A glance in the mirror showed her appearance to be completely acceptable. No one looking at her would've guessed at the turmoil inside. Decision made, she went to the console to return the call but changed her mind. No use alerting anyone who was watching her as to her whereabouts. Her heart twisted at the thought of Lucas worrying but she knew he'd have told her to do exactly what she was doing.
She changed out of the relaxed clothing she'd been wearing and into a severe black pantsuit and white shirt. It was the uniform of the Psy and she couldn't afford to stand out. So armed, she walked out. And almost ran face-first into Enrique. If she hadn't spent a lifetime keeping secrets, the shock might've made her shell crack.
"Councilor. How can I help you?" She closed the door behind her. It was a subtle hint.
His dark eyes ran over her clothing. "A late meeting?"
"Yes." Meetings after nine weren't anything unusual.
"I'd like to talk to you. Now would be a good time." It was an order couched as a request.
"Mother wouldn't take it kindly if I missed this engagement." No matter how close Nikita and Enrique were over Council matters, Sascha's mother had no allies for whom she'd sacrifice money and power.
The white stars in his eyes flickered in a way she found disturbing. "Don't be too quick to turn down an offer of advancement."
She'd thought he'd given up holding out that lure to her. How stupid did he think she was? "What are you offering?" she asked instead of laughing in his face.
"That's what I want to discuss. We can do it in private in your quarters."
The hairs on her arms rose. It wasn't unknown for older Psy to poach talent from other families, but there was something fundamentally wrong about Enrique's offer. He was too eager to get her alone. And she was terrified she knew the reason why. "As I said, Councilor, I must decline." She glanced at her watch. "I need to be leaving if I'm to be on time."
He inclined his head and moved out of her way. "You'd do well to make time for me, Sascha. Most young cardinals would die to be in your position."
Death was exactly what she was afraid he was offering. "Sir." She kept her tone formal but the single word was a good-bye. She could feel his eyes on her back the entire length of the corridor. He knew something; he could obviously smell the flaw in her and was determined to expose it.
What she couldn't understand was why he was giving her so much attention at a time when the Council was concentrating on finding out the serial's identity. Was it possible he suspected her of being in league with the changelings?
As she entered the elevator and turned to face the closing doors, she saw him staring back at her across the distance. Belatedly, she remembered that Enrique was considered the best territorial strategician in the PsyNet.
He was a master at setting traps.
Lucas had almost scored grooves in the floor with his prowling. It was past ten at night - where was Sascha? If anyone had dared to harm her, he'd gut them with his bare claws. Someone moved behind him. "What is it, Nate?"
"Everyone's safe. Cubs, maternal females, and the elderly or injured have all been moved. I've told the sentinels, soldiers, and the older juveniles that the next alert means war."
Lucas had given that order after Sascha had woken from her unconscious state. "What's the mood of the pack?"
"No one's comfortable with a Psy being privy to our safe house but they'll back you whatever you decide." He put one hand on Lucas's shoulder. "You've earned their loyalty. They'll follow you into hell if you ask it."
Lucas turned and looked into the other man's face. "That's what I'm afraid of." At that moment, every instinct he had flared bright red. "She's here." Pushing past Nate, he ran out the back door just as Sascha's car came to a smooth stop behind the house.
She exited, looking as cold as a statue. Except he'd seen inside that stone mask. Aware that this area was safe from prying eyes, he went to her and hauled her into his arms. She stiffened and then hesitantly returned the hug. "I was very careful. No one followed me here."
"We can talk inside." He pulled away to tug her into the house - where he and his pack could keep her safe.
Dorian and Kit had run into the room as he'd exited and now they stood there with Tamsyn and Nate. Despite having seen Sascha before, all the males seemed shocked at the embrace they'd witnessed. Ignoring them for now, Lucas sat Sascha down in a chair, able to feel her tiredness.
To his surprise, she looked around for Tamsyn. "I'm sorry but I'm very hungry."
The healer grinned. "Then you've come to the right place. Let me get you something."
"Thank you." She turned back to him.
He'd taken a chair to her left and moved it so it faced her. "Dorian. Kit." The command was apparent. Following Nate's lead, they took sentinel positions around the room. "Who's on the outside?"
