Aaron's forehead furrowed. "Let's help the wounded and report this straight to the Council."
A woman ran out of the bar. She gripped his arm. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Aaron tried to pull away, attempting to not seem impolite. "I'm fine, Charm."
She'd had her sights on him since he'd moved to the barracks. He'd managed to evade her attentions so far.
Charm's lower lip trembled as she turned her face up to him. She was a beautiful, sensuous woman, but she'd never had any effect on him.
Unlike Hope, whom he'd just seen shift into a dragon and fly off.
Thinking about Hope made him take another step back. He tugged at Charm’s grasp until her hand dropped away.
"Go home. Go to bed. You'll be fine tomorrow."
"Why don't you come with me? I'm so scared, Aaron." She wrung her hands together.
"The Council will ramp up security measures and take precautions. We won't let anything happen to the citizens of Bombay." He said that with more confidence that he felt.
He turned to a passing soldier. "Brian, see Ms. Charmaine back to her home."
Brian's Adam's apple bobbed. Sweat beaded his brow as his eyes took in Charm's figure. "After you, ma'am." He followed her, and the two walked away.
Cain chuckled. "You handed a wolf cub to a tigress?"
"Even wolf cubs must grow up, don't you think?" In any case, Aaron couldn’t care. All he could think about was a woman with gorgeous green eyes.
7
Hope
Hope soared over the waves, heading toward her island. She was halfway home before she realized what she'd done.
She'd revealed her dragon.
The realization tore through her. The shock of it almost had her changing back into human form. Pushing back the transformation, she clung to her dragon form and kept going.
The woman inside her knew she'd have to tell her alpha what had happened.
However, her dragon didn't care.
All the animal knew was that it had done the right thing. It had saved the one who had spoken to its soul. So what if Aaron wasn't another dragon shifter?
The woman, however, worried about the consequences of her actions.
Coming in for a landing on the sand near the waves, the air around her shimmered as she shifted. The agony of the change cut through to the bone.
Pure joy replaced the pain at the freedom of being able to change form. Fire and heat ran through her veins as the wind hit her bare skin.
The dragon in her was still not fully banked, the last tendrils of fire curling around her as she walked up the sand. Reaching her emergency stash of clothes secured to the low wall at the edge of the beach, she shrugged into them.
Wearing the clothes brought the woman back to the fore, and with it came the dull inevitability of what was to come.
There was no other way out. She had to tell Eve what had happened.
This time the responsible human in her won.
Dragon 1. Woman 1.
Shoulders slumped, she walked toward the official residence of the alpha of the dragons to face Eve.
"Hope." Her head jerked around.
Jason jogged toward her from the beach.
She'd known him since they were dragonlings. Their mothers had been close friends, and Jason had spent most of his school holidays with Hope and her sisters.
Jason was also the most suitable dragon shifter for her to mate with. They were compatible in every way, as Eve had reminded her so often.
He drew up next to her, chest heaving from his run.
He was quite good-looking, Hope had to admit to herself.
His T-shirt was splotched with sweat and outlined the sculpted planes of his chest.
Coming to a stop, he pulled it off and rubbed the material over his chest to soak up the moisture.
A couple of female joggers slowed down as they passed him, both checking him out with unabashed interest.
"Ladies." He tilted his head at them.
One of them stumbled and would have fallen if her giggling friend hadn't held her up.
"Showing off the merchandise, Jase?" Her tone was amused.
"You interested?" A smile crinkled the edges of those beautiful gray eyes.
Reaching up, she patted his cheek. "Not a chance."
Before she could withdraw her hand, he had captured it and held it there. "So you're not envious?"
"Jase," she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to choose her words carefully, "you know I don't think of you in that way."
"In what way?" His tone was easy, but his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, no!" She tugged at her hand, and he let go. "I am not walking into that one." She waggled her eyebrows at him.
"What one?" He waggled his eyebrows back.
A reluctant chuckle had her lips widening in a smile.
"Much better." He nodded, falling into step with her.
She resumed walking.
"You heading to see Eve?"
Her eyes lowered to the ground. "Yes."
"You broke another rule, and you have to tell her about it?" His voice was casual.
Her steps slowed down until she was barely moving. "Yes."
"You going to bond with me?" His voice was almost bored.
"Yes."
It took her a full second to realize what he'd done there.
"No!" She turned on him, smacking his arm. "So clever."
"Nope." He flung an arm around her shoulders. "Not clever at all. If I was, I'd have figured out the best way to woo you by now."
"I know you too well, silly." She elbowed him in his side. "You don't have to woo me."
"Then just say yes." Coming to a halt, he turned to her and yanked her against him with so much force that the breath rushed out of her.
Those gray eyes she'd known for so long burned with an intensity she'd never seen before.
"Say, yes." He leaned in, close enough for his breath to whistle across her cheek.
Her breasts were flattened against his bare chest. Only, it didn’t do anything for her.
Her mind was too full of thoughts of the man she'd met earlier, the immortal warrior who'd staked his claim on her, with just a glance. The one who'd wanted her, even though she'd sensed him withdraw from her, as if he was not quite sure about what to make of the connection between them.
