by Nalini Singh
It seemed as if he wouldn't answer, but then he said, "If all the strong ones leave, then the Council will be completely without limits. I am precisely where I need to be."
"To do what?" Vaughn asked from behind her.
Anthony looked over her head to the jaguar who was her life. "That, Mr. D'Angelo, is not something you've earned the right to know." He left without another word, escorted out by Clay, who'd been standing watch outside the door.
"Your father is a very interesting man."
Faith turned. "Why do you say that?"
"Psy are hard to judge, but what I can say is that your father doesn't give off the stink most Psy do."
"Me?"
"You smell like my kind of sugar, Red." He grinned at her blush. "I want to lick you up from head to toe."
"We were talking about my father." She scowled, but there was lightning in her bloodstream.
"Your father doesn't stink. You and Sascha don't either." He scowled. "Come to think of it, neither does that damn Psy."
She didn't have to ask him to clarify. There was only one Psy who seemed to make him react so badly. "And?"
Scowl fading, he ran his fingers down her spine. "I have very little evidence to back it up, but I think the bad scent is a marker of complete immersion in Silence. Those who have some conscience left, some spark, some ability to break conditioning, don't smell."
She thought that over and whispered a single, shocking word, "Rebellion?"
"From within? It wouldn't surprise me—your Council's created the perfect environment for it. History paints them as a strong body, but one that had checks and balances. These days they're crossing line after line. Maybe they've crossed too far for some of their own."
"It'll take a long time even if it is happening." Though the commercial world had stayed its hand in regard to Faith, the Council wasn't something to be taken down without taking down Silence. And as Vaughn had pointed out, there were thousands, millions, who were completely conditioned and would die that way.
"It's a start."
She nodded, feeling hope for her people, her race. "Maybe that was why Marine died. Because she was somehow part of a rebellion and they found out." If that was true, then her sister's death hadn't been senseless. Her life had been lost in a battle no one knew was taking place. And she would honor that.
"I want to do the forecasts. As well as generating income for DarkRiver, it'll let me use skills I've spent a lifetime developing. More importantly, it'll allow me to keep in touch with Father." She looked to see how he was taking the news.
"I'm not going to stop you, Red. You're out of the Net. That's what matters."
"Maybe I can help change things from the outside as Father works on the inside." She believed in Anthony, this father she'd never known. Now she had the time and the opportunity. Without monitors, he might begin to trust her and they could speak about many things, perhaps even whispers of rebellion.
Two weeks later, Faith was glad to be alive and with Vaughn. Glad? That didn't begin to describe her utter and complete joy, her feeling of belonging, her delight in being with him. But... "I don't know how to be in this world," she whispered in the sultry darkness of their bed.
He turned to lie on his side, one arm under his head, the other stroking her hip almost absently. "I know, Red." He dropped a kiss on her nose, the gesture bringing a smile to her face. Only with her was he so tender. "I know what it's like to not quite fit. But you're strong. You'll find a way."
She hadn't expected him to say that, to lay the responsibility for her happiness in her own hands. "I've developed the ability to venture out sometimes, but I don't think I can ever live in a populated area."
"Baby, do I look like a city slicker to you?"
Her laugh was startled out of her. "Right. So that isn't going to be a problem?"
"No." The hand on her hip curved over her buttock and slid back.
Her heart kicked against her ribs. "But I want to be able to go into the city for longer periods if necessary. I want to have those shields. I'm working with Sascha and Tamsyn on them." The DarkRiver healer was psychic in a way that neither Psy had ever encountered. She understood the concepts of the Psy, but was not Psy, was utterly changeling, her ability to heal coming from the heart and soul.
Faith was a little intimidated by Tamsyn's strength, but like Sascha, the other woman exuded warmth and kindness. In contrast, Faith knew she appeared cold and standoffish. The leopards didn't offer her the same affection they gave each other, though she'd come to a point where she could bear some touch from others. "I don't know how to be with your pack. I don't think they like me."
