Shield of Winter

by Nalini Singh

  A dark-haired male who walked with the deadly grace of an assassin appeared from the side of the house at that instant. Judd Lauren, Arrow and member of the SnowDancer pack. There was no split loyalty; Judd had made it patent his primary loyalty was to the pack that had become his home. That didn't mean he wouldn't do everything in his power to assist the squad, so long as that assistance did no harm to SnowDancer or its allies.

  Family comes first. Words Judd had spoken to Vasic in the deserted backyard of a Second Reformation church. But the squad is family, too. I won't ever betray you unless you betray me by seeking to hurt those I love.

  Love was a concept of which Vasic had no comprehension, though he knew how to recognize the signs of it in others. Learning the subtle physical cues that betrayed emotional bonds had been part of his training, intended to give him tools he could use to exploit targets from the emotional races. He didn't, however, actually understand what it was any more than a trained animal understood the words spoken to it.

  He could ask Judd to explain it to him, but he suspected he simply didn't have the correct emotional foundations to comprehend the explanation.

  "You have the final details of the security measures?" Aden's voice cut through the sounds of the forest, the silence that disquieted many Psy nowhere in evidence--water, birds, wind, the hint of a wolf's howl in the distance, it was a natural symphony.

  Hawke raised an eyebrow. "I guess the pleasantries are over then." Despite the wolf alpha's lazy words, the pale blue of his gaze was that of a predator. Focused. Unblinking. "Judd's got the schematics."

  The other Arrow pinned the hard-copy map to the side of the cabin using his Tk. "The inner perimeter"--he tapped a border marked in yellow--"is set with underground sensors that'll detect any movement. No way to access them. They're buried deep and in large numbers."

  Vasic had no intention of attempting to subvert the packs' security, but Judd knew how Arrow minds worked, and the precaution was a good one. "Outer perimeter?" Marked in orange, it was some distance from the inner one, creating a significant buffer zone.

  "Laser line. Set to incapacitate immediately."

  "You should set it to kill." An Arrow needed only the slimmest margin to alter the balance of power.

  No surprise in Judd's expression. "That'll be taken care of by the security measures in the red zone."

  "Are all the areas marked?" Aden broke in, attention on the map. "We'll have civilians with us."

  Judd nodded. "Even a child couldn't miss the boundary lines. Anyone who manages to survive the red zone will be tracked and eliminated in a far messier fashion." A glint in the gold-flecked dark brown of his eyes that Vasic translated as humor. "Trust me, you don't want to be torn apart by wolf or leopard claws."

  Vasic scanned the map into his gauntlet as a backup to the file Judd would no doubt send him. "That leaves teleportation."

  Holding his gaze, Judd said, "Do you intend to use a facial lock to breach the perimeter and enter Pack lands?"

  "Not unless it's an emergency where I have no other option." A vow, Arrow to Arrow, one that was accepted without further discussion; if Judd had had doubts, they wouldn't be standing here.

  "The others can only 'port to a visual reference," Judd pointed out, "and the entire area beyond the outer perimeter is heavily patrolled. Subtle light barriers will ensure any attempt at taking long-range photographs will produce a distorted image."

  Making them useless to an ordinary teleporter.

  He's always had one of the most inventive minds in the squad.

  Vasic agreed with Aden's telepathic statement. It was Judd after all who'd worked out a way to wean himself--and as a result, other Tks--off Jax, without sending up a red flag. Aden and Vasic had been working on the same problem for months when it became clear Judd Lauren had succeeded and that all they needed to do was quietly reinforce the changes he'd set in motion.

  It's a pity we didn't realize he was one of us until after his defection, Aden said, referring to the other Arrow's rebel tendencies. I almost approached him after the Jax maneuver, but he was such a "perfect" Arrow in every other way that the risk outweighed my instincts.

  Vasic wasn't so certain that had been a mistake. If we'd brought Judd in, he may have made different choices, and he wouldn't be who he is now. An Arrow who hadn't only survived, but who lived. It was a sharp distinction. Judd had a mate, a family, a real life that, unbeknownst to him, was a beacon to every splintered member of the squad.

