The connection to Alec vanished, and Kayla’s eyes flew open. She scrambled off the table and backed away from him. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. “Where did you take me?”

“Kayla, it’s going to be all right. I didn’t bring you here. My father did.”

“Why?” Alec didn’t reply immediately, and her eyes narrowed at his hesitation. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Alec.”

He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. “My father and some of his scientists developed these bracelets several months ago. He wants you to wear one.”

“What are these things? Seara was upset when I asked her about it.”

“They call them security access bracelets, but that’s not exactly an accurate representation. Kayla, those of us in the Inner Circle have special talents. The bracelets harmonize with your DNA and actually connect to the energy you’re able to channel. It siphons off your energy into a pool that can be tapped into when someone needs it to do things that wouldn’t normally be possible.”

She blinked. What the hell kind of freak show had she fallen into?

“What are you saying, Alec?”

“My father has created an energy pool he can use to enhance his own abilities or divert it to other areas. The goal was to discover untapped natural resources throughout the planet. Our towers are no longer fully self-sustaining. We were only supposed to live here until the world was viable again. We need to supplement our resources with whatever we can find.”

Well, that’s interesting. Looks like the Omnis aren’t much better off than the ruin rats. “Why was my mother upset about the bracelet then? And why don’t you have one?”

Alec frowned. “My talent is unique, and it’s more beneficial for me not to wear one. The bracelets siphon off your energy. You don’t have any control over how much is taken or how it’s used. Seara and many others originally agreed to wear the bracelet to help OmniLab. They felt it was their duty, but they didn’t realize what that meant. None of us did.”

“Your father isn’t trying to help the towers, is he?” she guessed.

“Yes, he’s trying to find resources to help the towers.”

Silently, he added, “He’s also using the bracelets to control the Inner Circle and High Council into doing his bidding. He’s become power hungry. Be careful what you say, Kayla. He’s probably watching right now.”

“I see.” She still didn’t like that he could pick thoughts out of her head, but it might come in handy. She just wished she could read him as easily and figure out his angle. “Why not take them off then?”

Alec sighed and thought back, “It’s not that simple. It’s linked to your DNA. If you forcibly remove them, it destroys your ability to properly channel your energy. It’s essentially a death sentence.”

Kayla shook her head and declared aloud, “I won’t be a puppet.”

“As long as you’re here, you don’t have a choice in wearing the bracelet. But I need to train you properly. If too much power is channeled through you and you’re not prepared, it could hurt or even kill you.”

She laughed. “You think I’m going to let you near me? Go ahead and try it. I can’t remember the last time I wanted to break somebody’s fingers so badly.”

Alec looked at her for a long time and then shook his head. “I’m not your enemy, Kayla.”

The door slid open, and Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she studied the newcomer. He was a short and thin older man. His dark hair was cropped close to his head, and he seemed overly nervous.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

He bowed to her. “I am Cessel Witlanger, Mistress Rath’Varein. I’m a scientist here.”

Alec turned to him. “What is it, Cessel?”

“Master Tal’Vayr has been advised of the situation. He has insisted Mistress Rath’Varein remain here until she’s stable.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kayla demanded.

“You were given a metabolic booster when you were injured the other day. Cessel won’t be able to fit you for a bracelet until your system stabilizes. My father intends to keep you here until then,” Alec explained.

“Right.” Kayla snorted. She had no intention of sticking around long enough to receive a new piece of jewelry.

Alec looked regretful as he said, “I’ll let you get some rest. There’s a private bath through that door. If you get bored, there’s a computer on the wall for you to view. Access is restricted though. If you need anything else, ask Cessel to call me. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.”

“Gee, I can’t wait.”

“Goodnight, Kayla,” he said quietly and left the room with Cessel trailing behind him.

As soon as they left, Kayla studied her surroundings. Her eyes were drawn to an air vent high on one of the walls. The bed, a small counter, and the computer were the only furnishings in the sparse room. There were two cameras installed in the ceiling that provided complete surveillance coverage of the entire room.

Kayla crouched down to examine the bed. As she suspected, it was affixed to the floor and couldn’t be moved.

She headed for the private bathroom, where she quickly determined surveillance didn’t extend to this room. There was a sink, a shower station, and a toilet, along with some basic toiletry items. Another vent was situated high on the wall. She picked up the comb and wondered if she could use the edge to pry off the vent cover.

Kayla held the comb between her teeth and hiked up her dress. She’d known this formal gown wouldn’t be conducive to life as a ruin rat. Next time she was invited to an Omni party, she’d wear her own clothes.

She carefully climbed on top of the toilet and stepped over to stand on the sink. Stretching as far as possible, she reached up toward the vent. Dammit. She was too short.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, she climbed back down and headed out to the main room. She tapped the comb thoughtfully on her hand, surveying the room again. Out of curiosity, she pressed the small panel next to the exterior door. Nothing happened.

Of course they wouldn’t make it that easy. She studied the cover plate carefully. If she had some tools, she could probably override it. But then what? She didn’t know the layout of the towers or their security system. It didn’t matter either way. The panel cover was securely affixed to the wall.

Annoyed, Kayla walked over to the computer and turned on the screen. She entered a few keystrokes and realized Alec wasn’t exaggerating when he mentioned the limited access. She scrolled through the menus on the terminal, considering her options. The biggest problem was the surveillance in the room. A plan formed in her mind, and she dimmed the monitor before shutting it off.

Kayla made an elaborate show of yawning and stretching before grabbing some additional blankets off the counter. She spread them out on the bed as though getting ready to sleep and then turned off the overhead lights. Once the room was flooded in darkness, she yanked the blanket off the bed and threw it over the top of the monitor, making sure it reached the floor. She crawled under the blanket and turned the monitor back on.

Satisfied the thick blanket was keeping the light from showing, she used the edge of the comb to pry off the bottom front panel of the screen. As she suspected, they had simply disconnected the communications line. Using her nails and the edge of the comb to pull apart the wiring, she twisted the wires together and connected them to the computer.

Kayla bit back a grin when the computer linked to the communications system. She typed in a few commands and was able to pull up the entire database of residents within OmniLab. She located the name Carl Grayson and pulled up his information. This next part was a bit tricky. She worked her way through the system until she was able to access his communications account.

Kayla tapped her finger quietly against the screen and typed in a quick message, marking it as urgent and saving it as a draft. An outgoing message might raise a flag in the system, and she wasn’t willing to risk it. She just hoped Carl would notice the message.

Now to figure out how these bracelets work.

She cleared the screen and pulled up a new command prompt, determined to learn as much as she could about what Edwin Tal’Vayr was planning.