James regretted his decision to show Hailey his visions the instant she sucked in a breath at the intensity of the psychic images he sent her. Her body turned stiff and her eyes stared blankly at him. Moments passed, his heartbeat a drum in his ears. Then her irises turned entirely black and her head snapped backward, as he felt something pull inside him.
It looked like she was screaming without making a sound, her fingers digging into his shoulders. James' blood turned to ice as he lifted her and put her onto the bed. "Hailey," he spoke her name, demanding her to snap out of the vision.
She was falling deeper into the vision as it took her under. James didn't even stop to wonder how it was possible; he just wanted her to snap out of it. When Hailey's body started convulsing, he cupped her face, held her steady as her muscles spasmed. He felt so stupid for putting her into danger like this, for forgetting that she could react differently to–
Her draining abilities.
James only now consciously registered the pulling sensation inside his mind. The feeling was slight and only familiar because he had experienced it once before. Hailey had accidentally triggered a vision but was cascading under the violent force of it.
"Hailey, listen to my voice."
She didn't respond, her eyes dark as starless nights and her muscles taut.
"Come back to me."
When he tried to reach her telepathically, it felt like slamming onto an invisible wall. James was no expert in mental combat; his telepathy was only strong enough to enter the PsyNet and telepath short distances. The barrier around Hailey's mind was so strong, he wasn't able to break through, wasn't able to save her from his mistake.
Her natural shields. Something must have triggered the shields around her mind to snap into place. He tried to access the pathway of their telepathic communication, but again, he slammed up against a shield that 'tasted' of Hailey's energy.
James' heart clenched in his chest, but he remained calm. When people panicked, they made mistakes. He would not gamble Hailey's life due to an oversight.
He reached for his phone to call Aden, when an alarm bell went off inside his head.
Of course.
James wanted to hit himself for being so blind. The answer was presented right in front of him. His connection to Hailey had never been solely telepathically. It had always been an emotional connection, since the first day he heard her voice inside his head–and even before that.
Closing his eyes, James opened himself up, laid himself bare for her, more than he'd ever done. When he tried to reach her this time, he didn't slam against a wall.
No, Hailey was entirely open to him as he entered her mind. He looked into the vast darkness, jolts of jade and gold sparking in the abyss.
There.
Her bright star was dimming, the avalanche of the massive cascade trapping her inside her own mind. She was still there, still alive. And she wasn't panicking. No, his fierce Siren was fighting, her star bursting out sparks, but it was like she was stuck in quicksand. The more she fought, the more she was trapped under the brutal power of the vision. It encased her, confined her.
James tried connecting with her, mentally reached out to her to lead her away. Hailey, I'm here. Come with me.
Jade and gold sparked around him; her psychic presence aware of him. Faint echoes whispered through his head as he looked at her in the physical world. The convulsing had stopped, her hands clenched into tight fists. She was uncharacteristically quiet, but for her eyes. Jade and gold jolted in the darkness.
Yes, keep fighting.
He went back to her on the psychic plane and tried to wrench back the transparent shield in which the vision was trapping her, hoping that, since it was his ability, he'd be able to stop it somehow.
It didn't work.
Sweat beaded down his spine as he tried to get to her, but he was pushed into the darkness time and time again. The echoes in his head grew stronger and he saw Hailey's star spiking, felt her fear as she was trapped for almost five minutes now. The longer it would take for him to reach her, the higher the chance was of her mentally snapping under the pressure of the cascade.
As a child of nine years old, James had once visited foreseers who had gone insane by overuse of their ability. It had been for training purposes, to show him what would be his destiny if he wouldn't be able to control his foresight. There wasn't a chance in the world he'd let Hailey undergo that fate, to let her turn into a catatonic shell.
Wait, he told her. But there was no more time, no more strength. He watched the lights in Hailey's eyes dim, felt his heart thunder inside his chest, fear taking over him.
"You can't leave me," his voice sounded raw as he bent down and cupped Hailey's face again. A tear streaked over her temple while jade and gold lights faded in the vast darkness.
"I need you to fight for me, to fight with me. I need your smile and light." He swallowed, his throat parched from his jagged breaths. "I'm yours, Hailey. I'll only ever be yours." He reached out to her once more as he opened himself up to her again, his dark, bloodstained soul right there for her to see. He channeled his need for her, the feeling of every fiber in his body longing for her, belonging to her. "Please, have me, forever." The words were a plea, a prayer, a begging request as James slanted his lips over hers and opened his third eye.
Hailey's star blasted and a shockwave of wild energy shattered the cascade. Hailey reached for him and James grabbed hold of her.
A shift, something slamming inside his head so violently, James jerked up his head and braced his hands on the bed to keep from falling off. Hailey gasped as her hand shot to her temple, wincing at the impact of the collision within their minds.
Relief flooded through him at the sound of her. James lifted her up and pulled her onto his lap, into his embrace. The darkness in Hailey's eyes receded, and her irises were glowing pure jade as she gulped in air, clinging onto him.
