And Faith NightStar was never wrong.
Accessing the file once more, he checked the data. The patriarch of this family group was maneuvering for political power in Ming's region, had already made connections with a number of powerful supporters. That wasn't what made him worth killing--Ming could crush political climbers without bloodshed.
The thing that had pushed Ming to give the interrogation and assassination order was that the patriarch appeared to have access to information that came from inside Ming's headquarters, which meant Ming had a leak he needed to plug. However, according to Faith NightStar, his people would torture and execute the man's entire family and still not discover the identity of the leak.
The other possibility was that Anthony was lying and twisting the facts to suit his own agenda--except Anthony had never shown any interest in Ming's region. The NightStar patriarch was tightly focused on his foreseers, the family empire and reach such that he didn't need to make land grabs.
Closing the file, he walked out of his office and down to the underground bunker that housed his data analysts. "I want you to mine down for information on Kurevni," he ordered. "Get me hard links to where and how he gained access to classified data." The previous run had been thorough as per the standard protocols under his command, and as everything appeared to line up as expected, Ming hadn't seen the need to go any deeper.
"Yes, sir. How far?"
"Exhaust all possibilities." He would put the action on hold until he had absolute confirmation. Ignoring a warning from Faith NightStar was not a decision to be made lightly.
Chapter 57
MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT hours after the initial attack on the compound in Venice, the search for both Blake and the abducted child continued unabated. It would've been easy for Aden to focus on those two ops and forget his larger vision for the squad, but he knew there would always be another mission, another mess to clean up, another predator to stop.
Aden could not--would not--allow that harsh truth to destroy the future he was trying to build. Neither would he allow Zaira to be consumed by the darkness that so often swirled around Arrows.
Which was why he'd called Remi the previous day and made a request. Now he looked out on a scene he would've deemed impossible prior to his and Zaira's abductions. In front of him was a lush green landscape under a bright mountain sun that bore little resemblance to the rain-lashed terrain of three and a half weeks before.
That wasn't the surprise.
It was the fact that little Jojo was currently earnestly explaining the concept of "catch" to an Arrow child a year older than her. That child kept looking to Aden for permission, until he stepped in and, hunkering down beside the boy, said, "Throw to me, Jojo."
Giving a happy smile, Jojo threw. When Aden caught it, she clapped her hands for him. He threw it gently back, and when she successfully caught it--after a little wobble--he put his hands together for her. The next time Jojo threw to the Arrow child, the boy tried to catch, but his coordination wasn't good at the unfamiliar task and he dropped it.
Jojo laughed. "Pip oops!"
Looking uncertain, Pip picked up the ball and threw. This time, Jojo fumbled it. "Oops!" she cried with a big smile that made it clear she didn't mind at all. "Jojo oops!"
Aden saw Pip relax as the boy began to understand that there was no right or wrong here, no test. Rising to his feet once he was sure the two were happy playing together, he looked across to where Zaira was watching over another group. She'd already been "tackle hugged" by Jojo, as Remi had laughingly called it.
Aden wasn't the one who'd remembered to buy a gift of candy for all the children to share. That had been Zaira. And she'd snuck in a special piece for Jojo, who'd giggled and eaten it then and there.
All systems go?
Looking up from where she leaned lazily against a large rock, she shot him a faux salute. I say we let Jojo run this op--she already knows everyone.
Perhaps she'll one day be an alpha.
I'd put money on it.
"Here, kitten." Remi rolled the ball back toward Jojo when it went too far.
"Thank you for agreeing to this," Aden said to the alpha after the children returned to their play, the two of them standing under a soaring tree with wide sheltering branches. "I didn't expect it."
He'd made the request regardless--because having spent so much time in the valley of late, he'd realized that Arrow children didn't know how to play. Even with explicit permission, they waited to be told what to do because that was the first phase of the training process--rote learning. Independent thought wasn't encouraged until much later.
Remi shrugged. "Not like you and Zaira hadn't already been in the area, and they're just cubs."
Aden knew that to the leopard alpha, that designation included the Arrow children as well. "You should be careful. There are those who'll use your weakness where children are concerned against you."
Throwing back his head, Remi laughed with abandoned joy. "Like it's a big fucking secret how much our cubs mean to us." A grin. "Same as yours do to you, it seems, so heed your own warning, my friend."
Aden had caught sight of several Arrow children pausing to watch Remi laugh, watched them return to their play after furtive glances at him, as if to check it was still okay. "I concede the point," he said to the amused alpha, while continuing to keep a psychic eye on the children within his shields.
This was a test group of ten. He had three in his shields, Vasic had three, and, as the strongest telepath, Zaira had four. The reason was to protect the changeling cubs in case of an inadvertent psychic loss of control. So far, the Arrow children were on their best behavior, but if these "playdates"--as Remi called them--carried on on a regular basis, childish fights were inevitable.
The extra shielding would both protect against any psychic damage and give the squad an insight into which children required more one-on-one psychic training to help them harness their strength in a safe way. Because, while Silence had fallen, some of its lessons remained viable: violent psychic abilities were dangerous and could ruin the life not just of the victim, but of the child who'd caused the injuries or death.
