Inception

by Laxmi Hariharan

  “I’ve met you. It’s the same thing.” He raised his arms before letting them drop. “The Elysians have been spotted.” His tone grew serious. “On Reunion Island, which is just off the harbor of Bombay. It's deserted except for abandoned oil rigs which were destroyed by the tsunami of 2014.”

  “Freya?” she breathed out, clutching her hands together in front. “She’s there?”

  "On a routine check to the island, one of the soldiers caught a glimpse of the telekinetic handing over the girl to Elysian soldiers." Leaning forward, he touched her shoulder. “The rest of the Guardians have been called out to deal with another attack at the far end of the city. It’s likely a hoax, but we don’t know yet. I am heading there myself to find out.”

  “Aaron and I will leave right away.” The need to get going had her turning to retrace her footsteps.

  “Be careful, Hope,” he called out after her. “You may be walking into a trap, but as long as you and Aaron are together, you will be strong enough to overpower whoever you come up against.”

  His words sent a chill of foreboding down her spine. Shaking it off, Hope headed into the building she’d just left, only to come to a halt.

  This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for. She should just leave.

  And why not? She had the address of the place where the telekinetic was last seen.

  She was strong enough to take on any enemy… But, was she strong enough to take on the Elysians?

  The range of their powers was just being discovered. She had no idea how many of them were there either. But anything was better than staying here.

  If she took Aaron along, he'd only insist on putting himself between her and the Elysians.

  Worse, it would tempt her dragon to reach out to him and mate with him… One way or the other, it would put his life in danger.

  The thought of anything happening to Aaron had the breath shuddering out of her. No, she wouldn't risk his coming along.

  Best to leave right away, save Freya, and get the hell out of this city. He would be safe then, and her dragon… well, her dragon would simply have to learn to live without its mate.

  Turning back, she ran into the courtyard. To her relief, Logan was nowhere in sight.

  Running to the building which housed her apartment, she ran up the stairs to her flat.

  Bursting into the bedroom, she pulled on her boots and jacket. She was out in less than five minutes.

  Heading to the ground floor, she turned away from the courtyard onto the road and made for the harbor.

  Her dragon pushed against her skin, and when she clamped down on it, trying to hold it back, it brushed against her senses.

  It pulsed with such longing, a feeling of such craving, that she realized the dragon was calling out to Aaron, to her mate.

  It dawned on her then that her dragon was awake.

  It had been devastating when she'd lost touch with the animal part of her.

  The dragon pushed against her skin, and the force of its need to go to Aaron was so strong that she almost stumbled. Helpless against the assault of emotion which twisted her heart, she let the tears flow.

  She wasn't going to give in to her dragon's need, but never had her dragon acted so before, as if it was going to pull away from her, leave her… No. Shoving another shield over the dragon, she put on a final burst of speed to reach the pier.

  Dragon 2. Woman 4.

  It hurt too much. She wasn't going to keep count anymore.

  41

  Hope

  Hope had wanted to transform and fly to the island, but doing so would only announce her presence.

  When she reached the pier, she headed to the nearest boat and jumped aboard.

  When she offered money in exchange for hiring the vessel, the owner of the boat balked. His eyes slid to the amber pendant around her neck.

  No, she couldn’t part with it. It's all she had left of her grandmother.

  "Perhaps your need of the boat is not so great that you couldn't part with a piece of jewelry?" The boatman's lips twisted.

  Freya's life, and likely the future of her race, depended on this. Is this what Nora had meant when she'd said that the pendant would come to her rescue when she needed it most?

  Taking off the pendant around her neck, she bartered it for the boat.

  Dropping anchor far enough from the island to keep her arrival a surprise, she swam the rest of the way. Reaching the shore, she kept going until she reached the top of the hill in the center of the island.

  A scattering of trees stretched down the slope, leading to a drilling rig and buildings around it.

  As she scanned the area, a flash of color on the abandoned oil rig in the center caught her attention.

  Keeping to the tree line for cover, she reached the bottom and ran cross the open space, dropping down behind a building. She scanned the place ahead, listening for any movement. There was nothing.

  It didn't feel right. Her dragon rustled against her skin, pushing all her senses on alert.

  Just then, a low scream echoed through the space, cut off as if someone had been silenced.

  Freya! It had to be her.

  Adrenaline pumping, all senses on alert, Hope raced across the short distance to the oil platform.

  Running up the steps, her dragon was so close to the surface that she let its claws rip through her flesh.

  When she reached the top, she was a dragoness in human form. Above her the sun shone down on the platform of the open rig.

  The last thing she expected was to see a table set for a meal.

  Seated on one side was Freya, dressed in a red dress, a scarlet scarf draped around her neck.

  The woman looked straight at her with no flicker of recognition on her face.

  The man next to her leaned back in his chair, his fingers playing with a coin on the table in front of him.

  He wore a shirt, tailored slacks, and a jacket cut to his frame. His body was relaxed. He was expecting her.

  The man pocketed the coin and rose to his feet in a fluid move. "Hello, Hope. Care to join us?"

  Her mouth went dry. Hope sensed she'd walked into a trap, but it was too late. Best to play along and find out more of his intentions.

