Ariana stared at the young woman, wondering how she had guessed. Their kind couldn't read energy, could they?
Sofia straightened, feigning indignation. “You're calling me a liar?”
Valentina's mouth curved upward. “Yes, I absolutely am.”
The room became thick with tension. Sofia glanced again at Pavel and gave him a brief nod. He drew a small weapon, the blade glinting in the light, and flung it in Valentina's direction. Ariana had the briefest realization the knife had hit her, but the young woman was already in motion.
Valentina dove to the side, drawing her electrolaser gun and firing at Pavel. He crumpled to the floor in a heap. Sofia leapt toward Valentina and the two women collided, falling to the floor, wrestling for control over the weapon. They rolled, crashing into the pots. Valentina slid the gun in Ariana's direction and she grabbed it.
Ariana lifted the unfamiliar weapon, trying to aim at Sofia. They were still grappling, and she couldn't risk hitting the wrong person. Valentina managed to get on top of Sofia, and Sofia wrapped her hands around her throat. Valentina slammed the other woman's head against the ground. Sofia's hands fell away, and she reached down for the knife sticking out of Valentina's abdomen. Twisting it sharply, she shoved Valentina off her.
Ariana fired the moment she had a clear shot. Sofia fell backward, hitting the ground with a thud. Valentina clutched the hilt of the knife and blinked up at Ariana. She managed a grimaced smile and said, “Well done. You are tougher than Sergei said you were.”
Ariana swallowed, lowering the weapon with shaking hands. “Sergei sent you?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, squeezing her eyes shut. “Your towers have been looking for you. They'll be here soon.”
“Thank you,” Ariana whispered, worried about the woman's pallor. She was in a great deal of pain. The knife had embedded in her abdomen, and Ariana had seen enough injuries to know this one was potentially fatal. She pushed herself along the floor toward the young woman and placed the electrolaser gun beside her. “I'd like to try to heal you. Will you allow it?”
Valentina opened her eyes. “You can heal too?”
Ariana nodded. “It's more difficult to heal your kind, but I'd like to try.”
“Sure,” she managed, reaching for the weapon as though not willing to be parted from it. “Why the hell not? It's not like I have many options at the moment.”
Ariana smiled at the woman's abrasiveness. She reminded her a great deal of Kayla. Ariana spread her hands over the woman's abdomen, trying to get a sense of the severity of her injury. As she suspected, the knife had nicked Valentina's abdominal aorta. She wasn't willing to risk withdrawing the knife right away. This was going to be tricky.
With one hand hovering over Valentina's midsection, she grasped the handle of the blade with the other. She pulled the knife out a fraction, swathing Valentina in a healing wave of energy. Valentina's eyes were squeezed shut, her breathing growing labored. Ariana swallowed and took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in her ribs.
She pulled the knife out a bit more, sending more healing energy into Valentina's abdomen. The blood loss was slowing, but Ariana couldn't risk stopping to check on Valentina's condition. The young woman had already lost too much blood. She had to keep going or it would be too late. Valentina wouldn't survive.
Bit by bit, Ariana worked the knife out of Valentina. She dropped it on the ground and spread both hands over Valentina once again. Her breathing was beginning to normalize, but she was still too pale. Ariana couldn't do much to replenish blood loss, but her chances of survival were much better now.
A wave of dizziness crashed over Ariana, and her vision swam. She'd done too much. Whatever energy Alec had provided was long gone. The emotions in the camp pounded against her psyche as she slumped forward, hoping help would arrive soon. For all her abilities to heal others, she couldn't heal herself.
Alec pulled off his helmet the moment they entered the compound. Jason had wanted to accompany them, but Alec had refused. Jason was unpredictable when Ariana was threatened, and the situation was already too volatile.
“She's here,” Alec murmured, detecting the subtle trace of Ariana's energy.
“Which way?” Sergei demanded.
Alec took a deep breath, trying to pinpoint Ariana's location. Her energy was faint and growing weaker by the second.
