Shifter In Ascent (Louisiana Shifters)

by Wood, Vivian

  “No, we wouldn’t know at all. I’ve now lived in close quarters with two separate Shifters turned by the Legion, and I had no idea with either one. And I’m the goddamned head of security,” Jace said, his voice bitter with self-reprisal.

  “Okay. So we’ll set up a ring defense around the Den’s portal, and still focus on taking down the Legion’s troops. We can adapt the same strategy-“ Cera started again, stubborn.

  “Let me tell you what will happen with that plan. They will arrive at the best time to throw us off our game, probably dawn or dusk. They’ll hit us with some flash grenades and lots of knockout gas, and that’s just the appetizer. They’ll take anyone they want back to their labs, and let the rest of us burn along with the whole of Arcady and the Den. And I’m going to tell you right now, if you end up at their compound, you’ll wish you’’d have burned,” Jace said, his tone and expression chilling.

  “So, what? You’ve already given up? We all just run?” Cera asked, her tone taking an angry edge.

  “No,” Jace said sternly as he looked up at her, “I’m saying the opposite. We have to turn the tables, be the aggressors instead of the victims. We have to take the fight to them.”

  Cera was speechless for a long moment, but she grasped his meaning quickly enough. Flipping top the map of the Legion’s hiding spot, Cera frowned.

  “I know our chances on our own land are slim, but the Legion’s land is even worse,” she said, passing the photo over to Jace. Jace picked it up and studied it intently for a full minute, then slid it back across the desk.

  “You mentioned blueprints of the Legion’s compound?” he asked finally. Cera nodded and selected one of the rolls of paper, spreading it out over everything else. Together they studied the floor plan.

  “Doubtless they’ve upgraded the security, changed things here and there. But we’ve got their little henchman locked up here, and he can tell us how to get in and out safely, I expect,” Jace mused.

  “I hear he’s not much of a talker,” Cera said anxiously.

  “He’ll talk,” Jace said without elaboration. “I’ll need you to come up with the best way to get us all close to the Compound. And round up Declan, he should be able to provide us with a distraction, give us a chance to slip inside.”

  Cera nodded slowly, already caught up in her plans.

  “Where will you be?” she asked distractedly.

  “I’ll be working on getting to know the new guy,” Jace answered, and then he was gone.

  Cera looked up, blinking. Had Jace Copeland just made a joke? She shook her head. Surely she’d imagined it.

  It only took Tessa a few minutes to catch Kat and Camilla up on everything that had happened over the last few hours

  Tessa told her about Jameson’s warning about the Legion attack, about the scolding from Shaw, and then a censored version of her trip to Jace’s office. Kat listened carefully throughout the whole tale, saying little.

  “So now I have no idea where we stand. It’s the same thing over and over again. We kiss, he runs. I don’t think I can do it anymore,” Tessa surmised.

  “You two are so far into the mating ritual, it’s practically a done deal. I doubt either of you will back out now,” Kat said thoughtfully.

  Flashing Kat a disgruntled look, Tessa got up and dug around in her purse for the hair pick she always kept on hand for hair emergencies. She started running it through her hair, but it kept catching at the scarf she’d perma-borrowed from Emmy. Tessa frowned, but didn’t remove the scarf.

  “Take that hideous thing off, already,” Kat said.

  “It’s, uh, cold in here,” Tessa lied, continuing to fuss with her mop of blonde ringlets. The room was silent for a long moment.

  “Tessa, you’re not a very good liar,” Camilla said softly.

  Tessa shot a frown at her sister, but kept working the comb through her hair even though it was pretty much detangled by now.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Tessa bit off.

  Cool air hit Tessa’s neck before she even realized that Kat had moved. Suddenly the scarf was gone, and Kat was staring agog at the barely-closed set of teeth marks.

  “He did this to you?” she asked, her voice soft as she reached out to touch the wound. Tessa reared back, not wanting the bite touched even by her friend.

  “I’m fine,” Tessa replied as she backed away.

  “Did you ask him to do this?” Kat asked, her voice still soft but now underlined by anger.

