Leaning forward, Jade gently ran a hand down Rikki’s long braid, trying to give her the comfort she so obviously needed. “I don’t know, Rikki,” she said softly, “but I can tell you why I think he is staying away if it will help.”
“Please,” Rikki whispered. “God, I feel like such a girl,” she spat, wiping at the tears running down her cheeks.
“It’s the mating bond,” Doc Josie said quietly from the doorway. As Rikki made a move to get up, Josie held up a hand. “Please, sit down, Rikki. I’m so sorry I interrupted. But it’s very important that you know what your mate is going through right now and why he has stayed away.” Josie moved to kneel down in front of Rikki next to Jade. “I will let Jade explain and will be here to fill in the blanks.”
Swallowing hard, Rikki nodded. “Ok,” she whispered. “At least maybe this ache will go away if I know why he doesn’t want me,” she said as she pressed her palm into her chest.
“Oh, Rikki,” Jade murmured, “It isn’t that he doesn’t want you. He wants you too much.” At Rikki’s incredulous look, Jade continued. “You have been around mated couples before. You know how hard it is to stay apart. Now, I don’t know a lot about this because I was stuck in that place in the middle of the dessert most of my life, but I have seen things since I have been here. The biggest thing is Chase and my mother.”
Rikki gasped and her eyes widened. “Exactly,” Jade said. “They have been fighting the mating bond since last April. Nine months. Now just imagine how your mate feels after all these years.”
“Not only that,” Doc Josie interjected, “but you are so young, Rikki. Jeremiah is an older shifter. I would say just from things I know of him that he is probably 120 to 150 years old.” As Rikki’s eyes widened, Josie laughed. “I know that seems really old in human years, but in shifter years it’s not. I believe Jeremiah is under the impression that you are young and need to live some before being tied to him. Plus, after all of this time, he is probably afraid he will hurt you when you bond. And above all else, he will want you to be safe.”
“So he is staying away from me because he thinks I’m too young and he’s worried he might hurt me?” Rikki asked, narrowing her eyes. When both Jade and Josie nodded, Rikki stood up, her hands on her hips. “Well that’s a bunch of bullshit,” she snapped.
Standing up and stepping back in surprise, Jade questioned, “What do you mean?”
“Shit, I may be young, but I have been through more than most people. I’ve served two tours in the army. Hell, I’m a damn sniper. I kill low lifes for a living. Not only that, but Jeremiah would never hurt me. I may not know a lot about shifters, but I do know mates do not ever physically hurt one another. If he thinks he is staying away from me because of idiotic reasons like that, then he better think again.” Shaking her head, Rikki stalked to the door, “Let me know when Trace wakes up. I will be in the waiting room.”
Doc Josie laughed softly as the door shut behind Rikki. “Jeremiah Black better watch out. He’s definitely met his match in that one.”
Opening the medical chart she held, Josie set it on the table beside Trace’s bed. Taking hold of the covers, she started to pull them down. At Jade’s growl of displeasure, the doctor stopped. “Jade, I’m a doctor. I need to look Trace over to assess the damage that’s been done from his time in captivity.”
Ashamed, Jade moved to the other side of the bed, reaching for Trace’s hand. “I’m sorry. I know that, it’s just...”
“I understand,” Josie smiled gently. “I’ve been in your shoes. Until you are fully bonded, the need to hurt any other woman that comes near your man will be there. Just remember, he is yours, Jade. No one can take him from you.”
Smiling tremulously, Jade whispered, “I know. It’s just hard to believe he’s here.” Clearing her throat, Jade told Josie, “He has a fever, Doc. I didn’t know shifters could get fevers.”
“It’s because of everything he’s been through,” Josie responded as she gently probed the bruising around his chest. “Being starved and tortured for so long is hard on a body. And even though Trace heals faster because he is a shifter, a body can only take so much.”
As the doctor continued her exam, Jade fought to control herself at the sight of another woman’s hands on Trace. In her mind she knew it was for medical purposes only, but after being separated from Trace for so long, it was hard to control her wolf who just saw another woman’s hands on her mate.
