The fact he didn’t deny her supposition, added to his body language, gave her the answer she needed. That answer cleared the Mercants’ debt to the Alliance and to Lily Knight in particular. Ena telepathed the data to Silver, shutting down the link before her granddaughter could ask any questions. “Is that why you’re so against Trinity? You believe it’ll leave humans in a worse position?”

“It’ll leave humans in a position of no power.” Akshay’s hand remained on the gun he’d placed against his thigh. “That’s what the Psy have always wanted, always done.”

“From your recent business moves, it appears you believe the changelings will come to feel the same way.”

The mask back on, he lifted a shoulder. “They’re sure getting chummy with Psy these days. Lucas Hunter pretends to be evenhanded, but he’s the father of a half-breed child. Psy and changeling. Not changeling and human.” His expression was granite. “Now I hear the precious Mercant scion has mated one of the two most powerful changeling alphas in Russia. What a stroke of luck for you. I guess the poor schmuck will never know you fucked with his mind.”

Ignoring the latter part of his rant because she wasn’t ready to talk about Silver, Ena sipped more of her tea. “Lucas Hunter has multiple packmates who identify as both changeling and human. One of his senior people is mated to a human.”

“It doesn’t matter.” A blood vessel stood out prominently on his temple. “Now that the changelings have access to Psy corporations, I can see them cutting off human contracts.”

“Has that happened?”

“Not yet, but it will.” Lifting his weapon, he deactivated the safety using his thumbprint. “Now, I think our conversation is over.”

“Talking of conversations, my granddaughter had an interesting one with your cousin Jai recently.” Ena’s cup made a quiet clinking sound against the bone china of the saucer when she put it down.

Akshay’s left eyelid flickered. “He’s always been a disappointment to the family. I used to think he’d be at my side as I took us to greatness, but he never quite achieved what he should have.”

While Ena respected Akshay Patel’s desire to avenge his wife, that he’d insult a member of the family to an outsider lessened his standing in her eyes. “Yet you used him to get to Silver.”

“Why not? He was available and in the right area.”

“And disposable,” Ena guessed.

“That, too. It was worth the gamble—and it’ll be worth other gambles in the future. If I take down Silver, I crash EmNet for long enough that certain other measures can be taken and will be far more successful than if Silver’s pulling in help more efficiently than any computer program.” He aimed the gun at her head. “Sorry. Can’t risk you telepathing the information.”

He pressed the trigger.

Or he tried to.

Grimacing, he tried until the veins in his temples began to pound, the finer blood vessels in his eyes bursting to give them a crimson tint. Ena poured herself another cup of tea with tranquil precision. “It doesn’t matter how hard you try,” she said in the same tone she’d used the entire conversation. “You won’t break my hold.”

Akshay Patel spoke through gritted teeth. “I have a natural shield.”

Not answering, Ena drank her tea.

Sometimes, the win came from perception rather than reality. Akshay Patel thought she was a telepath, which she was; however, she also had just enough of a strange little power for it to be useful. A power so erratic in its appearance in the population that it had no official subdesignation. Not quite telekinesis, but on the spectrum. She could affect a specific number of elements, including those used in the manufacture of weapons.

The human CEO thought she was controlling his mind. What she was actually controlling was the weapon itself—it was repelling Akshay through a little subtle manipulation on Ena’s part. “You’ll give yourself an aneurysm if you keep attempting to break free.”

Akshay finally threw aside the weapon. But rather than giving in, he jumped up from his seat, his hands reaching out as if to strangle her. In his eyes, she saw the moment he realized he could move freely. Ena shot him with the stunner she’d kept in her lap. His body spasmed as he fell to the floor, his limbs twitching with residual energy.

Looking down at him from the table, she held the bloody tawny brown of his gaze. “You’re about to die. You know that and so do I. Will you protect your co-conspirators?” That he couldn’t have gotten to Silver on his own wasn’t in doubt.

To cut off electricity to an apartment building that secure with that many redundant systems would’ve required help from various highly placed sources. The Patels might control a large number of energy systems, but they had no footprint in Moscow. Kaleb held the controlling interest in the largest energy company, and the smaller ones serviced areas that didn’t overlap with Silver’s apartment.

Akshay Patel simply could not have arranged for the power to be disrupted in a company under Kaleb’s banner unless he had someone on the inside. Even then, he’d need a second person inside the building itself who could override the redundancies.

Ivan would take care of unearthing that individual, but as for the employee at the energy company, Ena had requested Kaleb check the records to see if any of his hires had connections to the Patels. He’d telepathed her the results ten minutes ago, having found three employees who’d previously worked in businesses held by the Patel Conglomerate—not an unusual circumstance in the same industry.

Crucially, however, none of the three had been on duty the night the power went out in Silver’s apartment. Kaleb had seen that, dug further, and discovered that the workers on duty at the time of the blackout were all long-term, experienced, and skilled. One of those employees had a wife who’d received a six-figure payment into her account immediately prior to the incident.

That employee was Psy.

Yet Akshay Patel made it a point not to have Psy contacts. “Do you think your co-conspirators would be as loyal to you?” she asked conversationally when Akshay didn’t speak, his eyes boring into her. Hate foamed in their depths.

A spasm crossed his face.

“The pain will continue to increase,” Ena told him. “The muscle spasms will eventually cause you to lose control of your bladder, then your bowels. You’ll begin to drool. A second blast on the same setting will ensure you lie in your own waste for hours before your brain finally shuts down.”

She took a sip of tea. “Or you can answer my questions, and this ends with me putting a shot directly into your brain. You’ll die before you know it. And it ends with me and you. I won’t go after your son or daughter.”

Fear crawled across his face. “You wouldn’t,” he managed to grit out between spasms. “They’re children.”

“Silver is the child of my child.” Ena let him see her implacable will. “Like for like. Except I’ll be successful in my extermination efforts.”

“Y-you’re a monster.”

“Perhaps, but I’m a monster who’s giving you a choice. Will you sacrifice your children to protect your co-conspirators?” Ena knew the choice she would’ve made, though no one outside the family could ever know that. The Mercants were safe and successful partially because others believed that while they worked together as it was more effective, they were snakes who’d swallow one another should it come down to it. “You have ten seconds before the offer is off the table.”