Page 18 of Between Imminent Fates

The four of them had begun the long drive to Chicago from Paracel this morning when it was still dark. While Zia had offered to teleport them there, Lucy had refused in favor of the three-and-a-half-hour drive.

She needed to get into the right headspace for the meeting with her ex-fiancé.

The last time she’d seen him had been under less-than-ideal circumstances. Derek had essentially taken her hostage, and then he’d attempted to kill her mate. A sliver of fear crept into her mind. While she was certain Derek would never hurther, she couldn’t say the same for the people who were accompanying her today.

Zia was a Raeth and Jeremiah was a wind Elemental. Aidan, her mate, was a known werewolf who’d already threatened theCitizensand had broken Derek’s arm during their last encounter.

If something went wrong, Lucy had a feeling that it wouldn’t be her that paid the price.

Wrapping her hands around herself, she clung to the hope that what they were doing was the right thing, and sparing Derek’s life was the best outcome. In the deepest part of soul, Lucy would never forgive herself if she allowed him to be killed.

She was a bleeding heart.

“You’re thinking too hard, love.” Aidan’s thumb softly brushed against her chin, a gentle admonishment. “We’re saving his life, whether he deserves it or not.”

Lucy chose not to comment on the last portion of his sentence, the growly tone indicating his wolf was displeased. “I know. I just need to come to peace with the idea. I never wanted to see him again.”

“Obviously. He’s a terrorist.”

She lightly elbowed him in the side. “Well yes, but also because I was dating him, and it ended messy.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Those tea green eyes locked on her, the alpha’s half smile brightening his features. “You’ve only ever dated me.”

“Wishful thinking, perhaps.”

Jeremiah’s snarky comment earned a laugh from Zia and a smack on the head from Aidan. The Elemental yelled, “Driver obstruction!”

Purposefully swerving in their lane, Jeremiah cackled from the front seat. It was just what Lucy needed to loosen up, and she giggled when Aidan mockingly glowered at the man in front of them.

It’d been ages since Lucy had seen Jeremiah so carefree. After theCitizenshad attempted to assassinate Gideon, his best friend, he’d been circling the drain. His version of self-medication has been alcohol and cage fighting. Jeremiah had spiraled into a deep depression that surfaced as spite and sarcasm, and none of them had been able to pull him out of it.

Until Zia.

Jeremiah’s powerful Raeth mate had only taken a week to turn him around, and he’d never returned to the dark place he’d gone before. Zia had saved him from himself, and that was precisely what her abilities would do today with Derek.

When they arrived at their destination, Lucy’s hands began to shake. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t seem to stall the flow of adrenaline through her veins. All she wanted was to bury her face in Aidan’s chest and hide from it all, but to save Derek’s life, she had to do this.

“You can do this, Lucy. I have faith in you.”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do.” Gently pressing his lips to her forehead, Aidan sighed. “But if that man so much as touches a hair on your head, I’ll rip him apart. Gleefully. He’ll be dead meat.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “And there’s nothing a wolf loves more.”

“Except live meat.”

Both of them ignored Jeremiah’s comment. “If you need me, I’ll be there in a flash. You won’t ever be alone again, Lucy.”

Brimming with happiness at the thought, Lucy squared her shoulders and exited the car before she lost her nerve. The chilly spring wind licked at her exposed skin, and she tugged her peacoat tighter around her frame.

In a few, short strides, she’d entered Derek’s workplace, noting the absence of people that Key had prophesied. A work retreat had taken care of the majority of the team, but apparently the man himself had stayed behind to catch up on emails.

Lucy had met him countless times at his workplace, bringing him his lunch or his briefcase or whatever else he’d required she courier to him. Entering this building now, years after they’d been together, was odd.

It was reminiscent of the lowest point in her life.

By the time Lucy had walked back to his office, dodging the rows of abandoned cubicles and filing cabinets, she’d seen only one other person in the building. Fortunately, the distracted soul was heads down at a desk far from Derek’s office.

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