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J ace fought his way back to consciousness. He was in motion, being jolted around inside an enclosed space. He opened his eyes to find he was in the trunk of a car speeding down a pot-holed street. He braced his hands and feet against the inside of the trunk and tried to think.

His body was one big ache, but worse, there was a huge, echoing silence where his quartz should be. The bastards had taken it.

Hell . He couldn’t even shift. Even if he were completely well, the shift would be slow and laborious without his quartz to draw on. But injured as he was, there was only a small chance he’d make it through.

And Tyrus had Evie. He’d been unable to open his eyes, but he’d been aware enough to realize Tyrus had taken her. Gods, he’d been guilty of a huge miscalculation. Trusting his defenses to keep the night fae out. But he’d never thought Tyrus would go for Evie instead of him.

At least Kyler was safe. He’d heard the bargain she’d made. A mama bear didn’t have anything on Evie Morningstar. His chest clenched. I should’ve told her I love her .

He pushed that thought aside to take inventory. He had various assorted bruises and cuts from his fight with Corban, but the worst was the gash on his throat. When he touched it, his hand came away bloody.

Somewhere nearby, his quartz murmured. He also scented Kane, and to a lesser extent, Corban. So this was probably Kane’s car, and Corban had Jace’s quartz because there was no way he’d let his younger brother take charge of it.

The car stopped and he heard the brothers quarreling. “Why the hell would you sign a contract with a night fae?” Kane demanded.

“Tyrus wants Jones—and I want him gone. Adric has sunk every penny the clan has into the new smartphones. Take Jones out, and Adric’s back to the beginning. It will prove once and for all that that I’m the stronger.”

Jace shook his head. Corban would never understand that people didn’t follow Adric just because he was strong. They followed him because he was a natural leader, one who always put the clan first. Not a weak prick who would use a night fae against his own people.

Kane growled. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

Hope sparked in Jace. So Kane wasn’t a hundred percent in?

But Corban snarled and the younger man said, “It’s your funeral,” and shut up.

Car doors opened and slammed. Jace tensed, preparing to fight.

The trunk popped open and Corban stared down at him, Jace’s quartz in his fist. It was the first good look Jace had had of him in over a year. He was leaner, his face lined with exhaustion as if the months away had been hard on him.

“Get out,” he snarled. “We’re taking you to your woman.”

“My woman?” Jace froze in the act of launching himself at Corban.

“That human-fae mixed-blood—your scent is all over her. Now get out.” Corban squeezed Jace’s quartz, and pain slammed through him as if Corban had reached into his chest to grab his heart.

Jace set his teeth and obeyed. There was no sense in resisting if it would get him to Evie, but he was weak from loss of blood.

He only made it a few steps before he stumbled and dropped to one knee.

His body wanted to stay folded in on itself, but he forced himself back upright.

They were in a parking lot in Druid Hill Park.

To the south he could see downtown Baltimore, the skyscrapers hazy in the simmering heat, the humidity already on the rise.

On a nearby path, an early morning runner loped past, earbuds in place, oblivious to their tense little tableau—or pretending to be.

Evie was nowhere in sight. “Where is she?” Jace demanded.

“That way.” Corban motioned at Kane, who started down the path after the runner.

Jace nodded and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Corban fell in beside him.

Jace shot him a look. “Tell the night fae to let her go—she has nothing to do with this. You know what perverted bastards they are.”

The wolf shrugged. “I have a contract.”

“On me, yes. But what did she ever do to you?”

“Nothing, but Tyrus wants her. And he wants you gone because you’re one more thing standing between him and Merry.” Corban’s lip curled. “And because he’s a night fae, and if he can’t get at Merry, he wants to make her suffer.”

Jace stared at him, chilled despite the heat.

It made sense. Tyrus couldn’t kill Merry because of the ward, but he was a night fae.

He’d enjoy making her suffer, and what better way than to kill off the people she loved?

Which could mean that Valeria and the babies were in danger, too.

He didn’t count Rui—it would take a hell of a lot to take down the shark assassin.

Jace had to contact Rui, warn him his family might be a target. He raised a hand to his quartz before he recalled that Corban had it. His fingers curled into his palm.

“ Move .” Corban gave Jace’s quartz a warning squeeze.

Jace sucked in a breath and obeyed. The trek was less than a mile, but it seemed like hours, each step an agony, as if he were pushing through quicksand. The only thing that kept him going was a grim determination to reach Evie.

At last they stopped in a clearing. Jace scented both Evie and Tyrus. The wound on his throat was bleeding in earnest now. He licked dry lips and blinked woozily in the rising heat as Kane uncovered the entrance to an underground den.

Corban pushed Jace toward the ladder. “Down there.”

“Jace?” Evie peered up at him, her eyes huge.

“Coming, angel.” Jace started down the ladder, but his hands and feet felt like they belonged to some other man. His foot slipped off the rung and he tumbled the rest of the way down, banging his head against the side of the ladder before hitting the earth floor with a jarring thud.

He wavered for a moment and then crumpled to the ground.

The next thing he knew, Evie was running her hands over him, her breath coming in jagged sobs. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t speak or even open his eyes, his whole being focused on simply breathing.

“Oh, God.” Evie patted his face. “Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.”

Behind his eyes, the darkness shifted. He slit his lids.

