Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,142
him a working prosthetic could’ve moved out, but he liked it here and had requested to stay.
“Do you have to go see Miane?” Ivy asked.
Vasic had received a message from BlackSea right before they teleported.
“No,” he said into the gentle quiet, his body strong and warm as he stood partially behind her. “With the SUV lead having dead-ended, there’s nothing I can do at this stage but wait until they have another location. The message had photos from Persephone’s birthday celebration—we can look at them together after your meeting.”
Ivy nodded, fiercely proud of the little girl who’d survived the monsters of the Consortium. Ivy wasn’t the empath working with her, but she received regular updates from the young male E who was, and those reports told her Persephone had a defiant spirit that might be wounded but was in no way beaten.
“Do you want me with you?” Vasic asked, curving his hand over her hip. “Samuel asked me to come in for a deep-tissue scan.”
“Go have the scan,” she said. “I think this’ll go better if it’s just me.”
When Vasic nodded, she tilted up her head and pressed a palm to his cheek. “Thank you for the ride.” She was well aware she was ridiculously spoiled in how she could go anywhere in the world she wanted.
Just over three weeks ago, when she’d mentioned she wanted to try a pastry she’d heard about called mille-feuille, Vasic had taken her to a bakery in Paris. “I love you.”
Vasic’s expression didn’t alter, but he turned his head to kiss her palm, while deep within, their bond vibrated with the potent strength of his own emotions. “That’s one thing I never doubt.” A faint smile that made her want to kiss him.
So she did.
Ivy. I’ll teleport us back to bed if you’re not careful.
Laughing at the cool warning that belied the sinful way he was kissing her back, his fingers stroking her hip, she stole another taste before pushing him away. “Stop distracting me.”
His eyes glinted a promise of vengeance. “I’ll see you soon, Mrs. Zen.”
“You can count on it, Mr. Zen.”
Lips curving, Vasic angled his head at Rabbit. “Come on, let’s go see Samuel.”
Rabbit padded off happily at his side.
Ivy took a few moments to watch her husband walk toward the main Haven building—he was so beautiful in motion—before she turned to head to the rose garden where she’d asked to meet Clara. The other woman was already there, seated on a familiar weathered wooden bench, her eyes on the colorful mass of blooms open to the sun and scenting the air.
“Ivy,” she said as she rose, her smile warm.
The manager of Haven was dressed in a pale gray pantsuit paired with an aqua blue shirt, her golden brown hair parted in the center and rolled into a neat knot at the nape and her hands covered by thin black gloves.
“Clara.” Ivy walked forward. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see me.”
“Of course,” Clara said as they both took seats on the bench. “Is it about Samuel? He’s doing very well.”
“No, it’s something else.” Deciding to dive straight into it, she told the other woman about the severe and deadly disintegration of the fabric of the PsyNet. Then she spoke about the two other healthy loci.
When she said, “You’re the third,” Clara’s eyes widened.
“I see,” the former Justice Psy said. “Do you know what sets apart the other two?”
“Not their abilities,” Ivy said. “One is a teleport-capable Tk, the other a J like you.” Then she added what she believed to be the critical factor. “Both are bonded to humans.”
Clara didn’t respond in any visible fashion, as Ivy continued. “I know you have a human husband,” she said quietly. “I need to know if you’re bonded on a psychic level—I swear I’ll protect your privacy. The only people who know or need to know all have their own bonds.” Each and every one understood that it was a gift, not to be harmed. “None of them would betray you.”
Clara’s brown eyes held hers for a long moment, as if she was judging Ivy’s sincerity, before the manager of Haven reached down to quietly tug off the glove on her left hand . . . to reveal a golden band on her ring finger. “His name is Patrick,” she said, her love for him a kiss against Ivy’s senses. “And yes, we’re connected on the psychic level. Mated.”
“How do you keep the bond hidden?” Ivy whispered. “There’s no hint of it in