Page 89 of Toward Immortal Ruin

“Jeremiah!”

Eden fought the urge to laugh as the redhaired Elemental turned an even brighter shade of crimson colored, half-hiding behind his busy mate.

“Yes, sovereign?”

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” Nero was smiling, linking his fingers through Eden’s and giving them a squeeze.

“I lost my concentration because of the way your matehood changed the psychic web. Thanks for that—and also, congrats.”

A round of hearty congratulations split the air, and Eden found herself pressing into her mate’s side in delight. It was Nero that finally spoke, his gaze finding Nina’s through the crowd.

“Well, we’ve just created the second immortal born of two breeds. You’re no longer unique, Nina.”

Rampant shock rammed against Nero’s psychic abilities. He grunted with the effect, turning to look at the man who’d experienced them first: Aidan.

The werewolf stared at Eden as though he’d seen a ghost. “Eden—you’re—”

“I shifted,” she said. “My wolf rose again, Aidan. She didn’t fade, shewaited.”

Despite the healer’s calls for him to stop, the alpha was striding across the lawn to embrace the newest member of his pack.

As emotions spiraled from them both, Nero realized that Eden’s rebirth hadn’t only cured her, but it had shifted the darkness in Aidan as well. Her wolf’s survival had been essential for the alpha who found himself on the edge. Before today, Nero hadn’t noticed the one emotion that’d been missing from Aidan’s emotional panel:hope.

***

Her paws were the color of perfectly toasted marshmallows. Nero had started her off in this streak of self-admiration, and now she preened whenever she noticed another beautiful detail about her wolf. She ran across the landscape, slightly unsteady, as she attempted to match the feline grace of her mate.

Nero put her to shame, bounding over foliage and downed tree limbs. Rocks didn’t slow his panther down, and sand didn’t eat into his grueling pace. With every stride, she worked for her run, focusing on where her paws went during each phase of the gait.

A subtle, cat-like yowl was Nero’s way of teasing her. Then, his telepathic voice sounded in her psychic ear.You’re thinking too hard, professor.

Perhaps she was.

Shaking her scruff indignantly, she allowed the wolf that was the second part of her soul to move forward and assume control of her limbs.

Immediately, the stumbling and unsteadiness ceased. Now she was easily keeping pace with the panther in front of her. Donning a wolfish grin, she urged the primal side of her faster, digging claws into the earth and flattening her ears. When it wasn’t enough, she called on her vampiric speed to aid her, as she sprinted to overtake the cat.

Those emerald panther eyes widened marginally, then dug into his reserves for additional speed. Lost to the chase, Eden’s happy yip had Nero’s panther responding with a spirited yowl. As she came up alongside him, he held his head high—and pride funneled through their mating bond.

The link between them had solidified the night of the attack, but Eden had since learned that for a werewolf, the bond was secured with a bite. Given her biology and the duress of the attack, none of them were surprised that it hadn’t been necessary.

Regardless, her wolf had demanded the bite be completed. Eden had said as much to Nero, and he’d been ecstatic. The Raeth couldn’t wait to wear her mark. Running along the trails, the beast in her couldn’t stand another moment.

Lunging toward the panther, she nipped at his neck. It was a love bite, but one that found its mark. A bead of blood dotted the dappled black coat, and her wolf howled in success. Through their bond, a pulse of satisfaction and pure, incandescent joy brushed along her own happiness.

When they neared the small clearing the cat had claimed as his own, the pair slowed. Shifting in a flash of euphoric ecstasy, Eden straightened her shirt and pants and leapt. She combed her fingers through his thick fur, lips curving into a smile.

“For a big, fluffy kitty, you’ve certainly got some speed.”

The panther sent her a withering look, and then it was the handsome Raeth she’d fallen in love with was standing beside her. Together, they looked out upon darkened horizon, and Eden felt small compared to the vastness of the ocean before them.

When Nero’s fingers linked through hers, she belatedly registered the compounding sense of guilt that washed through their mating bond. Eden hesitated to broach the topic, waiting for him to speak instead.

His thumb gently massaged her palm. “Eden, I know this isn’t the life you chose. After the wolf bit you in Chicago, we’ve thrown one thing after another at you. You’ve been bitten, stalked, and threatened, and when that wasn’t enough, you had a hemorrhagic stroke and shifted into a werewolf a few days later.

“I’ve known about you for eleven hundred years,” he continued, “and even I didn’t have time enough to prepare for what happened. Every step you took into the immortal world was riddled with violence, and I wouldn’t blame you if it’s left a sour taste in your mouth.”

Nero’s fingers tightened around hers. “What I’m saying, Eden, is that if you want to step away—if you want to live in Chicago and travel for your books and teach and spoil your cat rotten, I will support you. I meant what I said: mates, lovers, friends, or pen pals. If you want me there or even if you don’t, all of it is your choice.”

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