Tessa

by Gabelman, Teresa

  “You like bikes, huh?” Jared’s voice was deep and to the point.

  “Ah, I guess.” He frowned, seeming a little nervous as he shuffled his mail without looking at it, but continued to stare at Jared.

  “Oh, so I guess I’m mistaken and you weren’t admiring her bike.” Jared nodded toward the direction Tessa left purposely goading the man.

  Understanding seemed to light the guy’s eyes and he chuckled. “Actually no, I was more interested in her than the bike if you know what I mean?”

  “So you lied to her.” Jared continued to help the man dig a deeper hole.

  “I mean, no, not really. It was a nice bike, but my interest was solely what was riding it.” He kept on digging. “Come on, you can’t blame me for trying. Did you see the tits on her?”

  Jared growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

  The man’s eyes also narrowed, but in confusion. “Who are you anyway?”

  “Her husband.” He smirked at the shocked look on his face. “And someone who is going to teach you a lesson on how to treat a lady.”

  Jared punched out so quick the asshole didn’t even see it coming, which was a shame. The man hit the ground hard, his mail going in all directions. Without a second glance, Jared took off, not caring who saw him. The fucker deserved that, and more. No one talked to his mate like that and got away with it. No one.

  Chapter 7

  Once back at work, Tessa drove into the parking lot surprised by how many cars and motorcycles were there. Frowning, she pulled out the file and headed inside. She searched and was relieved to see that Jared’s bike wasn’t there. Actually she felt both relieved and sad at that fact.

  Walking down the hallway, she noticed Mitch standing in the doorway of the conference room. He waved her over.

  “How did it go?” he whispered, taking the file from her and looking through it.

  “Fine,” she whispered back, then glanced inside. She spotted Sloan, Nicole, and the rest of the mates inside, along with Charger, two other men she’d never seen, and a woman. Charger was talking but made eye contact with her briefly. “I still need to fill in some details,” she added absently to Mitch.

  He handed her the file back. “Just put it on my desk when you’re finished.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked. When she made eye contact with Charger, she quickly looked away to Mitch.

  “Who else are we missing?” Charger questioned before Mitch could answer her. “Obviously the Warriors.”

  “Some will be here,” Sloan announced, glancing at his watch. “Most know what we are going to go over, so I’m not worried about them. I have certain things I want addressed with the Warriors that we can do later.”

  “Ah, then why am I here?” Jill threw out, then pointed to herself. “Warrior.”

  “Keep pissing me off and that can change,” Sloan said, not even looking at her, but at Mitch. “Can we begin?”

  Mitch peered around the room as if taking a head count. “That’s about it. Anyone else, myself or Nicole can fill in.”

  “Come on in.” Charger’s voice caught Tessa’s attention. She turned to look behind her, even shifted out of the way, but no one was there. She looked back at Charger, confused. “I’m talking to you, Tessa. Come in.”

  Knowing her face was flaming with embarrassment, she hurried and squeezed herself between Pam and Jill.

  “Does anyone else find him… dangerously attractive?” Pam leaned over, whispering to Jill and Tessa.

  Tessa’s eyes shot up to see Charger looking straight at her. Why in the hell did he keep looking at her? She cleared her throat, refusing to answer Pam’s question. Glancing at the woman beside Charger, she noticed how beautiful she was. Her long black hair was pulled back tightly in a braid down her back. She had an athletic build with curves, and her golden eyes were large and teardrop-shaped.

  “Who is she?” Tessa whispered, hoping Jared didn’t find that kind of woman attractive. Hell, who was she kidding? The woman was knockout gorgeous. Anyone with eyes would find her attractive.

  “No idea, but I hope she’s cool,” Jill replied with a serious frown. “And stays away from my man or I may have to kick some ass.”

  Tessa snorted as Jill cracked her knuckles, but quickly stopped when Sloan glanced their way with his “shut the fuck up” glare. Glancing at the woman, Tessa noticed she was looking at Jill with a smirk and cocked eyebrow.

