Emergence (The Primogenitor Chronicles Book 1) (57 page)

Nickolas felt his power rise to its full extent for the first time. And he joyously answered the call in his blood. In front of him, Jessica trembled. He held her immobile, her wings pinned to his chest, as her power mirrored his.

*I’m scared, Nick.*

He brushed his cheek against hers.
*Me too. But can you stop it? I can’t.*

She shook her head slightly. His left arm remained clamped tight about her waist and held her to him. He freed his right and slid it down from her shoulder to the bandage on her wrist, then brought it up to curve around his neck. She tipped her head back into his shoulder. His heavy wing beats kept them suspended high above the ground.

*Everything’s been leading to this, Jess.*

*I know. I just hate having no control.*

*Me too.*
He brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. She tilted her head and he nibbled down to the hollow of her neck. His heartbeat thudded loud in his ears, hers becoming a matching echo. The golden haze surrounding each of them grew stronger. If Ian hadn’t shown him the recording from her cell, he might not have noticed it, so engrossed in her he became.

His tongue teased the sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met, her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging lightly. As their heartbeats synchronized, their power twined together, and the haze each of them had on their own started to mesh and form a ball around them.

*I’m going to turn you. Ready?*

She nodded, so he slid his hand down her side and gripped her waist. With a light toss, he spun her in his hold, her wings snapped out. After a few moments, she got the rhythm and they hovered together. His hands rested on her waist, hers on his shoulders. They met halfway. Their lips brushed then nibbled, tongues twining like their power. And the golden cocoon pulsed with its own heartbeat.

The glow around them meshed, but their power continued to twine, like yarn as it’s plied, spiraling around each other but still maintaining separate strands. Strands could be unraveled.

Nick pulled away with a gasp and rested his forehead against hers.
*Something’s wrong. I feel like I’m stuffed in a box that’s grown too small.*

Her breath panting, she replied,
*I do too. My energy reaches for you, but it’s blocked.*

She moved her hand and brushed the hair out of his eyes, the smell of her blood on the bandage grabbed his attention. He seized her arm and pressed the cloth to his face, inhaling deeply.
*I need…*

She shuddered but let him unwind the wrap. The cut still bled sluggishly. A little queasy at the thought himself, he let his tongue trace the thin line. Power arced through him and he jerked. If he’d been standing, he’d have gone to his knees. He pressed the slice and forced the blood to flow. He could feel her power wash through him physically and mentally, entwining itself irrevocably with his.

Instinctively, he knew after a couple of swallows that he’d had enough. He pulled her wrist away and felt his power hum in his fingertips as he closed them around the bleeding cut and stopped the flow of blood.

He met her eyes when she opened them. Knowledge penetrated the dazed look with an underlying thread of fear.

*It’s not so bad,*
he reassured, then pulled his knife and nicked the spot at the base of his wrist and palm. A thin trail of blood slid down his wrist. He held it up in offering.

The tip of her tongue brushed her lower lip and her gaze jerked away from the blood to his eyes again. His free hand rest on her hip and pulled her closer. She closed her eyes and leaned forward.

He understood the shudder that ran through her at the first touch; the power contained within their life’s essence overwhelmed the senses. He gasped when she pulled and his power flowed into her. For an eternity they hung there, caught in the power as it mingled freely between them, binding them closer and closer.

The exhilaration as his power reached full potential crashed through him. It fountained up, spilling out to boldly trace every line in his web, burning away any barriers that might have still existed and leaving in its wake clear paths for his use. Breathing heavily, Nickolas turned his focus back out. He could feel Jessica just coming out of her own power at the same time. Following instinct, they wove the golden ball tighter.

Then in a blinding flash of light, it was done.

The binding was complete.

