He growled low in his throat, and angled the kiss, deepening it, asking for more, demanding more, and offering more. She slid her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers together as she leaned into him. Her stomach was against his, the first body that had touched her scars since she’d gotten them. A wolf shifter should trigger the fears that fermented inside her, but Jace’s heated strength relaxed her, taking away the tension, giving her the first respite she’d had in so long.
His fingers were light against the back of her neck, caressing her skin, as his other arm locked around her lower back, holding her tight against him, offering her both tenderness and strength. She sighed, turning herself over to his kiss. His kiss was relentless, claiming her with a fierceness that made her belly tighten. He was pure male, and she knew he was staking his claim on her…and she wanted him to.
He broke the kiss and trailed his mouth down the side of her neck, tugging on her hair to tip her head back. Gripping his shoulders, she leaned back, breathing in the chills that raced over her body as he kissed along her neck, her collarbone, and then across her chest. Despite the injury to her neck, she felt no pain, either because he was careful to avoid the injuries, or because his touch eased her pain. His kisses were searing heat, promises of seduction, statements of ownership.
Desire swirled through her, dancing across her heart like flashes of lightning during a summer storm, spinning tighter and tighter, until she felt like she was going to snap. His hands went to her hips, spanning her butt, his fingers digging into the soft flesh as he anchored her against him.
She could feel his erection against her belly, and her body responded with fiery heat, dragging her mercilessly into the spell he was weaving around them. He wasn’t simply her protector. He was honor, strength, tenderness, and humanity. As strong as he was, she’d seen the anguish in his eyes. She knew parts of him were broken, utterly shattered, but somehow, someway, he had come alive for her.
“Hey,” he pulled back, searching her face as he brushed his thumb over her cheeks. “No tears,” he said softly. “It’ll be okay.”
“I was crying?” She brushed the back of her hand over her cheek, surprised to find it was damp. “Sorry, I just…” She hesitated, unsure whether to say it. On some levels, she didn’t know Jace at all, but at the same time, she felt as if she saw into his heart in a way no one else did, and that she gave him something he needed.
His dark gaze was steady, unflinching, as he continued to stroke her cheek. “You just what?”
She swallowed, something about his unyielding gaze reaching deep inside her and making her want to connect. “You make me feel safe and treasured,” she told him. “I never thought I could feel like that.” Her cheeks flushed. “It feels amazing to have you touch me the way you do. I didn’t think I’d ever want another man’s hands on my body, but somehow, it’s different with you.” Heat flushed her face when he said nothing, and suddenly she felt stupid for being so open. “Nevermind. Forget it. I—”
“No.” He caught her jaw with his hand as she tried to turn away. His eyes were haunted. “I feel it too,” he said softly. “I’ve been living in hell since I killed Melissa. I can’t think. I can’t focus. I can’t see anything but darkness. But when I’m with you, I have these flashes where I can think again, where I feel like there might be a reason why I’m still supposed to be alive.” His eyes glittered. “Thank you,” he said softly.
Her heart flipped at the depth of emotion in his voice. Somehow, in the midst of their insane worlds, something had connected them. Death, guilt, pain, fear? Horrible things that had somehow dragged them both into the sunshine long enough to breathe again. She nodded. “Don’t kill yourself. I need you.”
The corner of his mouth tilted up, the first hint of a real smile she’d ever seen from him. “I am beginning to see that.”
She smiled too, her body beginning to relax. His arms were still around her, his fingers drawing circles on her hips, through her jeans. Her body was still humming with desire, but at the same time, there was something else. A sense of peace. Of safety. Of knowing that she was in the right place at this moment.
His gaze went to her mouth, and her pulse quickened.
Tension sprang between them. It was an unstoppable hunger, an untamed need to continue what they’d started. She held her breath, her fingers tightening on his shoulders as his palms pressed more heavily against her hips.
“I don’t have the right to even consider kissing you,” he said, even as he pulled her closer. “I fucked up everything for you.”
