Dark Wolf Unbound (Heart of the Shifter #2) (9 page)

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.

P
anic 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 edge 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.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Something thudded against the front door. Lucius?

She did it again, breathing and scratching. And then a third time—

The back of the closet slid to the side, opening to a pitch-black stairway.

"Go!" Jace whispered.

"I have to close it. You first."

Jace gestured for Drake and the female wolf. They raced through, hurtling down the stairs. Jace shut the exterior closet door, then grabbed Abby. They raced through the hidden door together. The front door of the cabin crashed open and she whirled around, frantically running her hands over the wood to find the smooth spot on the inside of the door to close it. With the closet door shut, it was pitch black, too dark to see. "I can't find it!"

"Here!" Jace grabbed her hand, and brought her fingers to a section of smooth wood.

She leaned forward and blew on it, lightly scratching. One.

Toenails scrabbled on the wood, in the front room.

She breathed and scratched again. Two.

The bedroom slammed open.

Three.

The secret door slid shut with silent, well-oiled perfection.

Jace pulled her against his chest as it closed, both of them staring into the closet, waiting for the door to open. The first crack of light shone, and then the slider closed, sealing them in the darkness.

She started to run, but Jace's arm's tightened around her, holding her in place. "Don't move." His lips brushed against her ear, so softly she could barely hear it.

She froze, realizing that any sound would alert Lucius that they were there. He'd smell their scent, but he would see no way through the closet. If he heard them, however, he'd know they were there, and he'd do whatever it took to get through.

She closed her eyes, pressing herself against Jace's chest as she heard the snuffling of a wolf on the other side of the door. He was scenting her, trying to figure out where she was. Fear constricted her chest, and her heart began to hammer frantically. Lucius was only inches away from her.
Inches.
She had to run. She couldn't stay there, just waiting for him to break through the door—

Jace pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, his arms tightening around her. His chest was powerful and warm against her back, his arms heavily muscled as they crossed over her breasts. She had nowhere to go, completely trapped against him. She was his prisoner, but by being confined to his embrace, it meant she wasn't alone.

This deadly, powerful alpha was her protector, and his tight embrace was his reminder that she could count on him, to help her stay silent, to protect her if Lucius broke through, to do whatever it took.

He rested his head against hers, his cheek warm, his whiskers rough.

Abby took a shallow breath, trying to stay quiet as she focused on Jace, instead of the sounds of frantic scratching from the closet, as if Lucius was trying to dig through the floor. She concentrated on Jace's scent, an earthy combination of male and something else, something warmer, something that seemed to ease through her and take the edge off her panic.

He pressed another kiss to her neck, lower this time, almost at her collarbone. The kiss was longer this time, almost as if he were tasting her, or tempting her. Chills rippled down her spine, but they weren't from fear. They were from a sudden awareness of the intimacy of their situation. His forearms were across her breasts, pressing into her nipples. His pelvis was against her bum, nestled intimately. His lips were a shivery whisper along her neck.

A thud from the closet made her jump, but Jace tightened his arms around her, steadying her.

She closed her eyes, focusing on Jace. She breathed in his woodsy, masculine scent. She concentrated on the heat of his body, on the solidity of his frame as he held her. His arms were tight around her, his breath sending goosebumps down her back as he feathered kisses along her neck and her collarbone.

Desire fluttered in her belly, which was shocking given their situation, but she didn't fight it. She allowed Jace's presence to fill her completely, breaking through the fear tearing her down, and replacing it with a deep awareness of him as a man, of the energy sparking between them. Suddenly, her muscles didn't feel frozen with terror. Energy poured into her, a searing strength that curled through her, unwrapping every cowering part of her.

There was a thump from the bedroom, but she barely noticed it. Jace had captured her full attention, every nerve primed and waiting for his next touch.

He lightly bit her ear, his arm moving slightly so that his forearm rested against the underside of her breasts. The kisses beside by the car had been intoxicating, but this was different. It was tightly contained desire that couldn't be released. No sounds. No movement. Not even a whisper of response was allowed, with danger so close.

And yet, despite the absolute stillness of their embrace, the desire snaking through her body was fierce and bold, commanding a response from her that she couldn't give.

Jace caught her chin and turned her head toward the side, giving him better access. He kissed along her jaw, butterfly kisses that were so faint that she had to strain to feel them. His lips caressed her skin, moving closer and closer to her lips, until he finally pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

She fought the urge to inhale, to breathe in his presence, to turn in his arms and surrender to the desire he was stoking within her. Her nipples ached at the feel of his arm pressing against them, but when he splayed his other palm low across her belly, pulling her back against him, the intensity of the desire coiling within her became almost too much.

He kissed the corner of her mouth again, a silent, sensual demand. Her heart started to pound, she turned her head further, just enough...

He caught her mouth with his, a searing, claiming kiss that tore through her, making her belly pulse beneath his palm. Her hips moved involuntarily, pressing back against him as he kissed her, his tongue probing, demanding, caressing.

