Kayla waited until they were gone before approaching Alec. She’d spent hours scouring through emails and correspondence, trying to get a better understanding of the political structure in the towers. Although her knowledge was still somewhat rudimentary, she had more than enough experience with the dark side of human nature to give her additional insight.

She also trusted her gut. Even though she still had reservations about Alec, she suspected he was her best chance to redeem herself and fix the situation. The fact Alec had asked everyone to leave gave her hope she was right in her estimation of him.

“You know damn well Carl and Rand haven’t done anything wrong. As an Inner Circle member, I asked them both for help. They honored that request.”

Alec’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Is that so? You’re claiming your title now?”

Kayla knew what he was asking. By acknowledging her title, she was agreeing to be subject to the laws and guidelines of the towers. Her independent nature made her want to kick him in the shins and run for the door, but she couldn’t allow Carl or Rand to be punished because of her decisions. Her eyes narrowed, and she hissed, “Yes, damn you. Now back off and leave them alone.”

“Of course, Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein,” he replied with a small bow. She grimaced at the title but didn’t object. “If you’re willing to take your place as an Inner Circle member and vouch for them, my business with them is settled. Are you prepared to return with me to the Inner Sanctum now?”

Before she could reply, Carl stepped forward with his fists clenched. The anger roiling off him was nearly tangible. “So you can keep her imprisoned with the rest of the Inner Circle?”

Alec raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. It sounds like someone has been telling you some rather fanciful stories.”

Kayla considered reminding Alec about the cute little holding room but held her tongue. The tension in the room was nearly suffocating. Carl had gone into protective mode and seemed to be looking for an excuse to go after Alec. She sighed, dropping her shoulders, and looked up at Alec. The time for games was over. What happened in the next few minutes would affect all of them.

Abandoning all pretenses, she lifted her hands in a pleading gesture. “Alec, please, I need your help. I know how to remove the bracelets, but I can’t do it without you.”

Alec paused at her announcement. He glanced at Carl and Rand before returning his gaze to Kayla. She didn’t blame him for looking skeptical.

“How?”

It was time to lay her cards on the table. She stepped forward and grabbed Alec’s hand. “I’ll show you.”

Surprised, he followed her into Rand’s office.

“Sit,” she ordered. Alec raised an eyebrow, but he took a seat while Carl and Rand remained standing.

“If this day wasn’t weird enough with Andrei Rath’Varein’s daughter wearing my clothes and sleeping on my couch, it just got even more bizarre. I’ve got the next member of the High Council sitting on my couch too,” Rand muttered in a low voice.

Carl nodded in agreement as Kayla turned the computer terminal back on. She ignored them and climbed on the couch next to Alec. He glanced down at her bare legs.

“Do you usually make it a habit of running around only half dressed?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t abduct me when I’m wearing an evening dress and I’ll see what I can do. Now shut up and look.”

Alec chuckled and looked at the screen. Pulling up Cessel’s research, she pointed to an image of the bracelets and zoomed in on the diagram.

“The way these are designed is tricky,” she explained and pointed to two areas. “If you were able to direct two powerful energy bursts simultaneously here and here, it should flood the bracelet and deactivate them.”

Alec leaned forward and shook his head. He didn’t look surprised at her revelation. He’d obviously already considered and discarded the notion. “It’s not possible, Kayla. You’re talking about more energy than I can generate. Even if you were able to generate that much energy, you don’t have the precision yet to hit one of those targets, much less both.”

Kayla nodded. “Right. But what if you were to use my energy along with yours to send the pulses into the bracelet?”

Alec gave her a sharp look. “What are you saying?”

“I read through Cessel’s notes. He said there’s a way you can link with individual people without the use of a bracelet. Can’t you tap into my energy and use it to give yourself enough power to deactivate the bracelets?”

Alec’s voice came into her head. “This is not something to be discussed in front of outsiders.”

