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“ S o,” Kyler said, “are you going to sleep with him?”

“Jesus.” Evie’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “You’re my brother, not my dad.”

“You’re all I have.”

Her heart pinched. “Ditto, squirt.”

“I just want you to be careful.”

“I will. But I like him. I really like him.” She slanted him a look. “Would it be so bad?”

“Nah, he seems like an okay dude. A hardass, but not like that guy I talked to—Corban. He was cold right to the bone. That guy would slit your throat and smile the whole time.”

A chill inched up Evie’s spine. Right then and there, she decided to stay with Jace as long as necessary.

She and Kyler were in over their heads. They couldn’t even go to the cops; the fada policed themselves.

Yeah, there were rules—the fada weren’t supposed to mess in human affairs.

There was even a human-fada treaty between the US and the American fada.

But everyone knew that in reality, the fada did whatever they damned well pleased.

The authorities turned a blind eye to everything but the most blatant violations of the treaty.

“Jace and Adric will get Corban,” Kyler said. “You’ll see.”

“I know.” She didn’t doubt that for a second.

“And it’s okay with me.” He waved a hand. “If you two…you know.”

She compressed her lips, trying not to laugh. “Thanks.”

“Like I said, he’s an okay dude. But that doesn’t mean you’re more to him than a piece of ass.” And with that brotherly warning, he put his ear buds in and leaned back in the car seat.

Jace pulled his bike into the shed. As he eased his injured leg over the seat, he stifled a groan.

Damn thigh had stiffened up during the hour ride south.

But what worried him was the way his knife wounds were burning.

He slid a hand under his shirt and grimaced when he touched blood.

Just a few drops, but he’d definitely ripped something open.

Behind him, Evie’s car wheezed to a stop and let out a couple of explosive pops.

He made a mental note to have Sam go over her car.

He was the clan’s best mechanic; the engine would be purring by the time he was through with it.

It was the least they could do after dragging her into what was shaping up to be a clan war.

Besides, Jace wanted to help her. The woman carried too much weight on those tough little shoulders.

As a fada, he never understood why the humans didn’t rally around their single parents—female or male, raising a cub alone was a damn hard job.

Evie wouldn’t accept his money, but he figured she wouldn’t say no to Sam tuning up her car, especially after she saw that nothing made the tiger happier than to be elbow-deep in an engine.

Evie and Kyler exited their car, backpacks in hand. As they walked toward the shed, they glanced around, taking in the freshly painted house and the neat, fenced-in backyard.

“I’ll show you around in the morning,” Jace said.

He was proud of his block. He’d worked hard to make it safe for his human neighbors.

The rats had been chased off, and he made sure that the landlords kept the houses up to code.

In return, when a house fell vacant, he helped the landlord find a responsible tenant.

Adric might tolerate drug dealers on his block, but not Jace.

It had paid off. The yards were well kept and blooming with flowers, and a group of elders had started a community garden on a vacant lot.

The woman who rented his house had tubs filled with tomatoes and zucchini on the front porch, and as soon as morning came, the street would ring with the shouts of children unafraid to play outside.

“I’d like that,” Evie said.

He walked toward them, intending to take her backpack, and then winced as his leg protested. Evie hurried up and slid an arm around his waist.

“You’re hurt.”

He grunted, but set an arm on her shoulders. If she wanted to plaster that sweet little body against his, he was all for it.

“Where’s your den?” Kyler asked.

“Here.” Jace touched his quartz and murmured the words that dissolved the look-away spell.

“Wowzer.” The teenager’s jaw slackened as the stairs appeared. “That’s frickin’ cool.”

“Your den is underground?” Evie peered down the two flights.

“Yeah.”

He’d never taken a human into his den. Ever.

And his cat was calmly satisfied. As far as it was concerned, everything had worked out just as it should.

Except that Evie was in danger. The cat didn’t like that, but that was all the more reason to keep her close.

And her brother, too, because the cub was essential to Evie’s happiness—and besides, the cat liked him.

“Sick.” That was Kyler. “Ben would never believe this.”

Evie’s scent was wary, but interested too.

“What’s the matter?” Jace asked her.

“It’s so…dark.”

Ah. He’d forgotten she didn’t have a cat’s night vision. And maybe she was a little cautious about entering a fada’s den?

