He rushes toward the exit with the other military personnel, leaving me momentarily alone in the corridor. I immediately enter the quarantine room, finding Zara struggling to maintain her comatose appearance despite the blaring alarms.
“It’s too early for Kael,” she says, sitting up. “Could it be Viktor’s forces?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, checking the facility’s security feed on my tablet. The external cameras show settlement guards rushing toward the perimeter, but no sign of aerial attackers. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
The door behind me slides open, and I spin around, expecting my brother’s return. Instead, Kael stands there, tension radiating from his powerful frame.
“We need to leave,” he says without preamble. “Viktor is mobilizing forces for a direct attack on this settlement. He claims to have evidence that I’ve been collaborating with ground-dwellers.”
“The alarm—” I begin.
“A diversion I arranged,” he explains quickly. “A small lightning strike on the perimeter fence. It didn’t harm anyone, but created enough confusion for me to enter undetected.”
Zara is already rising, her recovery remarkable given her condition two days ago. “How much time do we have?”
“Hours, not days,” Kael says grimly. “Viktor is gathering supporters among the traditionalist elders. He’ll move against me formally when I return, using your absence and my disappearances as evidence of corruption.”
I struggle to process the implications. “You can’t just disappear. Both our peoples will assume the worst.”
“I’m not suggesting we run,” Kael says, his golden eyes meeting mine with an intensity that makes my heart race. “But I need to prepare for Viktor’s challenge, and Zara can’t be used as leverage against me.”
The reality of our situation crashes down on me. Kael faces a political coup that could turn deadly. I’m harboring enemy shifters while my own brother discusses genocide disguised as preemptive defense. And somewhere in this mess, Kael and I are apparently fated mates—a biological bond that explains my awakening powers but complicates everything beyond measure.
“My brother is here,” I tell them. “He mentioned plans for a preemptive strike against your aerie. They’re considering using electromagnetic pulse weapons that would target your neural pathways.”
Kael’s expression darkens, lightning sparking briefly in his eyes. “All the more reason to resolve this quickly. Zara needs to remain hidden while I deal with Viktor.”
“I can keep her safe,” I promise. “But what about you? If Viktor is gathering support?—”
“I’ll handle Viktor,” he interrupts, though uncertainty flickers beneath his confident tone. “I’ve led the clan through worse challenges.”
“This is different,” Zara argues. “Viktor truly believes the prophecies about Storm Eagle dominance. He sees your restraint as weakness, your contact with ground-dwellers as contamination.”
The facility alarm finally silences, leaving a ringing tension in its wake. I know we have minutes at most before my brother returns.
“You need to go,” I tell Kael. “I’ll move Zara to a more secure location and fabricate records showing the quarantine patient was transferred to Haven’s Heart.”
He hesitates, clearly torn between duty and concern. “The vial I gave you—my blood. What did you discover?”
“Everything,” I admit softly. “The storm magic encoded in your DNA. The primordial markers linking your people to ancient elemental forces. And…” I hesitate, then continue, “the genetic similarities to markers in my own blood.”
Something flashes in his eyes—recognition, validation, perhaps even relief. “Then you understand now.”
“I understand that I don’t understand nearly enough,” I reply. “But I know your people aren’t what Haven’s Heart believes. And I know I can’t let them develop weapons specifically designed to target your biological nature.”
“Elena!” Marcus’s voice echoes down the corridor outside. “Where are you?”
“Go,” I urge Kael. “Use the service entrance. I’ll create a distraction.”
Instead of leaving immediately, Kael steps closer, his presence overwhelming in the small room. He reaches out, fingers hovering just above my cheek without touching.
“When this is resolved,” he says, voice low and intense, “we have much to discuss about what you’ve discovered. About what we are to each other.”
The space between us seems to hum with electricity. I’m acutely aware of everything about him—the way his chest rises and falls, the silver flecks in his storm-grey eyes, the barely leashed power in his stillness. My body responds traitorously, heat pooling low in my belly. My nipples tighten against the fabric of my shirt, and I cross my arms, praying he doesn’t notice.
He closes the distance between us, the heat of his body making it hard to breathe. For a heartbeat, I forget everything—my duties, the lab, the consequences—and lean toward him. His hand lifts, fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, lingering against my cheek. My own fingers twitch with the urge to reach up and tangle in his hair, to pull him down to me. The moment stretches, tension coiling tight, so close that I can feel his breath fan against my lips. Then the sound of approaching footsteps shatters the spell, and I jerk back, heart hammering, chiding myself for nearly giving in.
“You feel it too,” he says, and it’s not a question. His voice has dropped to that dangerous register that makes my skin flush.
