PLAY OF PASSION

PLAY OF PASSION by Nalini Singh




To two wonderful friends in different corners of the world: Junko, who made sure I wasn’t lost in translation; and Cora, who has both courage and heart; with a special shout-out to Cian and Calisto from Roman and Julian





CAST OF CHARACTERS



In alphabetical order by first name

Key: SD = SnowDancer wolves DR = DarkRiver leopards Abel Riviere SD soldier, father of Indigo and Evangeline Andrew Kincaid SD tracker, brother of Riley and Brenna Anthony Kyriakus Psy Councilor, father of Faith Ashaya Aleine Psy member of DR, former Council scientist, mated to Dorian Ben SD pup

Brace SD juvenile

Brenna Kincaid SD tech, mated to Judd, sister of Andrew and Riley Devraj Santos Director of the Shine Foundation, one of the Forgotten (Psy who dropped out of the PsyNet over a hundred years ago and intermarried with the changeling and human populations) Dorian Christensen DR sentinel, mated to Ashaya Elias SD soldier, mated to Yuki, father of Sakura Evangeline (Evie) Riviere SD, sister of Indigo Faith NightStar Psy member of DR, cardinal F-Psy (foreseer), mated to Vaughn, daughter of Anthony Ghost Psy rebel

Hawke SD alpha

Henry Scott Psy Councilor, husband of Shoshanna Indigo Riviere SD lieutenant, daughter of Abel and Tarah, sister of Evangeline Joshua SD juvenile

Judd Lauren Psy member of SD, lieutenant, mated to Brenna, uncle of Sienna, Toby, and Marlee Kaleb Krychek Psy Councilor

Lara SD healer

Lucas Hunter DR alpha, mated to Sascha Lucy SD, trainee nurse, assistant to Lara Matthias SD lieutenant

Max Shannon Human, Nikita’s security chief, married to Sophia Mercy Smith DR sentinel, mated to Riley Ming LeBon Psy Councilor

Nikita Duncan Psy Councilor, mother of Sascha Riaz SD lieutenant

Riley Kincaid SD lieutenant, mated to Mercy, brother of Andrew and Brenna Sascha Duncan Psy member of DR, cardinal empath, mated to Lucas, daughter of Nikita Shoshanna Scott Psy Councilor, wife of Henry Sienna Lauren Psy member of SD, sister of Toby, niece of Judd and Walker Silvia SD juvenile

Sophia Russo J-Psy, works for Nikita, married to Max Tai SD, novice soldier

Tarah Riviere SD, mother of Indigo and Evangeline Tatiana Rika-Smythe Psy Councilor Teijan Rat alpha

Walker Lauren Psy member of SD, father of Marlee, uncle of Sienna and Toby Xavier Perez Human priest





PURITY


The Psy have been pure, have been Silent for over a hundred years, their emotions conditioned out of them until a wall of ice separates them from the world. Passion and love, hate and sorrow are no longer things they know, except as weaknesses of the emotional human and changeling races.

But as winter thaws into spring in the year 2081, change is more than a whisper on the horizon. Too many powerful Psy have defected, too many are breaking conditioning, and too many fractures riddle the Net.

Some say it is inevitable that Silence will fall.

And some will kill to hold it.





CHAPTER 1


Indigo wiped the rain off her face, clearing it for a split second, if that. The torrential downpour continued with relentless fury, slamming ice-cold bullets against her skin and turning the night-dark of the forest impenetrable. Ducking her head, she spoke into the waterproof microphone attached to the sodden collar of her black T-shirt. “Do you have him in your sights?”

The voice that came back was deep, familiar, and, at that instant, lethally focused. “Northwest, half a mile. I’m coming your way.”

“Northwest, half a mile,” she repeated to ensure they were both on the same page. Changeling hearing was incredibly acute, but the rain was savage, drumming against her skull until even the high-tech receiver she’d tucked into her ear buzzed with noise.

“Indy, be careful. He’s functioning on the level of a feral wolf.”

Under normal circumstances, she’d have snarled at him for using that ridiculous nickname. Tonight, she was too worried. “That goes double for you. He hurt you in that first tangle.”

“It’s only a flesh wound. I’m going quiet now.”

Slicking back her hair, she took a deep breath of the watery air and began to stalk toward their prey. Her fellow hunter was right—a pincer maneuver was their best bet of taking Joshua down without damage. Indigo’s gut clenched, pain blooming in her heart. She didn’t want to have to hurt him. Neither did the tracker on the boy’s trail—the reason why the bigger, stronger wolf had been injured in the earlier clash.

But he’d have to if they couldn’t bring Joshua back from the edge; the boy was so lost in anguish and torment that he’d given in to his wolf. And the wolf, young and out of control, had taken those emotions and turned them into rage. Joshua was now a threat to the pack. But he was also their own. They’d bleed, they’d drown in this endless rain, but they would not execute him until they’d exhausted every other option.

A branch raked across her cheek when she didn’t move fast enough in the stormy weather.