Alec stood and flipped open his commlink. “Director, you can dismiss all but the required security personnel. Remain outside, though, and arrange to have someone go to the Rath’Varein quarters to pick up Kayla some suitable attire. I’m going to be a bit longer.”

He snapped his commlink shut before turning to look at Carl and Rand. “Would you mind giving us a moment? There are some things I need to discuss with Kayla in private.”

Carl looked at Kayla questioningly. She nodded at him to let him know it was okay. Carl didn’t look happy about it, but he and Rand left the room and slid the door shut behind them.

Kayla watched as Alec let out a long exhale. “You knew about the weakness in the bracelets, didn’t you?”

Alec met her gaze and nodded. “I’ve been looking for a way to deactivate the bracelets for months. I came to your same conclusion, but too many of us are wearing the bracelets. I don’t think anyone here has the potential to generate enough energy to short-circuit the bracelets.”

Kayla cocked her head. “If you show me how, I can help.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking weary. “Kayla, I don’t think you understand what you’re asking. Don’t get me wrong, your solution is a very attractive offer, and in another time and place, I would be extremely open to it. But not until you fully comprehend exactly what you’re asking.”

Kayla looked at him in confusion. “I don’t understand. It’s pretty straightforward. You take my energy, zap those bracelets, and the Inner Circle is freed and can take back their power from the High Council.”

Alec chuckled at her description. “Yes, that sounds pretty straightforward. But what you’re talking about doing is not something that’s done casually. Sharing energy creates an extremely close bond between the two individuals.”

“But the bracelets do it.”

“Yes, but it’s not the same.”

“Alec, please,” Kayla said softly. “This is our best shot. It’s my fault these people are wearing those stupid things. I found the data cube that started all of this. Let me help fix it.”

He studied her for a long time. “I think you need to see what you’re asking.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You’ll do it?”

“I didn’t say that,” he corrected her. “I want to show you what you’re asking. If you still want to go through with this afterward, I’ll agree.”

Kayla pulled back, her misgivings growing. She wanted to help but there were limits. “Why? Is it going to hurt?” She considered herself tough, but she wasn’t into pain.

He shook his head. “Sharing energy doesn’t hurt. I’ll walk you through every step. If you want to stop at any time, just say the word.”

She stood, determined to do this. “Okay. What do I do?”

He stood in front of her and looked down into her eyes. “Relax. I have to touch you to do this. It won’t hurt. You’ll feel a slight warmth.”

“All right.”

He lifted both of his hands, gently laying them on her face. She felt his fingers warm, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. It was actually rather soothing, and the strange sense of intimacy was nice. There was a slight vibration coming from him, similar to what she felt when she had imagined the sparkling globe.

“You’re right.” His voice was in her head again. “Think about the vibration. That’s the energy flowing through you. Just listen to it and follow it.”

Kayla’s immediate reaction was to shut him out of her mind, but she forced herself to relax. She focused on the link between them and saw it strengthen and shift. Hundreds of colors appeared, and she followed the threads in her mind. They formed a beautiful web, and she admired it for a few moments. “Am I doing it right?”

“Yes. I want you to see how the energy works and how it flows. I’ve never met anyone able to weave such pure and brilliant colors without any form of training.”

“I’m doing this?” she asked in alarm.

“It’s okay, Kayla,” he reassured her in a soothing mental voice. “You’re not even aware of it. I’m not directing this flow at all. This is all you. You can push me out of your mind at any time. The only time I direct the flow is when I’m trying to influence someone. One day, if you want, I’ll show you the way that pattern looks.”

“Maybe.” She wasn’t willing to commit to continuing these lessons beyond her current goal. She was already outside her comfort zone.

Alec didn’t push and instead directed her attention to the threads of energy. “Right now, some of your energy threads are woven together but others are loose and floating. You need to rein them in. If you’re not using them, it’s usually a good idea to keep them woven together. If you need them quickly, it’s easier to gather them if they’re already together.”

“How do I do that?”

“Pick a thread that’s floating unbound and weave it together with another thread. Keep it loose though. You want to keep control of them, not build an impenetrable wall.”

