23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Eden's hoarse cry ripped out his heart. His panther yowled at her pain, and Nero was confused by it. Before he could reach her, she lurched away from him.

Desperation fueled her voice. "I can't be that person for you!"

Wide green eyes connected with his for a fraction of a second before Eden sprinted past him. A chaotic rhythm, each footfall was slightly offbeat, as if she were favoring one leg. The predator in him immediately noticed it. Feared it. While Nero was devastated by her rejection, he was even more concerned about her state.

"Eden!"

A myriad of emotions breached his heart: fear, devastation, pain, and above all, panic. None of her feelings were positive.

"Eden, please!"

When he rounded the corner she'd disappeared behind, he found her plastered against the wall, her head in her hands.

"I apologize. I'll burn my studio to the ground if it distresses you and never pick up a pencil again. I didn't mean to hurt you." Nero's heart caught in his throat. "Forgive me."

"No, Nero, they're—they're amazing. And I can't believe you're so talented—"

A sob cut off her speech, leaving Nero even more bewildered at her behavior. Tentatively reaching for her arm he gently supported her.

"Why are you crying? Please tell me how I've hurt you?"

"No, Nero. You haven't hurt me, I've hurt you."

One corner of her mouth pitched down in a frown, and her arm gripped him weakly, confusion seeming to grow across her features.

"Nero?"

"What, baby?"

"I—I haven't taken my medication." The words were almost slurred, as if her lips wouldn't make the right sounds. "I need it."

"What medication? Where is it? I'll go find it."

Eden's body jerked, collapsing without notice. Catching her at the last second, Nero's strong arms swathed her in a protective shield while the seizure trembled through her. Eden's side of the mating bond wavered. That alone was a testament to how close he was to losing her.

Nero had never known fear such as he did in that moment.

The psychic shout to his healer reverberated through their neural bond, his immense power flooding through the connection.

Luna teleported to his side and immediately placed her hands on Eden's temples. Nero's heart dropped further when his healer didn't manage to stop his mate's spasms after a few seconds.

"What's happening to her, Luna?"

Luna didn't answer, all of her concentration funneling into helping the woman who lay in his arms. Abrasive, the heat of her powerful gift sizzled over his skin, telling him exactly how much energy Eden's condition was requiring.

He fought back the tears that threatened to fall on Eden's now unconscious form. Utterly still, Nero tried to remain calm as Luna continued to pump healing waves into his mate's mind.

Luna was swaying with lethargy by the time her hands retreated from Eden's temples. He steadied her with his free hand and funneled his energy into her out of habit.

"What happened to my mate?"

Pity filled the healer's summer-blue gaze. "She had a hemorrhagic stroke. She's stable for now, but Nero… I'm so sorry. Eden is dying. I have little experience with cancerous growths, but—"

"Cancer?" The word was a curse on his lips. "Eden has cancer?"

"Yes, sovereign." Luna's expression tightened. "If I hadn't been on hand to help her, her time would've run out. The cancer is invasive. I've healed the tumors that were already there, but I'm afraid more will appear. It's progressive. Fatal."

Nero couldn't breathe.

His mate had been battling terminal cancer—alone. Despite the centuries of preparing for her arrival in his life, he had left her without support while she faced her own mortality. Eden was dying. And now, after she'd been bitten by a rabid werewolf because of his failure, her already short life had become even shorter.

Everything he'd planned for them, everything he'd hoped and waited for, seemed to be disappearing before his very eyes.

His life was nothing without Eden. Her reactions and hesitations made sense now—all of it had been to cover up what'd been in the background since the very beginning. Her life's motto, carpe diem , wasn't born only of a willingness to experience life, but as a prelude to death.

Feeling devoid of hope, he simply gave her a single nod. "Mahalo, Luna. Will she be comfortable, now, or does she need further aid?"

"No, sovereign, she'll be comfortable now. Do you need anything? Can I make your burden lighter?"

"Nothing can, friend."