Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,123

out a breath. “Cruz’s eyes are changing the more he uses his ability, and so are those of a number of others. This”—he pointed to his own eyes—“it’s not what Cruz’s eyes are doing. None of the changes are the same and none of the changes are stable, but there is a definite change in the eyes of the majority of Forgotten with high-level abilities.”

Lucas whistled, suddenly understanding why Dev was so pissed off. “It’ll put a marker on the backs of all your most gifted members.”

A hard nod. “It’s like we’ve hit a default setting,” Dev said. “As if once an individual reaches a certain level of active psychic power, previously dormant genes turn on and start to fuck with their eyes.”

“Maybe Dev’s people can modify the contacts we developed for Sienna and the others,” Hawke said to Lucas. “Has to be easier to hide these fluctuations than it was to hide cardinal eyes.”

Dev looked immediately interested. “Seriously, any help you can offer, we’ll take,” he said before locking gazes with Lucas again. “I think Jon was the first to exhibit the change. When we spoke, he told me he doesn’t remember people commenting about his eyes until he turned eleven or so.”

Since the remarkable violet shade of Jon’s eyes definitely invited comment, Lucas could find no fault with Dev’s theory. “Jon was on his own, forced to use whatever he had to survive.” Ethics made for cold comfort when you were a starving child.

“No surprise his abilities woke faster as a result,” Dev agreed without hesitation.

The response further strengthened Lucas’s liking for the Forgotten director. “We’ll forward you the information on how to produce the contacts.” They were highly specialized and had to be custom-made for the individual, but the Forgotten had the resources to do that. “You ready to head down?”

Dev nodded and, saying good-bye to Hawke, the two of them were soon back in the car. They were a half hour out from the aerie where Dev, Katya, and Cruz were staying when Dev received a message on his phone that made him frown. “You know a lynx pack in Calgary?”

Lucas thought immediately of Bastien’s mate, Kirby. Her grandparents’ pack, IceRock, was the only one in that immediate region. “Yeah. What’s the issue?”

“There’s a small Forgotten population just off the pack’s eastern border. They’ve had a good if not close relationship with the pack to this point, but they’re getting nervous about vehicle movements late at night that seem to be going in and out of pack territory—black SUVs that look military grade to them, but they’re not trained.”

The information didn’t fit with Lucas’s impression of IceRock. “I’ll ask, but as far as I know, the pack’s a peaceful one.” A family-centered group that was happy to be left alone, though it was cautiously following DarkRiver’s lead in making friendships with its neighbors.

“Appreciate it.” Dev slipped away his phone. “My people tend to be jumpy, especially with children in the mix.”

“Don’t blame them.” The Forgotten had lost a number of their young in horrific circumstances. “I’ll touch base with the lynx alpha soon as we get back.”

“We’re leaving in two hours, so if you get any information after that, give me a call.”

Letters to Nina

From the private diaries of Father Xavier Perez

October 19, 2075

Nina,

I’ve been working with my Psy friend whenever possible. He appears only rarely but we’ve found ways to stay in touch while he maintains his cover. In his absence, I use the welcome provided to me as a man of God to uncover information that helps us fight the evil that rules the Psy race.

I’ve been surprised at how many of the Psy treat me with respect, despite their official disbelief in any plane of existence beyond this one. Again, it’s shown me that not all Psy are the same. They have their good and their bad, their lazy and their strong.

I’m still angry at God, still full of rage, but there are glimmers of hope in the darkness. I don’t know if I’ll ever again be a man of absolute faith as I once was, but it seems my faith is too powerful to be killed even by horror.

But one thing I know: I’ll never be fully at peace with God until the day I see you again . . . whether in this lifetime or the next.

Xavier

Chapter 36

LUCAS WAS MEETING Sascha and Naya at Tamsyn and Nate’s, the other couple having invited them for dinner, but he stopped by his own