  Without missing a beat, she walked toward him. He looked familiar, but where had she seen him before?

  The man pulled out the chair for her. When he leaned close, she got a whiff of his scent: metallic and tinged with something dark… like a layer of thick greasy smoke had curled around him. His eyes flashed.

  She realized who he reminded her of. "You are related to Zach." She dropped into the chair, making sure to keep enough distance between them that she didn't risk touching him.

  A flicker of surprise raced across his face. "Beautiful and smart." One side of his lips pulled back in a smile. "I am Tibor, Zach's half brother. It seems I've hunted the wrong dragon shifter all along. It was you I should have sought."

  Anger flared through her. "You kidnapped Mira." Her lips flattened.

  "And you rescued her with Zach's help."

  A flash of insight had her straightening. "What have you done to Zach?"

  "My brother is no longer a threat." As he turned to walk back to his own chair, Tibor’s hand brushed her arm. He'd done it on purpose.

  A wave of repulsion jolted her. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pull away.

  She focused on the woman sitting opposite her.

  Freya's eyes skittered away. Her head hung as she shrunk back against the chair. She was scared of this man.

  Hope's throat closed.

  Had he hurt her like he'd hurt Mira? She had to find a way to get Freya out of here.

  Taking the bottle of champagne from the bucket, Tibor poured Hope a glass. "To new friendships." He clinked her glass.

  Unbelievable! The man was behaving like they were out at a dinner party. Her nerves jangled. She sensed he had a surprise up his sleeve. "What do you want?" Her muscles thrummed with tension
, her dragon pushing against her skin, wanting to break free as she waited for him to make the next move.

  "My, but you do come to the point, don't you? It's quite a turn on, you know?" Those dark eyes glinted, even as the scent of metal around him deepened. The whiff of bitter almonds had her stomach churning.

  He wasn't lying. He was aroused.

  Swallowing down the bile that rose to her mouth, Hope met his gaze steadily. She refused to be cowed down by him.

  Taking another sip of the champagne, Tibor put down the glass. "It's simple. Your life for hers. You submit yourself to me, and I'll let her go. You have my word."

  "Doesn't mean I have to do what you say."

  "Oh, yeah?"

  Smiling, Hope simply dropped into herself, letting her soul sync with the dragon fire inside before it sank into her blood, pulsing through her veins. Her essence, more dragon than human, slammed against her skin and stopped.

  Pain wracked her as her dragon tried to break free. She tried to transform and found she couldn't.

  It was as if there was a weight on her chest, pushing against it, trying to weigh her down.

  Feeling light headed, she gripped her neck, trying to draw in a breath and failing. She managed to raise her eyes long enough to see that the darkness of his iris had bled into the whites of his eyes.

  He tilted his head, and her dragon writhed inside.

  "Stop." She coughed. "What are you doing?" Sweat ran down her forehead, and her breath came in short gasps.

  Tibor's smile widened. "I am controlling your dragon."

  42

  Aaron

  It was early evening by the time Aaron wrapped up the session. Setting off toward Hope's apartment, he found himself hurrying as he neared her block.

  Entering the building, he broke into a run up the steps to the third floor, until he reached her door. Finding it open, he pushed it and stepped inside… and knew at once she wasn't in.

  Where could she be?

  He focused his mind, letting himself think like her. Where would he go if he was Hope? Where?

  For the first time since he'd poured his energy into Hope, he allowed his senses to open.

  Body, mind, and soul. It was as if his psychic senses had just been waiting for this, for he found himself dropping deep into his body, and then the light flared out from his heart, his fingertips, arrowing in straight through the mating bond to Hope.

  The images came in flashes.

  Emotions, colors, and textures… enough to tell him where she was.

  She was not in the apartment; he sensed that already.

  She'd learned about the Elysians' hide out and had gone to rescue Freya on her own.

  Aaron knew Hope didn't want him along.

  She wanted to protect him at all cost. She'd even pledged herself away to keep him safe from the mating bond. He had no doubt she wanted to put him out of temptation's way too, making sure her dragon didn’t reach for him and mate with him.

  Damn that woman for caring so much, for being everything he wanted. And damned if he was going to sit back while she headed straight into danger.

  Even as his gut twisted with fear, he turned and ran out. He knew where he would find her.

  Aaron only prayed he wouldn't be too late.

  Peeling out of the complex in his truck, he was in his boat, heading to Reunion in less than half an hour.

  All he knew for sure was that his mate was in danger. Her dragon was calling to him. Whether Hope liked it or not, he was going to help her.

  Taking his cruiser as close to the island as possible, Aaron cut the motor. Diving into the sea, he swam to shore. Even as his foot hit the sand, he began running.

  Heartbeat racing, his senses were jangling, warning him Hope was in danger. He had to go to her, fast. Even as the thought urged him on, pain exploded against his chest, almost throwing him on his back.

  Staggering with the effort of staying upright, he managed to draw air into lungs that were being squeezed by the pressure on his rib cage.

  He knew without a doubt he was experiencing what Hope was going through right then.

  She was in trouble. Her dragon had reached out to him through the new mating bond and was guiding him to her.

