Page 73 of Taken

“Sir?” The analyst shifts. “The Director wants these summarized for the 0900 briefing.”

“They’ll be ready.” I nod.

He hesitates. “There’s also… this.”

A video appears on the main screen. Aerial footage of Craven Tower, but from an angle I hadn’t seen before. Elena Ross stands on a balcony beside Caleb Craven, pressed against him. She looks composed, confident. Nothing like a traumatized captive.

Beside her, Caleb slides his arm around her waist with easy familiarity. The gesture isn’t scripted. It’s protective, instinctive. A dragon with his mate.

Something twists in my chest watching them—not just professional interest, but a resonance I can’t deny. The way Caleb leans into Elena, the unconscious tilt of her body toward his. I recognize that gravitational pull. I’ve felt it myself, growing stronger each time I’m near Lila.

“When was this?” I ask, unable to tear my eyes away.

“Soon after the incident,” he says.

I study Elena’s face, searching for signs of her mother in her features. The same determined set to her jaw. The same intelligence in her eyes. But where Lila’s power burns like banked coals, Elena’s blazes openly, confidence radiating from her posture.

“She’s not under duress,” I observe. “That’s genuine.”

The analyst nods. “Intelligence confirms she and Craven have formed some kind of… connection. Romantic involvement, at minimum.”

“Mate bond,” I correct without thinking.

He raises an eyebrow. “Sir?”

“Theory,” I recover smoothly. “Based on observed dragon behavioral patterns.”

“Between a dragon and a witch?” He sounds skeptical. “That’s unexpected.”

“So is everything else about this situation.” I turn away from the screen, uncomfortable with the intimacy of watching them. And with the unwelcome thought that follows: if Elena and Caleb could form such a bond, what am I feeling for Lila? Maintaining a distance has been killing me. “Log it with the others.”

When the analyst leaves, I lock the door and pull the encrypted comm unit from my boot. The quantum frequency clicks twice before connecting.

“Aurora actual. Status report.” My voice is lower than the hum of equipment around me.

“Talon.” Zoe is back, not Viktor, this time. Clearly, things have changed. “Situation update?”

“Unexpectedly contained. Craven PR machine in overdrive—movie promotion narrative gaining traction. Public mostly buying it, against all logic.”

“We know. We’re helping push it.”

That stops me short. “You’re what?”

“Amplifying the skepticism. Our digital teams are flooding platforms with ‘evidence’ of CGI manipulation. Film industry contacts providing ‘insider confirmation’ of the marketing campaign.”

“Why?”

“Viktor’s orders. We need time. Time to prepare, to position our people before actual revelation occurs. This… collective delusion buys us that time.”

I absorb this, calculating implications. “And the Cravens are cooperating with this approach?”

“We’ve had no contact with them, but they’re actively leading it. Caleb Craven and Elena Ross have formed a rather powerful alliance—”

“A mate bond,” I repeat the thought I’d voiced to the analyst.

“Yes,” Zoe agrees. “It’s undeniable. Unexpected, though. We haven’t seen anything like this since… Hell, I’ve never personally encountered a witch-dragon mate bond. I know there’ve been dalliances, but nothing like this.”

“You mean aside from Kael and Lyria?” I say. Most of us know the legend of the Craven king who fell in love with a Rossewyn witch four hundred years ago.