Page 7 of Primal Bonds

“Wow,” said Kyler.

The fada’s head dropped back to the vinyl. “Can’t.”

He released the pendant. The quartz lost its glow and turned back into a plain, smoky gray with a touch of purple. Pretty, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Evie swallowed. “So what should we do?”

His eyes shut. “Nothing.”

She sat back on her haunches. “Look, you are not going to die in my kitchen. You got that?”

He grunted.

Kyler dropped to the floor on the other side of the shifter. They met each other’s eyes over his body.

“Maybe I should call 911,” she said.

“What good would that do?” he asked. “Fada use their own healers. A human doctor would probably be useless.”

“But they could clean the wounds. Stitch him up.”

Outside the storm had worsened. Wind whipped through the trees and rain drummed against the kitchen windows. Thunder boomed, shaking the house.

She and Kyler stared at each other. Neither moved to take out their phones.

Her shoulders slumped. It had been a long day. Before working her shift at the restaurant, she’d gone to her biology class at the community college. In between, she’d rushed home to make sure Kyler had supper. Now she was exhausted, out of ideas.

Hopelessness rolled over her. “He’s going to die,” she said dully. “And take us along with him.”

Kyler’s throat worked. “There’s nothing we can do.”

The earth fada roused himself to growl, “Fucking fae. He’s messing with your minds—you have to fight it.”

“What do you mean?” Evie asked.

The fada’s hand was on his quartz again. The muscles of his neck strained with effort. The glow infused it again.

“Touch me,” he gritted.

“Touch you?” she repeated. What was the point?

“Now. Anywhere.”

She and Kyler glanced at each other and then Evie shrugged. “All right.”

She took the earth fada’s hand while Kyler touched him on the shoulder. Nothing happened.

Evie blew out a breath. Why bother? She was so tired, her clothes and hair soaked from the rain. If she could only lie down…

Then something odd happened. The hand touching the earth fada warmed. She frowned down at it. The heat moved up her arm to her shoulder, and she and Kyler were enfolded in its warmth.

Her brother’s mouth slackened. “What the fuck?”

“Night fae,” the fada rasped. “Don’t…talk. He—hear you.”

Evie’s stomach did a complete flip. “A night fae? That’s who’s after you?”

She’d only seen one night fae in her entire twenty-six years, but one had been enough. He’d been coming out of an after-hours club in Baltimore, tall and loose-limbed with black hair and pale skin. She’d stopped and stared. He was rock-star sexy in a tight black shirt and leather pants.

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