Page 404 of Primal Bonds

He touched her curly brown hair. “Thank you, my dear.”

“My pleasure, my lord.” Her head bobbed in a way that had his mind picturing lurid acts.

He set them aside—for now—to head for the portal nearest the pine grove.

Cleia hadn’t come alone. Quade and his warriors relieved her fada companions of their weapons before permitting Langdon to step through the portal. Langdon allowed it, but he couldn’t help being amused; the queen was infinitely more dangerous than all the fada put together.

Time ran differently in a fae court. Inside his wards, it was early afternoon, but outside, a new day had dawned. As he stepped into the forest, the rising sun sifted pale gold through the pine branches. He donned a pair of sunglasses and took in his visitors.

The queen had planted herself in a shaft of sunlight, her statuesque body clad in a snug yellow T-shirt and bronze moto pants, her bright hair braided into a single over-the-shoulder plait. Lord Dion stood close beside her, his black hair in a ponytail, his eyes like silver flints, his broad shoulders straining at his leather jacket. A barbarian in human clothing. The fae world had been appalled when Cleia took a fada mate, but the Rock Run alpha had a certain primitive appeal. A pity the queen wasn’t into threesomes.

Rui do Mar, Dion’s second, stood a step behind along with Dion’s brother Tiago. Next to them were a slim woman with short dark hair and large, catlike eyes, and a lean blond mixed-blood whom Langdon recognized as one of Sindre’s former envoys.

There were other fada present, too, all men, but his gaze lingered on the woman.

Welcome, my pretty little cat.

He inclined his head to Cleia. “Your highness, you honor my court.” He touched a hand to his chest in a gesture of respect. “Peace to you and yours.”

He nodded at Dion and his stone-faced second-in-command, and then turned his gaze back to the Savonett female. This time, he let his mouth curve.

“Marjani Savonett. What a pleasure to meet you at last.”

The blond male—Farr? Fern? Finn?—set a protective hand on her back and glared at Langdon.

Marjani stared back unblinking. She appeared unaffected, but he sensed the cauldron of fear and anger roiling inside her. It touched off an answering darkness in him. For a few seconds, the temptation to feed was almost irresistible, but he reined it in.

“Peace.” Cleia’s curt greeting made it clear she was unhappy with him. “I believe you have my mate’s sister. A misunderstanding, I’m sure.”

His brow lifted. She’d gone straight to the point, skipping over several pages of the polite thrust-and-parry that every fae learned at their mother’s knee.

The queen wasn’t just unhappy, she was furious.

“A misunderstanding?” He steepled his fingers and tapped them against his mouth. “No, my lady. Rosana do Rio is a guest.”

Lord Dion made a sharp, angry movement. Cleia set a calming hand on his arm. “Then invite me into your court,” she said.

Langdon considered that. But no, the queen too powerful to risk it.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

With a growl, Dion lunged at him. Langdon simply faded into the shadows while Quade and the other guards surged forward. It took three of them to subdue the enraged river alpha. Meanwhile, do Mar, Marjani, and the other fada rushed to his aid.

Cleia raised her hands to the rising sun. A white-hot flame flared to life at the center of each palm. The queen didn’t produce fae balls, she simply drew on solar energy to reduce an enemy to ashes.

“Let my mate go,” she said in a low, terrible voice.

Langdon’s guards flinched at the bright light, even Quade, the oldest and most powerful. This was getting out of hand.

Langdon emerged from the shadows. “Then tell him to control his temper.”

The queen’s tawny eyes slit.

Fane—Langdon had recalled his name—cleared his throat. “My lady. My lords.” He glanced around at Cleia, Dion and Langdon. “If I may speak?”

Langdon inclined his head. “Go ahead.”

The sun fae queen waited until Dion gave a curt nod and stopped struggling against the guards’ hold. The flames winked out, and she brought her hands to her sides.

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