Page 89 of Primal Bonds

Evie had drawn back, affronted. “I won’t.”

“Not intentionally, no.” Suha’s dark gaze was knowing and a little sad. “But Jace—he’s a dominant male, and so you might think he can’t be hurt. But he can. You’re special to him, Evie. The Darktime left him different. He was always a serious kid, but losing his sister—that ripped him to pieces. He was so dark for a while there that I thought we might lose him. An earth fada can will himself to death. The quartz—we use it to heal ourselves, but it can be used the opposite way. To turn on ourselves.”

Evie had swallowed.

“But he came out of it. It helped when they found his niece.”

“He told me about her.”

“He did?” Suha’s delicate black brows had winged upward. “That proves my point right there. He feels something for you. Just—don’t hurt him.”

Evie had glanced at where Jace was arguing basketball with Kyler and Beau. “I wouldn’t,” she’d said.

Suha had moved a shoulder. “If you don’t want him, say so now. Don’t let it go any further.”

Now Evie pressed a hand to her breastbone. Because maybe she would hurt him. But if she did, it wasn’t going to be one-sided.

Jace glanced at her. “Everything okay?”

She rose on her toes and kissed him. “Yeah.”

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur. They walked with Jace and Beau to the park and around Druid Lake, and then headed back to the den, where they sprawled out on the grass drinking iced tea under a big maple. Beau remained standing, one arm propped on the wooden fence that circled the backyard, relaxed but alert, his deep brown eyes continually scanning the area. The men got into a conversation about motorcycles while Evie pillowed her head on her arms and gazed up at the rustling green leaves. It had been a long time since she’d just laid on the grass without anything to do.

Jace traced a finger down her jaw to the hollow of her throat. “Sleepy?”

“Mm.”

He nuzzled her ear. “Take a nap if you want. I’ll be keeping you up tonight.”

Her lips curved. “Is that a promise?”

The answer was a sexy growl that made her abdomen tug.

Sam woke up and wandered outside, yawning. Jace sat up and murmured something to him, and he nodded. Before she knew it, the tiger had his head deep in her car’s engine, and when she objected that she couldn’t pay, he’d shrugged a big shoulder.

“I’m not asking for money. I need something to do, and I’m sure we have some spare parts in the shed.”

“But—”

“Let him,” Jace said. “The man’s a genius with engines, and he really does like to play with them.”

“All right,” she said, “but I’m making dinner tonight.”

“Works for me,” was Sam’s reply. “I’ll trade a few spark plugs for food anytime.”

Kyler joined him, and the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon with their heads under the hood, joined an hour or so later by Horace. There was a lot of shaking of heads and muttering, but by the end of the day Sam literally had the engine purring.

Zuri appeared with Tigger in the curve of one arm. He set the cat down and took over for Beau on guard duty. To Evie’s amusement, Tigger stalked around the perimeter of the backyard as if he were on duty too before settling on a branch of the maple. Meanwhile, Horace and Beau went out for groceries, and a short while later Suha, Adric and Marjani showed up with beer and wine.

That night Evie and Jace made fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet corn for everyone. Somehow the whole group fit around the kitchen table. Evie took in the hard-eyed soldiers bantering with one another as they downed her fried chicken, and felt like pinching herself. Two weeks ago, she hadn’t even known Jace existed, and now he had his hand on her thigh under the table, his pinky teasing the edge of her shorts—and the Baltimore alpha was seated a few chairs down, grinning at something Kyler had said.

She wanted to gather up the day like the gift it was and hold it close so she’d never forget it.

But the best part was yet to come. This time, Jace didn’t even wait for Kyler to go to bed, just stood up as Adric and Marjani left, pulling Evie to her feet along with him.

“Good night, everyone.” He nodded to his den mates, who were sprawled around the room, Kyler in their midst, watching the basketball playoffs. Even Tigger was watching, curled up on Suha’s lap.

Kyler just gave them a wave before turning back to the game. “Night, you two.”

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