Page 80 of Between Imminent Fates

“And I didn’t try to pet you—holy hell—I tried to pet the panther.”

Anger fled at the thought, fear replacing it. What in the world was wrong with him that he’d literally tried to pet a panther? He’d blacked out at some point, but he scoured the visible landscape for any signs of the predator. Clearly, he was losing his mind. If this was the beginning of going rabid …

Something about his sudden silence must have drawn sympathy from his captor because the pressure on his arms suddenly released and the knee on the middle of his back gave way. Jax, still consumed by the horror of potential hallucinations, didn’t move.

“Who are you?”

Jax fought the rising tide of uneasiness and slowly pushed himself up to sit. Stars whirled on the edges of his vision, and he shook his head to rid himself of the vertigo. When he finally glimpsed the man lording above him, he grimaced.

Easily six and a half feet tall, the Pacific Islander wore a black Henley. Peeking out from beneath the black material were geometric looking tattoos that traced up the man’s arms. He wore confidence like a second skin, and his eyes held far too much comical relief given the situation.

His wolf’s instincts kicked in, the animal sensing what Jax hadn’t. This wasn’t a man. This was a Raeth.Like Key, the immortal before him gave off an otherworldly feeling, an undeniable energy that blistered the air around him.

“Who areyou?”

“I’m Nero, sovereign of the Osé and the territory you’re currently trespassing on.” He cocked an eyebrow. “And you are?”

Jax cursed. In his eagerness to see Key, he’d forgotten to call before he entered clan lands. “I’m Jax Hunter. Sorry—I forgot to call you.”

Chuckling, Nero extended his hand to help him up and they shook. “No harm done, if you excuse the ruthless introduction. Aidan’s shared a few things about you. He says you knew Key. Helped our cause.”

“I did what I could, but it doesn’t seem like it was enough.”

Face falling, Nero sighed. “You aren’t the only one who feels that way. Grab your rental and you can follow me into town.”

Quicker than Jax could react, the man shifted into his panther. Though his own wolf prowled forward at the sight, he did as the Raeth had instructed. Shadowing the cat into a community of immortals was oddly invigorating. No one stared, even as they crept along pathways that were seemingly too small.

When the panther came to a stop in front of a larger home, Jax put the car in park. Aidan was already striding out to meet him, true to his word.

“Jax,” Aidan greeted, “I’m glad you made it.”

Though he gave an acknowledging nod, Jax’s thoughts were focused on one thing. “Is Key here?”

“She is,” Nero replied, suddenly growing wary. “Why do you want to see her?”

“Key is important to me. She’s—” Jax paused, trying to explain that she was everything to him. Words couldn’t seem to encompass the truth, and his tongue tied in knots.

“Key was with Jax the night before the battle, Nero,” Aidan explained into the resulting silence. “They’d been seeing each other for months.”

The Raeth looked shell shocked. “You were seeing Key? Socially?”

“We met on a mountain peak in Seattle,” he explained. “After that, we saw each other almost every day. Spent our nights together. What we had was … special.”

Though it seemed as though Jax had just changed the rotation of the Earth on Nero, he nodded. “She hasn’t woken up, Jax, but she’s alive. We’re doing everything we can to help her.”

Nero showed them into the home. As Aidan took a seat in the living room, the Raeth motioned for Jax to follow him. The pair climbed a staircase toward the second level and opened the door to the first room on the right. The scent of fresh mint made his heart stutter.

Key was here. Sleeping and still, but alive.

He strode to the queen bed where she lay, taking great care when he sifted his fingers through hers. He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss into her knuckles. After two weeks of fearing the worst, seeing her again was a balm to his aching soul.

“Oh, Key,” he whispered, fighting the sudden tears that blurred his vision.

What he wouldn’t give to see her eyes open—to apologize for asking her to stay with him when so much had ridden on her guidance. He understood now that it’d been selfish of him, but all he’d wanted was her safety. It hadn’t mattered if it had been with him or across the world.

“You loved her.”

The sound of Nero’s voice startled him. Everything else had fallen away the moment he’d seen Key. Glancing up, he frowned at the Raeth sovereign.

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