Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,94
Sad, too, her expression told. “I’ll be happy to assist her where I can and to care for our orphaned cubs the rest of the time.”
“Those cubs will need parental figures.” Lucas included both the healer and the submissive in his next statement. “Do you want that responsibility?”
“Yes.” The submissive’s voice was firm, though he didn’t have the dominance to meet Lucas’s eyes. “The less disruption to their lives, the better—they’ve barely started speaking again after the trauma.”
Lucas nodded. “I’m leaving tonight. Pack up what you need and be ready to leave here in forty-eight hours.” He’d send a team to secure the aeries, put anything his new packmates didn’t need into storage.
By changeling law, the land itself would be forfeit if SkyElm had occupied it through historical rights. By general law, humans and Psy were locked out from claiming such vacated land, but it would be available for a changeling pack to claim, so long as they could defend it. If, however, SkyElm had purchased the land, then Lucas would make the decision as to what happened to it. These people were now his responsibility and that included taking care of their financial legacy.
“Can we leave tomorrow?” one of the soldiers blurted out. “It won’t take long to pack what we need and the rest we can come back for at a later time.”
Looking around, Lucas saw no disagreement on the faces of the other ocelots. There was too much pain here, he realized, too much loss. They needed to escape. “I’ll organize it.” He slashed a claw down one side of the male dominant’s face, did the same to the female dominant.
Neither flinched.
Lucas then touched the submissive’s cheek with his palm and pressed a kiss to the healer’s forehead. “Welcome to DarkRiver.”
The submissive began crying, his shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs.
Lucas embraced him, holding the other man until he no longer needed the touch, until his animal understood and accepted that it no longer had to carry this unbearable weight alone. He had an alpha he could rely on.
“The children,” Lucas said in a gentle reminder when the ocelot male could finally breathe again.
Nodding jerkily, his new packmate left, to return with a boy of about seven and a girl who looked at least a year younger.
So young.
And so scared.
Hunkering down in front of them, Lucas simply opened his arms. They came instinctively to him, knowing from the stances of their packmates that he was safe . . . and feeling his strength. From the way they clung to him, they needed that strength as badly as the courageous man who’d watched over them until this instant.
Lucas squeezed both children tight, rising to his feet with them still in his arms. “You’ll be coming home with me,” he murmured and knew he couldn’t leave tonight.
To do so would be to break their fragile hearts.
So be it. He’d figure out a way to adjust his plans.
• • •
LESS than twelve hours later, DarkRiver had six new members, no one had noticed Lucas’s absence, and Vasic Zen had agreed to teleport Naya to visit her maternal grandmother in the coming week.
“As long as I’m not needed for an emergency,” the Arrow said, “you can contact me when you’ve set up the meet and I’ll do the teleport.” Icy gray eyes holding Lucas’s. “You’re sure you want your mate and child within the territory of one of the most dangerous women in the world?”
“Nikita knows not to cross me.” Lucas didn’t have the emotional connection to Nikita that Sascha did, would eliminate her without hesitation should she prove a threat. “Has the squad heard from BlackSea? Any progress on locating Leila Savea?” It had been well over a week since Tanique Gray’s psychometric vision.
Vasic shook his head. “Nothing.” A glance at the small jade clock on Lucas’s desk. “I’d better head home. Ivy’s planning a special dinner for Grandfather for his birthday.”
“Ashaya mentioned it was today.” The scientist deeply respected Zie Zen, and to Keenan, the elder was his grandfather, too. “She said Keenan made him a gift.”
Vasic’s smile was slight, but for an Arrow, that equaled a giant grin. “It’s a portrait of Grandfather done in rainbow colors that he has solemnly promised to place in his study—I teleported him to visit with Ashaya and her family earlier today.”
That promise, Lucas thought, said a great deal about Zie Zen. A powerful man who’d surely made many ruthless decisions in his long lifetime, he’d nonetheless not lost his