He shifted and tore like hell down the side street behind the motel. Then he slowed his pace because he was in danger of passing out, even in magic-enhanced wolf form. He lumbered down the alley, past the back doors of a whole line of businesses, until he’d put a good two or three blocks between him and the police.
Finally, he found a door to one of the shops propped open. He shifted human, yanked on the rusted-out metal door, and stumbled inside. The back half of the store was a warehouse filled with boxes of supplies. One was marked ice cream cones. A screech of childish laughter trickled in from the front. Jared grabbed an apron off a hook and slung it over his neck, managing to cover some of his nakedness before he shoved open another door marked office.
Inside was a phone and no people. Thank God. He collapsed into the desk chair and dialed his brother, Jace.
“Hey, bro, how did the political machinations—”
“Jace.” Jared’s wheezy voice cut him off.
“Jesus! Jared, are you all right?”
“No.”
A peal of laughter came from the front. Shit. The last thing those kids needed was to stumble in on a bleeding half-naked man in the back. Not to mention, they’d call the cops. From the phone in his hand came sounds of shouting and scrambling.
Jace’s voice barked in his ear. “I’m grabbing Jaxson, and we’re getting in the car. What’s your location?”
Jared slumped in the chair, struggling to even stay upright. “Bring your med kit. I need stitching.” He could hear the wheeze in his voice getting worse. The room started to spin. Or maybe it was the chair. He gripped the edge of the desk to keep everything from moving.
“Stay with me, Jared.” That was Jaxson’s voice. “Jace wants me to talk to you and keep you awake, so don’t let your lazy ass fall asleep on me.” There is a brief muffled sound, then, “Location! We need to know where you are, Jared. You’re not on your cell.”
“Ice cream store.” His vision was beginning to blur. “Kids. Lots of kids. Birthday party maybe.” His head was slowly sinking to the desk, and he couldn’t seem to stop it. He just needed to rest for a little bit—then he could maybe get up and see where he was. Find an address…
“Jared! Wake up!”
But he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. He set the phone on the table, then laid his head down. So tired. The world slowly went black.
Muffled voices woke him this time. Then rough hands jostled him. A dozen of them. They lifted him up and carried him… somewhere. By the time he opened his eyes, he was in the back of one of the pack’s vans. Jace was bending over him, flashing a light in his eyes that made him squint.
“He’s conscious,” Jace told someone, not him. Then he lightly tapped Jared’s face. “Stay with me, bro. I need to stitch you up. This might hurt a little.”
Jared nodded shakily. “No scars,” he wheezed. “This time.”
Jace smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you pretty enough for Grace.” Then the humor dropped off his face, and his brother dug into a kit next to Jared. A moment later, he was digging into Jared. He must’ve swum in and out of consciousness for a while, because the next thing he knew, he was waking up on a much softer surface.
He was back in his bed at the safehouse.
Jace and Jaxson were both in his room, along with their mother. All three of them wore faces fit for a funeral. Jared tried to struggle up to sitting, but he was crazy weak. Jace saw him first and jumped out of his chair next to the bed to push Jared back down.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Jace said. “I mean, more than you usually are. You lost a lot of blood. You need to rest.” But he looked relieved to see Jared awake.
His mother and Jaxson gathered around the bed as well, worried looks on their faces.
“I’m good,” Jared said, but he could feel the weakness in it. Shit. He was a mess. And Grace was still… he didn’t know. “Where’s Grace?”
They exchanged looks. Jace spoke first. “We don’t know.”
“How long have I been out?” Jared asked. It usually only took him a few hours to recover once he got stitched up.
“About ten hours,” Jaxson said quietly, frowning.
Damn, Jared thought. He’d been out ten hours and still felt like shit? He must have been close to punching out. And for once… he was really glad that he didn’t.
“I’ll get him something to eat,” his mom said, then scurried toward the door.
Jared wanted to sit up, but Jace was still looming over him. He had that I’m an Army Shifter Medic, don’t mess with me look. He’d probably dose Jared with something to keep him down if he had to.