Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2)

by Stephanie Rowe

  She’d seen him at his worst, and yet she’d still not believed it was all he was capable of. She’d put herself directly within reach of his jaws, utterly disregarding the possibility that he might hurt her.

  And he hadn’t.

  It would have been so easy for him to have moved his head and bitten her. She’d been so close, within range even of his depleted body, but with her fingers gripping his scruff and her words whispering to him, he’d been caught by her spell, the real spell, the spell of their connection, not the bullshit of that song. He’d been able to lie still and not hurt her, even with the song screaming in his head. It was her belief in him that had given him the strength to destroy the sound box, to battle that cursed song, and summon strength into his devastated body.

  She’d accepted him completely, and now, he did the same for her, breathing in deeply the fullness of their connection. He allowed himself to think about how much she mattered to him, how she was the reason his heart still beat. He absorbed her terror, taking it as his own, reaching across the distance between them, opening his very soul to her.

  He took a deep breath, opening himself still further to her. Abby.

  He felt her startle, and then her mind reached for his. Jace!

  Where are you?

  My old apartment. She rattled off an address, not too far from the alley where Jace had killed her sister. It was only two hours away.

  I’m on my way, sweetheart. Stay alive until I get there. He broke the connection and sat up. “We’re leaving now.”

  Kiernan scowled, but he stepped back, allowing Jace to stand. Drake was already dressed, armed with several pistols that Jace knew were loaded with silver bullets. Drake met his gaze. “Don’t ever order me to shoot you again,” he said, his eyes dark. “I won’t fucking do it.”

  Jace nodded. “I won’t.” And he knew he spoke the truth. He’d been weak, not the alpha he’d needed to be, when he’d ordered Drake to take him down. “I take responsibility for myself.”

  “Good.” Drake handed him a gun. “You might need this.”

  Jace shoved it in the waistband of his jeans. “Let’s go.” They turned toward the door, only to find their path blocked by Savannah. She was dressed for combat in dark pants, a dark turtleneck, and black boots. “I’m coming.”

  Drake stiffened beside him. “You’re not.”

  She lifted her chin. “Seth matters to me.”

  “I know.” Drake walked over to her. “But I got this one. You and Kiernan need to get your brother to a new location before Lucius comes back. He’s still in danger.”

  Regret flickered through Savannah’s eyes, but she lifted her chin. “You better get Seth,” she warned.

  “I will.” There was a moment of hesitation, and then they both stepped back. Drake turned away without another word, striding purposefully toward the stairs.

  Jace glanced over his shoulder at Savannah. She was watching them go, her face a mask of yearning and fear. Jace frowned as he followed Drake up the steps. “Something happen between you two?”

  “No.” Drake’s denial had a hard edge, telling Jace there was more to the story than he was planning to share. “Where’s Abby?”

  “At her apartment.” He shoved the door of the closet open and stepped out into the now abandoned cabin. It stank of Lucius and other shifters, of greed and death. What had they killed while they’d been up here? Not that it mattered. They had no time. He sprinted through the cabin, jerked open the front door, and then clenched his fist in victory when he saw his SUV was still there. “Let’s go. It’s about two hours from here.” He knew what kind of damage Lucius could inflict in two hours, and every second passing by was tearing him up.

  “Two hours?” Drake swore as he yanked open the passenger door. “We’ll never make it.”

  “What?” Jace stared at Drake as he leapt into the driver’s seat, fear suddenly gripping his spine. He realized Drake had never actually told him what time or day it was. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and looked. Son of a bitch. “Seth turns five in an hour and forty-five minutes.” He slammed the key into the ignition as fierce calm settled over him. “We’ll make it.”

  Drake gripped the dash. “Damn right we will.”

  Jace hit the gas, and the truck tore forward, churning up the gravel. “Call Cash. We’ll need backup if Grigori is there.” He didn’t just want Lucius. He wanted Grigori, the depraved bastard who’d masterminded all of it. Before he’d met Abby, he’d burned to stop Grigori on behalf of all the innocents he’d killed, but now it was personal.

