VISIONS OF HEAT

“Then tell me.”


She’d known there would be no easy acceptance from this jaguar stretched out on her bed, all gleaming skin and amber-gold hair. “One thing no one can fake is the reaction of my designation when surrounded by a large number of unshielded individuals. All species have a natural shield, though the changeling shield is far tougher, but the upper layer of the mind, the public self, is almost universally unshielded.”

“Mine?” His jaw tightened.

She shook her head. “You’re fully blocked. That happens with some individuals—an extension of the natural shield. However, in your case I’m guessing Sascha had something to do with it.” He didn’t answer and she felt some unknown thing inside her shrivel. “Not worthy of your trust, right?”

His fingers pressed lightly on her spine. “Trust is earned.”

“I trust you.”

“Do you? Or have you been forced into that position?”

There was no answer she could give him, because she didn’t know. Moving, she felt his fingers fall off her back, but now her toes were nudging his jean-covered thighs. “The public mind,” she began, turning to what was familiar as a means of grounding herself, “throws out a constant bombardment of thought and feeling. All Psy are trained to shield against those random pieces of data, to the extent that most no longer even notice the background chatter. But it’s been well documented that F-Psy, no matter how strong their shields, are affected by those thoughts.”

“Affected how?” His hand slipped under the thin material of her top to lie against her lower spine.

She felt her stomach twist itself into a tight knot. “You must stop touching me.”

“Why?”

“It’s too much.” Especially on top of the betrayals he was asking her to attribute to her own people, her own family. “Please, Vaughn.”

She looked so fragile sitting there, all night-sky eyes and creamy skin. With any other woman, he’d have tugged her down and held her tight. Doing that with Faith, however, might cause her to panic, and right now he didn’t want to make her vulnerable in any sense—the darkness could be waiting for a break in her defenses. But neither could he let her run. “Each time I do what you want, I’m helping your PsyClan and the Council imprison you.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Fear of touch is part of how they manipulate you.”

The arms she had wrapped around her knees seemed to tighten. “If I ask you to break contact because I’m going to go into a seizure or unconsciousness, you have to do it. That’s the only way I’ll let you keep getting closer.”

Satisfaction was his blood. “So you admit you’ve been letting me.”

She cocked her head with a haughtiness that would’ve done any cat proud. “I’m a cardinal. We’re all born with more than our share of powers—I’ve spent the time since our initial meeting working out how to use them in offense.”

“Tell me.”

“No.” Enticing in their confident mischief, her eyes were no longer the cold slate he’d seen that first night. “Why should I show someone I don’t trust—and who doesn’t trust me—my secrets?”

“Ouch.” He traced his fingers up and down her delicate spine. “You know how to go for the throat.”

“It keeps me alive.”

The jaguar didn’t like hearing that, didn’t like the thought of her needing such weapons, because that implied danger. “You have to leave. Find a way to boost your shields so you can deal on the outside and leave.”

Her smile was without any hint of amusement. “I’ll die. That’s an undeniable fact. The second I drop out of the PsyNet and lose the necessary biofeedback, my mind will shut down. Unless you can do for me whatever it is that Lucas does for Sascha.”

“How did you figure that?”

“I’m not stupid, Vaughn. It’s clear there’s some type of psychic connection between the two of them.” She dropped her chin onto hands folded atop her knees. “I can almost touch it, but not quite. It’s as if it’s something outside the Net but brushes by it.”

Every one of his senses went on high alert. If the Psy could pick up the Web that connected the alpha pair to their sentinels, DarkRiver would lose one of its crucial tactical advantages. However, if Faith was unusual, it begged the question why. He had a very good idea of the answer, but the cat never pounced before it was completely certain of success. That was what made him such an efficient hunter.

“And if I were able to bring you out of the Net, do you think you could take me on?” He pressed the pads of his fingers a touch harder against her lower back.

Her spine stiffened. “Don’t push me, cat.”

It was the first time she’d really clawed at him. Intrigued, he spread his palm and slid it up to the curve of her ribs. Her breasts were so close he was having a hell of a time keeping himself from stroking even higher. “Or what?”