Page 12 of Where Lightning Strikes Twice (Fated Mates, Stubborn Hearts #2)

“They’re escalating,” Marcus says grimly. “Intelligence reports indicate they’re planning something larger. We can’t afford to wait until they attack settlement centers.”

“Or perhaps they’re desperately gathering resources because they’re struggling to survive,” I counter, remembering Kael’s explanation about dwindling hunting grounds. “Have we considered diplomatic options?”

Marcus gives me a sharp look. “Since when do you advocate negotiating with raiders who’ve killed dozens of our people?”

“Since I’ve studied enough of their biology to recognize intelligent beings acting from necessity, not malice.” I meet his gaze steadily. “The Storm Eagles show every indication of a sophisticated culture with complex social structures. They’re not mindless predators.”

“Your scientific objectivity is admirable,” Marcus says, his tone suggesting the opposite. “But don’t let academic fascination cloud your judgment about what they are—enemies who would see our people starve if it meant their survival.”

The irony of his statement, given Haven’s Heart’s plans, isn’t lost on me. Before I can formulate a response that won’t reveal my divided loyalties, a nurse appears at the lab entrance.

“Dr.Ashford, the quarantine patient’s readings are fluctuating. You asked to be notified of any changes.”

My heart stops. Zara must be waking from the sedative earlier than expected.

“Quarantine patient?” Marcus asks. “Your reports mentioned no infectious cases.”

“Not infectious,” I say quickly. “A severe neurological reaction to Storm Eagle talon wounds. I’ve isolated the patient to study the progression without contaminating the results.”

“I’d like to see this case,” Marcus says, already moving toward the door.

“The patient is in medically-induced coma,” I protest, following him. “There’s nothing to observe yet.”

But Marcus is already striding toward the quarantine room, his military bearing brooking no argument.

I hurry after him, mind racing through scenarios, none of them good.

If he discovers Zara’s identity, everything falls apart—my research, Kael’s secret visits, possibly the fragile peace between our territories.

Just as we reach the quarantine room door, the facility’s emergency alarm blares. Red lights flash throughout the complex.

“Perimeter breach, northwest quadrant,” announces the automated system. “All security personnel report to stations.”

Marcus immediately shifts to military mode. “Stay here,” he orders, already reaching for his sidearm. “Secure your research. This could be a raid.”

He rushes toward the exit with the other military personnel, leaving me momentarily alone in the corridor. I immediately enter the quarantine room, finding Zara struggling to maintain her comatose appearance despite the blaring alarms.

“It’s too early for Kael,” she says, sitting up. “Could it be Viktor’s forces?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, checking the facility’s security feed on my tablet. The external cameras show settlement guards rushing toward the perimeter, but no sign of aerial attackers. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

The door behind me slides open, and I spin around, expecting my brother’s return. Instead, Kael stands there, tension radiating from his powerful frame.

“We need to leave,” he says without preamble. “Viktor is mobilizing forces for a direct attack on this settlement. He claims to have evidence that I’ve been collaborating with ground-dwellers.”

“The alarm—” I begin.

“A diversion I arranged,” he explains quickly. “A small lightning strike on the perimeter fence. It didn’t harm anyone, but created enough confusion for me to enter undetected.”

Zara is already rising, her recovery remarkable given her condition two days ago. “How much time do we have?”

“Hours, not days,” Kael says grimly. “Viktor is gathering supporters among the traditionalist elders. He’ll move against me formally when I return, using your absence and my disappearances as evidence of corruption.”

I struggle to process the implications. “You can’t just disappear. Both our peoples will assume the worst.”

“I’m not suggesting we run,” Kael says, his golden eyes meeting mine with an intensity that makes my heart race. “But I need to prepare for Viktor’s challenge, and Zara can’t be used as leverage against me.”

The reality of our situation crashes down on me.

Kael faces a political coup that could turn deadly.

I’m harboring enemy shifters while my own brother discusses genocide disguised as preemptive defense.

And somewhere in this mess, Kael and I are apparently fated mates—a biological bond that explains my awakening powers but complicates everything beyond measure.

“My brother is here,” I tell them. “He mentioned plans for a preemptive strike against your aerie. They’re considering using electromagnetic pulse weapons that would target your neural pathways.”

Kael’s expression darkens, lightning sparking briefly in his eyes. “All the more reason to resolve this quickly. Zara needs to remain hidden while I deal with Viktor.”

“I can keep her safe,” I promise. “But what about you? If Viktor is gathering support?—”

“I’ll handle Viktor,” he interrupts, though uncertainty flickers beneath his confident tone. “I’ve led the clan through worse challenges.”

“This is different,” Zara argues. “Viktor truly believes the prophecies about Storm Eagle dominance. He sees your restraint as weakness, your contact with ground-dwellers as contamination.”

The facility alarm finally silences, leaving a ringing tension in its wake. I know we have minutes at most before my brother returns.

“You need to go,” I tell Kael. “I’ll move Zara to a more secure location and fabricate records showing the quarantine patient was transferred to Haven’s Heart.”

He hesitates, clearly torn between duty and concern. “The vial I gave you—my blood. What did you discover?”

