Lars walked over to the bar and poured a drink. “Just call it what it is, Alec. She's a fucking empath. She reads emotions and thoughts, and then shifts the energy currents around her to heal whoever needs it. If someone's angry, she lessens it. If someone's hurt, she softens it. Whatever they need, she gives it to them, even at risk to herself.” He lowered his head and stared down at his drink. “She's a walking miracle, and not one of us deserves the gift of her. Especially if we're going to risk putting her in danger tomorrow.”
Alec's eyes narrowed at Lars. “Nothing will happen to her. We'll both be there to make damned sure it doesn't. If she shows the slightest hint of discomfort, we'll cancel the expedition and return to the towers. I'm not willing to risk her either.”
Kayla frowned. “Okay, so wait. What's all the concern about her going to the surface?”
Alec turned back to Kayla. “First, you must understand… Ariana is unbonded. I suspect this is by her family's design. All potential suitors have been turned away and denied. Her family has kept her extremely isolated and her abilities kept quiet for many years. Only recently has she begun emerging more into society, usually with her brother as her protector or escort. That's why even Brant hasn't seen her manipulate energy until now.”
Lars took a drink and cocked his head. “And just how would you know about her love life, cousin? Were you one of those denied suitors?”
Alec stood, snatching his glass from the table, and headed back toward the bar. He was going to need something stronger if they kept up this line of conversation.
Kayla's eyes almost bugged out of her head, and she nearly fell off the couch. “No shit. Seriously? You tried to date Ari and she said no?”
Alec scowled, putting his glass on the bar with a clank. “It was before I found you, Kayla. My father was still the High Council leader and Ari was… is…”
He paused, trying to decide how to explain. Things had been different back then, and words simply weren't sufficient to describe Ariana. Gods, she was beguiling, with those pouty lips and gorgeous silvery eyes that always saw too damn much. Staying away from her had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done.
Alec sighed. “Well, needless to say, I've always found her desirable. She's a remarkable and extremely beautiful woman. I spoke with her father about the possibility of courting her, but he refused. I understand now that his reasons were to keep my father and other councilors from learning too much about her abilities. She never had to suffer from wearing the bracelet because my father didn't believe she had much talent. I suspect the bracelets would have interfered with her natural shielding and could have possibly damaged her mind. Her parents did the right thing to protect her.”
He frowned and poured more of the amber liquid into his glass. “I suspect there's also some concern about her talents if she becomes bonded. If she chooses to bond with a powerful fire or air channeler, one of her abilities may strengthen to serve as a stronger counterpoint to her mate's talents. I don't know how this would affect her healing abilities.” Alec turned back around and considered Kayla for a long moment. “I wonder if a child from such a union could have the potential to become a spirit channeler like you. Your father was a powerful dual-energy channeler.”
Kayla crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, that would suck for the kid. Trust me, it's no picnic. But besides that, I'm not seeing an issue with her and Sergei being together. You better not be objecting because you expect her to be some sort of broodmare. If so, I'll castrate you right here and now.”
Lars laughed. “As interesting as that would be to watch, I think Alec's just speculating. We don't know enough about spirit channelers to understand how it happens.” He arched his eyebrows at Alec and added, “But I find it fascinating you tried to court Ari and were refused. I guess I don't need to worry about you as competition if I decide to petition her father.”
Alec glared at Lars, debating whether to pummel his cousin for even making the suggestion. “Keep in mind, it wasn't Ari who refused me. It was also a long time ago, when political circumstances in the towers were different. My father is no longer a threat to her. And after her reaction to me this evening, it's obvious she has no knowledge of my request to court her. Her father must not have told her.”
Kayla arched an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Whoa. Are you saying you want to get it on with Ari? I thought you might be interested in her, but you never made a move after our bond broke.”
Alec opened his mouth and then clamped it shut.
Kayla laughed, seemingly delighted by the possibility. “Uh huh. That's a definite yes. So what are you waiting for? Convince her to hop into bed with you and have some fun.”
Lars rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, that's a tempting thought.”
At Alec's sharp look, Lars shrugged and added, “You can't blame me for thinking about it. Hell, I'm sure quite a few of us have. She's gorgeous.”
Alec narrowed his eyes at Lars. With lightning-fast speed, he shoved a blast of air energy in his direction. His cousin stumbled backward, splashing some of his drink on the front of his shirt.
“Dammit, Alec!” Lars scowled at him as he shook the spilled liquid from his hand. Lars's air energy kicked up, and he wove it around himself to dry out his shirt.
Alec ignored him. “Kayla, Ariana isn't the type of woman you have a quick fling with. She's beautiful, and I think most men would agree she's, as Lars says, 'fucking hot'. However, based on her level of power, talents, and family's social position, there's no room in that scenario for a casual encounter. There's only courtship. If that works out, it would proceed to marriage and entering into a permanent bond.”
Kayla wrinkled her nose. “You guys are so ass-backward sometimes. What you're describing is archaic. Besides, you've had plenty of 'distractions'. There was that Celeste person, and that bitch Brianna, who tried to knock me off the beam. Those are only the ones I know about. You guys do the casual sex thing all the time.”
