Page 69 of Toward Immortal Ruin

“I’ve experienced all of them, Key.” Though his tone sounded calm, Nero was anything but. “Is there no hope?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell—” She dragged in a ragged gasp, blinking rapidly as jagged peaks of white lightning flared in her eyes. “I’ve tried to see other futures involving her, sovereign.”

“And?”

“Nothing!” Key fisted a hand in her sleek white-blonde hair. “I can’t see anything relating to Eden after tomorrow!”

“Try harder.”

Zia’s surprised breath didn’t matter to Nero, even with his friend’s disquiet beating through his gift. He knew he was being unreasonable. He didn’t care.

Luna stepped forward. “Sovereign, we both know that isn’t fair. Key’s visions don’t work like that; you know this.”

Nero’s panther looked through his eyes. “I never asked if it was fair, Luna. I asked her to try harder.”

“But, sovereign, Key—”

“Is the most gifted oracle in recorded history!” Nero hissed, his anger warping his words. “Telling me that Key can’t foresee whether my mate lives or dies is a farce!”

His rage swung back on Key. “For eleven centuries, you’ve had visions of my mate. Shared them with me. Now you’re unsure if she’ll live out the week?!”

The deep, feral growl of his panther rolled in his throat.

Key’s face was wet with tears, her poised façade long vanished. “Sovereign, I’ve never wished you anything but happiness with Eden.”

“But?”

Squaring her shoulders, she locked gazes with him. “Eden’s transition is blocked from me. I can’t see its outcome or consequences, no matter how much power I force into scrying.”

Every instinct within him roared, the despair that mounted quickly swarming any sense of reason or composure. His sanity hung by a thin thread.

Key’s excuses meant little to his panther. The beast curled his lip, hissing a wild warning as he stalked the foreseer through Nero’s eyes. The primal side of his spirit longed for vengeance against the fates that’d cursed his mate.

Nero recognized the spiral of wrath for what it was. Closing his eyes, he let loose the breath that soured in his lungs. Then, he sought out the single light in his life that could bring him back from the darkness: Eden.

She slept, blissfully unaware of his turmoil behind his shield. The instant his soul brushed against hers, it calmed him. His eyes opened to find all five of his lieutenants watchful but wary.

“Am I to believe she’ll succumb to her death when her wolf attempts to break free?”

“Nothing is certain,” Key whispered, “but one thing will always remain true, whether I see it or not. If she dies, she’ll drag you to the grave along with her.”

***

Raeths, by merit of their immortal nature, rarely needed more than four hours of sleep on any given night. Nero typically slept for two hours, and tonight, his insomnia had returned. As his anxiety mounted, he sifted through thousands of possibilities, weighing the merit of each while he paced in the darkness of his own home.

Resolved to one course of action, he reached out telepathically to Nina to ask for a face-to-face meeting. The woman responded almost instantly, and Aidan, by his request, was already there.

He manifested into the warmth of Nina’s den. The werewolf alpha was chatting absently with Zeke, Nina’s mate and co-sovereign.

“Nina will be here shortly. She’s putting the twins to bed.” Zeke frowned. “Nero, are you alright?”

Nero gave a single, tragic laugh. “No. The last few days have been simultaneously the best and the worst of my life. I’m here to ask for a favor.”

“Anything, Nero,” Aidan said. “We’ll wait for Nina, and then we can talk about what you need.”

Agitated, Nero shifted on his feet, loathing that he was away from his mate while she slept. If there were only days left of their lives, he wanted to spend every waking minute by her side. He had to ensure he’d done all he could first, that he’d fought for any possible solution.

Nina entered several minutes later. Her concerned smile had his chest tightening. “Nero, what’s wrong?”

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