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“I don’t know, J. Henrik was running for you, and the air started vibrating around you. I thought you were going to shift, but then you fell to your knees. It was like a pulse of energy shot out of you, and it kept coming in shock waves. It stopped Henrik in his tracks and forced all the pack members to shift into wolf form, even Frankie.
Frankie?
“Where is she?”
Jace shot to his feet. The world spun, and David caught him. He slung Jace’s arm around his shoulders and acted as his support. As Jace searched the crowd, David lowered him onto the platform again. Jace didn’t see her anywhere.
“She’s okay, J. I was right there next to her. She’s taking care of her pack. She didn’t want to leave your side, but she had to.”
The air filled with groaning as the members of the pack transitioned into their human form. Shredded clothes covered the floor, destroyed during the transformation.
David grabbed Jace’s face with both his hands and forced him to meet his eyes. “Jace, look at me. We need to get you out of here.”
David’s words melted together as the blood drained from Jace’s face and he passed out again.
21
It took everyounce of strength Jace had in order to crack open his eyes and stare at the ceiling above him. Someone had taken all the energy in his body and sucked it out. What the hell had happened to him? He fought to keep his eyes open while he searched his brain.
The blue haze. The wolf. The shadow man. The Berserkers.
Holy shit. He tried to get up but quickly fell back onto the couch where he’d been lying. Damn it. He pushed against the cushions with his elbows. He had to get up.
Where was he? His gaze darted around the room. David’s apartment?
Someone touched his shoulder and urged him to stay down. Shane’s face swam into view, looming over him. “Don’t try getting up. You need to save your strength if you’re going to channel...well, whatever the hell that Berserker shit was again.”
Jace gaped. “How in the hell do you know about—”
“I did some research based on what Frankie and David told me about what happened to you and the symbol on your back,” Shane interrupted. The two hunters stood over him. “We know what you are, and when you tried to shift, part of your power unleashed.”
The room spun. Jace covered his face with his hands and tried to steady his breathing. Out of this world. The whole situation was out of this world.
David’s voice carried from the other side of the room. “Hang on, J, and I’ll help you sit up.”
Jace frowned and started trying to get up again.
David limped to Jace’s side and supported him. “Don’t push it. You need to conserve your energy, so you can do that again—and right this time.”
Jace growled at him. “The hell I do.”
David gripped him by the shoulders and held him firmly in place. “Jace, you have to. It’s our only chance to beat Robert. To save Allyson.” He dug his fingers into Jace’s shoulder blades, his frustration clear on his face. He over-enunciated each word. “I willnotlet you fuck this up. If you don’t doeverythingin your power to find Allyson, I will personally take a hatchet to your head.”
If it were anyone else saying those words, Jace would have pounded them to a bloody pulp. Well, if he could have moved without feeling like he was about to topple over, anyway. He examined David’s face, and he knew that underneath the anger, his friend was dying to get back the woman he loved.
Damn it. He couldn’t mess this up. “How will this help me beat Robert?”
Shane raised his hand as if he were answering a question one of his fellow professors had posed. “I did some research once David described what happened to you, and I found all this information about Norse mythology and Berserkers. Most people believe the Berserkers were an elite class of warriors, but the older beliefs are more relevant here. According to this…” Shane picked up a large book off the floor.
The aged gold lettering glimmered in the light, spelling something out in a language Jace didn’t recognize. Shane flipped through the pages. “Here it is. According to the writer, a berserker must go on a journey of spirit before he can reach his full potential. Then a select few of those become berserker warriors. Is that what happened to you?”
Jace’s jaw clenched. He nodded.
Shane began to pace the room, the large book cradled in his arms. “The only problem is, it doesn’t describe how you become a berserker and gain the powers of the gods. You need to go back. You have to find out.”
Jace straightened and brushed David away. “I already know what has to be done.”
Shane stopped pacing and stared at him, and David leaned forward eagerly.
