Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2) Read online

  Jace ran his hand through his hair. “That could be anywhere—”

  “No, it couldn’t.” She looked up at the ceiling. “There were times I could hear him talking to other people. I could hear what was going on in here. It’s somewhere close.”

  Jace frowned and looked around again. He’d seen the outside of the cabin and he knew the perimeter was accounted for, and it was clear there was no second story. “There’s only one option. It has to be underneath.” He grabbed a bandage from a stash by the bed and wrapped it around his arm, using his teeth to secure it. As he wrapped it, he studied the floor carefully, inspecting each of the boards. Abby did the same, carefully testing each one, in the closet and in the main area.

  After they’d both checked the entire floor, she looked at him. “Nothing?”

  “Nothing.”

  The shifter in the bed groaned, and Jace glanced over at him. He was surprised to see his eyes open and watching them. His mouth moved, as if he was trying to say something, fighting for consciousness.

  The same instincts that had turned him into an alpha willing to protect his wolves made him go to the injured wolf and crouch next to him. “What is it?”

  The shifter’s eyes were bloodshot. “My sister,” he croaked. “Help her.”

  “Your sister?”

  “That must be the black wolf Drake has,” Abby gasped. “Oh, God, she was trying to keep her brother safe, not attack us offensively. I need to go get her—”

  Jace locked his fingers around her wrist, keeping her close. There was no chance he was sending her out there until he had more information. “What happened to you?” As he asked, he scanned the shifter, cataloguing his injuries. Most of the damage appeared to have been centered on his abdomen…much like Abby’s. “Lucius?”

  The shifter closed his eyes and nodded. Abby tensed, her fingers digging into Jace’s shoulder. “Lucius did this?” she whispered. “It’s the same as what he did to me.” She looked over her shoulder at the window. “We need to get out of here.”

  Jace put his hand on the shifter’s forehead. His skin was cold, too cold. Shifters always ran hot, even when they weren’t about to shift. The man was in dangerous condition, which was probably why his sister had brought him to Kiernan…only Kiernan couldn’t be found. He leaned forward, sensing what the shifter needed from him. “I’ll make sure your sister is safe from him.”

  The shifter nodded once, almost imperceptibly, but the tension slipped from his body, as if he were finally letting go.

  “Oh, no.” Abby fell to her knees beside him. “No, don’t give up. We’ll find Kiernan. He’ll save you.”

  The shifter didn’t respond. His only movement was the very shallow movement of his chest as he breathed.

  “No! Don’t give up!” Abby grabbed his hand, pressing it between her palms, tears pooling in her eyes. “Come on! Don’t let him win.”

  Jace set his hand on her back, rubbing gently, even though he knew he couldn’t take away the pain of her memories, and the moment. “We need to get his sister, so she can say goodbye.”

  Abby looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. “Lucius has killed so many,” she whispered. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “You can. Seth needs us.” Jace grabbed the edge of the bed and hauled himself up. “We need to get this guy’s sister—”

  Abby leapt up. “I’ll do it. She won’t trust you or Drake. You stay here with him.”

  “I’m not leaving you—”

  “Drake is outside!” she shouted at him, suddenly angry. “Someone needs to stay with him. It has to be you.”

  Jace frowned. “Me? Why?”

  “Because you’re a wolf! Don’t you get it?”

  Jace caught her arm, holding gently. “No,” he said softly. “I don’t get it. Talk to me.”

  “My sister died alone! I was alone in that room for almost twenty-four hours after Lucius attacked me. My mom was killed and left to die alone.” Tears glistened on her cheeks, and her hands started to shake. “Do you know what it’s like to think you’re going to die alone? That no one else understands the pain you’re in? That there are so many things left undone and you can’t do them, because there’s no one coming to help? Because no one is going to come in time? Don’t you get it?”

  Her pain was raw and ragged, spilling out from the place he knew she’d kept it locked up for so long. Silently, he wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her against him. For a split second, she fought it, and then she collapsed into him, burying her face in his shoulder.

