Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3) - Nalini Singh Page 0,160
at her, but followed her onto a sofa, while Keelie Schaeffer sat across from them in her computer chair. Midnight immediately sprawled over Memory’s lap, a liquid creature.
Able to sense the coiled tension in Alexei, his wolf a growl at the back of his throat she could almost hear, Memory wove her fingers with his again.
Emotions turbulent, he accepted the touch—and the loving affection she sent him through the mating bond. “Do you need to do a blood test?” he asked Dr. Schaeffer.
“No, my research isn’t focused on DNA.” The doctor brought up a document on her computer. “It’s a psychological profile validated by blind tests set up by colleagues—my task was to predict which profiles were of rogues. The paper hasn’t been published yet, but my success rate in separating rogues from non-rogues was one hundred percent.”
She leaned back in her chair. “The problem arises when I look at those who have the markers for going rogue, but haven’t yet done so—only a minuscule minority of possibles ever actually go rogue.”
Alexei tapped their clasped hands on his thigh. “You’re saying all rogues share certain traits?”
“Every single one I’ve studied, and I threw a wide net.” The doctor picked up a pad of paper and a pen. “Consider this a representation of every changeling in the world.” She drew a large circle. “Now these are the people with the indicators.” A much smaller circle within. “And these are the rogues.” A dot within the smaller circle.
Memory knew why the doctor was belaboring this point—she wanted Alexei to know that even if he had the markers, that didn’t mean he would ever go rogue. Memory also knew Alexei wouldn’t see it that way. But while she might be an atypical E, she was an E, and she sensed no hint of instability in Alexei. She wouldn’t have brought him here if she hadn’t already been certain of the answers.
“I want to know, whatever the answer.” Primal energy along their bond, Alexei’s wolf brushing up against her. “Let’s do it.”
The interview took two hours. Afterward, Keelie Schaeffer asked Alexei if he’d be willing to talk about his brother. Alexei’s skin pulled tight over his cheekbones, but he gave a curt nod. Though Memory listened with care, she couldn’t see what it was Keelie Schaeffer was looking for in the brothers’ profiles.
The doctor included a number of questions about their father, too, but Alexei had limited information on the man who’d died while he was only seven years of age.
At some point, Memory rose to make sandwiches and coffee.
Midnight supervised.
Darkness had fallen outside, the trees whispering under moonlight. Dr. Schaeffer’s mate was working late leading a training session on strategy for senior soldiers, so it was only the three of them—and Midnight—in the house. Memory was glad of that; she knew in her gut that Alexei wouldn’t have been as open with another male in the area, especially when that male was a DarkRiver soldier.
He hadn’t remained seated for long, prowling the room while answering the doctor’s questions. Midnight had paced with him for a while before curling up on the sofa to nap again.
“Thank you for that.” Keelie Schaeffer put down the datapad on which she’d been taking notes, though she’d also asked Alexei’s permission to record the interview. Rubbing the back of her neck, she stretched out her spine, then asked Alexei if he’d like to walk outside while they talked about the results.
Alexei’s response was immediate. “I just need to know.” He gripped the back of the sofa behind Memory.
“You don’t have the markers.”
The air hung in silence, but inside Memory, the mating bond surged. Throat thick, she jumped up and ran to throw her arms around her golden wolf. His own clamped around her, his scent in her every breath and his claws so careful against her body.
“I told you so,” she whispered, rising on tiptoe to kiss him.
“No one likes a know-it-all,” he grumbled, but he was kissing her back.
Dr. Schaeffer’s smile was wide when the two of them looked back at her at last. “I’m glad to be able to give you good news.”
“My brother?” Alexei asked, a roughness to his voice that was crushed gravel.
The other woman’s smile faded. “I’m sorry, Alexei. Brodie did have the markers.” She rose then, and the three of them, plus Midnight, walked outside into the moonlit forest while Dr. Schaeffer talked them through her conclusions.
She explained that the signs of possible rogue status were many and subtle, but a major