Hi guys!

I apologize for letting you all wait for so long. I've been on vacation for three weeks and with everything that's going on in my family right now it's difficult for me to find enough time to actually write. We've got a lot of health issues that probably won't go away as quickly as we hoped they would so this is going to go on for a while now.

I'm already almost finished with the fourth chapter, meaning you won't have to be quite as patient as you have been now. ;)

Thanks a lot to my beta, YLCourt, for editing this chapter and helping me with grammar and spelling mistakes! :)

Enjoy the reading!

Franziska


The next day, Andrew had been pacing around the park for the rest of the night, he found himself walking toward Nikita's room again. It wasn't like he had planned to go there in the first place, but his body subconsciously felt drawn to her and so his feet had begun to carry him this way. He stopped dead in his track and immediately headed off into the opposite direction.

Talking to Nikita was probably not the best idea at the moment. Not when his mood was still heated up and his mind not able to produce any clear thoughts.

It was better for both of them, he told himself. Andrew still felt like an idiot for letting his animalistic tribes get the upper hand when he should have suppressed his urge to touch her. Nikita was nothing like Sascha or Faith. Unlike her daughter, she was not on the edge of having a mental breakdown because as far as Andrew knew, Nikita was not an empath; she was a Gradient 9.1 TP-Psy - and telepathic abilities were not based on feelings.

She wasn't anything like Faith either. Even though the small redhead, who was Vaughn D'Angelo's mate, had grown up in complete isolation, she had been more open to emotions than Nikita. An advantage caused by her cardinal abilities in foresight that were also based on feelings. It had taken Vaughn a while to warm her up and break her conditioning, showing Faith what she had missed out on during her life under Silence. Lucas had more luck with Sascha's already crumbling walls of ice and her being an empath and Andrew had watched both men change for the better ever since.

He couldn't help but envy them as he had never been granted the wish to share what they had - to love someone with all his heart and devout his life to his mate. If he was honest, he'd already given up all hope to ever find the love of his life, accepting that he'd be one of the unfortunate ones who were not meant to share.

Andrew knew that he wouldn't be as lucky as his pack members; Nikita was more than two decades older than Sascha and Faith, hadn't been touched in years for all he could tell. Her being a Council member did not make things any easier. Nikita probably had had to build impossibly strong shields to protect herself from the other Councilors who were all as ruthless as she herself.

Hell, had he been in her position, he would have done the same. Always in fear someone could try to kill her the second she looked away, always keeping an eye on her enemies, leading an entire race and raising her flawed daughter to adulthood. The woman was a miracle to the leopard and part of him admired her for her strength and unbreakable will.

Another part, however, despised her for being who she was; a ruthless, cold-hearted and calculating business woman who achieved her goals with a sometimes cold blooded cruelty. She wasn't exactly evil, as Sascha had once pointed out, but Nikita Duncan would ally herself with the devil if it meant a gain in power and wealth.

The beast in Andrew was still restless, not sure what to do with its new feelings towards the Councilor. It wanted to tear her apart with its sharp claws and sink its teeth into her to taste blood, but on the other hand it wanted the woman to run her hand over the leopard's smooth fur, wanted to feel her and taste her ivory skin. It was driving him insane.

The frustration about Nikita Duncan and her ability to completely turn his feelings upside down was almost too much to take.

Andrew scowled, making his way to God knew which part of the hideout. The corridors looked so much the same, he felt like he was back on one of those Navy ships where each deck equaled the other.

"Are you lost?" A female voice interrupted his thoughts, startling him.

"Excuse me?" Andrew turned around and realized that his words may have sounded a little too harsh, but as soon as he caught the metallic smell of the psy in front of him, he restrained himself from apologizing.

The woman's expression was blank, completely lacking in emotion. "If you need help orientating, I can bring you a map of the facility."

The offer was so very Psy that his instincts told him to send her to hell, but his brain argued that a map would indeed be helpful in his situation.

"Yes, thank you for your offer," Andrew said politely, remembering his manners.
He expected her to go somewhere to get the map but to his surprise she happened to carry one in the pocket of her medical scrubs.

That reminded him of something.

"Are you one of the doctors here?" Andrew asked and took the piece of paper from her Hands.

