Page 41 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Weightlessness. In the next moment, her entire being seemed to float through space, dissolving into nothingness in a single second. Oddly disorienting, she’d would’ve gasped if she had control of her vocal cords.

Her feet touched solid ground before panic had time to set in. Eden’s vision cleared while she gulped air. She registered that her hand was still locked in Nero’s, and it was only when his arm came around her back that she sagged against him, knees trembling.

“Whatwasthat?”

“That, my darling Eden, was your first teleport. It lasted less than a second. Take your time, though. It affects people differently.”

Her eyes shot open, jerking away from the heavenly warmth of Nero’s chest. When she finally registered where they were—in an alleyway near the Eiffel Tower—her mouth fell open. Thoughthey were still a good distance away, far enough that she didn’t have to crane her neck up to see the top, it was clearly Paris.

Her mind spun. Only moments ago, she’d been in Nero’s home. Now—impossibly—she was halfway across the world. This was too real to be a dream, but anything else seemed implausible. Eden had studied the paranormal for decades, but this was simply too much.

“What.” Her eyes were open so wide she must’ve looked half a step away from losing her marbles. “How. How are we here?”

“A teleport. It’s a simple method of transportation for—”

“Did you spike my French toast?” Accusatorily glaring at him, Eden stepped back and held her hands up defensively. “There is no way this is real!”

“It’s very real, Eden.” He gestured toward the brick wall next to them. “Touch. Feel. Go talk to someone if you want.”

“What, and look like a crazy person? I can’t just go around asking people if this is real life! I don’t even know French.”

“I do,” Nero’s eyes aligned with a man walking on the sidewalk just several paces away. “Pourriez-vous me dire l'heure, s'il vous plaît?”

“Va chier,” came the response, the stranger keeping to his brisk pace.

Eden sputtered, clearly off kilter after the abrupt change of location and the proof that it wasn’t all a psychedelic hallucination.

“What did you ask him?”

“The time. He told me to buzz off. That’s how you really know it’s Paris.” At her shiver, Nero lost his joking tone. “Should we try somewhere warmer?”

“Fine, Nero.” Eden decided to play his game. “Taj Mahal.”

“As you wish.”

One dizzying teleport later, she was standing in front of the Taj Mahal, the breathtaking building barely on the cusp of beingexposed to the dawn. It unveiled its minarets for them in the soft morning rays, and her heart soared as Nero coiled an arm around her waist. Given the early hour, they were the only people on the terrace overlooking the pool before it.

“Eden.”

At the somber note in his tone, she turned to look at the man she was fast falling in love with. She had a feeling that what he said next would come to define her life—or what was left of it.

“I’m not human.”

Chapter Thirteen

Revealing his truth toEden was incredibly freeing. No longer a slave to the secret, Nero felt his panther begin purring in his chest—and the weight of his deception slough off his shoulders. Across from him, Eden was positively vibrating with energy. It infiltrated his senses as he rode out the wake of her sudden enthusiasm.

“I knew it! I knew it couldn’t all just be make-believe!”

She did a happy little dance, pumping her feet and twirling around until her arms cinched over his neck a second later.

“What are you? Vampire? Werewolf? Sasquatch? Basilisk? Should I never make eye contact again?”

Having teleported back to his kitchen, he cradled her against his chest, savoring each second with his mate. Her happiness was like a potent drug. Even before it was over, he knew he would relish this moment for the rest of his life.

“I’m a Raeth.”

“A wraith?” Her nose squished. “Like from Lord of the Rings?”

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