Danger was so close, and yet, with the closet wall between them, they were safe...as long as they were silent. One step down the staircase, and Lucius and his crew would hear them. There was no way she should be kissing Jace right now, no way she should feel safe enough to actually respond. But she knew Jace was aware of every sound from Kiernan's cabin, and he was tracking everything. Jace was simply too lethal to be distracted by a kiss—

He slipped his fingers past the waistband of her jeans, his hand warm on her belly.

She sucked in her breath, but he caught her gasp in a searing kiss, his forearm tightening over her breasts, trapping her against his body. What was he doing? This wasn't the time for this—

He slid his hand lower, his fingertips brushing against the waistband of her underwear. For a split second, she wished that she was the way she'd once been, wearing silk thongs and lacy bras just to feel sexy. Since the attack by Lucius, she'd hid behind cotton underwear and sports bras, refusing to allow herself to crave the touch of a man, unable to even imagine trusting a man enough to let him touch her intimately. But now, with Jace's hand sliding over the cotton, she wished, oh, how she wished, she could be the woman she'd once been, to respond to him the way she wanted to.

But she wasn't.

She was broken. Afraid. Damaged.

Tears burned in her eyes as she caught his wrist, stopping him.

He immediately moved his hand higher, back to her stomach. This time, however, he kept his hand beneath her shirt, so he was still touching her bare skin. He traced circles on her skin, tender, seductive caresses that made her belly tighten...until she realized he was tracing the scars on her stomach.

Revulsion tore through her, and she grabbed his wrist again, trying to get his hand away from her. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be exposed like this. She didn't want to need a man's touch like she needed Jace's. She didn't want to be hiding in the shadows being fondled by one shifter while another hunted her. This wasn't who she wanted to be. She wanted to be outside, in the sunshine, running free, without fear, without constraint.

But Jace didn't let her move his hand. He kept it pressed to her belly, still tracing designs on her skin. She wanted to smack his hand. She wanted to wrench herself out of his arms and shout at him to leave her alone. But she was trapped by the threat of Lucius, unable to make a sound or any kind of movement that would make him aware that they were right on the other side of the wall.

Tears trickling down her cheeks, she leaned her back against Jace's shoulder, unable to run away from him or what he was making her feel. She gave up fighting, and tried to find that place she'd been living in for so long, the one where she shut down everything that made her heart hurt, everything that made her scared, everything that made her feel.

She tried to make herself hard again, but Jace's rhythmic touch on her belly kept distracting her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore him, but she couldn't. His hand was warm and steady. It felt as though he were pouring heat into her belly, releasing the knots that had been there for so long. His body was relaxed, not tensed with revulsion at what he was touching. She tried to keep herself tense, preparing for when he'd decide he'd had enough and withdrew the touch that felt so good.

Except, he didn't stop. He didn't try to move his hand lower again. He simply kept his hand on her belly, tracing light circles on her skin. Her skin was so scarred she shouldn't have been able to feel him so well, but somehow, his touch was able to penetrate the deadened nerves. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to relax into his touch. It began to feel natural to have him touching her damaged body. Comforting. Reassuring.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck again, and she closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation of being so close to him. They were touching in so many places. Her back against his chest. His lips on her neck. His forearm across her breasts. His hand on her stomach. So much physical contact breathing warmth and heat into her. It was surreal and beautiful, something she'd gone without for so long that she'd forgotten how much she needed it.

Or maybe it wasn't simply being touched. Maybe it was
Jace's
touch that felt so good. He made her feel beautiful, not disfigured. He made her feel safe, not afraid. He made her feel alive, like a woman, like someone who wasn't broken irretrievably.

Slowly, hesitantly, almost afraid he wouldn't be there, she turned her head to the side again, tipping her chin back over her shoulder toward him. His mouth found hers instantly, a searing hot kiss that sent electricity sparking through her body. The kiss was hot and demanding this time, and she didn't know whether it was his need or hers that had escalated it.

She shifted against him, trying to stay still, but unable to contain the need he was stoking inside her. His hand continued to stroke her belly, but he didn't move it lower. She wanted him to try again. She wanted him to touch her. Just for a brief moment. Just to know what it felt like again.

Without intending to, without making the decision, she found her fingers wrapping around his wrist again. His hand stilled, just as it had before. His mouth stilled on hers as well.

No, no, no. That wasn't what she'd meant. Nervously, almost afraid of what she wanted, and of whether he might reject her, she moved his hand lower, over her scarred belly, sliding their hands past the waistband of her jeans.

For a moment, he didn't respond. Heat flared in her cheeks. What had she been thinking? Mortified, she tugged on his wrist, but this time, for the first time, he ignored her silent request. Instead, he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of her boring, cotton underwear and slid through her curls.

She swallowed, suddenly nervous, but before she could think about it, he took her mouth in a devastating kiss of unilateral possession. She wanted to turn around in his arms and kiss him, but his forearm across her breasts kept her still, pinned against him, so all she could do was turn her head. His kiss was hot and demanding, no longer holding back, shattering all her defenses. She kissed him back, desperate for what he could give her, but as soon as she kissed him, he slipped his fingers between her damp folds.