Page 105 of Taken

“Then it’s my fault,” I say, the enormity of it settling in my chest.

“No.” Talon’s voice is firm. “If they tracked the ritual, that’s on me for not considering it, not on you for saving a life.”

Hargen shifts beside me, his discomfort tangible. “There’s another possibility,” he says quietly. “Me.”

Tension ripples through the room.

“Explain,” Viktor commands.

“The binding between us—between handler and asset—was created by Syndicate magic.” Hargen’s voice remains steady despite the accusation implied in his words. “It was designed to help me manage her visions, but it’s a connection. A tether.”

“That you didn’t think to mention until now?” Zoe’s voice cuts like ice.

“I thought it was broken during the extraction,” Hargen says defensively. “The gunshot, the blood loss—I felt it snap.”

“Did it?” Talon asks, looking between us.

I close my eyes, searching inward for that familiar presence, that bond of magic that’s been part of me for so long. It’s there, but changed. Transformed by the ritual, by the Shard’s intervention.

“It’s different,” I say finally. “Not broken, but… altered. The ritual rewrote it somehow.”

“Convenient explanation,” mutters someone down the table.

Anger flashes through me. “You think he’s what? A plant? A spy?” I lean forward, voice hardening. “He took a bullet trying to help me escape. Nearly died for it.”

“A calculated risk to gain our trust,” suggests the silver-haired woman, her eyes sharp.

“Baseless accusations solve nothing, Tabitha,” Talon interjects. “We need facts, not suspicion.”

“What we need,” Viktor says, “is to address the immediate threat. Whether they tracked the ritual, the binding, or something else entirely, the fact remains—both the Syndicate and now the Circle are hunting us specifically.”

This catches my attention. “The Circle? How do you know?”

Viktor nods to an operative who brings up a surveillance image on the wall screen. A figure I recognize instantly: Malakai Steele, the old dragon from my visions, from Elena’s first abduction.

“Confirmed sighting near the sanctuary perimeter twelve hours after evacuation,” Viktor explains. “Not with the Syndicate forces. Separate. Searching.”

“For me?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

“For the Shard,” Viktor corrects. “And for what you can do with it.”

The implication hangs heavy in the air. The ancient crystal weighs on me even from the vault where they’ve secured it; its power, its history, its connection to my bloodline. To Elena.

“So we have two enemy factions hunting us,” summarizes Talon, frustration evident in his voice. “Both after the same asset.”

“Which gives us leverage,” Viktor says, something calculating entering his tone. “And an opportunity to balance the equation.”

I don’t like where this is going. “Meaning?”

“The Cravens have your daughter. The Heartstone. And now a phoenix.” Viktor leans forward. “Together with the Shard and your abilities, we could forge an alliance that would stand against both the Syndicate and the Circle.”

“You want to use me as a bargaining chip,” I say flatly.

“I want to use your abilities to protect what matters,” Viktor counters. “Your daughter included.”

“Elena is safe with the Cravens,” I say. “I’ve seen it in visions. I’ve felt it.”

“For now,” Tabitha interjects. “But the Syndicate’s reach is long, and Creed doesn’t forgive being thwarted.”

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