After several minutes, the doctor pulled the covers back over Trace and reached for her medical chart to jot some notes down. “I am going to give him an antibiotic right now to fight the infection he has. We need to get some food down him as soon as possible, too. It will really help once he is able to shift into his panther form.” Looking at Jade she said, “I’m not going to lie, Jade. Trace has been through a lot. There is scarring on his legs that will always be there. When he shifts it will help his infection and all of the bruising, along with most of the wounds, but they seemed to have focused on his legs the most. He will eventually be able to walk normally again, but it won’t be an overnight thing.”
Josie went to the window and pulled the curtains shut. “You both need some rest, Jade. Try and sleep for a few hours.”
“Wait,” Jade called out as the doctor went to leave. “What about Gypsy and her sister? How are they?”
Shaking her head sadly, Josie told her, “Not good, Jade. Not good.” Watching her go, Jade felt torn. She wanted to be with Trace, but Gypsy and Sari were alone. Trace was sleeping, and Jade knew when he woke up he would want to know exactly what was going on with them. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Jade decided she better go look in on them herself.
After checking one more time to make sure Trace was still asleep, Jade left the room and went to search for Gypsy. She found her in the next room. Quietly making her way to the bed, Jade gasped at the sight of the small, frail woman in front of her. Gypsy lay on the bed, her covers up to her chin. Her beautiful dark hair fanned out on the pillow around her. There were several bruises marring her delicate features, and one arm lay on top of the blankets covered with a cast. There were stitches on the underside of her chin and more on her other arm.
“I did what I could for her,” Doc Josie said from the doorway. “She has a long road ahead of her. I gave her morphine for the pain, and she will be sleeping for a while.” Motioning into the hall, Josie huffed, “Come on, I will show you Sari since I see you are just as stubborn as your mother and won’t go back to Trace until you have checked on them both.”
Taking one last look at the woman who had spent the past few months in hell with Trace, caring for him and pushing him to fight, Jade whispered, “Thank you so much for what you did for my mate. I don’t know if Trace would have made it without you there. I will be back, Gypsy. I’m going to check on Sari for you now, but I will be back later, I promise.”
Jade missed the lone tear that slid down Gypsy’s face as she left the room. Following the doctor across the hall, Jade stopped just inside the door. The young girl lying in the bed was stunning. She was blonde where Gypsy was brunette. Her skin was lighter, but otherwise they were very similar. The poor girl was covered in bruises, as well.
“She was pregnant,” Josie said quietly. “When that bastard beat the hell out of her the last time, he kicked her repeatedly in the stomach and ended up killing the baby. She wasn’t very far along. My guess is that she didn’t even know she was pregnant. But when she wakes up, I will have to tell her.”
“She’s just a child herself,” Jade whispered, tears filling her eyes. Moving to the chair by the bed, Jade sat down. “I will stay with her,” she said as she put the footrest out and leaned the chair back. “I can rest here.”
“What about Trace?” Josie asked softly from the doorway.
“This is where I am needed,” Jade responded, closing her eyes and dismissing the doctor. Sari was terrified, she had been through so much and was about to endure more anguish. As much as she wanted to be with Trace, Ja
de would not leave the child to wake up alone.
~
Feeling a presence near her, Jade sprang out of the chair with her Glock pulled and ready. “Easy, Jade,” she heard Angel murmur. “It’s just me.”
Shit, she’d been dreaming about something she’d gone through several years ago while being held by the General. Jinx tried to rebel once when Jade was just a child. He only made that mistake once. When it happened, the General brought Jinx to the facility in Arizona and proceeded to hold a gun to Jade’s head. The General told Jinx if he ever defied him again, Jade would be dead. Unfortunately, Angel picked a bad time to surprise Jade, as she was reliving the nightmare, and almost got herself shot. “I’m sorry,” Jade said quietly as she slid her Glock back in its holster. “Bad memories.”
