Carl drummed his fingers impatiently on the table in the interrogation room while he waited. It was nearly an hour before Director Borshin and Alec entered. Director Borshin sat at the table across from Carl while Alec casually leaned against the wall and observed.

Director Borshin cleared his throat and said formally, “You’re being charged with accessing a Priority One restricted area. As you know, conviction of this crime will automatically bring your trader status into question, and a review will determine your continued eligibility.”

Carl was quiet for a moment before he spoke, “What area am I being accused of accessing?”

Director Borshin glanced down at his tablet before answering. “You were recorded accessing the Inner Sanctum earlier today without authorization. More charges may be pending upon further review.”

Carl looked at Alec. “You must be desperate to find her if you’re going to these extremes.”

Alec didn’t reply, and Director Borshin continued, “We’re prepared to dismiss all charges related to this crime for information on the whereabouts of Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein.”

“I’m sure you are, but I can’t help you.”

The alarm on the door beeped, and it slid open. Seara stepped into the room and glanced at Carl before turning to Alec.

“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding. I received the notification of their arrest, and I’m here to dispute the charges. They were in the Inner Sanctum at my request. I heard Veridian had returned to the towers and wanted to speak with him.”

Alec studied the woman for a long moment. “Are you prepared to make that an official statement, Seara?”

She inclined her head. “Yes, I am.”

“Very well,” Alec replied. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” He gave Seara a long look and then turned to Director Borshin. “Release them and take her statement.”

She gave him a curt nod, and Alec walked out of the room. Seara turned to Director Borshin. “Director Borshin, I’d like a minute alone with Trader Carl.”

Director Borshin acquiesced, leaving them alone in the room. Seara held up her hand before he could speak. “I apologize for any confusion. I must have forgotten to submit the notification of your visit.”

Realizing they were still being monitored, Carl forced a smile and stood. “No problem. It happens to all of us.”

Seara led him out of the interrogation room. “Director Borshin, I’m ready to give my statement. I trust you’ve released Trader Carl’s crew members?”

Director Borshin looked up. “Yes, Mistress Rath’Varein. They’re in the hallway waiting. If you’d care to have a seat, I can take your statement.”

Seara sat in the chair and darted a quick look at Carl, nodding toward the door. The meaning in her eyes was clear: she wanted him out of there. He had no idea what this was going to cost her, but she appeared to have control of the situation for the moment. Heeding her unspoken request, he headed outside to where Xantham and Veridian were waiting for him.

“Damn, Boss, that was a little too close.”

“Let’s go,” Carl replied, not comfortable with the listening ears around them. “I don’t want to talk here.”

Rina gasped at the sight of them and hugged Carl tightly. “I was so worried. You need to tell me what’s going on right now. Don’t you dare even think about giving me any of that nonsense about trying to protect me. OmniLab Security just arrested my son and searched my home.”

He hadn’t wanted to get her involved, but it was a little late for that. “You’re right. I owe you an explanation.”

She was quiet as he told her the entire story. When he finished, he said, “I’m sorry I brought you into this, Mom, but I’m trying to protect someone I care about.”

Rina sat down in shock. “This is unbelievable.”

Carl crouched down beside her. “I need to go check on Kayla and find out if she’s learned anything about removing the bracelets. We’re running out of time. They’re determined to find her.”

Cruncher paced the room. “I’m sure they’ve got surveillance all over the place, Boss. They’re going to be waiting for you to make a move.”

“Can you see if there’s a way to access the security system? I want to find out if there’s any way I can get out of here without them detecting me.”

“Yeah, I think we can figure something out.”

While Cruncher, Xantham, and Veridian began working on the problem, Rina pulled on Carl’s arm to get his attention. “I don’t think you should go, Carl. Let me go check on her. They won’t be expecting me.”

Carl looked at his mother in surprise. Although he was touched by the courageousness of her offer, he wouldn’t risk it. He already had to deal with one woman he cared about who was intent on putting herself in danger; he wasn’t sure his heart could handle another. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to drag you into this any more than I already have. If this goes badly, I won’t risk anything happening to you or Dad.”

She frowned. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

What he didn’t say was that if things went badly and he was exiled, he had more options than she did. But judging by the worried expression on his mother’s face, he didn’t have to say it. The threat was very real.

Carl offered her a reassuring smile before turning away to join the rest of his men in trying to access the security system.

