Shifter In Ascent (Louisiana Shifters)

by Wood, Vivian

  Jace’s vision started going red, and he barreled into the circle of Tessa’s admirers. Tessa looked up at him, and gave a startled smile.

  “Jace!” she said, affecting a light tone, “we were all wondering where you were! Look, I

  made friends!” Tessa laughed and everyone else joined her. Jace didn’t laugh, and he didn’t miss Declan placing a possessive hand on Tessa’s bare thigh. Red washed over his vision again. Let them laugh when he turned Tessa over his knee and smacked her ass so hard she couldn’t sit for days. Or maybe he’d just detach Declan’s hand. With his teeth.

  Jace growled and lunged toward Declan, but several hands grasped him and held him back. Jace’s eyes went to Tessa, who had paled and lost her teasing expression. She bit her lip, uncertain.

  “Jace, cool off,” Rhett’s voice thundered in his ear.

  Jace struggled for another moment, and then stopped pushing against the hands that held him back. He raised his hands over his head in defeat.

  “I’m fine. You can let go.”

  Shaw pushed in close and looked Jace in the eye for a long moment, then nodded.

  “Let him go.”

  Rhett and the others released Jace, who crossed his arms and glowered.

  “All right, folks. I do believe dinner is served. Winners to the front of the line!” Shaw announced.

  There was a half-hearted cheer, and the crowd broke up as the Shifters headed inside to eat. As the others drifted away, Rhett and Shaw stayed between Jace and Tessa. Declan stayed sitting next to Tessa, but had taken his hand off her leg.

  Shaw looked at Jace, then at Tessa.

  “Are we going to have a problem here, Copeland?” asked the Alpha, spitting Jace’s last name out like something bitter. Jace took a deep breath, and lowered his gaze slightly to show Shaw the proper respect.

  “No. We’re fine,” Jace said solemnly.

  “And Miss Tessa?” Shaw asked.

  “No, no problem,” she said, giving Shaw and Rhett a big saccharine smile.

  “O’Riley. With me,” Shaw barked at Declan. Declan stood stiffly, giving Tessa a long look before following his Alpha to the mess hall.

  Rhett gave Jace a look, and shrugged.

  “Call me later,” he suggested to Jace. Then he too turned and headed toward the wafting scent of steak.

  Jace didn’t move for a long minute, trying to calm himself down. He kept seeing Declan touching Tessa. He couldn’t stop imagining that she liked it. Her sweet, clean scent was heavy in the air, which meant Declan and the others had been drowning in it. They’d all been looking at her body and imagining what they would do to it.

  Just as Jace was doing now, even though he was infuriated.

  “O-kay. I’m starving,” Tessa said, that falsely sweet smile pasted on her face again. She pushed off the table and brushed herself off, then turned to head to the dining hall.

  Jace was on her in a flash, pinning her arms loosely behind her back. He felt Tessa’s sharp gasp as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, rubbing his face in her scent as he did so.

  “We have other plans,” he rumbled, barely restraining himself from pushing her back onto the picnic table and freeing himself to take her right there, in front of the whole pack.

  “We do?” Tessa breathed, firmly ensnared in his embrace.

  Jace dropped her left hand abruptly and turned, pulling her along by the right.

  “We do.”

  “What, um- what are our plans exactly?” Tessa asked.

  “We’re going back to the house. You will stay in the house, and I will keep you safe,” Jace growled.

  “I was thinking-“

  “No.”

  “But-“

  Jace stopped and turned to face Tessa, pulling her close.

  “Do you want to have this discussion here?”

  “I just-“

  “You don’t. Trust me.”

  With that, Jace turned and dropped Tessa’s hand. He took up a near-jogging pace on his way back to the house, making Tessa work to keep up with him.

  When they reached the house, Jace slammed the door open and headed straight for the fridge. He stood with the fridge door open and cracked open the beer, taking a long pull from the bottle. He stood like that until he’d finished the beer a minute later, ignoring Tessa’s coming in the house and alighting on the couch.

  Shit, he was mad. Jace drank another beer as quickly as the first, and then opened a third. He savored the crisp bubbles, and tried to calm down. Three was the optimal number of beers, because it would take the edge off without dulling his inhibitions. He needed all the stiff upper lip he could get tonight.

