Page 33 of Between Imminent Fates

“Rayn hasn’t been back to the kennels in a week,” he began, “so I don’t have much new intel for you. I’ve a feeling that he’s busy with the other ones.”

“He’s probably running around in circles. We’ve eliminated eighteen of them so far—there were twenty-two total. The rest were run by theCitizens,” she explained, “not by the Army.”

Jax nodded. Taking a moment to organize his thoughts, he ate a cookie and draped his arm across the couch behind Key. As they had every night she’d been here, she snuggled up against him like a puzzle piece he’d been missing.

“What about the remaining four?” he asked. “I don’t want to sit idly by while everyone else risks their neck, Key. Let me help you.”

Key shifted away from him, then turned so that she could study his features. “Jax, do you remember when I said that I had a plan? That I’ve been working toward this end for centuries?”

“I do.”

“The plan has been set in stone for ages, and with that comes inflexibility.” She offered him an apologetic look. “Essentially, it can’t be changed.”

A flare of frustration lit within him. Grinding his teeth together, he sank back against the couch and warred with the anger that threatened to swallow him whole. Jax had thought that becoming a werewolf would open doors. Unfortunately, they were all still locked—and paws lacked opposable thumbs.

“Did I do this to myself for no reason?”

Key shook her head. “I believe that this is what was meant to happen—I just didn’t foresee it.”

It didn’t help. Jax pinched the bridge of his nose. Though his parents were gone, and Key was the only person who truly mattered to him, he’d drastically altered his chemistry without fully thinking it through.

“Are you angry?”

“At myself?” He shrugged. “Maybe.”

Then, she asked, “Are you angry at me?”

Glancing up, he shook his head. “No. I made my own choices, Key. I’m not going to fault you for a decision I made.”

Despite that, hewasfrustrated with the situation he’d put himself in. Rather than go with the flow, he’d stabbed a hole in his innertube and opted to swim instead.

“Even if I wanted to bring you, Jax, I have trouble seeing you in my visions,” she said, “but, after the one with your commander, there is a mission we absolutely will need your help with.”

A flip switched, and Jax could almostfeelthe wagging of his wolf’s tail. The giddy sensation banished what remained of his negative emotions.

“I’m in.”

Snickering, she said, “Have I told you how much I adore your enthusiasm? I could always use a bit more of that.”

Curling his fingers around the back of her neck, he brought her mouth to his. Soft and plush, her lips made it impossible for him to think about anything else. The taste of chocolate bloomed on his tongue, and the wolf howled in pleasure. His hand flexed as he anchored himself in this small brush with heaven.

Key’s silky hair tickled against his skin, brushing over his knuckles, as she moaned slightly. The sound made him still, then close what distance remained between them. She drove him wild with the smallest of noises, and he indulged himself by desperately claiming the woman with his kiss.

Jax realized that it would never be enough. Key was like his gravity: necessary, fathomless, and ever-present. Without her, life would be impossible.

Everywhere she touched, he burned with desire. Her hands roamed across his chest, felt the broadness of his shoulders, and clasped the back of his neck. If Jax let himself, he’d fall for her completely.

A wet nose on his arm surprised him. Pulling away from Key with a laugh, he patted Zeus’ head. “Thanks buddy.”

Beside him, Key snuggled back into him. Not for the first time, he wondered what her life was like outside this apartment. Who her friends were, and how they’d reacted when she told them what was to come. Though she’d mentioned them on and off, it seemed as though she liked to distance herself—if only for a few hours.

“How do the others respond when you tell them their parts?” he asked.

She grimaced. “Poorly. Usually, they stomp their feet and growl. I beg and plead and threaten. Always a joy.”

“I’m sorry, Key. That must get tiresome.”

“I am tired,” she admitted. “I’m sick of being a foreseer. At times, I wish I was normal, that I’d never been blessed with this ‘gift.’”

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