“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?”
“You missed him too,” she murmured.
He nodded, lifting his hand to brush his thumb over her cheek. “Yes. Sergei is like a brother to me, and our family has been incomplete since he left. Even Yuri would agree with me, if he weren't so stubborn.”
Valentina smiled and glanced over at Yuri, who shrugged but didn't dispute Nikolai's words. She looked up at Sergei again. Even though she knew Sergei wanted to come back to them, too, she didn't want him to suffer either. “Can we stop these rages from happening?”
Lars nodded. “I believe we can, or at least get them under control enough so they won't consume him. We'll need to find a fire channeler beyond reproach to train him, but it's possible.”
Sergei frowned. “How will that work if we're unable to form connections with anyone?”
Lars sighed and ran his hand over his head. “Honestly, I'm not sure. You would all most likely need to be in the same room initially and feel completely comfortable with the training. Even then, there's a chance whoever is training you might realize you're bonded. It depends on the scope of their talents.”
Valentina tilted her head. “You have that ability, correct? Can you tell us what talents we have?” When Lars nodded, she took a step toward him. “We're all in the same room now. Will you form a connection with me?”
Lars's eyes widened. “No offense, Valentina, but I would rather not die today.”
She frowned. “I will not hurt you.”
“On the contrary,” Lars began, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I'm an unbonded Drac'Kin male in my prime who can wield a great deal of power. While on the surface it would be innocent, I'm not willing to form a connection with a woman I'm attracted to with three very large, very possessive, and very deadly men in the same room.”
“I suppose we don't have to kill the Omni after all,” Yuri mused, leaning against the wall. “He's smarter than I thought.”
She huffed. “Then one of you form a connection with him and try it.”
Sergei walked over to Lars. “I will do it.”
Lars nodded and held out his hand as though offering a handshake. Sergei slipped his hand in his. Valentina bit her lip, hoping this would work.
Nikolai moved to stand beside her and put his arm around her waist in a comforting gesture. Grateful for his presence, she leaned into him before focusing again on Sergei and Lars. Nothing appeared to be happening though.
Lars frowned. “I need all of you to try to relax your guard. You're all shielding so hard it's impossible for me to even find the energy connections.”
Valentina took a deep breath to center her thoughts and slowly began to release the intricate citadel of protective energy layers in her mind that guarded her thoughts and emotions. She could feel the rest of them do the same, until they were once again all interconnected.
She nearly swayed at the sensation. It had been so long since she'd felt all of them so intimately. They were each right there, Sergei's burning energy that always warmed away any shadows from her mind, Yuri with his sometimes sharp and acerbic wind that could also be as gentle as a caress, and Nikolai with his steadfast patience, offering peaceful stability. She loved each of them, and together, they completed one another.
Lars was suddenly thrown into the mix, a softer, more tenuous grip than the other three, but she could sense him in their web.
Lars stared at them all in wonder. “By the gods, this is incredible. You're all perfectly matched and in tune with each other. I might be able to reach each of you through Sergei to look at all of your talents.”
Her eyes widened. “You can do that?”
“I believe so,” Lars said with a trace of awe still in his voice. “Will you give me permission to explore the bond you share?”
“Go ahead,” Sergei agreed.
Lars reached out first, testing the strength of Sergei's energy connection, and then prompted him to channel energy toward him. After a long moment, Lars said, “I'll be damned. You can hold a truth shield, and not just a basic one either. I think you may be able to isolate even disingenuous gestures and paralyze someone. It's rare enough that I've never seen it in practice, but a fire channeler would know more about the mechanics. That's a highly coveted ability, and it explains why you're so good at reading people.”
Sergei made a noncommittal noise, and Valentina knew he was already considering how best to put such a talent to use.
Lars's brow furrowed again in concentration. “You also have an affinity for electronics and can generate your own electrical field. Those are highly-specialized talents. I can't tell more without a fire channeler's assistance though. We may need different people to help you develop those abilities. I've never seen them in one person before.”
Lars turned to Nikolai. “May I explore your energy next?”
“What do you need from me?” Nikolai asked, and Valentina could sense his curiosity through their connection.
“It would be easiest if you're willing to take my hand,” Lars admitted. “Otherwise, we can try it through Sergei, but my interpretation may be skewed since it'll be funneling through him. Touch can strengthen my link to you.”
“That's fine,” Nikolai agreed and released her. He held out his hand, and Lars grasped it.
“You need to send some energy in my direction,” Lars instructed and waited while Nikolai's strong energy flowed outward toward Lars. Valentina found herself fascinated as she watched their interaction through their open bond and how Lars assessed Nikolai's energy.