  “Okay, let’s get started.” Charger took control. “I’m Charger, this is Kane, Val, and Raven. We’ve been called in because there seems to be an uptick in demon activity, and unfortunately, you all are going to be on the front lines.”

  Tessa noticed a little bit of chatter going on after that announcement from some of the human employees. She glanced at Nicole, who was peering around, then looked her way with a frown.

  “We are known as the Dark Guardians, and I’m sure none of you have heard about us.” Charger grinned. “We don’t seem to be as famous as the VC Warriors, but we’re just as good, if not better.”

  “And that’s total bullshit.” Sid walked in and made his way over to Lana. “But continue. Just here to make sure the facts get told correctly.”

  Tessa quickly looked toward the door to see the rest of the Warriors piling in, each going to their mates, and then there was Jared. He didn’t even look her way, but stood next to Mitch in the doorway, his arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe and his eyes were on Raven.

  It took everything in her power not to double over in pain and panic. Her gaze went to Raven, who was also staring at Jared. The connection was there. She felt it and knew, so did everyone else. Without thought, she pushed away from the wall to leave, but Jill grabbed her arm.

  “No,” Jill said without looking at her. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

  Taking a deep breath, Tessa relaxed as much as she could, but she felt that everyone in the room knew a secret that she didn’t know. Trying to focus on what was going on, Tessa kept her eyes straight ahead, but the ringing in her ears was deafening.

  “Dammit,” she hissed, then realized how loud she must have spoken when everyone looked her way.

  “Sorry,” Jill said, then laughed. “Stepped on her foot. It’s fucking tight in here, huh?”

  A quick glance at Charger and Tessa knew he didn’t believe Jill, but Tessa appreciated Jill’s save nonetheless. She knew Jared was also staring at her; she could sense it, but she refused to look his or the woman’s way. She just stared at Charger, wishing to hell he would shut up so she could leave this nightmare.

  “As I was saying,” Charger continued, “demons are lazy bastards. They go for the easiest prey, which are children. Unfortunately, the children are getting the short end of the stick with Crimson Rush and now demons coming into play.”

  “Why is this happening?” Ben asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I mean, vampires are one thing, but demons? It’s... it’s—”

  “Scary shit.” Kane, who had been silent up until now, finished Ben’s sentence. “You should be scared. Humans especially. Vampires are more resilient, but I’ve seen vampires succumb with deadly results.”

  Tessa couldn’t help it; her eyes went to Jared, who was staring at her. Their gazes held until she finally looked away.

  “At this moment, we don’t know exactly why the demons are so active. We have our theories, but until we know for sure, that’s all it is. Theories.” Charger then nodded to Kane. “They are going to pass out our numbers to all of you. Store them into your phones, and if for any reason you feel like you are dealing with a demon, you call one of us.”

  “But how can we be sure?” another social worker asked, her voice shaking. Tessa figured she must be new because she had never seen her before.

  “You’re not going to be sure,” Raven replied, then gave the girl a smile. “Sometimes neither are we and we know demons, but we hope to give you enough information that it will be easier for you as time goes on.”

  Tessa frowned, ev
en the woman’s voice had a sexy huskiness to it that made her want to vomit and dammit, she seemed nice by the way she smiled reassuringly to the girl who nervously asked the question.

  “Here, Tessa.” Kane stepped in front of her holding out a card. She was surprised he knew her name. Then again, Charger had just said it. Kane was definitely another looker, with sandy-blond hair that lay haphazardly on his head, and he was so tall her neck strained as she stared up at him.

  She took the card. “Thank you.”

  “Call me first.” He winked at her, then moved on to continue handing out cards. Her eyes shot to Jared, relieved he was talking to Mitch and didn’t see that display. Then again, maybe he should have seen it since he’d been slobbering over Raven. Okay, that wasn’t fair. She was being petty with a tinge of bitchy jealousy. He was just looking at her, and she couldn’t blame him. Shit, if she swung that way, she’d be slobbering over the woman too.

