Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2) (7 page)

Abby got out of the SUV.

Jace tensed when he heard her door slam. Instinctively, he reached for the gun he'd shoved in the pocket of his jacket. He turned it toward his chest without removing it from his pocket. If she started to sing to him, he was ending it right there. Right then. Without hesitation. His duty to keep her alive had to trump his duty to help her find her nephew. There was no way he was endangering her.

Abby walked around the vehicle, her footsteps almost silent in the deep moss. He turned his head to watch her approach, every muscle in his body taut. She looked right at him, her green eyes steady on his face as she neared him. He caught his breath, his heart thudding almost painfully. She was so beautiful… No, she was so much more than beautiful. She was light, she was love, she was courage, and she was peace...peace he didn't deserve.

She came to a stop in front of him, searching his face.

His fingers tightened on the gun, pressing the muzzle into his ribs, angling it toward his heart. "Don't sing," he warned her. "Don't do it."

She said nothing. She just stood there, studying him. He felt as though she were peeling aside all his layers and exposing the coarse ugliness of his core. He didn't want her to see it. Despite what she'd been through, there was a beauty and purity to her soul that still glittered with life. He didn't want to be the one to finally wipe it out by tainting her with his rotten core. "I think," he said, forcing out the words, "that it would be best if I went on without you. I'll find Seth and bring him back. You go to my place and hole up. It's safe. I'll meet you there."

"Shut up." She grasped the waistband of his jeans, twisting her fingers in the denim. "Just for one second, shut up."

He ignored her. "You're not safe with me. I have to do what's right and that's—"

She grabbed his shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him.

J
ace froze
. Her lips were warm and soft, tasting faintly like honey or vanilla, or something sweet. Her mouth was inviting, a sensual temptation that tore through all his safeguards and plunged right to his gut.

He wanted to shove her away from him. He
knew
that was the only responsible choice. He
wanted
to be a man he could respect.

But he was so starved for what she gave him that there was no way for him to resist it. He released the gun, and immediately wrapped his arms around her and dragged her against him. Her body was like heavenly sin when she melted against him. With his shirt tied around his ankle as a makeshift splint, the only thing between them was her thin top. He tunneled his hand through her hair, glorifying in the sensation of the silken strands sliding across his fingers.

She slid her arms behind his neck, holding tight, pulling him toward her, still kissing him, coaxing him to respond, to give her what she wanted from him.

He was completely unable to deny her when his need was pouring through him just as strongly. He angled his head and kissed her back, deeply, intensely, offering her what little value there still was in his soul. He couldn't believe how incredible she tasted, how soft her lips were, and how much heat burned through him from her kiss.

He wanted more. He wanted every part of her. He needed to claim her for his own, to protect and cherish her for all eternity. He'd never held anything so innocent and beautiful in his arms before, and he didn't want to ever release her. She was the light he'd been searching for his entire life, a confirmation that he'd been right to stay alive all these years. He palmed her hips, sliding his hands over the curves of her ass, his cock going rock hard at the feel of her body beneath his hands.

He'd been with women before, but he'd been only partially present, always looking over his shoulder for a threat, or thinking about how to better serve his pack. But in this moment, with Abby in his arms, with her scent wrapped around him, with her body entangled with his, there was no room for anything but her. Everything else simply faded away, until all that was left was how badly he wanted her, and how much he needed to safeguard her.

She made a small noise of pleasure in the back of her throat, a sensual purr that awoke his wolf. It roared to life, howling through him as it greedily absorbed every essence of her. His wolf wasn't violent this time, however. It was pure male, driven by a primal instinct to connect with her as a woman.

Driven by the call of his wolf, Jace tightened his grip on her and deepened the kiss, claiming her on every level of her being, taking over the kiss. His moral code that demanded he keep his distance from her vanished, swept away by the sheer intensity of his need for her, and his lupine instinct to claim her. She didn't resist, melting into him, accepting his need, welcoming his demands. She was utterly open to him, trusting him, offering him whatever he wanted.

Her refusal to protect herself from him incited his need to shield her. The softer she was around him, the fiercer his need to ensure her safety became. He didn't want her to lose that softness, to shun it in favor of the hard shields he lived by. She was too entrancing the way she was, too perfect, too real. She touched a part of him that he'd shut down long ago, a part that wanted to live and breathe so badly he couldn't suppress it now that she'd awakened it.

