Page 315 of Primal Bonds

As she got dressed, Adric suggested they camp out in Cape Henlopen for the night and get the car in the morning. “Otherwise,” he added, “we’ll spend half the night answering questions for the humans.”

“Sounds good,” she said as she rolled up her pants.

They set off at a jog down the beach, running through the surf to hide their scent. In the park, they continued off-road through the pine-covered dunes until they reached the Point, a sandy spit of land that hooked into the bay, dividing it from the Atlantic. There, they made camp in a hollow beneath a loblolly pine, zipping up their jackets and pulling on socks.

Leaning back on his forearms, Adric stared grim-faced into the pine trees. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t pleasant.

She sifted a handful of sand and pine needles through her fingers. “You went back without me, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. So?”

She rolled her eyes. Typical alpha. Send the female to safety so he could investigate alone. “So it was three against one. I could’ve helped you.”

“Rosana.” His voice was so reasonable, she ground her teeth. “It wasn’t your problem. They were after me.”

“What makes you so sure? Maybe it was me they were after. I am the Rock Run alpha’s sister, you know.”

He turned his head to look at her. His eyes had gone night-glow, the irises the same brilliant blue at the heart of a flame. “Oh, I know. I don’t ever forget it. Not for a single second.”

She swallowed. “But something made you go back.”

He heaved a breath. “You’re not going to let this rest, are you?”

“Nope.”

He shook his head, but said, “The other man, the one we didn’t see? He was an earth fada.”

Oh. “He’s working for the fae?”

“Yeah.”

“From your clan?”

His mouth set. “Not exactly.”

She rolled a loblolly needle between her fingers, releasing its sharp, piney scent. “This has to do with what happened last summer, doesn’t it? When Lord Tyrus died.”

He lifted a shoulder, dropped it. Not confirming, but not denying either—which told her she was right.

“His father wants revenge.” She was careful not to say Prince Langdon’s name. Speak a fae’s name, and you risked drawing his attention. “But Tyrus attacked you, didn’t he? Merry said he almost killed her uncle Jace.”

Adric snorted. “He’s a fae. He doesn’t need a reason. No, I was supposed to lie down, belly up, while Tyrus picked off my lieutenants one by one.”

“What about that blonde we saw? She’s not a pureblood, is she?”

A pause. “That’s what I can’t figure out. She’s not a member of the New Moon Court. She’s an ice fae/night fae mix. So is she working for the prince—or on her own?”

Rosana frowned. “In my vision, three night fae warriors captured you. One of them could have been a woman, but none of them had blond hair.”

A noncommittal grunt.

To the east, the surf boomed. Above, the wind growled and snapped at the treetops. Rosana shivered and hugged her knees. She’d known Adric was in danger, but seeing those fae at the B&B had rammed it home.

He was in a fight for his life.

The Darktime isn’t over. The prince will destroy your clan from the inside out.

She gripped her knees harder.

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