Flames of Redemption

by Jamie A. Waters

  Ariana nodded. “Yes. Some of our kind can detect energy bonds, but I'm not very good at it. My ability is tied more to emotional connections, which is usually part of a bond. I can pick up on those sometimes, especially in an unguarded moment.”

  Sergei frowned. “How many of your people can see such things?”

  Alec's eyes narrowed, his expression becoming somewhat suspicious. “We don't track that information. I wouldn't say it's a rare ability, but it's not exactly common either. Why?”

  “Call it simple curiosity,” Sergei said, grabbing Valentina’s hand and heading for the door. “If you'll excuse us, we need to take care of a few personal matters.”

  She reached down to grab her clothes and weapons on the way out. As soon as they were outside, she whispered, “You're being ridiculous. How much more obvious could you get?”

  “I had no idea they could see that, or I would never have taken you there,” Sergei argued, scanning the corridor for anyone within earshot. “We have no idea what else they can see, but we have already shown them too much.”

  “So they saw something,” she said with a shrug, putting on her arm sheath while they walked.

  “Do you want to explain everything else to them?”

  She frowned and gave up on her other weapons. It was enough to have them in her hands. “No, but they already know we have powers. What they saw between us doesn't make much difference.”

  “I'm not willing to risk them knowing more yet,” Sergei said, stopping outside Lars's door. He placed his hand on the panel, and it opened a moment later. Leading her down the hallway, they walked into her bedroom to find Nikolai and Yuri working on the surveillance equipment.

  “That was fast.” Nikolai glanced back and forth between them. “What's wrong?”

  Sergei closed the door behind them. “We have a problem.”

  Nikolai straightened. “Tell me.”

  She sighed and dropped her weapons on the bed. “They can see the energy between Sergei and me. Ariana said it appeared as though we were already bonded.”

  Sergei started to pace. “She called it complementary energy. They haven't seen anything else. It was an unguarded moment between us.”

  Nikolai frowned, his expression growing concerned. “You're sure they haven't seen anything else?”

  Valentina shook her head and shrugged. “I don't know. I agree with Sergei's assessment that Ariana is honest, but omission is different than lying. I don't believe the truth is something they will naturally consider.” She frowned, part of her somewhat disappointed but not entirely surprised. “I don't believe they would understand, Kolya.”

  “We never thought they would,” Nikolai reminded her gently. “Our intention was never to stay here, but only to learn and assess. I told you I wanted to see Sergei in person to determine what he hadn't been putting in his reports.”

  “I don't think they can properly train us,” Sergei admitted, continuing his pacing. Tension radiated off him and increased with each pass he made across the floor. “Ariana tried to create a connection with Valentina, but it didn't work. I suspect the same thing will happen when they try to train me.”

  Valentina stopped him, putting her hands against his chest. Panic was starting to fill her at his unspoken words. “You promised not to leave me again.”

  Sergei grabbed her, pulling her tightly against him and held her as though worried she could slip through his fingers if he relaxed his hold. “We will figure this out, Valechka. I will not lose you again.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and glanced over at Nikolai. “What do you wish to do?”

  Nikolai sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “If we could harness these abilities fully, it could prove beneficial.”

  Yuri ran a hand over his shaved head and muttered, “And give us a whole new host of problems by telling them the truth.”

  “They already know about me and Valentina,” Sergei murmured, still not releasing her. “It is up to you if you wish to tell them the rest.”

  Yuri shook his head. “I say no. Perhaps in time, but not now.”

  “I'm afraid I must agree with Yuri,” Nikolai admitted. “It would also be safest if we left the towers tomorrow after your meeting with Viktor. I don't know what this means for you, Sergei. That's something you must decide for yourself.”

  Valentina gripped Sergei even tighter. If she knew it was only temporary, it wouldn't be that bad. But if he couldn’t be trained, he'd run the risk of losing control again as long as she stayed by his side. She knew it would destroy something inside Sergei if anything like the fire ever happened again. She loved him too much to allow that to happen. There had to be a solution.

