He pounded his body against the glass barrier, only to be thrown off by the force field that surrounded it.

White pain lashed at his side. One of his ribs cracked.

Knowing his shifter healing would fix it fast enough, he pushed the pain aside. Springing to his feet, he walked to the glass wall again. Legs planted apart, he banged on the glass wall with his fist. “Why?” He snarled.

“Dragons are the most powerful shifters, the only ones who can resist the telekinetic power of the Elysians.” Vesta placed her hand against Tibor’s cheek, her gaze locking with his. “These experiments help us understand how the shields of dragon shifters function and how to break them, so we can hook them up to the Web.”

“So you’d manipulate the emotions of shifters to hurt us?” Cain gritted his teeth, forcing himself to control his anger.

“We need to restore the emotional balance in the Sian Web, the psychic network that all Elysians are linked into.” Vesta flattened her lips.

“Zach was willing to wait until the council came around to sending shifter volunteers to link into the Web.” Tibor slammed his fist on the table of the control panel. “He was wrong. Time is running out for us.”

“The connection between you and the dragon shifter is fascinating.” Vesta glanced at Tibor. “Do you know how frustrating it is to feel a love so deep, so profound, and not be able to express it?” She reached out to touch Tibor.

Tibor caught her hand and held it in place against his cheek. “We need access to the dragon shifter’s emotions, so we can express ourselves. So those like us trapped in the Web can share how they feel.”

Even across the distance the chemistry rippled between them.

They felt for each other.

They were justifying the harm they were causing Cain and Eve as a way to express their feelings for each other.

“The only solution is to hook the most powerful shifter we can find into the Sian Web.” Tibor turned to Cain, his eyes calm, features blank. “In one sweep we’d have powered the Web with enough emotions to keep us going until the next generation of empaths is strong enough to feed the Web.”

A chill ran down Cain’s spine. “You’re talking about Eve.”

“She needs to open her shields voluntarily.” Vesta cut the air with her hand. “It’s the only way the Sian Web will accept the emotions.”

Tibor touched Vesta’s shoulder. Just a gesture, but there was no mistaking it for what it was—pride, affection.

They may be bleeding emotions, but Cain wondered if they knew how much they revealed about themselves through their body language. Perhaps more emotion lurked in the Sian Web than what they were aware of?

“Your feelings for the dragon shifter are also your weakness. It’s shown me that the route to breaking shifters on the psychic plane is through the connections with those they care for.” Vesta rocked back on her heels.

Cain bared his teeth, hands balled into fists at his sides. “You are going to use me to get to her?” He gripped the floor with his feet. He had to use all his willpower to not throw himself again at the glass wall.

“Smart and charismatic.” She tilted her head.

Tibor gripped her shoulder and turned her around. His movements were jerky.

Her body went still.

Tibor’s eyebrows furrowed, and a muscle worked at his jaw.

Vesta patted his cheek. “Not long now.” Pulling away, she walked around the control panel and toward the glass wall that separated them. “I will hurt you, until you call out to her.”

Cain opened and closed his fists. He’d never compromise his dragon shifter. Never put her at risk. “I’ll die before I let you break her.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Plead with her to come, show her your pain.”

He felt her presence tear at his psychic senses. “Never.” Cain gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm. On the psychic plane, his energy stilled and deepened, readying itself for the onslaught.

“Oh, you will.” Vesta put her palm against the glass, her fingers splayed on the surface. “Make her open herself up so we can use the break in her shield to plug her into the Sian Web.”

He clamped a psychic leash around the energy of his lion, then wound the chain around himself.

He wasn’t going to let go of the lion. Never let himself be used to destroy everything Eve had worked for. Her life, her clan. She was everything to him. Without her, he was nothing.

Vesta’s metallic presence hovered in the distance for a second, a sentient presence that took stock of his weaknesses, marking them out.

He sensed a pulse of energy run through it. It elongated into a sleek dark shape, as dense as obsidian, its edge sharp and so fine it was almost nonexistent.

It plunged and went right through his shield. It was as if a burning hot knife had been plunged into his brain.

Cain had never experienced such agonizing pain in his life. His mind was combusting. His eardrums burst, and blood flowed out of his ears, his eyes.

Once inside his head, the presence grew and expanded. The darkness was an oozing slick presence that coated everything in sight.

“Scream for her. Call her, ask her to come to help you.” Vesta’s voice echoed around his head.

Her energy pushed at his amber and gold essence, butting heads with his lion. Pushing his lion to shift into its animal form.

Emotions fled through him—sorrow, hate, fear, all the nightmares stored up from his time when his pride was killed, when he’d had to cross the seas to his adopted home and his boat had almost capsized.

When he’d first realized that Eve would not mate with him, and that he was going to lose her.

Eve.

His lion thrashed and strained against the psychic restraint he’d placed around it.

It wanted to grasp the pale violet thread that connected him to Eve.

The fledgling bond that had formed when he’d first reached out to her when she was in a coma.

The one she’d reciprocated when she’d brought him back to life by breaking the fever.

“You are in pain, so much pain. Only she can help you.”

He’d managed to ignore the bond so far. To acknowledge it would be to trigger the mating process. The bond was still in the early stages. If he didn’t accept it, it would fade away.

Eve’s life was at risk. He couldn’t reach out to her. She was alive and nearby, of that he was sure.

To bond with her would only draw attention to her, putting her life at risk.

The pain was urging his lion to meld with the mating bond on the psychic plane. Once he did that, he had no doubt Eve would open herself to him and accept him.

The only way out was to channel the pain, use it to shatter the block placed on him and shift to his animal form on the physical plane.

Once his shield shattered, no longer could he use it to rein in his beast. If he shifted, he wouldn’t be able to change back to his human form. He’d never be able to see her again, hold her, make love to her.

But he’d be able to protect her.

Dropping to his knees, he let the power of the transformation take over. His cells contracted and changed shape.

The amber energy of his lion poured through his blood.

His nails elongated, his canines pushed out, and his hair exploded into the mane of his animal form.

Pushing aside the human part, breaking through his psychic shield, Cain’s lion broke out.