  “It was the heat of the moment. I doubt he knew what he was doing,” Tessa said, turning to put the comb back in her purse.

  “Tessa, look at me.”

  Tessa looked at her friend, surprised by how upset the other girl was over something so silly. Kat opened her mouth and closed it, clearly trying to find the right words.

  “I know this sounds crazy, but I have to ask. He bit you like this and he didn’t explicitly ask you if it was what you wanted?” Kat asked.

  “I told you, it isn’t a big deal. It hardly even hurt,” Tessa said as she settled herself back on the bed.

  “You don’t understand, Tessa. He’s completed his half of the mating ritual without your consent,” Kat said quietly.

  “What? What does that mean?” Camilla broke in, her brow furrowing.

  “It means he’s bound Tessa to him. Did you bite him back?”

  “No, of course not.”

  Kat mumbled a curse.

  “You have to find him as soon as possible and return the favor, Tessa,” Kat said, her tone dire.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is, Kat. What are you not telling me?”

  “I told you, he’s bound you to himself. The problem is that you didn’t bind him too. If you wait too long to complete the mating ritual, it might stick that way. You’ll always need him, but he could live without you. If he stays away too long, you would be affected.”

  “Affected how?”

  “You’d wither, mentally and physically. You’d be out of your mind before too long, and eventually you would probably die.”

  “He wouldn’t do that to me!” Tessa protested.

  “He already did. It’s against our rules to bite without permission. He’s taken away your free “He already did. It’s against our rules to bite without permission. He’s taken away your free

  will. It’s a very serious violation of our beliefs. We’ll have to bring Shaw in on this,” Kat said stonily. “Kat, no. You can’t tell anyone,” Tessa said, sitting up and reaching out to grip the other girl’s arm.

  “Tessa, Jace has made you his slave! You can’t seriously think to protect him!” Camilla said wildly, standing up and grabbing her sister’s arm.

  “I’m sure he just needs some time to clear his thoughts. He’ll come back when he’s ready,” Tessa said, and as she spoke she knew it was absolutely true. Jace wouldn’t let his fear destroy her. It just wasn’t in his nature.

  “We have no idea how long it will be before the ritual starts to affect you. It could be any minute now, Tessa.”

  “What’s the longest I might have?” Tessa asked, stubborn.

  “Maybe a day? That’d be if you were very lucky, I’d think.. You need to finish this immediately.”

  “If I bite him after a couple days, will it still work?” Tessa asked, trying to be calm.

  “I have no idea. Like I said, this is against our laws. It’s practically unheard of in our pack.”

  “I need some time to find him, Kat. Don’t go to Shaw just yet, I’m begging you. Jace will make this right,” Tessa said with absolute conviction.

  Kat said nothing for a full minute, simply staring at Tessa. Finally she shook herself with a frown.

  “Jesus. If this is what mating is supposed to be like, I honestly don’t want any part in it. I’ll give you three hours to find him, Tessa. After that I’ll have no choice but to involve Shaw.”

  Kat stood up, looking nothing short of murderous.

  “Thank you, Kat. I know this seems crazy,
but everything will be okay. I’m certain of it.”

  “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing you any favors by not ratting Jace out right away. I will help you look for the bastard, though.”

  “Okay. Let’s split up. I’ll take his house and office. Can you go find Maddie and ask her where he might be?” Tessa asked.

  “Yes, and I’ll double check the rest of the Den compound too.”

  “How will I reach you when I find him?” Tessa asked.

  Kat pulled a pen out of her back pocket and reached for Tessa’s hand, scribbling her number on the back.

  “That’s my cell. Call me as soon as you know anything. Now go, and if I don’t hear from you in exactly three hours, I’m telling Shaw everything,” Kat said, barely short of murderous.

  “I’m sure it won’t take that long,” Tessa said, trying to sound confident. Kat just shook her head and slammed out the infirmary’s front door.

  Tessa released a huge sigh and turned to Camilla.

  “You look different,” Camilla said, giving Tessa a long look. Tessa sat back and looked at her sister.

