The entire forum was in an uproar. Alec caught Kayla as she started to collapse. He looked up and saw Carl pushing through the throng of people to get to them. Alec pushed her toward him. “Stay with her. This isn’t finished yet.”

Alec stood as chaos erupted around them. Someone from the audience shouted, “The bracelets have been broken!”

Edwin staggered and leaned against the table for support, squinting and rubbing his temples. A mixture of shock and rage was plastered on his face as he realized he no longer had the ability to tap into the energy pool.

Alec scanned the room. Something needed to be done to take control of the situation or people might break out into a riot. Most of the Council members still seemed dazed by the energy feedback from the destruction of the bracelets. Seara met his gaze and seemed to come to the same conclusion. She stepped up on the platform, raising her hands for attention. Her voice cut across the room as she announced, “As the head of House Rath’Varein, I claim my right to a seat on the High Council.”

The announcement was enough to quiet down most of the audience.

“You?” Edwin mocked, recovering from the blast. “You know nothing about the politics in this tower, Seara. You’re nothing but arm candy for those who actually get things done.”

His words didn’t seem to faze her. “That’s where you’re wrong, Edwin. I admit I’ve been blinded by grief, allowing you to lead the High Council and watching while you ran these towers nearly into the ground. For that, I appeal to the people of the tower for forgiveness. But my passivity is at an end. I will not watch you abuse and manipulate these people any longer.”

Keith hesitated and rubbed his temples, looking at the angry faces in the audience. “Edwin, if she claims it, it’s her family’s right.”

Alec couldn’t resist a smug smile when several of the other council members nodded in agreement. With the volatile Inner Circle members in the room no longer being controlled by the bracelets, the High Council was backpedaling fast.

Edwin glared at Keith. “Absolutely not. As the leader of the High Council, I reject her claim.”

“You have no right to reject my claim, Edwin. You are merely a facilitator. The rules and the laws have always been clear. There is a seat for each of the families who founded these towers.”

Marcus stood and gestured to an empty chair. “Your acceptance is enough, Seara. Your position on the High Council is acknowledged.”

She inclined her head. “As the newest member of the High Council, my first request is that a formal inquiry be made into Master Edwin Tal’Vayr’s activities. It is my belief he is no longer fit to lead the High Council.”

Edwin’s face lit with fury. Alec had seen that expression before and it boded nothing good. He quickly reinforced the shield to include Seara too. Without Kayla’s energy, he was uncertain how long it would hold. Edwin sent another large burst of energy toward the shield, and Alec winced. In a voice low enough only Seara could hear, he said, “Seara, I don’t know how long I can maintain the shield. I’m using what energy I can to keep my connection with Kayla active, but she’s slipping even further away.”

Seara nodded in acknowledgment and whispered, “Break the shield and go to Kayla. I’ll handle Edwin.”

Alec stepped off the platform and knelt beside Carl, who was unsuccessfully trying to revive Kayla. Edwin sent another assault toward Alec’s shield, and Alec felt it weaken even more.

As his shield fell away, Seara quickly wove a wall of energy around Edwin. Even from several feet away, Alec could sense Edwin’s energy pummel against hers. Seara wasn’t as skilled in defensive maneuvers, and he cursed the fact she’d always preferred the more nurturing aspects of energy channeling.

Another large burst of energy erupted from Edwin and hit one of the weaker areas of Seara’s shield. It tore through her defenses, and she cried out as pain lanced through her.

Keith jumped to his feet, rushing forward to intervene. “Edwin, stop! We do not attack other High Council members. You’re behaving irrationally. Seara has the right to a formal inquiry.”

Edwin grabbed the man, unleashing a powerful blast of energy that sent residual waves throughout the room. Keith’s eyes widened in horror, his hesitation and shock at Edwin’s attack delaying his reaction. The full force of the impact hit him, and he was helpless to defend against it. With a strangled gasp, he collapsed in Edwin’s grip.

Like a connoisseur appreciating a fine wine, Edwin inhaled deeply as Keith’s lingering energy flowed into himself. Once he’d finished savoring the effects, he released the man, letting his lifeless body slump to the ground.

