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Jace cleared his throat. “There needs to be a blood sacrifice. He said, ‘blood of my blood.’ I need to kill a member of my own family.”
A brief moment of silence passed while Shane and David glanced at each other.
Shane let out a long breath. “Shit.” His eyes turned toward David. “You can’t ask anyone to do that, David, not even for Allyson.”
David scoffed. He pointed a large finger straight at Shane. “Oh, yes we can.” Turning toward Jace, his eyes filled with determination; he was ready for a fight. “J, you need to track down that deadbeat father of yours and pay him back for all those years of abuse.”
Jace stood slowly and walked across the room. Aside from Frankie, who knew only the bare bones, David was the only one who was aware of his history with his old man. Jace swallowed his anger. “I don’t know where he is. I don’t even know if he’s alive. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid.”
Shane slammed the book down on the table. “I’ll get right on that.” He hurried from the room, presumably heading off to find his ever-present laptop.
Silence hung in the air. Jace leaned against the wall, too weak to hold himself up, while David buried his face in his hands.
“I can’t lose her again, J. Not like this,” David finally said. “I would fight for her myself, if I could. But injured like this…you’re right. All I’d do is get both of us killed.” He glanced up at Jace, a look of pure desperation on his face. “You can do this, can’t you?”
“Kill my father?” Jace stared at the wall. The memories of his father beating him, his mother until she lay sobbing on the kitchen floor invaded his mind.
His father turned his head, directing his anger toward Jace, his eyes glowing gold.
“If I knew where he was, I would’ve done it already.” Jace shook his head. This whole situation was so messed up. “Where’s Frankie? Is she okay?”
“She was fine the last time I saw her. Dealing with the fallout among her pack.”
Jace lifted a brow.
“She told them all you were her mate, J. Went to bat for you. Told Amarok she didn’t need to marry him for their pack’s to be in partnership, and defended you, who you are, what you do, what you mean to her.” David’s eyes softened. “You would have been fucking proud of her, J. I wish you could have seen it. She’s something fierce, and there’s no doubt she’s in love with you.”
Pain squeezed Jace’s chest. Fuck, he wished he’d seen it, too. Wish he could have been there to stand beside her.
I love you, Jace.
Her words had played in his head on a constant loop ever since she’d said them. But now, in the wake of everything, doubt crept in.
Would it be enough?
He wouldn’t be certain until he saw her for himself.
A deep feeling tugged at Jace’s gut, and he knew he needed to be by her side. Go to her. A low growl escaped his throat. He wasn’t sure what instinct told him that, but it did.
“I need to see her,” he said.
David straightened. “Jace, you can’t. You need to stay focused right now.”
Without hesitating, Jace said, “Aside from the brotherhood, she’s been my only partner in tracking this sicko, and in life,” he said, “I need to see her. We need to go after himnow.” He needed to tell her the truth. He’d never said the words back, and he should have.
He’d let his actions alone speak for him.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again. She deserved both.
He shoved himself away from the wall, using all the energy his body had left to get himself out of there. Groaning, he stood up straight and stumbled toward the door.
“J!” David followed behind him as fast as he could. “J, listen to me.”
“Trust me on this, David.” Jace growled over his shoulder. “I know what I’m doing.”
He never felt more powerful than when he was beside her, or more powerless, but there was strength in that vulnerability. He saw that clearly now.
Jace left and headed straight for the old dance studio.
