Page 44 of Primal Bonds

Evie concealed a grin. Not much happened on their block that Mrs. Linney didn’t know about.

“No, ma’am,” he responded. “I don’t believe so.”

“This is a friend of mine,” Evie said. “Jace—” She realized she didn’t know his last name.

“Jones.” He nodded politely to the older woman. “Good to meet you.”

Evie glanced from him to her neighbor’s curious face and made up her mind. “We were just on our way inside,” she told Mrs. Linney. “Tell Mr. Linney I said hi.”

She grabbed her backpack and headed up the steps, Jace following. Inside, she flipped on the kitchen light and shot him a rueful smile. “That’s our version of a neighborhood watch. I swear the woman never sleeps.”

“I don’t mind. For all she knew, I was some strange man looking for trouble.”

“I do feel safer knowing she’s keeping an eye on things.” Evie opened the refrigerator. “Want a beer? Or I have ice tea if you’d rather.”

“Beer, please.”

She got out two cans and handed him one. He glanced curiously around the kitchen while she took a sip of her beer. It was ice-cold, just what she needed. She leaned against the counter and let out a breath, tired to her very toes.

Jace frowned. “You work too hard.”

She moved a shoulder. “It’s the weekend. I run my ass off but I make a ton of tips.”

“When will you graduate from nursing school?”

“In two or three years. I just started.”

He shook his head. “It’s too much.”

“Maybe, but it’s worth it.” She set the can on the counter. “Why are you here, Jace? I thought you lived in Baltimore.”

“I do, but I come up pretty often. My niece lives near here, and the clan is mining across the river.”

“Mining what?” she asked curiously.

“Quartz. This whole area sits on a thick vein of quartz. That’s why radios and cell phones sometimes can’t get a signal—the quartz blocks it.”

“But what do you do with quartz other than wear it around your neck?”

“We make things with it.” He took a gulp of beer, clearly done with the subject. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know we had someone watching you and Kyler all week, and there’s been no sign of the night fae.”

“You had someone watching us?” She frowned, not sure how she felt about that.

“Just as a precaution. You don’t know the night fae.”

She recalled the cold, malevolent presence that had come to her door and decided to be grateful. “I have to admit, that guy creeped me out. In fact, that’s why I drove to work—normally I just walk or ride my bike.”

His brows knit. “At midnight?”

“It’s a small town.”

“Your brother should pick you up at night.”

“What would he do against a night fae?”

“Nothing. But there are human predators, too.”

She rubbed her nape. “Look, I’m careful.”

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