CARESSED BY ICE

A movement in the forest. Her heart leaped in her throat, followed by predatory calm. No one will touch him. Her claws pushed at the edges of her skin as her eyes focused on the source of the sound, every instinct primed to defend her mate.

The wolf that emerged was almost invisible against the snow, his pelt a thick silver-gold that acted like camouflage. Relaxing from her offensive stance, she returned her attention to Judd as Hawke shifted to human form and came to kneel on Judd’s other side. “You didn’t signal for attention.”

She shook her head and met his eyes. “He’s exactly like you.”

“Hell, I know that. I expected you to have better sense.” A sharp reproof. “How long?”

“Three hours.”

“Can we move him?”

“I think so.” But she wasn’t going to risk it. “I don’t know if there was any . . . damage.” Brain damage. He was Psy—they were their minds, and things that erupted from the mind outward had the ability to destroy them. “Moving him might make it worse.”

Hawke’s eyes flashed to pure danger. “The damn Psy is too stubborn to die. Keep him alive while I get Walker and some heating sheets.”

“Go.” Brenna kept her hands on Judd’s cheeks. “I’ll be here.”

Hawke left without anything further, disappearing into the woods in a flash of silver-gold. With his speed, help would be on the way in under half an hour. But what could Walker do? He wasn’t a Psy medic and even if he had been, what medic could possibly see inside a mind as guarded as her Psy’s? She knew his shields to be impenetrable.

Not against you.

Her breath caught. She wondered if the cold was starting to affect her brain. “Judd?”

I’m here. I have to repair some damage before I rise to full consciousness.

That sounded too much like him to be her imagination. “Damage?” she whispered.

Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be fully functional. A definite sensual emphasis on those last two words.

She wanted to thump him for worrying her so, but what stopped her was the open affection in his mental tones. She’d never heard that in his voice. But now he was speaking to her without any barriers . . . trusting her with everything he was. Swallowing, she wiped the backs of her hands across her eyes. “You idiot. I’ll damage you myself if you don’t shut up and hurry.”

Male laughter in her mind. He sounded just as she’d always thought he’d sound if he laughed—arrogant, a touch bad, and drop-dead gorgeous. I can hear your thoughts.

“Then stop listening.” But she was too happy to worry. And . . . this was Judd. He had under-the-skin privileges. “How can we talk like this anyway? None of the others can.” Not that she’d seen.

I’m a high-level telepath. I could always send, even to very weak receivers, and you’re not weak.

A small silence. “What did Enrique do?” She’d been avoiding the issue after no one had seemed to be able to give her any answers, but now Judd was in the one place she had vowed to never allow another being. And it felt right. “Tell me, I’m ready.”

I don’t know what his intention was, but it looks like he might have opened your mind in a way it was never meant to be opened. That’s why you’ve been picking up fragments of others’ thoughts and dreams, why you’ve been acting out of character. I need to teach you to shield, not like a changeling but like a Psy. Until you can, I’ll shield you.

“Well, if we can talk like this, at least some good came out of that.” She dropped a kiss on his forehead. Then frowned. Can I think to you?

Yes. He sounded delighted. Brenna, it’s not just my telepathy and the changes in you that are allowing us to speak. I can see it—a bond like the one to my familial Net, except this one is . . . it’s . . . I’m no poet . . .

A caress whispered through her mind and she knew he wanted her to close her eyes. So she did. A second later, she felt something travel down the bond. It was an image of the bond itself. A stunning kaleidoscope, twisted through with the martial threads of a soldier and the bright, animal sparks that represented her.

A tear streaked down her face. I love you.

You’re mine.

She laughed at the possessive tone. “I’ve always been yours. Now hurry up or the others will find me here talking to myself.”

I told you I didn’t need any help.

“And I told you you’re Pack now.” She would beat that into his head even if it took a lifetime.

He went silent, obviously working. She didn’t interrupt him and when he lifted those dark lashes twenty minutes later, all she could do was smile. “Hey.”

Looking up into her eyes, he raised a hand to close over her nape. “Come here.”

Bending down, she touched her lips to his. Warmth flowed from her to him and then back. The bond pulsed before sparking, sending a small electric shock down her spine. Gasping, she broke the kiss. “I don’t think that’s normal.”