“Yes, you're definitely an earth-energy channeler,” Lars mused. “I believe you may also have more than one specialized talent, Nikolai. You have the ability to reshape the earth, which appears to be quite strong, but there's also something...” He frowned and then his eyes widened. “You can predict future events. At least, you have the ability to see a few minutes into the future. I believe there's only one other individual in the towers with that ability, but we have documentation on it in our archives. I'll make sure you have access to the records.”
“I'd appreciate that,” Nikolai said, releasing his hand. “Ariana is also an earth channeler, correct?”
Lars nodded. “I'm sure she'd be happy to show you how to use your basic talents and explain your more specialized ones too. I suspect you all may be able to tap into your bond with each other to develop even more abilities. If your pairing wasn’t so evenly balanced, you wouldn't be able to do such a thing.”
Yuri approached him and held out his hand. Lars grimaced and said, “This is going to be more difficult since we share the same element. It's hard to avoid the competitive nature of our kind, but I'll do my best.”
Yuri arched an eyebrow. “A little comp
etition might make this entire ordeal more interesting.”
“Yuri,” Nikolai warned.
Yuri grinned, and Valentina could feel him channeling energy in Lars's direction. The other man flinched and said, “Enough.”
Yuri cut off the flow of energy abruptly, and Lars withdrew his hand. “Definitely wind. Interestingly enough, I believe you can communicate with creatures of the sky. I've heard you were an exceptional scout. I can't help but wonder if that's also tied into your talents. I believe you may also have the ability to affect and influence people. It will probably require touch to be effective. Alec possesses that talent, and I'm sure he'd be willing to walk you through it.”
Yuri smirked. “Now that may prove to be interesting. I would not mind influencing Sergei to do a few painful things.”
“I have often said you were full of hot air,” Sergei said with a grin.
Lars turned toward Valentina and hesitated, glancing around at the others. “Will you all kill me if I touch her?”
Her eyes narrowed at them. “Not if they wish to keep breathing.”
Without waiting for a response, she walked up to Lars and offered him her hand. He took it, and she was momentarily taken aback. His skin was cooler than she expected, and with her natural defenses lowered, he reminded her a little of Yuri. She tilted her head to study him, comparing and contrasting her sense of him through their connection.
“Go ahead and channel some energy toward me,” he encouraged, his voice gentler than it had been with the others.
It had been years since she'd explored this side of herself. They spent so much time suppressing their abilities, it was strange to actually embrace it. Focusing within, she withdrew her energy and sent it in his direction. He inhaled sharply, placing his hand over hers, and took a step toward her. Sergei grabbed him and yanked him away, breaking their contact. Yuri and Nikolai surrounded her, each of them scowling at Lars.
“Stop it,” she snapped at them. “What's wrong with you?”
Lars shook his head. “It's not their fault, Valentina. I shouldn't have approached you.”
She huffed in exasperation. “Nothing happened.”
“Valechka,” Sergei said, approaching her warily.
“No, do not Valechka me,” she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. “If he can tell us more about our powers, we need to know. We all suspected some of these things, but now we have confirmation.”
Sergei's fingers flexed as though battling to regain control. “I didn't think it would be this difficult. I do not want him touching you.”
Valentina lifted her chin and approached Sergei. “Do you think I'm unaware of what happened between you and Ariana?”
Sergei blanched.
She nodded. “Exactly. There is only one reason you would be so protective of her.”
“I did not sleep with her,” Sergei declared, his eyes narrowing.
“I did not ask, nor am I offering to sleep with Lars,” she argued, crossing her arms over her chest. Although, secretly, she was glad to hear nothing had happened between him and Ariana. Maybe Lars was right about this bond thing affecting them differently when it involved others of their kind. “Do not try to stop me from doing this, Sergei. There is no connection, except through you. He is only touching my hand.”
Lars frowned. “Sergei's reticence makes sense, Valentina.”
She paused, something about his tone catching her attention. “Why?”
“It's your energy,” Lars began. “It's different than what I expected. There's a quality to it I've only experienced twice before, and that was with Ariana and Kayla. I don't know what it is, but I think the reason Sergei was drawn to Ariana in the first place was because her energy reminded him of you.”
She tilted her head, curious about his explanation. “What do you mean?”
“Your energy is… very potent and highly desirable. I can't say with absolute certainty, but I suspect you're the common thread holding your bond together. If something happened to you, the bond linking all of you would dissolve.”
She frowned, her thoughts unwillingly going back to when they'd first forged their connection. It had been done during a high-intensity test of their endurance and skillsets. Being air dropped into hostile and dangerous territory without any method of communication or their usual equipment would have been bad enough, except she'd mistakenly switched bags with Sergei.
