Trace's Temptation (RARE Series, #3) (10 page)

Shaking his head, Trace struggled to his feet with Jade’s help.  “That bastard isn’t seeing me naked,” he muttered. 

Chuckling, Jade said, “Good.  Let’s get dried off and get you into bed.  You need rest.”  After shutting off the water, Jade pulled back the curtain and grabbed a towel.  Gently she dried Trace’s body, mindful of the bruising and any open wounds.  Tears streamed down her face as she thought about the hell he must have endured.  When he was dry, Jade quickly stepped out and dried herself off before pulling on her clothes.  Going back to where Trace waited, Jade cupped his face and kissed his lips.  Frowning, she pulled back and felt his forehead with the back of her hand.  “Do you have a fever?” she asked.  “I thought you were warm before, but you are extremely hot now.  Is it from the shower?”

Trace sighed and lightly urged Jade to the door.  Following her slowly, he grabbed onto of the sink to help hold himself up.  “It’s a fever,” he said as he shuffled from the sink to the door.  Quickly wrapping a towel around his waist, Jade slid an arm around him and helped him through the door and to the bed. 

Rikki stood by the window lost in thought, a wistful look on her face.  Her long, black hair was in a thick braid down her back.  She was dressed in a black fleece sweater, camo pants and black combat boots.  She wore a 9mm at her hip, and Jade knew she had several knives hidden on her as well.  The feeling of sorrow and despair radiating from Rikki was disturbing.  Jade caught the glimpse of the same handsome, dark haired man that she’d seen before in Rikki’s mind before shutting the image out.  It wasn’t fair to Rikki to delve in her personal life without her knowledge.  However, she could help with the emotions that were bombarding Rikki. 

Trace immediately fell asleep once he was settled in bed under the warm covers.  Jade kissed him tenderly on the forehead before walking over to Rikki and lightly touching her arm.  Slowly she started pushing calming energy Rikki’s way.  After a few moments Rikki whispered, “What did you do to me?” 

“I helped you,” was all Jade would tell her.  They stood there in silence for several minutes before Rikki whispered, “I don’t understand why he doesn’t want me.”

“He?” Jade questioned as she slid an arm around Rikki’s shoulders, hugging her as she pushed more soothing vibes in her direction.  Rikki and Flame were the closest thing to friends Jade had ever had.  She hated to see Rikki suffering.

Sighing deeply, Rikki pulled out of Jade’s embrace and sat down in the chair next to them.  “His name’s Jeremiah.  Jeremiah Black.”

“The man with the FBI?” Jade asked in surprise. 

“Yeah, him,” Rikki responded as she stared at the floor refusing to meet Jade’s eyes.  “When I was captured by the General, he came on the rescue mission with RARE.  I was shocked to see him, to be honest, because all he’d ever done before was give us our orders.”  Looking up at Jade, Rikki whispered, “I heard Jaxson say Jeremiah is my mate.”

“Oh, Rikki,” Jade murmured as she knelt in front of her.  No wonder Rikki was so upset.  Even though she was human, she would still feel the pull toward her mate.  And she would feel the rejection when he didn’t claim her.  “Wait,” Jade said in confusion.  “How long have you known Jeremiah?”

“I don’t know?  Three years, almost four,” Rikki said.  “I didn’t actually meet him at first.  Angel always dealt with him over the phone.  But after one rescue, he met us at the airport when we arrived back at the hangar.  He wanted to personally pick up the man for some reason.”  Clearing her throat, Rikki continued softly, “I felt something almost immediately for him, but I didn’t know what it was.  It got worse every time he came around, which was more often after that first meeting.  He was so damn sexy, and...well, I tried to mask my desire as much as I could.  I knew he was a shifter and I didn’t want him to know how I felt.”  Raising a pain filled gaze to Jade, Rikki whispered, “He never once acted like he cared.  Never looked at me, never touched me.  But he cared enough to be a part of the mission to save me.  Then he just left.  I haven’t heard from him since.  If he cared enough to come to Arizona, why did he leave me, Jade?  Why hasn’t he been to see me?”

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, Jade would not leave the child to wake up alone.

~

F
eeling 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.

W
hen 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.