“No,” she told them, backing away from all of them. “This is wrong. You cannot put Jason at risk for me.”
“It's my choice, Ari,” Jason said, taking a step toward her.
“It's not,” she pleaded. “What do you think it would do to me if you died, Jason? I can't— I won't be the reason for this. I would rather die than be responsible for your suffering. This will break me. I know it in my heart.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, swaying from the emotions swirling throughout the room. After everything at the nightclub and healing Jason, the assault was brutal. No wonder they'd kept this a secret. All the secrecy, Jason's weird mood swings, everything made sense.
“Dammit,” Jason said. “This is too much on her. Ari, you need to leave.”
Alec wrapped his arm around her again, sending a strong wave of energy through their connection. It wasn't enough to help insulate her from the volatile emotions. “Do you want to take a shower or go to the pool? Tell me what you need, beautiful.”
Ariana leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as his exquisite energy flowed over her. “I need to be alone for a little while. There's too much emotion. I just…” Her voice trailed off, and she frowned. “I'm sorry, Alec. I don't want to leave you right now. I know things need to play out naturally, but I can't stay here and protect myself against all the emotion.”
“I understand,” he replied, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I'll be here for you whenever you need me. I love you, Ari.”
“I love you too,” she whispered, sending a wave of gratitude and love over him. “Thank you for understanding.”
“We'll fix this,” he promised, squeezing her hand. “I won't lose you, and I won't let anything happen to your brother either. Trust me, Ari.”
She nodded and lowered her gaze, not wanting him to see the doubt in her eyes. Turning away again, she walked out of his quarters, her heart breaking all over again.
Chapter Thirteen
Ariana wrapped her arms around herself as she walked through the silent corridor. How could everything have changed so quickly? Just last night, her world had been full of color and hope. Now that precious future was being threatened by the dim reality that her brother was jeopardizing his health and happiness for the remote possibility she would survive her evolving powers. To make matters worse, her father had tried to sell her off to Hayden in exchange for this serum.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. She wouldn't cry. Her commlink beeped, and she glanced at it before shutting it off. Jason wanted to know where she'd gone, but she couldn't deal with him right now. Not until she got her head around everything. More than anything, she wanted to get lost in the soothing waters of her pool, but that would be the first place Jason would look. She didn't want to listen to any more of his justifications, even if she were immersed in the protective barrier of the water.
Ariana hesitated before pressing her palm against the panel by the priority elevator. She programmed in one of the lower levels and the elevator shot downward. Leaning against the glass windows, she sighed. There was only one place she could think of where Jason wouldn't intrude on her thoughts. He knew all the other places she frequented.
Stepping out when the doors opened, she crossed the breezeway into the construction tower and headed toward Sergei's room. She trusted him not to betray their secrets and hoped he'd have some insight into the situation with her brother. His calm practicality would be refreshing. At the very least, she needed to take care of his plant.
She pressed the button beside his door and waited, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything. Maybe she should have contacted him first. There was always the possibility he'd gone back to the surface again. She pulled out her commlink, but the door opened before she could turn it back on. She blinked up at Pavel and managed a small smile.
“Hi again. Is Sergei here?”
“No,” he replied in his accented voice, stepping aside and motioning for her to enter.
“Oh,” she murmured, not bothering to hide her disappointment.
“Sergei is busy today. You are here to care for plant?”
His sharp eagerness at her arrival was a little disconcerting, but she plucked some moisture from the air to insulate against his emotions. A headache was already beginning to form behind her eyes. Maybe she should have gone to the pool instead and risked dealing with her brother.
“I was hoping to speak with him, and yes. I only have a few minutes, but I should check on his plant while I'm here. I didn't bring any hydrating packs with me. Do you know where he stores them?”
Pavel slid the door shut behind her and motioned toward a small cabinet in the corner. She opened it, selected a hydrating pack, and walked over to the plant. Pushing a small amount of earth energy toward it, she determined it was still doing well. She added a touch of water, smiling at the eagerness of the hardy little bush. If only everything could be so simple.
Feeling a sharp prick at her neck, she lifted her hand to swat at it. Dizziness engulfed her, and she staggered. Pavel caught her before she fell, and she blinked up at him, trying to understand what was happening. Dark malevolence and greed swirled through the energy in the air, and she shuddered against the onslaught. Her thoughts were growing fuzzy, and she couldn't focus enough to reinforce her internal shields to resist his emotions.
He was speaking, but the words were too confusing. Was he talking into a commlink? She couldn't understand, and it was becoming harder to focus. Ariana blinked again, her eyes growing heavy, and then the world faded away into darkness.
Alec disconnected from his commlink call and rested his head in his hands. After Devan and Jason had left, he'd gone into his office and spent the last hour dealing with the Drakar situation. Now that he knew the purpose of the serum, he needed to stop its distribution to the public. There was only one person with access to all the information they needed, and Hayden was on his way there right now.
