Jace poured the eggs into a second skillet. He and Kyler were talking something over in a serious tone. Evie paused, not wanting to interrupt. Jace was good with her brother, treating him like he was an adult, and Kyler was eating it up. She felt a pang of guilt—Kyler needed an adult male in his life.
Not your fault, she told herself. But she ached for her brother.
“You have to step up,” Jace said as he added red bell peppers, cheese, and chunks of ham to the skillet. “Your sister needs you. You’re not a kid anymore.”
Whoa. They were talking about her? She frowned, not sure how she felt about that.
“You think I don’t know that?” Kyler set three plates on the sturdy plank table. “I’ve been working my ass off to get a job, but no one wants to hire a sixteen-year-old.”
“Maybe the clan can find you some work.”
Kyler’s face lit up. “Seriously?”
Jace nodded. “I’ll talk to the alpha.”
Evie frowned and moved forward. “That’s nice of you, Jace, but we’re not going to be here that long.”
Jace twisted to smile at her. She had a feeling he’d known she was there all along. Guess you couldn’t sneak up on a shifter.
“Morning, babe.” His gaze moved appreciatively down her body, lingering on the band of skin left exposed by her green cropped tee. “I’m making Western omelets. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful. But about finding work for Kyler—”
“Why not?” Her brother rounded on her. “You know I need a job.”
“No way you’re going to drive to Baltimore every day.” And work for the Baltimore fada.
Kyler started slamming forks onto the table beside the plates. “Damn it, Evie, when are you going to stop treating me like a five-year-old? People have been working for the Rock Run fada for years and nothing’s ever happened to them.”
She set her jaw. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“It’s not up to you, Evie. This is my life, my decisions.”
Jace laid a hand on Kyler’s shoulder. “Apologize to your sister,” he said sternly.
Her brother went stiff. “What?”
“You don’t swear at your sister and you don’t raise your voice to her. She’s doing the best she can. She deserves your respect.”
Kyler flushed. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean anything.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
“No, it’s not,” Jace replied. To Kyler he said, “I know you didn’t. But if you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one.”
His shoulders slumped. “But I’ve applied for every frickin’ job in Grace Harbor, and no one’s hiring. I’m either too young or they already have someone.”
Jace squeezed his shoulder and released him. “That’s a bitch, and I’m happy to help—but only if it’s okay with your sister.”
They both turned to her, Jace so clearly deferring to her that she couldn’t get mad at him for interfering, Kyler with his jaw set but his eyes pleading.
“Please, Evie? I don’t have to take it. Maybe they’ll have something I can do in the morning when you don’t need the car.”
She sighed. She hated being the bad guy all the time. But she wasn’t sure they should get in any deeper with the Baltimore fada. Yeah, she was trusting Jace to protect the two of them, but they wouldn’t need protecting in the first place if someone wasn’t trying to kill him.
Her gaze flicked to the still-healing claw marks on Jace’s face. “We’ll see,” she told her brother.
His face fell. “Which means no.”
“It means we’ll see,” she returned.
But it was Jace’s expression that made her flinch. His eyes shuttered and she felt his withdrawal like a physical thing. “Give your sister some time to think it over,” he told Kyler. “Pushing her is just going to get you a no for sure.”
Evie shoved her hands in her pockets. She’d hurt Jace, and that was the last thing she wanted to do after he’d trusted her enough to share his sister’s story. But her brother came first.
“Need any help?” she asked.
“You could make toast.” He handed her a loaf of bread and a knife. “Butter’s in the cooling unit.” He indicated a steel door set into the stone.
She nodded and set to work.
An awkward silence fell, each of them focused on their task until Jace set a platter of omelets on the table. “Breakfast is served.”
“Thank you,” Evie and Kyler said at the same time, but before they could take their seats, footsteps pounded down the stairs. The front door banged open and suddenly the kitchen was filled with lean, heavily muscled males.
The newcomers sorted themselves into Sam plus two other men, their faces grim with tiredness. They revived at seeing Jace, though, unashamedly hugging him and asking how he was doing.