  “Looks like somebody thinks you’re a hottie.” Jill chuckled next to her. Jill’s eyes then fell to Tessa’s left hand before grabbing it. “Where’s your ring?”

  Tessa pulled her hand back and was saved from answering when Charger started talking. When Jill glared at her, she just nodded toward Charger, hoping that was that.

  “I know most of you are working with the Warriors, but now you will also be working with us for half the time.” Charger glanced at Sloan. “Who isn’t working with the Warriors right now?”

  “Tessa,” Sloan replied bluntly and without hesitation.

  Charger’s eyebrow raised. “That’s all?”

  Tessa wanted to shrink and disappear into the wall. Dammit, the rest of the mates had gone back to working with the Warriors, except her, but that was because she didn’t want to see Jared’s disappointed face every time she walked through the door. After their last fiasco working with someone who Lana had set them up with, well, she just figured she’d find someone later.

  “Why aren’t you working with the Warriors, Tessa?” Charger asked, and all eyes went to her; even the ones seated turned to look at her.

  “I, uh….” Shit, what was she to say? She couldn’t even come up with a good lie. “I, ah….” Her eyes met those of Raven, who gave her an understanding nod. Okay, that was odd.

  “She’ll be there,” three male voices said at the same time. Mitch, Sloan, and Jared.

  Tessa went to open her mouth, but Jill shoved her elbow in her side. “She’ll be there,” Jill repeated.

  “Good.” Charger looked down at his watch. “We’re going to stick around before heading to the warehouse if anyone has any questions. I know you still have work to do before we all meet, so I’ll let you get back to it.”

  As everyone filed out of the conference room, Tessa tried to slip out, but Jill grabbed her arm, leading her in the opposite direction by the windows where nobody stood. Stopping, Jill crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her.

  “Spill it.” Jill even tapped her foot. “Where is your ring? What did that no good Warrior asshole do this time?”

  “Jill, this isn’t the time or place.” Tessa looked around, noticing they were the only ones there other than Charger, who was talking to Ben, along with Val and Kane. Her eyes roamed. Raven was gone and so was Jared. A sick feeling hit the pit of her stomach.

  Huffing, Jill reached up and gave her a hug. “Dammit, Tessa.” She squeezed her tightly. “When you’re ready, I’m here to talk, okay. And if you need me to plaster him against the wall, just give me the word and he’s fucking plastered.”

  Tessa actually laughed. “Thank you. That means a lot, but I’m okay,” she lied. She wasn’t okay. “I’ll just say plaster and you’ll know.”

  “Perfect.” Jill grinned, rubbing her hands together. “Okay, now I have a few questions for these guys. Might as well ask them now so I don’t get the death stare from Sloan at the warehouse.”

  Tessa nodded, then headed toward the door. Her eyes met Charger’s, but then shifted away quickly. There was something about him that puzzled her. It was as if he knew something, was watching her for the right moment to fill her in. It was strange, as if she were in a movie about her, but knew nothing about it.

  Rolling her eyes at him, she walked out the door toward her small office to finish the file and finish up before she needed to be at the warehouse. She stopped when she saw Jared and Raven talking, but that wasn’t what shocked her. It was the smile on Jared’s face as he stared down at the beautiful woman. A smile she hadn’t seen for a very long time. A smile she had thought had been her own.

  Turning, she headed in the opposite direction but hit something hard. Looking up, she stared into Charger’s eyes. “Sorry,” she choked out, then tried to go around him, but he prevented her.

  “You okay?” Charger’s voice was low, so only she could hear.

  “Never better.” She held her chin up proudly. “Excuse me.”

  This time she made her escape, but instead of finding a quiet place to finish her work since Jared and his new thing blocked her path, she headed out the back door. Realizing what she was doing, she stopped in midstep.

  Memories of all the times she’d run away from shit hit her hard. Glancing back at the building over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t a coward, but she was a runner. That was something she hated about herself, but not today. She wasn’t going to run, not anymore. Turning around, she marched back inside, headed down the hall toward her office. Jared and Raven were gone, and that alone should make her feel better since she didn’t have to pass them. It didn’t. Now she wondered where the whore took her husband.