  Finally he closed the fridge and turned around, looking at Tessa for a brief second before closing his eyes and pressing the cold beer to his forehead.

  “Can I have one of those?” Tessa ventured. She didn’t slur her words, but she didn’t enunciate as clearly as normal either.

  “I think someone already gave you plenty to drink. Let me guess, my mate Declan?” Jace spat.

  “Well, he had this homemade stuff and Kat gave me some lemonade to mix it with. She has a bad rep, you know,” Tessa said, all seriousness.

  “Kat? No, Kat is a stone cold bitch. You must have entertained her or something, otherwise she would have scratched out your eyes. She hates other females,” Jace countered.

  “We have plans to go shopping together. I think. I don’t know, she was pretty tanked. Anyway,” Tessa rambled, “Everyone was so nice. I got along with everyone. Especially Declan,” she said, her mouth twisting wryly.

  “YOU,” Jace said, setting his beer on the kitchen island and advancing toward Tessa’s spot on the couch.

  “I didn’t know I could feel the pull with more than just you. I felt like this line was coming out of my chest and drawing me to certain people like a magnet. They must feel it too. Declan, Cord, even Shaw. Not, Rhett, though. You have a loyal friend there,” she taunted.

  “You felt the pull? Declan?” Jace demanded, though his question didn’t even make sense.

  “And Cord. Cord is lovely, isn’t he? Got that Jack Johnson vibe-“

  Jace cut her off with a low growl, falling to his knees next to the couch and grabbing Tessa by the shoulders.

  “You. Will. Not. Talk. About. Him. In. My. House.”

  Jace could smell a bright note of anxiety in Tessa’s scent, which lay heavy on his skin. Good. Let her understand.

  He leaned in close, sinking her back into the deep leather seat of the couch. He brushed his nose along the curve from her collarbone to just behind her ear, and she shivered.

  “Jace?”

  He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled gently into her ear. His hands slid to her waist and gripped her firmly.

  “Yes, Tessa?” he asked.

  Jace nipped her ear lightly and she gave a half moan. Instantly Jace was thinking about last night, imagining watching her hand slip down into her panties. Imagining her mouth opening with one of her little breathy gasps as her fingers probed, and then found the right spot. Imagining pushing her hand away and exploring for himself, touching and licking her wetness.

  Jace couldn’t help tilting her chin up, tempting her to instigate something more. She looked up at him with heavily-lidded eyes for a few beats, and then stood on tiptoe to brush a soft kiss against his mouth. His lips searched for the rhythm of hers, and quickly found it. He nipped and licked at her bottom lip until she opened her mouth, and then thrust his tongue deep in her mouth. His kiss demanded submission, and he fed his anger and jealousy into her mouth. Let her feel him, let her feel his anger and frustration.

  Her mouth was soft and sweet, and after a moment she responded to his kiss in kind. She nipped his lip and gave a soft moan into his mouth as he punished her with his tongue.

  Jace slid a hand up to cup her breast, and Tessa nipped him again. Taking that as encouragement, Jace slid his hand along the outside of her cool thigh. His other hand moved up to grasp the nape of her neck, an
d he pulled her off the couch.

  Tessa slid down to straddle him. She fit against him perfectly, her heat pressing against his cock. Even through his jeans, he imagined he could feel her dampness.

  Jace grabbed her hips and rolled her against his hardness. He thrust slowly at the same time, eliciting a squeak from Tessa when he rubbed the right spot.

  Taking her mouth again, Jace let her mimic his thrust tentatively and then with more vigor. Tessa was all over him, her scent invading him. He needed to be inside her, needed to feel her innermost muscles clench as she came around his cock.

  Tessa moaned impatiently into his mouth, driving Jace mad. He broke the kiss and lifted her up to flip her around. She would have him like a wolf. He needed to feel her wetness, and mark her as his own.

  “Yes,” she whispered, pulling the miniskirt up and exposing a tiny white cotton thong. He only glimpsed the roundness of her ass for a second before she was pressing back against him, running that tiny strip of fabric against Jace’s cock. Too much fabric.

