Page 26 of Primal Mirror

In her present state, it could trigger preterm labor.

Charisma would never risk that; she was very, very invested in Auden’s child.

Auden cradled her belly, her heart racing and skin ice. Her shields, shields her father had helped design when she’d still thought him a good man, a good person, held her emotions inside, away from the betraying darkness of the PsyNet. Auden’s Silence had never been flawless—as with most psychometrics she’d just skated through the tests, basically by ensuring she never tried to read anything that might be saturated with emotion.

Easy enough to do in Shoshanna’s and Henry’s homes.

She had, however, had trouble maintaining around Remi. Probably because he was a creature of open emotion, untamed in a way that triggered the part of her that was embarrassingly imperfect by Psy standards.

Auden couldn’t believe she’d told him she could catch his tail.

Her cheeks flushing, she patted at her belly. “That was fun, though, wasn’t it? He’s fun…and wild and deadly in a way that makes me want to be stupid.” Never in her life had she met anyone whose energy prowled so close to the surface of his skin. It had taken all she had not to touch him, feel if that energy had a tactile form.

Was it like his leopard’s fur? A soft enticement before the predator snarled?

Her fingers curled into her palm.

She could think such primal thoughts here, safe in this landscape far from those who watched her and who monitored her baby with voracious intent.

Charisma wanted the child in her womb. Auden just didn’t know why.

“They won’t get to you, won’t ever do to you what they did to me,” she promised again, the words trembling with a rage that had built and built from the first moment when she returned to true consciousness. “I’ll bring down their entire precious empire first.”

Because, no matter how much she might wish it otherwise, Auden was her parents’ daughter. But where they had used their ability to strategize and game the system to grow their power and brutalize those who were weaker, Auden’s actions were shaped by her all-encompassing love for the child in her womb. Her mother had no idea what she’d unleashed when she’d permitted Auden to be impregnated.

Two months.

That was how long she had to set everything in place. And to pull it off, she needed data, the most important piece of which was why Charisma was so focused on her pregnancy—and why Shoshanna had taken the step of leaving her aide in effective charge of Scott operations.

The official word, per the private family-only document Shoshanna had left behind to be opened in the event of her sudden death or disability, was that Hayward didn’t have the capability or the personality to lead the family. It said a lot about how effectively Shoshanna had psychologically destroyed her brother that Auden’s uncle had just accepted that slight.

The transfer of power document hadn’t ended there:

Auden is incapacitated and not in the line of succession except in terms of public perception. However, if she is able to maintain for periods of time, she should be used as the face of the Scotts. Only if that is absolutely impossible should Hayward step in as the face.

This temporary state of affairs will end with Devlin Scott reaching his majority at twenty-five years of age. Charisma will take over his training from the time of my demise or disability, and ensure he’s ready to step in as full CEO at twenty-five.

Hayward’s son, Devlin, was only sixteen right now, but he was already turning into a cold and calculating creature. Auden still felt sorry for him—the boy had to spend many hours a day with Charisma, his future mapped out for him, choice not even a question. Yet despite him being the official heir apparent, Auden couldn’t shake off the feeling that she and Devlin were both pawns in a bigger game.

Something just wasn’t right in the entire setup.

But no one could challenge the status quo while Charisma held the control codes. Hayward couldn’t get into the main systems, and neither could Auden. Young Devlin would only get the codes when he turned twenty-five.

Charisma held the keys to the kingdom and that kingdom was rife with secrets.

Auden’s eyes landed on the bunker dark green with algae and mold.

Another secret. Another mystery.

Breath catching and throat dry, she began to walk toward it. Her heart thudded louder and louder with each step she took. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She knew how to control the input into her circuits when it came to rapid “test” reads—pregnancy hadn’t eliminated those walls.

When warned, she could and did protect herself.

Stopping a foot away from the external wall, she raised a hand and touched the tip of her pinky finger to the lichen green plascrete. External walls tended to be safer for the most part—unless they were on the ground floor and had street frontage, people didn’t much make contact with them. And this external wall was in a remote area.

—fur—

—shouts, dulled by time—

---