PROLOGUE General Cyrus Tallant sat in his office with only his desk lamp for light, his gaze trained tearfully on the picture he held in his hands. His daughter. His little Schemer. His lips turned up in a sad smile as he thought of the name. It had been his idea, of course, to name her Scheme. He’d been unable to help himself. The moment he held her tiny body in his arms, he had known she would be a little manipulator. And he had been proud. Proud of the chocolate brown eyes, the thick sable hair, the way she stared up at him as though wondering, even then, how she could maneuver this male to her benefit. A watery chuckle whispered through the room. She had been quick and calculating, just as he was, just as her mother was. Unfortunately, perhaps she was too much like her mother. Sweet Dorothy. She had conspired against him. She had helped those nasty Breeds escape. The ones who tormented him now. Callan Lyons and the small pride he led. She had aided their escape and the destruction of the New Mexico labs when Scheme was barely ten. He should have known then that his child had been corrupted by Dorothy’s sudden attack of scruples. Dorothy had spent much time with Scheme. She had bonded with her as only a