Page 22 of Primal Bonds

“It was a night fae.”

The alpha tensed—an almost imperceptible tightening of his neck and shoulders. “You’re sure? It wasn’t a fada?”

“No. The night fae followed Jace here, but he didn’t seem to know which house Jace was in. Jace protected us somehow.”

“Good. You don’t want to know what a night fae can do to you.”

“I can guess.” Evie rubbed her arms, remembering the darkness that had slithered out of the night. “He stabbed Jace with an iron knife.”

“Iron?” Adric shook his head. “No wonder his quartz is so drained.”

Evie nodded. A glance at the clock above the stove told her it was a little after seven. “Look, why don’t you sit down and I’ll make some coffee. That’s if you drink coffee?”

Jace snorted.

The alpha’s mouth quirked. “I would fucking kill for a cup of coffee. I’ve been out all night tracking him. When we didn’t find a trace of him in Baltimore, we came up here.”

He took a seat while Evie started a pot brewing. She tried to act normal, but it was unnerving having a creature who was basically a human cat seated at her kitchen table.

Jace-the-panther had settled on the floor next to the table and was watching her as well. She filled a bowl of water and set it next to him. She and Adric watched as he greedily lapped it up.

“We did what we could,” she told the alpha. “He wouldn’t let me call for help.”

“We?”

“My brother and me.”

“Ah.” He waved a hand. “Relax, love. I’m not here to cause trouble—I just want to take him back home.”

She nodded but remained near the coffeepot as the water heated and started dripping through. She did not want to sit at the table with Adric, and if worst came to worst, she could always use the hot coffee to protect herself.

Kyler’s footsteps sounded in the hallway above.

Evie briefly closed her eyes. She didn’t care what she’d promised last night—she didn’t want her brother involved in this. But it was too late now.

Adric rose to his feet with a feline grace as her brother entered the kitchen, barefoot and clad only in a tank top and loose gym shorts.

Kyler’s eyes bugged at the sight of Adric and the big black cat. “What the fuck?”

Evie inserted herself between Kyler and the bronze-eyed shifter. “This is Lord Adric,” she told him. “The Baltimore alpha.”

Kyler’s mouth dropped open. “No shit.”

“Good to meet you.” Adric stuck out his hand.

“This is my brother, Kyler,” Evie said. “He helped me with Jace last night.”

“Wow.” Her brother pumped the alpha’s hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, my-my lord.”

“Call me Adric.”

“Okay, sure.” Kyler glanced down at Jace, who had risen to his feet again. “And that’s Jace? He’s a…panther?”

“Yeah,” Evie said.

“Actually, he’s a jaguar,” Adric said. “A black jaguar. You can see the spots if you look close.”

“Wow,” Kyler said again.

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