“Well,” she said after a long pause, “since my parents had a full coparenting agreement, we all lived together in a family unit. They always consulted each other before making any decision about my welfare.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad.” It was, in fact, far better than he’d expected.
“No. It was a good existence.” Folding her arms, she tilted her head to face him. “But it was simply an existence. When I turned eighteen and moved out, there was no difference in my life other than the fact that I could make decisions on my own from then on.”
“I thought Psy were pretty strong on family loyalty.”
“Yes, but it’s a cold kind of loyalty. A month after I reached my majority, my parents—who’d ceased living together the day I turned eighteen—dissolved their coparenting agreement, and my memories tell me that I never knew them to speak to each other again.” She shrugged. “They’d achieved their aims, fulfilled their contracts. I have connections to both families, of course, but when I turned twenty-one, I had to choose.”
“Why?”
“Because Psy only trust loyalty that is absolute,” she said. “I had to formally identify with either the maternal or the paternal side of my family.”
“Which did you choose?” Dev asked, fascinated by this glimpse into the forces that had shaped the woman by his side.
“The paternal,” she answered. “My father’s family is involved in scientific endeavors, while my mother’s is more focused on economics. It made sense for me to align myself with the group that would allow me to best utilize my skills.”
“And your mother didn’t feel like she’d gotten the worst of the bargain?”
“Of course not—genetically, I’m still half hers. But since she did co-raise me, my father had to buy out part of the contract since his family would get the benefit of my training, skills, and connections.”
Dev blinked, trying to understand. “He
“It’s a perfectly normal transaction in the Net.” She blew out a breath. “Everything’s calm and practical and business-like. No fights, no disagreements. All the contingencies are covered in the parenting and fertilization agreements.”
Dev couldn’t imagine such a cold life, such a cold relationship. “So since you’re considered part of your father’s family, did you have to contribute financially?”
“Yes. Our family had a central investment fund. I did quite well out of it—we had a good investment strategy.” Stretching out her legs, she tapped her fingers on her knees. “I wonder how my death affected things. Likely very little—my work for the Council raised my family’s ranking in terms of their influence in the Net, but it was a small contribution. Losing me wouldn’t have caused that big a ripple.”
To hear her talk of herself in such a clinical way infuriated him. “But your life will cause one hell of a big ripple.”
She gave him a startled look. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Can I ask you . . . ?” A hesitant question.
“What?”
“About your childhood?”
His hands clenched on the steering wheel. “What do you want to know?” It came out sounding like gravel.
She was quiet for almost a minute. “You don’t want to talk about it.”
“Not today.” Not ever, if he was being honest.
“Is there someone else you—no.” She shook her head. “I’m asking for your weaknesses.”
“Was the question yours?”
Her eyes were hollow when she glanced at him. “That’s just it. I don’t know.”
Even as Dev and Katya drove ever deeper into the barren wilderness of Alaska, Sascha sat beside Lucas as he drove them to Cruz.
“I do know how to drive,” she pointed out, simply to see his reaction.
He shot her a narrow-eyed glance. “Why are you purposefully jerking my chain?”
“Because I can.” She smiled. “Seriously, Mr. Alpha Cat, pregnancy doesn’t make me an invalid.”
“Am I treating you like an invalid?”
She had to concede the point. “No.” In fact, with Lucas busy overseeing a major construction deal, she’d actually been handling
“I can read the contracts while you’re working with the boy.” Reaching across, he closed his hand over hers. “You know you’re not going to change my mind.”
She brought his hand to hers, kissed the knuckles. “I know. But I have to try.”
“Why? Because it makes me crazy?”
“Because I know I have to train you before our baby arrives.” He’d always been overprotective of those under his care. “A baby leopard won’t take well to constant supervision.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m alpha. Do you think I don’t know that?”
She wrapped him in her love on the psychic plane, an invisible kiss.
His cheek creased with a smile she wouldn’t tire of if she lived to be a thousand. “I know I’m being a pain in the ass, Sascha darling, but humor me. I’m working on letting go—I promise our kid will be a wild savage exactly like Roman and Julian.”
Laughing at the thought of some of the stunts the two cubs pulled, she blew him a kiss this time. “They wouldn’t talk to me when I went to visit yesterday.”
“Rome and Jules?” Pure surprise. “I don’t believe it—if they were bigger, they’d fight me to claim you.”
“Tammy”—the twins’ mom—“said they were sulking because they’d figured out I was going to have a baby.”
“Ah. Brats are jealous.”
Lips curving at the thought of the two little boys who’d brought joy into her life from the instant she’d met them, she nodded. “I cuddled them and told them I’d still be their Aunt Sascha. But I don’t think they were convinced until I told them they’d be bigger than the baby—so they could look after it.”
“Sneaky.” A sharp grin. “Jules, I think, is going to grow up a dominant. Looking after people is an irresistible lure.”
“What about Roman? He was just as, or even more, excited by the idea.”
“It’s hard to say for sure, but I think Rome is going to follow in Tammy’s footsteps. And healers
Sascha’s eyes widened at the realization that Lucas was right. Roman had the same calm energy as his mother, though his was overlayered with a vibrant childish joy. “Does that happen often? Healers coming from the same family?”
Lucas gave a small nod. “Tammy’s family tree has supplied a healer at least every second generation. My mom’s side of the family is more sporadic, but we do have a relatively high rate. There are still a few that turn up out of the blue.”
“You know,” Sascha said slowly, “it could be that healers come from the same genetic tree as M-Psy. I don’t know about Tammy’s, but your family definitely had Psy members.”
“Could be.” Sliding into the exit lane, he glanced over at her. “What about this kid, Cruz? He doing okay?”
“Better than okay.” Sascha couldn’t hide her pride. “He’s so smart, Lucas. I teach him something once, and it’s like this.” She snapped her fingers. ”He’s a natural.”
“Good, the faster he learns to protect himself, the better.”
“You’re worried about the Council?”
Lucas gave a small nod. “Dev thinks Shine’s managed to keep the true strength of some of their people under the radar, but he wants us to be extra careful.”
“I don’t blame him,” Sascha said, a wave of anger building beneath the surface of her skin. “After what they did to Jon and Noor.”
