mind, just as your pack feeds Sascha's and Faith's minds." Her words were staccato, perfectly enunciated. "You're lying to me."
Dorian stepped closer, until they were toe to toe. "So?"
She blinked, as if caught by surprise. "So don't treat me like an imbecile."
"Then don't ask questions to which you haven't earned an answer." Ashaya might love her son, but too many questions remained. It was one thing for him to kiss her, quite another to trust her with information that could be used to hurt the pack. Especially when she kept her secrets. "You haven't exactly been forthcoming, Ms. Aleine."
"Why would I want to share anything with a man who yells at me twenty-three hours of every day, then kisses me?"
A pointed cough had him snapping his head toward Tamsyn. The DarkRiver healer's face held open interest. He felt his jaw set. "Leave it," he said, turning on his heel and pulling out his cell phone at the same time. "I'll call and reschedule Ashaya's meeting." He pushed through the back door, heading out into the yard.
Leave it, he'd said to Tammy. But he knew she wouldn't. Pack was family. But it was also a pain in the ass sometimes. Hell, he didn't know what the fuck was happening with him and Ashaya. He didn't need anyone else pointing that out. Nor did he need their censure.
Not when Kylie's ghost berated him with every breath he took.
I've protected a sociopath for most of my life.
Yeah, he knew exactly how big a mess this was.
Ashaya looked across the counter to the tall brunette who'd been taking care of her son. "Thank you for what you've done for Keenan."
"He's a child," came the response. "There was no other choice."
"Even when he might be a child who could hurt your own?"
The woman named Tamsyn walked to the eco-cooler and pulled out a gallon of milk. "I don't think Keenan would do anything on purpose. Like my cubs would never seek to use their claws and teeth to maul a human playmate. That doesn't change the fact that they do have those claws and teeth." Putting the milk on the counter, she went to grab containers of cereal as well as a loaf of bread.
"He has control," Ashaya argued. "My son has more control than any child his age should have."
"I'm beginning to see that." Tamsyn put several bowls and spoons on the counter. "Could you set the table?"
Ashaya did as asked.
"Does he need to have that control?" Tamsyn asked, betraying a knowledge of Silence that didn't surprise Ashaya, not when DarkRiver was home to two incredibly powerful Psy. Sascha Duncan was rumored to possess an ability that wasn't in any of the classification charts, while Faith NightStar saw the future itself.
"Not in the sense that his abilities are dangerous," she said.
"But?" The other woman's eyes were dark, intent.
"But he needs the control right now." Ashaya decided to stick to the bare facts. "There are those who would track him." If Amara got her hands on Keenan - She cut off that line of thought before it could attract the very person she wanted to avoid. "I'm working to ensure his safety, but until then, he has to be very careful how much of himself he reveals on a telepathic level." Technically, Amara's telepathy was as weak as Ashaya's, but Ashaya had learned to never underestimate her twin.
Tamsyn folded her arms. "I accept that. But let me tell you something, Ashaya - I love kids. I won't stand for his being in pain."
"Good."
"You know," the other woman said, breaking into a sudden smile, "I think you and Tally will get on very, very well."
Right then, Dorian walked back in. "I've rescheduled - had to move the meeting to a central location to accommodate your guest. We have to get going."
"Give me a minute." Making her way to the living room, she found Keenan seated quietly in front of Kit, absorbed by the fluid movement of Kit's hands.
A coin trick, she saw a moment later.
Keenan's fascination was no surprise - her baby had always been attracted to shiny things. A small flaw, negligible in a child. Only Ashaya had wondered if the predilection arose from the secret he carried within. The shiny things would reflect attention off him, making him invisible. Or perhaps, she thought as she knelt beside him, she was seeing too much into a child's simple pleasures.
"You're going," he guessed, lips trembling for an instant before he bit down, reining in his emotions.
Her