Last Guard by Nalini Singh

Chapter 25

Grandmother, I found her.

Her? Oh. I see. Is she doing well?

She’s Payal Rao.

Well, Canto. You do like to keep my life interesting.

—Conversation between Canto Mercant and Ena Mercant

PAYAL RESPONDED INSTINCTIVELY,her body collapsing like a doll’s onto her bed as she threw her full energy into the Substrate. The oldest A of them all was being battered by massive waves of glowing blue cracked with fissures of bleeding black—as if the fabric of the PsyNet was tearing itself apart.

Look for the answer, Payal!Canto’s piercingly clear voice. Suriana and I will help Ager!

Payal didn’t take offense at the order. She saw it as a logical division of labor, given her detail-oriented mind and ability to see the grid in the Substrate. She found the part of the grid that correlated to Ager’s zone.

It was contorted into a stomach-churning “ball” in one section—but there were no smooth edges. Only hard, jagged “bones” that split the fabric of the Substrate and sheared off sections that bled viscous black. When she looked at the mirror section on the PsyNet, she saw an assemblage of minds that blazed so hot they were burning out one by one. Bright fires extinguished after a short flash.

Scarabs who’d gathered in one location?

Another mind appeared in the distance. Martial, with strange—almost invisible—shimmers of black fluctuating through it. Empath? If so, a very unique one. More likely, it was an Arrow with unusual shields.

Then a mind of obsidian darkness: Kaleb Krychek.

But they were too late. The dazzling minds burned out of existence one by one, all within a matter of split seconds. Seeing that Krychek and the unfamiliar mind were already working on the resulting hole in the fabric of the Net, she dived back down and told Canto what she’d discovered as she began to straighten the grid.

The shards cut her psychic hands, but that couldn’t be helped. She worked on.

Canto vanished from her vicinity halfway through. Ager?

I’m well, young Rao. But Canto gave me too much of himself. He may have flamed out. He kicked Suriana out of the merge when she was teetering on the edge, but stayed too long himself.

Panic fluttered in Payal’s throat, but she made herself finish the grid repair—she would not let Canto down. That done, she checked that Ager was well enough to hold their zone before touching base with Arran and Bjorn.

The two had been dealing with a smaller riptide, had come through unscathed.

Opening her eyes on the physical plane, she scrabbled for her phone and found the direct line for Silver Mercant. She had that number because EmNet had needed her cooperation to spread out in this region.

The phone was answered by a mellifluous male voice. “Director Mercant’s office.”

“This is Payal Rao. I need to talk to the director at once. It’s an emergency.”

The assistant was well trained, because he made no attempt to divert Payal or block her access to Silver. “She is currently in a meeting, but I’ll break in. Please hold.”

Silver came on the line five seconds later. “Payal,” she said in her crisp, clear tone. “What’s the problem and what resources—”

“You need to check on Canto,” Payal interrupted. “He may have flamed out after an anchor emergency.” And Payal couldn’t teleport to him after her own energy output. She’d flatline halfway through, end up in a random location for which her brain had an image.

It might be a safe place—or it might be the middle of a freeway.

Silver hung up without a response. Payal was fine with that. She’d rather the other woman move with rapid speed than be polite. But her stomach ached as she worried and wondered. Would Silver think to call her back? She had no reason to do so. Payal was nothing to the Mercant family.

Silver’s name flashed on her phone screen.

Payal couldn’t answer fast enough. “Is Canto all right?”

“Groggy but conscious. He did flame out, so he’ll be crashing soon.”

Relief smashed into Payal, obliterating what control she’d achieved.

“You’re an A?”

When Payal confirmed that, Silver said, “He won’t be able to assist with the A network for twenty-four hours at least—it could be up to forty-eight. I’ve never known Canto to flame out—do we have to prepare for a collapse?”

“His anchor point will hold.” Payal pushed her hair behind her ears. “Being an A is who we are, flameout or not. I’ll handle any more active issues while he recovers.” As he’d watched over her, she’d now watch over the interwoven system he was working so hard to create.

Payal would make sure the As didn’t fall while Canto was down.

AFTERhanging up with Payal Rao, Silver sat in her office and thought about the past few minutes. It was pure luck that she’d known Pavel was heading out to visit Canto, even better that he’d had his phone—he tended that way now that he’d talked Arwen into playing with his thoroughly disreputable bear self.

As it was, Pavel had almost reached Canto’s place when she got in touch, and he’d been able to confirm that Canto was okay but “wiped.” Not a surprise given what she was hearing about the most recent assault against the Net. No official reports yet, but the Beacon livestream had eyewitness statements that seemed to point to a group of Scarabs doing something so dangerous they’d basically exploded their brains.