"They don't know you," Vaughn said. "Liking comes with knowing. Trust comes with loyalty."
"But you're all so warm. I try, but sometimes ..."
"Red, the pack puts up with Clay. In comparison, you're a barrel of laughs."
She hit his chest with a closed fist. "Be serious."
"I am. DarkRiver has its loners, its quiet ones. They're liked as much as any other member—I'm living proof. Give them your loyalty, give them your heart, and they'll treasure it."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She finally slept. Because Vaughn kept his promises.
At that same instant, a door slammed shut in the dark heart of the PsyNet.
"The situation with Faith NightStar needs to be addressed," Shoshanna said the second the Council was pronounced in session.
"We might have been able to pacify the NightStar Group if you hadn't taken unilateral action," Nikita retorted. "Anthony NightStar holds a substantial amount of power and he's decided to obstruct us."
"How certain is that?" Henry asked.
"The man was a Council candidate soon after my ascension." Marshall's statement was news to Nikita, but she had no doubts as to its veracity. "He turned it down, not because he didn't have the strength, but because he preferred running the NightStar Group. Anthony doesn't like bowing down to anyone."
"If he was a candidate, then he's aware of the realities of Council. Surely he can be talked around," Henry insisted.
"No, he can't." Male, cold, cutting, Kaleb Krychek was the newest member of the Council. "The Scotts' move against his daughter without his prior authorization put him into a situation where his power was questioned. He's reasserting it and will continue to do so. We've lost any goodwill we might've had with the NightStar Group."
A silence as everyone considered the implications of that.
Tatiana was the first to speak. "That is indeed unfortunate. NightStar is one of the leading families. As well as the favors they've done us, the income they control with their various alliances gives us a large portion of our tax revenue."
"Is it possible to remove Anthony NightStar from the equation?"
"Not without attracting the unwelcome attention of several other top-tier families." Nikita usually preferred the clean approach, but it would only cause more problems at this point. "I'm sure everyone understands why we don't want any additional scrutiny right now. We've had two recent incidents." First Enrique and then the Gradient 9 telepath who'd escaped his handlers before being found near a college campus in Napa, his mind permanently compromised.
"Would you care to explain yourself, Shoshanna." Marshall's words weren't a question.
"Someone had to make a move. We should've acted against Faith the second she dropped out of the Net. There was no reason to wait."
"There was every reason." Nikita closed her mental file on the NightStar Group. "She was deep in DarkRiver territory when she cut the link. Have you forgotten that piece of Enrique you got on your pillow only months ago?" The leopards and wolves had announced the former Councilor's death by sending flesh and blood souvenirs to the rest of them.
"If they were going to use what they know, they would've done so by now," was Shoshanna's answer.
"Or they could be sitting on it until it provides the biggest impact." Kaleb sounded nothing like a newcomer, the very r
eason he was Council. "They were right in this case—they had no need to tip their hand. None of us can argue that their point wasn't made."
"They might've taken out six men, but they won't be able to destroy a squadron," Henry responded. "We go in full force, pull her out, and destroy anyone who attempts a retrieval."
"Dental imprinting showed that a single cat executed all six soldiers." Ming broke his silence. "It was confirmed by three different M-Psy. Only one had fired a weapon. We were unable to check for the use of offensive psychic weapons— their brains were too badly crushed."
CHAPTER 27
"It seems that Henry's assertion is incorrect," Kaleb stated. "They could conceivably take out a squadron."
"Faith NightStar isn't worth the loss of so many highly trained men, especially as she's agreed to provide her services through her family group." Ming's glacial mental voice again. "These men are worth millions, both in terms of their training and the work they do for us. Added to the income we'll lose if the businesses implement their tax strike, it's an easy equation."
"We can't allow the changelings to keep getting the better of us." Shoshanna clearly had no intention of conceding defeat. "How does it look if we lose two Psy within months and the most recent was a candidate? The populace is starting to talk."
