Page 7 of Upon Shattered Bonds

“He invited me to his wedding.”

“You? Attend Kaien’s wedding?” There was a brief pause as Zeke nodded, and then a slow grin spread like wildfire across his cousin’s face. “Will you see Nina there?”

Before Zeke could reply, a set of sparring partners grew heated, and he sprang into action. Better to head off the fight before it began than explain to an angry alpha werewolf why someone had a bloody nose.

The wedding invitation remained on Zeke’s mind as class ended a half hour later. As he and Tzuriel cleaned up, his cousin’s insistent attention began to grate on his nerves.

“What’s on your mind, Tzuri? You’ve been staring at me all night and I’m considering calling for Hemin.”

“I’ve thought about it more,” he said candidly. “I think you should go.”

“Go where?”

“Come on, Zeke. Don’t play dumb.” Tzuriel chucked the last of the cleaning products in the bin beneath the reception station. “You and I both know I’m talking about the wedding.”

“I was hoping you weren’t.”

Tzuriel frowned. “Why?”

“Because it’s a terrible idea.”

When Tzuriel stirred and cleared his throat, Zeke prepared himself for the inevitable lecture to follow. “Go to the wedding, Zeke.”

The low tones of his cousin’s voice held a somberness he rarely heard from the man. When he didn’t respond, Tzuriel tried again. “Nothing will change if you remain static. You do want your mate, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then do something about it,” he urged. “Kaien invited you. It’s his party. Go eat cake and be merry.”

“And go into her home? She’d probably stab me before we made it to the salad course.”

“And paint the ground red during her twin’s wedding? Doubtful.” An incredulous look twisted his features. “You’re being cruel to yourself, Zeke. And your mate.”

“There’s no future for us because there’s nothing I can do to change her mind.”

It was the truth, however much it stung to speak aloud. Zeke had attempted multiple times over the years to clear the air between them. Every time he extended the olive branch, the woman snapped her teeth at him—sometimes literally.

“So what would it hurt to try something new? Something she’d never expect?” came his cousin’s plea. “Go. See if it sparks something, when you’re forced to be civil to each other and she is in a good mood. People gathered to celebrate love, her brother happy, her best friend a radiant bride—maybe she’ll have some goodwill left even for the likes of you. If not, then at least you tried.”

Giving him a final bump against his shoulder, Tzuriel disappeared.

Zeke barely noticed. He’d come to terms with the separation from Nina. It was an ancient wound he’d inflicted on both of them, and he’d stopped wondering if it would ever heal.

Perhaps, just this once, he could try again.

Chapter Three

“Fighting leathers?” Sapphire blue eyes glinted as they studied Nina. “Kaien is wearing fighting leathers and not a tux?”

Nina didn’t attempt to hide her grin. “You’re the one who wanted to merge the two ceremonies, my love.”

Blair huffed. “Fine. But I’m going to do the war paint.”

Chuckling, Nina nodded. “Of course, you are.”

As her fledgling’s attention was diverted by the way Reyna was curling her hair, Nina took a quiet moment to refocus on the report on her phone. Recently, she’d uncovered the whereabouts of several deadly weapons that were referred to as merjhas.

A merjha was an object, typically a weapon of some kind, which caused wounds designed to kill or incapacitate immortals. A merjha injury had the potential to be fatal, even when immortals would normally shrug it off and let the same wound heal on its own if a regular weapon inflicted it.

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