“I'm sorry, but I can't let this stand.” Alec wrapped his hand around her wrist. “I love your sensitive heart, but I cannot and will not ignore what they've done. A message needs to be sent that their actions will not be tolerated.”
She hung her head, knowing he was right but hating that he would carry this burden.
“Leave them with me,” Sergei demanded. “They are my people and must be held accountable in accordance with our laws.”
Alec and Sergei exchanged a look. Ariana glanced back and forth between them, but more was being communicated beneath the surface. They were suppressing their emotions, preventing her from reading them. She frowned but decided it was better she didn't know.
Alec inclined his head. “Very well. I'd appreciate your assistance with this matter. We'll see you back at the towers when your business is concluded.”
Valentina rubbed her stomach where Pavel's knife had entered. “I will stay long enough to help you deal with Sofia and Pavel.”
Sergei frowned at her. “Get on the aircraft or I will put you on it.”
“Do not threaten me, Sergei,” she snarled, putting her hands on her hips.
“Then stop acting like a child.”
She jabbed her finger against his chest and spoke rapidly in Russian. He grabbed her finger, shouting back at her. Ariana's eyes widened, watching the uncharacteristic display. She'd never seen Sergei lose his temper before. He'd always been so calm whenever he'd been around her.
Brant cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Valentina? My name is Brant Mason, and I'm a security officer within the towers. I'd be honored if you allowed me to escort you out to our aircraft.”
They paused in their fighting, and Valentina turned to stare at Brant. She blinked at him as though seeing him for the first time, assessing him with a critical eye. An amused smile crossed her lips. “I think I might enjoy a trip to the towers after all.”
With a cheeky wave to Sergei, she headed out of the room with Brant. Sergei frowned after her and hesitated as though undecided about something. Finally, he shook his head and sighed. Turning back to Ariana, he studied her for a long moment and his gaze softened. “How are you feeling, solnyshka?”
She gave him a shy smile. “I'm okay. Thank you for sending Valentina to help me. I'm not sure what would have happened if she hadn't shown up.”
Sergei took Ariana's hand. “Thank you for healing her. She is stubborn and difficult but beloved by many.”
“You didn't look happy with her a minute ago,” Ariana admitted.
Sergei shrugged. “She takes many risks she should not. It is sometimes difficult to get her to see reason.”
“Who's Nikolai?”
Sergei frowned. “Nikolai is one of our leaders. Valentina is his… She is very important to him.”
“Oh,” Ariana murmured, glancing at the door. “She seemed taken with Brant.”
Sergei's expression darkened, but he didn't reply.
Alec put his arm back around her. “We should go. The sooner we get you back to the towers, the sooner we can reassure your family you're safe.”
She nodded and stepped forward, standing on her toes to kiss Sergei's cheek. “Thank you, Sergei. For everything.”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss against it. “You are bonded with Alec now, correct?”
She nodded shyly. They didn't normally announce such things right away, but it had happened rather publicly. Nothing seemed to be going in accordance with tradition as far as they were concerned, but she didn't really mind. Alec was hers, and she was his. That was all that truly mattered.
“Good,” he murmured. “He cares deeply for you.”
Alec tightened his arm around her waist. Looking up at the man she loved, she nodded. “Yes, he does.”
“If he ever hurts you,” Sergei warned, his eyes glinting with unmistakable meaning, “you will come to me. We will figure out how to break this bond.”
Alec's jaw clenched, but Ariana sent a soothing wave of energy to ease both men. “I don't think you have anything to worry about. Alec would never hurt me.”
“No,” Sergei relented with a small grin. “If I believed he would, I would not allow you to leave with him.”
Ariana smiled and leaned against Alec, a sense of rightness filling her as his energy surrounded her. There was no question in her mind she'd managed to find the one person who had always been destined as her bondmate. This had been part of Fate's plan the entire time, and she'd never doubt again.
“I feel it too, Ari,” Alec whispered and pressed a kiss against her lips, his eyes overflowing with love and adoration. “Will you let me take you home?”
She nodded and slipped her hand in his, letting him lead her out of the Coalition camp and back to the towers where they belonged.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re what?” Devan demanded as the surrounding air plummeted several degrees.
“We're bonded,” Alec repeated firmly, wrapping his arm around Ariana's waist and pulling her closer. “Ariana's my mate. I know this isn't in accordance with our usual courtship traditions, but circumstances—”
Devan took a step forward, his eyes cold and unyielding. “Do you think you can just steal away my daughter without consequences? You manipulated Seara's daughter into forming a bond with you and now you've had the audacity to so the same with Ariana? This won't stand, Alec. I'll see your dead and broken body at my feet before I allow this.”
Alec opened his mouth to argue, but Ariana stepped in front of him to face her father. She wasn't about to let Alec keep taking the brunt of his anger. Not now. Not ever again. Alec was hers just as much as she was his. She'd protect him, even against her own flesh and blood.
Lifting her chin, she announced, “I'm not shielding anymore, Father.”