  Jace unzipped and freed his erection, grasping it to push inside her. Images of what he Jace unzipped and freed his erection, grasping it to push inside her. Images of what he

  needed to do raced through his mind. Rub. Fuck. Nuzzle. Bite. Mate.

  Shit.

  Jace froze as Tessa’s wet heat brushed his manhood.

  Mate? No.

  She was a fucking human.

  It took everything Jace had to grab her by the hips again and stop her undulations. God, she

  was so damned hot. He had to stop this, had to say something that would kill the lust. “Get off me, Tessa.”

  Tessa went still, confused. After a moment of silence, she pulled down her skirt and pushed

  herself off Jace’s lap. She scooted onto the floor, glancing at his face. Whatever she read there made Tessa blanch and look away. She got up and went down the hall, closing herself in the bedroom with a soft click.

  Jace ran a bleary hand over his face. His mind was spinning.

  I almost mated a human.

  Jace dragged himself onto the couch, hitting the light switch as he lay down. He grabbed the quilt that hung over the back of the couch, and pulled it over himself.

  I have to get her out of here. I can’t resist her otherwise. The pull is too strong.

  Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow I hand her over to Declan. She deserves a mate who will respect her, not some wolf who cowers from his little sister.

  Jace clenched his jaw, and closed his eyes against a thousand nattering thoughts about how he could keep Tessa.

  He would do what was best for both of them while he still could.

  TEN

  Get off me, Tessa. Get off. Get off.

  Tessa woke in the middle of the night with what had to be the worst hangover of her life. She wasn’t sure if it was Declan’s hooch or sheer humiliation that had her in agony just now, but she wasn’t ever taking a second helping of either one.

  She waited until the worst of the nausea had passed, then dragged herself out of Jace’s bed and into the bathroom. If Jace noticed that she was staggering around in the wee hours of the morning, he certainly didn’t have anything to say about it.

  Tessa turned on the water faucet and drank from her filled hands. The cool water was a balm to her hot, dry mouth. She splashed water on her face, then dug around in Jace’s medicine cabinet. No aspirin to be found. Of course, a shifter wouldn’t need aspirin.

  Then Tessa remembered the first aid kit. She was rewarded by finding a stash of aspirin, which she took with more water from the faucet.

  Finished with that, Tessa looked at herself in the mirror. An extremely bedraggled version of Tessa looked back. Not a pretty sight. Tessa willed herself to memorize this image lest she be tempted to repeat the previous night’s mistakes.

  She tucked herself back into Jace’s bed, eventually finding a deep, healing sleep. When Tessa woke up again, she was famished and determined that today would be different. She’d been playing her cards all wrong yesterday. She ought to be playing to win Declan or Cord. Jace could stay here and be screwed up all he wanted; Tessa had things to do.

  She peeked into the living room but saw no sign of Jace. After a quick shower, she fished the cell phone out of her purse and turned it on. One text message awaited: Get info on everything. Get a headcount too. Ask about mcd.

  Tessa wished she hadn’t called James from the parade. She should have lied, maybe come up with a story of holing up with some fake pack. Now the Legion would be expecting to her turn over all the Shifters she’d met. If she refused, they’d hurt Camilla.

  When this was over, Tessa was going to make sure James suffered for the pain he’d put her through. The casual seduction, turning Tessa over to the Legion, and ensnaring Camilla.

  And now Tessa was doing the same thing to this pack.

  Tessa put the phone back in her purse and stuffed the whole purse in Jace’s closet. She pulled out the box of clothes she’d found yesterday, and sorted through all the assorted items. She picked out a lacy thong, a pair of skintight black jeans, and a sweetheart-cut ivory satin and lace shirt that was sort of a hybrid of Victorian lace and corsetry. The bodice was a matte piece of satin with light boning that clung to her natural curves. A thin layer of lace swept up from the bodice’s neckline and covered her cleavage, arms, and shoulders up to her neck.

  Hot damn. I would have never picked this out for myself, but I have to say I kind of like it. I doubt anyone will be pushing me off their lap tonight.

