Page 114 of Primal Mirror

Krychek’s starlit obsidian eyes stared at Auden with an intensity that had Remi snarling.

The cardinal turned to him. “It’s not her,” he said almost to himself. “Then why?”

“That’s Auden,” Remi said, wondering if Krychek had responded to save Shoshanna.

His claws pricked his skin.

But Krychek said, “I know.” Then he was gone.

“I forgot how…intense he can be,” Rina said, her chest heaving now that she’d shifted into human form. “I didn’t call him. He arrived before I could even get to a phone.”

Remi had no fucking idea what was going on, and he didn’t care. All he knew was that Auden was alive. “The others?” he asked, his alpha heart unable to rest until he knew.

“Safe. Scott team had no idea how to fight against trained changelings. They thought they’d be fighting dumb animals and ended up facing a tactical team better organized and more skilled than them. Lark is holding the house with the others and will clean up whatever is in the basement.”

Remi nodded, his eyes on the medical team, and—his heart no longer torn in two now that he knew his people were safe—slid down to the floor, back braced against the wall.

Stars in his peripheral vision as Rina shifted back into her feline form, so she could lean her body against his chest. As if she’d sensed he needed the comfort of pack in a way she could better provide in this form.

“I got to her,” he rasped, his packmate’s fur a thick gold and black under his hand, and the warmth of her body a caress of family. “Like I can get to you or Angel or the others when you need pack energy.”

Zaira thought it was a type of psychic ability Psy didn’t understand. Remi didn’t think about what it was, just that it worked. An alpha’s heart reaching for his people when they were wounded and in pain…but it could work in reverse, too.

“We’re not mated,” he said. “She wouldn’t allow it. Said her mother might be able to use the bond to get through to me, then RainFire.” The hollow inside him where Auden was meant to be ached. “But I still got to her. You felt it.”

The leopard nodded, a question in that wild gaze.

“It felt so young, the bond, somehow unfinished and fuzzy.” He smiled, his aching heart roaring in pride. “Libby. Sweet, ferocious cub as tough as her mother. Bonded to me through blood.” Others could take charge of figuring out how a child could be blood-bonded to a changeling alpha, and still be linked to the PsyNet, but he had no doubts about the bond after today.

Liberty wasn’t old enough to have made a conscious choice in reaching for Remi. No, like any cub in the pack, she’d run to her alpha when she was scared—and her alpha had held her safe in his clawed embrace as he fought off the monsters.

Only…he didn’t know if he’d been fast enough, strong enough.

Because Bashir was still yelling out commands, asking for more blood, more drugs, and Auden remained motionless on the hospital bed, the sheet stained with streaks of red. Remi couldn’t reach her anymore, could no longer feel the tempest of love and rage that drove her.

Liberty was only an infant. She’d fallen asleep once the storm broke.

Knowing what Auden would ask of him in this instant, he rose to his feet while indicating that Rina should stay, keep watch on the dying, bleeding woman who was Remi’s mate.

Once outside the chaos of the hospital room, he made a call. “Finn, how is Libby?”

“Vital signs spiked just before I suddenly had Zaira and an Arrow I’ve never before seen in the room. I think he’s the teleporter she talks about—Alejandro. A minute later and the cub’s snoozing away, all stats stable. No fear in her scent. Wait, I’ll put you on speaker so you can talk to Zaira.”

“I was the one holding Auden’s shields today,” Zaira told him. “Whatever took place destroyed the secondary shield over her mind, alerting me to a psychic blast that might impact Liberty. I was ready to shield her, but wasn’t needed in the end.” A question in her voice.

Finn came on the line again before Remi could respond. “Remi, Liberty’s in distress again.” His tone changed. “Hey, now, little one. I have you. Shh.” A fine, thin cry reached Remi through the line. “Something’s wrong.”

Remi growled loud enough that the cub would hear, then purred low in his chest until the cries trickled off into sobs. He kept it up until Finn whispered that she was asleep.

“She’s scared because she can’t reach her mother,” Remi said, his voice rough. “Auden’s hurt bad. She must’ve done something to block the baby. She would never want Libby to—” Remi’s entire chest threatened to collapse in on itself. He couldn’t say it, couldn’t refer to the possible backlash from Auden’s death.

“Understood.” Zaira’s tone was softer than the harsh word implied. “I’ll maintain a close watch so I can cocoon the child against psychic shock.”

“You’re protecting Auden’s heart, Zaira. I’ll never forget this.”

“You protected mine once, Remi,” was the curt Zaira-like reminder. “No ledger between us. Ever.”

“I’ve taken you off speaker.” Finn’s voice. “What happened? Did someone assault Auden?”

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