Luc to call Nikita," Hawke said, still put on edge by the idea of any kind of a relationship with a Psy Councilor. But distrust aside, they agreed on one thingmdash;this region was theirs, and they would hold it.
Glancing at Sienna, he gave a nod. "Therersquo;s something else you all need to hear."
SIENNA had spoken to Councilors without flinching, grown up with an Arrow for an uncle, and had just spent the night with a wolf alpha. Yet her throat was dry, her tongue threatening to tie itself into a thousand knots. Because of Hawke. Because by bringing her into this, hersquo;d tied his pride to hers.
With that thought came the sense of balance she needed. No matter what shersquo;d said this morning, the truth was, she loved him, and in a way that wouldnrsquo;t allow distance, not even if that distance would save her pain. He wouldnrsquo;t, couldnrsquo;t, accept her as his mate, but she would give him everything. It was the only way she knew how to be.
"Sienna," he said as she rose so everyone could see her, "tell the others what you told me."
She laid out her theory about the likelihood of an ambush targeting SnowDancerrsquo;s most vulnerable.
"You sound very confident," Cooper said. It was the first time theyrsquo;d ever spoken, though shersquo;d seen him in passing when he visited the den. The jagged scar on his left cheek was a distinctive marker against his bronze skin, but it was the near black of his eyes that held her attention. "I respect your intelligence, but yoursquo;re young and yoursquo;re no longer in the Net."
She didnrsquo;t shy, because if there was one thing she understood, it was war. More, shersquo;d lived in the dark long enough not to discount even the most sickening of possibilities. The wolves had a primal core of honor they didnrsquo;t realize, just didnrsquo;t expect certain actions. "I know yoursquo;re working on the assumption that itrsquo;s Henry and Shoshanna Scott behind this," she said, "and they do appear to be the primary aggressors from what Irsquo;ve picked up. However, the strategy? Itrsquo;s pure Ming LeBon."
Judd shook his head. "Nothing points to Ming being involved. According to both Nikita and Anthony, he spoke against the Scotts on the Council."
Under normal circumstances, Sienna wouldrsquo;ve bowed to Juddrsquo;s experience, but her uncle hadnrsquo;t spent ten years with Ming, hadnrsquo;t lived and breathed the Councilorrsquo;s ideas of military tactics, hadnrsquo;t seen the many faces he was able to wear with ease. "Henry Scott," she said, focusing on the facts, "has done a number of aggressive things over the past year, but hersquo;s never approached anything of this magnitude.
"Whatever happened to turn him aggressive, he doesnrsquo;t have the training or the skill to pull off such a big military op without serious help." While she didnrsquo;t mention it right then, she was starting to have the disturbing feeling that Ming had been involved in the previous incursions on SnowDancer land as wellmdash;in truth, he may well have given Henry a "guiding hand" for longer than anyone knew.
Jem spoke for the first time, frown lines marring her brow. "Shersquo;s right. Irsquo;ve sort of made a hobby of keeping track of the Councilmdash;"
"Some hobby," Riaz muttered, scratching at the bandage hidden under his chocolate brown shirtmdash;until Indigo reached over with a pen and tapped the back of his hand.
"Yeah, real scintillating stuff." Jem rolled her eyes and carried on. "A couple of years back, Henry was linked, in most cases, to things Shoshanna spearheaded. Itrsquo;s obvious thatrsquo;s changed, but Irsquo;m with Sienna. No way hersquo;s become a military mastermind all of a sudden."
Hawke turned those wolf-pale eyes to Judd. "We need more data from the PsyNet."
"Understoodmdash;but I canrsquo;t go to my contact with this."
Having had a very interesting conversation with Judd a few months ago, where the Arrow had trusted him with the identity of the Ghost, Hawke wasnrsquo;t surprised. The lieutenant had shared the name because hersquo;d wanted Hawke to be able to understand some of his decisions without further explanation, to be able to filter his responses through the lens of knowledge.
"Not worried about me being compromised?" Hawke had asked, aware of the lengths the Council would go to uncover the rebelrsquo;s identity.
"No. If they capture you, theyrsquo;ll kill you. Even Psy know not to mess with certain predators."
Now, Hawke said, "Do the best you can."
Glancing at Sienna, he saw her tense her shoulders, rise to interrupt the buzz of conversation. "There is," she said, "a foolproof way to figure out if my theory about their plans is correct."
Hawke glanced at Riley. "We got the manpower to hold the perimeter while we do this?"
"I can ask a few of the cats to cover. Riaz can do the same for me in the den since Lararsquo;s ordered him not to rip his stitches out on pain of healer wrath."
"Then," Hawke said, holding Siennarsquo;s gaze, "letrsquo;s do it."
Chapter 38
IT WAS NOT wholly unexpected when Kaleb responded to Nikitarsquo;s message by teleporting into her office only minutes later. When you were the most powerful Tk in the Net, such things required a negligible use of power. His gaze zeroed in on the twisted piece of metal on her desk before she could say a word. "I see," he said, taking a seat in the chair on the other side of the glass expanse.
The chair was positioned an inch lower than her own, meant to put visitors at a psychological disadvantage. Of course, none of them were Kaleb Krychek.
She watched him examine the metal, conscious that he could lie with such smooth ease shersquo;d never pick it up. He might have been an ally of sorts, but she never forgot that the man across from her had been in the control of a true psychopath from a young agemdash;there was no way to know what echoes Santano Enrique had left in his psyche.
"So," he said at last, "what do you think?" Cardinal eyes watched her without blinking.
"I think yoursquo;re too smart to mark your assault craft with your emblem," she said. "I also think yoursquo;re smart enough to do precisely that to throw us off the trail."
He smiled. It meant nothing, she knew, was a physical action hersquo;d learned to mimic to manipulate the human and changeling masses. "True," he said. "All true." Returning the piece of hull to her desk, he looked out at the city through the plate-glass window at her back. "However, while the squad is mine, I do not yet own them."
"You donrsquo;t need the Arrows." Notwithstanding his telekinetic abilities, Kaleb had independent command over hundreds of men.
