by Wood, Vivian
exhausted to do anything but sleep. This late-to-bed-early-to-rise combination often left him a distempered cur for at least the first half of each day, if not the entirety. Cera, his second in command, refused to work with him until he’d at least had a cup of coffee first.
Today Jace felt well-rested, but just as sour as any other day. From the moment he opened his eyes he had a raging case of blue balls that just wouldn’t go away. He supposed he could take care of it by himself, but he felt that having Tessa just in the next room would make the experience somehow unsatisfying.
He could also seek out one of the females at the Den, but he’d have to leave the human here alone for a long stretch. Plus he was pretty sure he’d offended or otherwise disenfranchised almost all of them at some point. Just as well, probably.
The only other option was seducing Tessa. He could possibly have her once or twice without getting entangled. If he bedded the Ascendant girl repeatedly though, he’d have a hard time not bonding with her. Plus the other males in the pack might not approve of her bed hopping, although it wasn’t insurmountable in the race to find a mate. In any event, it didn’t all add up. The idea was too risky.
Not good options, really.
His smartphone beeped, telling him he had a new voicemail. Picking up the phone, he saw that it was from Cera. She probably had the results of Tessa’s background check, then. He dialed the voicemail, waiting to hear Cera’s message.
“Hey boss, it’s Cera. I ran your preliminary background check on one Tessa Anderson. If she is who she says she is, you’re in the company of a multi-millionaire heiress. Let’s see… rich family, tragic car crash killed the parents, she and her younger sister lived with a guardian until they were of age… no criminal history, no employment records, no parking tickets. She’s completely clean, except an APB in her file. Looks like the girl and the sister have both been missing for over a month. There’s a huge reward for them, posted by a Byron Lancaster. He claims to be a jilted groom. That’s all I got. Let me know if you need a deeper check, boss.”
Jace rolled out of bed with a grumble, heading for the kitchen. If anything, Cera’s message had given rise to more questions, which was not what Jace needed right now. He put on coffee as he listened absentmindedly to Tessa moving around the bathroom and then dressing in the bedroom. She finally came out into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools surrounding the kitchen island.
“You look like hell,” Jace commented.
“Yeah, well. You snore. I got a really lousy night of sleep.”
Jace suppressed a knowing smirk, pouring two mugs of coffee. He got out sugar and creamer and put them on the marble table in front of Tessa, then sat a mug in front of her.
“I don’t snore, human. You were the one keeping me up last night. Rolling around, making noises.”
Tessa frowned, her forehead wrinkling. She poured tons of cream and sugar into her coffee, which amused Jace. Definitely a woman.
“I don’t remember anything. But my whole body is stiff and achy. I thought it was just from your spongy mattress.”
Jace pointed his coffee mug at her.
“Don’t talk about my mattress. I had that specially made to fit my needs.”
Tessa cocked her head, propping her chin in her hand.
“Your needs? I figured you had your orgies in that giant shower,” she said, deadpan. Jace choked on his coffee, his brows shooting up in question.
“Orgies?” he spluttered.
“Well, yeah. Why else would you need such a big shower?”
“Maybe because I’m six foot five? Now that you suggested it, though, I could arrange something. Lots of females in the pack. I’d even let you pick,” he said, only halfway joking.
“Don’t bother on my account,” Tessa said sourly.
Jace shrugged and went to the refrigerator to begin pulling out eggs, cheese, sausage, and other breakfast items. If he had to walk around all day with a hard-on, he could at least satisfy other appetites.
“You cook?” asked Tessa.
“When you eat 3000 calories a day, you learn. There’s a mess hall back at the Den, but I prefer my solitude. Sausage omelets okay with you?”
“That sounds amazing. I’m starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a decade.”
“That would be the Ascendant hormones,” he said noncommittally.
“Come again?”
“Your Ascendant hormones are increasing. Getting you ready for the change. Making you want what’s best for you. Like extra calories, and cute male Shifters,” he said, more deadpan humor.
Tessa rolled her eyes, but she found she didn’t mind the more relaxed Jace one bit. Humor went a long way in her book.
“I’m not so sure about this whole Ascendant thing.”
Jace began whisking eggs as he talked.
“I am. I can smell you a mile away. That’s how I knew to follow you in the first place,” he said.
“Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. We’ll come back to this part about you following me around. I smell like one of your kind?”
Tessa frowned again, confused.
“Not like a Shifter, not exactly. Ascendants are meant to be brought into our world and mate with our kind. We can identify them by their scent. It’s like a magnet for us. Irresistible.”
Jace poured the eggs in the pan, and started adding the omelet ingredients. He wasn’t sure how much to tell Tessa about the change. He didn’t want to scare her.
“Explain the mating thing. Not my source’s version, the real thing.”
“Basically, bond and reproduce. Like marriage and kids, but waaay longer. And wolfier,” he said with a grin.
“How do you mate? Do I have to mate?” Tessa asked, her face heating uncomfortably.
“I doubt you’ll be able to resist the urge. It’s a strong pull for most adult shifters. When your wolf self meets another wolf who is compatible, you feel it. The stronger the match, the stronger the urge to mate.”
