Page 29 of Primal Bonds

She rolled her eyes. “Inside with you.”

Adric touched his quartz and murmured the words that dissolved the look-away spell. The den was two flights down. Jace could no longer keep up the pretense that he wasn’t in pain. He shuffled down the stairs, gripping the rail like a lifeline. Adric stayed on his other side, taking as much of his weight as he could.

By the time they reached the bottom, sweat had beaded on Jace’s forehead. He leaned against the stone wall as Adric opened the door to his den and then helped him into the small foyer.

Jace’s parents had carved the den out of the bedrock long before he was born. Both of them had been soldiers, but his dad had been an engineer at heart. In his downtime, he’d built this big, solid home for his mate, their two cubs, and assorted other members of the clan. Even in the Darktime, everyone knew they always had a bed at the Jones’ den.

He limped into the living room, a large, comfortable space with exposed stone walls and furniture that dated to his parents’ time. The floor was covered with worn throw rugs and large pillows for their animals to curl up on, and the mantelpiece held a collection of quartz that his soldier mom had brought back from her tours overseas. Other than replacing the pillows, the only thing Jace had added was the big screen TV on the wall. He’d had to rig up a solar-powered electricity system, but it was worth it.

Now the only thing that greeted him was Tigger, a testy orange tomcat who’d moved in last year and never left. That was strange. Jace glanced around, nostrils flared, testing the air for his den mates’ scents. With four men besides himself calling the den home, it was rarely empty.

“Everyone is out looking for you,” Adric said. “They should be back soon—I sent word we found you. But I had people searching in a fifty-mile radius.”

He grunted. “Call out the effing cavalry, why don’t you?”

“Shut up and get into bed.”

Suha had gone down the hall to Jace’s bedroom. She didn’t have to ask where it was. She’d patched up his wounds more than once.

With Adric’s help, he hobbled after her and lowered himself onto the edge of the mattress. Damn, he’d swear these cuts had been seared into his gut by Hades himself. This morning he’d thought they were almost healed, but now they felt worse than ever.

Suha placed a small, blunt-fingered hand on his shoulder. “Lie down before you fall down.”

He gritted his teeth and obeyed. But it was good to be home in his own bed. His muscles softened.

Suha scanned the wound with her quartz as he stared at the ceiling. His dad had left the stone walls bare in here, too. The stone was dotted with mica, giving the dark gray rock a pretty shimmer. He could almost hear the walls humming.

“Not bad,” Suha murmured. “They’re healing, especially the shallow one, but deep inside, they’re still open. And you’re spiking a high fever.”

Her voice seemed to come from far away. He dragged his gaze back to her face.

A fever. That’s why he felt so odd, as if he were floating above the bed. He dug his fingers into the sheets to ground himself.

Adric got a chair from the kitchen for Suha and set it next to the bed. “The humans cleaned the cuts out with salt water,” he told her.

“Within a half hour,” Jace added.

“Thank the gods for that.” Suha frowned at her quartz. “But the iron had already spread into your blood. That’s why you still feel—”

“Like shit,” Jace finished for her. “But I’ll heal.”

“With help.” She fixed him with a stern look. “Now relax and breathe.”

Jace scowled. “I don’t need your energy. Save it…” He trailed off as he lost his train of thought.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” the healer returned. “Close your eyes and breathe. Picture your body filling with healing energy…a warm, golden light.”

“I’ll help.” Adric moved to Jace’s other side, but Suha shook her head.

“I know you’re strong, but you’re burnt from being out searching all night. Save your energy for yourself. I’ve got this.”

Adric nodded but remained where he was. He gave Jace’s shoulder a squeeze. “You heard the woman. Close your eyes and let her do her stuff.”

He obediently closed his eyes and focused on the warmth in his belly. At first it seared, the unhealthy fire of last night, but even worse. He went hot, then cold. The humming of the walls grew louder, became an irritating buzz that made him want to clamp his hands to his ears.

He moved his legs restively. “Hot.”

“I know.” Suha murmured something to Adric and a minute later he returned with a damp cloth. Suha placed it on his forehead, and Jace gave a hiss of relief.

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