“Using the security feeds, we’re compiling a list of the potential users right now,” Brant explained, entering something into his tablet. “Three more establishments have been identified as distribution sites. All of these are operated by different individuals.”
Alec watched as a map of the locations within OmniLab populated on his wall screen. One of them was a gambling hall and the other two were nightclubs, but he couldn't see the connection. One of the clubs was a rather upscale establishment, while the other was decidedly not.
Alec frowned. “What do these places have in common?”
“Other than an active nightlife?”
When Alec nodded, Brant said, “There's a small overlap of clientele, but not much. We're running the comparison now, but there are no other connections between Hayden's establishment and these others. Our surveillance cameras identified the same two individuals making sales at these other locations within the past few days.”
In a dry tone, Alec replied, “I find it a remarkable coincidence that we caught these sales on surveillance in other clubs right after Devan agreed to Hayden's courtship request. Hayden had to know I'd investigate him and his clubs. I wouldn't be surprised if this was an effort to circumvent suspicion of his involvement.”
“I agree,” Brant said. “Up until then, the distribution of Drakar had been contained to only a few of Hayden's clubs and out of sight. We're arranging to have the sellers brought in for questioning, but they've likely been heavily compensated to act as a diversion. I doubt they'll be forthcoming with information.”
“Do what you can,” Alex said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “I also want the name of the person responsible for selling the serum crafted from Kayla's blood. See if you can connect them to the researchers working on modifying this serum. If Hayden doesn't give us information, we need to find it another way.”
Alec drummed his fingers on the desk, his thoughts going back to Ariana. On the off chance they needed Hayden's continued cooperation, Devan and Jason ha
d refused to give any other information about the serum. The idea that Hayden was using this potential life-saving serum to force Ariana into a bond enraged him. Alec had felt her shock and horror at the thought her brother was using himself as a test subject in an effort to save her. Although, if he had been in Jason's shoes, he might have done the same.
Devan had admitted to looking into ways to strengthen the bond between Jason and Ariana for the past two years, ever since it began failing. This serum was just the latest in a long string of attempts to protect his daughter. Alec refused to believe this was the only solution. There had to be another way. He wouldn't lose her, not to her abilities and definitely not to Hayden.
Alec pressed a button on his desk and said, “Sheila, I want you to locate any and all files we've accumulated on empaths and their abilities. If possible, trace their elemental alignments.”
“Of course, sir,” came her polite reply. “Do you want case studies or information about specific individuals?”
He paused for a moment. “Both. I want specific names, genealogy charts, birth and death dates, whatever information you can locate. In particular, I want their bond status, including the alignments of the mate. Focus on the most recent, then go back through the pre-war archives.”
“I'll get started right away, Master Tal'Vayr.”
Brant looked over at him when he disconnected. “You're hoping to find something?”
“Devan said most empaths don't survive into their early twenties,” Alec explained. “There has to be some way to protect Ariana. I refuse to believe this godsforsaken serum is the answer.” No matter what, he wouldn't lose her. If he had to move heaven and earth to keep her safe, he'd find a way to do it.
Brant lowered his tablet. “You think there might be a connection with their bond status?”
“Devan and Jason believe so. The bond with Jason has protected her up until this point. He's been buffering some of the negative effects since they were children. If there's a connection between an empath's bond status and their premature demise, I want to know what it is.”
“I can put some of my people on this too,” Brant offered.
Alec nodded. “Go ahead, but only enlist the assistance of people you trust. I don't want them to make the connection between Ariana and her ability to circumvent shadow energy.”
“Of course,” Brant agreed, typing a few commands into his tablet.
There was a small chime and Sheila's voice came over the speaker again. “Excuse me, Master Tal'Vayr, but Hayden Gavron is here to see you.”
“Send him in.”
The door opened, and the dark-haired man who was competing for Ariana's affections entered. Alec had a momentary flash of anger at the thought of him touching her. He'd reviewed the available security video and had to force himself not to hunt down the bastard right then and there.
“Hayden,” Alec acknowledged, keeping his tone cool. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Hayden inclined his head and sat down, taking a moment to survey the office. “Well, Alec, I must admit I was surprised to receive your meeting request. Other than Ariana, I'm not sure what business we have in common.” He paused for a moment, his expression becoming calculating. “Unless, of course, you wish to inform me you're no longer courting her?”
Alec leaned back in his chair, feigning nonchalance. “On the contrary, I am still courting Ariana and have no intention of conceding.” And I love her, you arrogant prick.
Hayden's mouth curved downward a fraction, but that was the only indication he was displeased. “I see. Devan indicated to me that he planned to rescind his permission for you to court his daughter.”
“Yes, you're quite mistaken,” Alec replied and pressed a button to display each of Hayden's clubs. “I asked you here because we've had a number of disturbing reports about something called Drakar being distributed in your establishments.”
