Inception

by Laxmi Hariharan

  "You are a desirable woman. Aaron is a hot, sexy male. The chemistry between the two of you is thick enough to light a fire." Taking her hands off the wheel for just a second, Serena clapped her hands.

  "You always this direct?" Hope cleared her throat, a flush of red streaking her cheeks.

  "Life's too short." Her golden-brown eyes sparkled.

  Serena was enjoying this, Hope realized.

  "I think I am going to enjoy seeing you and Aaron dance around each other."

  Somehow Hope didn't trust Serena. Didn't trust the innocent set to her features. She reminded Hope too much of Eve.

  Leaning over, she tugged at Serena's hair. "You're going to cause me a lot of trouble, aren't you?"

  37

  Aaron

  Having dropped a reluctant Charm off at her apartment, Aaron pulled into the complex of buildings where he had his room before he moved above the bar.

  He could have found an apartment of his own in the city, but Zayn had preferred to move into the shared quarters with the other soldiers and the Guardians of the Council. In the end, Aaron had opted for the same.

  After Zayn's death, it had been too painful to come back here. The place had too many memories of his twin.

  As he got his backpack out of the truck, he looked at the building and realized the wound no longer felt as raw as it once was. He'd always miss Zayn, yet he felt a new sense of purpose, a responsibility to his twin to keep living his life.

  As he walked into the apartment block, he ran into Vance.

  "You made it back in time for the counselling session." The vampire slapped him on his shoulder.

  "Oh?" Aaron asked. "Didn't think I'd be responsible enough to let you know if I couldn't make it? The grief counselling sessions are my responsibility. Besides, it’s too important for those who attend."

  Vance tilted his head.

  Aaron conceded. "All right, okay. It's also important for me. It's what kept me going through all those months when I was mourning Zayn."

  When Vance stayed quiet, Aaron had a sudden flash of insight. "You knew that organizing the sessions would give me something to focus on rather than just my grief."

  "It worked, didn't it? Look at you." Vance waggled his eyebrows.

  "What?" Aaron looked at himself. "I am the same, only…"

  "Only you don't reek of liquor, you're wearing clean clothes, are well groomed, and if I am very much not mistaken, you seem to have even picked up a tan. Why, you're positively glowing."

  "Stop already." Aaron felt his cheeks redden. "It's not like I was at death's door."

  "Sure, could have fooled me. There are many who care about you, Aaron. For a while there, we weren't sure if you would come back to us. It's why we sent Cain—" Vance stopped, his eyes narrowing. "I'm late to see my next patient already. See you at the session in an hour?"

  Aaron grabbed the doctor's collar. Aaron was taller and broader than Vance.

  Vance had no choice but to pause in his tracks.

  "What do you mean you sent Cain?" His eyes narrowed. "He was looking out for me, was he?"

  "Ask him yourself." With a lithe move that hinted at his origins as a mercenary, Vance slipped out of Aaron's grasp.

  Vance was halfway up the road before he turned and said over his shoulder, "A word of advice, best stake your claim on your dragon shifter before the wolves come sniffing around."

  "What the—" Aaron swore aloud. "The entire bloody complex knows about us? Already?" He found himself talking to thin air.

  Vance had already disappeared into the infirmary.

  Shifters liked to gossip, and in a community as close knit as theirs, no romance stayed secret for long. Not that Aaron was complaining. A grin tugged at his face. It felt good to be back home.

  On the boat ride over, he'd gone out of his way to put distance between him and Hope. He'd even pretended to respond to Charm's welcome.

  He'd made sure she was convinced that he'd decided to back off.

  It would make his next move that much more impactful. He planned on taking Hope by surprise.

  He had his dragon shifter on his turf. He wasn't going to let her go that easily.

  38

  Hope

  Pushing aside the sliding doors of the balcony to the studio apartment she'd been given, Hope let the heat of the late afternoon wash over her. Leaning over the parapet she caught the fierce game of cricket in progress below.

  As she watched, the bowler came in full tilt, flinging the ball.

  The girl at the pitch lifted her bat, connected, and the ball went flying up… up… straight toward Hope.

  She caught the hard leather ball, held on, and looked down to see the figures below frozen.

  Then the bowler jumped up, right forefinger held above his head. "Out," he looked at the referee.

  The other players on the field took up the cry, all but the girl who stood calm holding her bat.

  The referee shook his head, dismissing the bowler's appeal. The players subsided.

  The bowler looked up at Hope and held up his hands.

  She took aim and threw it straight into his waiting palms.

  Cheers erupted.

  The boy cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled up, "Join us."

  Laughter bubbled up. Hope was about to shake her head in reply, when other voices chimed in.

  "Come on."

  "Yeah, you must."

  Well, why not? She only had to be at the naming ceremony later that evening. Besides, she was tired of being indoors. Tired of being avoided and of acting all grown up.

  Inside, her dragon stretched. A pulse of excitement shivered through the beast, and that made up her mind. This was one way of wooing her animal.

  Dragon 2. Woman 3.

  Pulling on her sneakers, she ran out.

  As she approached, the players fell quiet.