  “I’m not the subject of debate right now. Are you really all right? I’ll never forgive myself for getting you sucked into all this insanity,” Tessa said, reaching out to tuck a dark lock of hair behind Camilla’s ear. Camilla reached up and grasped Tessa’s hand, holding it in her lap.

  “Look at me,” Camilla said seriously. Tessa looked up, meeting her sister’s gaze. “They never touched me, never did anything to me. James would come to check on me, even keep me company sometimes,” Camilla said softly.

  Tessa let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She’d imagined Camilla being tortured, maimed, killed. Her sister’s welfare had never been far from her thoughts, not since the moment she’d left the Legion’s compound. Not since Camilla’s birth, really.

  “You can’t imagine how grateful I am,” Tessa replied, her relief evident in her voice.

  “James protected me, I think. I don’t know why he did it, but he genuinely seems to care for me,” Camilla said self-consciously. Tessa opened her mouth to respond, but Jace chose that moment to enter unannounced.

  Tessa’s brows raised, watching Jace start when he realized that Camilla was up and around. Tessa couldn’t help but suppress a tiny smile; she’d had the same reaction. Jace was looking back and forth between the girls, obviously unsure what to say.

  “Jace, this is my sister Camilla,” Tessa spoke up, patting Camilla’s hand, “and Camilla, this is Jace.” They both nodded awkwardly to each other, then Jace turned to Tessa.

  “I need to speak with you. Uh, in private,” he said urgently.

  “Okay. Give me a second to finish up here and I’ll be right out,” Tessa said, her cheeks flushing under his gaze.

  “Right. I’ll be in the hall,” he said, backing out of the room and closing the door again.

  Tessa stood up, straightening the bed linens.

  “You should get some sleep,” Tessa began.

  “Uh, not until you tell me he’s going to play nice,” Camilla fired back, still looking at the door as if she could see through it.

  “He’s, um… you know, why don’t we talk about this later when you’re feeling better?” Tessa suggested, turning for the door.

  “Oh my God,” Camilla said softly. “You love him. You totally do! I can’t believe it!”

  “It’s, uh… it’s complicated,” Tessa stuttered, her whole face on fire with embarrassment, “And if you don’t stay in this bed, I’ll never tell you anything, I swear it!”

  Camilla harrumphed, but flopped back against the pillows.

  “Fine. But you owe me. And I mean details, Tess.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll find you after I talk to Jace,” Tessa insisted, letting herself out of the room.

  She found herself nearly toe to toe with Jace, who was hovering anxiously outside the room. Holding a finger up to her lips, Tessa led Jace down the hallway away from Camilla’s range of hearing.

  “Sorry about that, I didn’t realize she was awake,” Jace said, looking guilty. He ran a hand through his perfectly-mussed locks, and Tessa had to tear her eyes away. Just because he was gorgeous didn’t mean he hadn’t screwed up big time.

  “What do you want?” Tessa asked point-blank.

  “I want to explain about the bite,” he said, hot tawny eyes seeking hers. Tessa crossed her arms and put on her best ice-queen expression.

  “Kat told me enough.”

  “Apologize, then,” Jace said, reaching out and taking one of Tessa’s hands. He turned her hand over and softly rubbed her palm with his thumbs, reminding Tessa of how he’d cared for her at the safe house.

  “What if it’s too late for that, Jace?” Tessa asked, her voice subdued.

  “Tessa, you have to know-“ Jace started, but she cut him off with an angry wave of her hand.

  “Can we just skip the part where you tell me this doesn’t mean anything? We have better things to do than worry about than your hot-and-cold approach to dating,” Tessa said, keeping her tone light.

  “You haven’t let me explain about the bite,” Jace said defensively.

  “I understand perfectly. I ran into Kat and she saw this,” Tessa motioned to the bite. “She explained plenty to me. Don’t worry, I’ve made her promise not to run to Shaw.”

  A dark cloud passed over Jace’s face as he understood her implication.

  “I couldn’t care less about Shaw and what he might do. I’m only concerned about you. You have to finish the exchange right now, Tessa.”

  “No,” she said flatly, folding her arms.

  “What do you mean, no?” Jace spluttered, his temper flaring. Reaching out, he grabbed for her hand to pull her closer, reason with her.

