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Kayla glared at him for a moment before launching herself at him. Alec grabbed her easily and tossed her on the couch. Holding her down, he said quietly, “I see we’re going to have to work on your temper.”
“You bastard,” she hissed. He was doing this on purpose, trying to rile her up. She pushed a wave of energy toward him, and he pulled back, eyeing her appreciatively. “You learn quickly. Good. When the High Council finds out you’re trying to deactivate those bracelets, they’re going to come after you to stop you. How well do you think you can you defend yourself or your friends?”
Better than he thought. She climbed off the couch and scowled at him. He might excel at mind manipulation, but she wasn’t afraid to get physical. Grabbing a glass off the table, she threw it at him. He dodged, and it shattered when it hit the floor.
At the noise, Carl and Rand came rushing back into the office, stopping when they saw the mess. “What’s going on? We heard a crash.”
“Kayla’s a little distressed,” Alec explained.
Alec’s lackadaisical description infuriated her. In the span of a few minutes, he’d turned her entire world inside out. She’d laid her soul bare to a complete stranger, learned she was some sort of alien freak, and that OmniLab wanted to oversee the distribution of visitor passes to her ovaries.
“A little distressed? You drop these huge bombshells on me and say I’m a little distressed? You vomitus, slack-jawed, freakish cretin! You’re about as subtle as a well-thrown brick.”
Carl walked around the broken glass toward her. “Kayla?”
“Stay out of this, Carl.” She couldn’t explain. Not now. She was having trouble getting her head around it herself. Not only that, but the thought of Carl’s reaction scared her. How do you tell the man you’re sleeping with that your ancestors had wings?
Alec chuckled. “Good advice. It would be a shame for Carl to get involved with something he doesn’t understand.”
Carl looked back and forth between Alec and Kayla. She scowled at Alec, wanting him to shut up. Snatching a computer tablet off the table, she threw it at him. He caught it easily and circled Kayla.
Furious, she glared at Alec. “You leave Carl out of this!”
“I intend to. I’m much more interested in finding out if that’s your intention as well.” His voice seemed casual, but she caught the edge of challenge in it. The bond between them flared and understanding hit her. He was asking if she was willing to let Carl go now that she knew the truth.
She wasn’t. Kayla understood the reason Alec had been hunting her down in the towers wasn’t because he was trying to turn her in to Edwin. He’d been trying to keep her away from Carl and corral her back to her own kind.
Sick and tired of people trying to control her, she said angrily, “I’d call you a parasite but that would be injurious and defamatory to the thousands of existing parasitic species.”
“You are truly a fascinating creature, Kayla Rath’Varein. I’ve never met anyone so completely ruled by their passions.”
Kayla lunged for him again. Alec grabbed her this time and pinned her against the wall. She threw more energy in his direction, but he was expecting it and somehow wrapped it around her. Her anger evaporated, replaced with surprise and fear. Her voice came out barely more than a whisper. “How did you do that?”
Alec’s eyes widened. He immediately released her and stepped back a split second before Carl rushed forward to insert himself between them. Glaring at Alec, he said, “I don’t care if you’re an Inner Circle member or not. Keep your hands off her.”
Alec glanced at Carl in annoyance. “This doesn’t concern you.”
He turned back to her and his expression softened. “I would never hurt you,” Alec promised. “But you need to learn to protect yourself.”
Kayla felt the sincerity of his thought and nodded at Alec. She put her hand on Carl’s arm. “It’s okay. He just surprised me.”
Carl looked at her curiously but made no move to step out of the line of fire. She crossed her arms and asked Alec, “So what happens now?”
“You can either wear the bracelet or we can try to upset the balance of power. It’s up to you. You know the risks and consequences of both.”
She blinked, surprised he would even bother to ask. “Gee, let me think. I’m going to go with kicking some High Council ass.”
While Kayla changed into the clothing Director Borshin had retrieved, Carl waited in the living area with the other men. Alec was on his commlink, looking out of place in the trader applicant’s surroundings.
Rand poured everyone a drink while Alec spoke with Seara and asked her to meet him at his office. When he disconnected from the call, he accepted the drink Rand offered.
Carl looked at Alec. “I don’t get it. Why the change of heart? You were ready to put a bracelet on Kayla and now you’re going to take on the entire High Council?”
Alec took a drink and regarded him. Carl had the feeling Alec was weighing the merit in answering his questions. “My motivations are my business. However, I never intended to allow Kayla to wear a bracelet.”
“Then why did you hunt her down? Why didn’t you let her escape?”
Alec raised an eyebrow. “She belongs here. You may believe you understand her, Trader Carl Grayson, but you would be sorely mistaken.”
Carl’s expression darkened. “I understand her far better than you think.”
Alec chuckled. “Go ahead and enjoy her while you can, but she belongs to me. That’s something you won’t ever be able to change.” He put his glass down. “I’ll be waiting outside. I need to make a few more calls.”
Carl’s jaw tightened. He made a move to go after him, but Rand’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Rand shook his head, letting him know it was a bad idea. “You know, I’ve been called cocky and arrogant in my life, but I don’t come anywhere close to that.”
Carl’s voice came out as a low growl. “I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t have to trust him. It’s whether or not Kayla does that matters. From all appearances, there’s something going on between them.”
“Going on between who?” Kayla stepped into the room. She wore a simple, white dress that stopped just above her knee. The light fabric moved with her as she walked and enhanced her femininity. The sight of her completely distracted Carl from his thoughts.
“It’s nothing,” Carl replied, not wanting to discuss Alec. “You look beautiful, Kayla.”
She looked down at the dress. “Why the hell don’t Omni women wear any practical clothing?”
Carl admired her figure. “From my point of view, I’m glad they don’t.”
Rand held up his drink in salute and added, “You won’t hear me complaining either.”
Kayla sighed. “Where’s Alec?”
“He’s waiting outside to take you to his office to meet with Seara. We should get going. Thanks for your help, Rand.”
Kayla kissed Rand lightly on the cheek. “Yeah, thanks for letting me crash here. You’ve been great.”
Rand’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at her. Carl chuckled, realizing she’d just charmed another soon-to-be trader.
“You’re definitely the most memorable Inner Circle member I’ve ever met, Kayla. If you two don’t mind, I think it would be best if I stayed here. Getting involved in Inner Circle business tends to have long-lasting repercussions.”
She grinned at him and headed toward the door. Carl stopped her. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t trust Alec.”
Kayla looked up at him, determination in her gaze. “I need to do this. Alec is the only one who can help me get those bracelets off.”
Carl frowned, wishing he had a better feeling about this. “I’m going with you then. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She smiled, slipped her hand in his, and they headed outside.
Alec looked up when they emerged. “Seara will be meeting us in my office in about an hour. That gives us a little time to discuss our options.”
Kayla and Carl followed Alec toward one of the priority elevators. They filed inside, and Alec pressed the button.
“Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t Edwin going
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