"Still, it makes no rational sense to strike now when I could go in later with a force almost guaranteed to take control with very little destruction." Rising, he did up a button on his jacket, the material a deep navy featuring razor-thin pinstripes, the cut perfect. "The fact is, I donrsquo;t want this city. That has never been my goal."
That, Nikita thought, was the most honest thing he couldrsquo;ve said. Kaleb had far grander ambitionsmdash;he wanted to control the Net itself. Not taking her eyes off him as he gave a clipped nod before teleporting away, she reached for the phone. "Itrsquo;s not Kaleb," she told Max Shannon, aware the changelings felt more at ease dealing with her security chief.
But when she hung up, she didnrsquo;t return to her work. Instead, she reached out with her psychic senses along an old and familiar telepathic pathway. Your child. She is healthy.
Yes, Sascha answered, though it hadnrsquo;t been a question. She is extraordinary.
Half-Psy, half-changelingmdash;that in itself made Sascharsquo;s words true, but Nikita knew that wasnrsquo;t what her daughter meant. Yoursquo;re not safe in the city. Not with war lingering on the horizon.
Itrsquo;s home, Mother. A long pause. Do you plan to leave this region?
No.
A push along the telepathic pathway, and she realized Sascha was trying to send her something bigger than a direct thought. Aware her daughterrsquo;s Tp was weak, she reached out with her own, "caught" the sending in a psychic grasp . . . and saw an image of an infant with cat-green eyes and skin of a smooth golden-brown a shade paler than her motherrsquo;s.
Sascharsquo;s child. Nikitarsquo;s grandchild.
Chapter 39
HAWKE SPOTTED THE ambush from a ridge high above the isolated road that lay along one of the routes they wouldrsquo;ve used to evacuate their vulnerable. His wolfrsquo;s anger turned cold, primal. There were some things you did not do even in war. "Will they be able to sense non-Psy minds getting closer?" he asked the male lying on his stomach beside him.
Judd gave a single nod. "You might be able to distract them by sending in a decoymdash;fill up a transport with soldiers."
"They canrsquo;t tell the difference between immature and mature minds?"
"Not if theyrsquo;re running a general telepathic sweep." He lifted the binoculars to his eyes again. "I can make out the weapons. Theyrsquo;re high-velocitymdash;" A dangerous pause before Judd passed the binoculars to him. "Twenty degrees to the left of the man in the center."
Hawke scanned twenty degrees, stopped. The cold-blooded bastards had a grenade launcher. "No mercy. They die. All of them." This war was not going to be fought with the lives of their young and their old. "Scotts, Ming, whoever the fuck is behind this needs to know we mean business."
"We eliminate the ambush, we give away the fact that wersquo;re not only aware of their strategy, but capable of predicting it."
Hawkersquo;s wolf was howling for blood, but both man and wolf had learned to think past the red haze of rage long ago. "Itrsquo;ll also get rid of ten of their men at this location, however many the others have found."
"Indigorsquo;s team has another group in their sights," Judd reported on the heels of his statement, "as does Drewrsquo;s. Rileyrsquo;s sector looks clean."
It was, Hawke had to admit, damn convenient to have telepaths in the packs. Sienna was paired with Indigo, Walker with Drew, Riley with Faith NightStar of all people. While the DarkRiver F-Psy was a noncombatant, she had the necessary telepathic range. Her mate was acting as her shield.
Because of that telepathic network, it took only minutes to organize the decoys, another hour to get the transports in position. None of the vehicles could be allowed within range of the grenade launchersmdash;their purpose was simply to distract. In the interim, the changeling teams made their way down to just beyond the scope of the enemyrsquo;s telepathic sweeps.
"Stay out of sight," Hawke told Judd. "They canrsquo;t know we have a Tk on our side, not until itrsquo;s unavoidable." Getting the lieutenantrsquo;s nod, he said, "Everyone ready?"
"Yes."
"Time."
"Fifty seconds till the vehicles come into view, fifty-two till mobilization."
It was a hard, fast battle. That was the only way to win with the Psy, given their ability to obliterate minds with their psychic strikes. There were also no teleport-capable telekinetics in this group, which signed their death warrants.
Afterward, Hawke stood looking down at the bodies and felt nothing but savage satisfaction. He wasnrsquo;t a man who liked to kill, but these people had planned to savage SnowDancerrsquo;s young. For that crime, death was the only penalty.
SIENNA had never seen the wolves move with such cold, sleek violence. The Psy units stood no chance. Part of her was shocked at the bloody reprisal, but it was nothing to the protective rage that had filled her when shersquo;d seen the grenade launcher, understood the true malevolence of their intentions. For an instant, the X-fire had threatened to slip her grasp, but paradoxically, it was her protective drive toward the pups that had helped her get it back under control.
It was over in a matter of minutes, and as day turned to night, she found herself walking through the den with a man who had the eyes of a hunting wolf and hair of silver-gold. Today, hersquo;d not only spoken to her about pack issues, hersquo;d treated her as an integral element of SnowDancerrsquo;s defenses. Part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but at that instant, for the first time, she felt like a partner in some sense, not simply a young girl who wore her heart on her sleeve.
"The cats are holding off on any evacuations, same as us," he told her as they walked. "Right now, everyone is safer within our protections."
"Itrsquo;ll be quiet," she said. "When the children are eventually moved."
Hawkersquo;s wolf hated the idea of a silent den. "It wonrsquo;t be forever."
Sienna began to turn left as they reached a fork in the corridor.
"No." He gripped her hand. "This way."
She didnrsquo;t say a word, and neither did anyone else who saw them along the way. A few days ago, theyrsquo;d have been teased, whistled at, and otherwise hassled in the most playful of ways. Today, the mood was somber, everyone aware what was coming. The corridors were emptier than usual, many pack members having gathered in the common areas to talk, take strength from one another. There was no one at all in the corridor paved with river stones and painted with images of wolves at play, in sleep, during a hunt.
Hawke knew why Sienna avoided this particular exit from the den. Shersquo;d damaged the mural once by accident, her X-fire acting as a laser to fracture a small area of the wall, destroy the paint. "I was never angry with you for that," he said as they entered the painted wonderland.
"This place . . . itrsquo;s important to you." Her hand curled around his.
Tugging her to a particular section, he said, "Look."
