ALEK SWEATED WHILE WORKING AT linking with the girls. I hate how much effort this requires, he grumbled to himself. The girls make it look so easy.

He just needed to relax, but the competitive edge to his nature made it difficult. Taking slow breaths, he ran through Elena's instructions again and worked at relaxing his mind and releasing the tension from his arms. Finally, the energy that had hesitated responded with a jolt and linked to the girls' ...