Intrigued by the wall idea, she asked, “Why not?”

“Because you need to be able to see and feel what’s going on around you. If you close yourself off to the world, you’ll end up back in that dark area you were in yesterday when you were unconscious.”

“Oh.” Kayla did as he instructed and focused on one of the free-flowing, loose threads. She pulled it toward her and was surprised when it seemed to understand what she wanted. With little effort, she held onto it. She reached for another thread and wove them together. The colors seemed to mesh together and collide. Fascinated, she studied them for a long moment.

She felt Alec’s approval and began pulling the other loose threads together. When she finished, she took hold of the thread between the two of them.

“If you weave that thread into the mix, our connection will be severed. If I touch you again, I won’t be able to connect with you unless you’re willing. You’ll need to remove a thread of energy from your web and reach for me.”

“Wait, that’s how I can block you from reading my thoughts?”

“Yes.”

She released it. “How do I hold this together? Won’t it become unraveled if I’m not thinking about it?”

“It may take some concentration initially, but not much. You seem to be picking up on this quickly. You’re already subconsciously weaving some threads. Once you get used to doing it, it will become second-nature to you.”

Practice. She could do that. This process was much less complicated than Kayla had expected. “Okay, now what?”

“This is where it gets a little tricky. You need to take all of your threads and give them to me. Connect them to mine.”

Kayla stared at the large number of threads. “All of them?”

“Yes,” he replied dryly. “You’ll be opening yourself up to me completely by doing this. You won’t be able to push me out. The same goes for me. The connection can only be severed by mutual agreement. It also cannot be formed without this step. This is why it’s uncommon. It’s an act of complete trust. The only way to possibly generate the amount of power necessary is through this step.”

Kayla hesitated, uncertainty filling her. It had seemed like a good idea at first, but she wasn’t sure she could willingly give up control to another person. It went against everything she’d ever learned.

“You don’t have to do this, Kayla. I can train you how to use your energy and become precise in targeting. It’ll take some time, but you can eventually learn how to form a smaller bond so we can target them together.”

“No.” It could take months or years to gain the level of expertise she needed and even then, there was no guarantee. Veridian had once told her everything happened for a reason. She’d never given much thought to the concept of fate, but maybe he was right. Maybe everything was inter-connected, and perhaps this was a lesson she needed to learn. She needed to take that leap of faith.

She took all of her threads and sent them toward Alec. She gasped when she felt herself connect with him. Kayla realized he was taking as much of a risk as she was. She opened her eyes and looked up into his clear-blue ones.

Kayla could feel everything he was experiencing and understood he was able to do the same. Curious, she reached up to touch his face and marveled how she was able to experience the duality of the sensation of touch. She could sense his thoughts and emotions and knew her touch affected him deeply. She felt his desire and realized he knew exactly how she felt in return.

“Shit,” she thought in alarm. “Okay, fine, I think you’re incredibly sexy and the thought of jumping you is pretty damn attractive. Okay, it’s a lot more than just attractive. But I have a thing for Carl. I’m not going to act on it.”

She sensed a combination of amusement and irritation emanating from him. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to continue?”

Kayla hesitated briefly. “There’s more to this?”

“Quite a bit. If you’re ready, I’m going to send you some energy. When you receive it, I want you to try to send it back.”

“I’m ready.”

He sent a small pulse of energy toward her, and Kayla laughed in delight as the energy tickled her senses. Alec smiled at her, and she carefully returned the pulse.

“Good,” he said in approval. “In order to accomplish what you’re talking about doing with the bracelets, we have to establish a steady flow of energy. I’m going to send you a larger stream of energy so you can see what I’m talking about.”

More prepared now, she said, “Okay, go ahead.”

He sent a steady stream of energy toward her, and she marveled at the feeling as it washed over her. She felt as though she was showering in the clearest of thoughts and colors. She had never felt so safe or as alive as she did at that moment.

Kayla explored the way his energy poured through to her and noticed she felt a slight pull toward him. She wondered if she was depleting his energy and supposed she should probably return some to him.