“No.” She put her hands on his chest, stopping him. Anger rushed through her. “Don’t you understand, Jace? It’s not your fault. Grigori and Lucius were going to take Seth from my sister, no matter what. If it hadn’t worked with you, it would have happened anyway.” Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. “She ran away with Grigori’s grandson. Do you honestly think they would have allowed her to live?”
Denial flashed in his eyes. “If I had resisted that song—’
“You couldn’t have! It’s too strong! Don’t you get it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You said you could desensitize me to the song. Which is it, Abby? Is the song so powerful that no wolf alive could resist its call? Or is it beatable, and I simply failed?”
“No one can break it without the right training. It’s impossible. But with the right training, it’s possible for some wolves.” She met his gaze. “If you noticed, Damien was there when my sister was killed, and he didn’t shift. Grigori was there, and he didn’t shift either.”
Jace’s expression was stunned at her words. He dropped his hands as if she’d burned him. “Son of a bitch,” he said, his voice raw. “I didn’t even think of that. They didn’t shift. Only me. I’m the fucking alpha, and I was the one who didn’t have enough control. Fuck!” He pushed her back and then held his hands up. His face was stricken, and she realized that in her attempt to encourage him, she’d given him the fuel to condemn himself the final time.
“Jace, no! They had training—”
“Damien was weak and pathetic,” he snapped. “Weak. And yet, he didn’t shift.” He stepped away from her, but the moment he set his right foot down, he collapsed, dropping to the ground as his body literally gave out from the onslaught of pain that had burst through his shield.
Abby lunged for him, but he was too heavy, and she fell with him, tumbling to the ground beside him. They had just hit the ground when she heard the front door of the cabin open.
Jace swore, and rolled to his side, stumbling back to his feet, his body shaking as he scrambled to get back up.
But it was too late.
A black shadow streaked out the front door and launched itself at him.
Chapter 9
Jace braced himself a split second before he was hit squarely in the chest by a scrawny black wolf that hit him with surprising, desperate force. He grabbed his assailant and flung her into the car, spinning himself out of the way as he did so. He leapt over to Abby and landed in front of her on one foot, crouching and ready. Pain flooded his body, but he shut it down, every last bit of his energy focused on protecting her.
The black wolf that had attacked him landed easily on all four feet, her upper lip raised in a snarl as she whirled back toward them.
Jace went still, holding back his own wolf, while he watched the female. She was lean and wiry, as if she’d lived a life skulking through alleys foraging for food, always prepared to fend off assailants. She was a wolf of the streets, the most dangerous and unpredictable kind in existence, because she lived by no rules. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, attuning his senses to the cabin behind them, checking for the presence of any more wolves. He didn’t like having his back to the cabin, so he pressed back against Abby, shifting her to the side so he could get them in a better position.
Abby was right behind him, her body rigid with fear. “Where’s Kiernan?” He could smell her fear, but her voice was steady and strong.
The black wolf looked back and forth between them, her lips still raised in a silent snarl.
“We’re here to see Kiernan,” Abby repeated. “Where is he?”
The black wolf didn’t move, her body taut as she watched them. Everything about her spoke of aggression, and a willingness to fight to the death. Jace’s wolf fought to emerge, preparing for a battle, but he shoved it aside. He would not attack a female. There was no fucking way he was going to hurt another woman again. Ever. “Stand down,” he snapped. “We’re here in peace!”
I got her. Drake’s voice drifted through his mind. Keep her distracted.
Jace couldn’t smell Drake, and he knew his teammate was approaching downwind. Jace crouched lower, letting his wolf pace closer to the surface, letting the female shifter know that he was her equal. Don’t hurt her, Drake.
She gets mercy only if she deserves it. Drake’s voice was cool, without emotion, the voice of a soldier prepared to do whatever he needed. Jace swore, not liking the tone of Drake’s voice. When had Drake begun to lose his humanity?
