Page 46 of Upon Shattered Bonds

Caius leaned against the counter behind him. “There’s been no sign of foul play in my territory.”

“What about you, Isaiah?”

“No one has made any attempt to enter my land, nor have I had any challengers.”

Zeke gritted his teeth. “One of Nina’s clan members was able to verify that the attacks on my lands were committed by two members of the Grant clan and one from the Zayan clan. Other than that, we have little else to go on.”

Shrewd eyes narrowed, and Isaiah asked, “Do you believe these events to be connected?”

“The working assumption is that it was done to draw me—and apparently Nero— back to our own lands. Away from Nina.”

“It’s no secret that Nina and I are close. But Zeke … why you?” Incredulous, Nero glanced back and forth between them, a faint pulse of psychic energy in the air. “Has your mating bond finalized?”

Chapter Twenty

“We have not allowed it to, no,” Nina weakly answered.

A tide of sadness washed over the bond between them, the sting of rejection, but Zeke said nothing in his defense. Standing beside her, he remained resolute, even when she dealt him another blow.

Reaching out, her fingers slipped through his. She pretended to ignore the electricity that danced up her arm at the contact, and she had a feeling Zeke was doing the same. The rush of gratitude and affection that came barreling down their bond made her half-smile.

Only an hour ago, he’d held her while she cried. He hadn’t judged her, nor thought her weak, and he’d simply remained as a pillar of support for her when she was crumbling. It had been an experience she’d rarely had with anyone else—and no one outside of her family. Nina was so often the one people came to when they needed support, and she’d rarely seen the roles reversed.

With Zeke, she could take off the mask and let him see what was vulnerable beneath it.

Isaiah scoffed, drawing her back to the present. “Why would they want to draw you away? What purpose would that serve?”

“History has not seen two powerful sovereigns mate,” Nero was a prominent scholar of Raeth society and its history, and his voice picked up the tone of the researcher. “In large part, due to the fact that so few women have held the role. We have no way of knowing the outcome. If you’ve given any indication that something between you has changed, there could be resistance—fear, even—against what may occur following a finalized bond.”

A single shake of her head, then she changed the subject. “Regardless, we will not be mating. That’s not why we called this meeting. Our purpose here is to determine our path—or rather, your path—forward, if they succeed in killing me.”

Caius cast her a curious look. “And you are so certain they will?”

Blinking, Nina weighed the cost of honesty. Though the treaty for peace was signed by each sovereign of the five largest clans, it didn’t necessarily bar clan members from challenging a sovereign of another group. It merely stated that neither clans—nor sovereigns—would go to war with each other.

If she admitted weakness here, before the others, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t let their clansmen know. If word spread, it’d undoubtedly lead to more challenges against her.

Thankfully, Isaiah saved her from having to decide. “We cannot allow this to go unpunished. If smaller clans decide to join forces against us, we could be facing a coup d'état.”

“Agreed.” Nero looked every inch the powerful supernatural he was. “If they remove Nina from power, the fallout might lead to infighting and grabs for power. War between clans. It’d destabilize our society.”

Isaiah cast a pointed look at Zeke. “Even if you didn’t follow Nina in death, it’d be a crushing blow. It’d succeed in overthrowing the two largest clans, potentially leaving one or both without sovereigns or faltering under new leadership.”

And there it was: if she was killed, it’d subvert the entirety of the Raeth nation. All she had to do to keep her breed from supernatural Armageddon was to stay alive.

A hush fell over the group, the other sovereigns undoubtedly coming to the same conclusion. None of them would meet her gaze except Nero. When he stepped forward toward Nina as if to comfort her, the atmosphere charged with hostile aggression in the span of seconds.

Zeke had reacted on instinct.

A merjha split-blade dagger, gleaming violet obsidian in the low light of the parlor, pressed wickedly against the curve of Nero’s throat. Crimson colored the tip, the dripping liquid sluggish from the as-of-yet small wound.

Nina recognized the dagger instantly: it was one from her armory, one Zeke had asked her about only hours ago. Having lost himself to the impulse to protect her, he’d manifested the deadliest weapon he knew.

The feral growl rumbling from Zeke’s chest was a warning of his intent.

Nero stilled immediately; the two males locked in a battle of dominance as they glowered at each other. Though Zeke had resisted slamming the blade home, he was clearly battling the intensity of his protective tendencies. Sometimes, a Raeth’s feral nature won out.

Neither would back down. Zeke would never cede to the younger man, regardless of Nero’s intent. Mating Raeth males were exceptionally aggressive at this stage. If Nina was honest with herself, it’d been a wonder he hadn’t already given in to his instincts.

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