Tessa was quiet for a long moment, thinking.
“Is it- is it like a pulling sensation in your chest?” she asked, indicating a spot at the center of her chest.
Jace stilled, surprised. Apparently he wasn’t the only one feeling the magnetic pull between them, then.
“Yes. The more willing and compatible the couple, the stronger the pull will be. It helps us pick good candidates for our mates.”
“And that means getting married?”
Jace flipped the omelet out of the pan and onto a plate, and then turned to face Tessa. “There is a ceremony, but it’s secondary. Mating is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.”
Tessa blushed even harder, and looked down at her hands. Jace put the omelet in front of her with a fork, and she looked relieved.
“Thanks. This whole mating thing- it isn’t very romantic, is it?” she asked.
Jace shrugged, and turned back to make his own breakfast as he talked.
“I think that’s probably up to the couple. The whole lavish celebration and chapel thing, that’s definitely a human thing. But courting can be any way you like, I guess.”
Tessa wrinkled her nose and took another bite of the omelet.
“Are you making a face at my cooking or at mating?” he asked, amused.
“The omelet’s perfect. The mating thing… I guess every little girl imagines her white wedding, you know?”
Jace made a noncommittal noise and turned back to his omelet making. Silence reigned for another minute or so before Tessa spoke up again.
“So did you mean it when you said that you’re not going to take a mate? I mean, is it that horrible?”
“It’s not that. Several of the females in the Den would be a good match. I’m just not interested in taking a mate. It seems like a lot of hassle just to have sex. I can get that other places.”
Tessa gave him another look that said he’d overspoken, but it wasn’t Jace’s fault that she was an ice queen.
“Ugh. I don’t want to know about it. And I don’t
want a mate, either. I have my own life.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
“I won’t. You’ve held out.”
“You’re not me,” he said, sliding onto the stool next to her with his omelet.
Tessa rolled her eyes, and they ate quietly. Jace finished his huge omelet before she was even halfway through her smaller one. When he stopped eating, so did she.
She’s going to need to learn to eat more than that if she’s staying with this pack, Jace thought.
“What if that guy Jasper is my most compatible mate?” Tessa asked suddenly.
Jace stopped looking Tessa up and down and sighed.
“You’re going to stay right here. If you socialize with wolves from this pack, you’ll find your mate here. I could make a couple of guesses as to who it’ll be.”
“Are you seriously matchmaking for me right now?”
Jace shook his head, taken back by the idea.
“Not exactly. I can just guess who you’ll like. Probably Declan or Rhett. Hopefully not Cord or Jesse.”
“Uh huh. This is sounding less and less appealing.”
“They’re good guys, possibly excepting Jesse. I’ll take you around to the Den soon, and you’ll get along famously. Shifters males are tall and good looking, pretty much without exception. Plus, most of us make pretty decent money from our jobs within the pack. You’ll be happy enough here.”
“Sounds like you’ve got everything figured out, then,” she said, sipping her coffee demurely.
What the hell did that mean? Gods, Jace never had understood women. Taking a sip of his What the hell did that mean? Gods, Jace never had understood women. Taking a sip of his
coffee, he reclined as he looked her over speculatively. Tessa was looking around the kitchen and living room, soaking in all the details of the house.
“Did you build this house?” she asked curiously.
Jace shook his head, setting down his coffee cup.
“It doesn’t work like that here. Remember, I told you before that the Den is sentient. It creates what we need to live comfortably.”
Tessa’s eyebrows raised as she looked around again.
“It’s just… this place is very you. All the details are just right, down to the books,” she said, waving a hand at the crowded bookshelves in the living room area.
“What does that mean?” Jace asked.
“I just mean, of course your shelves are full of Dumas and Moore and Emerson and Hemingway. ‘Every man is an island’, indeed. I can’t believe the Den could understand you so well,” she said, a soft smile touching her lips.
“I brought the books in myself. The Den can’t create anything so personal. It can do beds and clothes and light fixtures and food, but that’s all powered by your own mind. A book is powered by the mind that wrote it,” he explained, for some reason feeling a bit embarrassed that she’d pegged him so well.
Tessa frowned but nodded.
“How did Shifters come to live here? It seems like an incredible stroke of luck,” she said.
“Shifters are originally from Europe, and when the Inquisition washed through Greece in the late 1700’s, our secret was discovered by a group of humans. It didn’t take long for our accusers to out many other supernatural species, especially the Fae and the vampires; we all lived much more openly before modern communications existed. We joined forces with the vampires to protect the weaker Fae species as much as possible, but it was a terrible loss. There was a wholesale slaughter of paranormals, and those who survived scattered across the globe.
“When the war ended, the Fae thanked the vampires and Shifters by giving us the ability to create a between-place in the event that we ever needed to hide again. And thus the Den was born.”
“You really are a great storyteller,” Tessa said, some secret amusement lighting her eyes.
“I have to admit, it’s because I spend a lot of my free time playing RPG video games. I think they’ve rubbed off on me,” he said, again feeling a bit shy. He wasn’t very comfortable revealing so much of himself to a female, especially an Ascendant.
