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“Are you volunteering?” Zevon asked with an upraised brow.
She sat on the last chair in front of Zevon’s desk. “I’ll see if I can find someone to take on the project, or I’ll do it myself after I’m finished with training. Can you stand it that long?”
“I don’t spend a lot of time in my office,” Zevon told her. “But I clearly need to make it more of a priority. Everyone who steps through that threshold reacts negatively.”
Raina looked at Cylex and then Kern, offering each a soft smile. “Are we in trouble?” she asked as she shifted her gaze back to Zevon.
“Not at all,” Zevon assured her. “Before we begin, I need to speak with Raina alone for a few minutes.”
“If you’re going to ask me if I was forced in any way, there is no need for my mates to leave,” Raina told Zevon. “Not only did I freely agree to be claimed, I actually instigated the bonding. They were both perfect gentlemen. Or as close to that concept as any male in this star system gets.”
Zevon smiled at her. “I’m relieved. It is my intention to improve the treatment of conduits so I would have been willing to intervene were that not the case.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I am thrilled with my triad.”
After accepting her statement with a nod, Zevon went on, “When I heard that you three had joined, it occurred to me that there has never been a triad like yours before. You link three of the four planets in this star system. Has the combination afforded you any unusual abilities?”
“We have not had a lot of time to experiment,” Kern admitted. They had been too busy enjoying each other physically to test the boundaries of their power. “We wanted Raina to finish her training before we challenged her.”
“Well, Nadis insists that Raina has even more potential than her cousins, so I am anxious to see what you guys can do.”
It took Kern a moment to place the name. That’s right. Nadis was Raina’s mentor, and she had also mentored both of her cousins. The prediction meant more coming from someone with Nadis’ perspective.
“Like Cara’s triad, we reserve the right to turn down missions,” Raina blurted.
They needed to take a stand, but that was rather abrupt. Kern watched the president’s reaction, half expecting an emotional outburst. Zevon’s expression hardened and tension unfurled in the room. He was clearly angry and likely hurt, but his mind was locked down tight. Kern meant what he’d said earlier. It would be interesting to pit his psychic abilities against Zevon’s. Kern had never encountered anyone who could best him and apparently Zevon had the same experience. Kern shook away the distraction and focused on the conversation.
Zevon shifted his gaze toward Cylex. “Is that the direction you want as well? I thought you had found a place among our ranks.”
“Compromise is essential to the success of any triad,” Cylex told his boss, make that former boss. “I am comfortable in my current role, but my conduit and controller prefer to remain autonomous. Our services will be available to the Citadel, but they will also be available to other planets.”
“That concept is fine until triads start selling their services to both sides of a conflict,” Zevon grumbled, clearly upset by the turn of events.
“That is not our intention,” Raina insisted. “Jevara is evil. There is nothing that would make us willingly do anything for him.”
“I hope you mean that.” Zevon pushed back from his desk and stood up. “I’m putting together a multi-location operation and I would like to include your triad. However, I can’t decide how best to utilize your abilities until I know what those abilities are.”
“What is the objective or objectives of this operation?” Cylex asked.
Zevon started to answer then shook his head. “There is no need for you to know until I determine if your involvement would be an asset or a hindrance.” He looked at Raina as he went on, “Nadis told me that she has already taught you the basics, so applying what you’ve learned should not take long. Let me know about your combined abilities once you’re comfortable accessing them.”
“Will do,” Cylex replied even though the president was still looking at Raina.
The triad stood and had started for the door when Zevon added, “Raina, I’m glad you’re safe and appear happy. Despite what Laidon told you, he never would have allowed you to control your own life. As Kern said, all he cares about is the rebellion.”
* * *
Raina passed through the next two weeks in a blur of Fire and exhaustion. She spent twelve to sixteen hours a day working with Nadis and occasionally Flora or Cara. Endless mental exercises and repetition allowed Raina to control the energy surging within her. It also left her so tired each night that all she thought about was sleep.
Cylex accompanied her to the training room at the start of the third week and had done so every day since. He didn’t assist her and tried not to distract her, but he was the primary source for her abilities. A few days later Kern joined them as well and the real fun began. Learning basic control techniques had been challenging enough, but experiencing the full potential of a power triad was awe-inspiring, and terrifying.
Like her cousins, Raina found controlling Fire almost second nature. It took more concentration to exchange Fire for other elements, but the unique biological makeup of her mates gave Raina a wider range of abilities to choose from than any of the other triads.
Five weeks into Raina’s training, her triad could effortlessly exchange Fire for Water. By combining Water with Air, they created shockingly powerful storms. One afternoon they maintained a cyclone for almost an hour, steering it around the training room at will while the other triads cheered them on.
After several days of practice, Raina and Cylex began to Flow from room to room without touching Kern. Their range was greatly limited, and Kern had to be nearby or they didn’t have access to the ability. Still, it was a skill neither could have achieved without their mate. Cylex and Raina also tried to master Kern’s verbal control techniques, but neither had any success regardless of his proximity.
Working together, they could blow open doors and drive others back with sudden gusts or powerful blasts of water. They even created a metaphysical weapon that launched compressed balls of burning ice. Raina was fascinated by the combinations and power at their command. Still, the potential applications for their abilities made her intensely uncomfortable.
