With that and a touch of her hand to Silver’s arm, she walked away. Silver glanced at Anastasia, got a hard shake of her head. “I like you, Silver, but I don’t have a big crush on you like my baby brother, and I’m not gentle like Nova. You want my trust? You earn it.”

Silver held the greenish gray of the other woman’s gaze. “You’re very much like me, Anastasia.”

Lifting two fingers to her temple, Anastasia saluted. “I figured that out a long time ago.” A faint smile. “What I said still stands.”

“Understood—but is there anything I can do to assist Valentin in dealing with whatever problem he’s handling?”

The other woman’s smile faded into what seemed to be a deep-rooted anger. “This, only my alpha can solve—even though he shouldn’t have to.”

Soon afterward, her mind pulling at the reins in a futile effort to search for Valentin, Silver made her way to StoneWater’s tech room. Taking a seat at the system she’d commandeered, she used it to handle matters that didn’t require impregnable security. For those, she used the organizer she’d picked up from her room on the way.

When the hairs rose on the back of her neck, her skin prickling, she wasn’t in the least shocked. Part of her had known he’d find her. “You weren’t at breakfast.”

Valentin leaned down to brace his arms on the back of her chair, his scent and the unapologetic size of him taking over the space. Rubbing his jaw against her hair, the stubble catching on the strands, he said, “Miss me, sleepyhead?”

Silver sent an e-mail, began to read another. “Why should I miss you? There are any number of virile males in the den who I’m sure would be happy to volunteer for my experiment.”

A rumbling sound behind her, thunder rolling across a storm-dark sky. Claws pricked her throat as he closed his hand around it. “That,” he said, speaking against her ear, “was mean.”

“It was truthful.” Silver found herself leaning her head back against him, her words breathy and her breasts feeling full in a way that seemed to demand Valentin’s big hands massaging the aching flesh.

The rumble came again. “Take it back.” Teeth nipped at her ear.

She jerked, having not expected the act—having never even thought about it in her entire life. Her nipples tightened against the deep cerise of her vee-necked sweater. “Don’t you believe other men would volunteer for my sex experiment?”

“Silver.” His voice wasn’t human any longer.

Lifting her hand, as her thighs clenched in a response she couldn’t explain, she reached back to weave it into the heavy strands of his hair. “It appears I only wish to run this experiment with a certain gentleman bear.”

Another rub of his cheek against her hair, his hand sliding up and down her throat. “I can smell you, Starlichka. You want me.” The words were a pleased rumble. “When can I lick you?”

Chest rising and falling in rapid breaths, Silver said, “Now.”

He growled at her, as if he were a lion and not a bear. “No, I can’t. You know what happened last time when we rushed it.” Despite the harsh words, he didn’t break contact. “Distract me from imagining you naked, all soft and open for me, your pussy glistening with your honey.”

Silver lost the train of her thoughts. All she could see were Valentin’s wide shoulders between her thighs, the dark strands of his hair brushing her skin in a thousand caresses as he licked her up. “You’re putting sexual images into my head.”

An unrepentant chuckle. “Good. I woke up with a cock so hard it hurt.” He began to play with her hair with his free hand. “What have you been doing this morning?”

Silver told him, then asked, “Did you have early duties in your territory?” She was careful to keep her voice neutral; if he wished to speak to her about what had muted an entire clan of bears, he would . . . but it mattered that he didn’t trust her.

“An alpha always has duties.”

Silver was no expert at emotion, but she knew she wasn’t mistaken about the sadness she heard in his voice. “Valyusha?”

“I just need to pet you this morning. Let me?”

When Silver leaned back a little further into him, he kept on stroking her throat, the skin there far more sensitive than she’d ever realized.

“What’s this?” he rumbled a while later, indicating her computer setup.

“EmNet work.” Though she hadn’t answered any messages since he circled her throat and began to talk to her using words she’d always considered coarse, but that had taken on a whole new meaning when spoken in Valentin’s deep tones. “You’re a distraction.”

A satisfied chuckle that was pure bear. “Good.” He rose after another gentle stroke that rubbed his callused palm against her skin. “Now stop making me crazy and do your work. We’ll continue our experiment tonight.” A pause, a rough kiss pressed to her temple. “Thank you, Starlight.”

She turned to watch him leave, this big, brash bear who had so much more to him than most people would ever know. It was a near-compulsion to go to him, ask him to tell her what was wrong so she could help fix it, though she had no claim on his secrets.

Silver wanted that claim.

A pounding in her ears, her heartbeat a drum.

It took her a long time to calm her mental pathways enough to finish her work. Valentin was far more than a distraction. He threatened her very stability, made her consider a life she’d always believed was for other people, impossible for her.

A telepathic ping. Silver.

What is it, Arwen?

I hesitate to mention this, but there’s been a change in your emotional equilibrium.

Of course, Arwen would notice. Is that a problem?

It’s not bleeding out. I know simply because of our connection.

Because Arwen was the sole E in the Mercant family. He was the one who anchored Silver to the Honeycomb, keeping her sane and mentally healthy in a badly damaged psychic network none of them could leave. Will you report this to Grandmother? Silver would do that herself when the time came, but right now, she needed to walk her own path.

Of course not. Empathic ethics forbid such disclosures. It was a rebuke. Even if they didn’t, I’d never betray you. A pause. Are you sure? The risk—

Is significant, I know. She was always listening for a breach, for her brain to begin to rebel. But I need to know if Silence is the only path. I need to know if I have a choice.

Arwen’s simple response held an undertone of intense hope. If anything does threaten to bleed out into the PsyNet, I’ll contain it until you regain control. Good luck, Silver.

Luck. If only that were the final decider and not the mutant piece of genetic code that had marked her from childhood.

Silver’s hand curled on the desk.

She found herself reaching for her phone, inputting Valentin’s code. But she didn’t press Send. He was having a hard day; she didn’t need details to understand that for a man like Valentin to be so sad, the pain had to be devastating. He’d thanked her for giving him a moment of peace.

She wouldn’t ruin that.

Putting down her phone, she got back to work. She was seventy minutes into it and all but done when Yakov poked his head into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, Starlight—”

He winked at her icy look. “I mean, Silver,” he said, with no sign of repentance in his tone, “but my brother says the ‘supermodel cutie pie,’ end quote, is here. I can guide you to the meeting spot.”