  A light knock on the door interrupted them. Yuri got up, keeping his hand on his weapon, and opened the door to find Lars standing outside.

  “I'm sorry for disturbing you,” Lars said, glancing at them. “Alec and Ariana just called. They were worried you were going to leave again.”

  “Not yet,” Nikolai said. “We will leave tomorrow afternoon.”

  Lars frowned. “I won't try to convince you to stay, but are there any questions I can answer? Alec told me to tell you whatever you wish to know, and he offered to come here to answer your questions as well.”

  Nikolai was quiet for a long moment, his gaze resting on Valentina and Sergei. “Tell me about these bonds between your people.”

  Lars's eyebrows rose. “We form small connections with each other to share energy, but we also have the ability to form permanent bonds with each other. Did you want to know about both?”

  Valentina bit her lip and looked up at Sergei. “I'd like to know about your permanent bonds. Ariana said she could detect energy between me and Sergei. I want to understand more.”

  Lars grinned, the expression making him appear much younger. “Did she? Well, you two must have a connection of some sort. Those are fairly common among our people, but we typically only form permanent bonds when we're in a relationship. It requires a total energy commitment by each person and binds them together for the rest of their lives. It allows them to share energy and power from great distances, and often times, it enhances the other's abilities.”

  She nodded, leaning against Sergei. “Can you have this connection with more than one person? If a relationship doesn't end well, can you enter a bond with another?”

  Lars shook his head. “Not with a permanent bond. You can form connections with multiple people, but a permanent bond can only be with one other person. That's one of the reasons we're cautious about entering into such an arrangement and usually have a courtship period.”

  Sergei ran his hand over her back and frowned. “I thought you said you were able to share a bond with Kayla during the duel. How was that possible?”

  Lars nodded. “Yes, but that was only temporary during…” His voice trailed off, and he straightened, studying each of them. “Holy shit. You're all bonded, aren't you?”

  Valentina tensed, and Sergei's hand on her back froze. Nikolai slowly stood while Yuri tightened his grip on his weapon.

  Nikolai's expression was hard, a ruthless danger radiating from him. “Be very careful what you say next, Lars.”

  Lars stared at him and then looked at each one of them. A thousand thoughts flitted over his face before he swallowed. “I've never heard of anyone being able to share a permanent bond for any length of time. I suppose anything is possible, but I don't know how it would work or even how it could be maintained.”

  “Kolya,” she said softly, “Sergei trusts him.”

  Nikolai held up his hand to stop her. “How much is your silence worth, Lars?”

  Lars glanced over at Sergei. “I will not reveal your secrets. I owe Sergei and your people more than that.”

  “He is trustworthy, Nikolai,” Sergei said. “Out of all their people, he is the only one with whom I would consider sharing this information.”

  “I suppose we need some answers,” Nikolai relented, sitting on the edge of the bed. �
�Can you detect bonds?”

  Lars relaxed now that his life wasn't in immediate danger and shook his head. “No. I have some abilities to detect types of talent, but it requires touch.”

  “Yet you never knew about Sergei?” Nikolai prompted.

  “He never gave me any reason to suspect,” Lars admitted. “I had moments where I wondered if he might have some latent talent, but it didn't even dawn on me that the bond thing was possible. I had no idea about his connection between you three until Valentina came to the towers.”

  Valentina rested her head against Sergei's chest and relaxed against him as he began running his hand down her back again. The rhythmic motion of his caress and heat from his body was better than anything the pool had offered.

  Lars studied them for a moment. “Fire and water are frequently drawn together.” He turned to look at Nikolai and Yuri. “If I had to guess, I'd say Nikolai is an earth-based talent whereas Yuri is air-based.”

  Valentina glanced over at Nikolai and Yuri, mildly curious by Lars's assessment. “What makes you think that?”

