My Top Five Psy-Changeling Moments: A Guest Post by Nalini Singh

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We are delighted to welcome Nalini Singh back to the Gollancz Blog. With the publication  of a brand new Psy-Changeling novel tomorrow we asked Nalini to tell us her top five Psy-Changeling moments. 

I have so many favourite moments in the Psy-Changeling series. Soooo many! Distilling it down to five is pretty much impossible. So, these are my five favourite moments on this particular cool New Zealand night as I write this blog. The list may (and likely will) change without warning!

In chronological order:

#1: The moment in Slave to Sensation when a tiny leopard cub, hidden under a table, chews on the boot of the outwardly cold heroine. Instead of turning in the miscreant, she protects him. I love the sense of family in this scene, but what I most love is how totally Sascha betrays herself. This is no ice-cold Psy. This is a woman with enough gentleness of heart to understand the instincts of a playful little boy.

#2: The moment in Branded By Fire when Riley turns up on Mercy’s doorstep, wounded inside and hurting:

“Don’t ask me any questions tonight, Mercy.” He didn’t look at her, feeling vulnerable in a way that panicked his wolf.

“All right.” Soft footsteps. “But would you like to come inside?”

Wary of her agreement, but needing…something, he walked in. She took his hand, her golden eyes luminous in the dark. “Come on, wolf.”

Mercy is a dominant leopard sentinel, Riley a wolf lieutenant just as dominant, and their courtship is both fiery and wild. But this scene…it shows their trust in one another, shows, too, that Mercy can be gentle for her wolf, and that Riley can let down his shields. For me, in this moment, it’s clear that these two will make it.

#3: The scene in Kiss of Snow where Hawke and Sienna finally dance. The intensity and unspoken passion of this scene takes my breath away.

Hawke’s lashes came down. When they lifted back up, his gaze was night-glow, a brilliant ice blue shot with light. She sucked in a breath, realizing she was talking to the wolf now.

“You want to dance?” Husky words that stroked along her skin like the softest fur.

She nodded.

“Then we dance.” Reaching out, he switched on the vehicle’s sound system and input a selection before stepping out.

Her door opened as a slow, smoky ballad began to play. “Come.” An invitation—but mostly a demand

#4: The moment in Heart of Obsidian when the hero gives the heroine the charms for her bracelet, one for each year that she’s been missing. As he hands her each charm, she realizes just what she means to him, and exactly how ruthless he’s capable of being in order to protect her. This scene builds piece by piece, charm by charm, and it always leaves me with my heart thumping—because I know the hero is always going to be  an unsheathed blade when it comes to keeping the heroine safe.

#5: The moment in Shards of Hope where Zaira and Aden first show how totally badass they are together. The way they function as a unit, it’s a flawless, deadly dance. You can read that scene on my website: www.nalinisingh.com

So there you go, five of my favourite moments from the Psy-Changeling Series. What are yours?

Shards of Hope is out in trade paperback and eBook tomorrow. You can find out more about Nalini Singh by visiting her website or following her on Twitter and Facebook