“I will not tolerate my orders being countermanded. This woman—this entire family—has done nothing but hold us back.” Edwin raised his head and snapped his fingers at the security officials standing around the room. Up to this point, they’d been focused on keeping the audience in their seats. “Security! Take Seara and Kayla into custody immediately.”

Alec knew his father was power-hungry and irrational at times, but he’d never before seen the madness in his eyes. The other High Council members gasped and looked at each other uneasily, sensing the same thing. No one seemed willing to step up after seeing what happened to Keith.

Alec glanced down at Kayla, feeling humbled for the first time in his life. Not only had she sacrificed escaping the towers to try to break the shackles binding the Inner Circle, but she’d stood before the entire room and faced his father head-on. He’d felt her fear, but she’d pushed it aside and focused on accomplishing her goals with unrelenting determination.

She didn’t know any of them nor did she owe them any loyalty. They’d assumed she’d perished in the ruins with everyone else and written her off. He’d seen Carl’s reports and the interviews with Ramiro’s crew. He knew what she’d suffered at the hands of OmniLab her entire life, yet she was able to put all of that aside and try to protect them.

Alec looked up at each of the High Council members. Shame filled him. They were all cowards, even him. Each one of them could have taken a stand a long time ago, but they’d all stood back, smug in their own superiority and egocentricities. Alec’s jaw clenched in determination, and he turned to face the approaching security officials.

With a sharp energy blast designed to stun, he knocked them away from Kayla’s unconscious form. “If you lay a hand on her, I’ll kill each and every one of you.”

Turning to face his father, his eyes narrowed. “You’ve gone too far. Seara and Kayla have done nothing wrong. Kayla had the opportunity to leave the towers but remained here to free the Inner Circle. She didn’t grow up knowing any of us, but her bloodline is true. She risked everything to reverse the prison you’ve created. You’re the one holding us back, not the Rath’Varein family.”

“So you intend to betray your own father?” Edwin roared, knocking a pitcher of water off the desk. “I should have let you go down into those ruins with your mother and Andrei Rath’Varein. We were well rid of those easily manipulated fools when the ruins collapsed.”

Seara’s hand flew to her heart, and she stared at him in horror. “You had them killed, didn’t you? My husband? Your wife?”

Edwin’s eyes turned hard and his words were clipped, edged with bitterness. “You were supposed to have gone with them to the ruins that day with Andrei, not Catherine. Your husband was destroying these towers with his passivity. He knew our time was running out, and we needed to employ drastic measures to keep OmniLab viable. When he refused to listen to reason and step aside, I did what was necessary to ensure our survival.”

Tears streaked down Seara’s face. “He was your friend, Edwin. Some of the greatest minds and powers our kind has ever seen were in those ruins.”

Several of the other Inner Circle members who had been previously imprisoned by the bracelets pushed forward to the front of the room. An elderly woman stepped forward and motioned for the other Inner Circle members to join hands.

The woman turned to Alec, her face wrinkled with age, and offered her hand. “My son was in those ruins along with your mother. Our energy is yours.”

He took her hand, accepting the weight of her pronouncement. Seara joined hands with the other Inner Circle members and gave him an encouraging nod. A few of the High Council members also moved away from Edwin and went to stand beside Seara.

“Stand down,” Alec ordered Edwin. “The Inner Circle is united.”

“You’re a fool,” Edwin sneered.

Alec felt his father gathering energy, and he felt his hopes for a peaceful resolution fade. Strengthened by the support of the people standing beside him, he channeled the Inner Circle’s energy in response and crafted a reverse shield around Edwin. Edwin’s eyes narrowed as the shield tightened around him. The shield might stop mental attacks, but not physical ones. Edwin stepped forward toward his son.

“You dare,” he hissed, raising his hand as though to strike.

Before he could make contact, Alec grabbed his arm with his free hand. “I’m sorry, Father, but those people, including my mother, deserved to live.”

Alec channeled an enormous burst of energy toward his father. Edwin’s eyes widened in shock and he staggered. Alec gripped him tighter, forcing the energy into him. Edwin clutched his chest and fell backward. Alec didn’t relent and kept channeling the energy long after his father was still.

“Alec…” Seara’s voice broke through, and he pulled back. He stared down at his trembling hands, the reality of what he’d done crashing over him. He’d acted as the hand of justice, judging and executing without even a hearing. A hush fell over the room when they realized the High Council leader had been killed.

