Page 6 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Eden was drop-dead gorgeous. Wide eyes, a startling shade of sea glass green, had taken his measure with intelligence andreal-world honesty. Her perfectly curved, hourglass figure had taken away his breath—literally.

Andmercy; even her hair was fascinating. Despite the dark, he’d been besotted with the soft, beachy waves that framed her face, like coppery flames enhancing a goddess shrine.

He’d seen her face so many times in the visions Key had telepathically shared with him, but nothing had prepared him for meeting her in person. There was a warmth in her psychic signature that indicated the woman’s innate kindness. Nero had spent centuries reading people, and reading her—even unintentionally—was like sipping fine wine.

To think that he might’ve missed their meeting if he hadn’t heeded Key’s request … it made him sick. It had been too close a call, and Nero would’ve never forgiven himself if she’d gotten harmed.

He stood there, staring at the spot where she’d disappeared, for far too long. As he longed after the woman of his dreams, trying to control his panther’s instincts to find and protect her, someone clapped him on the shoulder.

“You take a few too many knocks to the head, sovereign?” Jeremiah rounded on him with a grin, but it faded as he took in Nero’s fixation. “You alright?”

Nero snapped out of it. “I’m fine. Just … I’m fine.”

Though it required every ounce of will in his body, he reined in the pulse of feline anxiety from his panther. He understood the need to seek out his mate and confirm she’d gotten home safely all too well. Nero couldn’t—he simply had to trust her word and refrain from stalking her through the streets.

“Sure, yeah,” Jeremiah said. “The wolves are all cleaned up—just in case you were wondering—and we can go now.”

Nero glanced over his shoulder, finding the rest of their immortal crew staring at him. Though a few of them werecovered with their own blood, no one appeared to be seriously wounded.

Remmus grinned. “Find yourself distracted, friend?”

His grip tightened on his battle axe before he slung it over his shoulder. “A bit. All done here?”

“Yep.”

“Good.” Nero didn’t wait for Jeremiah’s confirmation before he teleported them both back to his clan lands. Though it was halfway across the world, the energy that suddenly blazed through him helped close the gap in his exhaustion.

He dropped the Elemental off with Zia and Myko before he teleported to Key’s doorstep. Hand poised to knock, Nero hesitated. After everything that had happened, he didn’t know what to feel or how to speak to Key about it.

The last year had been trying. Key’s requests had shifted from general guidelines to mandates and cryptic prophecies. Nero had grown frustrated with her—as had Zia—and they’d commiserated together more than once.

He realized now that Key may have seen their anger-fueled rants in her visions, and he was instantly filled with shame. He owed her an apology.

As if knowing he was done thinking, the door opened. Key’s smile was tight and tragic. “Hey Nero.”

“Key.”

He’d engulfed her in a bear hug moments later. Pouring every ounce of regret and apology into his embrace, he knew that the clan bonds between them would convey the depth of his remorse.

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he whispered. “Forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive.”

Another squeeze, and he pulled back. “I met her. In person. Andshesavedmylife.”

“Quite the woman, isn’t she?” Key winked at him.

The foreseer led him inside, where she sat down with him in her family room. A manilla folder was sitting on the coffee table beside a book and a cup of tea. Though he glanced at it with feline curiosity, he wouldn’t steal it before he was given permission.

Key chuckled. “That’s for you, Nero. Go ahead.”

He leapt on the material with fervor. All of his mate’s publicly available information was listed in several documents, as well as information about her speaking engagement tomorrow.

“Key, this is—”

Emotion choked his words, and she picked up where he left off. “Her name is Eden Hawthorne. Tomorrow, you’ll go and see her at her one p.m. lecture, then you’ll stay afterward to speak with her.”

For Key, that was as blunt and straightforward as she’d ever been. It made him wonder how long the foreseer had known the information. “When did you find out who she was? How long have you known we would cross paths today?”

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