Devan froze. His eyes focused on her, but his gaze became suspicious. “If this is some sort of attempt to prevent me from seeking vengeance on Alec for doing this…”
Ariana shook her head. The whirlwind of emotions surrounding her father was quickly dampening her indignation. Now that she wasn't shielding, she could sense her father's deeper emotions and the ones he kept hidden from most of the world. He truly did love her. Maybe Devan's actions were misguided and he put too much emphasis on retaining the purity of their bloodlines, but she understood his intentions. He simply wanted to protect their family lineage, especially his children. The stronger they were, the better able they would be in protecting themselves.
Gentling her tone, she said, “No, there's no trick. No deception. I haven't felt the need to shield myself since we bonded.”
Ariana looked up at Alec, telling him without words how much she cared for him before turning back to her father. “Alec holds the one element I've never possessed. For the first time in my life, I've reached a perfect balance. Alec is everything I've always wanted and more than I ever dreamed was possible. He completes me, and I do the same for him.”
Alec moved forward, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her against his side once more. “I love your daughter, Devan. I intended to wait out of respect for her, but I wasn't willing to risk losing her. You asked me before what I was willing to do for her. The answer is anything and everything. I may not deserve her, but I'll gladly spend the rest of my life trying to earn the right to stand by her side.”
Devan frowned.
Ariana walked over to her father and took his hands in hers. Pressing a kiss against his cheek, she said, “Without Alec, I wouldn't have survived what happened at the Coalition camp or the evolution of my abilities. My heart's been telling me all along that I'm meant to be with him. Our bond was formed out of love, and his love saved me and brought me back to you. I want you to be happy for us, Papa.”
“You haven't called me that since you were a little girl,” Devan said, his voice choking with emotion. He stared at her for several heartbeats, and she felt his emotional barriers beginning to crumble.
She bit her lip, looking up at her fathe
r. “Tell me you'll accept him—and us. Alec's a good man. You know that. He kept my secret all these years and protected me, just like you've done. You'll always be my family, but Alec's part of that too. I don't want this to cause a divide between us.”
Finally, he nodded and lifted his head to look at Alec. “It seems I owe you an apology, Alec. Ariana's right. I knew you suspected the scope of her abilities. You could have used her secret for your own ambitions, but you never did. Even when I refused your request to court Ariana years ago, you gracefully stepped aside to protect her. I'm sorry for trying to stand in your way now.”
Devan swallowed and looked down at Ariana again, squeezing her hands gently. “Thank you for saving my daughter and bringing her back to me. She means more to me than I can ever say.”
Ariana beamed a smile at her father and hugged him tightly. Devan ran a hand over her hair and murmured, “I'm glad he makes you happy, Ari.”
She released him and nodded, brushing away a tear that had escaped. Alec put his arm back around her waist and she leaned against him.
“Thank you, Devan,” Alec said quietly.
Devan nodded. “Just… take care of her.”
“I will,” Alec promised, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked down at her.
Ariana smiled at Alec, part of her still in disbelief that he really belonged to her. More than anything, she wanted to show him exactly how she felt, but there was something they needed to do first. Turning back to her father, she said, “I'm sorry, Papa, but there's someone we need to go see.”
“Of course,” he agreed and then hesitated. “Perhaps— After things have a chance to settle down, I'd like to extend the invitation for both of you to have dinner with your mother and me. A family dinner, if you will.”
Ariana's heart soared. “Yes, I'd like that a great deal.”
“Good,” he agreed, his expression softening a fraction in the barest trace of a smile. “I'll wait to hear from you.”
Ariana watched her father walk away before taking Alec's hand and walking with him down the corridor. Alec squeezed her hand as they approached the breezeway.
“I wish you'd reconsider,” he said with a sigh. “I understood the need to tell your father, and it went far better than I hoped, but you don't owe Hayden an explanation.”
She shook her head. “I need to, Alec. It's the right thing to do.”
Alec frowned, glancing down the breezeway toward the figure waiting at the other end. “I don't like it. I don't trust him around you.”
Ariana lifted her hand, pressing it against Alec's cheek, and sent out a soothing band of energy to surround him. His frown deepened, creating an adorable 'v' between his eyebrows.
“I know what you're doing, Ari. It's not going to work. Our bond is still too new, and he still hasn't relinquished his courtship rights. You were taken from me just yesterday. I'm not ready to let you out of my sight.”
“Alec,” she began, taking a small step closer to him and closing the distance between them. “I'm bonded to you. You're the only one I want, the only one I've ever wanted. Hayden's family is powerful, and it's not wise to offend them.”
Alec sighed. “Will you let me listen through our bond?”
She shook her head. “No, you need to trust me.”
“You're not the problem, love,” he murmured, taking her hands in his and teasing her with a light trace of energy. “I don't doubt your feelings or intentions. But now that I can sense other people's emotions through you, I'm even less fond of Hayden. He's a little too covetous when it comes to you.”
She laughed, standing on her toes to press a kiss against his lips. “Give me ten minutes. I won't be long.”
“Very well,” he agreed, his reluctance coursing through their connection.
