Withering a little under that furious copper gaze, he said, “I’m sorry, Margot. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Sparks snapped in her long fall of red hair when she reached over to give his chest a hard poke. “You disappear on us or steal Atria away again andI’lltell Theodore to kill you! Now give me your damn hands, you big green jerk.”
He gave them to her automatically, humiliatingly cowed by his tiny sister-in-law, before he remembered where he was and what he was trying to do. “Wait, I don’t have time for this. I have to find—”
Margot’s gentle fingers plucked at his bandages in the same instant that a swell of instrumental music filtered through the speakers. A harsh, icy spike of anxiety thrust through the bond. Kaz’s stomach turned with the force of it.
Atria.
His gaze snapped to the stage. A disembodied voice smoothly announced the subject of the presentation and then his mate’s name, as well as a short list of her accolades. A swell of pride — his own — competed with the increasingly sickly wave of anxiety coming through the bond.
From the right side of the stage, his mate emerged. She was pale-faced and a little green around the gills, but even so, she took his breath away. Her long mahogany hair was braided in a crown around her head. Her outfit was a simple but striking off the shoulder blouse and loose pants that cinched at the ankle. Her favorite strappy sandals showed off her painted toenails as she walked slowly to the center of the stage, where a clear podium waited for her.
She was also breathing way too fast.
Fuck.Kaz kept himself in his seat with pure will alone.How can I help her?
Not by storming the stage, certainly, no matter how much the idea appealed to him.
He barely noticed his sister-in-law as she knitted the skin of his hands back together. All his focus was on his mate as she gripped the sides of the podium, her eyes opened wide as she took in the sea of hushed people waiting for her to speak.
Her eyes roved until, at last, they landed on him.
Surprise. Delight. Relief. Anxiety. Affection.
Kaz experienced every one of her emotions like Theodore’s fists —bang, bang, bang.He leaned forward in his seat. It wouldn’t help her to join her on the stage, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t with her.
I’m here,he thought, looking up into her wild eyes.You’re okay. Breathe with me, princess.
He took a deep breath and watched her do the same. For just a moment, there was just the two of them in the massive conference hall. Everyone else ceased to exist as the bond hummed between them. He dragged up everything he felt for her, every bit of pride and love and fierce possessiveness in his body, offering it all to her as she stood in the warm glow of the spotlight. What he gave, she returned in equal measure.
Perfectly in sync, they exhaled together.
Drawing her shoulders back, Atria spoke into the small bulb of the microphone attached to the podium, “Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here amongst so many colleagues. As many of you know, I was not the person meant to give this presentation today. My research partner and dear friend Ruby Goode was supposed to be standing here, but since she can’t be with us today, I am proud to present our work to you.”
Gods, you’re so fucking strong.Kaz could hardly bear to blink as he watched her up there, doing something that terrified her to her core.My damn hero.
As if she could hear him, Atria paused, her eyes shining with more than nerves. “It is my sincere hope that our work opens up a path to a brighter, kinder, more connected future. One where our home is treated with the respect it deserves and those who have historically been lost or mistreated need not be any longer.”
The smell of fresh rain and ozone filled the air. From somewhere in the balcony seats, a woman’s voice rang out,“Yes, Atria!”
A bashful smile curled Atria’s lips as her eyes darted up. Kaz followed her line of sight to a balcony just behind him, where the glowing figure of what had to be an elemental clutched a railing, hair-thin forks of lighting flying all around her. A wild grin split her shining face as a dragon’s wing carefully curled around her back, nudging her away from the railing.
You must be Hele,he thought wryly as he turned his eyes back to his mate.
Looking down at the podium, he watched her gather herself before she continued, voice trembling, “Today, I am here to present to you and the world the results of over a decade of collaborative work spanning territories, skill sets, and expertise.” She took a breath, fingers skating over the controls embedded in the podium. The spotlight dimmed.
In its place, a massive holographic projection of a biomechanical m-energy generator glittered to life just behind her. The projection threw light over the contours of his mate’s soft face, illuminating her in pale blue, electric green, and violet.
Atria looked up again. Even in the semi-dark she found him instantly. Warmth flooded their bond, washing out the clinging anxiety.
Kaz extracted one hand from Margot’s grip to press a kiss to his fingers. He offered it to her with all the reverence she deserved.I’m with you,he told her.You’re not lost when we’re together, remember?
Atria’s brows pinched together in a look of aching softness.I remember,that expression said. Her eyes crinkled at the corners when she continued in her sweet, sure voice, “We call it Project Lightning Rod and it… it is going to save the world.”
Epilogue I
JUNE 2048 - SAN FRANCISCO, THE ELVISH PROTECTORATE