“Kayla, wait,” he urged. “Don’t close the circuit.”

His thought came too late. Following his example, she sent her own stream of energy toward him. She gasped when their energy linked together and rushed through both of them. Kayla couldn’t help but close her eyes and simply feel the exquisite sensations rushing through her. She’d never felt so connected to anyone before and wanted nothing more than to have him touch her and claim her.

The foreign thought surprised her, but it felt so natural and right that she was confused for a moment.

“Break the circuit if you can,” Alec instructed.

Bewildered by his request, she wondered why he would ever want this feeling to end. She wanted his hands on her more than anything else. She reached up and pressed her lips against his and felt his desire match her own. It only made her want him more. She wanted more energy from him and increased her flow of energy in an effort to entice him into responding.

“Stop the flow of energy, Kayla. I don’t think I can resist much longer.”

She hesitated a moment before pulling her energy back from him. She felt him shudder at the sudden withdrawal. He looked at her with such an aching need that she wanted to return the connection.

“No, don’t. Just give me a minute.”

Alec closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. She felt him carefully withdraw his energy from her. She winced at the sudden intimate and painful loss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.

“Take your time,” he suggested. “You can still feel the connection, just not the energy.”

Whimpering slightly, she leaned into him and rested her head against his chest. She heard and felt the beating of his heart in sync with her own.

“When you’re ready, go ahead and take your energy threads away.”

Kayla shook her head, unwilling to break the connection.

He said gently, “You need to do it, Kayla. I know it’s hard, but I won’t go away. I promise. You can always reach for me, I’ll be here for you.”

She felt the truth in his thoughts. He felt the same way she did. She also knew he was worried about her. He was concerned he had taken her too far too quickly. Reluctantly, she pulled the energy threads away.

Alec released her, and she stepped back, trembling slightly.

“Are you all right?”

She looked up at him and blushed at the intimacy they’d shared. “Yeah. I, um, see what you mean now.”

He gave her an understanding smile. “I wasn’t expecting to show you quite that much.”

Kayla bit her lip, unsure about this whole energy thing. “Is it going to be like that when we fry the bracelets?”

He shook his head. “No. You’ll be the one sending your energy toward me. As long as the energy flows in one direction, it’s fine.”

“What happened just now?”

“Ahh, well…” He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Mutually sharing energy is usually only done between two people who are seeking a stronger bond than a physical one.”

Kayla stared at him. “Are you trying to tell me in your polite Omni way that we just mind-fucked each other?”

Alec’s mouth curved into a grin. “I think that qualified more as mind-foreplay. That’s why you didn’t want to stop.”

“Holy shit.” She dropped down on the couch, completely stunned.

He nodded. “It’s a powerful thing. That’s one of the reasons we tend to keep to our own kind. It’s not only our regular abilities. You could easily have a physical relationship with someone else, but you won’t find that complete connection outside of the Circle.”

“You mentioned bloodlines and our unique heritage before,” Kayla recalled. “Why are we different?”

Alec smiled and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “Do you remember the dragon statue you discovered in the ruins?”

“Of course. What about it?”

“The dragons have had countless names over the centuries. But here, in the towers, we usually refer to them as the Drac’kin. Thousands of years ago, when our world was still linked to other worlds, the Drac’kin were a dominant force. They waged a war in the Otherworld which nearly destroyed this world and several others in the process.”

Kayla looked at him skeptically. “This sounds like a fairy tale.”

“I suppose it does,” he agreed. “But regardless, during this battle, one of the Drac’kin betrayed her kind. She gave others the knowledge to close the rifts between the worlds. They followed her instructions and some of the Drac’kin became trapped here on this world. Their descendants lived on. Some intermingled with the humans while others tried to keep their bloodlines pure.”

“You’re saying we’re related to these Drac’kin?”

He nodded. “The most powerful talents usually have the purest bloodlines. OmniLab was created to try to preserve as many of our kind as possible.”