The woman nodded, her firmly pinned up hair remaining strictly in place. "I am part of the medical team that was hired to take care of the Councilor if that's your question."
The thought of having his life depend on someone who didn't feel made Andrew's hair stand on end. He just couldn't imagine Tamsyn, or Shayla before her, being anything but passionate about their work and their will to heal others.

"How's the Councilor doing?" He asked, using Nikita's formal title, "Is she stable?"

The doctor looked at him for a moment with cool blue eyes. She probably wasn't sure whether she was allowed to pass on this kind of information about her employer to a changeling. "Her physical status is stable, the Councilor is recovering from her wounds as planned. However, the healing process will take its time as we have decided not to use fast-healing techniques due to the depth of her injuries."

Andrew frowned. "You said her physical status is stable. What exactly does that mean?"
"You are referring to her psychical status?" He nodded. "Due to some... difficulties the Councilor has requested to undergo reconditioning. The process will stabilize her shields and prevent her mind from deteriorating."

The psy made it sound like this was the most natural thing in the world, like it was something you'd go and tell your neighbor about. Andrew's blood froze in his veins and his heart skipped a beat.

Reconditioning. He knew the word, knew the meaning of it and it made his mind go blank. The leopard saw red and furiously tried to free itself from its mental cage.

How could Nikita Duncan possibly think that erasing all her emotions could be the right thing to do? Andrew wouldn't let them take her away from him, make her even more like the ice sculpture she already was.

"You can't be serious," he said, clenching his jaw. "She has just undergone serious surgery - she'll be too weak to handle being brain wiped!"

The woman didn't even flinch at the aggression in his tone. Instead, she replied calmly with a voice of steel. "The Councilor is aware of the risks and is acting against medical advice. However, influencing her decision is beyond our authorization."

Andrew stared at her. "No, you're just scared that someone will have to wipe up the remains of your brains if she infects you with a virus."

"I can only repeat myself," she said, sounding very much like a robot. "We do not have the authorization to decide for the Councilor."

Andrew gave her one last furious glare before heading down the corridor with determined strides.

Looking at the map, he realized he was only a few blocks away from Nikita's room.
If she wanted to be stubborn, so be it; he'd play along and make her see reason. And if he had to beat her unconscious, he didn't care.

Nikita was laying in her bed in the neat white room, her eyes closed and her breathing even; she was sleeping. For a split second, Andrew stood frozen in the doorway, thinking about his options. The hell with the consequences, he'd wake her up right now and get this straight.

Andrew made his way across the room and sat down on the bed next to her.

If you touch me again, I am going to kill you. Those had been her exact words last time but he was willing to take the risk of it meant she'd change her mind about reconditioning.
Andrew reached out, gripping her hand firmly and readying himself for her to attack. Nikita's eyes shot open and she gasped at the sudden contact, immediately withdrawing her hand.
"Were my orders not clear enough, Mr. Brown?" Her voice was icy, not giving away the faintest touch of emotion.
"Quite clear, actually," Andrew answered, relieved that she hadn't used her powers on him again. "But extraordinary circumstances afford extraordinary measures."
Almond-shaped eyes looked at him and Andrew could swear he saw a spark of anger in them but when he blinked, it was all gone again. Nikita was as cold as ice; unapproachable and completely emotionless. It made the beast in Andrew want to lash out at her for being so utterly stupid. Couldn't she see what she was missing out on?
"You can consider yourself lucky to be alive after the stunt you've just pulled." A warning he didn't misunderstand; the next time he touched her without permission, she'd make her threat come true, he had no doubt about that.
"You are not going to undergo reconditioning," he informed her bluntly, holding back the leopard that was pacing just beneath the surface. "You're not even close to a recovery from the injuries you've suffered."
Nikita didn't flinch, she didn't so much as move or blink at his words but he could sense her uneasiness.
"Mr. Brown," she said calmly. "As my security, you are responsible for my safety. My health, however, is nothing of your concern. If you do not or cannot follow the instructions given to you by your superiors, I will have you removed."
Andrew stared at her, couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Then, a sly smile made its way across his lips. "There's only one tiny problem in your well-thought plan, Councilor Duncan," he said, pronouncing her title on purpose. "You can't fire me."