She raised her shoulders and let them drop in a gesture of helplessness. She couldn’t figure out what to say without hurting Jason’s feelings. Best to stay quiet, she thought.
Jason's jaw hardened. "At least think about it."
"I will." Standing on tip toe, she rubbed noses with him in a gesture of affection.
Seeing the look in his eyes change, she interpreted his intent as he leaned in closer. With a lithe move, she slipped out of his grasp and took off running, a laugh bubbling out of her. "Last one is a wolfie."
The insult was one they'd invented to tease Caleb, a wolf shifter friend who was Eve's bodyguard.
It did the job, shocking a laugh out of Jason.
The tension that'd been simmering between them dissolved.
Putting on speed, Jason caught up with her.
Hope let him overtake her. She was not in a hurry to see Eve.
8
Aaron
Cain and Aaron made sure all the wounded were transported to the infirmary. It was dawn before they headed back.
Four hours of sleep later, Aaron walked toward the conference room in the mayor's palace. It was one of the few government buildings to have survived the tsunami of 2014.
It was not even midday, but the sun rays already heated the air. The sound of kids playing on the beach drifted over to him.
As he crossed the courtyard, his shirt was already damp with perspiration. He couldn't stop himself from scanning the skies.
He was looking for a slash of vibrant color, the jeweled hues of a dragon shifter. What greeted him was the blue expanse of the morning skies.
When he entered the room
, Logan, his fellow Ascendant was already there.
Hearing Aaron come in, Logan turned, his shoulders broad enough to block the light from the open window. "You did well by getting the wounded to the hospital." Logan's clipped British accent had softened during his time in Bombay, but it still marked his origins.
His piercing blue eyes followed Aaron's progress across the room.
Aaron stopped next to him. "It's the least I could do as a Guardian of the city."
"It's good to have you back, bro." Logan gripped his shoulder. "Zayn's death affected all of us."
Aaron swallowed the thick ball of emotion that clogged his throat. "I've been hell to be around the last few months, but I’m here." Thanks to a pair of emerald-green eyes.
He was going to find that dragon shifter and explore this potent attraction that drew him to her. "Have you heard from Kris?"
Kris was the oldest of the Ascendants. He was on his honeymoon with his mate, Tara.
"He's extended his trip to visit McLeod town in the Himalayas before returning." Logan looked to the door at the new arrival.
Aaron followed his gaze to see Leana enter, the mayor of the city. Her thick dark hair hung to below her shoulders. The soft cotton of her flowing shirt outlined her advanced state of pregnancy. Her skin glowed in a way that hinted at her inner happiness.
Mikhail, their fellow Ascendant and her mate, guided her to the head of the table.
"Should you even be here?" Aaron scolded her.
Leana's face lit up. "Aaron."
Walking over to her, Aaron took Leana's hand and kissed her fingertips. This wolf shifter was the alpha of all the species in Bombay. She was also the first to mate with one of the Ascendants. It made Aaron very protective of her.
Her hand slid over the mound of her belly. "Oh!"
Mikhail dropped to his knees next to her. "You okay?" His jaw hardened with concern.
Taking Mikhail's hand, Leana clasped it to her stomach.
He held it there for a second, his eyes widening, before his gaze locked with hers. "Thank you." Mikhail brushed his lips over Leana's forehead.
The depth of emotion in those two words twisted Aaron's heart.
Seeing the bond between Leana and Mikhail, Aaron realized that even when he’d had Zayn, he'd been alone.
The emptiness had stayed inside, buried under his promise to protect their fellow species. But he'd never be lonely again. Not when a golden-eyed dragoness was out there.
Leana rapped the table, calling the meeting to order.
Cain swaggered through the door and dropped into the closest chair.
As everyone took their seats, Leana got straight to the point. "Aaron and Cain were at the site of a very serious attack on one of the most popular night spots of this city, a space off-limits in the fights between the species… until today. The evidence points to attacks by an outsider." She looked around the table, making sure she had everyone's attention.
Logan folded his arms over his chest. Mikhail's gaze was locked on Leana's face.
"It also reveals the existence of not one but two unknown forces, each more powerful than the combined powers of all of us put together."
Aaron leaned forward, elbows on the table with fingers locked in front of him.
She turned to Aaron, inviting him to speak with a nod of her head.
Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, not quite sure what to tell them. He didn’t want them to think that Hope was a threat. "A telekinetic appeared out of nowhere," he finally said. "The man's psychic control extended to the humans, vampires, and shifters in the bar."
"Impossible." Mikhail drummed his fingers on the table. "No race can be that powerful."
"No known race," Aaron corrected, maintaining eye contact with Mikhail.
"The telekinetic was a complete surprise." Cain tipped his chair back until it teetered on its hind legs. "Aaron has not addressed the other real issue… the dragon."
Aaron hunched his shoulders, knowing he'd been caught. He'd have to tell them about what Hope had done. But she'd protected the people at the bar, hadn't she? He'd just have to make sure he convinced them that Hope was on their side.