“That’s right, you’re kind of an IT nerd at heart,” Tessa said with a grin.
“I’ll admit, I understand machines a lot better than people. You can learn dozens of languages to speak to a computer, but when it comes to people… you either know how to relate, or you don’t. I’ll bet you can guess which category I fall into,” he said mildly.
“You’re doing a fine job relating right now,” Tessa pointed out with a shrug.
“Most people don’t feel that way,” Jace said, darkly amused. Tessa narrowed her eyes but changed the subject.
“What about now? I know the Inquisition is long gone, but are the Shifters safe?” she asked, seeming genuinely concerned.
A little warm spot sparked in his chest at her question. He was glad that she cared about his people, even if it was only motivated by self-preservation. Shifters were her people now, too.
“We still have our enemies, but it’s been years since the last open attack. To be on the safe side, Shaw and I have agreed that you will stay here in the Den until we’ve sorted things out side, Shaw and I have agreed that you will stay here in the Den until we’ve sorted things out
with Jasper.”
“And how long will that be, exactly?” Tessa asked skeptically. Jace didn’t like the
insinuation that his skills as a protector might be imperfect, and he scowled at her. “No idea. Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?” he asked, his tone bordering on rude. “No. Well, sort of, yes. I have some things to settle, and I can’t do them from here,” she said,
twisting her hands in her lap and glancing away. Here was Jace’s chance to find out what was
really going on with Tessa.
“Such as getting back to… what was it, Byron?” Jace asked silkily, baring his teeth on the
man’s name.
Tessa’s gaze snapped up to his, startled.
“Where did you hear that name?” she asked, her face going pale. The reaction only served to
spur Jace on.
“He’s posted a sizeable reward in return for information about your current location, Tessa.
My guess is he’s probably panicked that he’s misplaced a couple of heiresses. Am I right?” Jace
asked coldly.
Tessa’s jaw dropped, but she snapped it back up and scowled right back at him, he face
flushing.
“It’s none of your business, now is it?” she snapped.
“It could be. How do I know that you didn’t do something horrible to him? Maybe you stole
all his money and left him at the altar or something,” Jace said, raising a brow critically. “That is not… I would never… ugh! That isn’t what happened at all!” she said, her voice
rising with pique. Just as before at the safe house, Jace found her anger quite arousing. “So what did happen? He’s not a relative, so that leaves very few options.” “If you must know, he’s… he was my legal guardian. He was a friend of my parents’, and
after they died he took over managing their estate and checking in on Camilla and myself,” she
said tensely.
“Why run from him, then?” Jace asked, his question half accusation.
“He’s a bad man. He pretends to be a kindly uncle type, but really he’s awful. He must have
had my parents completely snowed, because he was only ever interested in our money. And he’d
do pretty much anything to get it,” Tessa ground out.
“Such as?”
“Such as try to seduce both me and Camilla before we’d even turned eighteen. He was
looking for a quick marriage with whichever one of us was stupid enough to give him access to
our money.”
“And he wasn’t handsome enough or charming enough for either of you?” Jace asked
pointedly.
Tessa’s face went red as a beet and she l
ooked mad enough to spit. Jace actually worried that
she might have some kind of apoplexy if he didn’t stop prodding her.
“He was over fifty, and we were just girls! It was disgusting! And rather than give up, he’s
just continued to push at it for most of a decade. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d rather not relive the
past,” she hissed. Damn, Jace had definitely gone too far. If her story was true, the bastard
deserved a lot worse than a vanishing act.
Jace raised his hands as a white flag, and gave Tessa a casual shrug. As if she were the one
overreacting and he was just a captive audience.
“My fault, I shouldn’t have assumed. He’s running all over the place telling anyone that will “My fault, I shouldn’t have assumed. He’s running all over the place telling anyone that will
listen that you basically left him standing at the altar,” Jace said nonchalantly. “He has some kind of nerve. I agreed to let him tell people what he wanted about me if he’d
leave Camilla out of it,” Tessa said, heaving a frustrated sigh.
“If you’re here, where’s your sister now?” Jace asked.
“You know, I think we’ve talked enough about me and my bad decisions for one day, don’t
you think?” she snapped, still aggravated.
“Whatever. I have some things I need to do today anyway. You’ll be safe from Jasper while
you’re at the Den but I haven’t exactly told everyone that I’ve brought an Ascendant female
here. I need you to stay here while I handle some business.”
“You’re just going to leave me here? I’m supposed to be in mortal danger!” she protested. “I’ve asked Declan to keep an eye on my property, so no one will make it as far as the house.
You’re shedding Ascendant scent like crazy, and he’s the only one I trust not to come in and…
let’s just say he’s promised to keep his distance.”
Jace stood up and stacked their plates, then placed them in the sink.
“I don’t have a TV but there are plenty books if you’re interested. Just don’t leave the house
unless it’s on fire,” Jace said.
Tessa rolled her eyes and went over to the couch, flopping down dramatically. “Tessa, I mean it,” he said, staring her down until she flapped a hand in agreement. Damn.