Page 1 of Under Crimson Blades

Prologue

The Heat had risen from their veins like an all-consuming fire, driving each Raeth to another by instinct. Infiltrating their minds with a surge of hormones, it’d been relentless, taxing, and wholly uncontrollable.

When Celeste had found him at the onset, ensnared by need, the unthinkable happened. The poisonous roots of his mother’s coercion began to grow, strangling him from within. Instead of succumbing to what his body had demanded, he’d been forced to abstain, and doomed Celeste to the same fate.

The rejection had crushed her. She pleaded with him, the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her. Through the sobs that raked her body, she’d reminded him that although children produced by unmated couples were exceptionally rare, it was still possible. The Heat increased that likelihood. If she never met her mate, her chance at having children naturally was gone, as was his. Remmus couldn’t even tell her the true reason for the denial.

When the Heat haze had finally receded, and his mind began functioning on a more rational level, the ramifications of what he’d done overwhelmed him. Though he hadn’t realized it, he’d held out hope for a mate and a family, sometime in a hazy future. It was now clear that was an impossibility for him.

He withheld the groan that threatened in his throat. Every ache of his post-Heat body pulsed in tandem with those in his mind, echoes of dwindling hormones and depleted reserves. Although he’d abstained, fighting the urges had been exhausting. While Remmus longed for rest, the disquiet he felt wouldn’t abate.

After a blisteringly hot shower, he stepped outside. The sun blazed overhead and the streets of the Blaede clan lands were still abandoned. If that was any sign, many of his clansmen would still be asleep beside their companion of choice.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he savored the feeling of the sun on his skin, tilting his face up to enjoy the rays. After so long without, the simple pleasure of it was without parallel.

“Remmus.”

Seafoam-green eyes snapping open, Remmus focused on the other Raeth who’d quietly approached. “Kai.”

For a beat, they simply looked at one another. Kaien’s golden blond hair was messy and his muscular frame—so similar to Remmus’ own—had lost weight.

When his sovereign’s twin finally spoke, it was to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Fine. You and Blair?”

“The same.” The other man cast a glance over his shoulder to the home he shared with his mate. “She’s asleep, and rightly so.”

“I’m glad your vampire survived.”

“You and me both, brother.”

Kaien’s smile bore traces of exhaustion. Together, they walked the deserted streets of their clan lands. Cobblestones paved the way between homes, but the faint breeze couldn’t whisk away the heavy humidity that seemed to settle on their shoulders. Their faint footfalls were their only companion for a half mile before the other male spoke again.

“Nina hasn’t called me yet, though I’m certain she will soon. I’m nearly certain her and Zeke will be expecting.”

Remmus’ heart kicked. “As will many of our clanswomen.”

Though it was never guaranteed, nearly all mated Raeth pairs became pregnant following the Heat cycle. For the immortal species, children were rare otherwise, and those fortunate enough to be mated during the Heat looked forward to being blessed with offspring.

“Our clan will change drastically—every clan will.”

Kaien let the sentiment stew between them as they walked; Remmus’ best friend had always been the quieter of the two.

It was true, what he’d said. Within the Raeth community, a period of unprecedented peace always followed the Heat. No challenges for clan leadership would be coming, no war or skirmishes would break out. Clanless Raeths would seek shelter in existing clans for their children’s protection and upbringing, which meant there were fewer left outside the umbrella of traditional clan structure.

If history had set any precedent, the post-Heat peace between Raeths would last a minimum of a hundred years, but more likely would stretch two or three centuries.

The immortal community, however, had shifted dramatically in the last decade. No longer strictly aligned by breed, each society had begun to interconnect. Elementals, Raeths, werewolves, and vampires had married or mated to those of a different breed.

Peace between the immortal societies had never been more secured—but peace with humans hung by a thread. The Citizens of the Light, a human terrorist organization dedicated to seeing them eradicated, was a threat that cast the joy of upcoming children into shadow.

“Should I be expecting a little Kaien or a baby Blair to be running around seven months from now?”

Raeth children developed far faster in the womb than human, Elemental, or werewolf children. With a gestation period of only seven months, it typically left the mothers exhausted.

The bit of levity lightened their mood, and Kaien’s short laugh barked across the deserted path ahead of them. “No. Blair isn’t ready for that step, and the Heat haze was hardly the time to have a logical discussion about family planning.”

Kaien had mated a vampire, a woman whose immortal breed was infertile unless otherwise influenced. If the couple wanted to have children, he could’ve made it possible through his Raeth fertility ability.

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