When he turned to Evie and Kyler, the shuttered look was gone. “Meet the rest of my den. You already know Sam, and these other two are Horace and Zuri.” To his den mates, he said, “This is Evie and her brother Kyler.”
“Morning.” Sam was already pulling Evie into a hug. “You slept good?”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t help glancing at Jace. Sam’s brow shot up, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he cast a hungry eye at the omelets and all but licked his lips.
Jace waved a hand at the table. “Help yourself. I’ll make some more.”
“Thanks, man.” Sam bumped fists with Kyler and took a seat. A moment later he was tucking into his breakfast.
Next was Horace. He had dreadlocks, deep brown skin and an easy smile, and Evie liked him immediately. “Welcome to the den,” he said and gave her a kiss on the lips that had Jace growling.
“Enough already. Give the woman some space.”
Horace winked at her, and then shook Kyler’s hand. “Hey, bro, wassup?”
“Not much,” he replied, and the two of them fell into a conversation while Horace set to work making another pot of coffee.
That left Zuri. As he stuck out his hand, Evie couldn’t help widening her eyes. He was gorgeous, the kind of man women went stupid over—tall and broad shouldered with a shaved head, a narrow black mustache and a soul patch beneath his full lower lip.
“So you’re Evie.”
She gave him her hand. “That’s me.” Instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips for a kiss—but the whole time his dark eyes scrutinized her coolly.
“Zuri’s one of Adric’s lieutenants,” Jace said from the stove where he was frying some more ham.
That figured. The man had an edge to him. She gave him a polite smile and resolved to stay out of his way.
“Ric said you couldn’t track down Corban,” Jace said.
The other lieutenant scowled. “Bastard’s gone to ground. We’re not even sure he’s still in Baltimore.”
“Ric thinks he is. Sit down and eat. You need fuel.”
Zuri squeezed his nape. “Might as well—the trail’s cold for now.”
The men helped themselves to the omelets on the table while Evie handed around steaming cups of coffee and Kyler manned the toaster. It was obvious Jace’s den mates were tired and upset that they hadn’t been able to find Corban. But except for Zuri, they went out of their way to be nice to her and Kyler, acting as if nothing would make them happier than having the two of them as guests for the next month. And even Zuri wasn’t rude, just quiet.
Jace took a seat at the head of table with Evie and Kyler on either side and passed her the platter with fresh omelets. Evie took a bite—and closed her eyes in bliss. The man could cook. The omelet was amazing, a perfect blend of flavors.
She opened her eyes to find Jace’s gaze on her mouth, his irises a smoldering jade.
She gave a tentative smile. “It’s really good.”
He leaned closer to murmur, “It’s a pleasure to feed you.”
Her heart leapt. She’d been afraid she’d ruined things between them, but it seemed he was ready to play again. A glance at the
men told her they were focused on their own food, so she slid the fork between her lips—very slowly. When she was done chewing, she licked her tongue up the tines.
Jace’s eyes narrowed on her lips. “When I get you back to bed…,” he muttered in a voice for her ears only.
Her stomach flexed in anticipation. Their gazes locked, and sound receded as they stared at each other.
Kyler made a gagging sound. “Right here. Trying to eat.”
“Shut up, squirt.” Evie batted a fae light at him. He slapped it away and there was a blue flash.
“Jesus, Evie.” Kyler shook his hand. “That smarts.”
Evie gulped. “Sorry—I didn’t think it would…what happened, anyway?”
“It felt like I touched a live wire.”
All four men were staring at her like she’d grown an extra head. She set down her fork. “What?”
Jace shook his head. “It’s just that fae warriors use fae balls as weapons. A light shouldn’t flash like that.”
Kyler chortled. “Evie Morningstar, fae warrior. I knew you were going to try to incinerate me with a fae ball.”
She pointed her fork at him, narrow-eyed. “One more word out of you and I will.” But she frowned at the fae light, shaken. She could’ve hurt Kyler.
“A fae warrior can conjure his or her own fae balls.” Jace squeezed her knee, seemingly reading her mind. “Your Gift seems related to the lights, but unless you can form your own, Kyler’s safe.”
