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Seara nodded, and Kayla headed back into the safe room. She sat in the chair and pulled up the code again, studying it line by line to make sure it would work flawlessly. Satisfied it was perfect, she turned on an adjacent terminal and connected her computer to the energy monitoring system.
Munching on her muffin, she wrote a quick script to inject the masking program into the energy monitoring system. Carl and Cruncher came into the room a short time later, followed by Seara and Alec.
“Morning, Kayla,” Cruncher greeted her. “How does it look?”
“It’s ready. It’s a freaking brilliant piece of work. You just have to execute the script when we’re ready. The bracelet will still appear to work. Only those of us in this room will know it’s no longer working.”
Seara looked apprehensive and admitted, “I’m a little nervous about this.”
“It’ll be fine, Seara,” Alec said and pulled out a chair for her. She sat and put her hands in her lap, anxiously twisting the bracelet around her wrist. Alec turned and held out his hand to Kayla. Carl’s jaw clenched as Kayla took Alec’s hand, but he didn’t say anything. Alec put his other hand on Seara’s wrist. “Whenever you’re ready, Kayla, go ahead and begin.”
Kayla nodded and sent her energy threads in Alec’s direction. She was becoming much more comfortable with this intimate connection with him. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Alec turned to Cruncher. “Activate the program now.”
Cruncher nodded, pressed a few keys, and announced, “It’s online.”
Alec gave Kayla an encouraging smile. “When you’re ready, I need you to send me a steady stream of energy. That’s all you need to do. I’ll handle everything else. I’ll let you know when to increase it.”
Kayla concentrated and did what he asked. She felt his desire to match her energy with his own, but he struggled to keep his feelings in check. His self-control was admirable. She didn’t think she would be capable of doing the same if their situations were reversed.
Alec took a deep breath and focused on the bracelet. He located the two target areas and gently probed them with Kayla’s energy. “Increase it now.”
She willed herself to tap into her energy resources. Amazed at the way the energy seemed to flow around her, she gathered it close and directed it toward Alec. It seemed as though the more she sent to him, the more loose energy drifted toward her, eager for her to scoop it up. It seemed to be attracted to her. Delighted with the playful energy seeking her out, Kayla focused on the loose strands floating around her and channeled it toward him.
Completely immersed in the game she’d made up—gathering lost energy and giving it a home—Kayla closed her eyes to get a better sense of the energy around her. Fairly humming with the power flowing through her, she stopped paying attention to Alec’s reaction to the increased energy she was feeding him. Instead, she became intrigued at the path of energy he was channeling through the bracelet.
Kayla followed its path and was surprised when she found herself in an enormous hub of energy. It pressed against her, swarming her senses and threatening to overwhelm her. She tried to pull back and was surprised when the pooled energy seemed to gather around her, not willing to let her leave.
Panic set in, and she reacted instinctively, trying to channel the entire flow of energy. It was too much. Nothing in her experience had prepared her to handle something of this magnitude. She screamed Alec’s name in her head, desperate to find their shared connection amidst the onslaught of energy threatening to drown her.
The inactivity was driving Carl crazy. His gaze kept shifting from the monitor Cruncher was watching to the three motionless individuals in front of him. He’d get a sense of something happening almost peripherally, but it wasn’t anything tangible he could describe. His fingers flexed, and he had to keep resisting the urge to tap his foot.
Seara’s sudden gasp brought him to full alertness. She stared in shock down at the bracelet and whispered, “It worked. It’s been deactivated.”
Cruncher looked up in alarm. “I think we’ve got a problem.”
Carl jerked his head up to stare at the fluctuations on the screen. They were going haywire. “What the hell is going on?”
“The energy levels are still masked for now, but there’s been a huge increase of energy in the pool. I don’t know what this means.”
Carl turned back to look at Kayla and Alec, still motionless. Seara’s hands flew to her mouth, her gaze darting back and forth between them. Carl wasn’t sure what she saw that he didn’t, but he didn’t care much for the growing sense of unease in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong.
