Psilicious

The Society by Lilith Saintcrow It's tough as walnut shells being tall and well muscled, a rugged Charles Bronson kinda guy, only good-looking, too, a frigid burnt-out sorta handsome like Kurt Russell circa Soldier; yeah, it isn't easy living with killer instincts strung violin-wire tight, psi powers so potent even your best buds cringe when you look their way because you could squash their brains like overripe grapes as soon as share a beer with them. But enough about me. Justin Delgado is like that, too. Justin and me, we go way back. In kindergarten, we used to pit our mental powers against each other while the other pishers were racing Hot Wheels. Justin would make a June bug explode, then I'd send a few dozen bees screaming down on Mrs. Ehrenreich's purple hair. We were bad kids. High school happened. Justin had a thing for icy blondes, while I had a thing for any girl who had a thing for me. He claimed he didn't use his power to score the babes, but I know better. Back then, you had to be all sensitive to get a prom date, but sensitivity wasn't Justin's strong suit. You can't tell me Justin didn't do a little pushing. After high school, Justin seemed to disappear. I'd have never found out what happened to him if it hadn't been for Lilith Saintcrow's book, The Society. Justin got picked up by Sigma -- that's our benevolent government's psi black-ops unit. They hooked him on Zed and turned him into a killer. I told him he shoulda come with me to Vegas. The Society, they're the good guys. They 'extracted' Justin, kept him safe while he kicked his Zed jones. Eventually, he became their ichiban, their top dude, their Neo. If you got a psi-gifted novice at risk of a Sigma pickup, Justin's your man. And he would've gone on being their primo bitchenest operative if it hadn't been for Rowan Price. Rowan, she has it all. Psi powers right off the charts, makes all the little red bulbs go pop! She's a leggy blonde and she touches Justin in ways he desperately needs. The healing touch -- but, yeah, there's a bit o' the nasty there, too. Justin snapped her up right under Sigma's nose, but the extraction was messy. Now she's damaged goods, an emotional train wreck, a kid with way too many ghosts -- exactly like Justin. Can Justin be an effective Sigma-killing machine with nothing but Rowan on his mind? Cuz damn, he's hooked on her worse than Zed. Will Justin and Rowan heal each other? Will they commingle their psyches as well as their bodily fluids? Maybe, maybe not. Never mind true love's irresistible attraction; with Sigma hot on their trail and suspicious goings-on in the heart of the Society, it would be a miracle if they managed to stay alive. Am I playing coy? Sure I am. I know what happens to these two lovebirds. I read the book. And you should, too, if you want to know how Justin and Rowan make out. I ain't spoilin' it for you. D.