Page 189 of Primal Bonds

“No?” She growled and lunged at him with the knife, but this time he was ready and easily evaded her.

“No. The goblins would be on you the second you stepped through. Because you can bet Lady B is sending them after us. You didn’t make a bargain with the king, so as far as she’s concerned, you’re fair game. And she’ll have his blessing, because he wants you, too.”

She stared at him, both of them panting. High above, the sun peeked out from behind a fluffy white cloud. It was noon—a point in their favor. Goblins were nocturnal; Blaer would have to wake them, buying him and Marjani a little time—as long as they didn’t waste time arguing.

“Please,” he said. “Your friend—Luc—doesn’t want you there. You heard him. He told me to get you out.”

“Fuck that. You want to go, fine. I don’t need you. Just let me back in.”

He set his jaw. So bloody self-sufficient, she was. But a woman didn’t get so self-sufficient unless life had made her that way.

“How about if I promise I’ll help you get back in? But not right now. You saw what the goblins did to your friend. Their orders will be to bring you back alive, but Lady B won’t care if they beat the shit out of you first. Please. Just come with me until we can figure out a plan.” He held out his hand.

Marjani’s mouth compressed into a tight line, but she put her hand in his. “If he dies,” she ground out, “I’ll never forgive you. Never.”

Still weak and hurting from Sindre’s attack, he glared down at her. He’d just thwarted the ice fae king for her, putting his own life on the line, and all she wanted to do was put herself back in the king’s power.

And on top of that, now Blaer was after them, too.

It was a hell of a time to realize he was falling in love with the woman.

“At least you’ll be alive,” he gritted.

Chapter 17

Luc slammed into Sindre’s chest. He fell down and the two of them rolled across the floor.

The ice fae king was strong. He had to be hurting as the iron entered his system, but he didn’t show it. Luc strained to reach the king’s pale neck and the carotid pulsing so temptingly beneath his ear. But Sindre dug his fingers into Luc’s fur, holding him off long enough to mutter a few words.

The air around the king shimmered and he ’ported across the tower. Luc loped after him. As he gathered his muscles to leap, Sindre flung up a hand.

Icy fingers reached inside Luc’s chest and squeezed his heart. He dropped like a stone to the floor and lay there, writhing with pain.

Blaer hurried over and grabbed Luc’s quartz. He groaned, the pain even worse than what Sindre had done to him.

“Freeze,” she hissed, and his muscles locked. He lay on the floor, twitching and humiliated as she yanked the pendant off his head.

“No,” he rasped. He tried to make his hand move so he could snatch it back from her. But he couldn’t.

“I know the secret,” she whispered. “Even the king doesn’t know what I know. That it’s easiest for a night fae to get to the heart of your quartz.”

She chanted the secret words, and dark talons closed around the magic at the center of his quartz. The humming crystals stuttered, and then started up a new, unfamiliar music—a tune that somehow connected him to Blaer.

His bowels iced.

Her lips curved. “You have to obey me.”

“No,” he said, but it was the last, desperate gasp of a drowning man.

Sindre came up beside her, nursing his injured arm. “Blaer, min. Do you really need two? Fane has a point. We don’t want to get the earth fada all stirred up. I’ll have to fight back, and that might bring the sun fae into this. The queen seems to have adopted the local fada.”

Blaer moved a smooth shoulder. “I wasn’t planning to keep this one. He’s simply bait. The female will come back for him.”

“You seem so sure.”

“I am. Clan is everything to them—she won’t leave Iceland without him.”

Sindre’s mouth curved. “And when she does, I’ll be waiting.”

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