Not responding, Angel walked past her to the bed. Jade was shocked at the amount of pain she was feeling from Angel. Normally Angel held all of her emotions tightly bound and hidden from everyone. Tonight was different. Something had happened. Before she could try and help, Angel growled, “Don’t even think about it. These are my feelings. I want them. I need to feel them so I remember why I have to stay strong.”
Sighing deeply, Jade said, “I’m going to check on Trace.”
“You can stay with him,” Angel responded. “I will be here for Sari.”
“She’s going to need someone when she wakes up,” Jade murmured. “We need to make sure she isn’t left alone.”
When Jade went to leave she heard Angel say, “We will talk about what just happened, Jade. Not tonight, but we will talk.” Jade left quietly without responding.
Chapter 13
When Trace finally opened his eyes the next afternoon, he was feeling much better. His legs still hurt like a bitch, but the pain in his arms and chest had receded and he was starving. Not only that, but he had to find the restroom now. Throwing back the covers, he frowned when he realized he didn’t have any clothes on. The towel from the night before was still around his hips, and his dick hardened immediately when he remembered the feel of Jade’s soft, pink lips surrounding it.
Swinging his legs off the bed, Trace shakily pushed himself to a standing position. The trip to the bathroom was slow, but he was happy he made it without help. Finding a tray of food waiting when he returned from the bathroom, he sat in the chair and quickly demolished it. When he was done, he decided it was time to find his mate. Looking in the closet, he found some scrubs that he put on. They were snug, but would work. Leaving the room, he ignored the looks from the concerned nurses and slowly made his way in the direction of Jade’s addicting, sweet scent.
When he reached the front lobby, he saw her in the waiting area. The sight of her standing next to an unknown male, and the scent of her nervousness, brought his cat to the surface. Before Trace could fight it, he was shifted and slowly stalking his prey with a low rumble in his throat.
“Get back,” he heard a voice say. “Back slowly away from Jade now, River.” When the man turned and saw Trace, he held his hands out to the side and started to move back. Bounding swiftly into the room, Trace slid to a stop in front of Jade and roared menacingly at the other male. Baring his fangs, he growled, a low rumble deep in his chest.
Feeling soft fingers gently stroking his thick, black fur, Trace backed into Jade’s legs, but refused to turn away from the threat in front of him. Jade knelt beside him and slipped her arms around his neck, nuzzling close. “It’s okay, Trace,” she assured him. “I’m okay. This is River. He’s one of Chase’s enforcers. He was just coming to check on his friend that was hurt on patrol earlier.”
Snarling at River one last time, Trace buried his nose into Jade’s neck and purred. He still considered River a threat; all males were a threat until he claimed Jade. But Trace had realized that the room was filled with his teammates, so for now he wasn’t worried.
“Well,” Angel interrupted, “Since you seem to be doing better, Trace, we need to have a meeting. Take Jade back to your room with you and we will be there in five minutes.”
With one last glare at River, Trace nudged Jade to his room. Once the door was closed behind them, Trace shifted and pushed Jade up against it crushing his lips to hers. Sliding past her lips at her shocked gasp, he tangled his tongue with hers, holding his body tightly against her. He wanted to strip her right then and make her his, but the sound of footsteps heading in their direction made him pull back. That dazed, sultry expression on her face was for him, and only him. After kissing her one more time, Trace wrapped an arm tightly around her waist. Tugging gently, he maneuvered her to the bed. Sliding in, he scooted over and tugged her in beside him. He needed her close, wanted her body next to his. Jade pulled the covers up over them, and snuggled into him just as the door opened and Angel walked in, followed by the rest of the team. Using the remote on the side of the bed, Trace raised the bed into a sitting position.
“Nice to have you back, T,” Rikki said as she moved up to stand beside Jade. “It’s sucked doing my job and yours.” Trace chuckled, bumping fists with her. He knew Rikki was joking. It was her way of telling him she had missed him.
