Between Imminent Fates (The Immortal Accords #12)

36. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Celeste

Loneliness was an uninvited guest. When her solitude felt less like freedom and more like a cage, the quiet began to whisper that no one cared. For years, Celeste had been without a mate but surrounded by friends and clan. Until these last few weeks, she had never truly felt lonely.

In the morning, before the children of the clan had woken their parents, Celeste would teleport to the rooftop oasis built on the clan center and simply watch the sun rise. Sometimes, she brought her camera along. The Canadian sunrise was beautiful, and she had dozens of photos to prove it.

Here, away from the clout and pollution of heavily populated human cities, the quiet was almost oppressive. Tucking her legs further in, she rested her head atop her knees and sighed. What had once been peaceful had now become unsettling.

In the silence, she was left alone with her thoughts. It had only taken her a few weeks to realize the truth. Nina and Blair had shielded her from many of the evils of immortal life. That protection was now gone, and she found herself exposed.

Being abandoned was nothing new to Celeste. Orphaned at an early age, she’d depended on Nina and Kaien in her younger years. Under their tutelage, she’d risen through the ranks in the clan, eventually becoming a lieutenant.

In light of what had happened, Celeste was determined to prove her worth—even if that meant putting herself on the line. There had been little need for it when Nina was sovereign: a Raeth of her caliber was nearly unstoppable. With Nina gone and Zeke balancing on the edge, Celeste felt called to bridge the gap.

She surveyed every inch of visible real estate from her perch. Though Kaien had been scouting recently, it was an unfamiliar territory.

Celeste doubted they’d ever return to the clan lands that now lay abandoned. If Nina never awoke, Zeke would eventually raze the buildings and burn what was left. To him, the land had played a pivotal part in her downfall and the blood that’d been spilled there would never be washed away.

The territory Celeste had grown up in was no longer home.

She slowly made her way back toward Tzuriel’s home when families began to dot the walkways. With the lieutenants running the perimeter at all hours, they almost never needed a secondary scout.

Nodding at the members of the clan and their children out for early morning strolls, she took her time wandering back to her temporary dwelling. In fact, she was so far lost in thought that she didn’t notice the man in front of her until she nearly bumped into him.

Two hands gently gripped her shoulders, steadying her.

Remmus.

Meeting his seafoam-blue gaze, she managed to say, “Hey killer.”

“Hey Bubbles.”

After a brief embrace, they turned and began walking down the path together. He’d always been like an older brother to her. The Heat had messed with their dynamic. A tense few months had passed before they’d gone back to normal, but then Remmus had found a savior in his mate, Ava. In the past year, she had become a good friend, and someone Celeste truly trusted with Remmus’ heart.

“No change with Nina.”

Though expected, the words seared through her. Kaien had been attempting to heal the psychic damage. He’d worked late into the night for weeks, but nothing had changed.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Remmus nodded slowly. “He isn’t without hope, but the prognosis remains the same. Without some alteration in her psychic status, Nina won’t wake up.”

Celeste didn’t respond. The wound was still too raw. If she thought too long about it, she’d go insane. The same questions still warred within her: why had Nina felt like she had no other choice? Why had she and Isaiah told no one about their plans? Why hadn’t they asked for help ?

“You keep glaring at the pavement that way and it’s going to melt.”

She met Remmus’ semi-amused gaze, and the first spark of sarcasm tugged at her lips. “I’m not the fire Elemental, manbun. I’m more likely to freeze it to death than melt it.”

His dimpled grin pulled at handsome features, but before he could respond, another voice interjected.

“Remmus. Celeste.”

Zeke stood before them. Weariness clung to him, present in the lethargic way he blinked and the slowness of his movements. His hair was twisted against his scalp as though he’d run his hands through it one too many times.

“Sovereign.”

“The twins tell me they much prefer your bedtime stories, Celeste,” he chuckled, but the sound was flat. “Apparently, I’m not much good at doing different voices.”

“You just have to be comfortable making yourself sound ridiculous.”

His half smile disappeared. “I’m not very good at that. Nina was.”

The defeat in his voice nearly moved Celeste to tears.

“We’re meeting in Paracel to discuss what happened three weeks ago.” Then, Zeke added, “I’d like you to come with, Celeste.”

“Of course.”

With a nod of warning, he teleported all three of them.

Everyone else that’d participated in the battle with the Citizens was already in the Elemental town hall. Several chins dipped in their direction, only giving Celeste a passing glance before returning to her sovereign. What’d weighed on Celeste would be apparent to them—Zeke wasn’t himself.

