Of all the ways I'd expected Time to react when we met, physically hauling me off the ground hadn't made the list. If he wanted me dead, he didn't need to dirty his hands. The possibility of physical abuse hadn't crossed my mind.

I should have known better.

Our noses hovered inches apart as he shook me, dragging my focus back to the present. “What do you mean she hasn't answered? Where is my wife?”

Every syllable promised a long, painful death. Memories I'd prefer never to relive surfaced, making me shiver.

It took every ounce of grit I had to stare into his eyes, dark as a bottomless pit, and answer calmly. “I don't know. That's the fucking problem. Last I saw her, she was sending me here, looking exhausted. She wouldn’t answer when I asked if she was alright.”

He continued to stare, holding me several inches off the ground as silence stretched on. His gaze was probing, searching for something I couldn't fathom. I had no other information to give on this.

Finally, he sighed, exhaustion clear as he set me gently onto the grass. “My apologies, I tend to get…overexcited when it comes to my wife.”

No kidding.

I took several steps back and just breathed. It had been a long time since I'd been cornered and helpless like that. My nerves didn't appreciate the trip down memory lane. Forcing away the subtle shake in my hand, I settled on a less biting response. “It doesn't matter. I've dealt with worse.”

He raised a brow, curiosity clear, but thankfully didn't pry. “As for Karma’s whereabouts, she is most likely resting. I warned her that pulling someone from another universe was difficult, but she insisted she’d be fine.” Under his breath, he grumbled. “Clearly it took more out of her than she anticipated, if she can’t hear your calls.”

Despite my lingering wariness, concern rose to the surface. “Is she okay?”

I hadn't known her long, but she seemed genuinely nice. I didn't want her to suffer because she'd pulled me here from Earth.

Time hummed, flicking a long look at my missing arm. “She’ll be fine, with rest, though the same cannot be said of you.”

Self-consciousness tugged at me, and I hid the stump in my cloak. Once it was out of sight, his gaze met mine. The coldness that had made my instincts scream danger faded, replaced with a careful blankness.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Then, he straightened with a nod. “Since she isn’t available, I will make an exception this time and help you.” He glanced around, taking in the sea of corpses before slowly looking back at me. Disbelief and what might have been wonder broke through his neutral mask. “What…happened? You have only been on Nexus for a day and in that time, you’ve single-handedly demolished the resistance’s army, paving the way for the tyrant to take the rest of Nexus.”

He didn't sound angry or like he was blaming me, but I flinched all the same.

“I didn’t realize he was a tyrant. That’s why I was trying to get a hold of Karma. I needed more information, but he kept pushing that the army was undead, that they were going to destroy the last of humanity. It seemed to fit the bill for ‘cataclysm of the apocalypse’.”

Which was why I'd been sent here in the first place. Silas had given me a bad feeling from the start, but with no real reason to think he was evil, I hadn't wanted to focus on that. Now, I wished I had.

Time grimaced. “You were made a fool of then.”

Blunt as hell, wasn't he? Still, he wasn't wrong. Dragging my hand through my hair, I looked away. “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter right now. You need to get that kid out of here.”

He turned, and when he looked over Maya, his almost bored expression darkened. “Explain.”

The one word was bitten off, anger burning in his tone. The urge to run or hide reared up again, but I struggled to contain it enough to answer.

“Long story short, the king tricked her into making an oath, her life in exchange for her father's. He planned to control me for the power Karma gave me, so I was…going to remove myself from the situation. Silas retaliated by threatening to make her do the same, if I went through with it.”

Time's lips thinned and he shot me a reproachful glare. “To throw away your life so easily…”

I bristled. “It wasn't easy, but I couldn't very well let that prick get a hold of Fast Forward! Even I know that would be a disaster.”

Why did he care anyway? He still looked halfway ready to murder me himself. Shaking that aside, I watched as

Time shut his eyes with a sigh.

“Yes, which is why I never give mortals even the slightest amount of my power.” He shook his head, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Of all the powers to give you, she gave that.”

I cut in before he could throw the blame on Karma's shoulders. “It's not her fault, we were in a time crunch and a little girl's life was at stake. If you want to blame anyone, blame me.”

At least I'll have earned the blame this time.

Time flicked his fingers toward my hidden stump with a low grunt. “Given the state of your arm, I doubt a lecture is necessary, and blame, in this case, is with my wife for not explaining things properly.”

I shook my head. “She was just trying to help me.” There hadn't been many people who did that in my life, and I refused to let her catch flak for it.

Time's eyes softened just a touch. “Yes, and that kindness drew me toward her from the beginning.” He shook the brief fondness aside to frown. “That said, well-meaning but uninformed or poorly thought out help often results in unfortunate or dangerous situations. As you have seen for yourself.”

Well, this entire situation could be used as an example of that, so he wasn't wrong…