Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,71

her upper arm. Sienna froze. She would never disrespect the man who was her father in every way that mattered. “Uncle Walker, I need to leave,” she said, her skin vibrating with her urgency. “Hawke’s gone out to confront Ming!”

“It’s a business meeting,” Walker said.

Sienna sucked in a breath. “You knew?” Betrayal was a slap across her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Even though she was furious with Hawke, she could understand his boneheaded behavior. Her alpha mate was so protective of her that, sometimes, he acted before he thought. And when it came to Ming LeBon, he was more feral wolf than civilized man. That didn’t excuse what he’d done, but it at least made sense.

But for her uncle to go along with it when he knew exactly how good Sienna was at taking care of herself? She stared uncomprehendingly at the planes of his face, his expression calm in the face of her rage.

“Hawke is incapable of thinking clearly with you anywhere near Ming.” Walker held her gaze with the unusual light green of his. “But you would’ve insisted on going with him.”

“Of course I would’ve insisted!” Sienna fisted her hands. “Ming is a combat telepath!” He could smash Hawke’s natural shields open with far less effort than almost any other Tp on the planet, kill him within seconds.

“Judd’s with him.”

Relief and betrayal punched into her in equal measures. “Him, too?” she demanded. “Was I the only adult Lauren who wasn’t informed of Hawke’s plans?”

Walker closed both hands around her upper shoulders, held her still when she would’ve broken away. “Hawke did this with a cool head, Sienna.” The faintest hint of a smile. “Cool enough to know it’d be better to ask for forgiveness than to convince you of the sense of his plan.”

“Don’t patronize me, Uncle Walker!” It roared out of her. “I’m not a child anymore! I’m his mate.”

Walker looked at her for a long moment, long enough that she started to want to fidget. But instead of wearing her down in that way only he could do, he inclined his head. “Yes,” he said. “Hawke should’ve spoken to you. As for Judd and me”—his expression shifted, revealing a tenderness that destroyed her—“we can’t help ourselves. You’re a piece of our heart.”

All her anger crumbled.

Falling into his arms, she let his warmth and love and strength surround her, ground her, her face pressed to the smoky blue of his shirt, her eyes hot. Walker had been the calm anchor in the ugly storm of her childhood after her mother died, the one person she’d known she could count on even when she was caught in a monster’s grip. He was the one who’d made the Laurens into a family, refusing to let go no matter what. Never once had he betrayed her.

“I’m sorry for yelling,” she said when she could speak past the surge of emotion. “I’m just worried about Hawke.”

Cupping the back of her head, Walker said, “Can you sense any trouble through the mating bond?”

She shook her head, the realization calming her enough that she could think past her worry and anger. “Why is he even talking to Ming? Hawke hates him, wants to tear him into tiny pieces with his bare claws.”

“Let’s walk outside. I’ll tell you his reasoning.”

“Whatever it is, I’m still going to strangle him when he gets back.”

• • •

HAWKE knew he’d be heading straight into his mate’s fiery temper when he returned to the den, but that didn’t matter. Not when what he did here today would spell the start of the end of Ming LeBon.

Being in the same room as the former Councilor and his cold metallic scent and not gutting the other man went against his natural instincts, but the wolf understood what it was to protect pups. And right now, hard as that was to swallow, Ming’s stabilizing presence was protecting a heck of a lot of pups in Europe.

That would change.

If Hawke had to nudge Ming slowly out of power to make him viable prey, then so be it; the wolf was willing to listen to the human in this hunt. Because both parts of him knew that sooner or later, Hawke would tear out Ming’s throat. For threatening Sienna’s life, for hurting her when she’d been a child, for all those Ming had tortured and murdered.

“As I noted in my message, Mr. LeBon, SnowDancer has made a competing offer.” The words were spoken by a slight human male seated behind the desk