Page 40 of Upon Shattered Bonds

Though his sudden bloodthirstiness should’ve bothered her, it didn’t. It had the opposite effect. Here was a man willing to put his life on the line on the off-chance she’d survive—and she’d been so blinded by her bitterness that she’d never seen it before.

Nina sobered. “You can’t protect me from this, Zeke, no matter how hard you try.”

There was a strange tranquility emanating from the man who came to sit beside her. Zeke reached over and took her hand, his thumb gently caressing small circles into her palm. His presence was grounding.

When he spoke, every word was unyielding. “I can protect you if we mate, Nina.”

The masculine rumble of his voice tickled her senses like a feather caressing along her skin. She yearned to lean in and place an ear on his chest as he purred her name. Somehow, she resisted, and dragged herself back to what he’d suggested.

Zeke’s proposal would be a form of fraud.

Even though he had spoken the words, she’d sensed that it’d killed a piece of him to even entertain the idea. He was noble; he believed in the values Raeth society had fought hard for and breaking them would undoubtedly bring him shame. But he was willing to do it … for her.

Nina’s fingers tightened around his. “No, Zeke. If I died, my death would drag you with me. Your clan—and mine—would both be without their sovereign.”

Misery stabbed through their bond.

Eyes haunted, Kaien said, “There has to be a better way, Nina.”

“This negativity, pessimism, whatever you want to call it,” Aidan snapped, “this isn’t you. Why are you thinking like this?”

“I’m not trying to be pessimistic; I’m trying to be a realist. Before soldiers go to war, they create a will. What do you think this is?” Gesturing to the room with her one free hand, she scoffed. “This is war.”

“There are two sides to every war, Nina,” Aidan reminded her. “And both of them fight. One side doesn’t simply lay down and surrender. There are things worth fighting for.”

Nina snapped. “How is planning for my death laying down and surrendering? I am fighting. What do you think I did outside? What do you think I’m doing now? I’m not rolling over. I’m not giving up. I’m asking you to prepare yourself for the worst—as I already have.”

Chapter Eighteen

Zeke couldn’t look at her.

Being physically weak was one thing, but he could sense the despair growing within her. No matter how much she played it off as planning, she was slowly beginning to fear her death.

Despite it all, she’d managed to remain as regal as ever. His pride in her was never-ending, and he felt as though he was truly seeing her for the first time.

He looked down at their intertwined hands. A week ago, this contact would’ve been impossible. In the span of only a few days, Nina had let him in—if only a little bit—and he would savor every single moment he was given. To know that his mate was hurting and fearful was perhaps the hardest thing: he longed to simply sweep her into his arms and steal her away.

“Zeke,” Kaien pleaded, “make her see reason.”

Nina’s twin was struggling. Anger had given way to hopelessness, the light in his eyes rapidly diminishing. Relying on Zeke to double his efforts merely revealed how close Kaien had come to his last resort.

But Zeke couldn’t come to his aid. “Nina isn’t a fool, Kaien. What stands is a very real possibility of her death, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it. While I hate the situation as much as you do, planning for every outcome is only logical.

“But,” Zeke took a breath, and Kaien’s eyes sharpened, “for now, I see no reason to jump the gun.” He turned back to Nina and brushed a thumb over her clenched fists. “You’ve defeated every challenger to date, mon cœur, and survived the assassin. Don’t sacrifice yourself so readily.”

A hint of emotion flashed in her eyes. “And what happens when the recoil kills me?”

“You were able to kill Liam without your abilities,” Aidan growled.

“Killing every challenger like that isn’t sustainable.”

“Your heart will get better—” Kaien began.

“But they’ll keep sending a challenger every night—and perhaps an assassin every day,” Nina interjected. “Kaien, someone is going to beat me.”

The urge to maul something rose within Zeke so swiftly that he sucked in a breath. His mate, vulnerable and weakened, was being targeted, and he could do very little about it. Instead of giving in to the urge to break something, he sent his tenacious mate reassuring confidence through their ghosting mating bond. She didn’t need to know that he was on the edge of abandoning sixteen centuries of moral code and declare war on the New Dominion laws and anyone who dared to come for her.

What she’d said was true: Nina would eventually resort to using her more destructive abilities should the challengers keep coming. And then, when the recoil hit her, her heart would likely give out.

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