Page 381 of Primal Bonds

Luc immediately started to his feet. Adric had to scramble out of his way.

The wolf fada walked in the direction he’d pointed, halting in front of an oak tree, where his clothes were bundled into a leather jacket and wedged into a crook of the tree. He stood at attention, awaiting instructions.

Adric was surprised at how easy Luc was to control; it was as if he’d surrendered completely to Adric’s will. But then, he was Luc’s alpha, whether or not he’d been expelled from the clan. When a man like Luc gave you his loyalty, he’d walk through hell or high water for you.

“Give me the clothes,” he told Luc, “and then shift to your wolf.”

While the other man obeyed, Adric used his quartz to heal the slashes on his arm. After they’d scabbed over, he dropped the leather cord over his head and took the clothes from Luc.

They were a little big, but they’d do. He tucked the sheathed dagger beneath the T-shirt and laced on the lug-sole boots. If a fada came across their tracks, they’d see Luc’s prints, not his. Lastly, he put on the black hoodie, pulling up the hood to hide his distinctive hair. The leather jacket he returned to the crook of the oak. It would only be in the way if he had to shift—or fight.

Weak as he was, Luc took a long time to shift. Too long.

Adric stood helplessly by as his old friend wavered between man and wolf, sparkles flickering anemically over his skin. If Luc couldn’t complete the shift, he’d die, his body a grotesque mass of incompatible organs.

He growled. “Focus, damn you. You can do this.”

A weak glimmer of orange, and at last Luc’s huge brown wolf appeared. He was too thin in this form as well, his fur dull, patchy. At this rate, he’d never survive his decade with Blaer.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” He touched Luc’s head. “When this is over, I promise I’ll do what I can. There’s got to be a way to break the damn geas.”

The wolf’s breath sighed out. Then he gave Adric’s hand a firm nip. The message was clear: Stay out of this.

Adric scowled down at him. “I’m the alpha, remember?”

Luc growled lowly.

It was Adric’s turn to sigh. “At least let me give you a shot of healing energy.”

At Luc’s nod of assent, he ran his quartz over the wolf’s body. He was still thin—there wasn’t much Adric could do about that, but his fur grew shinier, the patches closing over until he had a thick coat again.

Luc nuzzled his chest in gratitude.

Adric grimaced. “Don’t thank me yet.”

He lifted his quartz, dangling it in front of the wolf’s face.

He paused, sorting his thoughts. He had to get the command just right. Once they were inside, and especially if Blaer caught sight of them, he had to make sure the compulsion to obey him, Adric, was stronger than the power her geas exerted on Luc.

When he was ready, he infused his voice with dominance. “Take me to Rosana do Rio. Now. No detours, except whatever’s necessary to keep the night fae from detecting me. Understood?”

The wolf whined…and then turned and trotted out of the trees. Adric dropped his quartz back over his head, tucking it into the T-shirt along with the dagger, and strode after him.

Luc didn’t take the shimmering fae path, confirming Adric’s suspicion it was booby-trapped, or maybe even an illusion. Instead, he veered right.

They circled the compound, Luc padding stiffly beside him, his will under Adric’s command. Adric swallowed something acrid. He’d promised himself he’d never compel any of his lieutenants or close friends.

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

Was this how it started? With Adric himself?

As they passed through two longleaf pines, a small circle shimmered into being, widening into a wolf-sized portal. Luc stepped through it, Adric glued to his side.

His spine tingled. He pulled back his shoulders, his stance tough, as if he were a fada bodyguard. Someone who belonged. Meanwhile, his gaze roamed the compound, his body poised for anything.

A second ticked past, then another and another. From a nearby oak, a raven studied Adric with beady brown eyes. Finally, the portal behind them contracted shut.

He was in.

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