“Everything,” I admit softly. “The storm magic encoded in your DNA. The primordial markers linking your people to ancient elemental forces. And…” I hesitate, then continue, “the genetic similarities to markers in my own blood.”

Something flashes in his eyes—recognition, validation, perhaps even relief. “Then you understand now.”

“I understand that I don’t understand nearly enough,” I reply. “But I know your people aren’t what Haven’s Heart believes. And I know I can’t let them develop weapons specifically designed to target your biological nature.”

“Elena!” Marcus’s voice echoes down the corridor outside. “Where are you?”

“Go,” I urge Kael. “Use the service entrance. I’ll create a distraction.”

Instead of leaving immediately, Kael steps closer, his presence overwhelming in the small room. He reaches out, fingers hovering just above my cheek without touching.

“When this is resolved,” he says, voice low and intense, “we have much to discuss about what you’ve discovered. About what we are to each other.”

The space between us seems to hum with electricity.

I’m acutely aware of everything about him—the way his chest rises and falls, the silver flecks in his storm-grey eyes, the barely leashed power in his stillness.

My body responds traitorously, heat pooling low in my belly.

My nipples tighten against the fabric of my shirt, and I cross my arms, praying he doesn’t notice.

He closes the distance between us, the heat of his body making it hard to breathe.

For a heartbeat, I forget everything—my duties, the lab, the consequences—and lean toward him.

His hand lifts, fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, lingering against my cheek.

My own fingers twitch with the urge to reach up and tangle in his hair, to pull him down to me.

The moment stretches, tension coiling tight, so close that I can feel his breath fan against my lips.

Then the sound of approaching footsteps shatters the spell, and I jerk back, heart hammering, chiding myself for nearly giving in.

“You feel it too,” he says, and it’s not a question. His voice has dropped to that dangerous register that makes my skin flush.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie, but my pulse is racing so fast I’m sure he can hear it.

“Your scent changes when you lie.” He inhales deliberately, and something predatory flickers across his features. “Right now, you smell like arousal and denial in equal measure.”

“I know,” I whisper. “Now go.”

He turns, nodding once to Zara, then slips through the service door just as Marcus’s footsteps approach the quarantine room.

“False alarm,” my brother announces, entering. “Electrical surge in the perimeter fence. Security is checking for…” He trails off, noticing the empty bed where the “coma patient” should be.

“I just transferred the patient to the secure medical transport,” I improvise. “Haven’s Heart requested immediate evacuation of all research subjects given the security situation.”

Marcus studies me with narrowed eyes. I’ve never been able to lie to him effectively—a disadvantage of growing up together.

“What aren’t you telling me, Elena?” he asks quietly.

I meet his gaze, knowing my next words will set us on diverging paths but seeing no alternative.

“That I don’t believe the Storm Eagles are the mindless threat Haven’s Heart portrays them as.

That I won’t help develop weapons specifically designed to torture them through their unique biology.

And that I believe there are diplomatic solutions we haven’t properly explored. ”

The disappointment in his eyes cuts deeper than anger would have. “Your compassion has always been your strength as a healer,” he says. “And your weakness as a scientist in wartime.”

“Perhaps,” I acknowledge. “Or perhaps seeing the enemy as thinking beings with valid motivations is exactly what we need in wartime.”

Marcus sighs, clearly recognizing the stubbornness he’s faced all our lives. “I can’t protect you if you continue down this path, Elena. The Council expects results.”

“I know,” I say softly. “I’ll give them my analysis of Storm Eagle biology. But I won’t help design their extinction.”

He studies me for a long moment, then nods once. “I’ll delay the EMP weapon proposal, citing insufficient research. But you need to give me something, Elena. Something that justifies your continued presence here.”

Relief washes through me at this small concession. “I’ll have a comprehensive physiological analysis by the end of the week. Just… nothing designed specifically to harm them.”

As Marcus leaves to prepare for his return flight, I allow myself a moment of quiet panic.

I’ve just committed myself to a precarious balancing act—providing enough information to satisfy Haven’s Heart without endangering Kael’s people.

All while harboring his sister and navigating whatever this mate bond means for us both.

I think of the golden vial of blood and what it revealed—not just about Storm Eagle genetics, but about my own heritage. Whatever storm-touched bloodline flows through my veins has awakened in Kael’s presence, changing me in ways I’m only beginning to understand.

Science has always been my refuge, my way of making sense of the world.

But now I face questions no microscope can answer.

What am I becoming? What does the mate bond mean for enemies on opposite sides of a brewing war?

And most urgently, how can I protect both Kael and my own people from the catastrophe Viktor and Haven’s Heart seem determined to create?

I return to my lab and unlock the hidden compartment containing Kael’s blood sample. The golden liquid catches the light, almost seeming to glow from within. Like the man himself, it represents something beyond my current understanding—powerful, ancient, and inexplicably connected to my own fate.

Whatever comes next, one thing is certain: I’ve crossed a line I can never uncross. For the first time in my life, my loyalty to scientific truth has led me away from my duty to Haven’s Heart and toward something I don’t yet fully comprehend.

But it feels right. As right as the storm energy that now hums beneath my skin, waiting to be understood.