Sienna leaned forward. "Itrsquo;s a sleeping pupmdash;Oh!" He watched as she traced the second pup hiding behind the broad green leaves, waiting to pounce. "I never noticed him."
"She hid a lot of things in the mural," he said, the ache inside him an old grief. "It was meant to be an artwork that made the pack laugh, linger, want to play."
"Speaking to the heart of the wolf." Dropping her hand from the wall, Sienna raised her head. "It was your mother, wasnrsquo;t it?"
"Yes." His gifted, laughing mother. "She was a submissive wolf."
Siennarsquo;s eyes widened. "I just assumed . . ."
"I think it surprised my father, too." Inside, his wolf howled at the bittersweet memories. "He first saw her here. Shersquo;d flown in from a different sector, started the mural only hours earlier." Hawke could almost see her, her white-blonde hair tied back with one of those colorful scarves shersquo;d favored, a streak of paint on her nose or across her cheek. "He came running through from the outside in wolf form with an urgent message for Garrick. And he just stopped."
"He knew straight away?" Wonder in Siennarsquo;s voice.
It made Hawke tighten his fingers on her own. "He said it was like being hit by a two-by-four." His father had always shaken his head at the memory, laughter creasing his face, lighting up eyes two shades darker than his sonrsquo;s. "He was covered in mud and he had somewhere to go, but all he could do was stare at her."
"What did your mother do?"
Hawke laughed, recalling the way his mother would always pretend to bare her teeth at his father when she told her side of the story. "She dropped half a tub of green paint on herself when he came racing in and had turned around to give him a piece of her mind when the air just went out of her. She was submissive, shouldrsquo;ve dropped her gaze, but she couldnrsquo;t do it, couldnrsquo;t break that connection.
"Garrick found them an hour later, her splattered with paint, him with dried mud turning his coat stiff. They were just sitting there, looking into each otherrsquo;s eyes. Their mating was complete, and it was one that held firm until the last." Until his fatherrsquo;s death and his motherrsquo;s heartbreak.
Unable to continue speaking of it, he tugged her out of the den and to the pool below the waterfall, its surface a frothy white from the crash of the water. Shadowed by the jut of the cliff above, the sandy area was a haven of privacy.
"This is a makeout spot," Sienna said as she finished clambering down. "Evie told me. I think Tai sneaks her here."
His lips tugged upward. "Why do you think I moved that rock at the top? Itrsquo;s a time-honored signal that the pool is occupied." The stresses of the day falling away under the caress of her responding smile, he took a seat on the ground. "Did you manage to see your family today?" He tugged her close when she settled next to him.
"Yes, I spent time with Marlee and Toby after we returned, but Walker was busy."
"Speaking of Walker," he murmured in her ear, "I saw him glaring at Lara a few minutes ago." Hawke had slipped away before either of them had seen him, certain the Psy male would take care of the healer. Theyrsquo;d had a few injuries today, and she was already worn thin after the events of the previous night.
"Walker doesnrsquo;t glare," Sienna said, shifting so that she faced him on her knees. "He just looks at you until you obey."
Laughing, Hawke moved to bracket her between his thighs and touched his forehead to hers, oddly content. They talked of other matters, of Toby and Marlee, of Cooper and his new mate, until Hawke ended up lying next to her seated form, his arms crossed under his head. "Itrsquo;s good to have four lieutenants mated now," he said, his eyes on the rocky ledge above, but his attention on the compelling, textured scent of the woman by his side. "Wersquo;ll need that stability in the leadership structure even more after this is over."
"May I ask about her?" A quiet, unexpected question.
The wolf was very much in Hawkersquo;s eyes when he glanced at Sienna. "Her name was Theresa, but I called her Rissa."
Rissa. It was strange to finally know the name of the ghost who owned Hawkersquo;s soul. "What was she like?"
"Sweetmdash;in nature and in spirit." Hawkersquo;s hair slid over his forehead as he pushed himself back up into a sitting position, arms hooked around his knees. "Even as a toddler, shersquo;d give her toys to other kids if they cried. I never saw her throw a tantrum, never saw her without a smile."
Sienna clenched her hands in the sand. It was becoming plain that Hawkersquo;s Rissa had been nothing like her. "Itrsquo;s why yoursquo;re drawn to Sascha," she said, hiding her pain, hiding everything. "She must remind you of Theresa in some way."
"I guess." He frowned, shoved back his hair. "The thing is, I donrsquo;t know what Rissa wouldrsquo;ve grown up to bemdash;she never had the chance to spread her wings."
"Yet yoursquo;re certain she wouldrsquo;ve been your mate?" It just slipped out, that plea disguised as a question.
A pause. "That canrsquo;t be altered, Sienna." Gentle words. Implacable words. "Itrsquo;s a knowing nothing can erase."
She fisted her hand against her abdomen in a vain attempt to hold the pain inside. "I canrsquo;t argue with that," she said. "But the fact is, you never mated with her." Theyrsquo;d been too young to love that way.
"The wolf chooses only once." Curving his hand over her nape, he pulled her close, until his lips almost brushed her own as he spoke. "I canrsquo;t change that, baby."
Gut-deep need drove her response. "Thatrsquo;s a pretty excuse, donrsquo;t you think?"
Eyes gone night-glow, dangerous and merciless. "Enough, Sienna." Squeezing her nape, he released her.
She wondered if he thought that was the end of it. "It tore your heart out when you lost her," she said, insistent because she had to be, because this was important enough to forever break her. "It devastated you when you were a childmdash;is it any wonder that you refuse to allow yourself to be that vulnerable again?"
Rising to his feet, he strode to the edge of the pool, glanced back. "You canrsquo;t talk the truth away, no matter how many words you use."
She got up, too, bracing herself against the dominant force of his personality. "Irsquo;ve seen the effects of the mating bond," she said, looking into that face shaped by adversity and determination, until he was a man few dared challenge. "I can understand why a changeling whorsquo;d been mated once would never ever seek the same with anyone else."
"Then why the hell are we having this conversation?"
"Because you werenrsquo;t mated! " Her voice rose in spite of her vow to keep this discussion tempered, rational. "Have you ever considered that it isnrsquo;t the wolf stopping you from mating, but the human half?" The part that understood that to open himself up to the chance of a mate would mean opening himself up to the chance of the same soul-shattering pain.
