Page 133 of Primal Bonds

Evie’s mouth dropped open. “So you’re saying I’m a fae warrior?”

“You’re freaking kidding me.” That was Kyler. He’d straightened and was eyeing Evie with shock.

“Not unless you can make a fae ball yourself,” her dad replied.

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Have you tried?”

“No. It didn’t even occur to me.”

“If you have the Gift for it, you simply visualize one into being.” Fane nodded at her. “Go ahead—give it a try.”

Evie looked at Jace, who gave her an encouraging squeeze.

“Try it, Evie.” That was Kyler.

With a shrug, she opened her hand and visualized a fae ball shimmering in it. But it was like when she’d tried to heal Suha’s bruise—nothing happened, except the fae light drifted across the table to settle into her palm. With a flick of her fingers, she sent it spinning into the air and tried again, jaw set, but still nothing happened.

“Take a deep breath,” Fane suggested. “Imagine it forming in your hand.”

Evie dragged in a breath and obeyed, but again, nothing happened. She didn’t even feel her hand warm like when she’d added her energy to Suha’s.

She shrugged. “So much for my career as a fae warrior.”

Fane’s long fingers touched hers. “Don’t be disappointed.”

“I’m not, really. I want to be a healer, not a warrior.” She thought of the burns on Tyrus and stifled a shudder. She never wanted to do that to anyone again.

“But,” said Fane, “maybe you inherited enough of your grandfather’s ability to use a fae light in a similar way.”

“She’s an amplifier,” Jace said. “She helped heal me.”

“Ah.” Her dad looked impressed. “That’s a Gift indeed.”

Jace released Evie to set both hands on the table. “You won’t tell the ice fae about her,” he said in a hard voice.

“Do you think they don’t already know? I reported her birth to the king. But I won’t tell him about her Gift, no.”

“Good. Because if anyone comes after my mate, I’ll rip your head off your body, Evie’s father or not.”

“Stop it, Jace!” Evie grabbed his arm and tried to give him a shake, but it was like trying to move a stone wall.

The two men ignored her. “I don’t want that any more than you do,” her father said. “She’s my daughter, after all.”

“Then swear it. I want your word that no one will learn of Evie’s Gift from you.”

“You have it.”

“The words,” Jace said between his teeth.

Fane inclined his head. “I vow before all three of you that no one will learn of Evie’s Gift from me.”

The tension went out of Jace. “Good.” He came upright again.

“But why would the ice fae come after me?” Evie asked. “It’s not like they’ve cared about me up until now.”

“It’s not just healers that can use an amplifier,” Fane said. “A warrior could use you to make more powerful fae balls, for instance.”

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