He looked up, afraid of what he would find on the faces surrounding him. He expected to see recrimination, but most were full of understanding, support, and even gratitude.

Seara put her arm around him, offering him a comfort he wasn’t sure he deserved. “You did the right thing, Alec. But please, Kayla needs you.”

Alec immediately reached for the connection he shared with Kayla. It was even weaker now. His hands shook as he went back to Kayla and knelt beside her. He may have taken a life today, but he could save another. He wouldn’t let her die.

Marcus shooed everyone away to clear a space around Kayla. “Security! Clear the room immediately.”

While the security officers scrambled to enforce his command, Carl relinquished his hold on Kayla. It pained him to let her go, but Alec had the best hope of reaching her. She’d been unresponsive since she collapsed, her breathing growing more and more shallow. Worry gripped him as he moved aside so Alec could assess her.

Seara hovered over them. “Is she all right?”

Alec shook his head, taking Kayla’s hand in his. “She went into the energy pool and deactivated my father’s source from there. I can still feel her, but it’s faint. If she hears me at all, she isn’t responding.”

Carl frowned, reaching down to brush Kayla’s hair away from her face. Her skin was cool and clammy to the touch. “Can you pull her out again like you did earlier?”

There was a long pause before Alec answered. “Yes, but the amount of energy required will most likely forge a complete bond with her.”

Carl nodded. He’d expected no less. “But you’ll be able to bring her back?”

“For what it’s worth, I know she loves you.”

Carl closed his eyes, lowering his chin to his chest in resignation. He’d rather see her with Alec than lose her forever. She deserved a chance to explore the possibilities life had to offer. He bent down, brushing his lips against hers. His voice was hoarse as he whispered, “Do whatever you have to do if it will bring her back.”

Kayla was floating in a nice, fluffy cloud of nothingness. Time seemed suspended as she drifted in this spatial existence. She was dimly aware her physical form existed outside of the nothingness, but the link no longer seemed as important. It was becoming more difficult to tell where she began and ended. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure she cared all that much.

A pleasant warmth teased the edge of her consciousness, bringing her back to a state of semi-awareness.

“That’s nice. I didn’t realize I was cold.”

“Kayla, you need to come back now. Follow the stream back.”

She recognized Alec’s demanding voice, but wasn’t sure she wanted to bother. Obeying his request seemed like more trouble than it was worth. She started to dismiss him, but a stronger pulse of energy washed over her, teasing and tempting as it flooded her senses.

Intrigued, Kayla basked in the promising flow of warm energy streaming over her. Wanting more, she instinctively returned a stream of energy in response.

“That’s right,” Alec encouraged gently.

She could feel him now, his thoughts and emotions growing more entwined with hers, but he was still too far away. Her stream of energy was clumsy and chaotic next to his, and she pulled back in frustration. She could sense him and wanted to merge their energies, but it was impossible to focus.

Kayla faltered, not knowing how to reach him. As though he sensed her despair, Alec’s energy magnified until it became a brilliant display, penetrating and filling her with light. The beguiling warmth of his energy evoked a longing within her, demanding a response.

Captivated by the raw display of power, Kayla’s stream of energy became more purposeful and she matched his intensity. She gathered all of the energy she was capable of holding and sent it toward him. When the two complete and intense energy forces collided, they blended and merged with one another.

Kayla watched in amazement as the darkness fell away. She was lost in a world of color and thought. She floated along Alec’s stream of energy and felt the love and desire emanating from him. For the first time in her life, she felt complete and total acceptance.

She mirrored his thoughts and feelings. Opening her eyes, Kayla looked up into his brilliant blue ones. The tenderness in his gaze wrapped around her like a cocoon, offering comfort and understanding. Alec stroked her face, and she leaned into him, inhaling his rich, seductive scent. She reached for him, needing his touch as if it were an anchor.

“Welcome back, my love.”

Kayla smiled up at him, tracing the contours of his face. The slight stubble of his jaw was rough against her fingers, and she marveled at the contrast of the softness of his mouth. She wanted to nibble along his jawline, tasting him until she reached his lips. Sensing her thoughts, his eyes dropped to her mouth, and she felt a sudden rush of desire from him. “This is what it feels like to have a complete connection?”