  The boy who'd caught the ball threw it at her. "You ready?"

  Hope huffed out a breath. "Yeah, except I've never played this before."

  "You know baseball?"

  "Sure, wise guy." Hope smirked.

  "This is similar, just not." The boy grinned.

  "Right, that's helpful. Just tell me what to do." Hope wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

  The boy walked with her to a spot on the far side. "Just follow the ball. When it comes your way, catch it and throw it back to me."

  "That's it?"

  "Yep." His eyes glinted.

  He was a teenager on the verge of becoming a full-grown man, and he had the scent of a future alpha around him. His lips widened into a smile. He held out his hand. "Max." His nostrils flared, and something in that gesture gave away enough for her to sense the wolf inside him.

  "Hope." She gripped his hand.

  His eyes widened, a spark of interest coming into them.

  She'd meant to intimidate him. Turned out it only heightened his interest in her.

  Max held onto her hand for a second longer than necessary.

  Before she could tug her hand out his grasp, a touch on her shoulder had her jumping.

  The scent of eucalyptus and pine on a cool dawn breeze wrapped around her. Every nerve ending crackled to attention. She stood, spine straight, as Aaron slipped a hand around her shoulder, his grip proprietary enough to warn the other man off.

  "So, Max." Aaron's voice held a thread of warning. "You lost no time in recruiting the newest honorary member of the Guardians to your team."

  "Honorary?" Hope's head swiveled to him.

  Before she could say anything, his fingers dug into her shoulder, silencing her.

  Max's gaze locked with Aaron's, the two engaging in a silent dialogue in that annoying way dominant males often had.

  Hope had no doubt she was the crux of the exchange, yet neither commented to her.

  Gritting her teeth, she was about to dig her elbow into Aaron's side, when Max held up both hands. His eyes dropped down to the ground, conceding that Aaron was stronger.

&n
bsp; "I see you're making yourself at home, Hope, but we have work to do." Aaron brushed his lips against her cheek.

  Turning on Aaron, she opened her mouth to protest.

  He silenced her by placing a finger over her lips. "Honey, I know how keen you were to see where I work and to get to know my life before making a decision on our future together. Best we get started right away, don't you think?"

  His words were soft and intimate, yet she knew every shifter among the team, including Max, could hear him.

  The pig. That was a claim of ownership, loud and clear. One he had no right to make.

  Frustrated, knowing she was caught and that whatever she did would only incriminate the evidence against her, she decided to pay him back.

  Fluttering her eyelashes at him, she closed her lips around his finger, letting her tongue curl around it. Licking it, she nipped the tip. Just a bite.

  Just enough to sense a shiver run through Aaron's big body.

  Aware that every teenager was following them with rapt attention, she sucked on his finger again. As she stepped away, she made sure to let her lips make full contact with the entire length of the digit as it slid out of her mouth.

  Jaw firm, Aaron dropped his hand and turned his head away.

  Not before she caught the sparks of blue flaring in his eyes.

  She heard his indrawn breath, the rise-fall-rise of his chest.

  When her eyes dipped to the evidence of his arousal, molten desire coursed through her, leaving her breathless.

  "Max," a girl called out.

  Holding up his hand for the ball, Max turned back to the game.

  Hope flounced away and into the building ahead.

  "Take a right," Aaron called out to her.

  "What?" Hope paused in the middle of the corridor.

  Going past, he beckoned her to follow and walked toward the room at the far end.

  Hope hesitated. Then her innate sense of curiosity won over. She quickened her pace to keep up with him. "Why did you do that?"

  "What?"

  "You bloody well made it clear to those kids that I am…" She stopped mid-sentence.

  He turned on her, his eyes narrowing, the look in them daring her to complete the sentence.

  Yours. She didn't have the courage to say the word. As if by saying it aloud, she might be daring the fates to bring them together, tempting his life itself.

  It sent a shudder of fear through her, knowing she was playing with his life.

  She growled, "Keep your distance, immortal. I am here to find Freya, and that's it. Which is what you should be helping me with instead of picking fights with boys or pulling me into rooms without explaining why—" She interrupted herself as she took in her surroundings.

  For the second time in a few minutes, Hope found herself at a loss for words as she faced the occupants of the room.

  39

  Aaron

  Behind him, Aaron heard Hope's voice stutter then fade. At least he'd taken her by surprise, he thought with grim satisfaction.

  The people in the room turned to him. They were seated in a circle.

  Aaron took a vacant chair.

  As Hope walked over to a chair pulled up by the window, the young woman nearest to him, a shifter who had lost her twin more than ten years ago, nudged him. "So this is the dragon shifter?" The woman gestured to Hope.

  Vance had been right. The rumor mill had been working overnight.

  Leaning toward her, Aaron patted her shoulder. "She's my mate, Sheila."

  When her eyes widened in surprise, he had to stop himself from chuckling aloud. That should give them more than enough to gossip about for the next month at least, he figured.

  His eyes were drawn to where Hope had settled into a chair. She moved around to find a more comfortable position.