Her hands moved to his side, and her fingers bumped the gun in his pocket. When the cold steel pressed against his side, reality pierced the bubble she'd woven around him. He was so dangerous he'd had a gun trained on his own ribs, and now he was pouring himself into a kiss with the woman whose life he had destroyed?

Swearing, he broke the kiss, pushing her back from him. "I can't do this," he gasped, his voice raw, his entire body burning with the need to drag her back into his arms. "Don't you understand what I am?" Her cheeks were flushed, her expression so completely kissable that he swore again. "Hell, Abby, I'm not the good guy. I can't be honorable when you look at me like that."

She moved closer to him, and he stiffened, forcing his hands behind his head so he couldn't reach for her. He locked his fingers together, trapping himself as she rested her fingers on his bare chest.

She looked up at him. "I've seen evil," she said. "I've tasted it. You're not it."

"I know I'm not evil," he said, trying to catch his breath as she traced designs on his chest. "But I'm a killer. I'm weak, unable to control my wolf. You're not safe with me."

"I am." She framed his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her. "The song caught you off guard before. You didn't have time to prepare, and you had no emotional connection with my sister. That's why it was able to incite you like that." She smiled, a smile so tender that something twisted inside Jace. "But you know about it now, and you have a connection to me. You won't kill me."

Jace wanted to be the guy she believed in. He'd once thought he was. But he knew better now. He released his hands and clasped hers, pressing a kiss to her fingertips. "Since I was born, I've known my reason for existence was to protect those who needed it."

She nodded. "I can see that."

"I created my own pack of outsiders, because I knew no one else could help them. I was the guy who could save them." He pressed her hand to his heart, as if that would help her understand exactly how deeply he lived his words. "My entire being is focused on protecting others. Every living creature that crosses my path automatically falls under that protection. My connection to them is instant. That's what has enabled me to kill the few wolves that I've had to destroy, because they were predators who could not be cured of their bloodlust, and my job is protection." He'd never tried to explain himself before, but with Abby, he wanted to. He needed to. He needed someone to understand what drove him, so that his legacy would not die with him.

Empathy flickered across Abby's face. "I know," she said. "I could tell the moment I heard your voice on my grandmother's doorstep. That's why I came after you."

"No, don't." He brushed his fingers over her lips, silencing her. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't need to know someone personally to have that connection with them. It's instant and complete. I had it with your sister by virtue of the fact that she was a living creature...and yet
I killed her anyway.
" He tightened his grip on her hands. "That song overruled everything that has defined me for my entire life. Protection of innocents is
all
that matters to me, and the song broke that. No matter how much you want to believe in me, you can't do it. I'm too dangerous. Do you understand?"

Abby searched his face for a long moment, not answering. As the silence stretched on, a great yearning awoke inside him, a longing to have her refuse to accept his declaration. But at the same time, the yearning also awakened a rising fear in him that she
would
give him what he wanted. If she believed in him and gave him a chance, he knew he'd take it...and that would endanger her, and so many others. His soul burned for her to believe in him, but his moral code needed her to condemn him.

In the end, she said nothing.

She simply lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to each of his knuckles, kisses so tender and intimate that time seemed to stand still. "You're a good man, Jace."

He watched her lips brush over his skin, every cell in his body screaming to drag her into his arms and claim her lips with his. "That's not always enough," he said softly. "And we both know it." But he was glad she'd said it. It felt good to know that she saw past the blood on his hands to the man he tried to be, to the ethics he believed in so deeply.

"It depends on the situation." She stepped back, and took his hands, squeezing gently. "You know the wolf we ran into at my sister's apartment?"

He thought back to the massive black wolf, and the way it had acted so possessively around Abby. His gaze dropped to her belly, which was once again hidden beneath her shirt. "He's the one who did that, isn't he?"

She nodded. "His name is Lucius Stevens. Now that he has found me, he's going to track me down." Her gaze flickered toward his injured ankle. "He's going to come after me, and we both know that you can't stop him on three legs."

Her words were a slap in the face...but they were also true. He was a liability right now, and his leg was not going to heal overnight, and probably never. He ground his jaw. "I'll—"

"I need you, Jace." She held up her shirt, showing him the scars again. "This is what he did the last time he found me. He's angrier now, and bigger. I can't run again, because I need to find Seth. I
must
face him, and I need your help."

He gritted his jaw, and glanced behind her at the silent, ramshackle cabin she'd driven them to. "You're trying to manipulate me into going into that cabin and putting myself in the hands of some healer I don't know and don't trust."