Evie was crouched next to him, her scent filling his head and bringing a measure of calm.

On the other side of the small space, Tyrus and Corban were speaking in undertones, and he could hear Kane on the surface pacing agitatedly back and forth near the entrance.

The cat peeled its lip. Attack . Kill . Claws scored Jace from the inside.

Not yet , he told it.

The jaguar subsided, tail twitching angrily. It hadn’t given up, and Jace agreed. To save Evie, he’d shift even if it killed him, but first he needed more intel.

“Jace?” Cool fingers touched his cheek. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He moistened dry lips. “You?”

A jerky nod. “I’m fine. And you’re going to be okay. Just hang on, got it?”

He forced his lids to open more fully. “Okay.”

Evie’s shoulders slumped in relief. She dragged off her T-shirt, leaving her clad only in a bra and pants, and dabbed at the blood on his throat and chest. Tyrus loomed behind her, watching them with avid eyes. Sick bastard.

Fresh blood welled from the wound on Jace’s throat; the fall must have ripped it open even further. Evie wadded up the shirt and pressed it to the wound. “Heal yourself, damn you.”

He pointed at his chest where his quartz should be. “Can’t.”

“They took it?” Evie twisted to glare up at Corban. Her eyes lit on the quartz and she lunged for it, but he jerked it away and backhanded her across the face. She stumbled and made a hurt sound that was like a blade to Jace’s heart, but came right back up.

Jace grabbed her arm. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” She pressed a hand to her cheek and he realized she was holding the other hand to her stomach, favoring it. It was red and swollen.

Fury blazed through Jace. He shook with the need to take down both men. That they dared hurt his mate. But on its heels came a cold-eyed determination. He would bide his time, and wait for his chance—and then all three men would die.

“It’s okay,” he told Evie again and mouthed, “Trust me.”

She removed her hand from her face and gave a short nod.

Corban turned back to Tyrus. “Give me the diamonds. I’m outta here.”

The night fae’s gaze raked over Jace. “He’s damaged. I’ll be fortunate if he lasts the day.”

Evie snarled and Jace tightened his grip on her.

“Nothing in the contract said how long you get to play with him,” returned Corban. “He’s here, and my part is done. You’ve got his woman, anyway—that will make it even sweeter. Now, my payment?”

Tyrus tossed a small black pouch at Corban. He snatched it in mid-air and checked the contents. He frowned. “There’s one extra.” He removed a glittering stone from the bag and thrust it at Tyrus. “Don’t play your fucking fae games with me. You’ll pay what we agreed—no more and no less.”

The night fae regarded him coolly. “Consider it an advance.”

“For what?”

“I want you to lay down a false trail. I don’t want your alpha finding us.”

“Adric’s not my fucking alpha.”

“Pardon.” Tyrus inclined his head mockingly. “Lay down a false trail for the Baltimore alpha. I’ll leave at dusk—but I don’t want to be disturbed before then. I don’t care how you do it.”

“Or,” Corban returned with a smirk, “I could lead Adric here and let him drag you into the sunlight. How long would you last, I wonder?”

Tyrus struck. One moment he was eyeing Corban coldly, the next he had Corban up against the wall, a knife to his throat. Jace felt the dark hum of Tyrus’s energy, sucking at Corban. The whole thing was done in a creepy silence.

“What the fuck?” Kane started down the ladder, but Tyrus bared his teeth at him, and the other man froze.

The night fae turned his gaze back to Corban. “Do we have a deal?”

Corban glared back, hate in his eyes, but growled an assent.

Tyrus released him and stepped back, but kept the knife out. Corban shoved a few things into a backpack and headed for the ladder.

“You forgot something.” The night fae held out a hand. “The quartz?”

Corban shrugged, and then to Jace’s horror, tossed his quartz to Tyrus.

The night fae’s cold fingers wrapped around it, and Jace felt an answering chill clear to his soul.

Terror touched him, black and stark. Anyone who held his quartz could hurt him—but a fae who knew the secret could control him.

It was the earth fada’s Achilles’ heel, the price exacted by the fae who’d created them.

Those fae had feared the water fada’s independence and had ensured Jace’s people would have both greater power, and a greater weakness.

“You fucking SOB.” Jace struggled up on his forearms to glare at Corban. “You…give our secrets to a fae? This is the kind of alpha you’d be?”

Corban’s jaw worked. “Shut the fuck up.”

Kane was crouched at the surface, mouth slack with dismay. “Corban. Think about this, man. You’ll have every earth fada in the world gunning for you.”

Corban swung on him. “Only if they find out.”

Kane shook his head. “I don’t like this.”

“You don’t have to like it.”

Kane’s throat worked, but he nodded and backed away from the opening.

A shadow fell over Jace. Corban stared down at him, his face dark with loathing. “You’re just like your sister. Bringing mixed-bloods into the clan.”

“At least I didn’t betray my alpha and sell secrets to a fae.”

Corban’s heavy black brows snapped together. “Make sure you kill him for good this time,” he told Tyrus as he aimed a kick at Jace’s stomach. “I swear the fucking cat has nine lives.”

Evie threw herself forward to block the kick, but she was too late. It landed squarely on his still healing knife wounds. Jace grunted and fought to remain conscious as Corban swarmed up the ladder.

The rock dropped back over the entrance. He and Evie were alone with Tyrus.