“That way,” he pointed and ran, unmindful that he was racing through a Coalition camp. His only thought was of Ariana and his desperation to reach her before that light faded completely.
He pushed open a door to reveal a disturbing scene. Four people were lying unconscious on the floor amid broken crockery and dirt, but he only had eyes for Ariana.
“Ari,” he whispered, rushing to her side and pulling her into his arms. She didn't respond. There were bruises on her face and neck, as well as lacerations around her wrists where she'd been bound. Sergei shouted something in his language and rushed over to the young woman on the ground, dropping to his knees beside her.
“The medics are coming in now,” Brant said in a low voice. “Lars just went out to meet them.”
Alec nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from Ariana. She was breathing, but that's all he knew. “Water,” he croaked. “She needs water.”
Brant reached over to grab several nearby hydrating packs and ripped them open before handing them over. Alec began pouring the water on Ariana's arms and face and anywhere he saw exposed skin. It wouldn't help if she wasn't able to use the water energy, but it might help revive her enough if she sensed the comforting presence of her element.
“Is she all right?” the young woman beside Ariana asked, wincing as Sergei helped her sit up.
Alec scowled, glancing over at her. If this was one of the people responsible for hurting Ariana…
Sergei held up his hand. “This is Valentina. She is one of mine.”
The woman's eyes flashed in anger. “I am not one of yours.”
Sergei grinned. “Ah, I see you are feeling better, Valechka.”
“Bastard,” she muttered, rubbing her stomach as though it pained her. She glanced down at Ariana, her gaze worried. “She saved me. Pavel got in a lucky shot, and Sofia took advantage.”
“You should not have been here,” Sergei chided.
“Nikolai was busy,” she snapped. “Give us a bit more notice next time your second falls into bed with a suka.”
Sergei scowled. “How badly are you hurt?”
“I will live.” She gestured to the water. “What are you doing to her?”
“Water helps her,” Sergei said by way of explanation and removed Ariana's bindings. He stood to check on the other two unconscious people in the room, fastening the bindings around their wrists.
“Her energy is still fading.” Alec frowned, panic growing with every heartbeat. He reached outward through their connection, but she was still and silent. He could sense her, but she wasn't responding.
“Brant, I need you to stand guard. She's slipping farther away from me. If I wait any longer, I'll lose her.”
Brant nodded, drawing his weapon.
Sergei paused. “What is wrong?”
Alec shook his head. There was no time to explain. The sense of urgency within him was growing. Alec cupped Ariana's face, tracing her features with his hand. He closed his eyes, reaching out to her through their connection.
“Ari? Can you hear me, love?” he asked, floundering in the darkness.
There was no response.
He tried calling out to her again, but everything remained dark and silent. The strange darkness was disturbingly familiar, but he'd never invaded her mind before. As a general rule, he avoided it, except for that time when Kayla had been unconscious…
That was it! Their energy must be more similar than anyone had realized. He thought back to the research files on empaths. Most of them had entered a comalike state where they remained until they died. It wasn't a true coma, though; it couldn't be. Just like Kayla, Ariana must have found a way to prote
ct herself from outside attacks. Her energy levels must have depleted themselves to a point that her mind imprisoned itself as a last resort to shield her from further harm.
He sent out a small stream of strengthening energy, trying to coax her back to awareness. “Ari, please, love. Come back to me.”
She didn't respond.
He increased his energy, flooding her with his power. “Ari, come back to me now.”
She began to stir, her mental voice sleepy as she said, “It hurts, Alec.”
His relief at hearing her voice was almost overwhelming. She wasn't gone. He caressed her cheek, trailing his fingers against the softness of her skin. “I know, love. Please come back to me. We'll fix this.”
Alec felt her mental sigh, and she started to slip farther away. He grabbed hold of her tightly, increasing his energy to the full capacity of their connection. “Ari, no. You must come back now.”
