Page 81 of Primal Bonds

Jace nodded. “I’ll talk to the alpha.”

Evie frowned and moved forward. “That’s nice of you, Jace, but we’re not going to be here that long.”

Jace twisted to smile at her. She had a feeling he’d known she was there all along. Guess you couldn’t sneak up on a shifter.

“Morning, babe.” His gaze moved appreciatively down her body, lingering on the band of skin left exposed by her green cropped tee. “I’m making Western omelets. Sound good?”

“Sounds wonderful. But about finding work for Kyler—”

“Why not?” Her brother rounded on her. “You know I need a job.”

“No way you’re going to drive to Baltimore every day.” And work for the Baltimore fada.

Kyler started slamming forks onto the table beside the plates. “Damn it, Evie, when are you going to stop treating me like a five-year-old? People have been working for the Rock Run fada for years and nothing’s ever happened to them.”

She set her jaw. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“It’s not up to you, Evie. This is my life, my decisions.”

Jace laid a hand on Kyler’s shoulder. “Apologize to your sister,” he said sternly.

Her brother went stiff. “What?”

“You don’t swear at your sister and you don’t raise your voice to her. She’s doing the best she can. She deserves your respect.”

Kyler flushed. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean anything.”

“It’s okay,” she said.

“No, it’s not,” Jace replied. To Kyler he said, “I know you didn’t. But if you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one.”

His shoulders slumped. “But I’ve applied for every frickin’ job in Grace Harbor, and no one’s hiring. I’m either too young or they already have someone.”

Jace squeezed his shoulder and released him. “That’s a bitch, and I’m happy to help—but only if it’s okay with your sister.”

They both turned to her, Jace so clearly deferring to her that she couldn’t get mad at him for interfering, Kyler with his jaw set but his eyes pleading.

“Please, Evie? I don’t have to take it. Maybe they’ll have something I can do in the morning when you don’t need the car.”

She sighed. She hated being the bad guy all the time. But she wasn’t sure they should get in any deeper with the Baltimore fada. Yeah, she was trusting Jace to protect the two of them, but they wouldn’t need protecting in the first place if someone wasn’t trying to kill him.

Her gaze flicked to the still-healing claw marks on Jace’s face. “We’ll see,” she told her brother.

His face fell. “Which means no.”

“It means we’ll see,” she returned.

But it was Jace’s expression that made her flinch. His eyes shuttered and she felt his withdrawal like a physical thing. “Give your sister some time to think it over,” he told Kyler. “Pushing her is just going to get you a no for sure.”

Evie shoved her hands in her pockets. She’d hurt Jace, and that was the last thing she wanted to do after he’d trusted her enough to share his sister’s story. But her brother came first.

“Need any help?” she asked.

“You could make toast.” He handed her a loaf of bread and a knife. “Butter’s in the cooling unit.” He indicated a steel door set into the stone.

She nodded and set to work.

An awkward silence fell, each of them focused on their task until Jace set a platter of omelets on the table. “Breakfast is served.”

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