Ariana turned away and headed down the breezeway, missing Alec's closeness almost immediately. It was the newness of the bond, in part. She wanted to spend every minute with him, deepening their connection and exploring all the nuances. He felt the same, and it thrilled her on an elemental level. Their bond would eventually settle down, but until then, she had every intention of exploring all these new and exciting feelings.
He hadn't been happy when she insisted on seeing Hayden so soon after their return from the Coalition camp, but it was necessary. Prolonging the inevitable would only cause more problems.
Hayden was standing at the end of the breezeway with his hands clasped behind his back. His dark hair ruffled slightly, and his amber eyes warmed at the sight of her. She bit her lip. Alec was right. Hayden's feelings weren't platonic in the slightest.
“Ari,” he murmured, taking her offered hands. He sent a light trace of fire energy over her, and she felt Alec's irritation from the other end of the breezeway.
“Hayden, thank you for coming,” she began and withdrew her hands.
He glanced down the breezeway in Alec's direction and frowned. “I wasn't expecting you to bring company.”
She lowered her head, trying to figure out the best way to tell him. Unfortunately, there was no delicate way to say it. “Alec and I are bonded.”
Hayden froze, his eyes narrowing. “When?”
“Yesterday. He saved my life,” she explained. “For the first time since I can remember, I'm able to breathe without having everyone's emotions threatening to drown me. I can feel my emotions and recognize them as my own, independent of everyone else. His strength is my salvation. I owe him everything.”
Hayden stiffened. “Ari, if the reason you bonded with him was because of your empath abilities, you know I've been working on a serum for Jason. We're closer than ever to making it work. We can figure out how to dissolve this bond. You don't need to tie yourself to him.”
“No,” she insisted, wanting to make him understand. “I love him, Hayden. I've loved him for a long time.” She lowered her gaze and added, “I can't tell you how much it means to me that you were willing to develop that serum. I had no idea you cared for me to such an extent.”
She really had crippled herself by suppressing her empathic abilities. If she had known how Hayden felt in the beginning, maybe she could have spared him this hurt by making her position clear. Although she knew she'd needed to protect herself against the surrounding emotions, it saddened her to know how long she hadn't been living up to her full potential. There were so many people she could have helped over the years.
He sighed and took her hand in his once again. “That's my fault, I suppose. I thought you were shy. I had no idea your abilities kept you away from everyone, or I would have made my intentions known sooner.”
She lifted her head. “I don't want to lose your friendship, Hayden. You gave me my first dance, and I'll always treasure that memory.”
He chuckled. “I took you there to make Alec jealous. I wanted to protect you by keeping you away from the crowd, but I was worried about him as competition. I thought it would make him lose his temper and he'd lose his chance with you.”
Her eyes widened. “Hayden! Shame on you.”
He shrugged and grinned. “What can I say? All's fair in love and war, right? Besides, Alec won the war. He has the best reward possible.”
She bit her lip. In her mind, Alec was her reward, not the other way around. “You're not angry the month was cut short?”
Hayden paused, searching her expression. “Are you happy, Ari? Does he truly make you happy?”
She nodded, letting him see everything she felt for Alec in her eyes. “I'm happier than I've ever been. He means everything to me.”
He gave her a sad smile. “Then no, I'm not angry. But if you ever change your mind, I'd gladly challenge him for your bond. It would be unfortunate to do away with the High Council leader, but it would be for a good cause.”
“No,” she whispered, horrified by the thought. “Please don't. I couldn't bear to have anything happen to either of you.”
“Then I'll console myself with that thought. I'll speak with your father and officially announce my conce
ssion.”
She took a step forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Hayden.”
He put his arms around her, drawing her close, and whispered, “Be happy, Ari.”
“You too, Hayden,” she whispered and pulled away from him. He really was a good man, just not the right man for her. But one day, he'd find the person he was meant to be with. After all, Fate had a way of giving them a nudge in the right direction.
As she headed back down the breezeway, her heart felt lighter. Each step she took forward was one step closer to her future. At the end of the breezeway, Alec was waiting with a worried expression on his face.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Our courtship is over. He's conceded to you.”
Alec's shoulders relaxed, and he pulled her into his arms. “Thank the gods. I didn't want to have to kill him.”
Ariana frowned. “He said the same thing about you.”
Alec scowled, glancing down the breezeway again. “Did he? It's been a while since I last dueled…”
“Don't even think about it,” Ariana warned and then giggled at the mischievous glint in his eyes.
Alec grinned. “I have something for you.”
She tilted her head, watching him curiously as he reached into his pocket to withdraw a small object. He held it out in his hand, and she gasped. It was her ring, the same one with the stone that reminded her of Alec's eyes.
“You must have dropped it in Sergei's room,” he murmured, taking her left hand and sliding it on her finger. “It got me thinking though. What do you think about having a claiming ceremony at the end of the month?”
Her eyes widened. “A wedding?”
“Yes,” he murmured, tracing the ring on her hand with his finger. “I want everyone to know you're mine, Ariana Alivette. Humans and Drac'Kin alike. We could even have it in Seara's gardens, if you want.”
She blinked back her tears, wanting everything he offered. He really was the man of her dreams, and even more importantly, the man of her future. “Yes, Alec, I'd love to marry you.”
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