Psy & Changelings 01 - Slave to Sensation

down in a controlled situation than chance having them collapse without warning.”
    â€œHow are you going to make sure it’s the killer who finds you first and not one of the others?” Tamsyn asked when Lucas remained silent. He knew the healer understood exactly what this was doing to him.
    â€œI’ll need a distraction big enough to draw the attention of most of the PsyNet. I haven’t quite figured out how to do that yet but I’ll think of something, even if it means setting off a psychic bomb of sorts.” She took a deep breath and looked up.
    â€œAs well as giving me access to thought patterns I can mimic—ideally those of a female who fits the victim profile—one of you will have to allow me far enough into your mind that I can cloak myself in your . . . psychic scent. That person will also have to permit a psychic link during the entire plan’s execution.
    â€œThe killer is attracted to changelings and, unlike the rest of the Psy, he’ll recognize the presence of the scent before anyone else, especially if they’re distracted by something else.”
    â€œLike waving fresh blood at a shark,” Mercy commented from her position by the back door.
    â€œYes. There’s something else.” Sascha’s eyes bled to darkness as Lucas watched and the panther knew she was hurting. It threatened to break him that he couldn’t take away her pain. “Ever since Silence was instituted, the Psy have been proud of their lack of violence.”
    â€œSilence?” Tamsyn asked.
    â€œA program to decondition young Psy to emotion. If we feel no rage, no jealousy, no love, then we won’t kill. At least that was the rationale.”
    â€œOh, my God,” Tamsyn said. “They purposefully crippled their children.”
    â€œAnd they didn’t solve the problem. According to what I learned today, there are fifty known serial killers circulating among the Psy population. It seems the Council has a policy of quietly taking care of them.”
    â€œDeath?” Nate asked.
    â€œRehabilitation. It’s death of the mind, completely wiping out the individual and most of the higher mental functions.” Her eyes pleaded with Lucas to remember the promise he’d made to her. “But they’re not caging all of them. Some of the serials are considered integral to the functioning of the PsyNet.”
    â€œI don’t think I want to know,” Tamsyn whispered.
    â€œThey provide victims for the indispensable ones, hide their trails, and ensure their kills don’t make waves either in the PsyNet or the human-changeling world.”
    Lucas could see her fighting the urge to throw up. His beast wanted to pick her up and take her to safe harbor but her eyes said she hadn’t finished. He was astounded by her strength—how could that fragile body hold so much courage, so much heart?
    Dorian spit out a curse. “When they gave up their emotions, they gave up their humanity.”
    Sascha looked at the angry leopard. “I agree. I’m sorry your sister was stolen from you. If I could reverse your pain, I would. But I can’t. All I can do is try to save another life.”
    Dorian’s response surprised everyone in the room. “You’re different, Sascha. I’m not so angry that I can’t see the truth. You feel .”
    Sascha’s laugh was so bittersweet, it ruffled Lucas’s fur the wrong way. “My entire life, I’ve been terrified of those words. I always believed it would be one of the Council who discovered me. I never thought of it as a good thing . . . until I met you.” She was looking at Lucas with eyes of ebony night, not a star in sight.
    â€œSince I don’t know when they’ll realize my flaw and attempt to take me in, I’ll need to get the information to you as soon as I get it. That’s why I need a constant link to one of you. What I know, you’ll know. You’ll be cut free the second I drop out of the Net.”
    He knew she expected to be killed by the Council. “You’re under our protection.” The panther was so close to the surface his voice had dropped several octaves.
    Nate, Dorian, Mercy, and Tamsyn voiced their agreement. Sascha had just earned the respect of some of the toughest leopards in DarkRiver. Once she was Pack, the others would follow their lead. And Lucas had no doubt that Sascha was going to become part of his