Page 37 of Toward Immortal Ruin

He needed to speak with Aidan as a matter of urgency.

Though his panther detested the teleport, Nero didn’t have a choice. He didn’t know how long Eden had left. She was so small, so easy to tire, and he knew nothing of how the change would affect her. He couldn’t allow any more time to be wasted.

He teleported to Paracel. Somewhere, a fountain bubbled, and distantly, he heard voices laughing. To his already fried nerves, it was like the sounds of nails on a chalkboard.

Enough of that.

One single, terrifying roar from his panther immediately silenced the mirth. Gideon and Jeremiah, Paracel’s leadership, immediately ran into the hall. And, bringing up the rear, was Aidan.

Even when faced with the alpha werewolf, his panther wasn’t giving up control. In a show of barely concealed aggression, he bared teeth at the assembled audience.

He could hear Gideon’s voice, low and nonthreatening. “Why is there a panther pacing in the great hall?”

“It’s not a panther,” was Jeremiah’s cheeky reply.

“Sure looks like a panther to me,” Aidan commented. Out of the corner of Nero’s eye, he could see the massive werewolf crossing his arms, reticent.

“It’s Nero.”

At least the red-haired Elemental could sense Nero’s presence. As part of his clan, Jeremiah was the closest thing to an ally he had here. He might need it.

“I’ve never seen his cat before.” Aidan’s voice contained a note of awe. And then, “Has your sovereign lost his mind, Jeremiah?”

Nero gave a second angry bellow. Eden didn’t have time for him to waste on a clown show. All three of them had taken uppositions on the wall, adopting positions of nonchalance and waiting him out. His panther could see straight through the pretense. If Nero made any threatening move, none of them would be caught unaware.

“Hard to tell. I’d bet it has something to do with his mate, though,” Jeremiah joked, that defiant grin brightening his features.

“So it’s official?” Gideon asked excitedly.

“Not yet.”

At that, the panther paused, blinking over at Jeremiah. Nero took advantage of the moment of cold terror and wrestled back control, shifting back, and locking eyes with Aidan’s.

“We failed!” A mixture of anger and outraged pulse through Nero’s veins. “That rabid wolf in Chicago managed to bite Eden before I got to her!”

“Calm down, Nero,” came Aidan’s placating tones.

“I can’t calm down when myhumanmate has been bitten by a werewolf!”

Aidan cursed, his mind clearly racing with the repercussions.

“I thought I had time with her, that she’d get to choose and then …” he growled. “The full moon is only days away. Why couldn’t I sense it?”

“Until they transition, the newly bitten continue to read like mortals, Nero.” Aidan’s jaw clenched. “Is she in good health?”

“Why does that matter?”

Sudden anxiety blasted from Aidan, making Nero reel from the impact of the strong emotion.

“Because not everyone makes it through the change. Before we even consider a candidate for becoming wolf, they must prove they’re healthy enough to even undergo the bite.”

Nero’s chest constricted; his breath locked in his lungs.

Not everyone makes it through the change. The warning kept repeating in his mind, like a poisonous mantra. Understandingthe concept and accepting it were two very different things. He warred within himself, attempting to wrap his head around what the werewolf had said. No matter which way he looked at it, every well-laid plan seemed to be crumbling at his feet. How was it possible that once bitten, she might not survive? He’d only just found her.

“You have to tell your mate what’s going to happen.” Soft, almost apologetic, Aidan’s voice met his ears. “She can’t go through the change alone, and she especially can’t do it in ignorance.”

The werewolf closed the distance between them and gently gripped his shoulder. The touch was caring, the gesture of a man who knew the worth of physical contact.

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