  He felt her pain like his own. If he could, he'd have her funnel all her agony through the bond to him.

  Just like that, he knew what he had to do.

  Reaching inside, Aaron tapped into reserves of energy so unique to him. His abilities as an Ascendant, his experiences from the battles he'd fought as an immortal… he drew on all of it. Then he channeled it all through the bond, pulsing it to his mate.

  All the while, he kept running, through the trees, up the hill, pausing only when he reached the top.

  As he looked down on the group of buildings, straight to the abandoned oil rig in the center, he saw movement. His senses alerted him that she was there on the rig.

  A pulse of panic came down the bond as he realized she was fighting for her life.

  Running to the base of the oil rig, he took the stairs two at a time.

  When he reached the top, he heard Hope gasp, "You can't break through a dragon's psychic shields. They are the strongest of any species."

  Sweat streaming down his forehead, Aaron hunkered down behind a wall of crates. Aaron assessed the situation.

  Hope was talking to a man who he guessed must be the teleporter behind the kidnappings.

  Between them sat a girl, head bent, all the fight beaten out of her. He'd tortured her, Aaron was sure of that.

  "It seems I can." Aaron heard the satisfaction in the Elysian's voice. "All these years of experimenting on shifters have paid off."

  "You've been kidnapping shifters for years?" Hope's voice cracked on the last word.

  Waves of frustration reached down the newly formed bond to him. Her dragon writhed as it tried to break free of the Elysian's hold.

  It sent another burst of pain spiraling toward him, and he bit his forearm to stifle his gasp.

  Darkness crept in at the edge of his vision.

  When it cleared, he heard the Elysian man say, "How else could I have found a way to penetrate a shifter's shields?" He gestured to Freya. "This human here, with her unique shield, was the missing link. If I understood how her shields worked, then I would learn how to find a weak spot in any shield." Bracing his elbows on the table and putting his fingers together in front of him, the Elysian leaned forward.

  "If you can control dragon shifters, it means you can control all other races." Hope's voice was calm. She was managing to hide how much pain she was in.

  "I'll use the dragon shifters to hit Bombay and take over the Council." The man continued talking, unaware of Aaron's presence. "With the Ascendants in my control, I can harness their psychic web to take over all living races."

  "Oh yeah?" Hope got to her feet, and Aaron felt the waves of agony shoot through her.

  Gritting his teeth, he stayed where he was, though every part of him insisted he go save her. But he had to wait for the right time to move, or else this would endanger all their lives. The Elysian was stronger than him, so he had to be smart to find a way to overpower him.

  Hope gripped the table to steady herself. "Let's see you try to shut me up."

  Aaron felt Hope try to shift, and the sheer agony of not being able to transform cut through her. It rippled down the bond, pushing down on his chest and holding him immobile.

  Aaron tried to go to her but found he couldn't.

  The Elysian's telekinetic power slammed Hope against the chair, toppling it over until her head banged against the floor.

  Aaron heard a thud, sounds of grappling, then a growl and another scream.

  "Freya!" Rage surged through Hope and down the bond to Aaron. The emotion was strong enough to create a hairline crack through the control the Elysian had over her beast.

  It gave him a window to move as well.

  Riding the adrenaline, Aaron ran out and launched himself at Tibor.


  He took Tibor by surprise, enough for both of them to crash to the floor.

  The darkness of telekinetic power once more lashed into him, this time with such force he blacked out for a few seconds.

  When Aaron came to, he found Hope on the floor on her back.

  The Elysian raised his joined fists to bring down on her.

  43

  Aaron

  Aaron hurled himself at the Elysian male. Both went flying across the platform, almost to the edge.

  Rolling over, he jumped to his feet, only to bend and ram his fist into the other man's face, then his side, then back to his face.

  His fourth punch missed the other man by inches, for his opponent had swerved and sprang to his feet.

  The man's face was bloodied, and blood splattered the front of his once-white shirt. He grinned, showing teeth rimmed with blood. "Finally, a warrior worthy of a fight."

  "You are the one who attacked Alex's bar. I recognize you," Aaron panted.

  "Tibor Quant at your service." The Elysian mock bowed.

  "Zach's brother?" Aaron recognized the surname.

  "Half brother," Tibor corrected.

  "I stand corrected." Aaron echoed the polite tone. "Zach told us if we volunteered shifters to replenish your emotions, he wouldn't attack the dragon shifters nor the Council of Bombay."

  "Good thing I don't owe loyalty to him anymore." Tibor placed his hands on his hips.

  Aaron's muscles bunched. His fingers twitched with the need to smash his fist into the man's face and knock him unconscious. He realized the Elysian was stronger and as fast as he was.

  Aaron forced himself to take a breath. He had to bide his time and wait for an opening to attack. He had to be strategic. It was not just his life but that of Hope and Freya at stake. "You were banished by the Elysian?" He leaned forward on the balls of his feet, inviting Tibor to speak, indicating Tibor had his full attention.

  "Let's just say I didn't see eye to eye with him. I left with some of the strongest of our race to set up my own faction. We're going to take down Zach and his team."