  Lars frowned. “Just a guess. Nikolai is usually very even tempered with a focus on politics, so he would be better suited as an earth- or water-based talent. The only way I could see the four of you forming a unit for so long would be if you represented each of the four elements.”

  Nikolai nodded. “Can you still form connections with other people when you are already bonded?”

  “It's possible, but it's not typically done. Most of the time, we're protective of our bondmates. It's against our nature to allow such an intimacy unless absolutely necessary.” Lars glanced at Valentina and added, “For example, and I'm not making the offer, but how would you feel if I asked to make a connection with Valentina?”

  “It will not happen,” Sergei declared, tightening his arms around her.

  Lars nodded as though Sergei had just proved his point. “You threatened to kill me if I slept with her. I don't think that was an idle threat. But you were more tolerant when you thought she and Nikolai were lovers. If you four already share a bond, that's why.”

  Valentina frowned. “But Nikolai and Yuri have both had other lovers. I didn't have a problem with that.”

  “I doubt their lovers were Drac'Kin,” Lars pointed out. “There's a level of intimacy with energy sharing that usually goes beyond mere physical attraction. Even though it might not be an issue if they take a human lover, I don't think any of you would be willing to share with another energy channeler outside of your bond.”

  Valentina bit her lip. What he was saying made sense, but it didn't explain what had happened earlier. “When I tried to form a connection with Ariana, she received a type of electrical shock. Do you know why?”

  Lars frowned. “I don't know for sure. If I had to guess, I'd say Sergei may have been okay with it because he knows Ariana well enough to know she wouldn't hurt you. But if Nikolai or Yuri felt it through your bond, they may have subconsciously issued a warning.”

  Valentina lifted her head to regard Sergei. “Is that what you suspected?”

  He nodded. “I thought it was related to them, but I didn't know how.”

  “If you don't mind me asking,” Lars began, darting a quick glance at Nikolai and Yuri, “but how did this even happen? I've never heard of anything like this being done before. The fact that you all found each other and managed to form a bond is incredible.”

  Nikolai nodded at Sergei, indicating his permission to tell him.

  “I told you before that we were assigned as a unit,” Sergei explained. “But it was a bit more than that. Our class had almost two hundred students, and our instructors tasked us with forming a four-person team with three others who complemented our skillset. I found Valentina almost immediately. I didn't care who else was in our unit as long as she was in mine.”

  She smiled up at him, remembering it a bit differently. “I thought I found you. You were cocky even then, leaning against the wall and looking down on everyone else.”

  “Except you,” he said, his eyes softening as he gazed at her.

  “Except me,” she whispered, lifting her hand to trace her fingers over his jaw. “I recognized you, too, and knew you were supposed to be mine.”

  Sergei turned his head to kiss her fingertips. “Valentina was the one who found Nikolai and Yuri. Or they found her.” He shrugged, indicating it didn't matter either way.

  “A bit of both, I think,” Nikolai admitted with a small smile.

  Valentina nodded. “We had a connection immediately, each of us with different strengths that complemented each other. But it was during some of our training that things between us changed.”

  “How?” Lars prompted.

  Nikolai sighed. “We cannot go into details because many of the training exercises are classified, but we were subjected to extreme stressors. These exercises were designed to push us beyond all normal limits and work together to accomplish our goals.”

  “So your bond formed out of a necessity for survival,” Lars mused.

  “Eventually, yes,” Nikolai agreed. “At first, we merely exceeded expectations, but then our trainers wanted to see how much we could possibly handle. One of these exercises went… wrong. That's when our bond was formed.”

  Valentina frowned. Even now, it was still one of the most harrowing experiences of her life. She didn't think any of them wanted to revisit those memories. “I don't think any of us would have survived without it, especially me.”