  Passing the conference room, she was relieved to see Raven talking with Jill. Jared was nowhere in sight. With a sigh, she went straight to her office and shut the door with a backward swing of her arm. Tossing the file on her desk, she sat down with a long sigh, then reached for a pen to finish her work. Her eyes went to her ring finger and that’s when the tears started to fall.

  Chapter 8

  Jared couldn’t keep his focus. All he could do was look at the door every second. She was late. Fuck! He should have gone after her when she’d seen him and Raven talking in the hallway. He could only imagine what she thought. He had been fucking up more and more where she was concerned, and now he didn’t know how to get himself out of the mess of a relationship he had created. And it was all on him. She had done nothing, absolutely nothing but be perfect.

  “Have you heard from Tessa?” Jared asked Adam, who was passing by with Angelina.

  “No.” Adam frowned. “She said she was heading this way after she finished what she was doing.”

  Jared nodded, then looked toward the door again.

  “I’ll go call her,” Adam replied, then hurried off.

  Viktor and Bishop walked in and Jared headed their way. “Any word on Orjyll?”

  “Fuck no.” Bishop growled the words, then waved Bonnie over. “But Bonnie made a connection with a witch who used to be involved with dark magic. She’s on her way here to Ohio from New Orleans.”

  “What’s up?” Bonnie jogged over.

  “Tell Jared about the witch,” Bishop said, and left them to change.

  Jared noticed how Bonnie watched Bishop leave; the poor girl had it bad for the witch hunter. “Is this someone you know?”

  “Yeah, I’ve actually known her for years. Totally hated the bitch at first, but then we came to a ‘Come to goddess’ moment.” At Jared’s frown, Bonnie sighed. “You know, like in ‘Come to Jesus’ moment, but with a witch… goddess.”

  “Tomato fucking tamato… yeah, I get it smartass,” Jared responded, but in truth, he liked this girl. She was smart, had saved their asses once, and was really funny. She fit right in. “So now you’re besties?”

  “What are you, a girl?” Bonnie smirked at him. “I saved her ass from a demon bent on revenge, and she owes me one. I’m collecting. She knows a lot about demons because she was their go-to girl to get them out of Hell.”

  “Damn.” Jared k
new it took a very powerful dark witch to do something like that. “What’s her name?”

  “Unless you run in the demon or dark witch circles you wouldn’t know her,” Bonnie replied, her eyes moving from Jared to something behind him. He knew it was Bishop.

  “Try me,” Jared answered, gaining her attention again.

  “Hilda,” Bonnie replied, her focus back on him. She threw up her hand. “And save the witch-name jokes. Heard them all and so has she.”

  Jared chuckled, but behind that laugh, he was shocked. He did know of Hilda, but at the moment, he couldn’t let anyone know he knew her. Not yet. Hilda was one of the most powerful witches in modern times.

  “Where’s Tessa?” Charger walked up, ignoring Bonnie.

  Jared frowned, his eyes narrowing. “You seem to be taking a serious interest in my mate.”

  “Someone has to,” Charger shot back.

  Knowing exactly what Charger was doing, Jared remained silent. Soon he would punch the bastard in the mouth, maybe even kill him.

  “Damn, you letting that go?” Bonnie whispered toward Jared.

  Charger laughed, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course he is.”

  Jared watched Charger walk away, imagining the day he could take his ass out. He was then shoved hard. Ready to react, he quickly glanced to see Jill glaring at him.

  “What the hell did you do this time?” Jill hissed, just above a whisper.

  “Fuck, what the hell is everyone’s problem?” Jared glanced at the door again, but still no Tessa.

  “You.” She poked him in the chest. “You are the problem, dipshit. What did you do to Tessa this time?”

  Fed up with everyone’s bullshit, Jared growled loudly, gaining everyone’s attention. “Tessa is not anyone’s concern but mine. Everyone needs to back the fuck off.” He glared toward Charger. “Especially you.”