Tangle of Need

They both had the same quiet, unflashy confidence intertwined with an earthy warmth, the same sense of being a rock in the storm. Sienna didn’t know the pack as well as Hawke did, but she had the gut-deep feeling Adria would soon become one of the unspoken anchors in the den, a woman people went to for levelheaded advice given without judgment or pity.

As she said, “Have a nice night,” and headed off, she saw Adria’s smile fade, to be replaced by a much more stark expression, her eyes going the amber of her wolf. And it struck her that perhaps, the protective armor of someone like Adria was the hardest of all to penetrate—because she gave the appearance of being an open book … until no one was even aware of the tangled emotions that might lie beneath.





Chapter 11


VASQUEZ’S GREATEST SKILL was in going unnoticed. It was part of why Councilor Henry Scott had handpicked him to lead the Pure Psy army before the confrontation with the changelings. The fact Vasquez had survived that annihilation spoke both to his intelligence and his ability to come out on top in any given situation.

And the fact he continued to support Pure Psy even as civil war loomed in the PsyNet spoke to his belief that Silence was their race’s only hope for survival. His dedication to the cause had nothing to do with something as useless and debilitating as emotion, for his conditioning was flawless, and everything to do with history: Who had the Psy been before Silence?

A broken race on the verge of extinction, murderous and insane.

Now, they ruled the world … or had done until the changelings gained a clawhold on power. Even the humans were stirring. All as a result of a weak Council, its members ineffectual in holding back the tide of the lesser races. That Council was no longer an issue, and Vasquez had a new set of orders.

Repeating them back to ensure he’d understood correctly, he nodded to the person who had given him those orders. “I believe we have three operatives capable of undertaking the task, but I want to watch each carefully, do another deep background check before I consider which one to approach. We must be certain of the operative’s commitment.”

Good. No mistakes this time.

Responding verbally to the telepathic statement, he said, “No. This time, even an X will be powerless to stop us.”





Chapter 12


“NEXT TIME YOU decide to stay in the city to attend a lecture series,” Sienna told Evie when she arrived at the den to find the youngest Riviere woman waiting for her, “take your cell phone.”

Evie wrinkled her nose. “Tai already growled at me for forgetting when he picked me up yesterday.”

“I doubt it—Tai lets you get away with murder.”

“He did.” Evie folded her arms, but her lips were twitching. “Thank God. I was beginning to wonder if he planned to treat me like porcelain forever.”

Sienna snorted. “Poor Tai’s going to get a rude awakening the first time he realizes you have a spine of steel.” Evie had an internal strength that’d take her through any storm.

“He knows,” Evie said, unhidden tenderness in her deep gray eyes. “He’s also a dominant male, so he thinks he’ll always be able to get his own way if he pushes hard enough.”

“I know all about that.”

Evie’s laughter wrapped around them before her best friend linked her arm through Sienna’s. “How about—” She bit off her words. “I was going to say how about we grab some food from the kitchen and go to your quarters, but you have a mate now.” A look of pure delight.

“Hawke’s not in the den.” He was in a meeting with Lucas, Nikita, Anthony, and Nikita’s security chief, Max. She knew that because he’d detoured on his way out of den territory to kiss her, their bodies pressing chest to toe in that affectionate changeling way she’d once envied in other couples. It was utterly as wonderful as she’d thought it would be.

“Meeting was meant to be tomorrow,” he’d told her, his breath a hot caress against her lips. “But Nikita”—a growling tone—“has to head urgently out of the city to sort out a business situation, so it’s been brought forward. Normally, I wouldn’t care if she lost some of her billions, but it might affect a workforce of a thousand-plus.”

“Are you getting together to do a security review?” Everyone in the region had worked together to repel Pure Psy, and that cooperation continued in the aftermath.

“Yes. The present calm’s no excuse to let down our guard. Especially with what’s apparently happening in the PsyNet.”

Putting aside—for tonight at least—the solemn knowledge that what was coming would likely be far worse than what had already gone, Sienna glanced at Evie. “Come on, there’s food in the galley in our quarters.”

“Tell me you have snacks,” Evie said after they’d entered. “We’ll be healthy and have vegetables later.”