She’d ask Canto for the details of his involvement when he woke. She’d grown up with him in her life, but their relationship wasn’t of siblings. Older by nine years and scarred by life as a child, he tended to ask more after her and Arwen than speak on himself. Only today did she realize how little she knew about the technical aspects of his base designation.

Then there was Payal Rao. Ruthless operator, cardinal Tk who’d never been in the Council’s control, and major CEO. Also an anchor. One friendly enough with Canto to get him emergency assistance. Mercants. Always had to keep a few secrets. Valentin was right. Sneaky was in her family’s DNA.

Lips curving at the thought of her bear mate—who’d nuzzled a kiss into her neck this morning before he’d let her leave for work—she picked up the phone and called Pavel. “Did you talk him into bed?”

“Am I a bear?” was the insulted response. “Of course I talked him into bed. Even if he is the grumpiest Mercant alive.” A rustling. “I’m sneaking into his room. Yep, he’s down for the count. Let me throw a blanket over him.”

After stepping back out, he said, “I’ll hang here until he comes out of it. Yasha’s happy to cover my security shift. Is there anything special I should do?”

“Have a nutrient drink prepped for him for when he wakes, but that won’t be for hours yet.” She bit back the next question she wanted to ask, well aware it’d be a serious invasion of Canto’s privacy.

Ethically, it was the right choice, but her protective instincts were a far more primal element of her psyche, and they struggled with it. Canto had protected her for years, even more so after she became the head of EmNet—Grandmother thought Silver didn’t know that her oft-scowling cousin with reclusive tendencies was the computronic genius who’d hacked his way through half the world to keep her safe.

It was time for Silver to balance the scales, have his back. Because Payal Rao was a shark with great big teeth. A woman cold-eyed, merciless, and with zero loyalty to kin.

Then Pavel said, “Hey, looks like you don’t have to worry about Canto so much. He’s had company.” The way the bear drew out the last word made it clear the company had been female.

“Family?”

“No. I know the Mercant scent—you all share a thread. This is new.” A deep breath. “Different. Layers to it. None of them are Mercant layers.”

Which meant whatever the relationship, it wasn’t one that involved physical intimacy. “Tell me if he wakes,” she said before hanging up.

Silver would talk to Canto directly about this, warn him about the predator with whom he was tangling.

But when she mentioned her decision to Arwen later in the day, after he dropped by Denhome, her brother threw back his head and laughed so hard that he fell back on her and Valentin’s bed. He’d followed her into the bedroom when she went inside to take off her jewelry.

“What is so amusing?” she asked in her iciest tone.

It had zero effect on her empath brother—he knew she loved him down to the bone. “You. Mated. A. Bear.”

“You’re currently playing with one,” she pointed out.

“I’m not the one thinking of poking my nose into Canto’s business.” Sitting up on the bed, his fashionably cut black hair tousled but the pale blue of his shirt still crisp against the dove gray of his suit jacket, Arwen raised an eyebrow. His eyes were the same silver as hers, but uptilted sharply at the corners, his bones striking. “Do you really think Canto can’t handle himself against Payal Rao if something is going on?”

“He has no experience dealing with people like her. Not when it comes to a personal relationship.”

“Bear.” Arwen pointed. “Alpha bear.”

Silver gave him a quelling look, but she got the point. She’d keep from interfering. But she’d also do some research on Payal Rao that wasn’t about the business or the work, but about who she was as a person. Because while Canto might be grumpy and nonsociable, he was family. He was also one of the rocks on which she stood—one of the quiet foundations of Mercant power.

Silver would cut Payal Rao to pieces before she allowed her to harm Canto.

“What if she’s Canto’s person?”

Silver stared at her brother. “Payal Rao?”

“Bear.”

“Be quiet. I’m your elder.”

“By ten minutes.” Laughing, he came over to hug her from the back, her brother with his snobby taste in clothes and a heart huge enough to contain the world. “But what if, Silver?”

Putting aside her need to protect, Silver made herself consider the question. “I want Canto to have what I have,” she said at last. “He has such aloneness inside him. If Payal can reach him in a way I don’t think even Grandmother has … then I’ll back her all the way.”

“And they call me the empath.” Arwen squeezed her tight. “I want that for him, too. He’s one of the best people I know—his heart, Silver, it’s a thing of courage and loyalty and stubborn will.”

“Payal Rao took over five corporations last week in a bloodless coup.”

“Alpha bear who can break you in half with his hands.”

Silver took off her bracelet. “I’m still going to spy on her.” Just in case.

“It’s the Mercant way.”