Page 103 of Primal Bonds

To the east, the sun was rising. The night fae cast an assessing eye at the pink haze spreading across the sky and then continued out of the shed. So it was only full sunlight that affected him.

Tigger was returning from a night of tomcatting around. He rounded his back and hissed at the fae, who kicked out at him. The cat yowled and leapt out of the way.

Tyrus took off running at an inhuman speed. The streets passed in a blur. He didn’t stop until they reached Druid Hill Park, where he set Evie down, took her wrist in a painful grip and dragged her down an asphalt path at a punishing pace despite the fact she was barefoot.

They’d gone about a half mile when he turned onto a dirt path that led into the trees. A few minutes later they reached a small, hidden clearing. Tyrus stopped by a large rock and moved it aside as if it weighed almost nothing.

She glanced at him and gulped. Already, the cuts she’d made on his cheeks were healing over as if they’d been made yesterday, not ten minutes ago.

Tyrus jerked his chin at her. “Get in.”

“Down there?” She glanced over the edge. A rusty metal ladder descended ten feet into a cellar. She felt the color drain from her face at the thought of being trapped in the small, dank space with him.

Her mind screamed no but she reminded herself of her promise. If she broke it, it wouldn’t rebound just on her. Kyler and Jace would be in danger too.

And besides, running wouldn’t do her any good—Tyrus would catch her before she’d gone three steps.

He didn’t wait for her to make up her mind. He moved with that preternatural speed, grabbing her by her upper arms and dangling her over the ladder. Her heart leapt into her throat and she instinctively scrabbled for footing. As soon as her foot touched a rung, he released her, and she slipped, dropping a good yard before she grabbed the top rung and halted her fall.

“Keep going.” Tyrus set his heel on her left hand, his face alight with a vile enjoyment. “Or I’ll break your fingers. It makes no difference to me.”

That was when it hit her—he didn’t care if he hurt her as long as he could still feed on her energy. In fact, he might even prefer it.

Ice skated down her spine. “All right.” She tried to drag her hand out from under his foot, but he ground his heel into the bones before releasing it.

Pain shot through her. She half-climbed, half-fell the rest of the way down the ladder until her feet hit the dirt floor.

Above her, Tyrus slid the rock back over the opening, leaving them in the darkness. He ignored the ladder to drop to the dirt beside her, his duster billowing around him like the wings of a massive black bat.

He turned toward her, his pale face the only thing visible in the pitch-black cellar. “Afraid, ma chère?”

She nursed her throbbing hand against her stomach and glared at him without speaking.

His thin mouth quirked. “Good. Fear has its own special taste.”

Chapter 31

Adric cursed and met Marjani’s eyes across the kitchen table.

She was already on her feet. “Corban attacked Jace’s den?”

“Yeah—with a night fae.”

Her face darkened. “Tyrus?”

“He didn’t say—but who else could it be? And the bastards took his quartz. I can feel it.” As alpha, he was connected to most of the clan in a magical way that was like a mate bond, although weaker. His bond to his top people like Jace was even stronger. He’d sensed the minute Jace had gone dark. There was a hollowness where his friend’s strong, steady energy had been.

“I’ll come,” his sister said.

Adric gulped the last of his coffee to give himself time to think, and she made an impatient sound.

“Stop babying me. I’m fine—and you need me.”

He gave in, because she was right; he did need her. “Two minutes.”

“I’ll be ready.”

They met at the front door. Marjani had an iron knife in a protective leather holster strapped to her upper arm, and he knew there was a switchblade in her back pocket and a shiv strapped to her thigh. His sister was a magician with knives. You’d think she had a Gift for it, except he’d never heard of such a thing.

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