Page 160 of Primal Bonds

“I can’t tell you her name. But if you listen, you might learn something.”

“Can’t—or won’t?”

“Can’t.” He waited until understanding dawned on her face before continuing, “A couple of decades passed. In the human world, it was more like fifty turns of the sun. One winter solstice, the young lady broke out of the east tower and appeared at the court—and proceeded to become one of the king’s advisors.”

“And?”

“She’s one of the most powerful fae in the court now. The king is old and she amuses him. He lets her have her way, more than he should. She’s so beautiful it hurts your eyes to look at her. Men—including fada—fall at her feet. She binds them to her with sex, and then if they’re lucky, she sends them away…even if they don’t want to go.”

“And the unlucky ones?”

He gave her a stark look. “She keeps them.”

“In a cage.” Marjani tightened her grip on her legs.

“She’s half night fae. She feeds on their pain.”

“We go crazy if we’re caged. The animal has to be free.”

“I’m afraid the black wolf is already halfway there. It’s been weeks since I saw him as a man.”

She lifted her head from her knees. “But he sent my brother a message. That’s why I came.”

Fane straightened up. “The hell he did. When?”

“Last week—about ten days ago. He told Adric to meet him in Reykjavik. Dared him to meet him.”

“That’s impossible.” Fane’s heart started to pound in slow, hard strokes. “He’s not in any condition to send a message. Not without help.”

Chapter 8

Luc crouched on his haunches, watching the boulders near the dirt track where Marjani had concealed herself.

Finally, he’d caught a damn break. He’d been just missing her all week. His flight had been delayed because of a fucking tropical storm. He’d spent twenty-four hours at the Baltimore airport, then another six in that metal tube that passed for transportation.

By the time he’d landed in Iceland, she must’ve already headed north, but he’d lost another day in Reykjavik, following her scent all over the city.

He stayed in contact with Adric, but the alpha couldn’t get a read on her other than to say she was definitely in Iceland. Finally Marjani had turned on her phone, but only long enough for Adric to confirm she’d headed north. So Luc had followed, increasingly anxious.

He’d thought his luck had turned when he caught her scent near the beach. But it was mixed with the silver of a male fae, which made his wolf want to chew nails. Who was this man who kept crossing her path?

Then a huge storm had blown up and he’d lost both their scents in the deluge. Luc had waited out the storm in a barn with a herd of cranky goats who were not happy to share their space with a wolf. As soon as the rain slacked off, he’d resumed his trek north.

If Marjani had mated with him, he could’ve followed the bond. But she’d refused to accept him as her mate—although he’d asked. More than once.

But he’d finally caught up to her.

As a wolf, his sense of smell far surpassed hers, so after sending the alpha a quick text that he’d found her and she was all right, he took up a vigil downwind and out of sight. Just breathing her in like the lovesick ass he was.

He’d loved Marjani Savonett from the moment he’d first set eyes on the skinny teen with the soft voice and flashing knives. He’d known damn well she was scared—of her bastard of an uncle, that she’d lose Adric like she’d lost her mom and dad—but no one would’ve guessed it.

Until the night Corban’s people had kidnapped her and handed her over to that den of feral river fada. When Luc and his men had picked her up the next morning on a Baltimore street, she’d been bruised and hollow-eyed. He just wished her rapists were still alive so he could cut off their fucking balls and then stuff them down their throats.

A cold-eyed fae with silver hair zoomed up on a motorbike.

Luc crept closer. And then his heart damn near stopped as Marjani dove through the portal after the fae.

He pelted after her, narrowly avoiding plunging into a bog concealed by the unnatural fog. The portal closed as he arrived. Luc tried to leap through anyway. He caught a glimpse of a menacing black castle—and then it disappeared. He landed on the sparse grass, still in the human world.

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