  Catching his gaze, she tilted her head. He sensed the questions in her. She was wondering why he'd brought her to this group.

  He wasn't sure why he'd wanted her at this session. Perhaps so she could understand him better, or maybe he just wanted her close enough where he could see her, smell her, make sure she was safe.

  Damn, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

  He'd hoped to have a little more time before making his move. Yet, seeing that young wolf shifter flirt with Hope had sent him right out to stake his claim over her.

  There was a low hum of conversation and shuffling of feet.

  James, an older male shifter who'd only started attending the group a month ago, leaned forward. "You going to start the session today, Aaron?"

  At his nod, silence fell over the group.

  "It's been three months and eight days since my twin Zayn died." Aaron found his muscles tensing and forced himself to relax. "After his death, I was lost. It took me months to accept that I'd never see him again. That he'll never be there for me."

  Sheila touched his shoulder, and he turned and smiled, accepting her comfort.

  He'd been building up to talking about himself, but when it was his turn, it felt like he was ripping out his heart and laying it out for others to see. "I felt alone. I was so angry that Zayn left me to face life on my own."

  Another woman who had been attending the group from the very first session stifled a sob.

  Aaron rubbed his hand over his face. "I felt guilty about being alive. I often thought I should have been the one who died." His voice shook at the memory.

  He looked around to find every eye in the group on him.

  James had his hands around himself. He was rocking himself back and forth, his head down.

  Aaron caught the glistening of tears as he cried in silence.

  "Without Zayn, I had no sense of what I wanted, nor did I care."

  There, he'd said it. He realized why he'd wanted Hope in this room with him, so she could understand why he'd risk even death to be with her.

  Another group member, Kai, a young man who'd lost his twin just a fortnight ago, wrung his fingers in his lap. His knuckles were white.

  Kai stared ahead dry-eyed. His hair was mussed up and clothes crumpled. He hadn't said a single word since he'd joined the group.

  Aaron recognized the early stages of grief. He reminded Aaron of how he'd been just a few months ago.

  "I met a woman who made me feel again." He looked at Hope, in time to see her stiffen.

  She played with the pendant around her neck before her hands dropped into her lap.

  "She helped me face the fear of grieving for Zayn. I could find it in me to forgive him, to set him free. For she gave me the best gift of all. She gave me a reason to live."

  Hope got to her feet and began walking toward him.

  He sensed the group watching her as she approached to stand before him.

  Her green eyes were wide and shimmering. Her face held a look of understanding and sadness and… something else.

  A feeling of inevitability made his heart twist.

  She opened her mouth to say something and then shook her head. Her fingers touched his face, her eyes scanning his features, as if she was memorizing it.

  Her hands dropped to her side, and she ran out of the room.

  Jumping to his feet, he made to go after her, but a voice called out to him.

  "You aren't leaving us, are you, Aaron?" He turned to find Kai on his feet.

  It was the first time the boy had spoken in the group.

  Aaron realized he couldn't abandon these people. They needed him too.

  As he walked back to take his seat, he felt light. He'd shared everything with her.

  Her dragon had reached out to him through the evolving mating bond. The animal had already recognized him as her mate.

  He'd just have to trust that the fierce, passionate woman she was would also make the right choice when the time came.

  40

  Hope

  Hope had never felt so helpless in her entire life. When she heard Aaron speak, the pain and loneliness in him had reached out to her.

  It was only when
she stood next to him that she realized the depth of his grief had pulled her to him.

  She wanted to soothe him, to share the hurt and anger that cut through him. She hadn't realized until then how much Zayn had meant to him.

  She couldn't imagine losing any one of her siblings, knowing it would hurt beyond comparison if any one of them were to be harmed in any way. Hope couldn't even begin to imagine the devastation he must have felt to lose his twin.

  He'd laid his soul bare to her. He'd shown her who he was, told her why she was important to him.

  Aaron thought Hope gave his life meaning… and she believed him.

  For he did the same for her.

  When she touched him and he looked up at her, she saw herself reflected in his eyes. She felt the depth of feeling she had for him.

  Both the dragon and the woman had been in sync. She felt her soul reach out to him, wanting to twine with his. If she had stayed a second longer, she had no doubt she'd have opened herself mind, body, and soul to the mating bond.

  And then it would be too late, and she couldn't do that. She couldn't risk the force of the psychic bond hurting him. Not when she realized how much he'd come to mean to her.

  So, she'd done the only thing possible. She'd taken the coward's route and fled.

  As Hope crossed the now-empty courtyard, the sound of her name being called had her looking up.

  The man who was walking toward her was as tall as Aaron. The sun was behind him, and she couldn’t see his face. For a second her heart stuttered. It couldn’t be Zayn, could it? But Aaron’s twin was no longer alive, so it had to be someone else. One of the other Ascendants?

  He came to a stop in front of her and held out his hand. “Hope, isn’t it?” His face cracked into a broad smile. His ultramarine-blue eyes widened as he looked down at her. “Logan,” he introduced himself.

  She took his hand, realizing she’d guessed right. “If you are looking for Aaron, he’s at the session.” She nodded toward the building she’d left behind.