Page 89 of Storm Echo

The young receptionist stood down—and it was only then that Soleil realized he’d been on alert. Slender he might be, but he was a dominant, probably a fully trained soldier. Of course DarkRiver wouldn’t have someone who could be easily overwhelmed at the front desk.

“Name’s Mercy,” the redhead said. “Sentinel. Aaron here is a junior soldier in charge of a small security team—they’re going to miss him when he moves into the senior ranks next year, but Aaron’s too brilliant to be held back just because of his age. Aaron, you know Ivan Mercant.” Amusement in her eyes. “Soleil is our new healer—she studied under Yariela.”

Flushing at the praise from the sentinel, Aaron raised a hand. “Hi. I’m friends with Duke. He talks all the time about how you were right there on the front lines, how you fought and fought to help people. Said he never knew how much courage a healer could have until he saw you take blow after blow and keep going.”

Soleil had never had much to do with the young soldier, so the knowledge that Duke had remembered her with such honor … it mattered. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she said, “It’s lovely to meet you, Aaron. I’ll have to squeeze Duke extra tight when I see him.”

Aaron smiled, then nodded a hello at Ivan. “I tracked you all over the city. Feel weird about it now. Sorry, man.”

“It was the job,” Ivan said. “No offense taken.”

As Aaron retook his seat, Mercy brushed her fingers over Soleil’s cheek in an unexpectedly gentle welcome. “Here to see Luc?”

When Soleil nodded, Mercy began to lead them upstairs. Despite Mercy’s outward friendliness, Ivan kept up his guard, well aware he was in the presence of one of the deadliest members of DarkRiver. Dominants with cubs to protect were lethal, and per his research, Mercy Smith had already been lethal to begin with.

“I’d introduce you to my little hooligan,” she said, patting the boy’s back, “but he finally zonked out after arguing with me that he didn’t need a nap. You wouldn’t think a baby barely past a year of age could argue, but Ace clearly got his demon genes from me and my brothers.”

A kiss pressed to the top of her son’s head that held unhidden tenderness. The sight made Ivan’s gut clench on memories far less bucolic. His mother had kissed him that way at times, but she’d be slurring her words at the same time, her mind already walking the petals of the crystalline flower.

“He’s adorable,” Soleil whispered from beside him, his healer with her heart made of softness and empathy.

“You offering to babysit?” Wicked feline amusement. “Word of warning—he comes as part of a pack of three. Two boys and one girl. All with a full share of the aforementioned demon genes. Their poor papa had no idea what was coming.”

“Triplets?” The single word from Soleil was a gasp. Then, tilting her head a fraction, she said, “I swear I can smell wolf on both of you. It’s so deep …Oh.The poor papa is a wolf.”

Ivan wasn’t as startled by the news. He knew Mercy Smith was mated to one of the SnowDancer wolves. It was another thread that tied the two packs together. The child in her arms was yet one more link in what was effectively the most powerful alliance of packs in the country.

It was no wonder his grandmother was intrigued by them.

When Ivan leaned forward to open the door to the upstairs area, he got a smiling “Thanks” from Mercy. He didn’t take that as an indication that he’d been accepted by the pack.

The immediate area beyond the door was an open-plan space with a number of workstations. Several were empty at that moment, but a man with hair of shocking white-blond worked at a drafting table, two women stood in front of a whiteboard figuring out what looked to be a complex residential plan, while a couple of other packmates sat at computer stations.

Ivan recognized a number of them from his research.

Each and every one shot Soleil a salute or a smile of welcome.

Her cat’s happiness echoed down their bond. Because she was with her pack. With her family. He waited for a stab of envy or jealousy, for the spider to flex inside its monstrous carapace, but it didn’t come. Because he knew what it was to be alone; not even the darkest part of him begrudged Soleil the bonds of pack.

But where Soleil had received friendly smiles, Ivan got narrow-eyed looks. They weren’t hostile. More confused. Because the cats were sensing a bond that shouldn’t exist, a bond that he had to break if he wanted to keep Soleil safe … except he didn’t think he could let her go. Never again could he let her go.

Fuck.

“Introductions later!” Mercy called out to the room, then turned to Soleil. “Luc has to leave for a site visit in a half hour, so we need to catch him before then.”

Ducking her head inside the open office door at the other end of the room, Mercy said, “Luc, our new healer needs your attention. Oh, and his lordship here has informed me that he, Belle, and Micah want to come over to play with Naya. Doable tomorrow?”

Soleil’s hand clenched on Ivan’s. When he glanced at her, he saw a bewildered kind of wonder in her expression. “What is it?” he murmured under his breath, while Mercy laughed at something Lucas had said, his voice inaudible to Ivan except as a low rumble.

“Not once in all my years,” Soleil whispered, “did I ever see a SkyElm dominant speak so casually to our alpha. As a friend and an equal.” Huge eyes, a shaky smile. “There’s so much I have to learn about my new pack, Ivan.”

Mercy turned back to them before he could respond. “Go on in. I’m heading to the nursery to return the escapee and look in on the other pupcubs.”

“Pupcubs?” Soleil pressed her hands to her cheeks, her shaky smile switching to one of pure delight. “You call the triplets pupcubs? I can’t handle it.”

Chuckling, Mercy stroked her sleeping son’s back. “Come over sometime after you’re settled in. I can’t promise peace, but I can promise that the tiny hooligans will be charming as they lure you into their schemes.”

Then she was gone and they were in Lucas’s office, Ivan closing the door behind them to ensure privacy.

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