He could sense her confusion, but she was struggling to resurface from the prison she'd created. It was too much for her. She was so tired. Releasing him again, she slipped back into those dark depths. “No! Ari, bond with me right now. Please, love, I can't lose you.”
Why hadn't he formed a complete connection with her? Damn his foolish sense of nobility. He reached outward and completely encircled her with his energy threads, silently begging her to hold on to them.
Her usual grace was gone, replaced by an exhausted fumbling. He kept up his steady stream of energy, trying to direct her as best as possible to gather his remaining threads. With every additional connection, he amplified his energy. “That's it, love. Just a little more.”
“I'm so tired, Alec.”
“I know, beautiful. You can rest soon, I promise. Once we have a complete connection, I can bond with you and share my energy with you.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. “I love you, Ari. Please try for me.”
Her mouth curved in a small smile, and hope welled within him. She was even closer now.
“I love you too, Alec,” was her whispered reply as he felt the last of her energy threads connect with his.
Ariana was still floating, somewhere dark and safe, but Alec's pull was irresistible. Through their connection, she could feel everything. He was terrified of losing her, furious with the people who had hurt her, and above all, irrevocably in love with her. All façades fell away, and their emotions and thoughts were laid completely bare to the other.
This was the gift of their kind, this potential for complete love and acceptance through holding a bond.
“Will you, Ari? Will you bond with me and allow me to claim you forever?”
His words brought to life her greatest hope and most precious dream, and now it was within her grasp. When she'd first met him, he'd charmed her with his wit and humor. But it was in the days afterward—during secret meetings at the library and laughing over whatever latest antics their friends had gotten into—that she'd fallen in love with him. Try as she might, she'd never been able to stop loving him, and now he was offering to be hers forever.
Her heart overflowed with joy. “Yes, from now until the last of the energy in this world is a memory, I'll be yours.”
He opened his heart even wider, enveloping her with the full force of his energy. It was beautiful and exquisite, more alluring than she'd ever imagined. This was Alec, all of him, the very essence of his being. She reached outward, the darkness falling away, and embraced him with her energy, caressing him and chasing away his darkness.
“Ari,” he murmured as their bond blossomed between them like a new plant emerging from the soil.
She blinked open her eyes, staring into his with a sense of wonder. There were thousands more colors in the world now, with each strand of energy containing the promise of all the possibilities of the future. She lifted her hand to touch his face, his rough whiskers tickling her fingers as she traced his jawline. He was hurt. Had someone hit him? It was a minor injury, but she'd never allow him to have a moment of pain ever again.
Weaving a band of healing energy around him, she eased away the slight hurt. Alec turned his head, kissing her fingertips. She smiled up at him, wanting to feel his lips on hers. His eyes darkened with desire as his gaze lowered to her mouth. He dipped his head, his kiss gentle with an undercurrent of barely restrained passion. Ariana threaded her fingers through his hair, getting lost in his touch and his kiss. Memories of the night before flooded back to her, and she begged him silently to claim her once again.
He pulled her tighter against him, and she cried out as pain shot through her ribs. Alec froze, his horror evident as his eyes scanned over her. He lifted his head to address someone standing nearby and snapped, “Check her ribs. I think they're broken.”
Ariana recognized the medic as a man named Paul. She'd worked with him on occasion in the medical ward. He had an adorable little girl who occasionally visited him at work.
She managed a strained smile. “I don't know if they're broken, but at least two of them are cracked.”
Paul's expression was worried, but he nodded and glanced at Alec. “With your permission?”
Alec nodded at him to go ahead but didn't release her. Paul lifted her shirt to reveal dark, mottled bruises. He pulled out a small handheld scanner and began running it over her midsection. Ariana winced, wondering how bad the rest of her looked. She could feel the swelling in her neck and cheek, but it paled in comparison to the pain in her ribs.
“You're beautiful, Ari.”
She flushed. It was going to take a while before she was accustomed to having Alec read her thoughts.
