Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)(119)

The shield vulnerability has been identified. It is limited to a small number of Arrows who came of age during a specific outdated training regime—it was unfortunate chance that four of them were in the compound at the time of the attack. Yuri was one of the first to be taught under that regime, Amin in the final class.

The only outlier is Abbot. He came into training at a later age and was taught the older technique because it was faster. No other Arrows under the age of thirty-five bear the shield flaw. All Arrows with the shield flaw, whether on active duty or retired, are in the process of building new next-generation shields.

We are ready to resume our duties as the guardians of Designation E, but we understand if empaths no longer feel able to trust our presence.

—Aden Kai, leader of the Arrow Squad, in a report to Ivy Jane Zen, President of the Empathic Collective

My Es have missed your Arrows. Welcome back.

And tell the squad to forget about brooding or stewing in guilt. Because you know what my Es saw? That even under vicious mental duress, your men and women will not hurt an E—no matter the cost. Arrows and Es have become an even tighter unit, one that nothing and no one will ever tear apart.

—Ivy Jane Zen to Aden Kai

Axl is going to read bedtime stories to the children today. I want you two to take some personal time. Honor Yuri’s joy in the squad’s freedom to live and love, and step away from his bedside. Nerida’s more than ready to stay with him—she’s half in love with him, in case you haven’t figured it out already.

—Personal message from Ivy Jane Zen to Aden Kai and Zaira Neve

We hadn’t figured it out. Thanks for the intel. We’ll leave her to spend time with him.

Fuck, Ivy, we just played our last card and failed. No one can help Yuri. Aden’s going to have to make the call to pull life support and it’s breaking him apart.

—Zaira Neve to Ivy Jane Zen

Take care of him, Zaira. Vasic and I will hold the fort.

—Ivy Jane Zen to Zaira Neve


IT WAS THREE days after the PsyNet collapse that Kaleb noticed something. Actually, the NetMind and DarkMind noted it in an unexpected but encouraging display of coherence, and nudged him in that direction. “It’s the new E,” he told Sahara, holding out a psychic hand so she could join him at the same coordinates.

“She’s different,” Sahara said after a long moment.

When he asked the NetMind and the DarkMind about the discrepancy, the twin neosentience showed him images of running water, crashing rivers.

“Ivy Jane needs to see this,” Sahara said.

Kaleb made the contact.

The president of the Empathic Collective appeared on the PsyNet beside them not long afterward, with Vasic by her side. Given recent events, the other man’s protectiveness was understandable.

“Can you tell what she’s doing?” Kaleb asked Ivy Jane.

“No, and we should stop spying on Memory and bring her into this discussion. She’s at the empathic compound. Give me five minutes to warn her we’re coming, then teleport in.”

When Kaleb and Sahara arrived, it was to find Memory and the SnowDancer lieutenant, Alexei Harte, waiting with Ivy Jane and Vasic near the tree line. Folding his arms, Alexei set his booted feet apart in an aggressive stance. “What’s this about?”

Ivy Jane took the lead, explaining what the four of them had seen on the PsyNet. “There’s a . . . I don’t know what to call it . . . a kind of motion in the PsyNet around your mind,” she said to Memory, and undulated her hand to show the wavelike pattern. “It’s slow but constant.”

Lines formed between Memory’s eyebrows. “Am I causing a problem? Further disintegration?”

Kaleb saw Alexei’s jaw go hard, the other man’s arms opening. He curled one around the empath’s shoulders, tucking her close to his body. “If she’s doing anything, she’s making your network stronger.” He growled. “Memory does that. She takes the bad out of things.”

Eyes shining, the new variant of E rose up on tiptoe to kiss the wolf’s jaw.

He gave her a stern look in return. “I’m trying for an attitude here.”

The E’s laugh faded when she faced the rest of them. “I can’t see the motion.”

“Possibly because you’re inside it.” It made sense that her own viewpoint was static—else she’d find it impossible to get a stable sightline when she entered the PsyNet. “There’s also a bond.” Keeping one eye on the wolf—despite how he treated the E, Alexei Harte was a deadly predator who could not be taken lightly, even by a Tk—Kaleb explained what else he’d spotted. “The NetMind and DarkMind are hiding it from view.”

Memory scowled. “Why? It’s beautiful, just like Alexei.”

Kaleb felt a certain sympathy when the wolf lieutenant groaned. He, too, had a lover who kept puncturing his deadly reputation. “The director of EmNet, Silver Mercant, is also mated to a changeling.”

“Yeah, StoneWater bear alpha.” Alexei’s gray eyes had developed a rim of amber. “You saying the Net’s hiding their bond, too?”

Not just a predator, but a very smart one. “Yes. Silver is not a woman to hide her allegiance.” His former aide and her mate were alpha personalities who dared anyone to try to interfere with their bond. “She’s curious to know what the NetMind and DarkMind are doing, but she doesn’t have a direct communication line with them. I do, but they’re being coy on this point.”