"So, Brahma's prediction was true." A nerve throbbed above Logan's temple.
"Tell us what you know." Leana leaned forward, chin balanced on her hand.
Logan's eyes shone with an inner ability that hinted at just how powerful he was. He was the only one of the Ascendants with a secondary seer ability. "Brahma said there would come a time when we'd see dragons fly."
Logan stayed motionless, eyes unfocussed as he looked into the distance at a future no one else could see. "Only a force formed of the union of the wings and the will can stop this new threat to the city."
A shudder ran down Aaron's spine. He knew his future was intertwined with this prediction. The certainty of it had Aaron shuffling his feet. The sense of foreboding grew by the second, until it felt like a heavy weight was crushing his chest.
Logan’s eyes cleared, and he looked around the table. Every single gaze was on him. "That's all I sense. Sometimes, these visions are but pulses of feeling that I must interpret."
The ring of truth to his words was ominous.
Cain brought his chair down with a crash.
The hairs stood up on Aaron’s arms. Something was wrong. He was already on his feet when the air behind Leana shimmered.
Aaron threw himself over the table. The force of his jump took him clear over the heads of Mikhail and Leana.
He wasn’t going to lose another person he loved.
9
Aaron
After rolling to break his fall, Aaron jumped back on his feet, knees bent in a defensive stance. He was ready for the figure that appeared next to Leana.
Chairs were flung aside.
Cain and Logan ran over to cover them from each side.
Mikhail slid in front Leana.
Between them, Leana was shielded from the teleporter.
The stranger was as tall as Aaron. Dark hair framed a face so symmetrical in proportion that he could’ve been carved out of ice. Wide jaw, high cheekbones, and above that, gray-green eyes blazed with a power so potent it was clear he was immortal.
The teleporter held up his hand. Aaron's muscles tensed. He made to move, only to feel a brush of psychic energy on the psychic plane.
I mean no harm. He knew it was the stranger's voice.
The man had hacked into the Ascendants web, the network used to communicate with each other during an emergency.
Next to him, he heard Mikhail's quick inhale of breath.
Leana tugged at Mikhail's arm, forcing him to move aside. "Who are you?" Voice imperious, she made it clear she was not afraid of the man who had already shown that no psychic barriers could hold him back.
Those gray-green eyes dropped to her face. "I am the leader of the Elysians." His tone was polite but cold enough to raise the hair on Aaron's forearms.
"Tell me more about your race." Leana set her jaw.
"We are immortal beings just like your Ascendant mate." He raised his chin in Mikhail's direction. "A psychic collective who are plugged into the Sian Web—a network we depend on to replenish our emotions."
Mikhail folded his arms over his chest. "Is the Sian Web like the psychic network shared by the Ascendants?"
"Unlike you Ascendants, the Elysians must be linked to the Sian Web to survive." The stranger's gaze flicked from Mikhail to Aaron, before returning to Leana.
Aaron didn't take his eyes of the stranger. He was ready to jump the man at the first sign of threat.
"We are driven by our rational side. The Empaths among us shared their emotions with the Sian Web and kept the psychic network well supplied." The Elysian male leaned forward, hands by his side. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to clench them into fists. "We've preferred to stay away from humans and shifters for generations."
"What’s changed?" Cain growled, nostrils flaring.
The lion shifter was an
intimidating sight when angry, but there was no change in expression on the Elysian's face.
"Over the past year, we've lost many Empaths. Without them, we began to bleed emotions, began to lose touch with our feelings. We became unbalanced."
Aaron shifted his weight, his attention caught by a flicker of something. Was that pain he heard in the man's voice?
"Some went insane. Others killed themselves." The man's lips thinned.
This man cared for his people, Aaron realized. He felt himself begin to empathize with the man. "Why are you telling us this?"
"I need your help." His chest rose and fell as the breath whistled out of him. It was the first sign of weakness he'd betrayed.
"What are you asking for?" Leana placed her hands over her belly.
"Shifters are the most emotional of all the species. Send us three from among them so we can plug them into the Sian Web to replace the emotions of our population."
Logan swore aloud, hands on his hips. "We'll never give up our people."
"I came asking for volunteers. Next time, I won't be so polite." The man's voice lowered. The threat inherent in it implied that his politeness was but a disguise.
"You ask this after wounding so many of us?" Cain bared his teeth.
"One of my team attacked, despite my explicit order to the contrary. My style is more direct. After all, I am here in front of all of you… unarmed." The stranger gestured to the room. "And alone."
"Unarmed my ass." Aaron stabbed his finger at the man. "You hacked into the Ascendants' psychic net."
"Just a small taste of my powers, to ensure you take me seriously." The stranger's lips twisted.
Aaron felt the breath rush out of him at the threat. His muscles thrummed with the need to get his hands on the stranger. "You dare come in here and threaten us on our own turf?" The people in that room were the closest he had to family, and he was damned if he was going to let this man harm any of them.
The stranger didn’t even acknowledge Aaron's words.
Inception Page 3