At Seara’s panicked expression, Carl looked back at Alec and Kayla. They were both standing still with their eyes closed. Without taking his eyes away from them, he asked Seara, “What’s going on?”
Seara shook her head, visibly shaken. “I think Kayla and Alec may have somehow tapped into the energy pool directly. I don’t know what’s happening.”
That didn’t sound good. “Kayla?”
Whether it was the sound of his voice or something else, he didn’t know, but Kayla suddenly staggered. Alec’s eyes flew open, and he caught her when she started to collapse. He lowered himself to the floor with Kayla still in his arms.
Seara stood, hovering over them, her voice filled with fear. “Alec, what’s happening?”
He ignored her, continuing to focus on Kayla. He traced his fingers over her face and closed his eyes again.
“What the hell is he doing to her?” Carl demanded, stepping forward to intervene.
Seara held up her hand to stop him. “I don’t know, but he won’t hurt her. They’re connected right now. He can feel everything she feels and vice versa. They’re sharing thoughts, emotions, everything.”
Carl reared back as though stung. “That’s what it means when they’re connected?”
Seara nodded. “It’s similar to telepathy, but it goes much deeper.”
He resisted the urge to tear Alec away from her. Until he learned more, Carl couldn’t risk putting her in more danger. “You can’t tell what’s going on?”
Seara hesitated. “Not exactly, no. Now that the bracelet is deactivated, I can try to see. I can’t connect with them, though, unless they agree to it.”
She knelt and put one hand on Kayla and the other on Alec’s arm. Closing her eyes, she remained quiet for what seemed an eternity to Carl. When her eyes flew open, she stared at Alec in horror. Shoving at him, she yelled, “Alec, stop! You can’t do this.”
Carl’s gaze darted back and forth between them. “What is he doing?”
Alec looked up, suddenly aware of his surroundings. He shook Seara away. “Seara, I have to do this. She channeled too much. She somehow followed the energy through to the pool and tried to reverse the flow. When the bracelet deactivated, she lost control of the flow. I had no idea this could happen.” He looked down at her and whispered, “I should have never let her do this.”
“Then let me do it,” Seara urged, reaching for Kayla again.
“She can’t forge another connection,” Alec argued, his voice tinged with frustration and desperation. “She knows what’s going on, but she can’t find her way out of there. If I don’t do this, what happens to her then? Are you prepared to lose your daughter again?”
Seara blanched. Alarmed at Alec’s words, Carl demanded, “What are you talking about?”
Alec ignored him, his gaze focused once more on Kayla. Seara looked up at Carl, her expression one of sympathy. “He wants to exchange energy. Her energy is chaotic, and she’s only partially channeling it. If he reaches for her with his energy, he can stabilize her. The allure of sharing energy is strong enough that she should be able to find her way back.”
Fury lit through Carl, and his insides churned like dark, angry skies ready to erupt. “Exchanging energy? As in claiming her? Isn’t that what almost happened yesterday?”
Alec gritted his teeth. “I won’t do it if I can help it. Seara, get them out of here for a few minutes.”
“Like hell,” Carl declared. “I’m not leaving, and you’re not doing this to her.”
Alec’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have a choice. If I don’t do this, there’s a good chance she’ll remain this way.”
Seara put her hand on Carl’s arm. “I don’t like it, either, but he’s right. We shouldn’t have tried this without giving her more training. This is my fault as much as it is Alec’s.”
It wasn’t what Carl wanted to hear. He might doubt Alec’s intentions, but Seara’s sincerity was indisputable. Seara’s voice was soft as she added, “I know you care about her. This is necessary though. Do you want to wait outside?”
Carl shook his head. He might not be able to do anything to help her, but he wasn’t going to leave the woman he’d grown to care so much about in the hands of someone like Alec.
Alec looked up at him, clearly irritated with his continued presence. “Fine. Stay if you want. Maybe a first-hand view of what you’re dealing with will clear up some of your illusions.”
Carl’s jaw clenched in anger as
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