"Itrsquo;s not a choice." He looked like he wanted to shake her.
Sienna wanted to pound at him with her fists, force him to listen, to see. "Bullshit! Drew made Indigo see him, Brenna fought for Judd, Mercy and Rileyrsquo;s relationship took years to grow, so donrsquo;t you dare take the easy way out by saying itrsquo;s all predestined! Donrsquo;t be a coward!"
Chapter 40
SOMEONE HAD OUTTHOUGHT him, Ming realized, switching off the comm after a clipped discussion with Henry Scott. There werenrsquo;t many people on the planet capable of doing that, especially when it involved military strategy.
Sienna Lauren was on the shortlist.
Hersquo;d suspected she was alive ever since hersquo;d seen the report filed by one of Henryrsquo;s men, flagging a curious psychic energy pulse inside SnowDancer territory. The description of that pulse hadnrsquo;t sounded odd to Mingmdash;it described the power of an X. While his team had failed to get the SnowDancers to admit to offering sanctuary to Psy defectors, todayrsquo;s events further strengthened his suspicions.
If Sienna had lasted this long, the girl had either figured out a way to circumvent the inevitable consequences of the X-marker, or she was about to go completely active. Since the former had never before been done, Ming was betting on the latter. Which meant everyone in the world would soon know if Sienna Lauren was alive. And Henry would get what he wanted after allmdash;carnage on a scale that would dwarf anything the Council had ever done.
Chapter 41
GOD, SHE MADE him angry. Two hours after the confrontation by the pool, Hawke remained pissed at Sienna. Maybe he shouldrsquo;ve felt some softer emotionmdash;perhaps even pitymdash;because she was asking for something he couldnrsquo;t give, would never be able to give. But the fact of the matter was, shersquo;d made him steaming mad, and that was how he stayed. The only good thing was that driven by angry energy, hersquo;d canvassed almost everyone involved in making sure the pack was ready for any further assaults.
Riley had a few things he wanted to double-check, but hersquo;d already adapted the rotation schedule to take the injured into accountmdash;and Matthias was on his way to the den with a unit of skilled fighters, as well as a sniper team trained by Alexei. The group was flying in under the radar by hopping onto a private plane owned by Nikita Duncan. Even if the enemy realized Nikita was assisting the changelings, the planersquo;s true ownership was hidden behind so many sub-corporations that no one would give it more than a cursory glance. Territorially speaking, the other lieutenants would cover Matthiasrsquo;s sector.
Indigorsquo;s novices were drilled and well able to provide the necessary support if needed, while Riaz had inventoried their weapons and pronounced that everything was in pristine shape. In the best news of the day, the techs had found enough in the wreckage of the Psy stealthcraft that theyrsquo;d complete the modifications to the packrsquo;s air-detection systems tonight, plugging that security hole.
DarkRiver, too, had locked its defenses. Mercyrsquo;s and Rileyrsquo;s work together meant that instead of doubling up, the packs would function as a single cohesive unit in any attack. According to Lucas, Nikita and Anthony had provided lists of their people who might prove helpful in any skirmish. The two Councilors would also utilize their own psychic abilities to assist.
"If it looks like the Scotts are going to hit San Francisco," Hawke said on the phone to the leopard alpha, "we position the Psy there." There was no way to evacuate the entire population of the city, which meant theyrsquo;d have a higher risk of sustaining casualties.
"Are you sure?" Lucas didnrsquo;t sound convinced. "Henryrsquo;s going to throw his strongest at SnowDancer."
"Wersquo;ve got weapons and a sizeable number of trained people." The leopards had charge of city security, but even they couldnrsquo;t cover all of the vulnerable. "It might also free up some of my people."
"Irsquo;ll have Vaughn work Anthonyrsquo;s and Nikitarsquo;s people into the cityrsquo;s defenses, get back to you."
Everything, Hawke thought as he hung up, was either ready, or would be by tomorrow. Now, it was just a case of keeping an eye on the enemy and being ready to move when they struck.
There was no longer an "if."
"I think," Judd said to him a half hour later, as they stood watching a group of novices and younger soldiers complete the training run at night, "we should blow the South American compound soon."
Hawke tracked Sienna with icy focusmdash;she didnrsquo;t have a wolfrsquo;s natural night vision, but she was doing more than fine with the night-vision lenses strapped around her head. "Movement?"
"Theyrsquo;re approximately a day, two at most, from completing the runway. Weapons are being shifted into the hangar for loading."
Hawke knew Judd had rigged the hangar, so that wouldnrsquo;t be a problem. "Jem sent in a report out of Los Angeles an hour ago," he said, frowning as Tai accidentally slammed into Sienna and they both tumbled into the mud below. Lara had healed the young malersquo;s fractured arm, the injury minor enough that it hadnrsquo;t strained resources she needed to focus on the more badly hurt. "Looks like the Scotts mightrsquo;ve gotten in more weapons and troops than we thought via the shipping routes."
"Means they wonrsquo;t be hobbled by losing the camp."
"No, but it will have an impact, and more important, therersquo;s a strong chance itrsquo;ll spur them to strike. If we can get them to do that before theyrsquo;re ready, itrsquo;ll be to our advantage." He tracked Tai and Sienna as they joined forces to get over a stubborn obstacle. "Push the switch when you think it the best time, just give us enough warning that we can hunker down for an assault."
Judd nodded at the training run. "Yoursquo;ve factored Sienna into the equation?"
Claws raked along the inside of his skin, drawing blood. "I donrsquo;t want her giving herself away unless itrsquo;s necessary."
"But yoursquo;re not disregarding her?"
"Irsquo;m not an idiot."
Judd raised a shoulder in a shrug. "It happens with predatory changeling malesmdash;you do tend to be protective."
"Look whorsquo;s talking."
"Why do you think I fit in so well?"
Hawke called Sienna into his office forty minutes later, after shersquo;d had a chance to clean up. "Here," he said, tapping a spot on the map and restraining the urge to snarl at the memory of the words shersquo;d flung at him by the pool. "If there is an attack, you stand here, and you do not engage unless I give the order."