Lars threw back his head and laughed. Alec scowled at him. “Go ahead and laugh, cousin. We can talk about your sexual exploits next.”
Lars's expression quickly sobered.
Alec smirked. “Those women, my dear Kayla, never had any potential of being anything more than casual. I told you we're drawn to people who can wield our same level of power or exceed it. None of them could come close to what I want.”
Lars sat on the couch and threw his arm over the back it. “Ari definitely could. You wouldn't think so at first glance because she's so unassuming and subtle. But she's something else. I don't think I'll ever forget the way she felt.” He frowned and looked toward the window again, his expression thoughtful. “I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps energy constantly in reserve because she's worried about needing to bail out Jason.”
Alec nodded. “I think you're right. I've been trying to pay more attention to the interactions between the two of them over the past few weeks. I'm starting to wonder if Jason may be a problem. Ari seems to spend an extraordinary amount of power keeping him in check. I don't remember him ever being this hot-headed before.”
Kayla frowned and looked back and forth between the two men. “What do you mean? Jason's gotten into arguments a few times with some of the guys in the crew, but nothing serious. I think I've gotten into worse fights.”
“It's probably nothing,” Alec admitted. “I just want to keep a closer eye on him. We used to be good friends, but I had to keep my distance because of my father. He's changed since then, but I suppose that's true of all of us.”
Brant leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I don't know much about Ariana, but I've had more than a few run-ins with Jason. He's a problem and has been for the past several months. It's been getting worse lately though. I'd say we get a few security complaints every week, and they're escalating in frequency and severity. Most of the complaints come from some of the gambling halls or nightclubs.”
Alec frowned. He hadn't been aware of Jason's proclivities.
Over the past month, Alec had been trying to reach out to Ariana more, but she'd been his primary focus, not Jason. In her messages, she was always polite and friendly, but his efforts to meet with her alone hadn't gone well. Jason had been annoyingly persistent in accompanying her to every briefing, making it a point to direct the conversations back to tower business. Beyond that, Alec hadn't paid much attention to him.
“I'd like you to send me a report with the list of complaints and the corresponding establishments. Do you know if Ariana is aware of this?”
Brant shook his head. “No idea. I've never had any reason to monitor her. She's very good at staying under the radar. We've had to notify Jason's father, Devan Alivette, several times, though, to retrieve his son from our holding areas.”
“Be careful, Alec,” Lars warned. “You're already playing a dangerous game by asking Ariana to go to the surface and circumventing her father. Devan Alivette isn't someone to cross lightly. He holds a lot of influence with the Council, and he's very good at playing their game. If he learns you're insinuating yourself in his private family matters, you may provoke him into taking action against you. He can be one ruthless son of a bitch.”
“I'm well aware of Devan's reputation,” Alec admitted. “But if Jason's activities affect Ariana in a negative way, I will intervene on her behalf. That's secondary though. First, we need to see how she does tomorrow on the surface being surrounded by so many non-Drac'Kin.”
Kayla cocked her head. “What are you talking about? She lives in the towers. You guys have thousands of normal people living here.”
“Yes,” Alec agreed, “but there's a reason we have two separate towers, Kayla. OmniLab was created to preserve our race and bring it back to its former glory. Already, we've seen huge shifts in the nature of our abilities. Every generation, new and greater talents emerge. We believe it's from so many Drac'Kin living in close proximity to each other within this tower. As a result, though, some of our kind have developed certain sensitivities. We can be easily affected by those 'normal' people, as you call them. That's one of the reasons Ariana never visits the public tower and only rarely travels to the public sectors.”
“From what I've seen, Ariana's been fine around Sergei and other people.”
Alec nodded, still troubled by Sergei's interest. “Yes, for short periods of time. There are some rare individuals who don't affect her at all, but that's not typical. Most humans have some sensitivities to energy threads. They can't use them like we can, but they react with them. Ariana naturally emits a type of healing aura. It's one of the reasons people are drawn to her and are protective of her. It's not something she ever completely shuts off. I don't believe she can. Unfortunately, if she's around humans, she'll expend energy trying to heal them without success. She'll push past the point of exhaustion and drain herself. That's when she's most vulnerable, and it could possibly damage her mind.”
Kayla blinked. “So she's like a circuit board with a built-in battery and no off switch. She'll burn out? There isn't any way to shut it off?”
Alec shook his head. “Not that we know of. That's why the bracelets were so dangerous to her and why Brant and the rest of the Shadows haven't had any interactions with her. Her family wasn't willing to risk putting her in a situation where her energy could be cut off.”
“Wow,” Kayla murmured. “So she could die just from being around humans for too long?”
Alec nodded. “I'm afraid it's a possibility. If she uses her ability around another Drac'Kin, she's better able to control the flow because there's a conscious merging of energy threads. We can also offer our power to supplement her own. It's a temporary measure to restore her to stasis until she can naturally repair her shields. I believe she attempted too much tonight. Healing of any sort is always difficult, and she wasn't prepared. That was my fault. Lars offered her a small amount of energy, and so did I. Without a bond, though, we can't do more than that. She'd be much more protected if she had a bonded mate.”
