“The third element,” Sean said. He dangled a Collar from his hand, Jace’s Collar, which Sean had found in the wreckage. “Silver and human technology, fused together by Fae gold. Whether the gold is already in the Collar or only put into it when the Collar goes on the Shifter’s neck, we don’t know yet.”
“Or how to use that knowledge to get the Collars off,” Jace said.
Sean studied Jace’s Collar, which looked remarkably intact for its time in the crucible the plane had become. “Maybe a syringe of the liquid gold carefully injected into the Shifter will loosen it? Or simply rubbed on the skin? Will be tricky, this, since Fae gold’s pretty hard to find, according to Fionn. Fionn says he’ll help us, but even he says it’s very rare.”
“He claims he has it in the walls in his house,” Jace said. “Tell him to dig it out for us.”
“He explained that to me,” Sean said, without smiling. “He said when it was all chipped away it would only be an ounce or so. But we’ll work on finding a source. And start trying out techniques. It might still be very painful.”
Jace touched the fake Collar around his neck, put there courtesy of Liam and Dylan this morning. “Well, you can try it on someone not me. I’m done messing with Collars.”
Sean nodded in understanding. “You’ve got it, lad. Volunteers only. But I’m thinking some will put up with a little hot gold on their skin to be free of these bloody devices.”
“Me,” Deni said. “You can try it first on me. Use whatever is left in the bracelet. I’m sure my mother would be fine with me using it to free myself and my mate.”
Jace’s hold on her tightened. “No. Not until they know what they’re doing.”
“Sean will figure it out.” Deni leaned into Jace, feeling warm and protected. “I want this damned Collar off. I want to heal all the way. With you, and without the Collar.”
Jace growled, but she saw sympathy in his eyes. “All right, but I’m with you every step of the way. Every second. And if Sean hurts you more than necessary, he answers to me.”
“Oh, good,” Sean said. “No pressure. Don’t worry, lass. I’ll be trying these ideas on meself as well. I have a mate who can make us all better if I screw up.”
“I hope I can,” Andrea said. She held her son close, his gray eyes so much like his mother’s.
“I’m just feeling better about this all the time,” Sean said.
“We can do volunteers from our Shiftertown too,” Eric said. “Those who would most benefit. If there proves to be so little Fae gold, the weaker Shifters should be released first, those whose Collars hurt them the most. Those of us who can control the Collars’ effects—we’ll suck it up for a while.”
“Speaking of your Shiftertown,” Deni said, and Eric focused on her.
“Don’t worry—I’ll make sure Jace can move here officially,” Eric said. “And have leave to visit me and bring you with him as often as possible.” Eric swallowed, the light in his eyes dimming. “I’ll miss him, but I know what a mate bond is like.” His hand drifted to Iona’s, and his mate rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
Another thing Jace was doing for her, Deni reflected. Traditionally, Shifter women moved into the homes of their mates, leaving their own families behind. But it would be difficult to obtain permission to move Deni and her two cubs to the Las Vegas Shiftertown, and it would also mean leaving Ellison. To prevent Deni having to leave her sons behind, Jace had volunteered to move here instead. A break with tradition, but a kind one.
“Well,” Liam said, pushing himself from the window seat and handing Katriona to Kim. “I’m looking forward to conducting yet another mating ceremony. Unless Eric fights me for the honor. But we have other business at hand. Tiger.”
Tiger unfolded his big arms and moved to the basement door—the door to the true basement, not the Morrisseys’ secret space. The Shifters at this meeting were Liam and family and Liam’s trackers, plus Eric and Iona. Liam had asked for Eric’s advice on the sticky problem Deni had uncovered at the Shifter bar.
Tiger unlocked and opened the door to reveal the young woman Deni had caught with the phone that showed she’d made many calls to the police. She’d washed off the Shifter groupie makeup but stared around at the Shifters with defiance in her eyes. Broderick, who’d insisted on guarding her, brought her up the last of the stairs with his hand lightly on her shoulder. Broderick’s gray eyes swept the trackers, and he looked almost as defiant as the young woman.
“This is Joanne Greene,” Liam said. “She’s been following Shifters around and reporting things to the police—the fight club, what Shifters do at the bar—and asking the cops to talk to Shifters and watch them . . .”
Deni had wondered what Liam would do with the young woman. Dylan now went to her, and the woman’s defiance dissolved into terror. Dylan stopped a foot in front of her, in her personal space. “Tell my son what you told me,” Dylan said.
Her chin came up. “Why should I?”
She was young, even for a human. In her midtwenties, Deni guessed, if that. Connor, who was only a little younger than Joanne, shook his head. “I’d tell him. If you think Grandda’s scary, wait ’til you face Uncle Liam.”
Broderick squeezed her shoulder. “Best get it over with.” He sounded sympathetic, interestingly enough.