Vasic

Shield of Winter

(Psy/Changeling #13)

by Nalini Singh

I never tire of the tortured brooding hero… distant, reticent, cold, tormented,  and oh, sooo sexy! Meet, another bad boy…Vasic, a Psy Arrow with TK-V ability… powerful, intelligent, a highly skilled and respected member of the deadly Arrow assassin squad, the guards of the Silence Protocol.  I adore Vasic…unyielding… stoic, lethal. His transformation mesmerizing…he unfolds, opens himself; learns to trust, to hope…Vasic is another reason I savor this trope…it just doesn’t get old for me! 

Vasic is a killing machine! He’s considered by most to be…too broken, too ruined, too lethal to be anything but. As young as four, he’s abandoned by his father, handed over to the Arrows for… training? (WTH?) His conditioning brutal, savage even; and Vasic emerges…as the “perfect” killer… emotionless, ruthless, and merciless. 

Even Vasic acknowledges, admits that he’s beyond hope, beyond saving. “…but I’m meant for the shadows. Meant to live in the cold dark with the other monsters. It’s where I intend to stay”. Yet, is he the cold, ruthless, automaton? For deeply buried, concealed within the layers of his Silence exists remnants of conscience…his personal vow to protect the innocents, to protect and to lead his fellow Arrows; his blood oath framed with honor and undying loyalty. Nonetheless, his guilt survives…ever present, gnawing, ingrained in the crevices of his core, in his essence. Vasic suffers… remembers each of his “kills”…remembers each erasure. Inexorably he surrenders to the  darkness…to the emptiness.

Nonetheless, Zie Zen, his great-grandfather, and Aden, his best friend fight for Vasic. Their intent is to save him…from himself.They ground and support him, is it too late? Is he too damaged, too broken? My other favorite trope, the interaction between brothers; complicated, competitive; an unbreakable supportive, life-saving bond connection…Thus the relationship between Vasic and Aden…”Blood Brothers” in every sense of the word, bonded, forged by the fire of abuse and cruelty.  Aden saves, protects, Vasic and likewise, Vasic saves Aden. “To Vasic, Aden had helped him stay sane. To Aden, Vasic had helped him stay upright when he would've fallen. One lost boy helping another.” 

And Aden understands his friend, the consummate soldier who protects…instinctively, fearlessly and efficiently. He assigns Vasic to protect Ivy Jane, an E-Psy.  According to Kaleb and Sahara, the Empaths may be the answer to the madness. The Empaths can stabilize the ominous infection spreading throughout the Psy Net…possibly eliminate the insanity among the Psy… stop the chaos, the savage killing and provide calm and healing…alongside the Arrows, their partners, who will provide protection to the Empaths and to uninfected civilians.

Ivy and the other Empaths courageously face the horrific madness, the virulent murders; assist when they can. Embolden by her strength and resolve, she confronts Vasic…claims him as Hers, she refuses to allow the darkness to envelope him. “Do you think…that a person who’s been Silent for almost the entirety of his life can learn to feel?…And if there is a winter of the soul…if the ice is so integrated that even when there’s a fracture, it seals itself as soon as he closes his eyes? (Ivy)” 

  

Ivy is the stimulus that precipitates Vasic’s transformation…slowly, gradually he unfolds, exposes his hidden wounded, ruined layers; and she patiently, deliberately guides him into the realm of feeling, of light, of self-acceptance. She tastes, feels, his darkness, his coldness. “He has a heart so huge, it’s kept pumping, kept going long past endurance—even though life has bruised it to a pulp.”

Their relationship progresses and evolves; their telepathy deepens their connection as they share their thoughts and emotions: the humor, fear, hope; and inexorably they build trust, a foundation, form a bond. This world (and Ivy) is alien to Vasic…her openness, her emotions, her laughter, her humor, especially, her concern…for him! 

“Vasic kept his eyes shut, felt a blanket being placed over him, Ivy’s palm cupping his check for a single instant before she broke contact to slide a pillow under his head with a gentle touch. “I am so mad at you” she whispered, then tugged up the blanket and presses a kiss to his temple…” 

“Aden took a sip of the drink. Why is it hot?

Ivy doesn’t want us to feel the cold.

…It was strange to be cared for in this fashion, and the strangeness was so unlike everything else in the life of an Arrow…”

***The honesty between the pair is refreshing…no lies, misunderstandings.  Similar to other Psy and changeling pairings, we have darkness and light; Ivy’s sunshine, her light creeps slowly, into the His fractures… His darkness filled with vulnerability, self-hatred, guilt…(and Hers) each forged by Their brutal past; these broken, battered souls are reborn. ***

“The man I was, the man I am, the man I will be, the man I want to be, they all belong to you. Always.” 

And there’s more…Vasic can’t get a break! His malfunctioning gauntlet, biofused onto his forearm will inevitably cause his death!  A race against time…surgery, amputation. *sigh* Another insurmountable obstacle.

Shield of Winter brings the Arrows to center stage. I’m fascinated with the Arrows, want to know more about their lives and backstory… “A Band of Brothers” …comrades who lay down their lives for each other; a family, loyal, showing unwavering dedication and respect; bonded through shared struggles and experiences. “Once an Arrow…"

The story arc continues… conflict and collaboration among the various groups: the Psy, the changelings, The Forgotten, the Humans. With the fall of Silence, these strange bedfellows form unusual powerful alliances. Interesting!

Next: Aden’s story