He smiled and lifted her hand to press a kiss against it. “I've spent so long without you that every intimacy is another gift.”
“You make it difficult to object,” she admitted. “It's an adjustment, but I like having you only a thought away.”
“I promise, Ari, I'll always be here for you. I'm never leaving you again.”
The medic tucked away his device. “You're correct. Two of yours ribs are cracked. There's significant bruising too. We can stabilize you for now and put you into the bone molds as soon as we get you back to the towers.”
“Do it,” Alec ordered.
Paul nodded and reached into his bag to pull out the supports. He gently began winding the bracing around her midsection. When he finished, he turned to Valentina. “You should also return with us to the towers for observation. Mistress Alivette is a skilled healer, but that was an extremely dangerous injury. We need to check to make sure there are no other internal issues.”
Ariana glanced at Valentina, who was scowling at Paul. Sergei spoke up and said, “She'll go.”
Valentina glared at Sergei. “I do not report to you.”
Sergei reached into his pocket and pulled out his commlink. He pressed a button and spoke into it in a steady stream of Russian. He paused for a long moment, listening to someone, and then held out the commlink to her. “Nikolai wishes to speak with you.”
She snatched the commlink out of his hand and listened for a long time. The voice grew louder, and she pulled it away from her ear. When he finished, she answered with one word and thrust it back in Sergei's direction with a scowl. “Bastard.”
Sergei chuckled, slipping the commlink back into his pocket. Ariana sat up and Alec stood, helping her to her feet. The air in the room shifted slightly, and Pavel made a soft groaning noise. He was waking up.
Alec turned toward him, the surrounding air energizing with his fury. He flicked his wrist and slammed Pavel into the wall, a deadly wind whipping through the room. A strange vortex surrounded Pavel, stealing the air around him so he couldn't breathe. He choked, twisting against his restraints, fully awake now and unable to breathe.
Ariana shook her head and gripped Alec's arm. “Alec, please. Don't do this.”
“He hurt you,” Alec said, his voice almost unrecognizable in its fury.
She lifted her hand, cupping his cheek and turning his head back in her direction. Embracing him w
ith her soothing energy, she said, “Yes, but you saved me in more ways than one. The emotions aren't hurting me anymore.”
Alec abruptly withdrew his air energy and Pavel crashed to the ground. Alec ignored him and drew her into his arms, searching her expression. “You're not shielding, are you?”
She shook her head and smiled up at him. “No. I didn't realize it until Pavel woke up. You sensed him wake up through our bond too. The emotions in the camp aren't hurting me anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Alec asked, hope and worry intermingled in his eyes.
Ariana nodded. “I feel… whole. Maybe you were right and this was all part of Fate's grand design. You're holding the one element I've always needed. Between the two of us, we carry all four elements and have the ability to draw upon them through our bond.” She paused, reaching up to touch his face. “You saved me from myself, Alec. We're the perfect counterbalance to each other.”
He pulled her against him, burying his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply. “Thank the gods. You really are safe then, from all of it. I was so worried I might lose you. I love you, Ariana.”
“I love you too, Alec.” She rested her head against his chest and inhaled the alluring scent of earth and incense that always surrounded him.
He held her tightly and ran his hand along her back. “Now that we don't need the serum, this means I can torch Hayden's lab.”
Ariana pulled back, staring up at him in shock.
Alec shrugged. “What? I wasn't proposing doing it with him inside.” He paused as though considering it, and Ariana smacked him lightly when she sensed his silent laughter. He captured her hand, studying the marks on her wrist with a frown.
Brant approached them. “Do you want us to transport the prisoners back to the towers?”
Alec's frown deepened, and he eyed Pavel and Sofia with barely restrained fury. They were both awake now, watching the occupants of the rooms with wary expressions.
“Alec,” Ariana said in a soft tone, placing her hand over his heart. “Vengeance can wound the soul. I'll always be a healer, but there are some things which aren't healed easily. If you hurt, I'll hurt along with you.”
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