He led the way down the stairs, leaving the two siblings to follow or not as they wished—and then held his breath, not sure what he’d do if Evie changed her mind. Because both man and cat wanted her here, had a deep, primal need to protect her.

He glanced over his shoulder. “There are quartz lights built into the walls. Our motion will turn them on.” The lights glowed on as he spoke—tiny blue and silver crystals set into the dark gray stone in irregular patterns.

“They’re beautiful,” Evie breathed, and started down the stairs after him.

He sent her a smile. “Thanks. They were my mom’s idea.”

Evie trailed her fingers down the wall. “They’re like stars in the night sky.”

“That’s what Mom said.”

When they reached the bottom, he touched his quartz to the lock in the heavy oak door.

It swung open and he ushered his two guests through the small foyer into the living room.

They looked around curiously, taking in the exposed stone walls, the quartz wall sconces and the colorful pillows scattered on the floor.

Evie fingered a beautiful rose quartz that his mom had brought back from Brazil, and then peeked into the spacious kitchen. “Wow, this is a big place.”

“My dad built it.” He watched as Kyler wandered into the kitchen and then back out again. “Five bedrooms, because he and my mom were always bringing someone home.”

Her mouth curved. “They sound like nice people.”

“They were.” He felt the familiar tug of grief that his parents had died so young. Fada normally lived for hundreds of years, but his mom and dad hadn’t even reached their seventies.

Were . Her dark eyes met his in shared compassion. “But you don’t live here alone, do you?”

He shook his head. “I have four den mates, although right now Luc is out of the country. And there’s Tigger—thinks he runs the show.”

On cue, the tabby leapt off the back of the couch and strolled over to sniff Evie. Introductions over, he butted her leg, completely ignoring Kyler.

“A cat?” Evie broke into a smile and to Jace’s disgust, crouched down to coo over Tigger.

The damn housecat got all the attention.

But he had to admit, Tigger had his uses, because when Evie stood back up, her wariness was completely gone.

It was hard to be suspicious of a guy with a fat tabby for a pet.

“Let me show you the security system.” He and Sam had installed it themselves.

It ran on crystal power, and was keyed to each of his den mates’ individual quartzes, as well as Adric’s.

“We can work it with our quartz,” he said, “but you just have to key in this code.” He showed them the sequence on the touchpad next to the door and then made sure they both had it memorized.

“That will keep out a fae?” Evie asked.

“We worked iron into the lock. We have to be careful not to touch the lock itself, and I guess you should, too, since you have some fae in you. Kyler, it shouldn’t affect you at all. Between this and the look-away spell, nobody can get in here without my permission.”

She touched his arm, her face solemn. “Thank you.”

“You’re safe,” he added. “The night fae aren’t interested in you, and I’m not leaving you or Kyler alone for a minute until we find Corban. He’ll have to go through me to get to you.”

“Where are your roommates?” Kyler asked.

Jace inhaled, checking for scents. “Beau’s in bed—he’s a bear and likes his sleep—and the other two are out. Adric has them sweeping the city for Corban.”

The teenager stifled a yawn and nodded.

“The bedrooms are through here.” Jace led the way into the hall, where the five bedrooms were arranged in a semi-circle around the living room and kitchen.

“We have two bathrooms, one at either end of the hall.” He pointed them out.

“Kyler can take the extra bed in Beau’s room.

Don’t worry about bothering him, he’s used to it.

And Evie, you can have my room. I’ll sleep on the couch. ”

“Your friends won’t mind?”

“It’s my den. But no, they don’t mind. They’re used to it—we have packmates staying over all the time.”

He ushered Kyler into Beau’s room. A single fae light winked on, enough to show the huge lump curled up on the bed. His animal was a brown bear, and even as a human he was huge.

Beau cracked open an eye. “A human?” Bears had an even better sense of smell than cats.

“Yeah. Name’s Kyler. He and his sister need a place to stay.”

“Help yourself, bro.” Beau waved a massive hand at the spare bed.

“Thanks.” Kyler set his backpack at the foot of the bed.

Jace left them to it and opened the door to his own room. His dad had left the walls uncovered. Three fae lights glowed to life, casting a soft yellow hue over the worked gray stone.