Page 91 of Primal Mirror

Remi whistled at the transformation. “Who taught you that? Juvenile?”

“Yes. It appears that contented young men have no actual bones.”

Laughing, Remi touched the top of Liberty’s incubator. “Finn and the pack will look after you while we’re gone, kitten. Be good.”

The last thing Auden felt before the world tilted and blurred for a slight second prior to coming back into clear focus was her baby’s happiness at hearing Remi’s voice. Then Vasic was gone and the three of them stood in the shadows of an alcove at the far end of a corridor.

Auden’s mind shifted, her maternal instincts transforming into a weapon razored and without mercy. To these people, her child was nothing but a pawn to use as they wished. Over her fucking dead body. “Let’s do this,” she said, and strode out, with Remi and Rina a step back and on either side of her.

On a real protective detail, they’d have been in front of and behind her, on alert for threats from any side, but she’d wanted to make an entrance—and Remi understood the importance of taking power by demanding it.

Auden knew that didn’t mean he and Rina weren’t both on high alert, their senses attuned to every scent, every sound, every possible threat. No doubt they’d spotted the three cameras they’d passed, as well as picking up any scents in the vicinity.

“Charisma.” Remi’s voice giving her quiet warning at least ten seconds before her mother’s aide appeared from around the corner.

The other woman froze, her eyes going immediately to Auden’s no longer distended belly.

Remi came to a halt the instant Auden did, then he and Rina stepped out to put their backs to the wall on either side. Neither made any attempt to hide their constant scans of the area.

Charisma found her voice at last. “Was there a medical emergency?”

“It was dealt with,” Auden said, without elaborating.

“The child?”

“Is receiving excellent care.” Not allowing the aide time to respond, Auden said, “I’d like to advise you that I’ve hired two members of RainFire as my personal security. You’ll recognize Alpha Denier.”

Charisma’s face twisted into the cold facsimile of a smile that she’d learned from Shoshanna. “You have no need of personal security here. You are the head of this household.”

“Don’t be foolish, Charisma.” Auden’s voice was so frigid and cutting that Remi wouldn’t have believed it was her if he hadn’t been able to see her. “We both know Auden has been nothing but a puppet for a long time.”

His hackles rose. Why was she talking about herself in the third person? And what the hell had just happened with her scent? It wasn’t as bad as before, but the metallic edge was back. He caught the flare of Rina’s nostrils, knew the sentinel had picked up the impossibility of it, too.

People’s true scents did not change between one breath and the next.

“It’s time I ended that state of affairs once and for all,” Auden added. “I’m ready to reclaim my position.”

Charisma’s thin shoulders squared underneath her black turtleneck, a flat hardness to her expression. “You realize you’ll have to go through a test to confirm your competency.”

“No, I won’t,” Auden replied, the smile on her face as cold as a cobra’s. “Because this family made sure Auden was never legally declared incompetent in the first place.”

Charisma’s face went white. “Sir, you said…” She shook her head. “This isn’t what was agreed.”

“I make the agreements.” Ice-cold words. “I am now your boss, and my first order is that you go and make sure my suite is clear of any and all surveillance devices. Both my guards are experts at detecting them through scent alone, so if you value your job, you’d better ensure you don’t accidentally ‘forget’ one as you did before.”

The temperature dropped another ten degrees. “Did you think I didn’t notice, Ris?” A silkiness to her voice that made Remi’s leopard snarl. “As if that pathetic weasel of a man wasn’t leaving his sweaty imprints everywhere, even through the gloves. At least the hypersensitivity in pregnancy had a benefit there. I also want you to assign the suite next door to my guards. Make sure it’s clear.”

Charisma’s face had frozen into that horrible smile at first, but her expression was almost hopeful when she next spoke. “Sir, you can’t blame me for my caution.”

“Honestly, Ris.” Auden held out her hand. “Give me your organizer.” Once she had it, she input something, then handed it back. “Will you stop hovering now and act as my aide?”

Charisma’s breathing turned unsteady as she stared at the screen. “Of course, sir.” Eyes so bright and shiny that Remi would’ve called it adoration had this not been a Psy who continued to cling to Silence. “Your guards will have to be assigned house armbands so they’re not stopped.”

“No, Ris. It’s your job to tell everyone that they are mine. Anyone who so much as touches either one will answer to me.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll take care of the suite now,” the aide said, almost bowing before she walked away on rapidly clicking high heels.

None of them spoke in the aftermath, conscious the public areas were monitored. The silence gave Remi’s thoughts too much space to grow: the Auden he’d just seen…she was a vicious creature wholly different from the one who’d cuddled Liberty and eaten pastries with gusto.

---