Lars leaned forward. “Now do you see why it's dangerous to push Sergei and Ariana together? He's damaged, Kayla. I have nothing but respect for the man. He saved my life, and I owe him a great deal, but Ari would want to heal him. She might kill herself trying, without even realizing she was doing it. It's too dangerous to pair them together.”
“Well, crap,” Kayla muttered. “Apparently, I suck at this whole matchmaking thing. But I gotta tell you, energy aside… there's some serious chemistry going on between the two of them. Sergei looks at her like he's starving and she's the last meal around. I'll stay out of it, but I really haven't done much to push them together. Sergei's the one who's been in hot pursuit. I just gave him the opportunity he wanted. I mean, you saw him just now. I don't think he's going to be discouraged that easily.”
Alec and Lars exchanged a look, neither of them willing to give voice to their fears. If Sergei was that drawn to her, it was possible Ariana's abilities were already affecting him. Her tiredness tonight might be an indication she'd been using her energy to try to heal Sergei without realizing it.
Lars stood. “If you'll excuse me, I think I need to have a word with Sergei. If Kayla's right and he's that focused on her, we may have a serious problem.”
Alec nodded and watched him go, part of him hoping they were right but also dreading they were wrong. If Sergei's attraction to Ariana was something far more elemental than energy, that could be a problem too. Alec had let Ariana go the first time because it was the best way he could protect her. If he had to jeopardize his alliance with the Coalition to keep her this time, so be it. He wouldn't lose her again.
Chapter Four
Sergei slipped into the empty corridor and pulled out the security keycard he'd cloned weeks before. The Omnis were secretive by nature, and he'd found that doing his own investigations typically revealed more than they were willing to share. Swiping it over the locking mechanism, he slipped inside when the door slid open.
From his visit the previous day, he'd determined there was a back entrance to the Alivette quarters through the pool area. Judging by Jason's attitude earlier, he doubted a front door reception would be welcome. He didn't trust the man, especially not with Ariana's welfare. Over the years, Sergei had learned quite a bit about the Omnis’ ability to channel energy. However, they still managed to hide a great deal. Ariana was obviously suffering from complications related to the energy channeling, and he was determined to discover the cause.
A loud crash halted his movement. It sounded like something metal had fallen. Sergei ducked into one of the small dressing areas and listened.
“Dammit, Ari, going to the surface is a mistake,” Jason argued, his voice accompanied by a small scraping noise as though he was restacking whatever had fallen. “Look at you! You're a mess right now and that was just from healing Lars. How are you going to handle being surrounded by dozens of people who've suffered a lifetime of misery? You won't be able to help them, but you're going to keep throwing energy around and trying.”
“I have to go, Jason. I can't keep living in this bubble. I've spent the past several months trying to expose myself to others. I need to learn how to keep my balance, and I can't do that by avoiding everyone and everything. I'm not foolish enough to believe this isn't risky, but it's still something I need to do. If we can help utilize the river as a water and power source, we have to do it. We were given these gifts for a reason.”
“Look, I get it. Testing your limits is great in theory, but the risks are too high. If you want to go to the other tower and try a controlled test, we can do that. Or even better, we could stand on one of the bridgeways while people walk by and see how that goes. But traveling to the surface completely outside the safety zone is too much. It's too dangerous, Ari. What are you going to tell Father?”
There was a long pause before Ariana replied, “I don’t plan to tell him anything. I know he has my best interests at heart, but this is my decision. I'll discuss it with him afterward, but I've already made up my mind
.”
“You're putting me in a difficult position,” Jason said with a long, drawn-out sigh. “I'm not sure our bond is enough anymore. I'm trying, but your abilities are evolving and growing stronger. Father and I believe a bonded mate may be the only way to protect you.”
“What?” came Ariana's shocked reply. Sergei leaned forward and saw the two siblings around the corner. They were standing face to face just outside the door to their family's quarters.
“Kendra's cousin is going to petition Father for permission to court you.”
Ariana shook her head. “Hayden? What are you thinking, Jason? I know he's your friend, but I hardly know him. Even if Father were to give his consent, I wouldn't agree to it.”
“Would you rather it be Alec?” Jason took a step toward her. “He petitioned Father a couple years ago, and it doesn't appear his interest has waned. I don't know if I trust him with you, but he's more than strong enough to hold your bond.”
Ariana froze, and her entire body tensed. “What are you talking about?”
Jason shrugged. “Father wouldn't allow him to court you back then, but he might consider it now, especially if he knew all the risky stunts you've been pulling lately. Hayden would be a better choice though.”
Ariana looked away, and Sergei could make out the delicate features of her profile. She frowned and shook her head. “No, Jason. When I decide to give my heart to someone, it will be because it's right. I won't just accept someone on the off-chance a bond between us will protect me.”
Jason's eyes narrowed. “Fine, but I think you need to get it out of your head that Sergei is a viable option. He's not. He's dangerous to you on more levels than you can possibly imagine. I've seen the way you look at him, and it needs to stop. You need to stay away from him.”
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