Page 132 of Primal Bonds

He nodded. “Turns out I have the fae Gift of wayfaring, which is rare in a quarter fae.”

“That’s what Jace said the night fae was,” Evie said.

“Lord Tyrus? Word is he’s dead.” Fane glanced from her to Jace.

Evie’s chest tightened. Jace gripped her shoulders, asking her to let him handle this. “Is he?”

Fane recognized evasion when he saw it. “The son of the night fae prince,” he confirmed. “As you know damn well—and that’s why I’m here.”

“What d’you mean?” Jace asked.

“I’ll get to that in a minute.”

Jace rumbled irritably, but Fane just lifted a brow. “You don’t scare me, fada.”

“Then you’re a fool,” he shot back.

“No. Just a man who’s smart enough to know you won’t attack your own mate’s father.”

That silenced Jace. He gave a terse nod. “Go on.”

“You’re right that Tyrus was a wayfarer,” Fane told Evie, “but his Gift was to move very fast. Mine is different—I blend into my surroundings. Even if you know I’m there, your gaze slips right past me. You never see me unless I want you to.”

“So you sneak up on people?” Kyler inserted.

“You could put it that way.” Fane gave him a cool, dangerous smile, and Evie instinctively jumped in to draw his attention back to her.

“And you work for the ice fae king?”

Fane inclined his head. “I’m part messenger, part negotiator. The king can send his own messages, but for some things, he needs an envoy who can carry a message back, or cut a deal if need be. Or simply observe and report back.”

Evie’s hands balled on her lap. “You should never have married my mom.”

“I didn’t. We weren’t married, and we weren’t mates.”

“Oh.” She swallowed. “I didn’t know that.”

Sorrow flickered across Fane’s fine-boned face. “I know I hurt her, and I’m sorry for that. I wouldn’t have done that for the world.”

“But you did.”

“She wasn’t supposed to have a child. Usually only mates can conceive.” Fane passed a hand over his face. “Hell. That sounds as if I didn’t want you, love, but I did. I was so happy when your mother told me about you. Believe that if nothing else. As for why I never told you?” He moved a shoulder. “I intended to get around to it someday. You don’t have a fae Gift, so it didn’t seem urgent.”

Evie scraped a hand over her hair. She’d sort through this later. “So what about me and the fae lights?”

“What do you mean?”

She opened her backpack and lobbed one at him. Fane threw up a hand and it smacked against his palm. They all heard the sizzle.

“Holy mother.” Fane swatted the glowing orb away. “Did you make that yourself?”

“No. I brought it from Jace’s den.” Actually, a fae light had split itself in two, and one half had floated into her backpack while the other half remained back in Baltimore.

“So it’s a fae light?”

“Yes,” said Jace. “But she used it against the night fae. Not that it killed him, you understand. But it did burn him—bad.”

“How about that?” Fane rubbed his chin. “Your great-grandfather is one of Sindre’s top warriors. He can make fae balls from the energy in oxygen. If you hit someone hard enough, it’s like tossing a grenade at them—and poof.” He opened his fingers. “They’re gone.”

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