Page 56 of Toward Immortal Ruin

The door shut behind him and the car purred in his arms. Eden had already disappeared up the stairs, and that left him alone with the smaller feline. Nero gently set her down, then allowed his panther to come forward.

By the time Eden finished getting ready, Marianne was napping between his massive front paws, her chin resting on his leg. His mate cackled at the odd picture, and he cocked his head playfully.

“You’re too cute in this form, Nero.” A smirk. “And it looks like Marianne agrees.”

One hand gently traced the curve of his ear, the smirk softening to a smile before she caressed lower along his downy-soft coat. “It’s a good thing I’m not in my apartment. I don’t think my landlord would let me keep two cats. Besides, one of you is a bit bigger than the weight limit.”

Huffing at the insinuation, the panther nosed further into her hands, coveting the sensation of her hands running along his body. The vibration of his purr rumbled loudly. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling.

“Come on, Coffee Shop, don’t we have places to be?”

Nero bared his teeth and stuck out his tongue, eliciting a delighted laugh from the woman across from him.

“Shift back, otherwise I’ll have to get the squirt gun.”

He shifted back within seconds, while her back was turned.

“And what, exactly, would a squirt gun do?” he taunted, knowing she’d jump at the unexpected sound of his voice.

She swung around in one smooth motion, miming a squirt gun held with the confidence of a professional sniper. She pretended to spray him right in the face.

“Bad. Kitty.”

Nero’s laughter mirrored hers. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Are we ready to go?”

She held her hand out to him and offered him a smile that seemed like a truce. He hesitated on taking it only momentarily, but then slid his fingers through hers.

“Hold on tight, professor.”

A moment later, they solidified in the great hall in Paracel. Several people were nearby, and it didn’t take long before Jeremiah and Zia appeared arm in arm.

“Sovereign! Eden! Over here!”

“This teleportation thing is super handy,” she said. “Go anywhere you want, at any time? Think of all the things you could do and everything you could see.”

A flare of melancholy coursed through Eden, potent enough that Nero turned to look at her. The emotion banked against his psychic senses and mirrored through their mating bond, but vanished as unexpectedly as it had appeared.

“Whatever Nero told you, I’m sure I can explain it better,” Jeremiah boasted, unaware as usual of the undercurrents. “Elementals are the best at fielding questions from newbies. All of our people were raised mortal and found themselves becoming immortal in their twenties or early thirties. Unlike all these guys who were boringly born as immortals.”

Eden cleared her throat, still clutching Nero’s hand. “Nero explained it pretty well.”

“Probably better coming from a werewolf, though.”

Nero didn’t have to turn to confirm who the new arrival was. Aidan’s psychic signature was familiar, since they’d spent time together drafting the Accords, then plotting the downfall of theCitizens.

The alpha offered Nero a handshake before turning to Eden.

“Welcome to Paracel, Eden. My name is Aidan, and I am the original werewolf. Nero has shared that you’ve been bitten in traumatic circumstances. I regret we weren’t there to protect you and give you the proper initiation into becoming one of us. I hope we’ll be able to do justice by you from now on, and in time, you’ll come to embrace your new nature.”

Nero re-evaluated Aidan. Built like a tank, the other man was as tall as he was, and was the definition of a dominant male. The wolf that hid beneath Aidan’s skin was by far the most alpha animal he’d ever met, and there was no camouflaging the authority he wore like a second skin.

His words were determined, and he held Eden’s gaze. He was creating the safe space she’d need if there was going to be any assistance during the transformation. He was also assessing her for weakness.

The intense urge to shield Eden from Aidan’s scrutiny was suddenly all consuming. Without a single hiss of warning, his panther assumed control. The animal leapt to the forefront but didn’t simply stop at yanking his higher reasoning backward orcommanding his movements. It forced a shift, landing on four paws with razor-sharp claws.

The panther’s three-inch long fangs were bared in primal threat, and the hiss the tore out of his throat was an absolute warning to stay away. No one could’ve foreseen the change, and the entire great hall instantly stopped moving.

---