She sat beside her sovereign, surveying the large gathering. Vampires and werewolves, Elementals and Raeths: all races were represented. A decade ago, a gathering of this nature would’ve seemed impossible. Now, it was commonplace.

It wasn’t more than ten seconds before Aidan spoke, his eyes full of his wolf. “They knew. All three of them. They went into that battle knowing what they were going to do, yet kept it secret.”

The rage behind his words made Celeste shiver.

Several chairs down, Rona voiced her agreement. Celeste knew that the last three weeks hadn’t been kind to any of them, but the wild grief in the vampire’s eyes emphasized how overwhelming the loss of their friends had been.

“Everything in that playbook was a misdirection,” Kaien scoffed. “Key said it herself.”

Ava shook her head. “That may be true, but Key needed us before that battle—we all contributed to the effort. And in the end, we won.”

“But at what cost?” Drake challenged. “Nina, Isaiah, and Key all lay comatose with no hope of ever waking.”

There was a pause in the rapid-fire conversation as everyone pondered what’d been said. It was the truth: they had won. Key’s foresight was near infallible, and she’d thought through every scenario and every outcome. Following the battle, Celeste had read the playbook she’d crafted for the couples in this room. It was a work of genius.

“Nina had been acting strange for months beforehand.”

A strange sort of sorrow shadowed Remmus’ voice, guilt having threatened to steal his voice. Celeste gazed at him then, seeing the weariness that lined his features. It confused her: what guilt could be eating at him then was different than any other party here?

“As had Isaiah,” Rukia spoke for the first time, soft, and without any of her typical passion. “He’d been off for months, but he’d never tell me what he was looking for, nor why.”

“Why would Key lie to us?” Toni asked. “Why didn’t she just tell us what was to come and let us sort through the details?”

It was then that Nero asked the pivotal question. “Had she told you that your mates must give their lives for our victory, would either of you have let them?”

“No.”

The clipped answer echoed from both Zeke and Rukia in tandem, surprising no one. Nero’s features pinched, offering them the benefit of his own empathy.

“This was the end she’d been building to,” Nova murmured. “We just didn’t know it.”

No one spoke in response to the werewolf’s words. The thought that Nina, Isaiah, and Key had signed up for their deaths only made the situation that much worse.

“We need to talk about Rayn—the clanless Raeth that aligned himself with the Citizens .”

Nero’s monotone statement was met with a rumbling of growls and unhappy murmurs. The sovereign took no offense, merely fielding the explosive response with stoicism.

“No matter what we’ll end up doing with Rayn,” Remmus said, “the situation is so much bigger than him. Having a clanless Raeth conspire against us is indicative of a much deeper problem. This is not the first time one would have acted against the good of the many.”

Celeste knew it on a personal level—as did Remmus. Beside him, Ava’s hand linked with his. Once upon a time, it would’ve been Celeste comforting him. The reminder of her loneliness kicked her in the gut.

“Remmus is right,” Celeste confirmed. It had been an issue she’d struggled with bringing up before, but now was the time to step up. “The clanless Raeths go unprotected and unpunished. We can’t allow it to continue.”

Kaien nodded solemnly. “Many have joined clans post-Heat, but not all. We need some way to protect and supervise them. Raeths are the only immortals that aren’t necessarily linked up to a higher power. It’s to our own detriment.”

“It can’t continue.”

Zeke’s words had a lethal edge to them, and no one disagreed with him. If the clanless had been surveilled, the travesty of Remmus’ upbringing wouldn’t have occurred—and her own parents would still be alive. Shifting in her seat, Celeste spoke the words written on her heart.

“The clanless elected to be without the structure of a clan,” she said, “but that structure affords protection and security. Right now, clanless commit unspeakable acts against each other, or are the victims of cruelty, and no one intervenes. It’s to our own disservice. We’ve abandoned them. No one should feel forsaken.”

Sitting up straighter, she continued, “If we had a higher power—one that could preempt abuse and enforce law—we might’ve stopped this before it came about. I’m happy to lead an effort, but I’ll need assistance in forming such an organization.”

After locking gazes with her sovereign, Zia said, “Jeremiah and I will help.”

“As will I,” Remmus added.

After a tense pause, Aidan growled, “The clanless aren’t the only problem. Rogue werewolves injure people—and turn them—just as frequently as the clanless cause problems. I won’t allow it to continue. Ava and I have partnered with the alphas to re-integrate those lone wolves who’ve survived the Citizens . Nova and Riaz have taken the lead in their regions.

“Wolves aren’t meant to run alone. It’s long past time to bring them back into the fold, and I can admit my own fault in that delay. No longer.”