Kaleb cut into the small pause. "We say she ran when it became clear I had no intention of leaving a rival alive."
"Perfect," Nikita agreed. "F-Psy are known to be mentally weak. A few well-placed rumors will shred her credibility."
"We need to know how the leopards are keeping the two women alive," Tatiana said. "I've heard of no unexplained changeling deaths since Sascha's defection and if she were feeding off them, there would've been at least two by now."
Nikita conceded the other Councilor had a point. "They must have discovered a way to skirt the biofeedback issue."
"I don't think it's that big a problem." Marshall's razor-blade mind. "If they had a foolproof method, we'd have lost more than two."
"I'll put some of our people on it nonetheless," Tatiana said in response. "If we break the connection keeping Sascha and Faith alive, we wipe the issue off the slate."
No one was in opposition.
"Then it's agreed, we don't move on Faith NightStar," Kaleb stated with Tk arrogance, turning against the very Councilor who'd supported his initial nomination. "Any member who moves unilaterally will face eviction from their post."
"You have no right to make that call." Shoshanna's psychic presence was icy with control.
"But we do as a unit. You and Henry appear to be the only ones who disagree; therefore you're in the minority." Marshall, the voice of experience, a Councilor who'd survived many others.
"He's correct." Tatiana. "Faith NightStar cannot be touched."
"I agree." Nikita added her vote.
"Then we have no choice. We concede to the majority." Shoshanna spoke for both Scotts and if there was something a fraction eerie in the way she and her husband moved as one to leave the Council chambers, the Councilors were not close enough to their instinctive core to understand.
"We need to increase security for Councilor Duncan," Kaleb said to the remaining minds.
"There is no need." Nikita had no desire to be seen as weak by any member of this Council. Especially not the newest recruit.
"Then this session is closed."
Several weeks and a hundred new experiences later, Faith found herself sitting in on a meeting at the aerie. As a member of the Web of Stars and Vaughn's mate, she'd gained entrance into a very tightly knit group.
"So, what's next? Nate, you had something." Lucas looked to the oldest sentinel.
"I've got a couple of contenders to take over from me when I step down."
"Which isn't going to be for a while." It was an order from the alpha.
Nate grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not in any hurry. I have a few more years left in me."
"More than a few, darling." Tamsyn blew him a kiss from the cushion beside him.
"But I wanted to put the names forward and see what you thought. The first is Jamie. He's one of the best soldiers we've got and he's proven himself." Nate paused and when no one spoke, he continued, "Then there's Desiree. Girl's got a mind like a razor blade and a tongue as sharp, but she's good and she's loyal."
Something flickered in Faith's consciousness, a quiet limb stretching awake. Curious, she followed it. And when it showed her pain and death, she didn't flinch.
"Any other possibles?" Lucas asked.
"We've got a few who've got some growing to do," Tamsyn muttered. "I swear the juveniles are giving me gray hairs."
"How's Jase?" Dorian asked, and his voice was a distorted rumble in Faith's mind.
"Healed. Until the next..." Tamsyn's voice faded.
Faith gripped her cup tighter, attempting to understand what it was that she was seeing. There was pain, things breaking, such terrible loss, but it wasn't yet set in stone, it wasn't yet done. It was a foretelling and it had nothing to do with business. "Seven children are going to die."
Vaughn went motionless as those words left his mate's mouth. He brushed back her hair so he could see her face—eyes closed, lines of concentration carving sharp grooves in creamy skin. "Faith?"
"Seven children. Not cats. Wolves. Seven wolf children." She was in his arms, but her gift had taken her somewhere, somewhen else. "A part of a tunnel is going to collapse. Tonight. Or early tomorrow morning."
Everyone was listening. Sascha had already passed Lucas his phone. Vaughn stroked Faith's back, relieved at the pulse of love that came down the mating bond. She was traveling to places he couldn't go, but she knew how to come home. "Where, baby? Which part of the tunnels?"
