Page 230 of Primal Bonds

Mates. As they exited the tower, Fane tightened his grip on Marjani’s hand. He’d sensed the bond come to life, warming him from the inside out. Filling him with wonder—and hope, small but stubborn.

Through the bond, he’d felt her fear that he’d judge her for taking her cousin’s life. But he’d known it was a mercy killing. He hurt for her, but he understood.

Gods, he’d hated seeing her cry. She might as well have reached into his chest and cracked open his heart. So much pain, his warrior woman had endured. Sometimes fate was one cruel son of a bitch.

When they got out of this—and they would get out of this—he’d spend the rest of his days showing her there was more to life than what she’d seen so far. Maybe that wolf fada would be better for her, but then again, maybe not.

A serious woman like Marjani needed someone to help her lighten up, make her smile. A man like Fane.

They set out for the north tower. Suddenly, the maze was nearly impossible to navigate, narrowing until they could barely squeeze through the tall walls, spiraling in on itself like a twisted skein of yarn and sending them down multiple dead-ends.

Marjani plodded alongside him, shoulders hunched a little. He hated to see her so subdued. He wracked his brains for a way to help her escape, even if it meant fighting Sindre’s direct order. But the king knew she was here. How far would she get?

Anger churned in Fane’s stomach. He felt so goddamned powerless.

“Cat’s balls,” Marjani muttered. “Does the man want us to get to his tower or not?”

“Oh, he wants us there.” Fane glared at the towering white wall that had sprung up out of nowhere to block them. “He’s just playing one of his fucking games.” And messing with Fane’s head. He was a wayfarer, a man always on the move. He hated small, enclosed spaces, and Sindre knew it.

At last, they came upon a familiar passageway filled with fae heading to dinner in the great hall. No one seemed surprised to see Fane and Marjani’s fading bruises and tattered clothes. But then, gossip spread like wildfire through the court.

Most of the fae barely noticed them, uncaring what a mixed-blood and a fada were up to. Some shook their heads, their mouths in disapproving lines. A few smiled and nodded.

Fane kept a firm grip on Marjani’s hand, proud to be seen with her. She was strong. Beautiful. Caring. And if she had a problem with you, she’d tell you straight out, instead of circling around the subject like these beautiful, two-faced creatures.

So he nodded back to the friendly fae, and ignored the rest.

“So.” Marjani gave him the side-eye. “You’re the famous Lord Roald’s grandson. I had no idea.”

“Trust me, he wants it that way. I’m a wayfarer, which means I’m a frivolous SOB who’d rather drink a beer with you than fight. Just like my dad. Roald blames it on my human grandmother—except humans don’t have Gifts.”

Her lips twitched. “If the shoe fits…”

He hooked an arm around her neck, glad she seemed to be feeling better. “We prefer to say we’re well-rounded. What’s wrong with enjoying life’s pleasures?”

“Don’t change, okay?” She reached up to squeeze his hand. “The world needs more people like you.”

He nuzzled her ear. “I gave up trying to change a long time ago. Too much work. And I like me as I am.”

She shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Now you sound like Roald.” He released her to slip through a narrow opening.

“But you would like to be a full member of the court,” she said when they were side by side again.

He lifted a shoulder and let it drop.

“Why? What would it mean, exactly?”

“The short answer? I’d be one of them. Right now, there are rituals I can’t attend. Magic I can’t access. And I have to smile and pretend not to see when one of them sneers at me.”

“And that’s important to you—to be accepted as one of them?”

He jerked his head in assent. “I’m one of Sindre’s top envoys, but I’m so low in the hierarchy I might as well be dirt under their feet. If the king declared me a full member of the court, it would make me a pureblood in every way that counts. I could even mate with a pure—” He snapped his mouth shut. “Not that I’d want to. Not now.”

Yeah, it had been his goal once. But not any longer.

She stopped and he did, too. The expression on her face made him reach for her, but she held up a hand. “Don’t.”

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