A crisp nod, no defiance. "You want to keep me as a surprise gambit as long as possible. I understand." Her words were calm, practicalmdash;as if theyrsquo;d never had that fight.
His wolf peeled its lips back over predator-sharp teeth. "Pretending to be Silent, baby? Too late for that."
Flame, dangerous and hypnotic, crawled over the black of her eyes. "Would you prefer I act the part of a hysterical female so you can write me off?"
He gripped the edge of his desk. "Careful."
"Why?" A look that might as well have come from a pissed-off female wolf. "Irsquo;m not the one who seems unable to separate work and pleasure."
"Feeling bratty tonight, are you?" It satisfied some deep part of him that hersquo;d gotten her riled up so fastmdash;he would never allow or accept distance from his woman.
"Donrsquo;t." An unexpectedly serious response. "Donrsquo;t lessen my opinions by calling me a brat. And you know, donrsquo;t call me baby either."
"If you think you can lsquo;handlersquo; me, Sienna," he said as the animal prowled to the surface of his mind, "yoursquo;re looking at the wrong wolf."
"Can we get back to work?" Cool words that ruffled his fur the wrong way.
SIENNA didnrsquo;t know how it happened. One minute, she was fighting off the blade of dissonance as she stared at the large, territorial map on Hawkersquo;s desk, with him on the other side, and the next he had a grip on her waist and was pulling her onto the solid bulk of the desk with a speed and strength that left her breathless. She found herself kneeling on the dark wood, her hands on his shoulders what felt like a millisecond later.
"You canrsquo;t justmdash;" But his hand was already on the back of her head, and she was being kissed until she couldnrsquo;t breathe. Gasping in air when he drew back for the barest instant, she tried to prepare herself for the next kiss . . . but of course, there was way no way to prepare for Hawke.
Hersquo;d touched her with exquisite tenderness when hersquo;d brought her to pleasure this morning, but at this instant, he was pure demanding wolf, nipping at her lower lip, sucking at her upper one, stroking his tongue inside her mouth until she knew shersquo;d carry the taste of him into her very dreams. As for his hands, one fisted in her hair, the other gripping her hipmdash;proprietary didnrsquo;t even come close.
The temptation to submit was crushing. Shersquo;d wanted him for so long, and now that hersquo;d given her the right to touch him, to hold him, she had to fight with her own hunger not to grab at the crumbs he offered. Maybe he was right, maybe they would never matemdash;but she knew, she knew, that this man with his beautiful wild heart was capable of giving far more than he was willing to risk.
Wrenching away her head, she twisted out of his hold using a trick Indigo had taught her and ended up on her feet on the other side of the desk. "Hawke, therersquo;smdash;" !! The wordless warning from the primal part of her brain slammed through her a fraction too latemdash;he was already launching himself over the desk and toward her.
Instinct punched to the surface, and she found shersquo;d formed a wall of cold fire between them. He skidded to a halt on the other side, then angled his head in a move that was distinctly not human, touched his finger to the fire. A hissing breath, those wolf-pale eyes meeting hers through the rippling sheet of crimson flame licked with yellow. "You burned me."
"Well," she said, shoving tangled strands of hair off her face as her heart thudded double-time, "you didnrsquo;t seem to be willing to listen to reason."
Not giving her any warning, he thrust his arm through the cold fire. But shersquo;d already doused it and was out the door . . . to run headlong into a very hard, very wide male chest.
"Hey there, darling. Careful now." Strong, unfamiliar hands on her shoulders.
Feeling Hawke exit the office, she took her chances and twisted around behind the solid bulk of the man she belatedly recognized as Matthias, all dark, dark eyes and rich brown skin shaped over a face that held hints of so many cultures, it was impossible to define him as anything but stunning. The big lieutenant gave her an odd look but shifted to intercept Hawke when he went to move around Matthias.
Saying a silent thank-you, Sienna took to her heels. It was self-preservation. In his current mood, Hawke might get her to agree to anything he wanted . . . even an existence in which she would forever be second best.
WALKER was on his way out of the infirmary after having had a late dinner with Lara, when he saw Kieran about to head in. The handsome young soldier carried a bouquet of colorful blooms.
"Are those for Lara?" He didnrsquo;t move out of the doorway.
"Yeah. I thought since shersquo;s been working so hard, it might be nice for her to have these in her office." A flashing smile. "Do you think shersquo;ll like them?"
Walker didnrsquo;t have to think about his answer. "She wonrsquo;t be getting a chance to see them."
Kieran mightrsquo;ve been human, but hersquo;d grown up in a wolf pack. His gaze went flat with challenge. "How about we let Lara decide."
"No." Walker held the other manrsquo;s distinctive gray-green eyes until Kieran jerked his head away.
"Fuck." Fingers crushing the slender stems in his grip, he thrust the bouquet onto Walkerrsquo;s chest. "You might be more dominant, but I will skin you if you donrsquo;t treat her the way she should be treated."
As Kieran stalked away, Walker looked at the crumpled flowers in his grasp and considered why hersquo;d felt compelled to keep the other man from getting anywhere near Lara. Kieran had only been trying to look after her in his own way. Except, Walker realized, he didnrsquo;t want anyone else looking after the SnowDancer healer. Bringing her dinner when she worked late, making sure she got enough sleep, holding her when she cried, those were Walkerrsquo;s responsibilities.
. . . you donrsquo;t have any other rightsmdash;you didnrsquo;t want them . . . They belong to the man with whom Irsquo;ll build a life, have children.
Shersquo;d been furious the night shersquo;d thrown those words at him but that made them no less true. So . . . either he backed off right now, or he asked for the rights hersquo;d once rejected. There was no guarantee shersquo;d say yes. In fact, there was a high chance she would refuse, having moved on in her personal life.
His hands clenched around the already bruised stems in his grasp.
HAWKE growled at Matthias as he sensed Sienna disappearing down the corridor. "Get the hell out of my way," he said to the big lieutenant.
Matthias folded those arms, which were the size of small tree trunks, and sighed. "Irsquo;m only looking out for your dignity. Chasing women down the corridors is not done."
"Irsquo;ll chase whomever I want." But the wolfrsquo;s temper was retreating.