  All Tessa could have asked for was a killer pair of heels, but the Jace’s sister hadn’t left any footwear behind. Heels wouldn’t be practical walking around the Den, anyway. Nothing worse than a pretty woman who hobbled everywhere, no matter how good the shoes looked.

  The final touch was a little blush and mascara she’d scrounged from her purse and Tessa was ready to go. She wasn’t entirely sure what her plan was, but she was going to do something differently.

  When Tessa reached the Grass, there was a giant projection screen set up at one end. No one seemed to be paying it any attention, so it must be for later. A group of teen boys had stopped playing Frisbee in favor of staring at her. A group of females her age was staring at her from a cluster of picnic tables, but their expressions were much less friendly than the boys. Couples were scattered here and there, absorbed in their own conversations.

  Tessa quailed momentarily, and thought about taking a brisk walk back to Jace’s house. Then she heard a familiar lilting voice.

  “Tessa! Over here!” a tiny brunette hailed from the table of uninviting women. Tess looked over and spotted Kat, who was waving her over.

  Groups of women are like groups of wolves, she thought. Show no fear and gain acceptance.

  Tessa strolled up to the table, smiling at Kat but carefully ignoring the other women. In the back of her mind she couldn’t help but notice that they were all stunningly beautiful in different ways. Tough crowd to blend in with.

  Kat looked like a textbook pixie, or maybe a sexy nymph. She was just over five feet, with long auburn hair and hazel eyes. Where Tessa was curvy, Kat was sleekly lithe. She was dressed in a stunningly short frock dress that contrasted sharply with the athletic gear she’d been wearing the day before.

  “We were just talking about you,” Kat said. Kat’s Irish accent made it hard to read her tone and Tessa couldn’t tell much from Kat’s expression, so she just nodded.

  “Only good things, I hope.”

  “You look like you have something fun planned,” Kat teased.

  “Not really. I’m staying out here for a few days, but I can’t sit in Jace’s house for the whole time. I just wanted to get out and move around a little. Find something fun to do,” Tessa replied.

  “Consider it found. Tessa, meet Erin, Cera with a C, Emmy, Angel,” Kat said, pointing to her companions in turn. A hottie-next-door blonde, a vampy black-haired vixen with a smirk, a tall brunette who could easily be a runway mod
el, and a Miss America lookalike nodded back to her in greeting.

  “Girls, meet Tessa a.k.a. the new girl. Will you believe Jace Copeland brought back a human?” Kat said to the group.

  “He must be confused,” shot back the Miss America candidate, Angel. She didn’t look very pleased that Jace had been brought up.

  “Don’t mind her. Angel’s had designs on Jace for years,” Erin put in with a grin.

  Angel sniffed and didn’t reply, but Tessa figured that was answer enough.

  “Where is Jace, anyway? I thought he was supposed to be your bodyguard,” asked the runway model. She spoke with a crisp French accent that fit her so well Tessa would have been surprised if she’d been American.

  “I’m not sure. We seem to have had a disagreement. I came up here looking for better company than him,” Tessa said, keeping her tone lighthearted.

  “He’s already an asshole to you? That’s a new record,” the model replied, “but not surprising. I cannot remember Jacques ever keeping a petite amie.”

  “Emmy’s right,” Kat chimed in, “He’s an asshole. But now you’ve got better prospects,” she smiled slyly.

  Tessa followed Kat’s gaze to see Declan jogging toward their table. He was wearing crisply Tessa followed Kat’s gaze to see Declan jogging toward their table. He was wearing crisply

  pressed khakis, an emerald-green tee, and white sneakers that looked fresh out of the box. He looked Tessa up and down appreciatively while she did the same to him.

  “The lovely Tessa, back from Jace’s dungeon,” he said teasingly.

  “No manners, this one. Aren’t you going to greet the rest of us, then?” Kat demanded. “Sister,” he greeted Kat with a nod, “and ladies,” he said to women lounging on the picnic table.

  “Sister?” Tessa asked.

  “Oh, but didn’t Declan tell you? I’m thinking he didn’t want to be shamed by his better half,” said Kat.

  “That’s exactly it,” Declan replied gamely.

  They all laughed, and the tension eased between Tessa and the other girls. Declan turned to Tessa.