He leaned his head back against the door and closed his eyes, trying to focus enough to reach inside him and assess his injuries. As a shifter, he had extensive healing capacities, but he hadn't had time to work on it. He trusted Drake implicitly, and if the other wolf said the place was safe, then it was. There were only two wolves he truly trusted, and Drake was one of them.
He checked his ankle first, grimly assessing the damage. It was as bad as he'd thought. The bones were completely shattered, pulverized into fragments and dust. Not healable. Fuck. The enormity of the situation settled on him like a crushing weight. How the hell could he keep Abby safe from Lucius on one leg?
He couldn't.
Swearing under his breath, he concentrated on his ankle, pouring healing energy into it, refusing to concede defeat. "Come on," he muttered.
A light hand touched his shoulder, making him start. He grabbed it even as he opened his eyes. Abby was crouched in front of him, her eyes dark with worry. "Jace. I want you to meet Kiernan."
Beside her was the unfamiliar shifter. He was early thirties, strapping and strong. A powerful wolf that exuded dominance. He was wearing jeans and a tattered tee shirt that didn't hide the unrivaled strength of his frame. He had one hand on Abby's shoulder, possessively marking her as his.
Jace sat up quickly, his wolf roaring in fury. "Don't touch her," he snarled.
Kiernan's eyes narrowed, and Abby's mouth dropped open in shock. Shit. What had he just done? He knew what he'd done. He'd claimed her. Marked her as his own in front of a competitor. He had no business doing that, but he couldn't make himself retract it. He just met Kiernan's gaze, letting the other shifter feel the full force of his power and his claim. For a moment, Kiernan didn't move, then Abby quickly moved to Jace's other side, away from Kiernan, breaking the tension. Kiernan, Jace noticed, didn't try to stop her.
Smart move.
Abby put her hand on Jace's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Kiernan," she said softly. "Jace needs help. His ankle and his arm."
Jace narrowed his eyes at the shifter, unwilling to submit to a wolf he didn't know. "Who are you?"
"I heal." The shifter gave no other answer, but Jace could feel a humming vibration in his ankle, as if he'd already started working on Jace's leg.
"I didn't give you permission," he snapped. He didn't like this at all. He was in this shifter's lair, injured, and the only one who could vouch for him was Abby, who hadn't even been sure he was trustworthy. For all he knew, Kiernan would pull out a recording of that song and-
Shit.
He'd be fucked. He was locked in a basement with a bunch of shifters that he could turn on in a split second. What if Lucius started blasting the song from upstairs? Would they hear it? How long would it take for Jace to attack them all?
I'm on it. Drake's voice was hard and unyielding.
He locked gazes with Drake, who was standing just behind Kiernan, his hands relaxed by his side, the rest of his body primed and ready to step in. I don't like this, Drake.
Drake nodded. You need help, Jace. If he can help you, take it. He met Jace's eyes, his expression too knowing about the extent of Jace's injuries. If he pulls out the song, I'll kill him instantly. And you, if I have to.
He hated being so weak that he had to put himself in a vulnerable position. It went against every fiber of his body to endanger Abby and Drake because he needed help.
"Jace." Abby touched his shoulder, drawing his attention back to her. "Let him help you. He's gifted. He saved my life."
Jace turned his attention back to Kiernan. He studied the shifter, reaching out with his mind to try to pick up on his energy signature, but he got nothing. He couldn't even catch a scent from him. It was as if he was a mirage, not truly present. "I can't sense you."
"As it should be." Kiernan looked at him, resting one muscular forearm over his knee. "I can help you."
"Why would you?" Jace shot back.
"Because it is my calling." Kiernan's voice was calm and steady. "It is my gift and my curse. You found me, so it is my duty to help."
To his surprise, Jace felt the truth resonating in Kiernan's words. The shifter truly did believe it was his duty, and that was something Jace understood, being driven by his own duty to protect other shifters, to create a pack that would keep them safe. "I accept."
Kiernan nodded, and rose to his feet. Without another word, he walked across the room and disappeared through a door that Jace hadn't even noticed. "Chatty guy," Jace observed.
Abby stood up. "He's waiting for you. Come on."
"Back there?" Jace tried to stand, but it took both Abby and Drake's assistance to get him vertical. His body was shaking, and he could barely focus. He knew his body was going into shock, and that was not a good sign. He'd pushed hard after his injuries, yeah, but he'd done that many times in his life and he'd never hit a wall like this before.
He could barely support himself as they helped him to the other room, and the cot they set him on seemed to come up faster than he expected when he tried to sit down on it. Or maybe he'd gone down too fast. Either way, he knew he was in bad shape.
"Get him on his back." Kiernan's voice was distant, fading, and Jace frowned, trying to stay focused as several sets of hands moved him, rolling him over. Pain shot through him, and he sucked in his breath as his ankle hit the side of the cot.
"Why is he in such bad shape?" Drake asked, but Jace could barely focus on his words.
"There's silver in his blood stream," Kiernan said.
Silver? "How?" It was a tremendous effort to form the words.
"Point of entry was the ankle." Kiernan's hands closed around Jace's leg. A scream of agony tore from Jace's throat, and he fought to get his leg free, but he couldn't move.
He opened his eyes, and saw Drake leaning over him, holding him down. "Get the fuck off me."
Drake glanced at him. "Sorry, Jace. It has to be done."
Kiernan did something to his ankle again, and another scream tore from Jace's throat as the pain ricocheted through him. Jesus. He gritted his teeth, sweat streaming down his temples. He'd felt pain before, and he was an expert at managing it, but he'd never felt anything like this before.
"It's incredible he's still functioning." Kiernan sounded impressed, almost in awe. "He should have been dead hours ago. I've never seen anyone be able to compartmentalize silver before, and yet he did it, even with his body under such duress from his other injuries." More pain, and another scream.
Jace arched his back, unable to stop the scream as it tore through him. His mind was fragmenting, shattering into dozens of pieces. Memories flashed through his mind. The screams of the woman he'd killed. Melissa. Dying. Crying. The taste of her blood. His need to kill. The burning, insatiable need to kill-
"Jace." Gentle hands framed his face. "It's Abby. Focus on me."
Her voice was like an angel's whisper, easing the agony trying to consume him. He focused on her green eyes, letting himself be swept away by her voice. Her warmth seemed to wrap around him, a soothing, powerful shield that distanced Kiernan and Drake, leaving him with only Abby. He reached for her, and she took his hand, squeezing tightly.
Pain screamed through his body now, as if Kiernan had released the silver and it was burning him up from the inside out, his blood searing its way through his veins. It felt wrong what he was doing. It felt dangerous. It felt like death. He tried to get up, but Drake was still holding him down. "No," Jace gritted out. "It's wrong. Don't trust him. Stop him."
Drake and Abby looked at each other across Jace's body, and he saw their silent exchange. Then the searing pain slammed into his brain, and darkness descended.
Chapter 13
Jace snapped awake, bolting upright in bed. The room was pitch black, but his eyes adjusted swiftly as he rapidly assessed the situation. Abby was asleep on a chair next to the cot, and Drake was standing guard in the hallway just outside the door. He could sense the other two shifters in a room down the hall, but he couldn't find Kiernan. He sensed no other shifters at all.
The hold was secure.
Some of his tension eased, and Jace took a moment to look around. He was in a windowless, cramped room, less than six feet wide, housing only the cot, and Abby's chair. The night was silent, and quiet, no tension lurking, giving him the chance to breathe again. He was in Kiernan's lair, and it was secure at the moment.