Page 14 of Toward Immortal Ruin

He grinned. “Even without my axe. I’d be happy to lay down in front of you as wolf kibble while you escape.”

“I’ve gotta get past the freeze response, though.”

“I’ll just teleport you somewhere safe.”

“Teleport, huh?” Eden scrunched up her nose in mocking humor. “I think someone’s been hitting the vampire fiction a bit too hard, Nero.”

Snorting, he said, “You may be right, professor.”

Chapter Five

Nero was spellbound. EdenHawthorne was undeniably beautiful, even in the dim lights of the Uber they shared. Nothing Key had shown him had given him the truth of her loveliness—or the force of their connection.

Throughout the ages, whenever Key had a vision of Eden, she’d share the mental projection with him and occasionally, even entire fragments of future memory clips she’d seen. There were four of them, and Nero had memorized them all. In one, Eden met his panther, and in another, they held hands. She fed him in the third. It’d taken him centuries to realize the strange dish was a triangle of grilled cheese.

Then, in his favorite of the four, they shared their first kiss.

The visions were both cruel and kind—knowing that at some point, he’d experience them, but not when. For eleven hundred years, he’d waited to meet her. Now, he realized just how deeply he could feel for a woman he’d never technically met until last night.

Judging by the emotions that banked against his psychic senses, Eden was feeling similar sentiments. Suspicion stillhovered on the edges of her emotional signature, but it wasn’t nearly as sharp as before. Mostly, his presence filled her with comfort and the feeling of safety—and desire roamed between them. Knowing she could feel the draw to him as deeply as an immortal would was the greatest gift.

Deep within his chest, his panther purred soundlessly. Nero had been forced to keep the beast tightly leashed, not allowing the more primal part of him to surface and break his façade.

The cat could sense his mate’s closeness, and every part of him wanted to soak in her delectable scent. The peony aroma had teased him all day, and now, the beast under his skin wanted nothing more.

The Uber ride was quiet, but their fingers remained entwined. As they neared Eden’s apartment, her anxiety brushed against his senses. Nero loathed the fact that he couldn’t ease this fear in her—but the least he could do was make sure she was safe.

Part of him wished he could simply whisk her away to the island, where she’d be surrounded by people who’d be capable of protecting her. Here in Chicago, the constant threat of another rabid werewolf or even common mortal danger would hang over his head.

Something twisted in his chest. He’d ignored his lieutenants’ attempts to reach him all day, focusing instead on Eden and their shared experiences. This—finding her and ensuring his mate’s safety—was far more important than anything on clan lands. He trusted his team to figure out the emergencies and to allow him some personal time at long last.

The moment the car slowed and parked, Eden’s anxiety jumped. “We’re here.”

Nero climbed out of the car behind her, doing a psychic sweep of the immediate vicinity and scouring the area. His senses only brushed against human minds, and he didn’t sense anything remiss in the building that appeared to be hers.

The illuminated sign for the flower shop was on, but the doors were closed. It was nearing seven at night, so it wasn’t suspicious.

A skewer of frigid panic stabbed through him. He spun, frowning down at Eden where she’d frozen beside him. “Nero.”

“What is it?”

“That guy over there,” she whispered, her voice tight and thin with fear, “I know him—he’s—he’s one of the guys that approached me from this fanatical group that thinks the supernatural world is real.”

Nero glanced over his shoulder to where she pointed. The man was shorter, average in every way except his intense focus on the building behind them as he whispered aggressively into his phone.

“What do you mean?”

“In my lecture, remember when I said there are people who actually believe this stuff?” Eden shook her head, wrapping her hands around his arm. “The organization he belongs to approached me about joining their cause, but Nero, they’reinsane. They tried to convince me that vampires and werewolves were real—and that they were out to kill every human on the planet. Ten minutes after I met with them, I emailed everything I knew to the FBI. From what I know, they’re still looking for these guys. Should I call the cops?”

Nero could barely believe what she was saying—and he’d lived it. To know that she’d been approached by theCitizensand that she’d spoken with them made her situation all the more dire. His mind blazed with repercussions, but he needed confirmation first.

“Eden, are you talking about theCitizens of the Light?”

She jerked away from him. “Oh my god. Are you one of them?”

“No! Fates no—the opposite. The people I work with are tracking them, too. They’re the ones responsible for releasing the wolves yesterday.”

Relief flooded her emotional signature as she quickly leaned against him for support. The respite she felt by being near him was palpable—he could sense as much even without intentionally prying.

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