"Clay, Mercy, and Barker. Rina and Vaughn are patrolling the outer perimeter." Now that the other safe houses were empty, the sentinels had gathered here.
"Kit. Go and replace Mercy."
The juvenile looked like he wanted to argue but he must've seen the implacability in Lucas's eyes. Without a word, he left. A minute later, Mercy entered and took his position. This was a matter for adults, not children, and no matter how grown up he looked, Kit was still considered a cub. He'd been allowed to stay behind but would never be asked to fight except as a last resort.
Taking Sascha's hand in his, he met her eyes. "Eat first."
Tamsyn put a plate of sandwiches in front of her. She refused to let go of his hand as she picked them up one by one and demolished them. The chocolate cookies went the same way, as did the glass of milk. There was such bliss on her face after each bite that he wondered what she'd do when he lavished real pleasure on her, something he had every intention of doing.
"More?" Tamsyn asked, clearing away the dishes.
"No. Thank you. I... like your food." Coming from a Psy, it was a wild declaration.
"My kitchen is always open."
Sascha looked like she wanted to smile but didn't quite know how to pull it off. "I hacked the PsyNet."
Everyone went silent.
"Tell us what that means, Sascha." His heart was breaking at the pain he could feel coming off her. The waves of sorrow were so deep, he wondered that they didn't kill her.
"I could never talk about it before," she said, reminding him of his earlier attempts to get her to share information. "But now I can. I wonder if that means my mind's deteriorated so much that the blocks no longer hold."
"You just broke into the most secure information network in the world - your mind is fine." He frowned when she didn't seem to hear him.
"The PsyNet is like your Internet, except it's made up of minds, not computers," she said, instead of responding. "Most of it is public but there are hidden nodes of classified information. I obtained access to those restricted parts." It sounded so cool and practical but he knew it had to have been anything but.
"What would've happened if you'd been found?"
She met his eyes. "I would've been executed."
"You didn't tell us that." He was furious with her, so angry that he wanted to haul her to his lair and let the primitive in him take over. A growl threatened at the back of his throat.
"I didn't think it was relevant." She sounded so Psy that no one who hadn't been watching her eyes would've guessed at the depth of fear she must've experienced. "I learned more than we could've hoped for."
Chapter 17
"Who is it?" He hadn't forgotten her recklessness.
They'd discuss it privately. And he'd teach his Psy that when it came to Pack, one member's life was very much relevant.
"They don't know the identity of the killer."
Dorian made a sound of anguish. A flare of Psy energy lit up Lucas's senses and when it flared back down, Dorian was calmer but no less frustrated.
"They've set a trap." She tightened her hand. "I could link into the PsyNet and shadow them until they know."
He narrowed his eyes. "How long?"
"Not very - the trap will spring the second he kills."
"That could take days. Can you survive being buried that long?" He was starting to get a glimmer of how the Net worked. "You're exhausted from what you did today and that was what - simply for a few hours?"
She flinched. "I'm strong enough. I'm a cardinal."
There was something broken about her statement but he knew this wasn't the place to pursue it. He'd gentle the truth out of her in private.
"If we don't find her before she dies, the SnowDancers won't accept only the killer's blood in recompense." Dorian was staring at the back of Sascha's head as if he wanted to see through to her mind.
"I know." Sascha nodded. "I have an idea to expedite the process."
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"The killer is a predator with very fixed needs - his women are all of a certain type and, according to the Council's research, he's compulsive. I think if we give him a wide-open target, he won't be able to resist going after it. And the trap will spring without Brenna's death."
"How do we set the trap when we don't know where he is?" Nate asked.
Lucas knew the answer. "You're going to be the bait, aren't you? The trap is going to be on the PsyNet."
"I'm not changeling but I'm flawed in a way that might negate that handicap. My mind appears to be able to... understand yours. We can use that to ensure the killer is attracted to me." Her voice remained strong though her hand was trembling. "With your help, I'll teach my mind to mimic changeling thought patterns. Once I'm in the Net, I'll drop my shields enough that he picks up the altered patterns."