Abby touched his shoulder. “Don’t shift,” she said softly. “It’s not safe.”
Something about the edge to her voice caught his attention, and he stiffened. “Why not?”
“The song. I can hear it in your blood right now. If you shift again, it might own you.”
He went cold, and fury coursed through him. What else did she know about that song? What had she not told him? “Abby—” The female wolf shifted position, drawing his attention back to her.
She’d focused on his injured leg, and he felt her sudden surge of energy. Son of a bitch. She was going to attack him and try to take advantage of his injury. “Stand down,” he said again, using the voice he’d perfected with his fucked up pack when they were losing their shit.
She tensed her body, and then sprang at them, clearly immune to his fantastic powers of persuasion.
Jace swore, throwing himself in front of Abby as he held up his arm to block their assailant. The black wolf’s teeth sank into his forearm, tearing flesh he couldn’t afford to lose. With his leg injury, he couldn’t get the leverage to defeat her without shifting, and his wolf knew it. It howled with the need to be released, but Jace fought it back with iron control. Even without Abby’s warning, he would have known he couldn’t shift. He was too close to the edge of control, and if his wolf took over, it would own him.
It would be a lethal killer he couldn’t control. He’d rather have his throat ripped out than unleash himself onto the world, or this wolf.
There was something about the female that made the song hum even more loudly through his veins, calling to the monster Grigori had unleashed. He couldn’t shift to his wolf form, but he knew he would lose if he didn’t. Die or kill? Those were shitty options even for a guy with his morals. He wouldn’t kill the she-wolf, but he wouldn’t risk Abby either by letting himself get killed.
“Get to the car,” he ordered Abby as he slammed his elbow into the wolf’s ribs, trying to dislodge her teeth from his arm. She didn’t let go, her teeth grinding deeper into his arm. “Get out of here!”
Abby didn’t move. “No, I can’t leave you—”
“Go!” He shoved her backward as the wolf tore at his arm. She threw him off balance, and he had to put his right foot down to keep from falling. The pain ripped through him, and his leg collapsed—
A silver wolf charged out of the woods. Drake tore across the grass and leapt on the black wolf, his teeth sinking into the back of her neck. She released Jace and whirled around, trying to dislodge Drake, but she had no chance. He was too heavy, and he’d gotten a perfect grip on her, because she’d been too focused on crushing Jace’s forearm instead of paying attention to her surroundings.
It was a rookie mistake, an unusual lapse in judgement that he wouldn’t have expected from a savvy street wolf. She should have been accustomed to always focusing on all possible threats, but she hadn’t. It was an anomaly he’d contemplate when he wasn’t in so much fucking pain.
Swearing, Jace rolled to his side, fighting against the nausea. He was an expert at shutting down pain, but between his ankle and his arm, it was impossible to keep it all at bay. Jesus. Pain was inconvenient as hell.
Abby crouched beside him, still too close to danger. “Let me help you up,” she said urgently, her gaze flicking to the battle between Drake and the alley wolf.
“Get back,” he gritted out. “Now.”
“No. We have to get inside. We have to find Kiernan.” She grabbed his uninjured arm, helping him up. He staggered, trying to keep his balance on one leg. His arm was torn, the ligaments and muscles heavily damaged. He’d almost been taken out by a street wolf half his size, a wolf he could usually take down without even an extra breath. What the hell? Even injured he shouldn’t have been hit so hard. His timing had been slow, his awareness compromised, things that should have nothing to do with his injured leg.
Grigori had stolen everything from him: his values, his leg, and his freedom to shift. He was fucking defenseless, at a time when he needed to be the strongest he’d ever been.
“Come on!” Abby tugged at him. “We need to get inside. Something’s wrong!”
He knew he had no choice. He’d been pushed to the limit physically. If there was any chance of being healed, he had to take it. If he didn’t, he was a liability, and he would not be able to keep her safe, rescue the kid, or somehow fix the hell he’d brought down upon them. “Let’s go.” He put his hand on her back, urging her forward as he followed her, keeping one eye on Drake, who had the female pinned to the earth, using his teeth and his massive bodyweight to hold her still.
