Page 183 of Primal Bonds

She shook her head. No way was she going to take even a single thing from this man. “No thanks.”

With a shrug, he took a sip of champagne, and then set both glasses back on the tray. The woman set the tray on a side table and then gathered up the diamonds, placing them in a drawer that opened in the trunk of one of the leafless trees before going to stand next to the big, expressionless guard.

Sindre strolled closer, his gray eyes glinting like sun on ice. She stared into them, mesmerized.

Why fight him? She wasn’t mated. It might even be fun… And he was so fucking beautiful.

Fane cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Frog in my throat.”

But the spell was broken. Sindre scowled, and she realized he’d tried to ensnare her with a glamour.

Inside, the cat angrily swished its tale.

“What about power?” the king asked. “You’re strong. Smart. You must’ve wondered why your brother is alpha instead of you.”

Her mouth moved in a soundless no, but she couldn’t make herself utter it out loud—because it would be a lie. She had wondered. She’d been at Adric’s side from the start. They acted almost as co-alphas, making most decisions together. But the final say was his.

Sindre pressed his advantage. “You could be alpha instead. Your power would be such that your brother would willingly follow you. In fact, you could allow him to remain as alpha of your home clan and rule over all the earth fada clans. Think about it.” Soft, seductive tones. “All you have to do in exchange is stay with me for a little while. No cage—I promise. And then you’d be free to go home and take your place as the most powerful earth fada in the world.”

Her palms were sweating. She tightened her grip on the dagger. Yeah, she was tempted—who wouldn’t be?

But deep down, she knew Adric made a better alpha than she ever would. He wasn’t just strong, he was a natural leader. She might be the one with the Gift of strategy, but he had both vision and the ability to gain people’s cooperation. The clan followed him because they believed in him, trusted that he had their best interests at heart.

And he’d earned her loyalty a hundred times over.

“No,” she said in a clear, strong voice. “I have all the power I need. Just let me go.”

Sindre stared at her for a moment that stretched on and on until Marjani’s nerves screamed with the tension.

“All right,” he said at last. “I have one last offer for you.”

A hush fell over the room. At some point, the snow had stopped falling.

Her gut tingled uneasily. This was it. The offer he’d been leading up to, the one he expected to clinch the deal.

But what could he offer besides wealth and power?

For some reason she glanced at where the man and woman waited by the tree. Their faces were expressionless, the perfect servants. But she could’ve sworn they were urging her to say no.

Fane spoke. “Your highness?”

“What?” Sindre growled.

“Pardon the interruption, but as you know, the woman is the Baltimore alpha’s only sister. It wouldn’t do to make an enemy of him.”

The king brushed that away with a wave of his elegant hand. “But does he want to make an enemy of me?”

“Still,” Fane said. “Lord Adric won’t let this go. He recently did a favor for the sun fae, and the queen might ally herself with him.”

Actually, that favor had been done over six years ago, and the sun fae had paid Adric well. But Marjani wasn’t stupid enough to point that out.

Sindre seated himself on the couch again, his arms stretched along the back like the wings of a large bird of prey. “But if our guest agrees, then how could he possibly be upset?”

Fane opened his mouth to argue, but Sindre cut him off. “Let her answer.” His pale eyes turned on her. “I can gift you with a protection charm that would make you impossible to kill. No one could even touch you without your permission. Think about it. No one could hurt you, ever again.”

She swallowed sickly. “What do you know about that?”

A shrug. “I hear things. Knowledge, after all, is power. Think about it. You’d never be afraid again.”

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