  “I mean no, I won’t exchange bites with you just because you feel like an ass. For all we know, a one-sided bond is harmless. Guilt is fleeting, but the mating bond is forever,” Tessa insisted as she yanked out of his gasp.

  “You… you are the most stubborn woman off all time. Pig-headed, jumping to conclusions, wrong ones may I add, and that face- no, don’t interrupt,” Jace roared when Tessa tried to cut in, “When you disapprove of something you make this face like,” he paused, wrinkling his nose and frowning in imitation, “like this.”

  “You have a lot of nerve, yelling at me right now. I’m not the one who screwed everything up, am I? And I don’t make a face!” Tessa retorted angrily. Jace kept talking as if she hadn’t even spoken.

  “And sneaky! Conniving, tricky female! You were supposed to be locked up safely in the infirmary, but no. You and your little cohorts are off, risking your necks and probably almost getting yourselves killed. You simply can’t stay put, even under lock and key!” Jace bellowed, waving his arms for emphasis.

  “This is hardly making me want to finish the ritual,” Tessa warned, her grey eyes flickering like a storm.

  “You just refuse to listen, and you won’t trust me even one tiny inch. I’ve saved your life, hell, more than once I’ve saved your life, but does that sway you? NO! If I had known what I was getting into, saving you that first time…” he trailed off, his voice dropping to a normal level.

  “Then what?” Tessa demanded. “You would have just left me for Jasper to have? Would have counted yourself lucky and went back to being a bachelor?” Tessa threw her hands up, beyond irritated.

  “You know what? You are lucky,” Jace replied sarcastically.

  “Hmm, let’s see. Kidnapped, tortured, my sister held for ransom, have to betray the only person who’s willing to help me, then he turns out to be… well, you,” Tessa said, disgruntled. “What precisely makes me the lucky one in this situation? My stubbornness? My trickiness? Please do tell me,” she fumed.

  Jace took a big step toward her, backing Tessa against the wall. He loomed over her, making Tessa devastatingly aware of his physical presence.

  “You, Tessa… you are lucky.
You’re lucky that I happen to prefer hard-headed, smartmouthed, tricky women,” he said, his voice now a velvety whisper. He took another step, his body just a fraction of an inch from Tessa’s. The heat of his anger radiated, heating Tessa’s body just a fraction of an inch from Tessa’s. The heat of his anger radiated, heating Tessa’s

  already-flushed skin. Jace reached out with a single finger and tipped Tessa’s face up to his, causing their gazes to lock.

  “You… what?”

  “If you will stop and listen for a second, I am trying to tell you that I love you,” Jace said, his eyes searching hers.

  “But-“ Tessa started. Jace interrupted her by brushing his lips over hers ever so gently, leaving Tessa tongue-tied and breathless. She looked up into his eyes again, trying to ascertain his seriousness.

  “Back in the office, that wasn’t how I wanted things to be,” Jace said softly.

  “Oh,” Tessa said, uncomprehending. Did Jace regret the passion they’d shared?

  “Damn it. I never know how to say things to you, you stand there all sexy and pouty and all the words come out wrong,” Jace murmured. He backed up a step and took his wonderful warmth too, leaving Tessa feeling bereft.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, her voice catching.

  “I never meant to confuse you. I’ve known since I laid eyes on you that my life had changed. The whole idea of finding someone I was destined to be with… it scared me, Tessa. I’ll never admit to it outside this conversation, but I was terrified. I was fighting a thousand battles against you and myself and Maddie, even Declan,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets restlessly.

  “I realize now that I’ve lain my mother’s sins at your doorstep, and I am more sorry than I can say. I’ve been pushing everyone away for my whole life, and I liked it that way. It was easier, you know?” he said ruefully.

  “I guess I’ve ruined that for you, then?” Tessa asked, her voice a little tearful.

  “You came in and destroyed all my carefully cultivated plans, Tess. And even worse, you made me realize how lonely I am all the time. And then you went and acted like… well, like you. How could I stand a chance against you?” he said, his tone turning sweetly amused. He finally pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached out to Tessa, grabbing her hips to close the distance between them.