“We’ll just be sure not to make you mad,” Horace said straight-faced.
She rolled her eyes, and he winked at her. Evie grinned back. Sam and Horace, at least, had accepted her into their circle. She wasn’t sure why she cared since she wasn’t going to be here that long—but she did.
Breakfast over, Horace got to his feet and gave a long, bone-cracking stretch. “God’s balls, I need a shower. And then I’m going to sleep until afternoon.”
“Me too.” Sam and Zuri followed him while Evie got up and started to clear the table.
“I’ll wash if you dry,” she told Jace.
Kyler helped carry the dishes over to the sink, and then tried his phone again. It still didn’t work, but he went into the living room to play a game, leaving her alone with Jace.
“Thanks,” she said. “For offering to help out Kyler. I’m just not sure…”
“It’s okay. I understand. You could always take money from me, you know. As a loan,” he added when her spine went rigid. “We don’t know how long this is going to go on. I feel responsible for the fact that you can’t work.”
She unclenched her muscles. Maybe she was being too stubborn. If the shoe were on the other foot, she’d want to help him. “All right. But only if it’s a loan.”
“It’s a deal. Of course, you could always pay me back another way.” He set down his dish towel and wrapped his arms around her where she stood at the sink, elbow deep in soapy water.
Her heart kicked up. “What do you mean?”
“I think you know.” His lips brushed over her neck.
She chuckled and then caught her breath as he nibbled his way to her earlobe. She rinsed the last plate and set in the dish drainer, and then clucked her tongue. “That’s bad, paying a man in sex.”
“Maybe I like bad girls.” One hand squeezed her breast while the other wandered lower to her shorts.
Her nipples prickled. Heat slid over her, thick and sweet as molasses. “In that case, what are your terms?”
“What are you offering?” His cock nudged the small of her back.
“Depends.” She twisted her head to kiss his throat and then started in on the silverware. “Pretty much anything is up for negotiation.”
“Anything? Oh, angel, you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“No?” Somehow her wet hands were around his neck and his fingers were working their way into her waistband.
“If your brother wasn’t in the living room,” he muttered against her ear, “you’d be bent over the table right now, taking me.”
She gulped. She’d almost forgotten Kyler. She turned her head and gave him an open-mouthed kiss. “And I might even let you.”
He slid a finger into her damp panties for a quick, teasing touch. They both heard the front door open. “Anybody home?” Suha called.
23
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?”
“Lesson One: Don’t waste your Gift. Because every time you call on your Gift, you burn energy. The bruise will heal on its own in a few days. Not that healing it would be a big deal, but what if someone gets hurt bad, and I need every bit of energy? Like Jace when he was stabbed by the night fae—I almost didn’t have enough juice to draw the poison from his body. The alpha had to step in and help me. And iron poisoning is a serious thing—he could’ve died.”
Evie’s fingers tightened on her mug. “You didn’t tell me.”
He shrugged. “Things worked out.”
“He wouldn’t. And not because he’s a fada and you’re a human.” Suha rolled her eyes. “It’s because he’s a man.”
“Guess that’s the same with every race,” Evie muttered, and the two women exchanged a very female grin.
Suha set her bruised hand on the table. “Give it a try. You can touch the bruise if you want. The key is to picture it healing.”
“How do I draw on energy to heal you?”
“You just do. Picture the bruise healing, and the energy will come.”
Evie nodded. She stared at the bruise, and Jace could sense her gathering her concentration into herself. Nothing happened that he could see, except a couple of fae lights drifted over to brush across her shoulders.
Evie tried again, this time touching the bruise. Jace felt her whole body go rigid, but still nothing happened.
“Try to picture it whole, unbruised,” murmured Suha.
“Okay.” Evie’s dark brows furrowed.
“Breathe,” said Suha. “Slow and easy.”
She dragged in a breath and glared at the bruise as if it were an enemy and she an invading arm. When it remained unchanged, her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” she said, sitting back. “I can’t.”
Saving Jace Page 19