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He’d realized, with a strange war to help hiured out he’d feel better if he buried himself in work "We can discuss as we eat," he’d said "And, I think we’ve got time"
"Why do you sound so certain?"
"You know the pattern we talked about?"
"With the victie of a major deal?" An intent look "Edward Chan’son that" He’d set his cell phone to run a nulanced at the results as they finished up the final interview today "Chan was scheduled to speak before a group of changeling alphas in South America later this week No Psy has ever before been acceded that right"
Sophia had gone very quiet "Did they kill hiet Nikita access to a major untapped market--"
"--or because the contact would’ve violated a belief in Purity?" From what he’d learned of Pure Psy, he was convinced they wouldn’t shy away fro to call Nikita, alert her to the possibility"
When he did contact Nikita, she’d not only agreed with his theory, she’d confirer a kill "I’ve also got twenty-four-hour surveillance on all ets--and if one of thean to prepare dinner, he considered the possible iation on the conspiracy Not significant, he decided Whoever was behind this--the kingpin--was running things with a cool, clear head He or she wouldn’t be put off their game by a mere huht just as the doorbell chi to chop up some herbs, he went to the door and pulled it open The wohts stood on the other side dressed in jeans and a cardigan in a delicate cream shade that made him want to peel it open--to expose skin of an even richer cream
"Max?" Her voice was tentative when he continued to block the doorway
He stepped back, waiting until she was inside and away froe to touch her Lifting away her hair, he pressed a single kiss to the soft skin of her nape
Her shiver was violent, but she didn’t pull away "I wasn’t sure if I wasto the htly to the side, as if she elco another kiss
Unable to resist the exquisite temptation, he moved behind her, put his hands on her hips, and said, "You’ll be dessert"
Sophia felt her throat lock, her skin stretch painfully taut over her body "Are you playing?" she finally ainst her neck "No"
She balled her fingers into fists An emotional reaction One that would’ve concerned her before she’d decided to liveto love She wasn’t sure she kneasn’t sure the capacity hadn’t been cut out of her with brutal efficiency But Max was iht, thisa woan has pearl buttons, too," she whispered
His body seemed to relax a fraction at her reference to the note he’d dropped into her bag earlier, and she hoped she’d brought so her clenched fingers one by one, she lifted her hands and then, very deliberately, stripped off her gloves Dropping them to the floor, she reached for his hand
His pal with her own to curl into her pal went black When she could see again, she found herself leaning against Max’s chest, his free hand curved over her abdoainst the h th of hi universe It was difficult to breathe--he was in the air, too, an invisible caress Dark, potent, ainst her ear, his lips touching her skin in sht to be concerned, she opened her psychic eye and checked her protections against the PsyNet, ready to patch any fractures, hide any weaknesses What she saw , but not in a normal way"
"Explain"
"My shields have always been rock solid, but nowthey’reIt’s as if I’m in the middle of a tornado" The psychic wind blew back her hair as she stood shocked in the center of her et in or out because the layers shift constantly, tearing apart anything that atte you?"
"No It’s efficient beyond anything I’ve ever seen, but itfaultless when it came to her work, but deliberately unremarkable in any other way--the perfect Psy
Even as she spoke, there was a mental knock on herthe telepathic contact Sir
Jay Khanna’s psychic voice was clear, direct, his telepathic reach close to 98 on the Gradient That reach had given rise to speculation that the reason Khanna had been taken off the active roster at an early age was because the Council had other uses for his telepathy Ms Russo, he said now, there’s been a significant change in your shields Do you need assistance?
It was a thinly veiled query about whether her conditioning was close to total collapse If she said yes, she’d be picked up for e total and comprehensive rehabilitation, her memories of Max scrubbed away, herbut an e the M-Psy who’d told her the truth about her status, she said, My shields appear to have evolved to provide better protection