Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Two months.
That was how long she had to set everything in place. And to pull it off, she needed data, the most important piece of which was why Charisma was so focused on her pregnancy—and why Shoshanna had taken the step of leaving her aide in effective charge of Scott operations.
The official word, per the private family-only document Shoshanna had left behind to be opened in the event of her sudden death or disability, was that Hayward didn’t have the capability or the personality to lead the family. It said a lot about how effectively Shoshanna had psychologically destroyed her brother that Auden’s uncle had just accepted that slight.
The transfer of power document hadn’t ended there:
Auden is incapacitated and not in the line of succession except in terms of public perception. However, if she is able to maintain for periods of time, she should be used as the face of the Scotts. Only if that is absolutely impossible should Hayward step in as the face.
This temporary state of affairs will end with Devlin Scott reaching his majority at twenty-five years of age. Charisma will take over his training from the time of my demise or disability, and ensure he’s ready to step in as full CEO at twenty-five.
Hayward’s son, Devlin, was only sixteen right now, but he was already turning into a cold and calculating creature. Auden still felt sorry for him—the boy had to spend many hours a day with Charisma, his future mapped out for him, choice not even a question. Yet despite him being the official heir apparent, Auden couldn’t shake off the feeling that she and Devlin were both pawns in a bigger game.
Something just wasn’t right in the entire setup.
But no one could challenge the status quo while Charisma held the control codes. Hayward couldn’t get into the main systems, and neither could Auden. Young Devlin would only get the codes when he turned twenty-five.
Charisma held the keys to the kingdom and that kingdom was rife with secrets.
Auden’s eyes landed on the bunker dark green with algae and mold.
Another secret. Another mystery.
Breath catching and throat dry, she began to walk toward it. Her heart thudded louder and louder with each step she took. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She knew how to control the input into her circuits when it came to rapid “test” reads—pregnancy hadn’t eliminated those walls.
When warned, she could and did protect herself.
Stopping a foot away from the external wall, she raised a hand and touched the tip of her pinky finger to the lichen green plascrete. External walls tended to be safer for the most part—unless they were on the ground floor and had street frontage, people didn’t much make contact with them. And this external wall was in a remote area.
—fur—
—shouts, dulled by time—
—cold, contained power—
—gold and black—
—a handprint in blood—
Jerking back her finger, she nonetheless stood in place. That last image had been vivid, but still…distant. Whoever had created that handprint had done so long enough ago that time and the elements had scrubbed most of it.
The strongest impressions hadn’t been of violence. She’d felt the softness of fur, seen colors black and gold that rippled with life, heard a throaty growl. “Leopards,” she whispered, realizing RainFire cats must’ve been prowling around and through this land on a regular basis.
She was glad for that, for them.
For him.
She’d never before had an opportunity to touch a changeling imprint, but the people in her group who had experienced them had mentioned that they had a different impact from Psy or human imprints. Likely because of the nature of changeling shields. Today, all she’d sensed was an intense awareness of their surroundings—under paws, against fur, in the air—entwined with a wild curiosity.
She wondered if a Ps-Psy had ever been inside a changeling den. And she found herself searching desperately for something Remi might’ve touched.
So she could see him, know him.
But he’d been scrupulous in keeping his distance, and now he was gone, just another feline shadow in the trees.
* * *
• • •
REMI dreamed of Auden Scott, an eerie dream in which her face kept switching. One face was frigid and remote, while another laughed, another cried.
And the final one…it screamed.
Jolting up in bed, he didn’t fight his instincts and, shifting into his leopard form, ran full tilt to her cabin. All seemed peaceful within, no sign of any trouble. No hint of anyone’s scent but hers and those of his packmates.
He was tempted to wake her up nonetheless, see her with his own eyes, but he knew that was irrational, would disturb rest she needed. But he couldn’t make himself leave, so he jumped up onto a branch of a tree that overlooked her cabin, and napped there. Lights came on in the cabin with the break of dawn, and not long afterward, he spotted Auden’s form pass in front of her window.