Several hours later, Cruncher announced, “Boss, I think I’ve got it!”

Carl’s head jerked up. “What? How?”

“I’m not sure, but I used one of the tricks Kayla showed me with the security layers. There were some holes, and I managed to slip inside.”

Carl moved over to look at Cruncher’s screen. “You sure about this?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Cruncher admitted. “Kayla told me the security systems were similar in design.”

Xantham leaned over to view the screen. He ran his fingers over the tablet and entered some commands. He shook his head and clucked his tongue. “I’m not sure, Boss. It looks like he’s in clean, but I don’t have a good feeling about it. It’s a risk.”

Carl swore. “The longer we wait, the riskier this becomes. We have to be out of the towers in two days, but I need to get Kayla out sooner. She might have figured out how to remove the bracelets, but I won’t know until I speak with her. It’s too risky trying to contact her through comms.”

“Why not use me as a decoy?” Veridian suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“If it’s a setup and they’re monitoring, I can be the one who will go and lead them around for a while. You can sneak out and go check on Kayla.”

It had a high potential for failure, but it was their best option. Veridian’s ties to Kayla were well known. “Let’s do it,” Carl agreed. “How long do you need until you can deactivate the cameras in this area?”

“Five minutes,” Cruncher replied.

“Okay,” Carl said. “Veridian will head out one minute before you deactivate them. I need about thirty seconds to make it to a service elevator.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

When Cruncher gave the signal, Veridian headed outside. Carl waited until Xantham gave him the next signal before slipping out of the room and walking in the opposite direction. The hallway was empty at this time of night, and he moved quickly around the corner toward a service elevator.

Carl punched in a code and the elevator shot downward toward a busy shopping and entertainment level. He moved through the crowds and slipped down a hallway toward another service elevator. Taking this elevator to another level, he continued to work his way through the towers.

When he was confident he wasn’t being followed, Carl took another service elevator to Rand’s floor. He walked quickly to Rand’s door and pressed the button. The door slid open, and Rand waved him inside.

“Sorry it took so long,” Carl greeted his friend. “I got tied up.”

“I heard. Kayla said you’d been arrested.”

He shouldn’t have been surprised she knew about the arrest. Leaving her alone with access to a computer in Rand’s suite probably meant she had her fingers in all sorts of OmniLab pies.

Rand chuckled. “You didn’t tell me she was a first-class tech. She’s the one who sent the notification to her mother telling her you’d been arrested.”

“Where is she?”

Rand pointed to his office. “She fell asleep a couple of hours ago. Poor thing was exhausted. I don’t think she slept all night. But even so, she made me promise to tell you to wake her when you got here.”

Carl walked into the darkened office where Kayla was curled up on a couch with a blanket thrown over her. He sat on the edge of the couch next to her and smiled as he studied her sleeping form. It was a mystery how such a troublesome creature could appear so innocent. He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her temple.

“Kayla?”

Opening her eyes, she smiled as she recognized him. “Hey.” She yawned sleepily and wrapped her arms around him. “You made it.”

He kissed her lightly and pulled her into his lap, where she cuddled up against him. “I heard I have you to thank for that.”

“Mmm,” she murmured, nuzzling his chest. “You wouldn’t have even been there if it weren’t for me. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Rand says you’ve been asleep for a couple of hours. I would have let you sleep longer, but I’m not sure how long I can stay.”

“Crap, I didn’t mean to sleep so long.” She sighed and pushed the blanket aside.

Carl’s eyes lingered over her figure, and he lightly ran his fingers up her bare leg. “I can’t tell you how much I want to take you back to bed.”

She laughed as he tickled her. “And you call me distracting?”

“You’re very distracting. Especially when you’re wearing nothing but a T-shirt.”

She gave him a seductive smile. “I could always take it off.”

Carl raised an eyebrow. She shifted so she was straddling his lap. Carl ran his hands up her thighs until they found their way under her shirt and rested on the gentle curve of her waist. “Yeah, you could do that, but I’m not sure we’ll have time for what’ll happen if you do.”

A loud chime echoed throughout the entire quarters, and Kayla looked around in confusion.

“What’s that?”

“Shit!” Carl moved her back onto the couch. “Kayla, stay here. Whatever you do, don’t come out.”

She frowned as he left the room and closed the office door behind him. Rand met him at the door. “This isn’t good.”