Part of Aden's duty was to keep young Arrows and those around them safe until the children had the skill and control to do so themselves. Flexible external shielding that wasn't hard and painful, but stretched to give a child room if he or she needed it, would work in the interim.
"They're quick," Remi said, nodding at the kids. "It won't take long before they're scrambling all over your valley."
Aden hadn't shared the location of the valley with Remi, not because he didn't trust the alpha, but because the information would make anyone who possessed it a target. He had, however, spoken to the alpha about the setup, asked if Remi had any suggestions when it came to creating community areas.
In the end, it turned out that Aden's instincts had led him in the correct direction. "Would you be willing to permit interaction between juveniles as well?" he asked the other man.
"Sure, with the right safeguards--but you gotta be ready to deal with teenage romance."
Aden didn't immediately reply, his mind having to quickly regroup. "Not an issue I'd considered."
"Figured that." Remi's grin was slyly feline. "We're talking teenage hormones, Aden. Leopard changelings of a certain age get to be very tactile and your teens are going to be experiencing freedom after a lifetime of deprivation." A raised eyebrow. "Pretty combustible mix. There'll be definite sneaking off into the trees so make sure your kids get the birds and bees talk if they haven't already."
Aden knew he could stop potential sneaking off with a simple order, but that defeated the purpose of teaching Arrow young how to have lives beyond a certain rigid existence. He thought of what he and Zaira might have done had they had the freedom to act on the visceral tug between them, knew it was a rite of passage he needed to allow the teens in the squad.
"We'll have to agree on rules of behavior," he said to Remi. "My juveniles will do b
etter with them."
"It's a good idea all around. Liable to be misunderstandings and hurt feelings otherwise."
The alpha smiled and rubbed the hair of a cub who came over to lean against his leg, as if needing a rest, only picking up the thread of their conversation once the little boy had run back into the play. "As an example--teenage changeling tries something on a skittish Psy, gets rebuffed, changeling will back off totally. That's part of our rules, so your kids will then have to make the move."
Aden wasn't sure Arrow teens would make any such moves, no matter how deep their need. "I'll get more counselors assigned specifically to the juveniles."
"Shit, Aden, these are teenagers. No matter how hard we work to prepare them, it'll be a culture shock on both sides."
"Some shocks are necessary." The teens would figure things out once they had successful examples in the group . . . then he realized they already had an example. Sienna Lauren was a viciously powerful cardinal Psy mated to an alpha wolf. She was also young enough that the teenagers would find her relatable. The only question was if the girl who'd once been forced to be Ming LeBon's protege would want to return to the Psy in any way.
*
WHEN told of the squad's request, Sienna made her decision in a heartbeat. "I want to do this," she said to the wolf-eyed man who held her heart. "Those kids are me not that many years ago." Lost and without hope. "I want to show them that we aren't just our abilities, that we can have lives, fall in love, explore the world if we want."
Hawke thrust a hand through the silver-gold of his hair as they walked through the corridors of the den. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
"You're worried."
"Ming was connected to the squad for one hell of a long time." His jaw grew tight at the name of the former Councilor. "We both know he wants you dead if he can't possess you."
"All the information we have says the squad has broken away from him."
"I'll only be happy once the bastard is dead," Hawke growled.
Sienna knew he was intensely frustrated that they couldn't move against Ming, but for better or worse, the ex-Councilor was currently the biggest stabilizing force in a large part of Europe. Because of the innocents who'd be harmed in the chaos that would ensue should Ming be taken summarily out of the equation, Hawke had agreed to hold off on the op to eliminate the man he hated for what Ming had done to Sienna.
Her mate was a good man, a man she hadn't dared dream of before she ended up in SnowDancer.
Wanting to kiss him until she couldn't breathe, she slipped her arm through his and turned her thoughts to how they could make the situation with the Arrows work. "I can meet the teens in the compound set up for E trainees." Situated on the border between DarkRiver and SnowDancer lands, the compound had intricate security protocols. "I'm sure the squad won't quibble about that when they're the ones who made the request."
Wolf looking out of his eyes, Hawke cupped the side of her face. "Anyone lays a finger on you, I will shred them." It was a promise.
"Ditto." She tugged him into a kiss. Fire sparked along their bond, and when the kiss broke he raised an eyebrow. "Reminding me you're dangerous?"
Kissing him again, she pressed her hands against the wide wall of his chest. God, he was a beautiful, sexy man, and he was hers. "Can't have Your Alphaness seeing me as weak."
He snorted. "I haven't been taken in by you since you were a damn juvenile with a smart mouth and a big attitude."
"I love you, too."
Cheeks creasing, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they continued to walk. "I'll organize a security detail for you. You can't watch your own back."
Sienna didn't argue; she wanted to believe in what Judd told her Aden was trying to do--create a squad that didn't just use up the gifted and dangerous, but provided a haven, a home for them. But she couldn't forget that the squad had been born in darkness, and that Ming had dug himself into it for decades. Remnants of those loyal to him or to his policies might yet remain and it would take only one to end the joy she'd found in this new life. "Here's my stop," she said in front of the door to the communal room utilized by the junior soldiers.
