Page 201 of Primal Bonds

“I told a lie.”

That was all Suha needed to know. The healer might be like family to him and Jani, but secrets had a way of spreading through the clan. And right now, the clan didn’t need any more upsets.

Her fine dark brows climbed. “A whopper, from the looks of it.”

Zuri got a stool from the living room and put it next to the bed. Taking a seat, Suha removed her quartz and held it over his heart, her other hand on his arm.

Zuri hovered on the other side of the bed, his good-looking face grim.

“For fuck’s sake,” Adric said. “I’m not going to die.”

Zuri backed up a step and folded his big arms over his chest. “From where I’m standing, that’s debatable.”

Suha touched the wolf fada’s leg. “Why don’t you go get something to eat, babe? The bar on the corner makes killer quesadillas.”

“And then get some sleep,” Adric growled. “I don’t need you standing guard over me. If I need you, I’ll call.”

Zuri hesitated and then jerked his chin. “All right.”

Suha waited until the front door closed behind him and then murmured, “Breathe. Let the warmth fill you.”

She moved the quartz in a slow circuit from his throat—which had spoken the lie—to his still-upset stomach, and then back to his heart.

Adric rarely allowed Suha to use her healing Gift on him. Healing burned a lot of energy, and he preferred she save it for the clan members who really needed it.

But he had to admit, it felt good. He sighed with relief as a pleasant heat spread like warm honey throughout his body. His painfully clenched stomach eased.

“That’s it.” The healer’s eyes were half-closed. “Relax. Let your own energy work with mine.”

His own quartz hummed in response, accepting Suha’s healing energy and using it to counteract the toxins that the lie had released in his body.

His eyelids shut. The next thing he knew it was five in the afternoon, and Zuri was frowning down at him.

“Ric. You all right?”

“Yeah.” Adric sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Yeah,” he repeated, more firmly. He felt a little dizzy, but his stomach had settled. Suha’s healing energy had done the trick. It would be a few days until he was back to a hundred percent, but his head had cleared and he was no longer shaking.

From the kitchen came a mouthwatering fragrance. His stomach growled.

“You made me your mom’s soup?” Zuri’s spicy chicken soup—a Moroccan recipe passed down through his mom’s family—was famous in the clan.

“Yep.” The tall, brown-skinned lieutenant broke into a rare smile. “But first, take a fucking shower.”

Adric rubbed his nose. “I was hoping that smell wasn’t me.”

By 6:45 p.m., Adric was at the Full Moon Saloon, having showered, dressed and downed a big bowl of Zuri’s chicken soup.

At ten to seven, Rui do Mar roared up on a big black bike. Adric nodded to the bouncer to let him in. They’d cleared the bar of everyone but Zuri and a handful of trusted soldiers. Even the owner had been told to wait in his office.

Do Mar was a large, olive-skinned man with short dark hair, a square jaw and hooded green eyes. He strode inside, took one sniff and headed for the dark corner table where Adric waited. The shark shifter could scent a few drops of blood in a fast-flowing river. Detecting Adric’s scent in an uncrowded bar must be child’s play for him.

“Lord Adric,” he said in his Portuguese-accented English as he dropped into the seat across from Adric. “Merry says you wish to speak with me.”

No preliminary bullshit with this guy—he went straight to the point. But that was fine with Adric.

“We have a situation. The night fae prince.”

“And?” Do Mar lifted a black brow.

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