She was snarling, her ears pinned flat, waiting for a chance to take him. Jace could feel the energy rippling through her, building like a volcano preparing to erupt. “Careful with her, Drake.”
Drake growled and tightened his grip on her neck, every muscle taut. Jace knew that Drake sensed exactly how dangerous she was, and he was ready.
“Hold her,” Jace commanded, just as Abby spun away from him, yanked open the door to the cabin and ducked inside. “Hey. Wait!” He hopped after her, gritting his teeth as she disappeared out of sight into the darkened building.
He grabbed his gun out of his waistband and cocked it, holding it ready as he eased inside the shadowed cabin. A silver bullet could never be dispensed without great necessity and forethought due to how deadly it was, and Jace had never actually fired a silver bullet into anything, but right now, he was as close to that edge as he’d ever been.
He crossed the threshold. The door swung shut behind him, plunging him into darkness.
Chapter 10
He went still, his back up against the door as he waited for his eyes to adjust. “Abby,” he said softly. “Tell me where you are. I don’t want to shoot you.”
“To your right.”
At the sound of her voice, he immediately honed in on her location. He leapt across the room, landing beside her, keeping all his weight on his strong leg. She jumped, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. “Where’s the light?”
“It’s out. There’s a door at the back. We need to go there.”
He moved first, hopping across the floor. He reached the door and then readied his weapon. Outside, the sounds of the scuffle had stopped, and the inside of the cabin was eerily silent. He was aware of Abby right behind him, and then he slowly tested the doorknob.
It turned easily, and he shoved at the door. It creaked open, and he went still, ready, his senses on alert for any movement.
There was nothing, but he caught the strong scent of male wolf, pungent and thick. He leapt into the room, landing on one foot, ready.
Stretched out on a narrow bed was a man, heavily bandaged, breathing shallowly. He was wearing only jeans, his bare torso wrapped tightly, though blood was still leaking through the bandages. It was a wolf, a shifter who’d been brutally attacked. The wolf needed protection, and suddenly he understo
od the ferocity of the female’s attack outside. “Kiernan?” he asked Abby.
“No.” She looked around the room, searching just as he was.
There were no other beds. No other occupants. Just the one man on the edge of death.
Jace pointed the gun toward the closet. “Open it and step back.”
Abby hurried over to the door. She grabbed the doorknob and leapt back as she pulled it open. Nothing leapt out, and an assortment of men’s clothing was hanging in haphazard fashion from the rack. Jace eased over to it, opening all his senses. He could smell wolf, but it wasn’t the same scent as the man in the bed. “Kiernan’s things, I assume.” He nudged the clothes aside, but there was no trap door to another room, and no healer hiding among the garments. “Not here.”
He turned around and faced the room again. There were no other doors, and the windows looked out into the woods. There were no more rooms in the cabin. That was it. “He’s not here.” Disappointment flooded him, and, belatedly, he realized that he’d been holding out hope that this healer could work his magic on him, and somehow fix his shattered leg.
Abby met his gaze, and fear flickered across her face. Her fingers brushed against the wound on her neck, and he swore, all too aware that his injuries weren’t the only ones at risk. “Would Kiernan have been able to decrease the amount of wolf protein in your blood from the bite?”
She nodded. “That’s what he did last time. I think that’s why it didn’t turn me.”
Jace ground his jaw, looking around the small room. “So, what do we do now?”
“There’s another room.”
Jace glanced sharply at Abby. “What?”
“I was here for months being healed, but I wasn’t in either of these rooms.” She walked along the wall, trailing her hands over the plaster, her brow furrowed. “I was unconscious when I was brought here. In addition, on the day I went home, I woke up in this room in the morning, but when I was healing, I wasn’t in these rooms.” She looked at him. “There’s somewhere else he does his work.”
Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2) Page 8
