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Authors: Nalini Singh
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vow.
Kaleb didn’t reply to that—nothing needed to be said, not between two men who’d fought side by side for so long. “I have to go,” he said instead. “Meeting with Ena Mercant.”
Judd raised an eyebrow. He’d been out of the PsyNet for almost four years, but he had deep links with his fellow Arrows. As a result of that connection and the information to which it gave him access, he knew the Mercants continued to be a shadow power. It was said the family had more moles and puppets in the Net than everyone else combined. Silver Mercant had long been Kaleb’s aide, but Ena Mercant was the reclusive matriarch of the family, one who hadn’t been seen in public for years. “Did you blackmail her?”
“I got an invitation,” Kaleb replied. “I’m considering taking Silver along to taste test any offered food or drink for poisons. Ena has a reputation for ruthless efficiency.”
There it was, that bone-dry sense of humor the majority of the world simply didn’t pick up on, much less understand. Judd knew Kaleb would never be anything
but
gray, but his friend had far more light in him sinceSahara came back into his life. Judd understood what love could do to a man. He, too, had once walked in the darkness, once believed he could be nothing but a murderer, his ability to move the very cells of a body a curse.
It had taken a certain stubborn wolf to teach him different, to remind him that he was a man, that he had a right to a life and to love. Never once had Brenna looked away from the darkness inside him—she’d embraced it as simply another facet of his nature. As Sahara had embraced Kaleb. As they hoped Xavier’s Nina would embrace their friend.
“I’ll send out a search party if you don’t return from your meeting,” he said to Kaleb now. “Though even Arrows agree that if a Mercant buries a body, it stays buried.” Interestingly, no Mercant had ever been in the squad; that family had a way of holding on to its children.
“You see why I want them on my side,” Kaleb said before hanging up.
Judd returned to the meeting to find the others discussing details of something SnowDancer’s healer, Lara, had proposed in concert with DarkRiver’s healer, Tamsyn, two weeks earlier. The two healers had strongly recommended a SnowDancer-DarkRiver function, to be arranged around the birth of Mercy and Riley’s pupcubs. Hawke and Lucas had agreed, so now it was a case of hashing out the details and figuring out who should do what.
“Put Mercy in charge,” Indigo said, to Judd’s surprise.
It wasn’t because Indigo had nominated a leopard—the two women were close friends. No, it was because planning parties wasn’t exactly in the dominant-predatory-changeling-female job description. The maternals and submissives were far more experienced at wrangling everyone who needed to be wrangled to pull off an event.
Then Indigo added, “She’s going stir-crazy, and this is something she can work on with Riley’s input for the wolf side of things. For the physical stuff, she can haul in helpers from either pack.”
“Luc suggested the same.” Hawke’s eyes gleamed with wolfish humor. “I think the cat is afraid Mercy will rip off someone’s head if she doesn’thave something to do now that she can’t run patrol and the healers have asked her not to go in to work at CTX.”
Judd knew Mercy worked in communications when she wasn’t carrying out her duties as a DarkRiver sentinel. It was a job she could’ve kept doing, but it would’ve required daily and likely tiring round-trips to San Francisco, which would also mean she wasn’t in close proximity to the DarkRiver healer for much of the day.
No one wanted to take that risk, least of all Mercy or Riley.
“It’s a good idea,” Judd found himself saying after he’d processed Indigo’s points. “Mercy’s sociable and she has experience with communications. Plus, with her already off the rotation, it won’t mean a change in
Kaleb didn’t reply to that—nothing needed to be said, not between two men who’d fought side by side for so long. “I have to go,” he said instead. “Meeting with Ena Mercant.”
Judd raised an eyebrow. He’d been out of the PsyNet for almost four years, but he had deep links with his fellow Arrows. As a result of that connection and the information to which it gave him access, he knew the Mercants continued to be a shadow power. It was said the family had more moles and puppets in the Net than everyone else combined. Silver Mercant had long been Kaleb’s aide, but Ena Mercant was the reclusive matriarch of the family, one who hadn’t been seen in public for years. “Did you blackmail her?”
“I got an invitation,” Kaleb replied. “I’m considering taking Silver along to taste test any offered food or drink for poisons. Ena has a reputation for ruthless efficiency.”
There it was, that bone-dry sense of humor the majority of the world simply didn’t pick up on, much less understand. Judd knew Kaleb would never be anything
but
gray, but his friend had far more light in him sinceSahara came back into his life. Judd understood what love could do to a man. He, too, had once walked in the darkness, once believed he could be nothing but a murderer, his ability to move the very cells of a body a curse.
It had taken a certain stubborn wolf to teach him different, to remind him that he was a man, that he had a right to a life and to love. Never once had Brenna looked away from the darkness inside him—she’d embraced it as simply another facet of his nature. As Sahara had embraced Kaleb. As they hoped Xavier’s Nina would embrace their friend.
“I’ll send out a search party if you don’t return from your meeting,” he said to Kaleb now. “Though even Arrows agree that if a Mercant buries a body, it stays buried.” Interestingly, no Mercant had ever been in the squad; that family had a way of holding on to its children.
“You see why I want them on my side,” Kaleb said before hanging up.
Judd returned to the meeting to find the others discussing details of something SnowDancer’s healer, Lara, had proposed in concert with DarkRiver’s healer, Tamsyn, two weeks earlier. The two healers had strongly recommended a SnowDancer-DarkRiver function, to be arranged around the birth of Mercy and Riley’s pupcubs. Hawke and Lucas had agreed, so now it was a case of hashing out the details and figuring out who should do what.
“Put Mercy in charge,” Indigo said, to Judd’s surprise.
It wasn’t because Indigo had nominated a leopard—the two women were close friends. No, it was because planning parties wasn’t exactly in the dominant-predatory-changeling-female job description. The maternals and submissives were far more experienced at wrangling everyone who needed to be wrangled to pull off an event.
Then Indigo added, “She’s going stir-crazy, and this is something she can work on with Riley’s input for the wolf side of things. For the physical stuff, she can haul in helpers from either pack.”
“Luc suggested the same.” Hawke’s eyes gleamed with wolfish humor. “I think the cat is afraid Mercy will rip off someone’s head if she doesn’thave something to do now that she can’t run patrol and the healers have asked her not to go in to work at CTX.”
Judd knew Mercy worked in communications when she wasn’t carrying out her duties as a DarkRiver sentinel. It was a job she could’ve kept doing, but it would’ve required daily and likely tiring round-trips to San Francisco, which would also mean she wasn’t in close proximity to the DarkRiver healer for much of the day.
No one wanted to take that risk, least of all Mercy or Riley.
“It’s a good idea,” Judd found himself saying after he’d processed Indigo’s points. “Mercy’s sociable and she has experience with communications. Plus, with her already off the rotation, it won’t mean a change in
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