  Jace pressed a kiss to her hair. “I won’t let that happen to you,” he said quietly. “I will track you down no matter what happens. I swear it.” As he said the words, he realized he meant it. Not for Seth’s sake. Not to atone for the fact he’d killed her sister. But simply because of her, because she mattered. Yeah, he knew he would never be worthy of her after what he’d done, but that didn’t change the fact that her bravery and loyalty affected him deeply. Those traits were the core of what defined him and so few people lived by them. But she did.

  He ached for the pain she’d endured, for the fear she’d lived under for so long. He had to make it end. He had to give her the freedom to live without fear again. Suddenly, it wasn’t simply about rescuing Seth. It was about giving the woman in his arms the ability to live again without the memories haunting her.

  Abby pulled back, searching his face. “Say it again.”

  “Which part? That I won’t let it happen to you?” At her nod, he tightened his grip on her, pulling her tight against him. “I won’t let that piece of shit ever touch you again,” he said. “I will track you down and find you, no matter what happens. I give you my oath.”

  She searched his face, and sudden tears glistened in her eyes. “I’ll hold you to that, Jace,” her voice was thick with emotion, tainted with the fear that had haunted her since Lucius’s attack.

  “You won’t need to. I meant it. I keep my promises.” How the hell he was going to do it with half his limbs compromised, he didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. There was something about Abby that awakened his protective instincts. She wasn’t a stray wolf who needed containment. She was love, courage, and loyalty, things that were so lost in the world he lived in. Somehow, he felt as though his job was to be her strength, to create the safe place for her that would allow her light to continue to shine. “Stay here.” He wrapped his arm around her and reached out for Drake. The alley wolf’s brother is in here dying. She was protecting him. Let her in. He doesn’t have much time.

  There was a pulse of respect from Drake. Got it.

  Jace’s good leg was aching now, and his muscles were beginning to tremble from the effort of supporting himself. As his adrenaline began to fade, the extent of his injuries became more apparent. The bandages on his arm were already soaked with blood, as were those on his ankle. He’d lost far too much blood already, and his body had little healing strength remaining.

  “Jace?” Abby frowned, and suddenly he realized his legs were giving out on him. He tried to right himself, but the ground seemed to rise up and grab him. Abby grabbed for him, but her fingers slipped off as he hit the ground.

  He rolled onto his back, the gun across his chest as Abby crouched beside him. “Jace!”

  “I just need a second.”

  He heard the front door open, and he gestured at Abby. “Get back. I need a clear line to the door.”

  “You’re going to shoot her?”

  “If I have to.” His vision swam out of focus, but he rolled onto his side and raised his gun, leveling it at the door. He was innately aware of Abby behind him, and he knew exactly where she was. The door opened, and Jace tensed.

  Drake’s silver wolf walked in first, blocking the door as he scanned the room. He saw Jace on the floor, and his eyes narrowed. He immediately trotted over to Jace and stood beside him, facing the door, offering his alpha his protection. This is stupid, Jace. You don’t know what she’s capable of.


  Her brother’s dying. It was enough.

  The alley wolf appeared in the door, crouched low, her lips curled in a snarl as she eyed the room, prepared for a trap, just as Jace was. Jace kept the gun on her. “I will use this,” he said. “Don’t make me. I promised your brother I would keep you safe from Lucius. You’re under my protection now.”

  At the mention of her brother, she snapped her gaze to the cot. When she saw how still he was, she let out a low whine and sprinted across the room. She nudged him, whining softly, her tail tucked between her legs. With a soft cry of distress, she shifted back to human form, taking her brother’s hand in hers. “Roarke, you have to hang on. Don’t give up.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Jace felt the urge to look away, to give her privacy, but he couldn’t take the risk.