  Kaleb Krychek might be like them, but Judd was one of them.

  In the ensuing minutes, the other man explained the remaining security protocols, the majority involving satellite surveillance. The trees in this area were spaced widely enough that the packs could and would keep a remote eye on the Psy in the compound--but the changelings promised to keep the surveillance at a general level as long as those in the compound made no aggressive or suspicious moves.

  "We have no desire to spy on your lives," Lucas Hunter said bluntly, his arms folded loosely across his chest as he leaned against the cabin in a manner that struck Vasic as lazily feline. "But we'll come down hard the instant it appears you're using the compound as a base for aggression."

  Any issues? Aden asked Vasic.

  No. Their precautions are impressive. Vasic did have another geographic--as opposed to facial--lock in this territory, but it was not one with any military value. That hadn't been the point. The Es will be safe here. Ivy and her pet would be safe here. The protections may be designed to keep us in, but they will also keep aggressors out.

  "We agree to all the specifications," Aden said aloud. "However, we do have a request." He stated the need for an emergency safe-passage protocol.

  A quick discussion later, Vasic's proposed solution of an SOS code was accepted.

  "Is Sascha Duncan willing to work with the Es?"

  Lucas Hunter's green eyes took on a feral glow at Aden's query. "Yeah. But we'll talk about that after your people are in."

  "We can build the remaining cabins," Vasic began, but the changelings waved away the offer, preferring to do it themselves in order to minimize the impact on the natural environment.

  Vasic made a note to sweep the dwellings for surveillance equipment before moving in his Arrows and the Es. The changelings didn't appear interested in such intensive and invasive surveillance, but Vasic took nothing on trust. It made it much harder for people to betray him.

  *

  AFTER the two Arrows left the clearing, Hawke looked to where his and Lucas's people stood talking a short distance away. Indigo grinned and shook her head at something Dorian had said. A second later, Judd replied--to Dorian's sharp grin and quick retort.

  "Could you have imagined this scene five years ago?" Lucas said at the same instant. "Not just leopard and wolf and Psy together, but the situation with the Arrows and the empaths."

  "Five years ago, SnowDancer as a pack was isolated and content with it." The past had scarred Hawke's men and women, hardened them to anyone who wasn't their own. "We had no idea what we could be. I had no idea who I could be." Not simply an alpha who would bleed for his pack, but a man who'd savage the world for his mate.

  It was clear Lucas sensed the primal protectiveness that lived in Hawke, his next question directly related to Sienna. "You still planning to mount an assault on Ming in a month?"

  Hawke's wolf snarled inside him, lips peeled back to showcase its fangs. As long as Ming LeBon lived, he'd be a threat to Hawke's mate, and that was unacceptable. "This"--he nodded at the compound--"is throwing a spanner in the works."

  He couldn't leave his territory with so many Psy in the vicinity, and the operation couldn't be moved forward. Ming was a combat-grade telepath with significant forces. They'd only get one shot at him, so all of the pieces had to be in place.

  Lucas's cat-green eyes held Hawke's. "DarkRiver will help keep your pack safe." It was the promise of one alpha to another, the blood bond between them set in stone. "Ming threatens all of us
. You told me Judd's contacts say he may have supported Pure Psy." The leopard alpha's jaw tightened at the mention of the violent force that had attacked DarkRiver and SnowDancer both.

  Hawke had never trusted anyone with his pack, never truly would. That was part of what made him a good alpha--he took responsibility for each and every member of SnowDancer. However, if his and Sienna's plan went as intended, he'd only be gone for a day at most, and not only were his lieutenants eminently capable of covering his absence, Lucas had earned his trust. "I'll keep you updated."

  Indigo waved them over right then, and the two of them walked across to the stump the others were using as a table. "We've decided on a further nine one-bedroom cabins," the lieutenant stated, "along with a larger cabin for the Arrows, since they'll be sleeping in shifts."

  They discussed the placement of the cabins and the teams needed to get them up as fast as possible. Since DarkRiver was in construction, the leopards would take charge, with the wolves providing labor as needed.

