Page 47

Beside her, she sensed Jace gathering his energy. She felt that spark of amazement again. So this was the mate bond? This deep knowing of another person? Even as faint and new as the bond was between them, she felt connected to him in a way she never had to any man.

Then her heart sank. Jace was going to attack, weak as he was—and even though he believed he couldn’t win. She could feel his uncertainty—and his determination.

She gripped his hand. “Not yet,” she whispered.

“Can’t.” He subsided, his expression bleak. “Can’t…shift.”

“That’s bad, right?”

He grimaced in assent.

She glanced at Tyrus. How the hell was she going to steal back the quartz? If only she had a weapon… But even if she did, she wasn’t sure she could hurt Tyrus. He moved so freaking fast—and he was fae, practically unkillable.

Jace had gone silent again, his breath coming in shallow pants. Then his lips moved. “I’m sorry,” he said in a nearly inaudible voice. “For dragging you…and Kyler into this. If I hadn’t…come to your door…Tyrus would never have…” He trailed off.

“Stop it,” she hissed back. “This is not your fault.”

His throat worked. “Shouldn’t have…brought you to Baltimore. But seemed…like the right thing to do.”

“Oh, Jace. Don’t do this to yourself—I agreed to come, didn’t I? They would’ve gotten to us even easier if we stayed in Grace Harbor.”

His eyes flicked to Tyrus, his expression stark. “But when I make a mistake, people die.”

Her heart contracted. She knew he was thinking of his sister. “No one’s going to die,” she said fiercely. “Now stop talking. Rest.”

His lips quirked. “And think happy thoughts, right?”

Her cheeks heated. “You heard that?”

“Yeah.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“You.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his chest. “I’m thinking about you. You make me happy.”

Emotion welled up in her. She brushed a kiss over his lips, too full to speak, and then settled next to him, cross-legged, a hand on his thigh. “Rest. I’ll watch Tyrus.”

He nodded and shut his eyes.

Silence fell. Tyrus’s eyes had closed and his breathing changed. She was almost sure he’d fallen asleep. He’d set Jace’s quartz on the coat beside him. The fae were so arrogant and sure of their superiority, it probably didn’t even occur to him that Evie might try to steal it back.

She rubbed her palms over her upper arms. When Jace had sat up, the T-shirt she’d pressed to his throat had fallen to the floor. When she’d kissed him just now, her hand had touched the wadded-up material. The shirt was soaked with blood.

There was no more time. Jace needed his quartz—now.

She forced herself to wait another five minutes to allow Tyrus to fall more deeply asleep. That was when she realized something was digging into her ass.

She slipped a hand into her left pocket and caught her breath. A fae light had somehow shrunk to the size of a marble and hitched a ride. She rolled it between her fingers. It was soft and warm, and made her hand tingle. Nice, but probably not any help.

She left the tiny light hidden in her pocket. No point in letting Tyrus know about it. And knowing it was there comforted her, made the dark seem less threatening.

Let’s go, Evie. She crept across the floor. If Tyrus woke up, she’d say she was getting a drink of water. It wasn’t a lie; she was dry-mouthed with fear.

The quartz had stopped glowing. She brushed her hand over the dirt where she’d last seen it, keeping a chary eye on Tyrus.

When she couldn’t find it, she inched closer.

Tyrus’s darkness reached out for her, but a quick glance told her he was still asleep.

Heart in her throat, she scrabbled around in the dirt until her fingers touched a smooth, oblong shape.

She snatched up the quartz and slipped it into her bra before rising to her feet and continuing to the sink.

She gripped the edge, waiting for her galloping heart to settle.

Behind her, Tyrus stirred. She shot him a look. His eyes gleamed at her in the darkness but he didn’t say anything. Hands shaking, she took a metal cup from a hook and filled it with water. She drank deeply, then refilled the cup and returned to Jace, aware of Tyrus’s gaze on her the whole time.

Kneeling next to him, she slid an arm under his shoulders and lifted him so he could drink. He drank greedily and she realized with a pang that she should’ve gotten him water sooner. He’d lost so much blood.

But at least she’d retrieved his quartz. She turned her body so that Tyrus couldn’t see and slipped it into his palm.

Jace stilled, and then his fingers closed on it.

Her neck crawled. Tyrus was still watching her. Any minute he’d figured out she’d stolen back the quartz. “Hurry,” she whispered to Jace.

His chin moved in a slight nod. He didn’t move or show in any way that he was drawing on the quartz, but she saw the glow brighten between his fingers. She set her hand over his to cover it.

A minute passed, then another. When she flicked a glance at Tyrus, his eyes were closed again.

Jace’s breath altered. It was deeper, more powerful. He nudged her hip. “Help me,” he mouthed.

Of course. She mentally smacked her forehead. She was an amplifier; she could help Jace heal himself.

Tyrus might have weakened her, but nobody got the best of Evie Morningstar. She set her hand on Jace’s stomach and focused with everything she had.