Page 43 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Eden’s jaw dropped. “Wait. You’ve lived for threecenturies?”

“No, Eden, I’m not three hundred years old.” Nero straightened to deliver the next important news. “I’ve been alive for twelve centuries.”

“Holy mother of pearl.”

“Of all the things I’ve said, is it my age that finally broke you?”

“I just can’t believe you’ve been alive for that long.” She shook her head. “To have been around when Genghis Khan was conquering the world, or when Chaucer wrote theCanterbury Tales,and Bell invented the first telephone. Heck, you were around when Shakespeare wroteHamlet!” Her hand flew up to her throat.“I mean, Nero, did you see those torture devices I was babbling on about being used?”

He cringed. “I may have seen a few.”

“My word.” She collapsed backward into the loveseat. “I can’t believe I’ve kissed a man who’s literally older than dirt!”

“Hey now. I take offense to that! And I also happen to know a certain newly awakened Elemental you’ll get along with.”

At Nero’s long-suffering expression, Eden broke out in giggles. “Okay, then, I have to know: how does an immortal come into being?”

“Well, when two Raeths love each other—”

Eden snorted. “I guess I deserved that.”

Nero shook his head and laid the cards on the table. Eden had taken everything amazingly well so far, but the next part would decide everything. “Immortality doesn’t lend itself to exceptionally fertile creatures. If Raethsareblessed with children, it’s a rare occurrence. Perhaps one or two every decade in the greater population.

“The procreation of the other breeds is different. Vampires, as you might’ve guessed, sire fledglings with a blood exchange.Werewolves bite those they intend to change. And Elementals—they simply come into their abilities when exposed to their elements in extreme contexts.”

Dropping her eyes as her mind raced, Eden sighed. “This is incredible. I’ve never once imagined any of this was actually real. To find out now—” A rueful shake of her head. “It’s just wild.”

“Eden, there is a reason I’m telling you all of this now, so abruptly. I did intend to reveal the truth about my world, but I wanted us to build more trust, ease you in, let you enjoy your time here and … I’m so sorry.” At the somber note in his voice, Eden stiffened. “The wolf that bit you in Chicago was no ordinary wolf. You bear a werewolf’s mark.”

Chapter Fourteen

Eden struggled to remaincalm. Her entire life had been researching and reading about supernatural creatures of myth and lore. Every article and peer-reviewed paper she’d written, her book, the lectures—they had been entirely dedicated to the world of paranormal fiction. The news that she’d been bitten by a supernatural immortal—not fictional at all—was almost too much.

“Am I going to become a werewolf?”

A darkness crossed Nero’s eyes for half a moment. “Yes. I’d reckon you’ve already experienced some of the changes.”

“Like smelling food or hearing things from a great distance?” Eden shivered. “Yes, that’s started. Does that mean I’m going to grow fur at the next full moon? Is that lore true?”

He nodded.

“That’s only a few days away!”

“I know this is a lot, Eden.” Empathy knitted his eyebrows together. “I know you didn’t ask for this, and it wasn’t part of your life plans. You need to know that I will always be by your side, whatever happens. And I had to make sure you knew whatwould become of you, because a surprise transformation would be traumatic.”

Eden startled. “Wait, is that why you brought me here? Our meeting, the date, our conversations … was it all because you knew I’d gotten bitten?”

“No, I actually didn’t know until you mentioned it earlier today,” he explained, his thumbs gently massaging her palm. “I was drawn to you and everything in the past few days has been genuine—except that I let you believe I was human. I needed to make sure you were ready to listen, and not take me for a fool telling you tall tales. And Idowant to keep you safe.”

She tentatively closed her fingers around his. At the pressure, Nero stopped his ministrations and studied her intently. She cleared her throat.

“So, I’ll turn into a werewolf. What does that mean, exactly?”

Instantly, her mind was tabbing through everything she knew about werewolves. Shifter lore was as varied as the sources that were written about them. Personally, she’d always believed that werewolves had turned into something close to their wild counterparts. If they shifted into a nine-foot-tall monster, keeping their secret would’ve been much harder.

“When the full moon rises, you will shift into a wolf, one that is impossible to differentiate from the wild wolves. You will still be yourself, with your human capacity to reason, but also have a primal side that will operate on instincts and natural urges. Eventually, you will be able to control the shift and your inner she-wolf. It’s a lot to take in—trust me, I know—but I’ll ensure you have all the help available.”

She found herself snuggling into Nero’s warmth, soaking up the Hawaiian sunset. Despite the ache that’d begun between her temples, her mind was firing on all cylinders. Every myth and legend that had appeared in research hovered on her tongue, battling for the privilege of being her next question.Shapeshifting hadn’t been her forte or her main focus, but now, it was all she could think about.

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