  "I know it makes humanitarian sense," Indigo said, rolling up the map to carry back, "and Judd you know I trust your judgment to the core--"

  "But your wolf's still prickly at the idea of so many assassins in our territory," Judd completed. "I'm the same. This is our home," he said simply. "It's instinct."

  Yes, Hawke thought, it was instinct of the deepest, most primal kind. Hawke's wolf, too, was on aggressive alert, claws pushing against the insides of his skin. The Psy had savaged SnowDancer once, brutalized them to agonizing pain, and no wolf in the den would ever forget that--but his mate, his fucking heartbeat, had also come from the Psy. Sienna had saved life after life in a battle meant to annihilate the pack, with no care for her own. As had Judd. His brother had protected their young. No wolf would ever forget that, either.

  So, they would give the Psy race this one chance.

  Whether it ended in trust or in blood-soaked battle was up to them.

  Chapter 11

  The child isn't psychologically suited either to the squad's training methods or to its mandate. Normally, I'd recommend he be removed from the program, but as the usefulness of his ability makes that a nonviable option, I suggest the immediate and repeated application of physical pain interspersed with psychological punishment to break him down. Only then can he be molded into an Arrow.

  Private PsyMed report on Arrow Trainee Vasic Duvnjak, age 4 years 2 months

  SEVEN DAYS AFTER the attack, Ivy went to heft her pack when the weight of it was simply gone. Startled, she spun around to see Vasic standing a foot away, near a snow-heavy apple tree.

  "I've sent it ahead to the location," he said, as if it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

  Heart thudding, she realized it was for him. "Right. Of course." She looked at Rabbit, her pet staring fixedly at where the pack had been. "Don't do the same to Rabbit, okay?"

  "No, he goes with you. I understand."

  For some reason that cool response made her want to smile through the nerves that had created a tight knot in her chest. Turning to her parents, she went to say good-bye, then thought to hell with it and hugged them one at a time. She didn't expect much of a physical response, but they squeezed her tight, their unspoken love a vivid pulse against her skin.

  Her breath caught at the idea of not having them within telepathic reach. She hadn't ever been that alone. Now she wasn't only about to leave her home and family, she'd disengaged her shields from the others in the settlement. It was the first time in seven years she'd been adrift in the Net on her own.

  Take care, Ivy. The back of her father's hand grazed her mother's as he telepathed Ivy.

  I will, she said, achingly conscious of her mother looking at her with an intensity that said Gwen was storing the sight for later recall. I'll call, I promise. Now more than ever she'd need their steady, grounding advice. I'll miss you both so much.

  Gwen Jane's modulated breathing didn't alter, her expression didn't change, but her words held her heart. If you ever feel unsafe, we'll come. Day or night, snow or rain, we'll find you.

  I know. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Ivy picked up Rabbit. She knew he had to be kept under control during the teleport, but he disliked leashes and she didn't subject him to one unless there was no other way; she knew too well what it was like to be strapped in with no way to escape.

  "We're ready," she said to the Arrow with eyes of clear, beautiful winter frost, his lethally honed body a powerful presence by her side.

  She wasn't sure if he touched her, if he needed to, but there was a slight moment of disorientation . . . and then her parents no longer stood in front of her. Instead, she faced several small cabins set against a backdrop of dark green firs and snowcapped mountains under a stunning blue sky, the air holding a distinct bite and the area blanketed with fresh-fallen snow. Though it wasn't the orchard that was her home, the beauty of it hurt her heart.

  A black-haired male with sea blue eyes moved out of the trees to her immediate right an instant later, nodded at Vasic, and teleported out.

  Ivy was too startled to be scared. "He was wearing the same uniform as you," she said to Vasic after putting Rabbit on the ground. Her pet looked suspiciously around before deigning to sniff the snow. "Was he a member of your squad?"

  A nod. "His name is Abbot. I stationed him here as a guard after I confirmed the area was secure." He indicated the cabin to their left. "I placed your pack inside, but as we're the first to arrive, you can choose another cabin if you wish."

  "No, this is perfect." Located at one end of the rough semicircle of cabins, it wasn't far from the trees where she knew Rabbit would love to play.