Matthias grinned. "Pretty little thing, your Psy. And fast. Whatrsquo;d she do to get you in a hunting kind of mood?"
"None of your business." Scowling, he jerked his head toward the office. "Since you refuse to leave."
Matthias ambled in. "Nice to be here, even under these circumstances."
"Your team?"
"Primed and ready to go." Matthias raised an eyebrow at the mess on Hawkersquo;s desk but didnrsquo;t comment. "They know den territory, but Irsquo;ve got them doing a run to refamiliarize themselves."
"Good. Make sure they donrsquo;t overdo itmdash;I have a feeling the shit is going to hit the fan sooner rather than later, and I want them rested."
"Irsquo;ve told them an hour, no more." Smoothing out a wrinkled map after picking it up off the floor, Matthias put it on Hawkersquo;s desk with pointed care. "Alexei says his snipers are ready if we can set them in position ahead of time. Theyrsquo;re not trained to get themselves through enemy fire yet."
Hawke nodded. "Riaz can handle that." The lieutenant was an excellent sharpshooter.
"Have you made a decision about the den?" Matthias asked, his expression now devoid of any humor.
"It canrsquo;t fall." Even if SnowDancer survived, seeing the enemy in their home would savage them. "We blow it up if necessary."
"Irsquo;m not going to argue. No one will."
"Yeah, but letrsquo;s make sure it doesnrsquo;t come to that by kicking their asses."
As it happened, things didnrsquo;t go quite as expected.
"Some kind of viral infection," Judd said to him the next day. "Eighty percent of the troops in the Pure Psy compound are down. From the medical chatter the techs were able to intercept, it looks like the bugrsquo;s going to lay them out for three, maybe four days."
"Confirmed?"
"Yes. Henryrsquo;s not playing us."
"We could hit the compound now," Indigo said when he pulled his lieutenantsmdash;and Drewmdash;together for a meeting. "Force Henry to move."
"Yeah, but we still havenrsquo;t discovered the weapons cache in the city," Riaz pointed out. "This could be our chance. Henryrsquo;s people might get sloppy because of the delay."
"If we donrsquo;t find that cache," Judd said, "and they strike, what they have in there could give them a decisive advantage."
In the end, it was decided that since eliminating the compound now as opposed to later didnrsquo;t give either pack any tactical advantage, theyrsquo;d hold off and spend the extra time intensifying the search for the weapons. "If we do locate the cache," Riaz said, "the teams need to know not to let on."
Alexei was the first to catch Riazrsquo;s meaning. "If Henry doesnrsquo;t realize the warehouse has been compromised, he wonrsquo;t hesitate to launch the assault even after he loses the Pure Psy compound."
"Yes," Judd said. "Riaz is right. Henry and his supporters wonrsquo;t mobilize if he feels theyrsquo;re at too much of a disadvantage."
That was not an option they wanted Henry to consider, because fact was, the packs couldnrsquo;t remain at "red" status forever. It would wear out their people, leave them vulnerable when the assault did come.
"Irsquo;ll brief our teams and the Rats, too," Indigo said, then glanced at Judd. "I meant to askmdash;can Tks rsquo;port in with bombs?"
"Components, yes. Functional bombs, no. Theyrsquo;re too unstable and tend to go off during the teleport."
"The vulnerable," Jem said to Hawke after Judd finished speaking. "You still planning to wait to evacuate them?"
Hawke nodded. "Less chance of Henry discovering their location and changing the focus of his attack."
"Irsquo;ve been talking with Mercy," Riley said as Jem nodded, "and we both realized that therersquo;s a last-ditch alternative if something goes wrong and we canrsquo;t get the children and elders a good distance away." He pulled up a holographic map that showed the abandoned subway tunnels beneath San Francisco. "We get them down to the citymdash;Rats will make sure the enemy never finds them."
Indigo shuddered. "Wolves inside those narrow tunnels? In the dark?"
"We can tell them itrsquo;s an adventure." Rileyrsquo;s voice was pragmatic. "The elders will make sure the young ones are okay. And itrsquo;s not dark. The Rats have a nice setup down theremdash;better than yoursquo;d believe."
"My wolfrsquo;s not a fan, but itrsquo;s a good plan to have in hand," Hawke said, then looked around at his men and women. "Wersquo;ll not only survive this, wersquo;ll come out of it stronger than we went in, because we have something the enemy canrsquo;t imagine: heart."
RILEY waited until after Hawke had left the room with Andrewmdash;whorsquo;d been told to make certain the alpha was the first to leavemdash;before speaking. "I realize this isnrsquo;t the best time," he said, "but we need to do something for Hawke." He told them his idea. "It needs to be finished before everything goes to shit. He deserves that much after everything hersquo;s done for the pack." They hadnrsquo;t had time before, but the virus had just given them at least a three-day reprieve.
"He deserves a hell of a lot more," Indigo said to a round of nods, then grinned. "Hersquo;ll fight better when hersquo;s not in such a bad mood anyway."
Matthias shook his head. "I dunno, feral and mean is how I like him." But it was clear he was joking. "Tactically speaking, wersquo;re setmdash;so, hell yeah, we can take a few hours to complete this project."
"The packrsquo;s morale could use a boost, too," Riaz pointed out. "Once word gets out about this . . ." His smile was broad.
Judd rose to his feet. "It isnrsquo;t a done deal, you understand." Quiet, solemn words.
"We know." Tipping back his chair, Riaz met the other lieutenantrsquo;s eyes. "But we have to hope. None of us likes the alternative."
Loneliness, Riley thought, absolute and unending, that was the alternative. No life for any wolf, but particularly not for an alpha whorsquo;d given his blood, his sweat, and his soul to the pack since hersquo;d been little more than a child. "Then we begin in an hour. I ordered the materials two weeks ago." Just in case.
Chapter 42
THE GHOST LOOKED down at what hersquo;d uncovered. To say that it was an unexpected development would be a distinct understatement. The next question, of course, was what he planned to do with his discovery.
He could let things lie in peace. No one would ever know. Nothing would change. That might be to his advantage. After all, there was a reason for this secret, things the Council didnrsquo;t want the world to knowmdash;but didnrsquo;t want to lose, either. He could take and use that knowledge for himself.
