Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)(53)

He’d been wrong.

It was Silence that had been the trap, the prison. It had locked him up in invisible chains. As the chains snapped free one by one, he stretched out his mind and felt it grow and grow and grow. So much power that it made his head spin. He could take his family to the very top of the PsyNet with it, rule over an unparalleled empire.

As for the strange urges that had woken alongside the power, he’d deal with them the same way he’d dealt with the myriad responsibilities entailed in becoming the head of the family—with discipline and reason and intelligence. As he did so, he’d look for others of his kind, others who’d been in an unknowing sleep under the reign of Silence.

Would he make allies of them, or erase them so that he had fewer competitors at this level of power? He wasn’t certain. It would depend on the individual and whether they presented a threat. First, he’d familiarize himself with his own new level of power, start to work on further stabilizing the surges.

Leaving his mind to settle for now, he glanced at the report he’d received an hour earlier from the spies he had scattered throughout the PsyNet. One of them had noted the appearance of an unusual empathic mind in the training compound in SnowDancer-DarkRiver territory.

The spy had only caught a distant glimpse of her, as no one who valued their life ever encroached on that section of the Net. As a result, there wasn’t really much of substance in the report, and he discarded it after a quick scan. The Es were important to maintaining the health of the PsyNet, but when it came to raw power, he had to look elsewhere.

Krychek held the alpha position, but the one who’d woken wasn’t foolish enough to look in that direction—Kaleb Krychek hadn’t survived all comers by being anything but deadly. The world was big enough for the two of them to share. At least for now. Until he settled into this new power that might eclipse Krychek’s.

His eyes weren’t the white sparks on black of a cardinal, but the power inside him felt infinite. He stilled, considered. That supposition could not be true. Cardinals were immeasurable by definition.

He commed his assistant. “Book me in with Dr. Mehra.” He would have a full medical, make sure of his physical and mental health; this power was useless if it turned him into a delusional idiot.

All the while, his mind continued to expand, a sprawling vastness.





Chapter 25


All indications are that the percentage of psychopaths in the population remains steady despite half a century of Silence, though these individuals do appear to have gained more discipline in terms of hiding their kills. Most no longer fall into the trap of wanting credit.

—Fragment of a 2031 report commissioned by the Psy Council of the time and retrieved by Research Group Gamma-X


ALEXEI SECOND-GUESSED HIS decision to leave Memory even as he fell into a fitful sleep at last, haunted by images of a small woman with big brown eyes. The only reason he’d left her alone in an unfamiliar environment at all was because Sascha had pulled him aside at the DarkRiver cabin while Memory had been in the bathroom.

“Memory needs to claim ownership over her surroundings,” the cardinal empath had murmured. “She can’t do that if you’re around.”

When he’d responded with a flinty stare, she’d rolled her eyes. “I know you’d never hurt her, you obstinate wolf, but you burn with dominance. You take over a space just by being in it. Memory needs to heal and grow before she can hold her own against you.”

As far as Alexei was concerned, Memory was more than holding her own against him. “Did you hear her just before?” He’d folded his arms. “Damn E doesn’t know the meaning of backing down.”

A dazzling smile. “No, not against you in any case.” Sascha had patted his cheek. “It would be so easy for her to start relying on you, but Memory deserves better. I know she comes across as tough, but this is a big, scary world for her. And you have such wide shoulders, Alexei.”

“She has no pack, no family. I can’t abandon her.” It went against his every instinct.

“I’d never ask that. Just . . .” Sascha’s features had cleared. “Give her space to claim the cabin as her territory. It matters. Memory is far more than we’ve seen yet, and to grow into herself in a way she’s never before been able to do, she needs that sense of ownership.”

Alexei wasn’t about to stunt his lioness’s growth. So he’d given her space to stamp her mark on the cabin—but when he woke sometime around two in the morning, he couldn’t stop from checking up on her.

Before he left, he raided the pack’s stores. When a packmate on night shift poked his sandy-haired head inside and said, “Not quite your style, Lexie,” Alexei gave the smart-ass a death glare.

The lanky man grinned, his amusement reaching the light green of his eyes. “What’s her name?”

Fuck, now the whole pack would know; wolves were nosier than a parliament of gossipy magpies. “Go away and I won’t tell Sing-Liu about the secret anniversary present you’re hiding in Elias and Yuki’s quarters.”

D’Arn’s mouth fell open. “How do you even know about that?”

“I don’t see you leaving. I feel the urge to find your mate.”

“I’ll get you back for this,” D’Arn threatened darkly before adding, “She must be special. Can’t wait to tell—” The other man took off laughing when Alexei lunged at him.