Page 288 of Primal Bonds

A muscle ticked in Dion’s jaw. “That’s not what I meant. You’re a beautiful girl. You know that.”

“I’m not a girl,” she said between tight lips. “I’m a woman.” Which was the whole problem. To Dion, she’d always be a girl, the little sister he’d raised from the time she was a pup.

“Rosana…”

She expelled a breath. “You were there for me after we lost Mama and Papai to King Sindre and the ice fae. I’ll never forget that. But you’re not my dad, Dion. Even if you were, I’m all grown up now. I love you, but you don’t get to tell me who I—”

“And if he’s just using you?”

The hurt nearly doubled her over. That the big brother she admired more than anyone in the world thought she was so stupid Adric could use her to harm the clan.

She came to her feet. “We’re both tired. I’m going to forget you said that. Boa noite.”

“Rosana. Damn it, I—”

“No. Just…no.” She walked into her bedroom and shut the door. Calm and controlled.

Then she fisted her hands, arched her back and let out a silent scream.

Chapter 3

Adric tapped his quartz against the door to Jace Jones’ den.

He’d been up since dawn, too antsy to sleep. After making the reservation at the B&B in Lewes, he’d headed across town to see Marjani, who, along with her mate Fane, roomed with Jace now.

The door opened—all the clan’s dens were keyed to his quartz—and he slipped inside. Jace wasn’t home. Another of Adric’s lieutenants, the jaguar shifter was spending the winter in Grace Harbor with his human mate, Evie, and her brother Kyler while Kyler finished his senior year of high school.

Earth fada didn’t gather in one base like water fada. Instead, the clan lived in underground dens scattered throughout the city. Everyone was still in bed, the living room empty except for the orange tomcat stretched along the couch’s back. Tigger gave an ostentatious stretch—making sure Adric knew he’d interrupted his nap—and leapt to the floor. He butted his head against Adric’s calf, one dominant feline to another.

Adric knelt to scratch Tigger behind the ears, his gaze taking in the homey clutter that spoke of the clan members who lived there. Jace, Evie, and Kyler when they were in town. Marjani and her mate, Fane Morningstar, an ice fae/human mix who was also Evie’s father. Rounding out the group were three unmated males: a dreadlocked cougar named Horace; a burly tiger named Sam; and Beau, a big, slow-talking bear.

Sneakers and motorcycle boots were jumbled by the front door beneath the leather jackets and hoodies hanging from pegs on the wall. The couch was big and comfortable, and a sturdy coffee table held three empty beer bottles and a stack of cards. In the fireplace, chunks of amber quartz glowed cozily.

It made Adric’s own den seem sterile. He frowned. Maybe he should invite someone to move into his sister’s old bedroom. His den was too quiet these days, the two bedrooms more space than an unmated man needed.

But he was alpha. No one but his lieutenants and a few close friends were trusted with his address. And politics being what they were, he couldn’t invite someone to live with him without appearing to be favoring one faction over the other. The cats would object if he invited a wolf, and the wolves would get pissed off if he invited a cat. And that didn’t even take into account the dozen or so bears and deer. So for now, he lived alone.

The kitchen was large, welcoming. Jace had inherited the den from his parents, who’d always had an open door. Stop by for a meal or a few days, it was all the same to them. They’d never turned anyone away, even during the Darktime when they’d barely had enough food for their own small family. The stout plank table could seat twelve people, and the counter was tiled in a light green ceramic that Adric remembered from when he was a cub. A wood block held knives of various sizes, and pots and skillets hung over the elderly gas stove.

While he waited for Marjani, he boiled water for coffee. She would’ve heard the front door open, recognized his footsteps. Hell, she’d probably sensed him from a few blocks away. The two of them had grown up together, survived the Darktime and his uncle. She might be younger by a couple turns of the sun, but the two of them were more like twins, attuned to each other.

Which was the real reason he hadn’t invited anyone else to take her room. He still hoped she’d move back in, even if it meant Fane came, too.

Still, he understood why she’d moved out. She was newly mated, and Adric and Fane weren’t exactly good friends. The tall blond male was a little too slick, the kind of man who could charm your pants right off your ass. For his sister’s sake, Adric had accepted Fane into the clan, but that didn’t mean he trusted him.

Adric took out the French press, filled it with ground coffee. As he plunged the press into the glass carafe, Marjani padded into the kitchen in an oversized T-shirt that hung loosely on her spare frame.

“Ric. Whassup?” She smothered a yawn and stepped in for a hug.

“Morning.” She’d gained weight, he noted with satisfaction, and stopped shaving her head. He gave her a hard squeeze and released her.

She really was better. He owed Fane for that.

Marjani got out two cups and he filled them with the coffee. She dosed both with half-and-half and handed one to him. “So. Why are you here?”

He took a gulp of coffee. It was perfect. Creamy, with a dark bite.

“I’m going to be out of town until late tomorrow.” Gods, he hated having to inform someone every time he made a fucking move, but he was alpha. He couldn’t just disappear for twenty-four hours.

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