Hunkering down beside the long, rectangular glass box coated with over a century of grime, he considered what Judd would say when he told him there was no second Eldridge manuscript.
Chapter 43
HAWKE WENT LOOKING for Sienna after the meeting because he could do nothing less. He found her sitting cross-legged in the White Zone with a sniffling pup in her arms. "Shh," she said. "He didnrsquo;t mean it. You know he didnrsquo;t."
More sniffles.
She stroked her fingers through the puprsquo;s soft brownish fur. "Do you want to stay with me?"
A decisive nod.
Smiling, Sienna bent to kiss the top of that furred head. "Well, you can, but you know, I canrsquo;t hide as good as your friends. I canrsquo;t howl either." Her head lifted. "Look whorsquo;s come to ask you to play."
The pup pricked his ears, raised his head. Another pup shuffled over, gave an inviting "yip," and nuzzled at his friend. As Hawke watched, Sienna murmured something to both of them, and the two pups touched noses before the one in her lap wriggled up and ran off with his playmate.
"You never talk to me as sweetly," he murmured, coming to crouch behind her.
A jerk and he knew she wouldrsquo;ve gotten up if he hadnrsquo;t slid his legs to either side of her, locking his arms around her body. "Here."
Sienna looked down at the box on Hawkersquo;s palm and felt her frustrated anger crumble like so much dust. The box was open, and it held a small mechanical toymdash;a merry-go-round in motion, tiny lights flashing along the fluted roof and on the posts. There were five horses, each unique and painted in a vibrant splash of color. "This is one of yours," she said, knowing he wouldnrsquo;t have had time to go to the toyshop.
"Now itrsquo;s yours." A kiss on her neck as the toy wound down. "Take it."
Her nipples beaded against the cotton of her bra. "I canrsquo;t." He was doing it again, razing her defenses to steal her heart.
Teeth nipping at the sensitive lobe of her ear, making her jump. "Donrsquo;t you like it?"
"You know I do." She touched a careful finger to the detailed face of a black horse with a blue and gold saddle. "But itrsquo;s yours."
He put it on the grass beside them. "Irsquo;ll just leave it here then."
Stubborn, stubborn man. She knew hersquo;d go through with it, too. "Why?" she whispered. "Why are you giving this to me? Why are you here when yoursquo;re angry at me?"
A long, quiet breath, his arms hugging her against the muscled breadth of a chest shersquo;d ached with missing last night. "I donrsquo;t want to hurt you, baby. Never would I hurt youmdash;but I canrsquo;t give you what I donrsquo;t have to give."
A single tear trickled down her cheek at that solemn statement raw with tenderness. Her heart, her damned vulnerable heart, had been his from the day she understood what it was he incited within her. She had no true shields against him. Never had. Never would. "Then give me everything else," she whispered, because while she could fight a ghost, she couldnrsquo;t fight the truth in his voice. "Give me not only your joy, but also your sorrow, your hurt. Treat me asmdash;" She hesitated, because the word mate was a painful wound between them.
"mdash;as my partner, as mine."
"Yes." Maybe she would always be second best, but pride was no defense against the soul-deep need she had to claim him, be claimed by him. And if a part of her heart broke at the acceptance, she was old enough to put it away, where it wouldnrsquo;t poison the life she could have with this man who was, and always would be, her one and only.
"My fatherrsquo;s name was Tristan," Hawke said, the words rusty and cracked with age as he rose and pulled Sienna up with him to a more private part of the forest. She was right. They would never have the mating bond, but they could build their own, strong as steel and as unbreakable. "He was taken while he was on solitary watch in the mountains."
Tristan had been a lone wolf before he mated, but afterward, hersquo;d preferred to remain near his mate, had grumbled about being away. Beyond the primal draw of the mating bond, his parents had loved each other and their son. Hawke had grown up petted and secure of his place in the world, but not spoiled, not with a lieutenant for a father. At four years of age, he remembered thinking, Thatrsquo;s who I want to be when I grow up.
"My mother," he continued, despite the rock of memory crushing his chest, "felt something through the mating bond on the second day, so Garrick sent out a search party. By the time they found him"mdash;found his strong, proud fathermdash;"hersquo;d been missing a week, and it appeared hersquo;d had a bad fall. He recovered from the wounds fast enough, but he came back . . . damaged." The only time Tristan had touched his son after his return from the mountains was as he lay bleeding to death on the snow. "He attacked Garrick two weeks later."
Siennarsquo;s hand spread out over his heart, as if she would shield him. "They programmed him to assassinate your alpha."
"Yes. He was the final one taken." That knowledge had maddened him as a boymdash;until he understood that his father had been a dominant, a protector, wouldrsquo;ve never wanted anyone else to suffer in his place. "Therersquo;d been trouble in the pack on and off for over two years. Pack members acting erratic, constant fights that led to deaths, men getting violent against their women." To this day, the idea of it agitated his wolf. "That isnrsquo;t who we are, who we ever were."
"No." Sienna lifted up her head, such intense empathy on her face that it seemed impossible shersquo;d once been Silent. "It had to do with the experiment, didnrsquo;t it?"
He tightened his arms around her. "They wanted to see if they could erode the bonds that held a changeling pack together by pressing on lsquo;key factorsrsquo; until the pack imploded." The bastards had broken juveniles as well as adults, poisoned so many good men and women.
"It was designed by a small fringe group of scientists." In the end, that was what had saved SnowDancer, because the survivors had been able to cut off the head of the evil before the data was passed on to the higher echelons. "They werenrsquo;t Council, but they felt free to treat us like lab animals because the Council at the time made it clear that thatrsquo;s what they considered us."
Sienna wrapped her arms around him in the fiercest of embraces.
Widening his stance, he tucked her impossibly closer. "My father, he went out saying lsquo;fuck yoursquo; to the bastards." A grim smile. "During the fight, when another one of the turned tried to shoot Garrick, he shifted to take the bullet." It had been too late though, the alpharsquo;s injuries severe enough that their already weak healer had been unable to save him.
Sienna shook her head against him. "He mustrsquo;ve been extraordinarily strong to fight the compulsion enough to do that."
"Yes." His father had clawed back his honor at the very end and, in so doing, taught Hawke to never, ever surrender.
