Page 374 of Primal Bonds

Dion pushed in front of Rui. “Looking for my sister.”

Marjani’s gaze flicked to the backpack, and he knew she scented Rosana. “She was here? With Adric?”

He nodded. “She left a note saying she was coming to him. That was last night. But this morning, she called on Cleia for help. We traced her to southern Maryland and then lost her.”

“That’s a good two hours from here. Even if she was with Adric last night—and I’m not saying she was—why would he take her that far from Baltimore?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

“Look somewhere else, then. Adric would never hurt her.”

“Then why leave her backpack here? And her boots?”

A bewildered look crossed Marjani’s catlike face. “I don’t know,” she admitted.

Rui sheathed his knife to sniff the grass. “The scent—” He shook his head. “Adric’s scent on her is strong, but there’s another, more recent scent. And Rosana was afraid. There was a fight, I think.”

Dion pushed past Marjani to crouch beside him. “An earth fada.”

“The brown wolf,” Rui confirmed. He looked up at Marjani. “One of your brother’s lieutenants—Luc.”

She sheathed her knives and dropped to all fours, scrutinizing the slight depression the backpack had left in the wet grass. She inhaled deeply. They all heard her breath catch.

Dion grabbed her arm. “What is it?”

She shook her head. “I have to think,” she said, tight-lipped.

“Damn it.” He gave her a shake. “If you know something, tell us.”

Her eyes flashed with the blue of her cougar. “Get your goddamn hands off me.”

Suddenly, a tall blond male appeared out of nowhere—Fane Morningstar, Marjani’s quarter-fae mate. He shoved his face into Dion’s. “You heard the woman. Let her go.”

Rui clamped a hand on Morningstar’s shoulder, but Dion shook his head, and he let the other man go.

Dion released Marjani. “My apologies,” he told her as he and Rui came to their feet. “You understand, I’m worried about my sister.”

Marjani and her mate rose as well. Tiago and the other men closed in, and she bared her teeth. “Back off.”

Dion raised a hand. “Let her talk.” To Marjani, he said, “I would consider any help you can give me a personal favor. Rui is correct—my sister is with this wolf?”

She exchanged a glance with her mate.

They know something.

Fear for Rosana chewed at Dion’s insides, but he forced himself to wait calmly. Adric’s sister wasn’t a woman you could push.

“Do Mar is right,” she said. “It was Luc. But he’s not a lieutenant—not anymore.”

“He was demoted?”

She gave an unhappy shake of her head. “Not really. He accepted a fae’s geas. Adric had to expel him from the clan, at least until he serves out his term. But Luc shouldn’t be in Baltimore. We’ve been looking for him ourselves.”

“So you’re saying that if he took Rosana, it wasn’t with your brother’s permission.”

“That’s right. But—” The cougar fada scraped a hand over her wiry black hair.

“Tell me. Please.”

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