19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Her words had absolutely gutted him. He pivoted away, partially to avoid her gaze and partially to hide his hurt. A part of him had shattered. The hope for the future he'd give up.

Eden had been right: since the moment he'd stepped into her life, it'd been one attack after the next. If it wasn't a rabid wolf, it was a future she'd been blindsided by, and a mate she hadn't seen coming. She didn't deserve any of the pressure he'd introduced in her life.

"Nero."

Her soft voice stopped him.

"It sounded like I was blaming you for all of this, that I'm angry at you. But I'm not. I just don't want to hurt you."

"I know. You didn't ask for this. I understand."

"Nero." The urgency of her tone had him frowning. "You don't understand. I discovered that the beings I've studied my entire life are real yesterday. I found out that I have a fated mate only a few hours after that. I'm not asking you to give me your house and deliver me to the wolves, while you make yourself scarce. That isn't at all what I was implying. I just needed time to process the turn my life has taken."

He couldn't say anything.

"I'm glad you came here this morning, and I'd love to go to Iowa together." Reaching for him, she took the cappuccino. "And thank you. I appreciate you reaching out to this Aidan and setting up a meeting. Why don't you come in while I get ready?"

She opened the door wider in welcome. His feet had already taken a step before he resisted further movement. It felt odd to stand outside his own home, but he wouldn't intrude on her when she needed time and space.

"I can wait out here, Eden."

She sent him a bland look. "Now who's being reluctant? Get in here before Marianne escapes."

When the woman turned her back on him, bumping the door open with her hip, Nero quietly followed. The cat attempted to dart out underfoot, but fortunately his reflexes were far too quick to allow it.

The door shut behind him and the car purred in his arms. Eden had already disappeared up the stairs, and that left him alone with the smaller feline. Nero gently set her down, then allowed his panther to come forward.

By the time Eden finished getting ready, Marianne was napping between his massive front paws, her chin resting on his leg. His mate cackled at the odd picture, and he cocked his head playfully.

"You're too cute in this form, Nero." A smirk. "And it looks like Marianne agrees."

One hand gently traced the curve of his ear, the smirk softening to a smile before she caressed lower along his downy-soft coat. "It's a good thing I'm not in my apartment. I don't think my landlord would let me keep two cats. Besides, one of you is a bit bigger than the weight limit."

Huffing at the insinuation, the panther nosed further into her hands, coveting the sensation of her hands running along his body. The vibration of his purr rumbled loudly. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling.

"Come on, Coffee Shop, don't we have places to be?"

Nero bared his teeth and stuck out his tongue, eliciting a delighted laugh from the woman across from him.

"Shift back, otherwise I'll have to get the squirt gun."

He shifted back within seconds, while her back was turned.

"And what, exactly, would a squirt gun do?" he taunted, knowing she'd jump at the unexpected sound of his voice.

She swung around in one smooth motion, miming a squirt gun held with the confidence of a professional sniper. She pretended to spray him right in the face.

"Bad. Kitty."

Nero's laughter mirrored hers. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Are we ready to go?"

She held her hand out to him and offered him a smile that seemed like a truce. He hesitated on taking it only momentarily, but then slid his fingers through hers.

"Hold on tight, professor."

A moment later, they solidified in the great hall in Paracel. Several people were nearby, and it didn't take long before Jeremiah and Zia appeared arm in arm.

"Sovereign! Eden! Over here!"

"This teleportation thing is super handy," she said. "Go anywhere you want, at any time? Think of all the things you could do and everything you could see."

A flare of melancholy coursed through Eden, potent enough that Nero turned to look at her. The emotion banked against his psychic senses and mirrored through their mating bond, but vanished as unexpectedly as it had appeared.

"Whatever Nero told you, I'm sure I can explain it better," Jeremiah boasted, unaware as usual of the undercurrents. "Elementals are the best at fielding questions from newbies. All of our people were raised mortal and found themselves becoming immortal in their twenties or early thirties. Unlike all these guys who were boringly born as immortals."

Eden cleared her throat, still clutching Nero's hand. "Nero explained it pretty well."

"Probably better coming from a werewolf, though."

Nero didn't have to turn to confirm who the new arrival was. Aidan's psychic signature was familiar, since they'd spent time together drafting the Accords, then plotting the downfall of the Citizens .

The alpha offered Nero a handshake before turning to Eden.

"Welcome to Paracel, Eden. My name is Aidan, and I am the original werewolf. Nero has shared that you've been bitten in traumatic circumstances. I regret we weren't there to protect you and give you the proper initiation into becoming one of us. I hope we'll be able to do justice by you from now on, and in time, you'll come to embrace your new nature."

Nero re-evaluated Aidan. Built like a tank, the other man was as tall as he was, and was the definition of a dominant male. The wolf that hid beneath Aidan's skin was by far the most alpha animal he'd ever met, and there was no camouflaging the authority he wore like a second skin.

His words were determined, and he held Eden's gaze. He was creating the safe space she'd need if there was going to be any assistance during the transformation. He was also assessing her for weakness.

The intense urge to shield Eden from Aidan's scrutiny was suddenly all consuming. Without a single hiss of warning, his panther assumed control. The animal leapt to the forefront but didn't simply stop at yanking his higher reasoning backward or commanding his movements. It forced a shift, landing on four paws with razor-sharp claws.

The panther's three-inch long fangs were bared in primal threat, and the hiss the tore out of his throat was an absolute warning to stay away. No one could've foreseen the change, and the entire great hall instantly stopped moving.

Aidan stilled, his eyes on the panther.

"Nero …"

Zia's voice was a warning, but the cat didn't care. Head lowering in a clear threat, the snarling panther took a step forward, his emerald eyes locked on the wolf before him. Aidan didn't cede the ground.

"Well, this is devolving quickly," came Zia's comment. "Eden, I know you're new to this, but Nero is protecting you the way his panther sees fit. Can you reach out and touch him? He won't hurt you—he never will—but we need to stop this before it escalates, and blood is drawn."

The delicate touch of her hand on his spine was like a curtain lifting on his unhinged urges. "Nero? Can you come back to me?""

His higher reasoning returned to him in a flash, and instantly, he felt ashamed of his reaction. Nero had never lost control of his cat like that before, nor had he reacted so aggressively to a look . He yanked back the animal and shifted.

"I'm so sorry, Eden," came his shame-filled rasp of regret. "I can't believe my panther did that."

"Don't apologize," she whispered, pulling him into a hug. "I know your cat meant well."

"Mahalo, Eden. I suppose I'll have to face the firing squad now."

Her soft chuckle made his tenseness disappear. "I think they'll forgive you. No harm done."

"Except give me a heart attack," Jeremiah quipped. "I thought I'd be on blood-mopping duty, and look at the size of this floor."

Zia linked her arm with his. "Don't borrow trouble, Jer. Nero's doing enough of that for all of us."

"Apologies, Aidan. My panther was … well, hell. I don't know."

"If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: a mating Raeth is a dangerous Raeth." Grunting a laugh, Aidan shook Nero's extended hand in a peace offering as Lucy walked in. "Listen to Eden: no harm done."

There was a smile on the werewolf's face. "It seems you're destined for crash courses today, Eden. This is my mate."

The woman beside him beamed. "I'm Lucy, and I'm sure you have a ton of questions. We can help you out, if you'd like."

Zia and Jeremiah walked up, and Nero found their presence soothing. With so many predators around, his panther could use the reassurance of his clan.

An unclaimed mate was proving his panther's weakness.