Psy & Changelings 01 - Slave to Sensation

where he only smelled life and hope.
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    Sascha walked into the living room after her shower and came face-to-face with a leopard male she had every reason to fear. “Hello, Dorian.”
    He stared at her with those eyes of such pure blue it was impossible to believe the darkness that lurked within. “You did something to me.” It wasn’t an accusation but a statement of fact. The anger she’d expected was there, but it was a simmering shadow deep inside, not directed at her.
    â€œI don’t know what I did, if I did anything,” she told him, her heart in her throat. She’d convinced herself that she’d imagined the entire incident, that it had been part of the encroaching madness. But what if . . . ?
    Dorian touched her cheek with his fingertips. Not used to touch from anyone but Lucas, she flinched. His eyes narrowed and he dropped the hand. “No touching?”
    â€œI’m not changeling.” She knew it sounded cold but how else could she explain? “Something so easy for you is . . . difficult for me.”
    To her surprise, he reached out to cup her face between his palms as he looked down into her eyes. “I want to see inside you,” he said. “I want to see if you have a heart, a soul.”
    â€œI wish you could, too.” She wasn’t so sure herself. Had it been burned out of her during conditioning?
    â€œDorian.” Lucas’s voice came from her back, startling her. There was a thread of warning in his tone but he didn’t interrupt. Not that it mattered. His power was in the air he breathed, in the scent of his skin. He was alpha and she was starting to understand what that really meant.
    â€œI wasn’t hurting you, was I, Sascha?” Dorian dropped his hands.
    She felt his need, his anguish, his guilt. Taking a step forward, she put a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “You only hurt yourself.” The knot of his pain was tight and growing tighter every day. She worried it would explode if he didn’t start letting it go. “Stop it, Dorian. Stop punishing yourself for a monster’s crime.”
    His lashes swept down and when his eyes opened again, he let her see the bloody edge of the fury that drove him. “Not until he’s dead. Then we’ll talk about it.”
    Sascha let go of his shoulder and turned to look at Lucas, a silent plea in her eyes. He shook his head. No one could help Dorian until he was willing.
    â€œReady to go?” Lucas asked.
    She smoothed a hand over her suit, which Tamsyn had ironed for her, and nodded. “Yes.” Fear crawled in from the corners of her mind. Enrique had likely left his spies around. He’d find her the second she walked back in. “I need to have something to give them since I was supposedly with you overnight. They’ll expect me to have learned at least one fact.”
    Lucas walked closer and though he wasn’t touching her, she felt the pressure of his presence. It was as if her body knew his, as if it was reaching out to embrace him though they’d only ever kissed once. Looking into that savage face with its slashing marker, she wondered whether he could see into the torment of her heart.
    â€œCan you stall?” He touched his finger to her cheek, running it down her neck before sliding his hand over her arm to link their fingers together.
    Dorian moved to stand in front of them. “What are you talking about?”
    â€œI’m supposed to be a spy,” Sascha said, frayed enough to be blunt. “Part of my mission was to gather as much firsthand information about changelings as I could, and feed it to my mother and Councilor Enrique.”
    â€œHow do we know you haven’t been doing exactly that?” demanded a female voice from the doorway.
    Sascha met Rina’s hostile gaze. “You don’t. You have no way of tracking the PsyNet.”
    The blonde came to a standstill, beside Dorian. “No lies, Psy?” Her eyes flicked nervously to Lucas even as she spoke.
    Lucas’s fingers tightened on Sascha’s hand. “Are you questioning my judgment, Rina?”
    â€œAre you sure you have any?” Rina’s voice held defiance. “You brought a Psy into our safe house and you knew she was a mole!”
    â€œBe quiet, Rina.” Dorian’s voice was harsh.
    The other woman clenched her fists. “What? I’m not allowed to ask questions anymore?”
    Lucas