  Inside, the simple wooden structure proved much like her home. The kitchen nook was to her left as she walked in, a small table with two chairs to her right, the bed at the back with a private annex for the facilities. Her backpack was sitting neatly at the foot of the bed, beside a folded up screen she could use to block off the bedroom area from the kitchen.

  "Where are you and your people going to sleep?" she asked Vasic, who'd remained in the doorway, his wide shoulders blocking out the light.

  "We have cots stacked in the larger cabin situated at the center of the semicircle." Vasic's eyes followed Rabbit as her pet looked longingly at the bed. "Does he sleep with you?"

  "Drat." Ivy lightly slapped her forehead. "I forgot his basket."

  "I'll get it."

  "Oh, thank you. It's just inside the back d--" And she was talking to air. "That could get extremely annoying extremely quickly." Her scowling mutter had barely cleared the air when he was back.

  Vasic placed the basket near the kitchen nook. "There's food for him in one of the cupboards." Rising to his feet, he held out a small package of canine treats Ivy must've inadvertently left on her kitchen counter. "I guessed you might want these." He was absorbed by the idea that she spoiled her pet.

  Ivy's narrow-eyed frown dissolved into panic. "Hide it before he sees," she ordered in a choked whisper, as if afraid Rabbit would understand.

  Vasic 'ported the package into the same cupboard as the dog food he'd brought in for her pet.

  Hand on her chest, Ivy shook her head. "You cannot ever show him the whole package," she told him in a tone as solemn as a church. "I made that mistake the first time, and he was like a junkie, standing in front of the cupboard salivating all day, every day."

  Vasic didn't understand her. At all. She didn't act as a Psy was meant to act and so incited responses from him that were outside the norm. "Do you purchase treats for yourself as well?" he found himself asking, though why the knowledge mattered to him, he couldn't articulate.

  Ivy bit down on the plump flesh of her lower lip, her eyes lit from within. "When I was eighteen and a half," she whispered, stepping so close that her exasperated dog forced his body between them, his furry coat pressed against Vasic's combat boots, "I went into the township's general store for the first time."

  Not backing off, Ivy continued to speak in a low
, private tone, as if she was sharing a secret.

  He found himself bending toward her.

  "I had money I'd earned from helping on the farm," she told him, "and I intended to buy useful supplies. Then the woman who runs the store with her husband offered me a sweet because I was 'too skinny by half.'" Her eyes drifted shut, her sigh long . . . and he thought perhaps she'd forgotten she was standing defenseless in front of a trained killer.

  He stayed motionless, unwilling to fracture the strange, inexplicable moment.

  "It was soft and sweet enough to incite sugar shock," she murmured, "and the most astonishingly delicious thing I'd ever tasted." Her lashes flicked up to reveal those perceptive, expressive eyes of copper and gold. "She told me it was called a Turkish Delight. I bought an entire box and gorged myself. Then I went back the next day and bought another box."

  Glowing with a joy that saturated the air, she leaned in even closer and said, "I felt guilty so I bought Rabbit extra treats as well." Tiny lines formed at the corners of her eyes, bracketed the curve of her lips. "Alas, that was the end of my money, so we both had to wait another whole month before I could get more."

  Vasic stared at her, wishing he had the capacity to comprehend her. Deep in the back of his mind, in the crumbled ruins of who he might've once been, he had the piercing thought that she was a rare, beautiful gift. And such a gift, came the ice-cold reminder from the core of his nature, would only end up crushed and bloody and defiled should he attempt to handle it.

  Stepping away from her so suddenly that she swayed a little, he turned to walk to the door. "The others will be here soon."

  Ivy stared at his shoulders, the raw intensity of his gray eyes burned into her retinas, her body missing the powerful presence of his own. He'd watched her as if she was the only thing in the entire universe, as if she was his version of a Turkish Delight. As if he wanted to devour her whole. Shaking her head to rid it of the foolish, impossible thought, she followed him to the porch.

  Rabbit quivered by her side until she bent to pet him and whisper, "Go, explore. I'll stay in sight so you can still protect me." A happy lick, a "woof," and Rabbit scampered out to sniff at the rocks and the grass that poked up through the snow near the trees.