Page 16 of Between Imminent Fates

Sitting taller beside her, he uttered the words that were vital to their future. “I want to help in any way I can, Key. Just tell me how.”

***

Peace. It was always illusive. Key’s desire to grasp the concept was as consistent as the offshore breeze. The wind raked through the palm fronds above her head, the rustling providing background noise that was nearly impossible to drown out.

With her eyes closed, she could almost imagine that the end wasn’t near. That they’d already won. It was the escape she coveted most: success, and the end of her foresight.

But peace wouldn’t be hers today. That much was apparent given the panther that was currently prowling toward her palm tree temple where she sat cross-legged beneath the shade.

There would be no escaping this conversation. Her sovereign would request answers, and while she could be forthcoming with some, others would need to be withheld. Nero would not be pleased.

What Key hadn’t foreseen was the rough sandpaper tongue of the panther that demanded her attention. Retreating from the playful act instantly, her nose scrunched up.

“Yuck, Nero!”

The panther’s green eyes laughed at her before he bumped his head into her chest, the softness of his fur tickling along her skin. Her disgust quickly morphed to joy as she sunk her fingers into the downy-soft, midnight black fur of Nero’s animal.

Her sovereign was gifted. While she had the ability of foresight, her sovereign could shift into the big cat, as well as read and control emotions. His third gift, however, was perhaps the most important. It would be crucial for the battle ahead.

Nero retreated once he was satisfied with her affection. One look toward the palm trees though, and a wicked glint entered those eyes.

Key gasped, pleading, “Nero, please don’t.”

There would be no dissuading the cat. He stretched up along the palm tree, rising to his full height, and raked dangerously sharp claws down over the bark. Marking his territory as effectually as drawing a ward, the panther bared yellow fangs in a warning yawn before the shift overtook him.

Only seconds later, a smug Nero was sitting beside her.

“Did you have to ruin my palm trees, too?” Key asked, giving him a dry look. “You’ve ruined everyone else’s.”

“Of course. My clan, my rules.”

The cheeky grin he gave her loosened some of the anxiety in Key’s gut, but her shoulders still sagged. Over the last few days, things had changed rapidly. Jax had entered her life without warning, and it had seemed like the kiss of chaos to a foreteller who relied on knowing exactly what the future held.

“I know what you’re going to ask me, sovereign.”

“Then do I need to ask it?” At her nod, he sobered. “Why didn’t you tell me, Key? Why didn’t you share the burden?”

“I couldn’t. Had I involved you, it would’ve irreparably changed the future. I couldn’t risk our victory just so I could have a confidant.”

“I would’ve helped you carry the burden,” he replied. “It hurts my heart to know that you’ve been alone to this, and for centuries, no less.”

“I haven’t been entirely alone to it, sovereign.” While it was partially true, it was also partially false. “Cassandra and I have spoken in the past, and she knew what I was attempting.”

“She may have known, yes, but she wasn’t your friend.”

Key’s face fell. Her sovereign was right—as he usually was. Luna, Zia, Nero: all of them had been her closest companions throughout the years, but none of them had understood the complexity of what she was working toward.

Luna still didn’t.

The healer wouldn’t know before the end. To involve anyone outside of the twelve couples she’d already informed—save Derikles and Jax—was to compromise their chances of success.

“You’ve been my friend, Nero. You and Zia and Luna. Eden, now, too.” A watery smile. “While I couldn’t share the subject matter of my visions, you were always there.”

But that answer only nominally appeased her sovereign. “Tell me how I can help you.”

“Sovereign, I’ve informed you of all that I can—for the present, at least. I have to hold my cards close to the chest for a while, playing them strategically while the dice are still being cast. Trust me, you’ll know more as soon as I’m able to tell you.”

“As soon as you’re able.”

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