Page 110 of Between Imminent Fates

Derikles knew the exactmoment that Celeste became unconscious. Despite the incomplete bond that connected them, the sudden inability to sense her and to reach out to her telepathically made the possessive beast inside him rage.

The last emotions that’d barreled through their bond were of shock and debilitating agony. His mate was wounded and unreachable in another Raeth’s territory—one that Celeste had warned him was on the edge of instability.

Derikles’ mind fired on all cylinders, forming and picking apart plans to retrieve her from Zeke’s clan lands without starting a Raeth war.

What he hadn’t intended on was the lieutenants teleporting into his home. All five of them, Jaeda included, had apparently sensed his fear through clan bonds and came to his aid. Sia flanked the healer as they moved closer.

“What’s happened?” Jaeda asked.

Derikles didn’t stop strapping blades to his body. “My mate is wounded and unconscious and I can’t reach her. I’m going to retrieve her.”

“Wait—your mate?”

All of them stood in a loose circle around his living room, their reactions trifling with his emotions.

“We found each other last week; Jaeda saw the bond between us.” Derikles made a cutting gesture with his hand. “We don’t have time for a full update. Celeste told me Zeke’s clan network is too much for one sovereign alone to bear. It’s becoming unstable. If it ruptured, everyone there is in danger.”

“Derikles, you can’t go charging into Zeke’s territory,” Jaeda warned, looking at him like he was the one who’d gone insane. “You’re a sovereign now; it could be seen as an act of war. Besides, the treaty—”

“I’ve agreed to no such treaty with the other sovereigns,” Derikles reminded her. “Zeke is skirting the line, Jaeda; it’s plain as day. Celeste is hurt—I know that much—and if she’s in trouble, nothing will stop me from going to her.”

“Be smart about this, Derikles,” Sia warned. “We need a better plan than going in there, guns blazing.”

He hesitated. What they said was true. If Celeste was the only one injured, charging into Zeke’s territory would be dangerous, especially given his instability. But if the clan’s network had been compromised, he’d need all the backup he could get.

In the seconds that followed, he sent a mental ping to Zeke with an urgency that would demand an immediate response. He waited for several moments before his patience waned. His hail to Kaien only seconds later also went unreturned.

“I’ll reach out to Nero. If the psychic bonds have ruptured, he’ll be able to call for additional aid,” Derikles said. He didn’t hesitate to send an urgent psychic call to the other sovereign, and Nero responded readily.

Yes, Derikles?

My mate is wounded and unconscious on Zeke’s clan lands,Derikles explained, attempting to withhold the beast in him snarling with fury.I need your assistance to secure her safety—and that of her clans. There’s no response from Zeke or Kaien.

Derikles, what happened? Who is she?

Celeste, one of Nina’s lieutenants. I’ve no idea how she’s been wounded, but I know she was in agony only minutes ago. She’s mentioned the psychic bonds of the clan were unstable, and I fear the worst.

I’ll come with you.

Without asking for permission, the Osé sovereign manifested beside him. Nero eyed the lieutenants around the room with a diplomatic nod.

“If the clan is compromised, I’ll call in senior healers from every other clan of the Accords. If it’s only Celeste, Zeke may see this as a threat,” Nero warned. “Don’t bare blades unless you intend on using them. Don’t make any threatening moves. They’re defending Nina and their territory—don’t get them a reason to attack.”

They acknowledged the wisdom with a nod.

“On your mark, Derikles.”

Derikles teleported all seven of them directly into the heart of Zeke’s territory. The Ontario landscape was windy but warm around them, but the urgency of Derikles’ need to see his mate made him immune to the beauty of the territory.

Their intrusion was met with a near-instant response. Within moments, ten battle-ready Raeths appeared in a loose circle around them, outnumbering them. Swords drawn, Zeke and Nina’s lieutenants were fraught with tension. A single unintentional movement could see this end bloody.

At their center stood Zeke, staring at them with a bewilderment that meant only one thing: Celeste was the only one wounded here. Though the other sovereign stood tall, his cheeks were sunken, and his eyes were hollow. What Celeste had said was true: the dual sovereignty was too much for him.

Derikles felt pity for the man who’d taken the brunt of his mate’s trauma and still had tried to carry their clan through it.

“You dare enter my lands?”

Derikles straightened. “I’m not here to bring war, Zeke. I come in search of Celeste.”

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