  He wanted both Grigori and Lucius to be there, and he wanted to be the one to destroy them. Not for himself. For the woman he loved.

  Chapter 21

  Abby heard the footsteps on the landing outside her apartment. Two sets, both heavy, both clearly men. Dear God, was Grigori with him?

  She swung to face the front door as the knob turned, fighting against the fear trying to consume her. Lucius walked in first. Sleeping against his shoulder was Seth. At the sight of him, Abby choked back a cry of relief, not wanting to awaken the boy from the protection of sleep.

  Then, another shadow filled the doorway. Broader shoulders, heavier muscle, eyes as dark as the pitiless hell that radiated from him. Grigori. Her father.

  She swallowed as he walked into the room, walking straight toward her as Lucius walked the other way to set Seth on the couch. Grigori came to a stop in front of her, his eyes fixed on her face.

  It had been so long since she’d seen him, so long since she’d stared into the eyes of the man who’d terrorized her and so many others. His eyes were shrewd and calculating, gleaming with the same intelligence that had always guided him through his massacres. “Abigail.”

  She lifted her chin, ignoring the pain screaming through her shoulders. “Grigori.”

  “You’re the only one left.”

  “Because you killed them.” She knew he was talking about her family.

  “They betrayed me. These things happen.” He traced a finger along her jaw, his touch so light it felt like the whisper of death before it struck. “But you’re different. We need you.”

  She lifted her chin. “I’ll never sing for you again.”

  “I think you will.” He jerked his chin at Lucius, who strode toward the door and walked out into the hall again. “What we’ve discovered is that the recording of your voice doesn’t have a long-term effect on the psyche the way your voice does in real life. We need you to come work for us again.”

  “Work for you?” She would have laughed at the idea, except for the fact that his words made chills scrape down her spine, because she knew he would have a plan. “I’m not for sale.” But even as she said it, she tried frantically to process what was going on. She’d been so sure they were going to have Seth kill her. But if they weren’t, then who?

  “Everyone is for sale.” As he spoke, Lucius walked back in the room, carrying Abby’s grandmother. She was bound and gagged, her hands tied behind her back, her eyes glistening with outrage.

  “Nana!” Abby gasped at the sight of her grandmother trussed up in Lucius’s arms.

  Her grandmother, however, just looked pissed. She looked right at Abby and furrowed her brow, clearly commanding Abby not to give in, no matter what they did to her. “Oh, God.” Abby’s legs started to tremble. She couldn’t let them hurt her. She couldn’t do it.

  Lucius tossed her grandmother on the couch, and Abby winced as she bounced on the old cushions. He walked over to Abby and gripped her hair, twisting her head back. “You forced me to have my wife murdered, so now you get to fill in for her. You’re mine, Abby.” He kissed her, a slobbery, disgusting kiss that made revulsion churn in her stomach.

  “Get off!” She brought her knee up hard, slamming it into his crotch. He howled in pain, and bent over, fury spitting from his eyes as he glared at her. “There’s no chance I’ll ever be yours. You don’t get to touch me. Ever.” How long had it been since Jace had left? Two hours? Was h
e close? How long could she delay Lucius and Grigori?

  He grabbed her around the neck and jerked her toward him. “You stupid bitch. I’ll—”

  “No.” Grigori stayed him with one word. “Never touch her throat, Lucius, or I will cut off your hands. The rest of her body is yours, but her voice is mine. Release her.”

  Crazed anger glazing over his eyes, Lucius shoved her away from him. She swung on the hook like a pendulum, her shoulders now past the point of pain.

  “Your nephew is going to kill your beloved grandmother. She won’t be around to save you this time.” Lucius grinned, his incisors lengthening. “But I’m going to make you wish that he’d killed you instead. You’ll survive, just like before, but this time, you won’t get away. This time, you’re mine.”

  Anger roared through Abby. “I’m not going to sing for you. Either of you. I’m not going to destroy Seth and my grandmother.”

