Page 89 of Primal Mirror

Zaira’s lips kicked up. “I wouldn’t dare make that claim with such a mother—and with Remi in the mix. I was just going to say that she’ll need to learn psychic discipline earlier than most. Bring her to me when she starts cracking your maternal shields and I’ll teach her.”

The Arrow gave a curt nod after that extraordinary offer. “Shield destruction in three seconds. Three, two…one.”

Chapter 35

Miane, it’s a go on our idea to blood-bond the half-human children to you.

The theory is that given the strong ties of family and friendship between BlackSea and the Alliance, the children should be pulled into the BlackSea changeling network the instant after their minds separate from the PsyNet, but EmNet has assigned a team to psychically force the transfer if necessary.

The infants could also end up pulling their Psy parent into the network, due to the parent-child bond.

The scientists are certain that, with no PsyNet to return to, the children will cling to the new network out of instinct, even with no adult Psy to hold them in place.

—Bowen Knight, security chief of the Human Alliance, to Miane Levèque, alpha of BlackSea (2 November 2083)

IT WAS FULL dark and dinner was over by the time Zaira left Auden.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” the Arrow told Remi when he met her outside, the tree canopy above them a sprawling darkness against the starlit sky. “This isn’t a task that can be completed in a day—especially not when she’s weak from childbirth.”

“Can you get her to a point where she’ll be safe inside the Scott household?”

Zaira nodded. “From everyone but a telepath of Shoshanna’s strength and skill—and Auden says they have no one like that in the family.”

“Thanks, Zaira.” He reached into a pocket. “Before I forget—I don’t know how Jojo figured out you were here, but she made you this.”

Zaira smiled at the painstakingly drawn image of a leopard, its coat purple with sparkly silver dots. At the top it said, “For Zai,” the wobbly words nonetheless legible. “Give her a hug from me, and tell her I love it and that I’ll be back for a proper visit with her soon.”

With that, the Arrow faded off into the darkness, from which Remi had picked up a familiar—yet unknown—scent. Zaira’s teleport assist was most often the same Arrow: Alejandro. Yet Remi had never laid eyes on the man—Alejandro preferred to stay in the shadows, for reasons neither Aden nor Zaira had ever vocalized, but Remi figured plenty of Arrows had scars.

Aden thought Alejandro was safe to permit knowledge of RainFire.

That was good enough for Remi.

Turning on his heel after Zaira vanished into the night, he went toward the infirmary and caught sight of Finn heading toward him. “Both asleep,” the healer said. “Auden barely managed to stay awake long enough to cuddle Liberty even after all the nutrient drinks Zaira pumped into her through the day—the shield stuff must be heavy-duty mental lifting.”

Remi grumbled. “I wanted to say good night.”

Rolling his eyes, Finn yawned. “Go. You won’t wake Auden, and Liberty falls asleep as fast as she wakes at the moment, so you’re safe to pet her a little.”

“You need sleep, too,” Remi said with a scowl, and shook his head when Finn went to argue. “Go to sleep. That’s an order from your alpha. Who else is on medical watch?”

“Sass.” Another jaw-cracking yawn.

“Then we’ll be fine—I’ll help her keep an eye on the patients, and we’ll wake you the instant anything goes wrong.” He squeezed the other man’s shoulder. “Shut-eye before you fall asleep mid-operation.”

“As if I’d ever,” was the grumpy response before Finn walked over to his home—the aerie closest to the infirmary.

Once inside the cubes, Remi told Saskia what was up—to the shake of her head, the rich scarlet of her hair in a neat French braid. “Hugo told him that before he went off shift, and I told him that two hours ago, but would the stubborn man listen to us?”

“Healers,” they said in unison, and laughed.

Remi cupped her face afterward, her skin the hue of cream, and said, “And you, Sass? You doing okay?” She and Hugo were both so efficient that it would’ve been easy to forget that they, too, needed their alpha’s attention—except not forgetting was Remi’s job.

“I’m wishing Rina’s little brother was a few years older so I could lure him to my aerie without guilt,” Saskia said with a wicked glint in her eye. “Then again, he might be into older women.”

Chuckling, Remi touched his lips to hers in a kiss that had nothing to do with romance and everything to do with affection, his protective instincts toward the healers in the pack a thing unbound. “I have no comment on that,” he said after cuddling her close. “Just remember that Rina knows where you sleep.”

Saskia’s shoulders shook in his embrace. “Excellent point.”

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