Page 43 of Primal Bonds

Her heart kicked into a gallop. “Jace? Is that you?”

Please let it be him.

He stepped forward. She blew out a breath. It was Jace.

He crossed the alley in a few long, loose strides. An atavistic tremor went down her spine. This was the real Jace—and he was nothing like the injured, feverish victim of last week.

No, this man was dark. Powerful. Raw-boned. A panther in a T-shirt and jeans.

She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, because damn it, she’d saved the man’s life. She refused to let him spook her.

He stopped a few feet away. “Hello, Evie.”

He was bigger than she remembered, but then, last week he’d been hunched over nursing his injuries. Now she realized he was a good half foot taller than her with the lean, hard build of a soldier. Another shiver went down her spine—but this one had nothing to do with fear.

She swallowed. “You’re better?” She glanced at his stomach, although the wounds were covered by the shirt.

“Suha thinks I should still be in bed, but yeah, I’m much better.”

“Suha?” Evie felt a pinch of jealousy, which she immediately stomped on. Why should she be jealous? She barely knew the man.

“Our head healer. She knows her stuff, but she’s one tough mother, you know?”

Evie pictured an older, somewhat overprotective woman and smothered a smile. “Seriously? You let her boss you?”

“Better than listening to her nagging. She’s so calm and reasonable—and she makes you feel like a shit if you don’t take her advice. But we’re lucky to have her. We lost our last healer in the Dark—” He halted.

Evie flashed on those stories about the murderous Baltimore shifters and glanced away, somehow sure she didn’t want to know.

“Anyway,” Jace said, “I came to see how you are.”

“Me?” Her eyes narrowed as she recalled how he’d acted when Adric had accused her of being part fae. The man had growled at her. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll bewitch you or something?”

“No.” Shame flashed across his face. “I’m sorry about that. You helped me, and you didn’t deserve that in return.”

She shrugged. “I would’ve done the same for anyone.” And he had stood up for her with Adric. From what she knew about the fada, the alpha was king, so that meant something.

He stepped closer, a slow, graceful ripple of his muscles. “Would you? Have done the same for anyone?”

Her mouth dried. “Yes.”

Their gazes snagged and Jace smiled—not with his lips, but with his eyes. The corners creased in a way that made her stomach flip. “You have a good heart.”

She smoothed her hands down her pants, painfully aware that she was still dressed in her server uniform—straight black slacks and a white button-up shirt. And she probably smelled funky; it had been a busy night at the restaurant.

He fiddled with the hoop in her left earlobe. “But you should be more careful, living alone with only a young kid like your brother.”

“I’ve known most of the neighbors for years. We look out for each other.”

“Yeah? That’s good. I’m glad you have someone, at least.”

As if on cue, Mrs. Linney’s stoop light went on three houses down and she stepped out her back door dressed in flip flops and an outsized neon-green nightgown. Jace immediately stepped back from Evie and tucked the quartz pendant out of sight beneath his T-shirt.

Mrs. Linney lit a cigarette and peered at them over the top of cat’s-eye glasses. “’Evening, hon. You’re out late.”

“I just got off work.”

“Ah…” The older woman blew a perfect smoke ring and then narrowed her eyes at Jace. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

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