  “You will.” Grigori stepped back. “No one can withstand limitless pain, Abigail. We’re going to find your limit. When you want Lucius to stop, when the pain is so unbearable you can’t think, then you can start to sing. The pain will end, and you will spend the rest of your life with the knowledge that your weakness, your inability to endure, is what forced you to choose the path that made your own nephew turn on your own grandmother. We will break you, and you will become mine.” Grigori pulled a chair out from the kitchen table and sat down. “And once you have enough shifter blood in you, you’ll be one of us anyway. Your morals will be gone.” He folded his arms over his chest, and nodded at Lucius. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  *

  Abby’s pain hit Jace so fiercely, he recoiled violently, her pain knifing through him so intensely he couldn’t breathe.

  “Shit!” Drake grabbed the steering wheel, jerking the SUV back in its lane as Jace fought for breath.

  “They’ve got her.” I’m coming, Abby. Stay with me. Shoving aside the pain, he grabbed the wheel and jammed his foot onto the gas.

  How far away are you? Her voice was weak, desperate, terrified.

  Almost there.

  Her anguish filled him. Hurry.

  Fear tore through him. Hang in there, sweetheart. You can do it. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel and gave the vehicle even more gas. “How far away is Cash?”

  “Still ten minutes.”

  “Shit!” Jace spun the wheel to the right. The wheels lifted off the ground as the vehicle cornered, and Drake swore as the tires screeched.

  “There!” Jace pointed at the brick building three blocks away. He hit the gas pedal, hurtling down the street—

  Another blast of pain from Abby had him gasping for breath, but he held tight, keeping the SUV hurtling right for the building.

  Drake gripped the door. “Shit, man, you want to kill us?”

  “No. Not today.” Jace hit the brakes at the last minute and leapt out of the truck before it had completely stopped. He sprinted for the entrance, Drake on his heels, as he threw his shoulder against the front door, shattering the wood as he burst through. He went right for the stairs, vaulting up the steps four at a time. I’m coming, Abby!

  He reached the fourth floor and tore down the hall. Apartment 4G was at the end of the hall, and the door was shut. He didn’t slow down. He didn’t hesitate. He just lowered his shoulder and charged, throwing himself against the door.

  The wood splintered under the assault, and he vaulted into the room. The first thing he saw was Abby dangling from her wrists in the middle of the room, her shirt bloodied and torn. Lucius was standing in front of her, with the same half-shift he’d had when Jace had first met him.

  Jace raised his gun and aimed it at Lucius, who immediately ducked behind Abby, putting her in the path of Jace’s bullet. He swore and averted the gun—

  Grigori tackled Jace from the side, throwing him against the wall. Pain thudded through his injured side and he gasped for breath as Abby shouted his name. He rolled onto his side in time to see Drake crumple to the ground in the doorway. Jesus. Drake was legendary with his skills. For Grigori to have gotten the drop on both of them…shit.

  Grigori walked over to Jace and pointed Drake’s pistol at him. Jace saw in his eyes that he wasn’t going to spare him. Fuck that. He had things to do, and dying wasn’t one of them. He reacted instantly, lunging for Grigori. He hit Grigori in the chest at the same moment that the gun went off.

  The searing pain in his chest was surreal. Again with the silver? What the hell? Jace landed hard on his back, writhing in pain as the silver coursed through him. His muscles spasmed, convulsing from the third hit of silver in too short of a time.

  Grigori laughed softly and tossed the gun aside, turning back to Abby. “Now, he can watch. How fun for all of us.”

  Jace swore, rolling onto his stomach as he tried to summon strength back into his body, but his battered muscles were already drained, barely recovered from the last time. The bullet had only grazed him, but the hit of silver was already burning through him. It was the same as when he’d been shot in the cage…but the song had given him the strength to overcome the debilitating effect of the silver.

  The song had made him strong.

  He met Abby’s gaze as Lucius turned back toward her.

  Sing. He sent the command.

  Her eyes widened, and he saw her glance at the couch, where the boy and her grandmother were. He calculated the distance, and he knew exactly how much time he’d have. I got it.

