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Now, Kaleb stared thoughtfully at the transparent screen that had moments before held Jen Liu’s face The matriarch had been correct in her estimation of his loyalties He valued the alliances he’d built up on his way to gaining a Council seat Those alliances had been nurtured with cold-blooded precision - he had known that a Councilor who had the support of certain sectors of society would wield far more than his share of power And Kaleb appreciated power It hy he’d e
He tapped at the screen, switching it from communications to datathe bio files on one side, he accessed the ones on the NightStar Affair Beside that, he left an e
Finally, he brought up a highly confidential file titled "Protocol I" Right now, all he had on that e The Liu issue would do for a first strike He saw no need to draw bloodyet
Kaleb was nothing if not patient The same way a cobra is patient
Chapter 4
One day after the uments with herself later, Brenna knew Judd was the only person she could ask, the only one who ht possibly understand And yet, he was also the worst, so cold that he sometimes appeared less hu kidnapped, she’d gone to great lengths to avoid him, intrinsically disturbed by the inhuman chill of his personality
Well aware her brothers would turn feral at the ht of her alone with Judd, she took every care to remain invisible as she tiptoed out of their family quarters after dinner and toward the section occupied by unmated soldiers Judd lived alone, his brother, Walker, and the threebeen relocated to the family section The ht sanctuary with SnowDancer
Surprisingly, it had been the pack’s maternal fe to the Psy children to be isolated in the soldiers’ area Given how sensitive the feer to the cubs, Brenna would’ve expected theht be kids but they were very powerful kids
Conversely, SnowDancer pups tended to play rough and couldto But the maternal females had extended the invitation and Walker Lauren had accepted on behalf of his daughter, Marlee, and nephew, Toby At seventeen, Toby’s sister, Sienna, could no longer be classified as a child, but neither was she an adult In this case, the headstrong teenager had chosen to stay with the children
Leaving Judd alone
As Judd was considered thequarters had never been in any question He continued to be looked on with suspicion, though she knew he’d been integral to her rescue While he hadn’t been one of those who’d entered the pain-soaked room that had been her torture charateful - he’d helped Sascha lay the psychic trap that had led to Enrique’s capture He’d proven his loyalty But still he remained an outsider
The unfairness of it rubbed at her sense of justice, but she couldn’t blas, not when Judd seemed determined to reinforce their attitude Thehis door, she knocked softly "Hurry up" Though the corridor was currently deserted, she could near the sound of approaching footsteps With her luck, it would be one of her overprotective brothers
The door opened "What - ?"
She ducked under his arm and into the rooht he would refuse, but then he pushed it closed
Turning to stand with his back to the door, he folded his arms across a bare chest "If your brothers find you here, they’ll put you under lock and key"
She was suddenly hyperconscious of the scent of freshskin in a confined space Terror spiked, but she squashed it alnable box in her mind "Aren’t you worried about what they’ll do to you?" Despite the edge of fear, her fingertips tingled, wanting to touch this dangerous creature
"I can take care of myself"
Of that she had no doubt "So can I"
Judd’s eyes, eyes the color of bitterest chocolate except for the flecks of gold in the irises, didn’t shift their focus off her face "What are you doing here, Brenna?"
She shook herself out of her fascination "I need to talk to a Psy and you’re it"
"What about Sascha?"
"She won’t understand" Brenna both respected and liked Sascha Duncan, the Psy mind-healer who had mated with Lucas Hunter, alpha to the DarkRiver leopards But"She’s too good, too gentle"
"It’s a side effect of her abilities," Judd said in his usual icy tone