"I am so proud of you." Tristanrsquo;s final words to his son as Hawke knelt beside him on the bloodstained snow, his hand gripping his fatherrsquo;s in angry desperation.
Then, as blood continued to pulse out of his chest, Tristan had met his matersquo;s tender kiss, whispered, "Until the next life, my love."
"My mother, Aren, simply couldnrsquo;t function after he died. She tried so hard, but one day, she went to sleep and didnrsquo;t wake up." Always for him, the joy hersquo;d felt in his parentsrsquo; arms would be forever bound with echoes of pain, of loss.
Sienna, this Psy whorsquo;d lost her own mother, rose up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck in silent comfort, her cheeks tear-wet against his own when he bent to meet her halfway. Hawke had never cried for the loss of his parents. Not as a boy. Not as a man. Now, as he buried his face in a fall of silk as dark as midnight rubies, the wolf raised its head in a silent, mournful howl.
WALKER closed the door to the medical storage room behind himself and glanced down the packed rows. According to Lucy, Lara was in here somewhere.
"Walker?" A tumble of corkscrew curls as she leaned out from where she appeared to be sitting on the floor. "Is that coffee I smell?"
Wanting to smile at the greed in her voice, when smiling remained an act that didnrsquo;t come naturally to him, he went down on one knee beside her. "What are you doing?"
"Inventory," she said with a groan, leaning her head against his chest. "I want to double-check we have all the essential supplies since we have a fraction more room to breathe."
He passed her the coffee, watched her drink. As always, it caused an inexplicable sensation in his chest to know that he was caring for her. "Enough?"
She nodded. "Thanks."
Putting the mug on a shelf above her, he fought the compulsion to thrust his hands into the silken warmth of her curls, pull her close. Lara was changeling, and changelings needed touch, needed sensual contact. The incident with Kieran had made him realize he didnrsquo;t want any other man looking after Lara in that arena either.
"Walker?" Lara lifted a questioning eyebrow.
"Are you dating anyone right now?"
She went immobile. "No." Her answer hung in the air.
"I want those rights, Lara." If she said no, Walker had the sudden realization that he wouldnrsquo;t back off like a civilized man.
He saw from the way she sucked in a breath that she understood the reference. "You already have most of those rights as my friend. What would change?"
He was no wolf, but he didnrsquo;t need to be to understand the challenge from her changeling heart. It was instinct to drop his head, to tug at her hair and arch her neck, to take her lips with his own. Hersquo;d never kissed a woman before Laramdash;such things were simply not done in the PsyNet. He found, however, that he understood the mechanics of it quite well even after a single prior experience.
Lararsquo;s lips were soft under his, and they parted on a gasp when he ran his tongue along the seam. She tasted of a sweet femininity that was already tied to his thoughts of her, but there was a hint of something darker beneath, a deep vein of sensuality. It made him hunger. If, he thought, he planned to be selfish and keep her all to himself in spite of the fact that he wasnrsquo;t in any way good enough for her, he might as well indulge.
Tugging her more firmly against him, he stroked his tongue to hers, felt her hands clench against his chest, her body strain against his own. He repeated the act, wanting to incite further caresses from her. This time, Lara moaned, a low, pleasure-drenched sound that made his erection tighten to a near-painful level.
When she pushed at him, he frowned but released her. Seeing she needed to gasp in a breath, he allowed her a moment, then took her mouth again. No wonder changelings and humans were so greedy with this act. It created the most decadent sensations, especially with Lararsquo;s fine-boned jaw under his fingertips, the little sounds she made in her throat humming over his skin.
She pushed again, and he wouldrsquo;ve stopped only long enough to allow her to draw in air again except that she put her fingers over his mouth. "Walker, stop."
He went motionless. "No?"
"No, I mean, yes. Wait." Shoving her hands through her hair, Lara took several rough breaths in an effort to get her mind back into gear. "I need to know exactly what yoursquo;re asking for, what yoursquo;re offering," she said. "No blurred lines."
"A permanent, exclusive relationship," he said without an instantrsquo;s pause, his eyes locked on her. "Me and you."
"You have to be sure." She was so vulnerable to him that he could destroy her. "This isnrsquo;t something we can come back from."
"Irsquo;m certain." An implacable look. "Do you need time to come to a decision?"
It wouldrsquo;ve been smarter to say yes, to allow them both to cool off. But she was a predatory changeling wolf with a man shersquo;d craved for so long, a man who was offering himself to her in a way dominant men rarely did. She tugged him down with her hands in his shirt.
His mouth took control within seconds.
There was no knowing how long he might have kept on tasting her if there hadnrsquo;t been a knock at the door, a yelled-out request for assistance. Her lips were wet when they parted, her breath coming in jerky gasps, his eyes translucent green in the low light inside the storeroom.
"What kind of flowers do you like?"
"Amaryllis," Lara had said in response to that out-of-the-blue question, and now, only hours later, what did she have on her desk but a vase of glorious blooms red as velvet cake and as luxuriant.
Swinging past the office, Lucy backtracked, whistled. "The quiet ones always have the best surprises up their sleeves."
Quiet. Yes, Walker was quiet. He was also a very fast learner. Her fingers lifted to her lips, dropped guiltily when she saw the clock and figured out shersquo;d been mooning over the flowers for ten minutes. But she couldnrsquo;t resist one last touch.
Walker had kissed her.
Walker had sent her flowers.
Walker was courting her.
"Lara."
She jumped as his voice came to life behind her, and knocked a crystal paperweight to the floor. The green and blue spiral, which Ava had brought back from New Zealand, smashed into at least five different pieces. "Damn."
"I startled you. I apologize." Hunkering down, he began to pick up the fragments.
Her hand went to his shoulder without her conscious volition, spreading on the flex of muscle. "I shouldrsquo;ve scented you but"mdash;his head lifting, the look in his eyes stealing her breathmdash;"the flowers are so beautiful. I was distracted."
All the pieces in his hand, he rose. "I can fix this for you."
"Donrsquo;t worry about it," she said, her wolf quivering with impatience to know why hersquo;d come. "Once broken, some things canrsquo;t be fixed. Irsquo;d rather you spend that time with me."