Trace let a small grin steal over his face as he greeted the rest of his team. He took in Ryker, Storm, and Flame before glancing at Angel in question. “They are with us now,” she said. “A part of RARE. Flame’s trained hard and has earned her place. Ryker and Storm left the Shifter Council to come work with us. That’s a story for another time. Right now, we have something important to discuss.”
Taking in the seriousness of Angel’s gaze, Trace stilled. Somehow he knew whatever was wrong had to do with him, and it was bad. Stepping closer to him, Angel said, “Trace, everyone in this room is your family. We would give our lives for you. And because we are family, your mother and sister are our family, too.”
Trace tightened his arm around Jade, but didn’t respond. “Sophia and Starr are in trouble, Trace,” Angel continued. “Sari heard Perez tell someone that he has a lead on them. Jaxson has been trying to track them down, but hasn’t been able to yet. We have to get to them before your father does. You need to tell us where you have them hidden.”
A sense of urgency hitting him at the thought of his mother and sister being found by Perez had Trace moving to get out of bed. “Stop Trace,” Angel commanded. “You are in no condition to go anywhere right now.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, Trace clenched his hands tightly into fists, fear and anger pouring through him.
Feeling Jade’s hand running soothingly up and down his back, Trace took a deep breath fighting the urge to leave and find his family. They were in danger, but Angel was right. He could hardly walk down the hall right now. There was no way he was going to save them on his own. At this point, he would be more of a hindrance on a mission than a help. But dammit, they were his family.
Looking at Angel, he nodded and slid back under the covers, pulling Jade close again to calm his emotions. “Let us help, T,” Rikki said softly. “You would do it for us.”
“I promised them I would always keep them safe,” he rasped, his heart pounding in fear. “They were there for me when no one else was. My mom was my moon, and my sister my star.” Glancing around the room, Trace said, “My father is an animal. A fucking animal. I could kill him with my bare hands for the things he did to my mother alone. But you add in what he did to my sister...” Shaking his head, Trace leaned back against the bed shutting his eyes tightly.
“We will find them, Trace,” Angel promised him. “We will find them and bring them home.”
“It won’t matter,” Trace sighed. “Until that bastard is eliminated, he will always look for them. Perez is transfixed on my mother for some reason. He will do everything in his power to have her again. I’ve been hiding them for years, changing the places at least every six months. I’ve been lucky until now.”
“Tell me where, Trace,” Jaxson said as he took out his laptop and quickly turned it on. “We’ll get to them before he does.”
Taking a deep breath, Trace
tightened his grip on Jade and said, “There in Taos, New Mexico,” he admitted reluctantly.
Jaxson raised an eyebrow, “Are you serious? That’s like a five hour drive from here.”
Shrugging, Trace said, “I know. Mom said she wanted to be closer to me. And I thought it would be easier to keep them safe if they were.”
After Jaxson pulled up the exact location of Trace’s family, RARE started making plans. It was a five hour drive, but they were flying. “I’m going,” Trace insisted. “They won’t know they can trust you. They’ll get scared and run.”
Eyeing him, Angel finally nodded. “Fine, you go. But you let me know if you think you can’t make it at any time, Trace. I won’t allow you to screw up this mission.”
“I will,” Trace promised. And he would. There was no way he was going to mess up a mission this important.
“Ok, we leave in an hour. I need to get this past the Doc, Trace,” Angel warned.
“I don’t give a shit what she says,” Trace snarled. “I’m going.”
Glancing over at the low growl that escaped Ryker, Angel laughed. “You better show Ryker’s mate some respect, Trace.”
“That’s right,” Doc Josie said as she walked in the room, stopping to kiss a pissed off Ryker, before smiling at Trace. “Ryker and I mated last month, Trace. Now, what’s going on here that the whole RARE team is crammed into your room?”
“We’re leaving on another mission, Josie,” Ryker said as he tugged her into his arms. Resting his chin on her head, he told her, “It’s very important that Trace comes with us. We won’t let him do too much, but the people we are going to save only know him. If he isn’t there, they could be scared off. If they are found by the wrong person, he’ll kill them.”
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