"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.