Last Guard (Psy/Changeling Trinity #5) by Nalini Singh follows Payal and Canto, two Psy with a heavy burden to bear.

The PsyNet is failing, and without the biofeedback it provides the entire Psy race will die. Psy Designation A, the Anchors, have been quietly working in the background of the PsyNet for centuries, until Canto Mercant, a Hub-Anchor, realizes they have to come together and gain a seat in the Ruling Coalition if there is any chance of saving the PsyNet. When he reaches out to Payal Rao, he has no idea she's also his friend/savior from childhood - a brave, smart girl who stood up for him, and who he has been searching for ever since.

Payal can't show her true face to anyone. There's a manic, angry girl inside her she barely keeps leashed, and in her family, showing weakness is a death sentence. She's shocked when she comes to face-to-face with Canto and realizes he's the boy she never forgot..and apparently he never forgot her either.

As they're forced to work together, they both realize the connection they had as children is growing into something new and solid as adults. But Payal can't let her guard down, or she risks losing all control....

This is one of the better books in the Trinity series. I enjoyed Payal and Canto, their friendship from childhood and the way they reconnected as adults. I also enjoyed learning more about the Anchors, and seeing them work through the problems association with the decline of the PsyNet. Canto is paralyzed from waist down and Payal is neurodivergent. I loved the strong message about being different, not deficient.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Psy-Changeling Trinity