Page 100 of Primal Bonds

Jace’s entire body lit with a tooth-jarring agony, and then everything went black.

The last thing he did was to fall sideways so his body would block Corban when he emerged. Even a few extra seconds might save Evie and her brother.

Chapter 30

Tyrus raked his gaze over Evie’s naked body. “Get dressed.”

“Okay, sure.” She grabbed some clothes before he could change his mind. Kyler was slumped against the wall near the bed. She shot him a worried glance as she pulled on her cargo pants.

“Come.” Tyrus beckoned to her.

She swallowed. “Why?”

Kyler groaned, and the night fae’s gaze moved to him. Evie stepped to the left so that she was between the two of them.

“Kyler?” she asked without taking her eyes off Tyrus. “You okay?”

“Think so.”

She darted a look at her brother. He was sitting up, rubbing his head. He blinked at the blood on his fingers.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You hit your head against the wall.”

He nodded and then winced. “Fuck, that hurts.” He glanced at Tyrus, and his face tightened with hatred. “Asshole,” he growled.

She moved back and set a staying hand on his shoulder. “Hush. It’s okay.”

Kyler didn’t seem to hear. “I’m sorry, Evie. He got into my dreams somehow—a nightmare. When I woke up, I was at the door, letting him inside.” He glared at the night fae. “Why don’t you fight fair, you freaking prick?”

She dug her nails into his shoulder. “Kyler. Shut. Up.”

“I’m not afraid of him,” he returned sullenly, but to her relief, he subsided.

Tyrus ignored their byplay to focus on Evie. “Come, woman.”

“No fucking way.” Kyler wrapped wiry arms around her legs. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

“No?” The fae’s black eyes flashed red.

Evie gulped. It was like something out of a horror movie. She slid down the wall until she was crouched next to Kyler, an arm flung out to protect him. Her brother muttered something and dropped his head on her shoulder, and she had the sick feeling he was only half aware of what was going on.

She glared up at Tyrus. “What do you want?”

“Ah…now that’s an interesting question.” The red faded. Tyrus sat on the mattress and stretched out his long legs, one ankle crossed over the other. The fae lights had clustered around her and Kyler, leaving him in the shadows. Only his face and hands were visible, a pale glimmer like a new moon in a dark sky. The tips of his pointed ears emerged from midnight-black hair.

He was sharp-faced, beautiful—and he made her spine prickle like a thousand spiders creeping up her vertebrae.

“I’m here in Baltimore,” he replied, “because I have a dislike of your new friends, especially Jones and his alpha. It wasn’t very smart of you to get between me and my prey.”

She raised her chin. “So sue me.”

He just smiled. “But now that I know about you, Evie, I find I’m interested in you. Very interested. It’s been over a week since I last fed—and the fae in you makes your energy special.”

The den was still as a morgue now. Where were Jace and the others? If they were all right, surely they’d have burst in by now. Evie’s heart twisted. Jace must be hurt bad, because if he could get to her, he would—that much she knew.

The fae lights moved closer to Evie. They were smaller than she’d ever seen, barely the size of a ping-pong ball, but they brushed over her in a warm caress: Stay strong. It was almost as if they’d spoken.

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