Her eyes scrunched as if she were squinting to make something out. "There's a painting on the stone of a wolf pup sleeping under a tree. Oh, there's another one creeping up on it through the bushes and a third on the branches."
"Jesus," Clay whispered. "It's the nursery where the littlest ones are."
Vaughn, too, remembered the nursery. When DarkRiver had first infiltrated the SnowDancer den to leave their message, "Don't hurt us and we won't hurt you," they'd made sure to place their scent near the nursery, to show that they'd been close to the wolves' most vulnerable and done no harm. There was no greater indication of friendly intent.
Vaughn watched Lucas punch in the SnowDancer alpha's code. The conversation was short, but Hawke apparently took the warning seriously. Lucas was hanging up when Faith shook her head and blinked awake.
"You okay, Red?"
"Yes. I'm fine." She pushed her hand up under his T-shirt to lie against his skin. The jaguar was delighted to be her anchor.
Leaning down, he kissed her, bringing her completely home. "No cascade?"
"No. The new shields are working." Her face grew pensive. "Why the wolves? I don't know them."
"We're bonded to the SnowDancers," Vaughn said, realizing he hadn't explained that aspect of the pack to her. "The blood pact was physically completed soon after Sascha joined us, though we were business allies long before that."
"Oh. I—"
Lucas's phone beeped.
The alpha checked the readout and flipped it open. "Hawke?" A pause. "Pups safe?"
Vaughn could hear the other end of the conversation, but waited until Lucas had hung up to tell Faith. "Hawke said they found a huge crack in one of the walls supporting that area, hidden behind some wall hangings. They're shoring it up as we speak." He nuzzled her neck. "He also said thank you for the warning."
"What about the last part?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.
Vaughn growled. "That wolf likes living dangerously."
"What did he say?" Faith asked, intrigued by the smile on Sascha's face. The other Psy looked like she already knew what Hawke might've said.
"Nothing." Vaughn bit lightly at the shell of her ear, the gesture so possessive that she could feel color attempting to fill her skin. It was at times like this that Psy t
raining came in very useful.
"Tell me." She scratched her nails on the skin of his chest. "What did he say?"
"The damn wolf asked if our F-Psy was pretty. And bloody Lucas said yes." He sounded less human with every word. "So Hawke said he'd kiss your pretty mouth in thanks the next time he saw you."
Everyone except Vaughn was grinning. Even Clay had a small smile on his face. After her initial wariness and in spite of the knowing she'd had about him, Faith had discovered she liked the intense sentinel. She'd invited him to dinner a week ago and, much to Vaughn's surprise, he'd come. And he'd touched her. A slight brush of knuckles against her cheek, it had told her she was accepted. Was Pack.
"Well, he can't," Faith said, not hesitant in front of these cats who lived and loved with wild fury. "Because I only want to be kissed by you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I think I like the wolf if he makes you say things like that."
Laughing, she let him kiss her, allowing it because Vaughn needed her to allow it. He was more openly possessive and dominant than the other males she'd seen with their mates. But that was fine with her. She could bear being thought of as utterly his.
"I used to worry that the dark side of my ability was evil, a materialization of the twinning of the Net," she said to Vaughn as they sat outside near their home. Stars peeked through the thick canopy and the denizens of the forest went about their business, safe in the knowledge that the resident predator was otherwise occupied. "But now I know that though what it shows me can be either good or bad, it in itself isn't evil."
Vaughn, sitting behind her with his arms and legs cradling her, rested his chin on her hair but didn't interrupt. Her cat knew how to listen. It was getting him to talk that was sometimes a problem.
"I haven't come to terms with it completely, but I'm starting to understand what it is I was meant to see, what anyone with my ability is meant to see."
"Your gift, Faith. It's a precious gift."
"Yes." She smiled, liking the word. "What I feel like right now—I'd compare it to waking from a dream and seeing the real world. It's a beautiful place, but it also has darkness. If you try to eradicate that darkness, you also destroy the light." Pain for the future of her people tightened her heart.