Page 106 of Between Imminent Fates

Jaeda cleared her voice. “I apologize, Derikles—sovereign—I can be overly protective.”

On the heels of the statement, the healer raised her chin to lock eyes with him, and then Celeste. Awareness flickered.

“What is it, Jaeda?”

“You two are mates.” Jaeda nearly sputtered as she rushed to explain her gift. “I’m an Arbiter. I can see the bond between you. It’s not yet formed, but it’s there. It’s undeniable.”

Speechless, Derikles could only watch as the healer yanked the surprised beauty into a bear hug and clung tightly. “Welcome to the clan; I’m Jaeda, the senior healer. Please, take good care of this man; he deserves it.”

Overprotective healers.

Rolling his eyes but hiding a grin, Derikles pinned Jaeda with a look. “Thank you for that incredibly overbearing introduction. Celeste, shall we?”

Getting away from Jaeda was nearly impossible. The healer wanted to know everything about Celeste, from where she was born to what color of polish was currently painted on her fingernails. Once they finally managed to escape and he teleported them back to his home, Celeste suddenly became shy. She looked anywhere but him.

“So.”

He couldn’t stifle a chuckle. “So.”

“We’re … mates.”

“I rather think I’m getting the better end of the deal.” Derikles raised his eyebrows for affect, enjoying seeing the woman become flustered at the sentiment.

“Do you now?”

Celeste fisted a hand on her popped hip, the miniskirt flaring in a way that had his blood heating. “Well, the most beautiful woman in the world may potentially be my muse for the rest of eternity.”

And then, there it was: her pretty pink blush.

Derikles took one step forward, then another, slowly closing the distance between them. For a moment, she was a deer in the headlights, those gorgeous violet eyes locked on him like she was ready to bolt.

But she stood still, whether to prove it to herself or to him, he couldn’t know. When his arms came around her, there was no denying it. She crumbled against him. The sweet spun sugar and peach fragrance that clung to her skin kicked up fire beneath his calm façade, and he unashamedly tightened his arms around her.

Instead of moving away at the desperation within him, she held fast. Her fingers grasped at the back of his shirt, urging him closer, and her heartbeat sounded in his ears.

Celeste was everything he’d ever wanted and never had dreamed of receiving. Given the circumstances surrounding their initial meeting, it was a miracle they’d found each other. It was another still that Jaeda had noticed their bond.

The sound of her soft sob stabbed through him. “I’m sorry. If this isn’t what you want, Celeste, you need only say it.”

“No.” Her grip tightened on him; her words muffled against his chest. “No, itiswhat I want. I’m desperate for you, Derikles, but with what’s happened to Nina—and to Isaiah and Key—our lives are so incredibly different from where they were even two months ago. It’s so much to take in. And Nina—what if my best friend never knows I found you?”

The vulnerability in her eyes as she pulled back gutted him.

Derikles drew her back against his chest, running a hand down the long curtain of her pink hair. “She’ll know. She will. She and Isaiah—if anyone can fight back from where they are, it’s them.”

“They’re going to wake up, Derikles. They have to.”

Relief came pouring from Celeste as she relaxed against him. As he held her, a connection began to open between them. Unlike with every other mated couple he knew who’d described it like a lightning bolt, theirs was a slow trickle of water, gradually filling up the space between them. Soothing, relaxing, and comforting in a time that was anything but.

For this one blissful moment of peace, they held each other, delighting in the unfinalized mating bond that’d tethered their souls together. Tomorrow was another day, another trial, but tonight was theirs.

When morning came, Celeste teleported home before he’d even fully awoken to bid her goodbye. Spending a night holding her in his arms was a bliss he had never imagined for himself.

When he walked into the early morning sun, he found Jaeda pacing along the path he usually took toward Isaiah’s home. The healer had been waiting for him. Her sapphire eyes were full of apology when she saw him.

“Forgive me, Derikles. I should’ve had more tact before blurting out about to your mating bond.”

“No need to apologize, Jaeda. Our lives have been upturned and we’re all hanging by a thread. I can allow you a little leeway, especially considering it’s worked in my favor.”

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