“I’ll take responsibility for this, Rand,” Carl promised.

A moment later, the front door opened. Alec stepped inside, along with Director Borshin and half a dozen security officers.

“Master Tal’Vayr,” Rand greeted him. “It’s an honor to see you again.”

Alec looked amused. “Is it?”

Carl held out his hands. “I’m not sure what this is about, Master Tal’Vayr. Rand and I go way back. When I heard he was a trader applicant, I stopped by to catch up with him.”

“I see. Then I’m sure you won’t have a problem with us conducting a search of the premises. Director, go ahead. She’s here.”

Director Borshin directed the security officers to begin searching the quarters. Alec turned toward Rand. “I’m surprised you agreed to this. You realize your decision has jeopardized any chance you had of becoming a trader. As for you, Carl, I’ll see your title stripped by morning. I warned you not to play games with me.”

“Alec, stop it,” Kayla’s voice interrupted him.

Carl turned and nearly groaned when she stepped through the doorway. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and it was obvious she had just stumbled out of bed. Rand’s shirt had slipped off her shoulder, its length barely falling mid-thigh. Oblivious to the stares, her eyes glittered with angry determination.

“Kayla,” Alec greeted her in a low voice.

She looked around the room at the security officers and then turned to Alec. “I want to speak with you privately. Get them out of here.”

Carl expected Alec to object, but he simply motioned for the Director and security personnel to wait outside.

Kayla waited until they were gone before approaching Alec. She’d spent hours scouring through emails and correspondence, trying to get a better understanding of the political structure in the towers. Although her knowledge was still somewhat rudimentary, she had more than enough experience with the dark side of human nature to give her additional insight.

She also trusted her gut. Even though she still had reservations about Alec, she suspected he was her best chance to redeem herself and fix the situation. The fact Alec had asked everyone to leave gave her hope she was right in her estimation of him.

“You know damn well Carl and Rand haven’t done anything wrong. As an Inner Circle member, I asked them both for help. They honored that request.”

Alec’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Is that so? You’re claiming your title now?”

Kayla knew what he was asking. By acknowledging her title, she was agreeing to be subject to the laws and guidelines of the towers. Her independent nature made her want to kick him in the shins and run for the door, but she couldn’t allow Carl or Rand to be punished because of her decisions. Her eyes narrowed, and she hissed, “Yes, damn you. Now back off and leave them alone.”

“Of course, Mistress Kayla Rath’Varein,” he replied with a small bow. She grimaced at the title but didn’t object. “If you’re willing to take your place as an Inner Circle member and vouch for them, my business with them is settled. Are you prepared to return with me to the Inner Sanctum now?”

Before she could reply, Carl stepped forward with his fists clenched. The anger roiling off him was nearly tangible. “So you can keep her imprisoned with the rest of the Inner Circle?”

Alec raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. It sounds like someone has been telling you some rather fanciful stories.”

Kayla considered reminding Alec about the cute little holding room but held her tongue. The tension in the room was nearly suffocating. Carl had gone into protective mode and seemed to be looking for an excuse to go after Alec. She sighed, dropping her shoulders, and looked up at Alec. The time for games was over. What happened in the next few minutes would affect all of them.

Abandoning all pretenses, she lifted her hands in a pleading gesture. “Alec, please, I need your help. I know how to remove the bracelets, but I can’t do it without you.”

Alec paused at her announcement. He glanced at Carl and Rand before returning his gaze to Kayla. She didn’t blame him for looking skeptical.

“How?”

It was time to lay her cards on the table. She stepped forward and grabbed Alec’s hand. “I’ll show you.”

Surprised, he followed her into Rand’s office.

“Sit,” she ordered. Alec raised an eyebrow, but he took a seat while Carl and Rand remained standing.

“If this day wasn’t weird enough with Andrei Rath’Varein’s daughter wearing my clothes and sleeping on my couch, it just got even more bizarre. I’ve got the next member of the High Council sitting on my couch too,” Rand muttered in a low voice.

Carl nodded in agreement as Kayla turned the computer terminal back on. She ignored them and climbed on the couch next to Alec. He glanced down at her bare legs.

“Do you usually make it a habit of running around only half dressed?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t abduct me when I’m wearing an evening dress and I’ll see what I can do. Now shut up and look.”

