Page 259 of Primal Bonds

The king chuckled. “It was a most entertaining game—and that tips the balance in your direction.” He snapped his fingers, and a blue velvet bag settled between Marjani’s front paws. “There are your diamonds. And you,” he said to Fane, “have your Gift back. Now get out of Iceland—and if I were you, I wouldn’t ever return.”

Fane recovered enough to thank him. “Trust me, we won’t.”

The king said a phrase in fae and flicked his fingers. The air around Marjani and Fane warped. She just had time to snatch up the pouch of diamonds in her teeth before her stomach lurched and everything went dark.

The next thing she knew, she and Fane were alone on a cliff overlooking the ocean. To the east, the breaking dawn sent a gleaming gold trail over the dark waves crashing below.

Chapter 37

Fane threw an arm around Marjani’s neck. “We did it!” He planted a kiss on her furred cheek.

She rubbed her face against his, purring loudly.

“And damn.” His eyes widened. “I have my Gift back.”

She let out a happy yelp.

“Thanks to you, my hard-ass negotiator.” He gave her another hug and then rose to his feet. “But I don’t think we’re in Iceland anymore.”

They were on a narrow dirt path scattered with lichen-covered rocks. A chilly wind ruffled her fur and whipped Fane’s hair back from his face. A half mile to the south, colorful boats bobbed in the harbor of a small fishing village.

“Well, hell.” He squeezed his nape. “That’s the village where I grew up. He sent me back to Newfoundland. And I still have a house just outside the village. It’s even empty—the renters left a few months ago and I haven’t gotten around to finding someone else. You up for a run?”

Of course.

She passed the blue velvet bag to him, keeping the quartz in her mouth, and waited as he secured the diamonds in one of the backpack’s pockets before setting off down the trail, her loping behind.

The path wound along the cliff before sloping downward through a sweet-smelling pine forest. Halfway down, they came across a stream. Fane dropped to his knees to drink in great gulps, while she crouched beside him, lapping as fast as she could. It was delicious, clean and cold. She felt like she hadn’t had a drink in days, other than that half-glass of nectar. How long had they been wandering in the maze, anyway?

After drinking their fill, they set off again. Ten minutes later, they reached a windswept headland on which was perched a little blue saltbox house with white trim. The wide front porch held a couple of weathered Adirondack chairs and a trio of empty flowerpots. Fane felt under one of the pots and emerged with a key.

“The water and electricity should still be on. A woman from the village comes in every couple of weeks to clean.” He unlocked the door and ushered her in. “Welcome to my home, love.”

They were in a small foyer with wide pine flooring and a timber-frame ceiling that opened into the kitchen. Fane set the backpack on a kitchen table the same bright blue as the house. To their left was a living room with a large fieldstone fireplace and rustic wood furniture.

Marjani liked it. A lot. She bumped her head against Fane’s leg to tell him so.

“The bedroom is upstairs,” he said. “And there’s a bath up there, too.”

The refrigerator was turned off, the door left open to air it. “There’s no food in the house,” Fane said as he closed the door and plugged the refrigerator in. “But we can get something in town.” He pulled out his wallet and swore. “Bastard even took my cash.”

Marjani decided it was time she shifted. As she rose to her feet, naked, she removed the quartz from her mouth and set it on the table.

“Gods, you’re beautiful.” Fane’s blue eyes took her in hungrily. A lean arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close for a kiss. When he let her up, he set his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry.”

Her brow creased. “Why?”

He indicated the house. “This is all I have now. I owned it before I accepted the geas, so he can’t take it from me. And I have a bank account in town—like the house, it’s mine from before I worked for the king. I’m not sure how much is in it, but it’s something.”

“Fane.” She framed his face. “I love it—and I don’t even have this much. I share a den with my brother.”

“But I wanted to give you—”

“Hey.” She set a finger on his mouth. “This isn’t the fae court. You don’t have to buy my love.”

He blinked and looked at her, arrested. “You’re right.”

“I know I am.”

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