Sienna could have requested a jump straight to senior--not because she was Hawke's mate, but because of her abilities and proven strength in a fight, but she liked developing with her age group. Being a senior wasn't just about fighting strength or skill; she still had a lot to learn.
Kissing her again, to the wolf whistle of another soldier who was walking in, Hawke squeezed her hip before lightly biting her lower lip. "Go drive Drew crazy."
Sienna laughed and entered the session. Grabbing a seat next to Riordan on the comfortable and slightly ragged sofa as they waited for everyone else to come in, she found herself telling him what she'd been asked to do by the squad.
"So you're going to be the Loooooove Guru?" His dark eyes sparkled.
Narrowing her own eyes, she sat up and pointed at him. "Just for that, you're coming with me next time." The first time, she'd go alone, talk to them on a level only Psy who'd been through Silence could understand.
"Hey!" A scowl. "Hawke's your guy. Ask him."
"They need to see functioning Psy-non-Psy friendships as well." Sienna sank back into the sofa. "I'll ask Evie or Kit, too, as we continue the sessions."
Riordan shook his head and hooked his arm around her neck. "I must really like you, Sienna Lauren. You do realize that's time I could be spending with Noelle?"
"Ask her to come along," Sienna said, wondering if Hawke would agree to host one of the "contact" sessions in SnowDancer territory. She knew the RainFire alpha had already agreed, but, according to Hawke, RainFire had very few juveniles and teens in comparison to SnowDancer.
If the DarkRiver cats came on board as well, along with some of the nonpack human teens her packmates knew through school or other friendships, it could be a true kaleidoscope of the world. Maybe she was thinking too far ahead, but what if she could help make it happen? The teens of today would grow up into adults in a matter of a few years--and those adults would have friendships scattered across the races.
Their world might eventually become a true, functioning triumvirate.
PSYNET BEACON
Rumors are swirling in the Net about Aden Kai and his qualifications as the leader of the Arrow Squad. Sources that appear to be close to the squad have repeatedly stated that Aden is nothing but a low-to mid-level telepath and field medic. There is speculation that he is nothing but a stalking horse for the true leader of the squad.
The Beacon has reached out for confirmation from the squad, but they have maintained their silence, as per their operating protocol.
PSYNET BEACON: LIVE NETSTREAM
It may be a good covert maneuver, but I cannot respect a leader who hides behind weaker members of his group.
Anonymous
(Papeete)
Aden Kai is a skilled fighter, as witnessed by those of us at the infection outbreaks where he was part of the team that protected us. The fact that he may only be a low-Gradient Psy takes nothing away from those skills; leadership isn't only about power.
G. Smith
(New York)
The squad has never answered to the public and never will, but surely they must understand that this makes them appear weak?
T. Tzak
(Karachi)
This new post-Silence PsyNet is nowhere near as strong as it was under the past regime.
Anonymous
(Fez)
Even if Aden Kai is a shield for the true leader, he does not appear to have the strength associated with the squad. Is it possible that the squad is no longer created of the elite and that, in fact, it is nothing more than a simple black ops team?
J. Jeram
(Grozny)
Chapter 58
ADEN WAS CONSIDERING the Beacon report Vasic had brought to his attention when he received a comm call not from Hawke Snow, but from Lucas Hunter. "Hawke's going to touch base with you later," th
e leopard alpha said. "I wanted to talk to you about this idea of yours."
Realizing the two alphas must've discussed it with one another, Aden said, "What's DarkRiver's interest in this?"
Lucas's green eyes were suddenly not human anymore. "I have a cub who is as much Psy as she is changeling. It'd be nice if she grew up around children of both races."
It was a motive Aden could believe. "Would you agree to a contact session?" The RainFire pack was small, had a limited number of cubs. Enough for the test ten, but a larger group would overwhelm them. Aden had intended to rotate the Arrow children, though it wasn't his first choice--such a tactic would interrupt friendships in progress, such as that between Pip and Jojo.
If DarkRiver or SnowDancer agreed to his plan, however, children could be put into different groups that interacted together over a long period. It would create more well-rounded Arrows as well as forging bonds that crisscrossed the country. Aden wanted those bonds for the children under his care, wanted them to witness the different lives they could choose to live.
Being an Arrow didn't have to equal a sentence of isolation and aloneness.
"Yes, DarkRiver will do it," Lucas said, the decision one he'd clearly already made. "I'll speak to Remi to see how RainFire is handling things; I'll give you a call in the next day or so."
"Thank you," Aden said, aware this was a big step for the insular changelings. Lucas had couched it in terms of the benefits to his own child, but Aden knew that the changelings had once again thought of all children--Arrow "cubs" included. It was their weakness and, oddly, their strength.
"Wait." Lucas frowned as Aden went to end the communication. "You know a Psy family called Liu?"
"The Liu Group is one of the strongest in the Net." Aden had been in contact with the matriarch a number of times since he took over leadership of the squad. "I can make the introduction if you want to talk business."
Lucas shook his head, his shoulder-length black hair sliding forward before he tied it roughly back at his nape. "They've been fucking with us," he said bluntly. "Small things, but it's irritating."