SILVER SILENCE by
Nalini Singh
Excerpt
Laughing at
the cubs’ antics, Valentin jogged down the slight incline and waded into what
had to be ice-cold water after kicking off his boots and socks. He splashed the
cubs, laughed when they splashed him back. Running so they could chase him, he
turned abruptly and chased them back, to their unhidden joy.
Silver took
a seat on the grass. When the female bear looked her way, she inclined her head
in a silent greeting. The bear did the same, then they both watched an alpha
bear play with two energetic cubs, his hands holding rough care for their small
bodies.
By the time
Valentin made his way back to her, he was drenched and his eyes weren’t human
in any way. When he spoke, his already deep voice was so low it felt like
thunder against her skin. “Couldn’t resist,” he said, pushing back his wet hair
with one big hand. “If you weren’t in recovery and if I wasn’t in terror of
Nova’s wrath, I’d have invited you. The small monsters wanted to play with
you.”
Silver
didn’t get to her feet. “Can we stay here a little longer?” It was patent that
Valentin had an extremely high tolerance for the cold, but he might want to dry
off.
“Sure,” he
said, and, moving away several feet, shook off the wet.
Fine
droplets settled on the skin of her cheek, but she didn’t flinch at the
unintentional tactile contact. She also controlled her urge to reach up and
touch the water where it lay against her skin. There was no reason to do that,
and Silver was alive because she only did things that were rational.
Settling
beside her, Valentin waved at the cubs as their guardian led their tired forms
toward a path in the trees that was at the same level as the stream. “Gentler
climb,” Valentin told her.
“They seem
too exhausted to make it to Denhome.”
“It’s all
an act—they’re hoping for a ride on their aunt’s back.” His tone held the same
fond affection she’d heard when he spoke of Dima. “It’d take more than a few
minutes’ play in the water to wipe out those two.”
The cubs
had played with Valentin for almost a half hour. “They’re hyperactive?”
“They’re
baby bears.”
Silver
watched as those baby bears turned toward her and rose up on their back paws,
as if in challenge. A stern sound from their caretaker, and they dropped down
and scrambled to catch up with her. Their bodies disappeared into the trees as
dusk began to turn from orange to shadowy gray.
Beside her,
Valentin sprawled out, bracing himself on his elbows. His drenched T-shirt
clung to the ridged muscles of his abdomen, pulled tight across his pectoral
muscles, shaped itself over his shoulders. His jeans weren’t much better,
outlining the raw muscle of his thighs.
Valentin
Nikolaev was a man of violent physical strength even in human form. Yet he
clearly had iron control over it; when he’d played with the children, they’d
displayed zero fear of their alpha.
“You
thought about where you’re going to live when you escape the bears who’ve
kidnapped you?”
When she
raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned. “Fringe netter with his own Internet
channel sent out a breaking report last night. Pasha—who obviously needs more
work duties—made up a fake account and posted a comment swearing to have seen
you being pulled into a black van by six burly bears in bear form.”
“You don’t
seem too concerned.” Amber eyes and deep voice, he remained very much a bear in
human form.
“Well,
according to this ‘eyewitness,’ the getaway driver was in bear form, too.
Must’ve been tough for him to steer with one paw since he was drinking a beer
at the same time.”
“Bears,” Silver said, making Valentin throw his head back and
laugh that huge laugh that wrapped around her.
Posted by
arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random
House Company. Copyright © Nalini Singh, 2017.
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