“Yes. It takes harnessing all of our energy to form the complete bond.”

Her fingers clutched his shirt, and she pulled him closer, wanting to feel the press of his skin against hers. “I want you to touch me.”

A look of regret crossed his face. “As do I, but our timing is bad. We’re in a room full of people. But as soon as we’re alone, you can explore all of these new feelings.”

“Make everyone go away.”

He raised an eyebrow. “We’re in the High Council room, dear. Do you remember what happened?”

Kayla frowned and looked around in confusion, trying to get a grip on her surroundings. Carl and Seara were both watching her anxiously. The room had mostly cleared out with only the remaining High Council and Inner Circle members who had been in attendance.

“I broke the bracelets,” she whispered and sat up.

“Yes,” Alec confirmed.

The security officials were removing Edwin and Keith’s bodies from the room, and her eyes widened. “What happened?”

Alec stood and helped her up. “My father killed Keith. He was also responsible for the deaths of several others, including your father and my mother.”

Kayla felt his agony as though it were her own and reached for him again. His hand threaded in her hair, and she felt his breath hitch. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as she laid her head against his chest, offering solace.

There was a note of pity in Seara’s voice as she said, “I’m sorry, Carl.”

“I’m just glad she’s okay.”

Kayla turned at the sound of Carl’s voice. Her heart lurched at the defeated look on his face. She looked back and forth between the two men, feeling torn. She recognized she still had intense feelings for Carl, but the allure and power pulling her toward Alec was strangely irresistible.

“A claim doesn’t negate your feelings, Kayla,” Alec explained softly.

Marcus stepped over to them, clearing his throat to get their attention. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re going to need all of you. We have quite a bit of damage control that needs to be done.”

Alec nodded, taking Kayla’s hand and leading the group back toward the platform where the High Council members were discussing how best to address the public. Kayla took a peek at Carl, wanting to go to him but not able to bear the thought of leaving Alec’s side while he needed her.

Marcus turned to Alec. “We’ve all spoken and come to a decision. You were to be appointed to the High Council within the next few weeks based on your mother’s family name. However, in the absence of a Tal’Vayr on the High Council, we offer you that position now.”

Alec nodded. “I accept.”

Marcus hesitated, glancing at some of the other members. “We no longer have a High Council leader. This position has always been held by either a Rath’Varein or a Tal’Vayr. Your families were the original founding members of OmniLab. It’s only suitable for one of you to accept this responsibility.”

Seara was quiet for a moment. “I have a suggestion.”

Marcus and the other High Council members looked at her expectantly. “The position should be divided. No one person should have that sort of control over us again. Instead, I suggest both Alec and myself share the position of High Council leader. When the time comes for me to step down, I will turn my position over to my daughter. They will lead jointly.”

Marcus looked at the other council members, who nodded in agreement. He turned to Alec. “Is this agreeable to you?”

Alec looked down at Kayla and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Her eyes were wide, and she thought toward him, “Oh, hell no. I’m still a ruin rat. I don’t have any desire to lead this group of numbnuts.”

“You saved this group of ‘numbnuts’ by deactivating those bracelets. But don’t worry. Your mother will lead until you’re ready.”

Giving her a reassuring squeeze, Alec turned back to Marcus. “Yes, I agree.”

Marcus looked relieved and announced loudly, “It’s official. Master Alec Tal’Vayr and Mistress Seara Rath’Varein will act as joint co-leaders of the High Council.”

Muted applause erupted throughout the room, and several people offered their thanks and congratulations to them. Alec plastered on a smile, but Kayla knew it was a façade. She’d worn one long enough to recognize it even without his emotions filtering through her. The whole ordeal was bittersweet.

Marcus said, “Unfortunately, we still have the trader announcement this evening. You’ll both be needed to make the announcement.”

Seara inclined her head. “We’ll be there.”

Alec indicated his agreement before adding, “If you’ll excuse me, though, I need to make arrangements for my father.”

Marcus looked at him with sympathy. “I know it was difficult, Alec, but you did the right thing.”

Alec managed a nod and then averted his gaze. He leaned close to Kayla. “Do you mind if we leave?”

She shook her head, putting her other hand on his arm. There weren’t enough prototypes in the world to tempt her into staying. “I’ve wanted to leave this place since the moment you brought me here.”