On the ground, Christoff fell to his knees as the power washed out across the landscape. He stared in awe at the small sun that had replaced his brother and Jessica as it hovered midair and pulsed rhythmically. The immense energy buildup reached out, flowing through everything, and he stared transfixed as
his own
power started to beat in time with it, attuning itself to the combined force.
No wonder Nick wanted me grounded, I could never have stayed in flight with this going on.
He mused. The feeling of witnessing something immense engulfed him, and he stared at the beautiful golden light that spilled out across the land.

Then with a blinding flash, the light was gone. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he rose, searching in the distance for Nick and Jessica.

The normal noise of bedlam prevailed during the dinner hour in Aurora. Marcus smiled and watched as people gathered at tables to eat or packed up baskets to take back to their cabins. He took another bite of rice and nodded his head at Beth in answer to her question before he shared an eye roll with her over Robin. His Hunter Prime looked harried thanks to Kelley. He and Kevin had just walked in the longhouse with the rest of the Flight that had been stationed at Dustin’s, and he didn’t appear to be in the mood to deal with his currently suspended Second. He found Robin’s relationship with his Second highly entertaining, as did the rest of the table if the smiles were any indication. If Robin noticed their amusement at his expense, they would all likely regret it when they next met him in the ring.

The first shiver of power as it brushed across his mind took him by surprise, and he paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked up, scanning the crowded dining hall, expecting to find one of his clan using their talent for mischief and prepared to reprimand them for disturbing dinner. But instead, he observed every person present freeze, adopting a listening pose. Eyes colliding with Robin as a psychic pressure built, Marcus caught a faint trace of the origins of the power at the same time Robin realized who it was.

“Jessica!” tumbled from Robin’s lips, then all sight was cut off as a wave of power, the likes of which Marcus had never seen, rolled through their valley. In the darkness, a sun pulsed, drawing his power to it, tuning it to beat in time with the heart of that sun. He felt others join him in the darkness, their power opening like flowers at dawn as they set their own rhythms to match. Then in a flash, he was back in the common room, blinking dazedly at all those seated with him at the table. One look was all it took to know everyone in the valley had experienced the same thing.

The silence broke as a cup fell and shattered on the floor, then a murmur started as everyone turned to look his way, needing answers. He pulled his wits together and met Beth’s and then Robin’s eyes.

“We had better get ready. I expect we’re about to receive close to fifty Valkyries.” Nods all around the table agreed with him.

Riding in the passenger seat of the troop transport, Gabriel stared out the window and watched the dark silhouettes of trees skate by—and wished he was in the air. The annoyance over the failure of the recovery this afternoon dominated his thoughts. He obsessed over every move of the plans for the takeover of Ian’s part of the Facility. Nickolas’s power had surprised him earlier, but that wouldn’t happen again.

This would be a lot easier if Nickolas and his brother were out of the way. Their leadership will make subduing the control group more difficult.
He sighed.

My orders are clear. Jessica, Nickolas, and Ian. The presence of the control group is too valuable. But taking those three will cut one head off the hydra. It’s a pity I have to break Ian. Such a brilliant mind. I’m going to miss him as a rival. But orders are orders. He knows too much. And they want it.

One slice of joy found its way to the surface of his thoughts.
I’m going to so enjoy Kratz’s face when this goes down. I love being the instrument of discipline and Kratz really deserves this.
He smiled.

A wave of power slammed into him and jarred him out of his ruminations.

He sent his mind out, questing after the receding surge. The sun-like blast that caught him up took him by surprise and held him within it. The power reached through him and tried to force his energy into its own form. He fought the pull, altered his rhythm to counter the one from without, and gained some distance, which allowed him to recognize Nickolas’s power signature and what must be Jessica’s twining together. As he watched, the two combined and became exponentially stronger than they had been alone. Rage rose up, cutting him off from the wave of energy even more.

*No!*
Gabriel screamed, sending out a burst of thought at Nickolas. The backlash of power when the binding concluded flashed through Gabriel and sent him to the grey area of almost unconsciousness. Wavering back into focus, he found that the panicking driver had stopped the truck and now hovered over his slumped form.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Just get us to the Facility. There’s no more time,” he growled out.