  She nodded once, and then began to sing.

  The shock of the words hit him hard, but it was different hearing it in person. The raw power of it was palpable, but the song didn’t incite him to a rage. Abby’s familiar voice poured strength and warmth into him, latching onto the depth of his emotions for her. The song flooded his body with the same fierce power as before, but this time, he merged with his wolf, keeping the sanity of the man while channeling the ferocity of the wolf. He shifted instantly, allowing the song to rip his humanity from him.

  He leapt to his feet and lunged at Lucius just as the shifter was baring his teeth to sink them into Abby’s torso. Jace slammed into him, crushed his throat with one well-timed bite, hurled him aside, and then spun around toward Grigori.

  “Get Seth,” Abby shouted. “He’s already shifting! He’s going to kill my grandmother!”

  Drake regained consciousness and surged to his feet. He lunged at Grigori, and the alpha wolf spun to meet him. Within a split second, the two wolves were in full battle, but Drake was bigger, and he was the best fighter Jace had ever met. You got it?

  Got it. Get the kid.

  Without hesitation, Jace whirled around and sprinted across the room toward the boy. The youth’s eyes snapped open, filled with fear as the song jerked him from his sleep and awakened the wolf inside him.

  Jace tackled him, pinning him to the couch with his paws, meeting the boy’s frightened gaze. He opened a telepathic bridge with him, pouring serenity into his mind, just as he’d done with so many young wolves so many times. Not taking time for words, he filled the boy’s mind with images of wolves and shifters, educating him at lightning speed, empowering the youth to own his wolf even before the shift.

  Abby stopped singing, but the youth was already shifting. His shift was quick, fueled by the song, but the moment he shifted, Jace gripped the back of Seth’s neck, pinning him to the couch, holding him down as the wolf tried to take over. He held the young wolf still, keeping him from attacking Abby’s grandmother, while he poured his own power into the boy to help him control his wolf.

  Minutes ticked by, more and more, as Jace patiently held him still, waiting for the danger to pass. Eventually, finally, Jace felt the shudder of relief in the young wolf, the moment that the human took control back.

  Jace immediately released him and crouched down, nose to nose with the youth. The young wolf was pure white with blue eyes, rare indeed. His eyes were wide as he looked at Jace, but his eyes had human intelligence and understanding. He licked Ja
ce’s muzzle, and Jace growled with satisfaction, knowing that the first stage had been successfully handled.

  He cuffed the youth lightly, then turned away. Lucius lay on the floor where Jace had tossed him. Grigori and Drake were gone, but he could hear the sounds of battle from outside. He swore, racing back across the room to Abby, shifting as he ran. He caught her in his arms, lifting her wrists off the hook. She threw her still bound wrists over his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. “I’m sorry I was late.”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t do much. He hadn’t gotten started.” She pulled back, her eyes glistening. “You made me sing to you.”

  He grinned. “I realized you’re the source of my power, and it’s up to me to control how I react to it.” He framed her face with his hands. “I love you, Abby. That’s where my power comes from. Love.”

  She smiled, beaming at him. “I knew you loved me.”

  “You were right.” He slid his hand through her hair and kissed her, the first kiss of his life when he wasn’t holding back. He poured everything into the kiss, everything that mattered, everything he was, and it made the kiss become more than it ever had been. “You’re mine now. I’m never letting you go, sweetheart.”

  She pulled back, her smile fading. “I’m Seth’s guardian. I’m a mom now.”

  “I’m in.” He didn’t hesitate. “I love kids.”

  She smiled. “You love to mold young shifters into being good, moral people, you mean.”

  “That, too.” He rested his hands on her hips, basking in the sensation of her kiss, her commitment, her everything. “I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me, Abby.”

  “Forever?”

  He grinned. “Forever.” A loud crash sounded from the hall, and he swore. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her again, and then raced for the door, shifting back to wolf form. He exploded out the door and followed the sounds of battle down the hall. Drake! I’m on my way.

  Drake didn’t answer, but Cash appeared in the doorway. “Drake’s gone.”