Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,1
Shannon, senior aide to Nikita
Stefan (Tk), Commander of the deep-sea station Alaris
Talin (Tally) Human member of DR, mated to Clay, adopted children: Noor and Jon
Tamsyn “Tammy” Ryder DR Healer, mated to Nathan, mother of Roman and Julian
Tanique Gray Psychometric, son of Anthony, brother of Faith
Tavish Arrow child
Teijan Rat Alpha
Toby Lauren Psy member of SD, brother of Sienna, nephew of Judd and Walker, cousin to Marlee
Vasic Zen Arrow, teleporter (Tk-V), married and psychically bonded to Ivy Jane, great-grandson of Zie Zen
Vaughn DR Sentinel, mated to Faith, jaguar changeling
Walker Lauren Psy member of SD, teacher, mated to Lara, father of Marlee, brother of Judd, uncle of Sienna and Toby
Xavier Perez Human, priest, friend of Judd and Kaleb
Yuki SD, lawyer, mated to Elias, mother of Sakura
Yuri Arrow, telepath
Zach DR Soldier, mated and married to Annie
Zaira Neve Arrow, telepath (combat), psychically bonded to Aden
Zane Second in command of the Rats
Zie Zen Psy elder, great-grandfather of Vasic
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming with me on this journey into the Psy-Changeling world. It’s been a wild and unpredictable ride, hasn’t it? I’ve had so much fun, and with every new story, I’ve fallen more and more in love with this world and the characters who live in it.
Shards of Hope closed what I think of as the first arc, or season one, of the series, while also opening season two. Before we dive fully into the next arc, however, I want to take a look back and see how far the world and its characters have come since Slave to Sensation.
Not only that, but I want to explore the myriad connections that bind these disparate characters together. In writing this book, the hardest thing was not how to bring characters in so everyone had a chance to shine, but where—because there is never simply one connection. Each and every character is linked to multiple others through bonds of pack, of friendship, of blood, of loyalty, and of course, of love.
So this book, while continuing the Psy-Changeling storyline—because nothing is ever static in this world—is also a walk through the interconnected lives of many of the characters who’ve become important to us over the past books and novellas. With a cast this sprawling, not everyone gets a mention or page time in each book (imagine how long the books would be if that happened!), but in this story, we get an update on a whole lot of people.
Even then, not everything I wanted to add made it into this book, so I’ll be sharing more than one deleted scene in my newsletter over the coming months. You can subscribe to the newsletter for free at my website: nalinisingh.
I hope you enjoy Allegiance of Honor—and here’s to the next book and season two of the Psy-Changeling series.
~ Nalini
Tesseract
NO ONE COULD’VE predicted this moment in time.
And, as the clock ticks onward in 2082, no one knows what is to come. The world has changed in countless ways since the day a cardinal empath sat across from a changeling alpha, the empath trying to hide her emotions, the alpha trying to see under her skin.
There has been war, destruction, piercing love.
Loyalties have been tested.
A way of life overturned.
Blood has run red as those who would hold on to power cut down innocent lives.
Soldiers have died.
Children have been born.
Bonds have formed.
Hearts have entwined.
Old enmities have been forgotten and there is a fragile peace . . . and the world stands at a critical crossroads.
Will the bonds hold?
Or will chaos reign?
PART 1
Chapter 1
LUCAS HUNTER, ALPHA of the DarkRiver leopards, ended the comm call with a touch of his index finger against the screen. The outwardly calm action belied his current state of mind: his jaw was a grim line, his claws shoving at the insides of his skin as the black panther within snarled.
He was still battling the urge to release that snarl when one of his sentinels stuck his head into the room. That room was Lucas’s private office at the pack’s Chinatown HQ, from where they ran their myriad business enterprises. Pitch-black hair and dark green eyes vivid against the deep brown of his skin, his shoulders solid, Clay was officially the Chief Construction Supervisor at DarkRiver Construction, but before that, he was one of the most trusted members of the pack, a man Lucas knew would always have his back.
Today, the sentinel was dressed as if he planned to go to a site, his pants of a tough black material appropriate for the outdoor environment and his T-shirt wild