Page 329 of Primal Bonds

Adric grimaced. Right. Luc was the problem here, not Rosana. And since Luc was being controlled by Blaer, things had just gone from bad to worse.

Somehow he pushed a response past the obstruction in his chest. “That’s my guess.”

Zuri’s dark gaze narrowed. “And you’re not surprised.”

“No.”

“Care to explain? Or is this something else your head of security doesn’t need to know?”

Adric heaved a breath. “I’ll explain. But tomorrow. We’ll meet at the Factory. Jani and Jace need to hear this, too.”

Chapter 14

With the base on alert, Dion had ordered the sentries to double up, some to patrol the forests and vineyards, some to patrol the water. Rosana reported to the marina for duty early Tuesday morning to find she’d been paired with Chico Nobrega, her brother Tiago’s best friend, and assigned to the section of the Susquehanna River north of Rock Run Creek.

The two of them walked to the end of a dock and peeled off their clothes with the nonchalance of old friends. Chico was frankly gorgeous, with cropped brown curls and soulful dark eyes. More than a few hearts had been bruised when he’d mated with a human named Jenny. But to Rosana he was just a man she’d known since she was a pup, almost a fifth brother.

“Beat you into the water,” he said and leapt, shifting to his dolphin in mid-air. She landed in the river a second after him. Just so he didn’t get too cocky, she waited for him to surface and then slapped her tail on the surface, splashing his face.

Chico wanted to talk about the mysterious brown wolf, of course. Everyone did. Their orders were to capture the wolf if he set even a paw on their land. If he resisted, they were to kill him.

You hear anything else? he asked as they dodged between two fishing boats.

No, she returned shortly.

The endless speculation was driving her crazy. Adric wouldn’t have sent a wolf to Rock Run. Not when he was in Lewes with her.

But if he hadn’t sent the wolf, then why had it been on their territory?

She had a bad feeling it was the same earth fada who’d led the fae to the B&B—which opened up more questions, like why look for Adric at Rock Run?

Or had the wolf been looking for her, Rosana? Which made even less sense.

Davi says Adric didn’t know one of his own men was on our land. Chico shook his head. What’s up with the Baltimore fada, anyway? They have no fucking discipline.

She moved her body in the dolphin equivalent of a shrug. Maybe they had their reasons.

If they do attack, it won’t be from the river. Chico’s disappointment was clear. Adric’s not stupid. Water’s our element, and he knows it.

She released a forceful exhale through her blowhole. They’re not going to attack, period. Adric told Dion straight out he had nothing to do with it. If he was lying, Dion would’ve scented it.

Okay, okay. Chico gave her the side-eye. Hell, you still have a thing for him, don’t you?

That was the problem with people who’d known you since you were a pup. They knew you too well.

So what if I do? She circumvented another fishing boat. It’s not like it’ll ever come to anything. She tried to sound matter-of-fact, but her bitterness must’ve seeped through because Chico brushed his flank over hers.

Sorry, Rosie.

She body-checked him. I told you not to call me Rosie.

For once, he didn’t tease her back, just nodded.

With a powerful pump of her tail, she shot forward. Beat you to the dryads’ islands.

And she did beat him, because he let her win. She, in turn, taunted him for being too slow because otherwise, he’d keep shooting her those concerned looks and she just might break down and embarrass them both.

As Chico had predicted, the river was quiet. They cruised around the trio of islands inhabited by Alesia and her two sisters. The trees were bare, their branches stark against the cloudy sky. Alesia waved at them from high up in an oak tree, but her sisters didn’t leave the camouflage of their forests.

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