Page 84 of Primal Bonds

Chapter 24

Evie didn’t trust him with her brother. Jace was still reeling from the blow even as he stepped back from her with a growled, “Later,” and turned to smile at Suha.

It clawed at his soul. Didn’t she know he’d protect Kyler with his life?

But how could Jace argue Evie was wrong? From what she’d seen of his clan so far, they were dog-eat-dog, like in the Darktime.

His first instinct had been to withdraw. The mate-bond was fragile—a gossamer-thin thread that either of them could still break. It would hurt like hell, at least for him, but it was still possible.

Then his stubborn side asserted itself. Evie was right—and she was wrong. Things had changed under Adric. The clan wasn’t like that anymore. Maybe the world didn’t know it, but that was because a bad reputation was the best protection as they worked to rebuild themselves.

Damn Tyrus and Corban anyway. A cold anger burned in his stomach. But he refused to let them ruin this for him. Evie was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time, and he wasn’t going to give her up without a fight.

He’d just have to be crafty. He was a cat—cunning and patient. Changing Evie’s mind would require both, and meanwhile, he had her in his den. What better place to show her the rock-solid bonds that were at the heart of a clan?

Suha took out her quartz to scan Jace. She nodded with satisfaction. “You look good, babe.” She gave Evie a sidelong grin. “I’m not going to ask why.”

Evie shot Jace a guilty look and then her dimple flashed. He just looked back, straight-faced.

“Nope,” Suha said, “don’t want to know.”

Beau had stopped to say hi to Kyler, but now he shambled into the kitchen. “Hey, girl.” He lifted Evie off her feet in a hug.

Suha smacked him on the shoulder. “Take it easy, you ass. She’s not used to bears.”

But Evie just grinned and hugged him back. “I don’t mind.”

Beau set her carefully back on her feet. She was flushed and a little mussed and Jace wanted to eat her up.

Suha shook her head and shooed Beau out of the kitchen. “Go do your man-stuff. Evie and I need to talk.”

The bear wrapped a huge hand around her nape and nuzzled her ear. “Are you trying to get rid of me, woman?”

“Yeah,” she said, but her eyes closed in pleasure.

“All right,” he said, and grabbed a mug of coffee before heading back into the living room.

Jace glanced at Evie. “Want me to go too?”

But she shook her head and asked him to stay, so he got the three of them a fresh cup of coffee and pulled up a chair next to hers at the kitchen table.

Suha took the seat across from them. “So,” she said, “have you had a chance to think of any questions?”

Evie took a sip of her coffee. “No offense, but I’m not even sure I’m a healer. Like I said last night, I wasn’t even able to help my mom.”

“Even if you had the Gift of healing, you’d need training. What do you know about the fada?”

“Well,” Evie said, “everyone knows you’re part animal—and that you’re magical in some way. And you earth fada have the quartz”—she nodded at Suha’s pendant—“which is important to you in some way.”

Suha nodded. “Fada are a mix of animal and human genes, but every fada has at least a few drops of fae blood, too. We don’t have the full range of fae Gifts—ours tend to be related to our animals. The most common fada Gifts are hunting and tracking, but we also have a few healers in every generation. Some of us are born protectors—they guard the most vulnerable, like nursing mothers and cubs. Jace is Gifted with crystals. He can do amazing things with quartz.”

Jace nodded. “But I had to train under another crystal engineer to fully utilize my Gift. Just like Suha trained as a healer.”

Evie blew out a breath. “I wish you were right, but I really don’t think I’m a healer.”

Suha held out her hand. She had a nasty black-and-blue mark on the back. “Why don’t you see if you can make this bruise disappear?”

“Sure, but why didn’t you just heal it?”

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