Nikita POV:

Nikita had a hard time focusing on the content of their conversation; she was too busy trying to prevent her shields from collapsing and put all her strength into it.
The man in front of her was getting to her, erupting emotions deep inside her mind Nikita had thought to be long lost. She'd spent her entire life, half a century, to force her feelings behind a massive wall of ice with the only purpose being to survive in a world under Silence. Nikita had thought her Silence to be impeccable; so flawless that she could fool the entire psy population into believing that she was so cold her heart had frozen over.
"I can ask for another sentinel to guard me while necessary." Her voice, calm and cold, did not betray what was going on inside her mind. Nikita had been taught to fake perfection; she was a master at her game and playing by her own rules. "You are replaceable, Mr. Brown. I suggest you choose your words wisely."
The cracks in her shields were still there, small but visible.
"Well," Andrew replied in what Nikita recognized as defeat, though somehow she suspected that he wasn't done yet. "Since I do not seem to be able to change your mind, maybe your daughter will be more successful."

Sascha POV:

Sascha was curled up underneath the satin blanket next to her mate who was snoring softly. It was still very early in the morning, the sun had risen not long ago, and with Naya still asleep the couple could enjoy the silence while it lasted. Their daughter had been very active during the night before, keeping her parents on their toes almost the entire time.
However, Sascha could not find the peaceful sleep her body was longing for; too many thoughts were racing through her mind, keeping her awake. She hadn't seen Nikita until shortly after the doctors had released her from the intensive care unit and although Andrew had called to tell them that everything was alright the next day, that Nikita was stable and recovering from her injuries, Sascha couldn't help but worry about her mother.
An arm wrapped itself around her waist from behind, pulling her closer to Lucas' warm body.
"What's bugging you, kitten," he said lazily, his voice still sleepy. "I know something's up, you haven't slept all night."
She sighed. There was absolutely no point in lying to Lucas; he always knew if something was wrong or if she needed his comfort. It warmed her heart, the feeling of his love deep inside her soul burning brightly, shoving away the darker emotions that had been lingering there.
"It's my mother," Sascha confessed with another sigh. "She's always been so strong, so ruthless and just invincible in my eyes that it never even occurred to me that she could get hurt."
Lucas pushed himself up a little, pressing a soft kiss on top of her head and letting his hand slide up her right arm.
"If there's one thing I've learned about your mother, kitten, it's that she's as tough and strong as an old wolf. It takes more than just a bullet to take her down. I bet she's already being a pain in the ass for Andrew."
That made Sascha chuckle a little, her eyes shiny with tears.
"She can be a bit difficult, can't she?" Sascha turned around to look Lucas in the face. His green cat-like eyes were filled with love and concern that she knew was directed only toward her. She reached out and tucked a black strand of hair behind his ear, then she leaned forward to capture his lips in a slow, sweet kiss that made her toes tingle.
"Thanks," she murmured against his mouth. "For being there for me, Lucas."
He smiled down at her, his eyes half closed. "Always, kitten."
Just as they were about to kiss again, Lucas' phone started to ring and they both flinched, taken by surprise.
The Panther growled at the device, probably killing the caller in his mind as he stood and walked over to the drawer and picked up.
A moment later he frowned, then raised an eyebrow and grinned, holding out the phone for Sascha.
"It's Andrew," he said as she took it out of his hand. "Something about Nikita being stubborn but he used too many swear words to understand the content of his tirade."
She held the phone to her ear. "Andrew, what's wrong?"
The other man let out a sigh of exasperation. "I'm trying to make Nikita see reason but she threatened to have me removed so I called you."
Sascha frowned. "She can't do that, that's out of question and beyond her authority. Why would she want to send you away anyway?"
She could hear Naya starting to wake up in the other room but when she turned around, Lucas was already on the way to look after her. Sascha smiled happily; she was glad to have him as her mate and being a father suited him surprisingly well. At least it kept him from doing anything stupid.
"Sascha, she wants to undergo reconditioning," Andrew said and the smile froze on her face. "She's too weak for it but I can't convince her otherwise so I called you. I can handle leopards that have gone rouge, but I'm completely lost here."
She nodded even though he couldn't see it through the phone. "We're coming over. Just... just keep her from doing anything she'll regret or that could cost her life."
Sascha's heart beat wildly in her chest, not with excitement but with fear. If Nikita had decided to undergo reconditioning, something had to be wrong and Sascha wasn't sure if she could handle her mother's death. "And Andrew," she paused for a moment. "Thank you for calling."


I hope you liked the chapter. Don't be afraid to tell we what you think about it! ;)