Page 37 of Primal Bonds

“I didn’t discover a damn thing inside the bar,” the tall, dark wolf said, “but I thought I’d sniff around the parking lot, see if I could pick up anything. That’s where I ran into Rui do Mar, who was having a look around himself. I figured we should coordinate our efforts. Grace Harbor is their town, not ours.”

“Do Mar knows Tyrus’s scent,” Adric inserted. “You know what he did to the prick after he tried to kidnap Merry.”

“Tracked him to his lair in France,” Jace said, “and beat the shit out of him. Almost killed the bastard.”

Officially, Rock Run remained quiet about the attack on Tyrus, because if it became known that Dion’s second-in-command was the man who roughed up his son, Langdon would’ve been forced to act. This way, the prince could pretend nothing happened—and Tyrus wasn’t going to broadcast that a fada had overcome him so easily.

“Anyway,” Zuri said, “Do Mar was pissed as hell that a night fae dared attack a fada practically in Rock Run’s backyard. He promised to let Dion know, and then we went over the parking lot with a fine-toothed comb. Not only does do Mar have Tyrus’s scent memorized, the man’s animal is a shark. He can detect a few particles of blood in a fucking ocean.”

Jace nodded impatiently. None of this was news to him. “And? He picked up Tyrus’s scent?”

“Yep. Do Mar was sure—said he’d never forget it. And he recognized the scent of the man you killed, too. Tyrus’s chief enforcer.”

Jace was on his feet. “That sonofabitch.” He spun to look at Adric. “I’m going after him.”

“No fucking way.”

Jace slapped his palms on the granite table. “Damn it, Ric. You’re my alpha, but this is my family. Don’t ask me to choose between the two.”

Adric’s snarl made Jace’s spine tighten. The other two men moved uneasily.

“Sit. Down.”

Jace’s claws pricked out, but he grabbed onto his patience and obeyed.

“First,” the alpha held up a finger, “you’re in no condition to take on a toddler, let alone a fae. Second,” he held up another finger, “if we do this, we have to be smart about it. You’re a smart man. Use that brain of yours.”

Zuri murmured agreement, while Luc looked on, his wolf-gold eyes watchful, but Jace knew he’d be a hundred percent behind whatever Adric decided.

“Fine,” Jace spat out. Adric might be right, but Jace was sick unto death of Tyrus targeting his family. “But this time, he’s dead. The man’s not going to rest until every last Jones is wiped off the face of the earth.”

“If it’s you he’s targeting,” Adric returned. “I’m not as sure as you are. Is it you he wants, or would any of my lieutenants have done?”

“Does it matter?” Zuri asked. “Either way, I vote we put the man out of his misery.” His lips peeled in a show of canines.

“I intend to,” the alpha returned. “When he tried to kill Merry six years ago, I had no choice but to let Rock Run go after him. We weren’t strong enough.”

They all nodded. At that point, Adric had only been alpha for a few months and the clan was still reeling from the Darktime.

“But things are different now.” Adric’s smile was deadly, his cougar a shadow on his face. “We’re a hell of a lot stronger than we were six years ago. If Tyrus wants a fight, he’s going to get a fight. I’ll bring it right to his fucking lair.”

They all rumbled agreement.

“But we have to be careful,” Zuri said. “If Prince Langdon finds out, we’re all dead.”

“Agreed.” Adric looked at Jace. “Thoughts?”

His mind was already ticking along: analyzing, examining patterns. “We find out everything we can about Tyrus. Where he lives, who he hangs out with, what he fucking eats for breakfast. Then we figure the best way to take him out so that it doesn’t rebound on us.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Adric. “I don’t care if it takes a month or two. In fact, that might be good. He’s a fae. He’ll think we’re too stupid—or afraid—to come after him.”

Zuri fingered his quartz. “The night fae compound is in Virginia, but Tyrus spends most of his time at his lair in France. We’ll have to catch him outside. The night fae guard their lairs with triple wards.”

“So we catch him outside,” said Jace. “Drag him into the noonday sun and keep him there until his fucking skin fries.”

“First, we need more intel,” Adric said, “including exactly where his lair is.”

“Do Mar will tell us,” Jace said. “He has as much skin in this game as we do.”

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