Liam continued, “We have to figure out what it is that makes the Collars work as one piece. What that third element is, so to speak. Magic, technology . . . and something that slides in between.”
“And I’m the guinea pig?” Jace asked.
“Only if you want to be, lad. We won’t force you.”
But this was why Jace had come. He’d learned, slowly over the last year, how to control his Collar. He’d been teaching his father and others in his Shiftertown how to do it, and preparing himself for Collar removal. The Morrisseys had learned to make fake Collars that would fool humans, but only two Shifters thus far wore them—Andrea, Sean’s mate, and Tiger, a Shifter who’d been created by humans. Tiger had never worn a Collar before he came to Shiftertown, and when they’d tried to put one on, he’d gone even crazier than he already was. Liam had decided a fake Collar for Tiger was the best solution.
Andrea had worn a real Collar most of her life, but strangely, it had never worked on her. Andrea was half Fae. Sean’s theory was that her Fae-ness somehow counteracted the magic inside the Collar. Or else her healing magic did—Andrea was a healer. Andrea’s Collar had come off easily, in any case.
The Morrisseys were trying to apply what they’d learned from Andrea to other Shifters, but they still hadn’t figured out the details. It was tough to find Shifters stable enough, trustworthy enough, and willing enough to let themselves be lab rats for the Collar experiments. Hence, Jace’s trips to Austin.
Jace opened his arms and shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
Sean picked up a soldering iron. “Be best if you held still.”
Jace looked at the pencil-thin device, which hummed a little as Sean turned it on. The tip would be turning brutally hot.
“Seriously?” Jace asked him.
Sean attempted to keep a worried look off his face as he approached, which didn’t make Jace feel any better. “We’re trying to both find a safe way to remove the Collars and discover their secret at the same time,” Sean said. “I volunteered myself, but Dad and Liam won’t let me.”
“Because you’re the Guardian,” Jace said as sweat broke out on his face. “If this kills you, ripples will be felt throughout Shiftertown—the Shifter world, even. Kill me, and the ripples will be smaller.”
“No killing,” Sean said quickly. “We’ll stop short of killing.”
“Whew.” Jace’s heart beat faster, but he kept his voice light. “Thank the Goddess for small favors.”
“I’d love to tell you this won’t hurt,” Sean said. He raised the soldering iron.
Liam closed in on Jace’s other side. “You going to be all right, lad? No ripping into us, I mean?”
A bead of sweat trickled down Jace’s back, and he curled his hands to fists. “Let’s find out.”
“Dad should be here,” Liam said. “But he told us not to wait.”
“How did he tell you?” Jace kept his eyes on the hot tip of the iron. “He’s in jail.”
“He’s good at getting messages to us,” Sean said. “He wants us to start. He must know something.”
“Possibly,” Jace said. He clenched his jaw, fists tightening.
Something cold touched the side of Jace’s neck. A knife—a very small, delicate one, wielded by Liam. Sean held the iron competently between steady fingers and brought it close to Jace’s throat.
“The heat loosens the metal without tearing you,” Liam said. His knife nicked Jace’s skin, just barely.
“You know this how?” Jace asked. Neither Sean nor Liam answered. Jace didn’t want to move his throat by swallowing, but he couldn’t help but lick his dry lips. “Ah, so you don’t know.”
“We’ve done a lot of thinking on this,” Liam said. “Someone’s got to be the first.”
“Sean said you took Andrea’s off with a knife alone.”
“True, but Andrea’s wasn’t fused to her nervous system. Trust me, we’ll do this slowly. Only a link or two today. More tomorrow if it works.”
“If it works,” Jace repeated. “Your skills at reassurance are terrific, Liam. What a hell of a Shiftertown leader you must make.”
“Stop talking,” Liam said. “Stay very, very still.”
Jace was doing this for the good of all Shifters, he reminded himself. Shifters for years to come would benefit from Jace’s sacrifice.
It was that word—sacrifice—that Jace was having trouble with at the moment.
The knife blade cut. At the same time, Sean darted in with the iron. Searing heat radiated across Jace’s neck and down his spine. He felt a wildcat snarl begin deep inside but he tamped it down as hard as he could. If he shifted now, who the hell knew what would happen to him?
Liam and Sean backed off as swiftly as they’d gone in. Jace opened his eyes and shook his head, the pain easing. He blinked, realizing he viewed the other two through cat’s eyes. He relaxed his hands and found he’d gouged his own palms with leopard claws.
He drew a ragged breath, willing all of himself to resume human form. “Is that it?”
Liam shook his head. “Started it. A little bit more, and we’ll have a link or two off. Then drinks are on me.”
“It’s eight in the morning.”
“I’m thinking you won’t care what time it is when we’re done, lad. Plus, you had one hell of a night last night. So did we. Beer is a good thing.”
Jace drew in a deep breath through his nose. “All right,” he said. He released the breath. “I’m ready.”
Sean jammed the iron onto Liam’s knife blade, and the searing knife slid under Jace’s skin. “Oh, son of a f—” Jace’s words became a wildcat snarl. He slammed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the world rock if he shifted.
The process took longer this time. Liam’s breath brushed Jace’s neck as he leaned close, his lion’s scent different enough from the Feline scents Jace had grown up with to make his leopard a little crazy.
After an agonizing stretch of time, Liam stepped back, Sean took away the iron, and the pain, mercifully, let up. Jace opened his eyes again, taking deep breaths until his killing instincts calmed down.
His clothes were drenched with sweat, his body shaking. Jace wiped his face with the back of his hand and moved his fingers toward his neck.
“Careful,” Liam said. “That’s going to be a little tender.”