Alec chuckled and looked at the screen. Pulling up Cessel’s research, she pointed to an image of the bracelets and zoomed in on the diagram.

“The way these are designed is tricky,” she explained and pointed to two areas. “If you were able to direct two powerful energy bursts simultaneously here and here, it should flood the bracelet and deactivate them.”

Alec leaned forward and shook his head. He didn’t look surprised at her revelation. He’d obviously already considered and discarded the notion. “It’s not possible, Kayla. You’re talking about more energy than I can generate. Even if you were able to generate that much energy, you don’t have the precision yet to hit one of those targets, much less both.”

Kayla nodded. “Right. But what if you were to use my energy along with yours to send the pulses into the bracelet?”

Alec gave her a sharp look. “What are you saying?”

“I read through Cessel’s notes. He said there’s a way you can link with individual people without the use of a bracelet. Can’t you tap into my energy and use it to give yourself enough power to deactivate the bracelets?”

Alec’s voice came into her head. “This is not something to be discussed in front of outsiders.”

Alec stood and flipped open his commlink. “Director, you can dismiss all but the required security personnel. Remain outside, though, and arrange to have someone go to the Rath’Varein quarters to pick up Kayla some suitable attire. I’m going to be a bit longer.”

He snapped his commlink shut before turning to look at Carl and Rand. “Would you mind giving us a moment? There are some things I need to discuss with Kayla in private.”

Carl looked at Kayla questioningly. She nodded at him to let him know it was okay. Carl didn’t look happy about it, but he and Rand left the room and slid the door shut behind them.

Kayla watched as Alec let out a long exhale. “You knew about the weakness in the bracelets, didn’t you?”

Alec met her gaze and nodded. “I’ve been looking for a way to deactivate the bracelets for months. I came to your same conclusion, but too many of us are wearing the bracelets. I don’t think anyone here has the potential to generate enough energy to short-circuit the bracelets.”

Kayla cocked her head. “If you show me how, I can help.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking weary. “Kayla, I don’t think you understand what you’re asking. Don’t get me wrong, your solution is a very attractive offer, and in another time and place, I would be extremely open to it. But not until you fully comprehend exactly what you’re asking.”

Kayla looked at him in confusion. “I don’t understand. It’s pretty straightforward. You take my energy, zap those bracelets, and the Inner Circle is freed and can take back their power from the High Council.”

Alec chuckled at her description. “Yes, that sounds pretty straightforward. But what you’re talking about doing is not something that’s done casually. Sharing energy creates an extremely close bond between the two individuals.”

“But the bracelets do it.”

“Yes, but it’s not the same.”

“Alec, please,” Kayla said softly. “This is our best shot. It’s my fault these people are wearing those stupid things. I found the data cube that started all of this. Let me help fix it.”

He studied her for a long time. “I think you need to see what you’re asking.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You’ll do it?”

“I didn’t say that,” he corrected her. “I want to show you what you’re asking. If you still want to go through with this afterward, I’ll agree.”

Kayla pulled back, her misgivings growing. She wanted to help but there were limits. “Why? Is it going to hurt?” She considered herself tough, but she wasn’t into pain.

He shook his head. “Sharing energy doesn’t hurt. I’ll walk you through every step. If you want to stop at any time, just say the word.”

She stood, determined to do this. “Okay. What do I do?”

He stood in front of her and looked down into her eyes. “Relax. I have to touch you to do this. It won’t hurt. You’ll feel a slight warmth.”

“All right.”

He lifted both of his hands, gently laying them on her face. She felt his fingers warm, but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. It was actually rather soothing, and the strange sense of intimacy was nice. There was a slight vibration coming from him, similar to what she felt when she had imagined the sparkling globe.

“You’re right.” His voice was in her head again. “Think about the vibration. That’s the energy flowing through you. Just listen to it and follow it.”

Kayla’s immediate reaction was to shut him out of her mind, but she forced herself to relax. She focused on the link between them and saw it strengthen and shift. Hundreds of colors appeared, and she followed the threads in her mind. They formed a beautiful web, and she admired it for a few moments. “Am I doing it right?”

“Yes. I want you to see how the energy works and how it flows. I’ve never met anyone able to weave such pure and brilliant colors without any form of training.”

“I’m doing this?” she asked in alarm.