She grinned. "Did it work?"

He ran his hand through his hair. Every instinct told him to walk away and return to his home, where he was in control, so he could take time to heal. Except this time was different. He had a feeling healing wasn't going to happen, and they didn't have time anyway. "How do you know this healer?"

"He's the one who saved my life when Lucius attacked me before," she said. "I'd be dead without him."

Jace looked past her at the cabin again. He couldn't pick up any indication of life from the building, and that made him wary. He hadn't been able to sense Lucius either. "Shifter?"

"Yes."

His gaze shifted to her. "From Grigori's pack?"

"He used to be."

But he could hear the hesitation in her voice. She wasn't certain where the healer's loyalties currently resided, and she was nervous. But she knew they needed help for his leg and her neck. He rested his hands on her shoulders and opened his senses, searching the woods for any indication of wolf. He could smell pine sap, rich soil, and the myriad scents of woodland creatures, but no shifters.

It felt safe, but he knew that could change in an instant. If he were under a healer's spell, he wouldn't be as alert. She was correct that he needed to heal. Shit. He had no choice, did he? Not if he wanted to fulfill his obligation to her. Turning himself over to a shifter he didn't know was foolish, but she was right about his ankle. If there were a way to heal quickly, he needed to try it…but he needed to control the situation. He paused for a moment, then pulled out his phone. Drake answered on the first ring. "What's up?"

"I need a bodyguard. How soon can you get here?" He quickly gave Drake his location.

"Thirty minutes."

"Make it ten." He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "We wait."

A
bby fisted
her hands in frustration when Jace leaned back against his SUV and folded his arms over his chest, clearly intending not to enter the cabin until Drake appeared. He looked so dangerous and lethal, a predator at rest who was ready to attack in an instant. The only vulnerability was the way he held his right foot off the ground, not even letting his toes rest against the ground. His body was taut, and she knew that he'd blocked the pain from his mind, creating some sort of physical and mental separation between his crushed ankle and the rest of him. Through his incredible self-discipline, it had become a non-factor for him...as long as he didn't have to put weight on it.

Respect surged through her, a deep admiration for the raw strength that propelled him through every moment of his life. No wonder he'd become alpha of a group of renegades. It was impossible not to admire him on a thousand levels.

He looked past her, scanning the woods as he waited. She could feel the heat prickling off him, as if his wolf was pacing just beneath the surface of his skin, restless to be released. She'd felt it come to life when she'd kissed him. She knew she should have been afraid of the wolf, but she hadn't. It had made her feel safe. In her world, that was a precious gift.

But even as she thought about feeling safe, fear rippled through her. She didn't like sitting here, waiting, vulnerable, with Jace injured and a silver bullet her only defense.

"What is it?" He took his gaze off the woods and looked directly at her. His dark eyes were intense, boring into her as if he were trying to see inside her soul.

She shrugged. "I don't like waiting. Grigori and Lucius might guess I would come here. The longer we wait, the more chance they have to find us." She swallowed at the thought of Lucius finding her. Showing Jace her scars had been difficult for her, because it had made her past real again. It had made her remember exactly how terrifying it had been to have Lucius coming after her, that moment of terror when she'd realized she had no way to save herself.

And now he'd found her again.

"I'm paying attention. I'll know if anyone approaches. I've asked the animals to alert me. Even if I don't pick it up, they will." Jace was still watching her carefully, giving her his full attention.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, uncomfortable with his penetrating gaze. She didn't want him to see her weakness and fear. She needed to be strong and courageous, because if she let the fear take over, it would debilitate her. "They're very good. They're experts at staying undetected." She couldn't keep from looking around, wondering if there were wolves lurking in the shadows.

Jace studied her. "How did you stop Lucius from killing you?" He kept his voice casual, obviously trying to distract her from their surroundings and her own thoughts. She was relieved Jace had accepted the need to be healed, but that didn't make her any more comfortable with being here.

She shrugged, shifting restlessly. Fear prickled down her spine, and her lungs began to constrict as her mind went back to the attack. "I don't know. He just stopped. I've thought about it hundreds of times, and I still don't have an answer." She restlessly brushed her hair back from her face, trying to stave off the panic attack starting to amass inside her. Standing out in the open, with Lucius potentially on his way to that very spot, was taking its toll on her emotional reserves, wrapping her up in an insidious web of escalating fear.

