Page 73 of Upon Shattered Bonds

Each of them had attempted to telepathically contact their own sovereign, but none had succeeded. Even Kaien, the bond to his twin sister inborn, couldn’t break through the heavy silence that’d shadowed the pair.

At a loss as to how to proceed, Kaien and Tzuriel had agreed to contact the other sovereigns of the Quint Treaty. Though word has spread of the misfortunate event involving Old Dominion law, it remained only rumors, unsubstantiated by the sovereigns of the Quint Treaty, but supported by the now clan-less Raeths once bound to their attackers.

Kaien and Tzuriel were taking a calculated risk in bringing the Quint sovereigns into the loop, but one they all felt was necessary.

A typical recoil lasted no more than five days, and even that was lengthy. Now, with both leaders unresponsive, the two men who functioned as their seconds had no other choice.

“Nina has never been under this long.”

The truth burned his throat as Kaien spoke, but the admission symbolized the new trust they’d allowed the other clan. Now, more than ever, he’d need to confide in Tzuriel as his counterpart.

Structurally, the mating bond linking Zeke and Nina had fundamentally altered both clans’ psychic networks. While Nina would likely maintain unique connections with her clansmen, and Zeke with his, neither was the sole proprietor of the dual psychic web.

From an outsider’s perspective, the web appeared to have gained a backup of sorts. Overlaying the original clan network was a ghosting structure of links—from the sovereign at the other end of the mating bond. Zeke’s clansmen still directly tied into him, but had a burgeoning bond with Nina as well. The opposite was true for Nina’s clan.

In essence, it appeared that the two sovereigns were now functioning as a unit instead of starkly separate.

Nero, having been the most experienced member of the Quint Treaty excepting Nina and Zeke, teleported to Lexington on the eve of what would have been the ninth day. The sovereign had opted to leave Isaiah and Caius out for the time being.

“Both have re-assumed their network’s power grid,” Kaien explained as Nero trailed them to where to two lay unconscious. “But our attempts to reach them telepathically have been unfruitful.”

“I confess I’m unsurprised,” he replied without mirth. “What is the state of their physical wounds?”

“Zeke would’ve died if Nina hadn’t cauterized the wound.” Tzuriel shuddered almost imperceptibly. “The merjha cut a swath from his hip bone up across his throat, nearly eviscerating him. Nina’s lightning cauterized it, but it left behind a burn that’s proving difficult to heal and seal.”

The trio entered the room quietly. Nero studied their prone forms on the single bed in the middle of the room. At some point during their recovery, they’d gravitated toward each other. Nina’s head had settled on the side of Zeke’s chest that hadn’t been injured, and his unwounded arm had wrapped around her. It appeared that, even unconsciously, they couldn’t be separated.

With a chuckle, Nero straightened and regarded the two men who were shouldering the brunt of the psychic burden. “They’ve mated.”

It wasn’t a question.

Nodding, Kaien’s face twitched with suspicion while he threaded his fingers around the dagger at his hip. Having only recently weathered the cruelty of those who’d resisted their union, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“Are you opposed?”

“Never,” came the honest answer. “They’ve been dancing around each other for centuries, but emotions don’t lie. Beneath all that animosity, theirs was a romance just waiting to unfold.”

Tzuriel clapped the other man on the back hardily, sending Nero a cheerful grin. “Ever the romantic, huh?”

“As I live and breathe.” Nero stepped toward the edge of the bed, a grain of caution in his stride. “I’ll go through Zeke’s mind. The last time I made a move toward Nina without his express permission, he almost took my head.”

Warily, Nero knelt by where Zeke lay, resting a hand on his forearm. The contact, though unnecessary, was more to assure Nero’s benevolence rather than a tangible need to connect. Mirroring Nero, Tzuriel and Kaien closed their eyes to dive into the psychic network that surrounded them.

Opening their eyes on a psychic level, they met Nero’s blindingly white presence among the neural network.

Interesting, Nero commented.

This close to his telepathic presence, they could feel the intrigue the network presented to him. Like Hemin, Nero was a scholar first and foremost, and his brilliance as a strategic mastermind was compounded in battle.

Nero drew closer toward where Zeke and Nina’s psychic presence glowed brightly amid the mental canvas. Reason would dictate that should one sovereign fall into recoil, it’ll redistribute load-bearing capacity to the other.

Can you determine why they’re still unconscious? Kaien asked.

Nero gave the psychic equivalent of a casual shrug. They both experienced severe trauma. Zeke physically, and Nina psychically. If what you say is true, and Nina utilized all three of her destructive gifts, she’s battling back from a drought when she was already stretched thin. Pushing past the mental shielding of three sovereigns would’ve been difficult to begin with, and she had to do it in seconds.

As Nero finished speaking, he pushed closer toward Nina to assess her wellbeing. But even before he reached her, a flare of energy radiated outward from Zeke. Kaien and Tzuriel felt the pressure of the offensive action but weren’t negatively affected.

However, the oppressive force battered into Nero with caustic intent. In a flash, the sovereign had withdrawn from the mental web, opening his eyes on the physical plane.

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