Hayden put his elbows on the arm of the chair and tapped his finger idly against his chin. “Ah, yes. It's unfortunate, but drug use and clubs have a rather sordid past. I'm not sure why this would warrant the interest of our esteemed Council leader.” He shrugged. “Of course, I'll have security monitor the situation more closely. After all, it wouldn't be prudent to expose Ariana to such things. We had a rather enjoyable evening last night at Club Sapphire. She is remarkable, isn't she?”
“Oh, I'd say remarkable is far too tame of a description,” Alec returned, unable to resist smirking at the fire channeler.
You'll never know how tame. After waking up with her in my arms this morning, remarkable doesn't even come close to describing her. So yeah, you can have the memory of your evening with her because that's all you'll have, you stupid fuck.
Hayden's eyes narrowed. Alec motioned toward Brant, who pushed forward his tablet and said, “Up until a few days ago, Drakar had only been distributed at your clubs and only to Inner Circle members. We believe this 'drug' originated from your club, and specifically, was funded from your pockets.”
Hayden ignored the tablet and Brant, instead focusing directly on Alec. “Are you accusing me of something, Alec?”
Before he could respond, a sharp chime alerted him to an urgent call. He held up his hand to ask Hayden to wait a moment and took the call.
“Is Ari with you?”
Alec frowned. “Jason? What are you talking about?”
“I can't find her anywhere,” Jason said in a rush. “Fuck. She's just disappeared. Something's wrong. I feel it.”
“You checked the pool?”
“Of course I checked the fucking pool. I checked with Kendra, I checked her favorite spot in the library, I checked every place she goes when she's upset, and she's not in any of them. I need to find her. When did you last see her?”
“This morning with you,” Alec replied. “She wanted to be alone, but I'll check with security and let you know what I find out.”
“Hurry,” Jason urged, the anxiety in his tone evident. Alec disconnected from the call and reached out toward Ariana through their connection. It wasn't strong enough yet, but he managed to get a dim sense of her. Something wasn't quite right, but he wasn't sure what was wrong. A small sense of worry coiled in his gut.
Hayden frowned and leaned forward. “Is it Ariana? Is she all right?”
Alec lifted his gaze to regard Hayden. He'd momentarily forgotten about him. Annoyed, both with himself and Hayden, he said, “Jason's trying to locate her and wanted to know if I'd seen her. To answer your earlier question, no. I'm not accusing you of anything. I am, however, going to make a demand.”
Hayden arched an eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”
Alec stood and leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “You will immediately cease all distribution of Drakar. You will turn over all related research of the serum as well as all information on the attempts you've made to strengthen the bond between Ariana and Jason. And you will back the fuck off from Ariana and her family and stop trying to capitalize on saving a young woman's life.”
Hayden's face remained carefully blank. “You make a lot of presumptions, Alec.”
“I'm not playing this game with you, Hayden,” Alec snapped. “I want the names of the researchers and their notes sent to my office in the next hour or I will see you imprisoned and your clubs shut down indefinitely while I drag you through a long and arduous investigation.”
Hayden stood, pressing his hands against the desk. “You think you can meddle in my business affairs and threaten me? This can be construed as an act of interference with a potential claimant. If you won't take Devan's warnings of withdrawing your claim seriously, I'll take this matter before the Council.”
“I don't give a fuck what you do. You've been made aware of my demands and the consequences of your actions if you don't comply. Now, get the hell out of my office.”
Hayden glared at him, barely suppressing his fire energy, but a brief flash of the flames reflected in his eyes. Without another word, Hayden turned and
stormed out of his office.
Alec sat back down and pulled up Ariana's security profile to track her movements.
“Are you sure that was wise?” Brant asked in a low voice.
“Ariana's missing,” Alec retorted, ignoring his question. He leaned forward to study Ariana's recent expenditures while the biometric scanner ran in the background. There were no purchases from this morning. He checked the biometric scanner and frowned at the warning message that appeared on the screen. “How could she not be in the towers?”
“Perhaps she went to the construction tower,” Brant suggested. “We can track her movements from when she left your family's quarters. Do you know what time she left?”
“Around eleven,” Alec replied as Brant pulled up the video.
A moment later, an image of Ariana appeared on the screen. She was obviously distraught, her arms wrapped around herself in a protective gesture. His heart clenched as he watched her walk down the corridor alone. He should have gone with her. He'd known she was upset, but she looked so lost.
She hesitated at the priority elevator before stepping inside. Alec frowned. “She's not going to her quarters. Where did she go?”
Brant entered a few commands and the video resumed in the lobby. Dammit. Brant was right. She'd taken one of the breezeways to the construction tower. What the hell was she doing there?
Brant glanced down at his tablet. “She exited at the floor to Sergei's quarters.”
Oh, hell no.
Alec pushed away from his desk and headed out of his office. Brant jogged after him to catch up, still checking his tablet. “We don't have that area under adequate surveillance yet. According to Sergei's calendar, he has a meeting with Lars right now.”
The door to the priority elevator slid open and they stepped inside. Alec programmed in their destination and glanced over at Brant's tablet. “Where are they meeting?”
“A conference room on that same level. It's a few doors down from his quarters.”
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