  “That was the beginning for me,” Sergei said, lifting his hand to cup her face and run his thumb across her cheek. “I've never been able to handle seeing her in pain, but I almost killed one of our trainers once we returned to camp. Every time after that when Valechka was hurt or threatened, I lost a little more control. “

  Valentina wrapped her hand around his wrist, holding her to him, and looked up into his steely-gray eyes with the small flame around his irises. In a soft voice, she whispered, “I love you, Seryozha.”

  Sergei squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his forehead against hers. “I cannot tell you how much I've missed hearing those words from you, little dove.”

  Lars's expression turned thoughtful. “These rages started right after you bonded?”

  Sergei glanced over at him and nodded. “Yes, but they became worse over time and depending on the severity of her injuries.”

  Lars glanced at the others. “None of you experienced anything like that?”

  Nikolai considered it for a moment. “Not to the degree Sergei did. We're all protective of Valentina, but Sergei has always been closest to her.”

  Lars hesitated, eyeing all of them warily. “I know this is a delicate subject, but other than Sergei, have any of you been intimate with her?”

  Sergei's jaw clenched. “There had better be a point to this line of questioning.”

  “I'm going to assume not,” Lars said quickly and held up his hands in surrender. “Our kind can deepen a bond through an emotional connection or a sexual one. Sergei, if you're the only one who has been intimate with her, you hold a stronger connection.”

  Valentina stiffened, alarmed and worried all at once. “You mean, if I slept with Nikolai or Yuri, they would have the same thing happen?”

  Yuri grinned. “Perhaps we should go in the other room, Valya. I can kick Sergei out of the running.”

  Sergei snorted. “As if that would ever happen.”

  “Behave.” Valentina turned back to Lars.

  Lars nodded. “If you are intimate with Nikolai or Yuri, then yes. It might manifest differently based on their talents, but their reactions to you being injured or threatened would be just as intense as Sergei's response. In their minds, they'd most likely view you as their mate, and it would be instinctive to want to protect and defend you. One of the reasons you were so distraught when Sergei was injured was because of the depth of your connection to him. I suspect if we'd been in a location where water was readily available, it would have been a problem.”
/>
  Valentina started to pull away from Sergei, but his grip on her tightened.

  “No,” he declared, holding her in place. “Valentina, you are mine. If you think to lessen our connection by walking away, you can forget it.”

  “If I have a choice between keeping you by my side or fucking you, I have already made my choice,” she argued. “I will not lose you again, Sergei.”

  “It won't do any good,” Lars said gently.

  She turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Your connection won't diminish. If you truly have a permanent bond, it can't be removed,” Lars explained and then paused. “At least, as far as we know. There's only been one case of a permanent bond being destroyed, but we don't fully understand how it happened or if it's possible to duplicate it.” He glanced over at Sergei's scowl and added, “Or even if you'd want to.”

  “What Lars is saying makes sense,” Nikolai said, taking a step toward her. “I've had great difficulties in being parted from you when you've left camp to pursue various investigations. You've also been much more concerned over my welfare than you used to be, and I suspect it's because we've played the part of lovers in public.”

  Yuri nodded. “We've all noticed it, Valya.”

  She paled. “I didn't realize…” Turning to Lars, she demanded, “Is this possible?”

  Lars hesitated and then nodded. “I believe so. Affection and touch are all tied together in deepening an emotional connection.”

  Valentina squeezed her eyes shut, wondering how they could have been so stupid. None of their lives were safe, and harm could come to any one of them in a thousand different directions. She was openly affectionate with all of them, and they'd always encouraged it. She didn't want to hold back with them, but she'd already lost Sergei once over this.

  Nikolai's sharp tone broke through her thoughts. “Stop, Valentina. Whatever you are thinking, just stop.” She opened her eyes, and he sighed. Nikolai walked over to her and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “This isn't a bad thing. Our connection makes all of us stronger. None of us are willing to walk away from each other. Why do you think I wanted to bring Sergei back to us?”