Page 60 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Eden’s mouth opened and closed several times before Nero intervened. “You’ve broken my mate.”

“You missed it this morning, Drake,” came Jeremiah’s offhanded comment. “Nero went full panther on Aidan. Quite the sight.”

“Truly? Can’t believe I missed it,” Drake sighed. “I’ve never seen Nero lose his cool. Well, except for the Heat.”

“And we best be going!” Nero’s sudden exclamation shocked her into motion. “Aidan, appreciate all the info.” He turned to her expectantly. “Shall we?”

Eden had barely nodded before the teleport overtook them, too concerned with Nero’s reaction to concentrate on the rapid change of scenery. Landing in Oahu once more and promptly scaring her cat, she frowned at him.

“Why did we leave so quickly?”

She had a sinking feeling it was because of Drake’s comment: something to do with whatever the Heat had meant to him. Nero couldn’t hide the unease that transferred through their mating bond.

“What was the Heat, Nero?”

Reluctance wove around him. “Can we sit?”

As they took a seat on the couch, Marianne promptly plopped herself on his lap. Nero scratched under her chin while he gathered his thoughts.

“Every one to two thousand years, the Raeth race goes into a Heat cycle,” he explained, his words cautious, but his eyes clear and focused. “It’s how we reproduce. Without the Heat, births are exceptionally rare, and our population sees gradual decline.

“Almost a year and a half ago, we went through such a Heat cycle. It’s why my clan grew so swiftly and why there are infants out with their parents everywhere.”

Eden was almost afraid to ask. “What happens during the Heat cycle, Nero?”

“Mated Raeths pairs almost always conceive children during this period,” he smiled, the expression fond. “We’ve seen almost a hundred births in my clan, and additional mated couples joined after the Heat to seek clan security. It’s a blessing.”

“But? That’s not a reason to want me out of there as soon as the Heat was mentioned.”

“But the Heat cycle doesn’t only affect mated Raeths. It affected those of us who were unmated, as well.”

“How so?”

“Unmated Raeths find themselves drawn to one another during that time, riding out the impulses of the Heat.”

Eden bit her lip, then asked the question that suddenly overwhelmed her reason. “You were drawn to another woman?”

Why did that hurt so much? The thought of Nero being intimate with another woman before they’d met burned like acid. Even more unnerving was the extra feeling inside her, the possessive beastly snarl of her wolf.

“I was.”

“Who was she?”

Nero dragged his hand down his face before responding. “Luna.”

Eden’s eyes teared. Knowing that he’d been intimate with the clan’s healer explained the uncanny familiarity between them. Part of her was horrified at the revelation, while the logical part of her brain tried to accept it as he’d explained it. Rationally, she knew that it was in the past, but it would take time to convince her that there was nothing between them.

Between them, their ghosting mating bond twisted, strung out on both ends as they fought guilt and hurt.

Attempting to remain calm, she asked, “Do you have feelings for her?”

Nero shook his head vehemently. “Luna is a friend, and what happened between us during the Heat was a biological necessity,not a fling.” He tentatively reached out to link his fingers with hers. “I only had eyes for you, Eden. One day, I’ll prove it to you.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Guilt was an achehe’d never heal. Though he’d wanted to be true to Eden since the moment he’d seen her in that first vision, the Heat had compromised his plans. Seeing her hurt by what he’d done only made the ache sharpen.

Nero needed to reassure her that he’d always belonged to her—even before they’d met. At some point soon, he’d show her his studio. While he knew it might be overwhelming, it might help heal what he’d unintentionally done.

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