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."
Chapter 8
Abby 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?"