“It’s okay, Kayla,” he reassured her in a soothing mental voice. “You’re not even aware of it. I’m not directing this flow at all. This is all you. You can push me out of your mind at any time. The only time I direct the flow is when I’m trying to influence someone. One day, if you want, I’ll show you the way that pattern looks.”

“Maybe.” She wasn’t willing to commit to continuing these lessons beyond her current goal. She was already outside her comfort zone.

Alec didn’t push and instead directed her attention to the threads of energy. “Right now, some of your energy threads are woven together but others are loose and floating. You need to rein them in. If you’re not using them, it’s usually a good idea to keep them woven together. If you need them quickly, it’s easier to gather them if they’re already together.”

“How do I do that?”

“Pick a thread that’s floating unbound and weave it together with another thread. Keep it loose though. You want to keep control of them, not build an impenetrable wall.”

Intrigued by the wall idea, she asked, “Why not?”

“Because you need to be able to see and feel what’s going on around you. If you close yourself off to the world, you’ll end up back in that dark area you were in yesterday when you were unconscious.”

“Oh.” Kayla did as he instructed and focused on one of the free-flowing, loose threads. She pulled it toward her and was surprised when it seemed to understand what she wanted. With little effort, she held onto it. She reached for another thread and wove them together. The colors seemed to mesh together and collide. Fascinated, she studied them for a long moment.

She felt Alec’s approval and began pulling the other loose threads together. When she finished, she took hold of the thread between the two of them.

“If you weave that thread into the mix, our connection will be severed. If I touch you again, I won’t be able to connect with you unless you’re willing. You’ll need to remove a thread of energy from your web and reach for me.”

“Wait, that’s how I can block you from reading my thoughts?”

“Yes.”

She released it. “How do I hold this together? Won’t it become unraveled if I’m not thinking about it?”

“It may take some concentration initially, but not much. You seem to be picking up on this quickly. You’re already subconsciously weaving some threads. Once you get used to doing it, it will become second-nature to you.”

Practice. She could do that. This process was much less complicated than Kayla had expected. “Okay, now what?”

“This is where it gets a little tricky. You need to take all of your threads and give them to me. Connect them to mine.”

Kayla stared at the large number of threads. “All of them?”

“Yes,” he replied dryly. “You’ll be opening yourself up to me completely by doing this. You won’t be able to push me out. The same goes for me. The connection can only be severed by mutual agreement. It also cannot be formed without this step. This is why it’s uncommon. It’s an act of complete trust. The only way to possibly generate the amount of power necessary is through this step.”

Kayla hesitated, uncertainty filling her. It had seemed like a good idea at first, but she wasn’t sure she could willingly give up control to another person. It went against everything she’d ever learned.

“You don’t have to do this, Kayla. I can train you how to use your energy and become precise in targeting. It’ll take some time, but you can eventually learn how to form a smaller bond so we can target them together.”

“No.” It could take months or years to gain the level of expertise she needed and even then, there was no guarantee. Veridian had once told her everything happened for a reason. She’d never given much thought to the concept of fate, but maybe he was right. Maybe everything was inter-connected, and perhaps this was a lesson she needed to learn. She needed to take that leap of faith.

She took all of her threads and sent them toward Alec. She gasped when she felt herself connect with him. Kayla realized he was taking as much of a risk as she was. She opened her eyes and looked up into his clear-blue ones.

Kayla could feel everything he was experiencing and understood he was able to do the same. Curious, she reached up to touch his face and marveled how she was able to experience the duality of the sensation of touch. She could sense his thoughts and emotions and knew her touch affected him deeply. She felt his desire and realized he knew exactly how she felt in return.

“Shit,” she thought in alarm. “Okay, fine, I think you’re incredibly sexy and the thought of jumping you is pretty damn attractive. Okay, it’s a lot more than just attractive. But I have a thing for Carl. I’m not going to act on it.”

She sensed a combination of amusement and irritation emanating from him. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to continue?”

Kayla hesitated briefly. “There’s more to this?”

“Quite a bit. If you’re ready, I’m going to send you some energy. When you receive it, I want you to try to send it back.”

“I’m ready.”

He sent a small pulse of energy toward her, and Kayla laughed in delight as the energy tickled her senses. Alec smiled at her, and she carefully returned the pulse.

“Good,” he said in approval. “In order to accomplish what you’re talking about doing with the bracelets, we have to establish a steady flow of energy. I’m going to send you a larger stream of energy so you can see what I’m talking about.”

