Page 90 of Between Imminent Fates

“Good. It appears you’ve made a new friend.” His voice sobered. “If this friend hurts you, I’ll murder him.”

Celeste chuckled, patting his crossed arms pedantically. “There, there, Remmus. If you murder him, you get the sovereignty. Nobody wants that.”

“Especially not me.”

Chapter Eight

Jax

Adjusting to life onthe island hadn’t been as difficult as adapting to live among supernatural people. Jax had been thrown into the thick of it since the moment he’d arrived. Taken under Nero’s wing, he had been tutored by both the Raeth sovereign and Aidan whenever he could ‘catch a ride’ to Oahu.

The werewolf alpha had taken special interest in him. Weekly visits with him and nighttime sprints with a Raeth panther helped regulate Jax’s wolf dominance. With Key still sleeping, it was one way to work off his anxiety.

Being two of the most recently turned immortals also inspired a friendship with Eden. As one of the only hybrids in existence, she had a fascinating story.

Of everyone on the island, however, Jax had formed the closest bond with Jeremiah. The Elemental’s easy humor and relatability had given him a foothold when he’d felt like he was free-falling.

Jax had taken a spare bedroom in Key’s home. It was the only place he could get any real rest in, filled with her presence and her scent. Most of the time he was curled up beside her bed in wolf form.

Since Luna, the healer assigned to her care, had been on the verge of exhaustion, he had partially taken over monitoring Key’s medical stats every day. Nero didn’t attempt to stop it. The sovereign knew how deep the mating pull could be.

Jax had visited his mate once already that morning, but the draw he felt toward her hadn’t lessened. The Sylth clan healer, Jaeda, would be teleporting to Oahu today to read the bond between him and Key. He had no doubt about what she would find.

The grass was slick beneath his paws. An early morning rain shower had drenched the island, but he wasn’t going to let a bit of dampness stop his scout. He had also offered to take a reconnaissance run for Nero every morning. It did his wolf good to know that the people he cared about on the island were well accounted for. And if he was honest with himself, busy work kept him from losing himself in grief.

The moment he trotted back into sight of Key’s home, Jax realized he had company. Jeremiah was hanging in the hammock in her backyard, swinging slightly in time with the wind.

Instantly, Jax’s wolf went into stalking mode. It’d become a game for them, and he was far too competitive for his own good. If the wind Elemental’s snores were any indication, this would be an easy point.

Jax crept toward him on silent paws. Aidan had begun teaching him the mechanics of the hunt, but more than anything, the older werewolf had told him to follow his instincts.

This time, his instincts allowed him to nip Jeremiah on the rump before the Elemental even realized there was a game afoot. A yelp was echoed by a victorious wolf howl.

“Sleeping, Jax,” Jeremiah snorted. “I wassleeping. That’s totally off limits.”

Leaping into the shift, Jax grinned. “Yeah, like I was totally off limits yesterday when I was taking Key’s stats? Invisibility is cheating, Elemental.”

Chuckling, Jeremiah’s fist sailed into Jax’s shoulder. “I was voluntold to come get you. Apparently, Jaeda is here early. When you weren’t here, I assumed you were off prancing around the island with a tail and four paws.”

Laser-focused on the fact that Jaeda was already here, Jax ignored his friend’s light tone as he took off toward Nero’s house at a sprint.

Behind him, Jeremiah shouted, “Yeah, you go ahead!”

Deep within him, his wolf snarled. His beast couldn’t be made to understand why the truth they both held at the core of their being had to be made official by someone else. Nothing and no one could remove him from where Key was—and he dared any of them to try.

Laughter sounded from the bedroom where Key slept. The wolf riled at the thought of her vulnerable with a stranger nearby, and he burst into the room, unapologetic about his chaotic entrance.

Nero nodded a greeting and motioned the blonde woman beside him. “This is Jaeda, the senior healer for the Sylth clan. She’s an Arbiter, able to see bonds between people. If you’ll allow her, she’ll check to see if a bond exists between you and Key.”

“And it won’t hurt Key?”

“Not at all,” Jaeda replied. “It’s painless. Neither of you will feel anything.”

Nodding, he looked at Nero. “What happens if I don’t have a bond with her, Nero?”

“Then my clan has gained a competent young werewolf,” the other man replied. “You staying close to Key and all of us isn’t dependent on a bond, Jax. It’s plain for everyone to see that you love her. I would never separate you.”

As soon as Jaeda shifted her gaze from Key to him, she interrupted. “As touching as this moment is, you’ll all be relieved to know the worries are unfounded. There’s a mating bond there, Nero, clear as day. Key must’ve realized it before she went under. Her end is open, but the bond hasn’t formalized.”

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