"Isn't most of the information backed up in the PsyNet?" Brenna asked. "I never really got why Psy like computers so much."
It was Sascha who answered. "The major factor is power. Because a lot of clerical jobs are held by low-Gradient Psy - people who don't have the psychic strength to access secure data vaults on a continual basis, it's inefficient to store day-today business records in the Net." When no one interrupted, she continued. "The other issue is that Psy have to do deals with the other races. Human and changelings both demand data they can access. If the systems go down, the Councilors' heads might explode. It really is a brilliant idea, Hawke."
The wolf flashed a smile. "Thank you, Sascha darling. Maybe you're with the wrong alpha, hmm?"
"I swear, Hawke." Lucas muttered, shifting so he was pinning Sascha to him with an arm around the front of her neck. "One of these days - "
The threat was cut off as Sascha twisted in his hold and kissed him. It was a short, affectionate act, yet Judd found himself transfixed by it. But it wasn't Lucas and Sascha he saw. When he looked down at the glossy strands of Brenna's hair, he could suddenly imagine what they'd feel like as they brushed over his skin in the most intimate of circumstances.
She looked up, eyes wide. "Judd." A low whisper meant for his ears alone.
He watched the rise of color flush her cheeks.
"Your timing sucks," she muttered, leaning deeper into him.
He absorbed the psychic impact of the touch, refusing to push her away. Contrary to her words, he thought his timing perfect. It was when they were alone and the fever started to rise that he became aware of the myriad ways in which he could hurt her, mutilate her. She called Enrique a butcher - she hadn't seen the things Judd had done as an Arrow.
"Do you have any hackers I can use?" Lucas asked, appearing mollified by his mate's kiss. "We've got the setup to run this in the second subbasement of our city HQ."
"How good are you at hiding your trail? The whole point is to not give them anything they can use against DarkRiver or SnowDancer." Judd forced his attention away from Brenna, from the unpalatable images of his past.
"They've never caught us yet." Lucas looked pleased as only a cat could. "Dorian's very good, but we need more hackers of his caliber if we're going to coordinate a big strike."
Hawke folded his arms. "We've got three who can stay under the radar and one who can do even better."
Beside him Brenna's body grew tense, muscles locking into place. Following her gaze, he saw it clash with Riley's. Her brother seemed to struggle with something for several seconds before giving a curt nod. "Bren's the best there is."
"I thought your degree was in computronics." It didn't please Judd that there was something he hadn't known about her. An emotional reaction. The sweat rolling down his spine felt like ice this time.
"My official degree." The mischief in her eyes was new. "Hawke says I have an unofficial one in creative systems programming." She laughed.
The sound, the intensity of her happiness, caused another mental chain to snap. The ends of his nerves seemed to burn, his spinal cord turning into a column of excruciating liquid fire - he was perilously close to a meltdown.
Acting before it was too late, he withdrew his hand from Brenna's...but didn't push away her body. "I'll run security on the hack team." He met Hawke's eyes. "When Brenna's there, so am I. I'll work with Sascha around that."
"Lucas, you have a problem with that?"
The DarkRiver male shook his head. "As long as there's no chance of you getting recognized." He scowled. "You look so fucking Psy, you might as well wear a holo-sign."
That his expression had fooled an alpha told Judd none of his internal struggles were showing. "I'll make certain my appearance isn't a cause for concern."
"There's one more thing." Lucas's markings darkened again. "The deer need to know they're safe. We track and hit the assassins first, a day or so before the computer strike so the Council thinks the blood was all we wanted. They might get complacent."
Judd looked at the DarkRiver alpha and understood that he'd made a promise to the deer to lessen their nightmares. It was how changeling society worked - the predators ran the show, but with it came responsibility. Unlike the Psy Council, the leopards and wolves took the safety and welfare of those under their leadership very seriously. Seriously enough to kill. Changeling justice, but as Lucas had pointed out, it would serve a dual purpose in this case.
And the Psy Council thought changelings stupid. That was their mistake.
Night had fallen during the meeting and it was well past dinner when they made it back to the den. He went with Brenna in spite of the increasing levels of dissonance - proximity in enclosed quarters would only worsen things. But the hunger in him, the raw painful thing that threatened to destroy him, wouldn't let him walk away.
"I'll throw something together in the kitchen," she said as they entered.
He remained in the living area, able to see her moving behind the kitchen counter. The second she turned her back, he took the chance to check the trap he'd placed on her door. Instinct and a need to protect had made him do it. There was something he wasn't seeing, some link his conscious mind hadn't yet forged, but his subconscious had, and it was adamant that she was in danger. Or maybe, he simply wanted her safe.
The trap itself wasn't psychic - he didn't have the ability to tie his power to an object in that fashion. Instead, he'd created it using basic Arrow tech. The device was embedded in her old-fashioned doorknob, and it read the prints of anyone who entered. If the prints didn't belong to Brenna, Andrew, Riley, Hawke, or Judd, the device was programmed to send out an alert to his phone. And as Brenna had discovered, he could go from place to place in the blink of an eye. Teleportation weakened him, but a Tk of his particular subdesignation needed very little power to cause catastrophic damage.
He sat back, satisfied the device was functioning.
"Food's ready." Brenna walked out and his eyes drifted to the thrust of her breasts under her thin sweater. "Warmed-up leftovers okay with you?"