Valentin knew what she was trying to say. “She’s in Denhome now.” In bear territory. “Anything’s possible.”
“Just take care of yourself, okay?” Nova leaned her head against him, her glossy dark curls tumbling around her head. “You’re carrying too much on that heart of yours already.” She pressed her free hand over his heart. “The weight shouldn’t all be yours.”
Closing his hand over hers, he shook his head. “I’m alpha, Nova.” Meant to carry that weight. Meant to bleed to fix what was broken.
And meant to love a woman as strong as a fiery star.
SILVER woke to the feel of data at the edge of her senses, messages and information having built up against her mind while she slept. She held back the flood as she took stock of her body and mind. After she determined that though her body ached, she was otherwise healthy, she checked the time and realized she’d been asleep for almost twenty-two hours.
No wonder she was thirsty and hungry.
Pushing up into a seated position, she saw two notes on the bedside table. Both were propped up against a jug of water in which swam slices of fresh orange. Silver poured herself a glass, drank it down, then read the neatly folded notecard: Someone in Denhome is always up, so there’s always food available. Don’t worry about asking for it, no matter when you wake. Just ask to be directed to the kitchen.—Nova
The other note was a piece of paper torn from a notebook: Hope you had a good sleep, Starlight. Now go eat so much you want to burst.—Mr. I. M. A. Medvezhonok.
What kind of an alpha signed his message Mr. I Am a Teddy Bear? Only Valentin. Carefully placing the note under her phone, she pushed back her hair. Her hands came away coated with dust.
No one, she knew, had touched her after Valentin put her to bed. He wouldn’t have allowed anyone else to handle her. He was incredibly possessive, and she was well aware he was trying to brand her as his in ways he probably thought were subtle; he wouldn’t succeed, but she appreciated that he always protected her.
It was slightly disconcerting to realize she hadn’t awakened, even when he’d picked her up and brought her here. Then again, her trust in him was hardly inexplicable, she thought as she rose to her feet. Valentin Nikolaev had saved her life. More than that, she’d come to know that the rough-edged alpha of StoneWater was a man of blunt honor and unimpeachable integrity.
She was safe with him.
The thought sank deep inside her, an echo that reverberated through her bones. Telling herself the unexpected sensation was nothing but a sensory blip, she began to strip off her filthy clothing. She also needed to strip the sheets on the bed, but that could wait.
Getting out of the hot shower after a long twenty minutes that helped ease the lingering aches in her body, she prepared to leave her room. This time, she decided to leave her hair down.
Fresh underwear, a pair of dark brown corduroy pants, and a thin gray sweater was her choice of outfit. On her feet went socks and the half boots that were no longer covered in dust but shined to a mirrored gloss.
She paused with the left boot in her hand, staring at the gleaming leather.
She understood enough of the changelings’ communal nature to guess that whoever had done it had done so for no reason but to be helpful. They wouldn’t expect anything from her except a spasibo if she happened upon their name. Cooperation and a sharing of resources was the foundation of the changeling way of life.
Psy families were meant to work the same way. The Mercants did. But not even in her own family would anyone have cleaned her boots. They’d have checked her health status, made certain she had any and all medical help she needed, but this small touch of care wouldn’t be on even Arwen’s radar.
It was simply the way they’d been raised.
Pulling on the boot, Silver had to accept the realization that even her tightly knit family had lost something in Silence. But what had been lost could be regained. All it would take was a change in how Mercants raised their young. Making a mental note to speak to her grandmother about that, she got up to locate the kitchen. She would strip the bed after she’d eaten and caught up on the messages crowding her brain.
As for the ones stacked up on her e-mail, she began to download them onto her phone to see if there was anything urgent. While that was in progress, she scanned the telepathic messages.
Kaleb’s psychic imprint caught her eye.
Silver, he’d telepathed, Selenka’s team informs me that cleanup at the site will be complete in thirty-six hours. Autopsies are in progress, and Enforcement forensic teams are working double shifts to process as much material as they can. They have recovered parts of the individual believed to be the bomber—a human local to the area. DNA verified.
The date and time stamp showed the telepathic message had been routed to her about two hours earlier. He hadn’t sent her any further updates. Neither had her grandmother or Arwen.
Deciding to follow up after she was fed and at full strength, Silver glanced at her phone as she exited the room. Valentin’s name jumped out. The message was untitled.
He’d never before e-mailed her. She tapped his message open:
You’re right! This e-mail invention is amazing. You can even send photos!
He’d included a photo of two bear cubs in bear form, tidily eating ice cream from cones held carefully between their paws. Below the image were the words:
It’s really good ice cream.
Closing—but not deleting—the message that continued their long-running ice cream conversation, she realized she’d reached the Cavern.
The den was quiet this early in the morning, and she hadn’t run into anyone else. But now she found herself on the receiving end of a brilliant smile from Devi, the young woman fresh-faced and with her hair in a ponytail. She was dressed in black running shorts and a blue athletic tee with white stripes on the sides, her feet bare.
“You must be hungry,” Devi said. “Come on, I’ll show you to the kitchen. Did you have a good rest?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Here you go.” Devi pointed out a wide internal entrance. “Sorry to show and take off, but I’m meeting a friend for a run.” A pause, her smile fading. “Thank you for letting me help at the site. I needed to help.”
“You were an asset.” The young woman hadn’t stopped until Silver did. “I hope you rested as well.”
“Oh, sure, but I’m a bear. We’re tough.” She left with a smile and a wave.
Silver watched her go before walking into the huge communal kitchen to which Devi had led her. It was nearly empty, holding just a few people preparing what appeared to be items for breakfast. The youngest looked to be about six years old. Wearing pajamas of pale blue fleece, his hair sticking up in light brown tufts, he was sitting on a counter carefully peeling mandarin oranges and putting them into a bowl.
“Ms. Mercant.”
Turning at the sound of that deep male voice, Silver found herself facing a tall, square-jawed male with skin of ebony. If Valentin was all rough edges and crags, this man could’ve walked out of a modeling catalog or from the files of those families who aimed for not only psychic power in their bloodline, but also physical beauty.
“Please take a seat here, and I’ll bring you something to eat.” Unlike all the other bears she’d met to date, he didn’t smile at her.
Chapter 19
Food is to a bear what a hug is to a human.