Page 69 of Between Imminent Fates

The ominous sound of trucks roaring to life and excited chatter picked up. No single entity appeared to be in charge of the activity, but rather it was an amalgamation of several separate leaders united under a common enemy.

Jeremiah covered them all. His ability to render them invisible to everyone but their own eyes was without equal, but he also knew straight away he had reached the limit of his ability. With any disruption, he stood the very real possibility of losing its effects.

Zia worked feverishly alongside him, ensuring no other mortals remembered that they’d witnessed the camp of an invading force. Eyes glistening an icy white, she used psychic energy like a whip, coiling it around the minds of those who’d already seen the army and removing their memories with cunning efficiency.

He’d never loved her more.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nero

Death waited for them.

All of them stood still, silent and flush with rage, while their enemies flowed into formation across from them. Every couple that’d gathered around Key held for her word.

Tension slid across Nero’s skin like an oil slick. It registered from both those who’d come to kill them, and the allies standing at his side.

Apprehension, anxiety, anger: the emotions reached inside him through his abilities and pulled, forcefully enough that he gritted his teeth to keep from being overcome. He was exceptionally proficient at blocking emotional signatures, but the sheer volume and force of the feedback left him reeling.

“We can’t survive against this many, Key,” Kaien whispered. “There have to be over a thousand of them.”

“One thousand, three hundred, and forty-two.” Key spoke in halting language, as though she wasn’t fully with them in the present. “Have faith, Kaien. You promised me your trust, and you need to hold firm.”

Slowly, the force across from them began their advance. Nero trusted Key, but if they didn’t begin their countermove now, they’d be fully on the defensive. His panther roamed close to the surface, snarling.

“Kiyonne.”

Zeke’s voice was tight with warning while Nero’s attention focused unerringly on the force accelerating their advance.

“Jeremiah and Zia are dropping now—wait.”

Hers was a scathing command, spit as though she’d made it a thousand times. And perhaps she had. Everything about this was as Key had foreseen, the events so far aligning perfectly with her description.

Then, Key’s telepathic voice sounded directly in Nero’s mind.Sovereign, Lock Zeke as soon as I call the first counterattack. Do not delay—our very survival depends on it.

Nero gave her a mental acknowledgement as the pieces on the board shifted once more. Out of nowhere, Jeremiah and Zia appeared, dropping to the ground while the Elemental’s attention went to making their battle invisible. The tangible pulse of his power bit through the air.

Shouts filled with anger and fueled by adrenaline preceded the approaching army. Key had yet to move the immortals into position. Skittish now, Nero shifted on his feet, the panther beneath his skin leaping forward to look through his eyes.

His attention was split. Part of it was focused on ensuring Eden’s survival. The other half dreaded the moment he’d have to Lock Zeke.

And then, Key spoke the three simple words that changed the course of the immortal world forever: “Don’t look back.”

At the sound of her voice, Nero’s magic roared to the surface. It flared out to grasp hold of Zeke’s abilities and lock them away inside him. He didn’t register Key’s words until after his part was finished. He turned with horror to the woman who’d said them.

That command—Don’t Look Back—hadn’t been detailed in any of the strategies she’d outlined. Only two of their ranks didn’t seem to share in the confusion. The Raeths who were born of destruction had teleported in front of her.

Isaiah and Nina.

Standing a bare three feet apart, the sovereigns did what Nero had never witnessed firsthand. They reached directly into the well of their power andpulled, seeking the Light.

It was a death wish.

Somewhere along theCitizensline, a voice barked, “Fire at will!”

“Shields, hold!”

Key’s voice, stripped of all the confidence it’d once been infused with, sounded above the sudden hail of gunfire that burst apart on the shield before them.

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