Page 391 of Primal Bonds

“Still in Langdon’s lair—a level below the foyer. A prison cell. The door is solid wood reinforced with iron, and there are no windows, just a slot at the top of the door. They didn’t bother with a bed, either. Or heat.”

His throat worked. “Sorry.”

It was coming back to him now. Discovering that Rosana was the night fae’s prisoner, rushing to her rescue. He’d have pulled it off if the prince hadn’t tossed that damn powder at him. Its bitter scent still clung to his skin.

How the fuck had Langdon known he was there? He’d been careful to stick close to Luc. But he’d been angry with Luc and terrified for Rosana. He must’ve been leaking emotion, especially when he found Rosana alone with the bastard.

And now they were locked in an underground cell. His heart punched at his rib cage. A cold sweat prickled his skin.

The Darktime.

A dank cell concealed beneath Leron’s den. The clanmates who disappeared below never to be seen again. The pervasive scent of fear, as if it had soaked into the very stones.

And the growing conviction that it was only a matter of time before Leron found an excuse to throw him in the cell…or worse, Marjani.

The teenage Adric had tried to appease his uncle, but Leron had seen how the younger clan members turned to his nephew. Hell, he’d known before Adric that he was alpha material.

So Leron had set out to break him.

One by one, everyone Adric loved had been stolen from him. His dad. His mom. Jace’s sister. Until the only ones left were a few stubbornly loyal friends like Zuri, Jace, Luc—and Marjani.

That was when his uncle had made his fatal mistake. Go after Adric, and he would’ve endured it until he was strong enough to challenge for alpha.

But go after Marjani, and all bets were off.

“It’s not your fault.” Rosana’s voice yanked him back to the present. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

He unclenched his jaw, forced himself to inhale.

“Yes, I do. Luc…was ordered…take me, not you. But when he saw you…figured he’d save me…give you to Blaer instead. Last night…should’ve made you…go home.”

The caresses stopped. “So you knew Luc was outside your den.”

“What?” His brow lowered. “No.”

“Then this is on Luc, not you. You didn’t tell him to take me instead of you, did you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then how is it your fault?”

He set a hand to his head. He knew he was right. Rosana wouldn’t be here if not for him. “You…my guest, in my territory…and…I’m alpha.”

“Which makes you the leader, not a god. Luc isn’t even a member of your clan anymore.”

He blinked. Nobody but Marjani took that no-nonsense tone with him.

“Now shut up and rest.” Rosana touched her lips to his forehead. “Concentrate on healing. Because we need you better if we’re going to get out of here—and we are getting out of here.”

His mouth quirked despite the swelling. “Yes, ma’am.”

She was right. Beating up on himself wasn’t helping anything.

He drew more deeply on his quartz to increase the rate of healing. It would drain the crystals, rendering them useless for a few hours, but it couldn’t be helped. In this condition, he was no use to anyone.

He dozed, catlike, relaxed yet aware of his surroundings. Rosana was quiet, too, her hand resting on his shoulder.

An hour or two passed before he opened his eyes, cautiously lifted his head. This time, the pain wasn’t so bad.

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