Tangle of Need

Tangle of Need

Berkley titles by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changeling Series

SLAVE TO SENSATION

VISIONS OF HEAT

CARESSED BY ICE

MINE TO POSSESS

HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE

BRANDED BY FIRE

BLAZE OF MEMORY

BONDS OF JUSTICE

PLAY OF PASSION

KISS OF SNOW

TANGLE OF NEED

Guild Hunter Series

ANGELS’ BLOOD

ARCHANGEL’S KISS

ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT

ARCHANGEL’S BLADE

Anthologies

AN ENCHANTED SEASON
(with Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, and Jean Johnson)

THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CAT
(with Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones)

MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS
(with Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, and Meljean Brook)

BURNING UP
(with Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra, and Meljean Brook)

ANGELS OF DARKNESS
(with Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, and Sharon Shinn)
ANGELS’ FLIGHT

eSpecials
ANGELS’ PAWN

Tangle of Need

NALINI SINGH

BERKLEY SENSATION, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2012 by Nalini Singh.

Cover design by George Long.

Cover hand lettering by Ron Zinn.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

FIRST EDITION
: June 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Singh, Nalini, 1977–

Tangle of need / Nalini Singh.—1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-1-101-56908-5

1. Shapeshifting—Fiction. I. Title.

PR9639.4.S566T36 2012

823’.92—dc23

2012005039

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

CAST OF CHARACTERS

In alphabetical order by first name

Key: SD = SnowDancer Wolves     DR = DarkRiver Leopards

Aden
Arrow, Telepath (Tp)

Adria Morgan
SD Senior Soldier

Alexei
SD Lieutenant

Alice Eldridge
Human scientist, in coma after a century in cryonic suspension

Amara Aleine
Psy member of DR, former Council scientist, twin of Ashaya, mentally unstable

Anthony Kyriakus
Psy Councilor, father of Faith

Ashaya Aleine
Psy member of DR, former Council scientist, mated to Dorian, twin of Amara

Ava
SD, maternal female, mother of Ben

Bastien
DR, brother of Mercy

Bowen
Security Chief, Human Alliance

Brenna Kincaid
SD, tech, mated to Judd, sister of Andrew and Riley

Cooper
SD Lieutenant, mated to Grace

Council (
or
Psy Council)
The ruling Council of the Psy race

Dalton
SD Librarian

Drew Kincaid
(full name:
Andrew
) SD Soldier, mated to Indigo, brother of Riley and Brenna

Elias
SD Senior Soldier, mated to Yuki, father of Sakura

Evangeline (Evie) Riviere
SD, sister of Indigo, daughter of Tarah and Abel

Faith NightStar
Psy member of DR, gift of Foresight (F), mated to Vaughn, daughter of Anthony

Felix
SD, horticultural expert, submissive

Garrick
Former alpha of SnowDancer, killed when the Psy psychically broke and programmed several of SnowDancer’s dominants to attack their own pack

Ghost
Psy rebel

Hawke
SD Alpha, mated to Sienna

Henry Scott
Psy Councilor (presumed dead), leader of Pure Psy, husband of Shoshanna

Indigo Riviere
SD Lieutenant, mated to Drew, sister of Evangeline

Jem (
real name:
Garnet)
SD Lieutenant

Judd Lauren
Psy member of SD, Lieutenant, mated to Brenna, uncle of Sienna, Toby, and Marlee

Kaleb Krychek
Psy Councilor

Kenji
SD Lieutenant

Kieran
Human member of SD, Senior Soldier

Kit
DR Novice Soldier

Lara
SD Healer, mated to Walker Lauren

Lucas Hunter
DR Alpha, mated to Sascha, father of Naya

Lucy
SD, nurse, assistant to Lara

Maria
SD Novice Soldier

Matthias
SD Lieutenant

Max Shannon
Human, Security chief for Nikita Duncan

Mercy Smith
DR Sentinel, mated to Riley

Ming LeBon
Psy Councilor

Nathan (Nate) Ryder
DR Senior Sentinel, mated to Tamsyn, father of Roman and Julian

Nell
SD Maternal dominant

Nikita Duncan
Psy Councilor, mother of Sascha

Pierce
SD Senior Soldier, based in Europe

Riaz Delgado
SD Lieutenant

Riley Kincaid
SD Lieutenant, mated to Mercy, brother of Drew and Brenna

Sam
Human member of SD, Soldier

Sascha Duncan
Psy member of DR, cardinal Empath (E), mated to Lucas, mother of Naya, daughter of Nikita

Shawnelle (Shawnie)
SD juvenile

Shoshanna Scott
Psy Councilor, wife of Henry

Sienna Lauren
Psy member of SD, mated to Hawke, sister of Toby, niece of Judd and Walker

Tamsyn (Tammy) Ryder
DR Healer, mated to Nathan, mother of Roman and Julian

Tatiana Rika-Smythe
Psy Councilor

Tomás
SD Lieutenant

Vasic
Arrow, Teleporter (Tk-V)

Walker Lauren
Psy member of SD, mated to Lara, father of Marlee, uncle of Sienna and Toby