I'm here, he said while holding onto her just as tightly. You're safe. I'm here.
When she pulled back a little after almost a full minute, James observed her responses. Her cheeks were flushed, her skin gleaming with a fine layer of perspiration, her eyes piercing and alert. He had never felt so glad.
"I didn't know," he started, but Hailey placed her fingers on his lips.
"Hush," her breathing still choppy and her voice husky. "So many things happened just now, I don't even know where to start."
Eyes huge, she touched his cheek. Relief, warmth, happiness all uncurled inside him at the sight of her, here, present.
Safe.
A slow smile crept over her face. "Forever? Are you sure?"
He brushed his lips over her jaw as he spoke. "So it seems."
She pushed gently at his shoulder and he leaned back. The luminous jade of her eyes dimmed until warm brown took over. "I don't think you can back out from this, my Arrow. I think this is a lifetime deal." Amazement colored her voice. "Are we..?"
"Yes."
James couldn't believe it himself. He entered the PsyNet and saw his own presence, a bright white star shielded by black, connected to others by thin gold threads that sparked with colors, courtesy of the empaths. But those weren't the only connections.
Right next to him, concealed from the Net, stood Hailey. Her star was bright and blazing with jade and gold flares. An intricate link that looked like a four-stranded braid connected him to her. One strand black and gleaming, one azure blue, one jade green and one a shimmering gold. The connection of multiple narrow threads made the bond strong, intense and burning with wildness.
James shielded their connection immediately, since they were already drawing curious onlookers in the Net who were foolish–or brave–enough to attempt to glimpse what had caused the shift on the psychic plane.
"God, it felt like being hit by a truck," Hailey muttered as she embraced him, her head leaning on his shoulder while she softly stroked his nape. "What happene–"
Hailey's phone started beeping, breaking the intimate moment between them. Scraping her throat, she picked up the device from her nightstand.
"Dad?" She stood up from his lap and swayed. James quickly caught her by use of his Tk but let her go when she scowled and motioned him to wait.
Stubborn woman.
She walked towards the window and leaned against the wall as she watched the street. James shoved her a little to the side with his telekinesis. When she looked up, he answered her silent question.
Possible spies.
Hailey arched her eyebrow at him, her irritation noticeable through their new bond. Really?
When he kept glaring at her, she rolled her eyes and shook her head but steered clear from the window. She frowned as she focused her attention on the conversation with her father again. "No, I'm fine. The rest?"
James divided his attention when he felt a familiar powerful knock through the PsyNet. He entered the Net and followed Vasic–his star as bright as James'–to a secure vault. When the door slammed shut, James didn't waste a moment; aware that time was of the essence if he had to go on a mission or if Vasic had received any intel concerning the threat to Hailey's life.
Am I needed? James asked his second in command.
No. Ivy asked me to check up on you. She told me Jaya felt a major shift in your part of the Net.
Through the honeycomb, James thought, the empath with whom he was connected would be able to sense a difference. He wondered how it was possible that Jaya hadn't noticed previous changes in his fractured Silence but found his answer in his outer shields. They were just as strong as usual.
Like every Arrow, his shielding skills were excellent. Even though he initially thought his connection with Hailey broke his internal shields–causing the risk of his emotions spilling out on the Net–he now noticed that her powers amped up his shields even more. When James took a closer look, he saw the hard black armor gleaming with an oil-like layer of jade and gold.
It seems you aren't the only one that's protective. The thought made his chest expand almost painfully. James could sense Hailey's devotion to him, the overflowing amount of love she felt for him and he thought, perhaps, his heart might shatter at the understanding. The way she treasured him, wanted him… It was almost too much to bear for a man who'd been so cold and hard, he would have run himself into the ground with all the horrifying missions and not have cared for a single instance if he'd lived or died.
Now, he saw the value she saw in him and he realized what it would do to her if he'd get hurt. He shuddered at the overwhelming overload of emotions. Hailey shot him a wide-eyed glance as she was conversing with her father. He shook his head in reply and returned his attention to Vasic.
I'm fine, James told Vasic. It seems I've… mated, for lack of a better term. Perhaps mated was the most appropriate word, since Hailey was part changeling–which also explained the wild sensation of their bond.
James looked at Hailey as she responded to a question from her father as he continued his conversation with Vasic. I'll need your help soon.
Let me know. A pause. Ivy says you shouldn't be stubborn and ask in time.
James felt the corners of his lips twitch at the memory of Vasic' gentle but passionate wife. Their mates caused vulnerability, but it wasn't a weakness. No, with the determination fueling these small women, the vulnerability of having Hailey and Ivy at their sides turned into a strength of unknown proportions. Vasic would stop at nothing to protect Ivy. James felt the same way about Hailey.
We should meet up today, James answered. I may need your help on more than one subject.
I agree you do, Vasic' humor bone dry. I'll pick you up at the extraction point.
James looked up at Hailey and stepped out of the secure vault on the Net after verifying location and time with Vasic. She was looking at him, her phone in her hand, a frown on her face.