She gripped his shoulders, shifting as he drove deeper. "You don't need to say that, Jace. I want this as much as you do. It doesn't have to come with promises-"
Anger rushed through him, a deep fury that she actually believed that. "Wrong." He stilled his hips, forcing himself to stop, refusing to continue until she understood the truth. "This does have to come with promises. You matter. You deserve to be worshipped, not used and tossed aside." His fingers tightened in her hair, and urgency coursed through him. "Don't ever say that this doesn't have to come with promises. There's no other way. You need to understand that. You deserve promises, and you have them from me."
Her brow furrowed as she listened. "You mean that," she whispered, her voice soft with wonder.
"Damn right." He drove deep again, satisfaction rolling through him when she gasped. "I've been living as an alpha for years. My job has been to protect and lead, not to feel or care, but you've reached inside me and ripped apart the shields keeping me focused. You make me want to be a better man, not just a better alpha." He framed her face. "When you look at me, you see the man I want to be, the one I've been trying to be for so long. You make me feel like I have a chance. You matter, and this matters." He buried himself even more deeply inside her, and she gasped again, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
He grabbed her hand and set it on his chest, over his heart. "Tell me you feel this." His heart was thundering, and it felt hot, as if the wolf inside him was clawing to get out.
Her eyes widened, and she nodded. "I do." She spread her palm across his chest. "It feels like I'm touching your soul."
"You are."
Her face softened. "Thank you, Jace."
He framed her cheeks with his hands and kissed her, summoning the most tender, most passionate, most honest kiss he could summon, trying to let her see everything he was and everything he wanted to be. She wrapped her arms around him and held him to her, accepting his kiss, and offering him the same.
His throat tightened, and for a split second, he couldn't breathe. He felt as though he needed to wrap himself around her, threading his soul through hers until they were so tangled that they'd never come undone.
She gasped and arched beneath him, her hips moving in a tantalizing rhythm with his. He braced his palms by her shoulders, his muscles flexing as he thrust again and again, the heated coils within him twisting tighter and tighter until-
"Jace!" Abby gasped his name, her body tensing as the orgasm ripped through her, dragging Jace ruthlessly with her. He bucked against her, holding onto her as the orgasm claimed him, ricocheting back and forth between them until all that existed was an unending cycle of climax and completion, again and again until finally, mercifully, it released them both.
Jace sank down beside her, keeping most of his body on top of hers, just allowing his weight to settle on the cot. She snuggled against him, tucking herself into the shield of his body as they both fought to catch their breath. Perspiration was glistening on her body, giving it a magical sheen that almost did justice to the enormity of what had just happened.
What had just happened? He felt as though he'd fallen thousands of feet through a vortex, being spun ruthlessly around and around, until he had no equilibrium, no foundation, and no sense of where he was supposed to be. Except he knew exactly where he was supposed to be: right there, with Abby, and nowhere else.
Chapter 15
Abby rested her head on Jace's shoulder, tucking herself up against him. His arm was around her, his fingers gently playing with her hair. She sighed, amazed at how relaxed and at peace she was. Her body had been strung with tension for so long she'd forgotten what it felt like to be able to breathe deeply and let herself relax into the mattress.
It was because of Jace, and everything he offered her. She ran her hand over his chiseled chest, still in awe of his physical perfection. He was elemental beauty and grace, everything Abby wasn't, and yet, he'd made her feel like she was the oxygen he needed in order to breathe.
She spread her palm out on his chest, counting the beats of his heart. His skin was still hot, the warmth pouring into her like the warm sunlight on a cold day. Was that his wolf energy? Or just his own inner strength as a man?
He put his hand over hers, trapping it. She watched his fingers encircle hers, his strong hand dwarfing hers. "You make me feel safe," she said quietly. "After Lucius, I was afraid all the time. I felt as though he was in the shadows, stalking me, ready to attack at any moment."
His fingers tightened around hers, and he brought her hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to each knuckle. "I want you to feel safe," he said, his voice equally as soft. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, but we can't ignore the truth."
She frowned. "What truth?"
He rolled onto his side to face her, draping his leg over her hip. "The fact that if I hear that song, I will shift and kill." He traced his finger along her jaw. "You're safe with me now. I promise you that. But that song..." He shook his head. "It owns me."
Guilt settled deep in her chest. She knew he spoke the truth, because she'd seen so many wolves try to fight it, and all had failed. But she'd also seen something else. She'd seen Grigori, Lucius, and Damien learn to defeat it, because their drive for control and dominance was so strong. Jace had the same inner drive, but his was protection and safety of others...of her. Could a good heart be strong enough to defeat it, the way a black heart was? "It's not that simple," she said.
"Because Grigori and Damien have managed it." His words were grim, his jaw tight as he acknowledged that they had succeeded where he hadn't. "Tell me about Grigori. I need to know it all. Why is he after you? Why Lucius?"
She sighed, not wanting to go there, but knowing she needed to. She couldn't hide from the nightmares anymore. Grigori had Seth, and the only way to get him back was to face it. She focused on the warmth of Jace's leg over her hip, and in the intimacy between them that somehow kept the darkness of her past at bay. "My mom was Grigori's mate when he was young. They met when she was fifteen, and he was twenty-five. He was the son of the pack alpha, powerful, handsome, and charming. He was captivated by her beauty, and he claimed her. She was swept up by him and fell for him immediately. She was sixteen when she had my sister."
Jace's eyebrows went up, and he ran his hand down her arm and over her hip, as if he sensed that she needed him to ground her. "And you?"
She nodded. "She was eighteen when she had me. She'd been so young and innocent when she first met Grigori, that she couldn't see how depraved Grigori and his father were. She was completely under his spell." She bit her lip, focusing on Jace's eyes to ground herself. "I saw so many terrible things," she said. "They loved to torture innocents. Men, women, children. It didn't matter. It was-" She shook her head to clear it. "When I was seven, my nightmares were constant. I was terrified that Grigori would come into my room at night and take me, like he'd done to the others. I started singing to distract myself, then one day..." She stopped, as images of that terrible night flashed through her mind.
"Look at me, Abby." Jace's voice was gentle, drawing her gaze to him. His eyes were blazing with barely contained anger, but she knew it was toward Grigori. Somehow, his anger chased away the fear, cocooning her in his strength.
She held up her hand, and he took it, sliding his fingers between hers before bringing her hand to his lips and lightly kissing it. "Continue," he said softly, between kisses.
She watched his lips press against her skin, focusing on him instead of the memories. "I was hiding in the trees near a clearing where they'd staked out a male shifter and his two daughters. I was so scared for them, and for myself, so I started to sing. I knew they wouldn't hurt me, because I was Grigori's daughter, and therefore he was the only one allowed to hurt me. I thought singing would help bring them peace, but instead-" She stopped.
Jace slipped his hand behind her neck and kissed her, his mouth tender and demanding at the same time. He didn't stop the kiss, continuing until she melted against him, her body crying out for his touch. He broke the kiss and began to nibble down the side of her neck. "Let me guess. Your song made the dad shift and attack the others. Grigori or his dad saw it happen, figured out your talent, and decided to use you."