More prepared now, she said, “Okay, go ahead.”

He sent a steady stream of energy toward her, and she marveled at the feeling as it washed over her. She felt as though she was showering in the clearest of thoughts and colors. She had never felt so safe or as alive as she did at that moment.

Kayla explored the way his energy poured through to her and noticed she felt a slight pull toward him. She wondered if she was depleting his energy and supposed she should probably return some to him.

“Kayla, wait,” he urged. “Don’t close the circuit.”

His thought came too late. Following his example, she sent her own stream of energy toward him. She gasped when their energy linked together and rushed through both of them. Kayla couldn’t help but close her eyes and simply feel the exquisite sensations rushing through her. She’d never felt so connected to anyone before and wanted nothing more than to have him touch her and claim her.

The foreign thought surprised her, but it felt so natural and right that she was confused for a moment.

“Break the circuit if you can,” Alec instructed.

Bewildered by his request, she wondered why he would ever want this feeling to end. She wanted his hands on her more than anything else. She reached up and pressed her lips against his and felt his desire match her own. It only made her want him more. She wanted more energy from him and increased her flow of energy in an effort to entice him into responding.

“Stop the flow of energy, Kayla. I don’t think I can resist much longer.”

She hesitated a moment before pulling her energy back from him. She felt him shudder at the sudden withdrawal. He looked at her with such an aching need that she wanted to return the connection.

“No, don’t. Just give me a minute.”

Alec closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. She felt him carefully withdraw his energy from her. She winced at the sudden intimate and painful loss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him.

“Take your time,” he suggested. “You can still feel the connection, just not the energy.”

Whimpering slightly, she leaned into him and rested her head against his chest. She heard and felt the beating of his heart in sync with her own.

“When you’re ready, go ahead and take your energy threads away.”

Kayla shook her head, unwilling to break the connection.

He said gently, “You need to do it, Kayla. I know it’s hard, but I won’t go away. I promise. You can always reach for me, I’ll be here for you.”

She felt the truth in his thoughts. He felt the same way she did. She also knew he was worried about her. He was concerned he had taken her too far too quickly. Reluctantly, she pulled the energy threads away.

Alec released her, and she stepped back, trembling slightly.

“Are you all right?”

She looked up at him and blushed at the intimacy they’d shared. “Yeah. I, um, see what you mean now.”

He gave her an understanding smile. “I wasn’t expecting to show you quite that much.”

Kayla bit her lip, unsure about this whole energy thing. “Is it going to be like that when we fry the bracelets?”

He shook his head. “No. You’ll be the one sending your energy toward me. As long as the energy flows in one direction, it’s fine.”

“What happened just now?”

“Ahh, well…” He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Mutually sharing energy is usually only done between two people who are seeking a stronger bond than a physical one.”

Kayla stared at him. “Are you trying to tell me in your polite Omni way that we just mind-fucked each other?”

Alec’s mouth curved into a grin. “I think that qualified more as mind-foreplay. That’s why you didn’t want to stop.”

“Holy shit.” She dropped down on the couch, completely stunned.

He nodded. “It’s a powerful thing. That’s one of the reasons we tend to keep to our own kind. It’s not only our regular abilities. You could easily have a physical relationship with someone else, but you won’t find that complete connection outside of the Circle.”

“You mentioned bloodlines and our unique heritage before,” Kayla recalled. “Why are we different?”

Alec smiled and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “Do you remember the dragon statue you discovered in the ruins?”

“Of course. What about it?”

“The dragons have had countless names over the centuries. But here, in the towers, we usually refer to them as the Drac’kin. Thousands of years ago, when our world was still linked to other worlds, the Drac’kin were a dominant force. They waged a war in the Otherworld which nearly destroyed this world and several others in the process.”

Kayla looked at him skeptically. “This sounds like a fairy tale.”

“I suppose it does,” he agreed. “But regardless, during this battle, one of the Drac’kin betrayed her kind. She gave others the knowledge to close the rifts between the worlds. They followed her instructions and some of the Drac’kin became trapped here on this world. Their descendants lived on. Some intermingled with the humans while others tried to keep their bloodlines pure.”

“You’re saying we’re related to these Drac’kin?”

He nodded. “The most powerful talents usually have the purest bloodlines. OmniLab was created to try to preserve as many of our kind as possible.”