Page 258 of Primal Bonds

Gotcha.

Fane had donned the backpack while she shifted. He stroked a hand down her spine. “Did it work?”

She nodded—and then realized she was the old Marjani again—the Marjani where the cat and human worked together and shared thoughts and emotions.

He threaded his fingers through the fur at the scruff of her neck. “Ready when you are, beautiful.”

The cat liked being called beautiful. It purred and rubbed its head against Fane’s hip in thanks—and marking him as hers, just in case that redheaded ice fae female hadn’t gotten the message.

They set off, Fane’s eyes shut, one hand gripping her fur. They came to the first dead end, and the cat walked right through it.

The next dead end actually was the end of a passage, but now she saw the opening to the right. She walked through, Fane right beside her.

Around her, the maze shifted. Grew dark.

Stupid man. Didn’t Sindre know cougars had incredible night vision?

With a lash of her tail, she paced forward, following the line as it zigzagged toward a portal, increasingly confident.

An icy mix of sleet and snow began to fall. A wind whipped crystals into her eyes. The cat snarled and kept going. They were almost to the portal.

They reached the end of a passage, and the maze became the inner wall of the black lava castle.

“You did it, love.” Fane’s grin split his face as he touched the rough black wall. “I know where we are now. Come.” He turned left, still holding onto her fur.

They came to a portal. Marjani couldn’t see it, but she sensed an opening in the wards.

Fane flicked his fingers and said the incantation that would allow them through. But the portal remained closed. He scowled and tried again.

Nothing.

Fane said something low and ugly. “I’m not a member of the court anymore. The portal won’t allow me through.”

She nudged him aside. Time to test her theory and see if her cat could pass through. Then she halted. What good would it do if she left—but Fane remained trapped on the ice fae side?

They’d lost.

Ice balled in her stomach. She pressed against Fane.

He crouched down and enveloped her in a hard hug. “I love you, Jani. I swear, I’ll figure out a way to get him to release you from the geas if it’s the last thing I do.”

Suddenly, the wind and snow stopped as if a switch had been thrown. Into the silence came the crunch of footsteps on the snow. She and Fane whipped around.

Sindre was back.

Marjani’s lip peeled back in a snarl. Fane took a step toward him, hands fisted. “Let us out. We made it through the maze. We won.”

Sindre’s head tipped to one side, considering. “Actually, I’d say it was a draw. You made it through the maze—but you’re still on this side of the portal.”

“Because you changed the fucking rules.”

The king ignored him to speak to Marjani. “It’s a pity you met that mixed-blood first. We would’ve made quite a pair, you and me.”

No way in Hades.

“My congratulations,” Sindre said.

Both their jaws dropped.

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