Their trainers had secretly doctored his and Yuri's hydrating packs in an effort to temporarily incapacitate whom they believed to be the strongest members of their team. Unfortunately, the poison had been designed with Sergei's larger body weight and faster metabolism in mind. Yuri hadn't been able to take more than two steps without collapsing, but she'd almost died from the effects. When a freak storm suddenly kicked up, it had prevented their extraction team from reaching them. They'd been trapped in the narrow valley for over a week. From there, the situation had gotten even worse.
She swallowed, pushing aside the memory. “I was the one who did this?”
“No,” Lars said, shaking his head. “You all had to do it willingly, but you're the common element. Yuri may be able to reach Nikolai's energy and vice versa, but only through you.”
“You are the heart of our family,” Sergei reminded her.
Lars considered it for a moment and nodded. “That's probably the most apt description I could imagine. I can try to read you again, but it'll take an extraordinary measure of self-control for them to back off. Your energy is very desirable, and I'm an interloper.”
Valentina lowered her head for a moment and took a steadying breath. “I think we need to take this opportunity to better understand these powers, but I will go along with whatever you all decide. If it hurts you that much, I will not do it. But I wish you would trust me in this.”
They all exchanged a look and then Nikolai said, “We will not interfere unless he crosses a line.”
Sergei frowned. “Will it affect your reading if I am too close? I would prefer holding her while you do this.”
“That should be fine,” Lars agreed. “It affects you more since you're her chosen mate.”
Sergei walked over to her and slid his hands around her waist, drawing her against him. He bent down to kiss her neck. “Do not be angry, Valechka.”
“I'm not angry,” she said in a soft voice, unable to feel anything but comforted by being in his arms again. She held out her hand, and Lars took it once more. Without waiting for a prompt, she went ahead and began channeling energy in his direction.
His eyes closed and he took a deep breath, and she knew he was exploring every nuance of her energy. “You're definitely a water-channeler, but there's something different about it. It's that same quality I've only felt with Kayla and Ariana. You draw energy channelers to you.” He paused again, letting her energy wash over him. “I think… Yes, I was right. You can tap into everyone else's energy. They're all connected through you, so you've essentially inherited all the abilities of a spirit channeler.”
Lars opened his eyes, staring at her in wonder. “You're a healer too. Not an empath like Ari, but you have a tremendous amount of healing skill.” He glanced around at the others. “Do all of you heal faster than normal?”
Sergei squeezed her midsection lightly. “Yes, but more so when we're around Valentina. It's one of the reasons we've been so successful in our endeavors. It's also one of the reasons I was curious about Ariana's healing talent.”
Lars nodded. “She's emitting a low-grade healing wave to each of you through your bond right now. It's not focused, but I would imagine she can do considerable healing if properly directed. There's some other quality I sense, but I've never felt anything like it before. It's almost as though your energy has a different resonance. I can't say with certainty what it is, but I would guess you have at least one other rare specialized skill. Whatever it is, it's very strong.”
She frowned. “Would Ariana know?”
Lars withdrew his hand. “I doubt it. What
I sensed from you wasn't anything like a typical water-energy talent. Part of my training was to expose myself to as many different powers as possible, and I've never encountered anything like this. We can ask Ariana, but I don't think she can test abilities. She can train your healing skills and show you general water skills though. It may take some experimentation to determine the exact nature of that particular talent. In the meantime, I'd like to do some research in our archives to see if we have any records of anything similar.”
When she nodded, Lars added, “It would probably benefit all of you to sit in on each other's training. You may be able to draw on each other's talents through your bond.”
“If you develop your healing ability, you can practice your knife-throwing skills more regularly on Yuri,” Sergei suggested in a whisper loud enough for Yuri to overhear. “A blank canvas can be difficult to find.”
“I vote for practicing on Sergei,” Yuri retorted, crossing his arms.
Valentina rolled her eyes and sighed.
Lars studied them thoughtfully. “Have you guys practiced with your abilities much? It's obvious you're aware of them, but I'd imagine it's difficult to use them around the rest of your people.”
Valentina shook her head. “Not much. We have to keep them suppressed whenever others are around.”
“We experimented when we were on assignment together, but that was many years ago,” Sergei said with a shrug.
“You're all much stronger than I expected,” Lars admitted. “All of you have at least two highly-specialized skills, which isn't common. I can't believe none of us realized how much you were hiding. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you all found each other.”
Nikolai rubbed his chin in thought. “What are the chances we can learn what we need without revealing ourselves to your people?”
Lars hesitated. “It's not impossible, but there are going to be a lot of challenges. We typically form small connections with people during training, but that's going to be difficult in your case. If Valentina wasn't even able to connect with Ariana, I suspect you will all need to be involved. But they'll be able to sense your bond, like I did, the moment a connection is forged. “
The Omni Towers Boxed Set (Books 4-6): A Dystopian Fantasy Series Page 51