She felt so vulnerable standing out in the open, even with Jace beside her. She tried to shake out her shoulders, but her hands were starting to tremble. "I think he had a plan that I don't know about." She looked at Jace. "You met him. He's dangerous. He's strong. And right now, he's out there somewhere, planning something..." She looked around. "He could be minutes from here right now. Can we please go inside?"

"No one is approaching. I promise you." Jace held out his hand to her. "Come here," he said softly.

She didn't hesitate. She instinctively set her hand in his, needing the grounding of his touch.

He closed his fingers around hers and tugged gently, drawing her closer. She was too tense to accept, but he increased his pressure. "Come." He gave her hand a sharp tug, knocking her off balance so she fell into him.

The moment her body hit his, he wrapped his arms around her, locking her against him. As soon as she felt his arms encircle her in a protective shield, all her bravado deserted her. She started to shake violently as memories of that horrible night flooded back. Silent tears trailed over her cheeks as she buried her face in Jace's chest, fighting against the panic that had haunted her for so long. Her throat clogged up, and the scars on her stomach burned with agony, as if the wounds were fresh and raw once again. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her legs began to tremble, as the panic sucked her into its grasp.

"Hey, hey," Jace tightened his arms around her, his lips brushing against her ear. "You're safe now, Abby. I've got you. Do you understand?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on the feel of his body against hers. She focused on his scent, a woodsy scent of soap and spice. She fought to ground herself in him, but she couldn't. Flashes of that night kept slashing through her memories, fighting for attention. "I was asleep," she whispered, unable to hold it in. "My apartment was on the tenth floor. I lived in a secured building. I thought I was safe. I knew I was safe. I—" She pulled back to look at Jace. "I woke up when he was dragging me out of my bed by my hair. I tried to scream, but he'd already gagged me."

Something dark flickered in Jace's eyes. "Bastard."

She tried to pace away from him, but his grip tightened on her, keeping her against him. "Talk to me," he said gently, the softness of his voice a vast departure from the anger flashing in his eyes. "What happened?"

"He ripped off my clothes. I thought he was going to try to rape me, but he didn't. He just stripped me and then tied my wrists over my head and attached them to the chandelier in my dining room." She'd never forget how terrified she'd been, how vulnerable, how defenseless. "He said I had to learn who was in charge of me. He...he shifted and then he approached. He licked my stomach and then..." Nausea churned through her. "He bit me. Again, and again. I screamed, and no one heard me. No one stopped him. It felt like hours, and then, suddenly, he left. He just jumped out my window and left me dangling by my wrists. I thought I was going to die, Jace. I was so scared. I still don't sleep at night. Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I hear his howl at night. And then, and then he was there again today. He's back." She swallowed, fighting against the fear trying to grip her. "He's back, Jace."

"I know he is. But this time, you have me."

"He almost killed you already! He's so dangerous. Worse than Grigori—"

"Hey." Jace touched her jaw, forcing her gaze to his. "Look at me. You're safe now. Do you understand? He doesn't have you."

"But he's out there. He's hunting me. He—"

"He will die if he comes near you." The edge to Jace's voice made chills race down her spine. In that moment, she suddenly saw the ruthless alpha who would do whatever it took to protect those who mattered. Gone was the guilt over her sister's death. Gone was his fear about being coerced into a murderous shift. He was elemental alpha, a deadly predator who could never be stopped.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him, shocked by the change in him. Suddenly, his shattered ankle didn't matter. Nothing could stop him from protecting her.
Nothing.
The fear that had been haunting her for so long slipped away, replaced by a visceral awareness of Jace as a man.

He threaded his fingers through her hair, and lightly tugged her toward him. She went willingly, riveted by the depth of power coursing through him. His lips met hers in an instinctual connection. Her entire body shuddered at the feel of his mouth on hers, at the sensation of his body against hers. He embodied such strength, such honor, such power, and he poured them all into her with his kiss.

His mouth was hot and demanding, but at the same time, there was a gentleness to it that wrapped around her like a shield, protecting her from the darkness of her memories and the haunting whispers of her past. It was the perfect combination of fierceness and tenderness, a seduction that reached inside her and cradled the fragile part of her that was barely holding itself together in the wake of her life.

She melted into him, yielding to his kiss, needing his touch in a way that she'd never needed anyone's. After the incident with Lucius, she'd been wary, afraid to trust, afraid to let anyone get too close, especially men, and, more specifically, shifters. But from that first moment she'd heard Jace's voice, something inside her had reached for him, somehow knowing that he was the secret to her healing.

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?"