  Drake shifted to human form with innate ease, grabbed a sheet off a stack in the corner, and then strode across the room. The woman leapt up, her eyes wide with fear as he approached. He held out the sheet silently. She glanced down, belatedly realizing her nakedness, and took the sheet from him with a quick nod of appreciation.

  Drake stepped back as she wrapped it around herself and sank down on her brother’s cot, holding his hand between hers.

  Jace groaned and lowered the gun, rolling onto his back again. “Put some clothes on,” he gritted out. He hadn’t even noticed the woman’s nudity, but he was extremely aware that Drake was parading around in front of Abby stark naked. He was surprised to realize he didn’t like it. It was his wolf reacting, claiming Abby as his own.

  Drake raised his brows, glanced at Abby, who cleared her throat and looked away. He winked at Jace, and then strolled to the closet. “On it.”

  “We need to find the other room.” Jace rolled to his side, grunting with pain when his arm bumped the floor.

  “What other room?” Drake asked as he grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet. He was watching the brother and sister duo carefully, not taking his gaze off them.

  “I don’t know.” Jace glanced at Abby. She understood his unspoken need, and crouched beside him to help him to his feet. He swayed against her, fighting to keep his balance. “This place belongs to a powerful healer. There’s a hidden room somewhere. We need to find it.”

  Drake narrowed his eyes, watching Jace carefully. “What happened to you?”

  “Bear trap. Wolf bite. A few minor injuries.” Jace closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses. There were no other wolves around, but he reached past the superficial information in the air, summoning the depth of his powers that had propelled him to an alpha position. He latched onto Kiernan’s scent, allowing it to reach inside him. He softened his mind, allowing his essence to mingle with the molecules in the air, becoming one with them, so he could pick up every nuance in the cabin. It was risky to do it, because he lost contact with his present, but he knew Drake had his back, and they were in trouble.

  His mind flew through the room, searching every corner, every nook, every sliver, for the scent he knew had to exist. He tunneled through the room they were in, and then out into the main room. He felt his way along the boards, but again, there was nothing. No trail at all. Swearing, he retraced his steps, back to their room, to the closet where the scent was the strongest… Stronger than it should have been. “It’s in the closet.”

  He opened his eyes, surprised to find he was on the ground again, with Abby’s cool hands on his forehead. Her touch felt amazing, easing the heat boiling within him. Her brow was furrowed. “You passed out.”

  “I did not.” He tried to sit up, swaying toward her in a ridiculous display of weakness. “I was focusing.” Drake held out his hand, and Jace grabbed it, allowing the other wolf to pull him to his feet. He was showing his weakness now, an often fatal move for an alpha, but he didn’t care anymore.

  Too much was at stake. He trusted Drake to stand by him, and protect him. “The closet.”

  Leaning on Abby, he headed toward the closet again, feeling the walls of it again. Abby helped him, her body brushing up against his as they went over each inch of the closet.

  “Jace! Look! Here!”

  He leaned over her, his shoulder brushing hers as he pressed his fingers to a divot in the wood. The wood was smooth and polished, as if it had been worn smooth by years of touching. “This has to be it.” He moved his fingers over the crevice, trying to figure out how to open it.

  “Jace.” Drake’s voice was taut. “Wolves incoming. At least ten. From the north.”

  Jace spun around and lifted his head, reaching out, but he couldn’t pick anything up. No scent. No sound. But Drake didn’t need scent or sound. He could sense wolves from miles away, based only on their energy signature. “Grigori?”

  Abby sucked in her breath and swung around, her fingers digging into Jace’s shoulder. “Lucius?”

  “Not Grigori, but they’re not hiding their approach. They’re moving fast.” Drake was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the north wall as if he could see right through it. “They’re in vehicles. Moving fast.”

  “Oh, God.” The girl by the bed leapt to her feet. “They followed us. Oh, no.” She spun around, her eyes wild. “We have to leave,” she said. “They’ll kill us—”

  “No time. They’re too close.” Drake met Jace’s gaze. No words were spoken, but he knew the stakes. There was no way they would win, not with Jace’s injuries, against ten wolves trained by Grigori.

  Swearing, he ran his fingers over the wall of the closet. “We need to open this and get in there.”

  Abby flung herself at the wall, frantically searching. “It has to be somewhere. A hinge or something.”

  Drake strode over to the bed. “I’ll get your brother. Help them search.”

  For a split second, the woman stared at Drake. Jace understood her dilemma. How could she trust strangers? But how could she not? They were all the chance she and her brother had. Finally, she nodded. “If you hurt him, I will kill you,” she snapped.

  “You can try,” Drake said mildly, even as he reached past her to pick up her brother.

  Clutching the sheet around her, she raced over to the closet, dropping to her knees beside Abby, frantically running her hands over the back wall of the closet, looking for a trigger point that would open some hidden door

  Drake moved up behind them, the injured shifter in his arms. “Three minutes until arrival.”

  Jace swore and thudded his fist against the wood. This wasn’t working. They didn’t have time to search randomly. He needed a strategy, and he needed it now. “Abby.”

  She whirled around to look at him, her face ashen. “It’s Lucius,” she whispered. “I know it’s him. He’s coming.”

  Her fear stuck him like a cold knife, and he swore at his answering instinct to drag her into his arms, sprint to the car and get her to safety. Except there was only one road out, and they’d run into the incoming shifters on their way. Their only option was to open the blasted door.

  Jace set his hands on her shoulders, gazing steadily at her face, as if the clock wasn’t ticking with deadly quickness. “Abby. You know Kiernan well. What would he use as a safeguard to protect his entrance?”

  She looked at him frantically. “Seriously? I don’t know—”

  “You do know.” He tightened his grip on her shoulders. “Close your eyes and picture him. He must have come and gone countless times while you were his patient. You must know how he does it.”

  “Two minutes,” Drake said.

  Jace ignored him, forced himself to remain calm, sending out reassuring energy to Abby. “You’ve got this, Abby. I know you do.”

  She glanced at the others, and then back at him. Her face was ashen. “Jace—”

  “You can do this.”

  If she couldn’t, they were all dead.

  Chapter 11

  Panic hammered at Abby, but she focused her attention on Jace. His gaze was steady, his jaw flexed. He acted as if they had all the time in the world, and that took a little bit of the edg
e off her.

  “Come on!” The female shifter banged her fist on the back of the closet, anguish tearing through her voice. Her fear knifed through Abby, jerking her back to awareness. This wasn’t just about her. It was about all of them, including another woman who was on Lucius’s radar.

  It was up to her. Fierce determination surged through her. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her thoughts race back to the hellish recovery time she’d tried so hard to forget. She remembered the scents of earth and healing. Of plants. She remembered the pain—

  “It’s okay.” Jace lightly squeezed her shoulders, his voice forming a protective shield around the memories, giving her the distance she needed to focus on it. “You’re safe.”

  She wrapped her fingers around Jace’s wrists, grounding herself in his solid strength as she tumbled back into the past. Her mind flashed around the room she’d been confined to for so long. She ignored the things that weren’t relevant, her thoughts racing to the door at the end of the room, the one where Kiernan always emerged from.

  She thought back to the sounds that had always indicated his arrival. The sound of a gentle wind, the light scratching of a bird searching for earthworms, the whisper-light sound of his footsteps. Kiernan was grace and beauty. Understated. Light, like a feather, moving through life with more delicacy than anyone she’d ever met—-

  Her eyes snapped open. “I know.”

  “What is it?”

  “Finesse.” She raced to the back of the closet, where the polished wood was. She bent forward so her lips were hovering above it. Lightly, so lightly, she blew on it, the faintest breath of wind. As her breath warmed the wood, she lightly scratched the worn wood, letting her fingernails drift over it so softly that it would never leave a mark.