by Wood, Vivian
“Humans?” Tessa asked, her voice trembling a bit.
“Yes. Some group of extremists who found out about our pack and tried to exterminate us. My pack wasn’t the only one attacked. There were a lot of violent attacks in the South back then. Bombings, abductions, attacks on Shifters who lived away from their pack. The extremist group was die-hard and had some really nasty methods. They called themselves the Legion.”
Tessa’s heart dropped like a stone. The Legion had murdered families, including children. Their claim to be the good guys had been ridiculous to begin with, but now Tessa suffered no illusions about their true nature. Tessa swallowed angrily, but the tears were already pricking her eyes.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Jace soothed, suddenly sitting down on the bed next to Tessa and wrapping an arm around her.
“It is not okay!” Tessa whispered, and the dam broke. Tears streaked down her face, making Tessa even more miserable.
“I mean, it’s not your fault,” Jace said, hesitantly pulling her close. “No one knows what the Legion even wants, really. They’re just a bunch of fanatics living in the woods, hunting something they don’t understand. I can’t blame every human in the world for that, much less you.”
He gave her a half-hearted smile. Trying not to scare her, Tessa thought.
Tessa took a deep breath, and Jace filled her senses. That faint smell of mint and almond wrapped itself around her as tightly as his arms did. Her skin heated sweetly, and suddenly Tessa couldn’t stop thinking about kissing Jace.
Say something. Say anything. You have to tell him, she thought.
“You don’t understand,” Tessa mumbled into Jace’s chest.
I’m pretty sure the people who killed your family are the ones who are going to kill my sister unless I betray you.
“You’re practically a Shifter at this point,” Jace replied firmly.
“But I’m human, too. You can’t pretend that I’m not, Jace. I’m no different than the Legion.”
Tessa tried to pull back to wipe her eyes, but Jace held her fast. She tilted her head back to look up into his face. Their eyes caught, and all the heat she was pushing down rose back to the surface. If she didn’t do something, she would explode into flames.
Jace stared right back into her eyes with a soft smile, and then said the words she so desperately needed to hear.
“I could never hate you, Tessa. You’re a lot of things, and even if human is one of them, it’s “I could never hate you, Tessa. You’re a lot of things, and even if human is one of them, it’s
okay. I like humans a little better for having made you.”
Tessa gave a weak laugh, some of the tension leaving her body.
“I bet you tell all the human girls that,” she said softly.
Her eyes dropped to Jace’s mouth, lingering. Jace threaded his long fingers into Tessa’s hair,
angling her head so that their gazes met again.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me right now?”
Tessa bit her lip to stifle a little noise of excitement that was bubbling up in her throat. Jace
gripped her hair harder and pulled her head back farther, exposing Tessa’s throat. Her heart beat wildly as Jace leaned down and ran his nose against the slim column of
Tessa’s throat. He paused at the hairline just below her ear and took a deep breath, then moved
up to blow it gently into Tessa’s ear.
Tessa let out a little gasp and her spine straightened, pushing her ear closer to Jace’s mouth. “You honestly don’t, do you?” Jace said, his mouth rasping against her ear lobe. A day’s
worth of stubble brushed her neck as he talked, and Tessa felt heat pool between her legs. Suddenly her wolf made herself known. She’d made a decision, and she liked Jace.
Approved of him, and admired him. All these thoughts rushed by in a single heartbeat. Tessa looked up at Jace and knew he sensed the presence, too. His pupils were visibly
dilated, and his breathing came heavier now.
“Your wolf is in full Ascent,” he managed to grind out.
Tessa wasn’t really listening anymore. The wolf knew what she wanted, and Tessa was going
to make her happy.
Tessa closed her eyes, her mouth parting slightly as she offered it to Jace. His mouth came
down on hers, hard and demanding. He nipped her bottom lip, and then licked at the slight sting
his bite left. Tessa gasped at the sensation and a moment later his tongue was teasing hers,
inviting her to play.
Tessa slid her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. Jace responded by dragging her into
his lap, facing him so she had to straddle him. One hand returned to Tessa’s hair, while the other
pressed Tessa tightly against his body.
Tessa tasted Jace’s kisses hungrily, instinctively rocking against him where their hips met.
Jace released her mouth and growled. The sound reverberated through Tessa, spreading flame
from her core upward to her breasts and neck.
Jace pulled her head back, baring her pale throat again. Tessa moaned as Jace nuzzled the
spot where her neck joined her shoulder, rubbing his beard against her delicate skin. Then Jace
bit her in the same spot and Tessa thought she might go over just from his mouth against her
neck.
Jace’s unique scent flared strongly as he ran a hand up her ribcage, then a brushed two
fingertips against the bottom of her right breast. Tessa bit her lip and watched Jace as he framed
her breasts with his big hands, his touch achingly light.
Tessa pressed her heat against Jace’s growing hardness impatiently, and he grabbed her hips
again, stopping her movement.
“Stay still,” he warned.
Tessa growled right back at him, challenging. Still Jace gripped her to keep her in place. “I mean it. Stay still, or I will be inside you in a second. Your wolf might be ready, but our
first time ought to be better than that,” he warned.
Tessa stilled, giving him a frustrated sigh as a white flag. Jace waited a long moment, then Tessa stilled, giving him a frustrated sigh as a white flag. Jace waited a long moment, then
returned to his leisurely exploration of her breasts. He cupped them over the thin bra and t-shirt she wore, then ran his fingers from the top of her cleavage up her neck and down again. Leaning in, Jace nuzzled and nipped at her collarbone before dropping lower to place a quick, sharp bite on the top of her right breast. Tessa sucked in a breath, and before she’d let it out Jace had pulled her shirt up over her head and cast it aside. He unhooked her bra in one smooth motion, then peeled off the silky satin with painstaking slowness.
Cool air caressed Tessa’s already pebbled nipples, followed by the warmth of Jace’s breath as he teased her mercilessly. He licked and teased the sensitive underside of each breast, working closer and closer to the nipple until Tessa was completely tensed with the effort of staying still. Finally he laved his tongue over her right nipple before taking it into his mouth, sucking with increasing pressure until Tessa begged him hotly to touch the other breast.
He then gave her left breast the same treatment as he cupped it’s fullness to his face. “You have amazing breasts,” Jace said, his voice roughened by need.
Tessa laughed, leaning in to kiss him with a smile.
“And you are wearing far too much clothing,” she pointed out as she tugged his soft t-shirt p
and over his head. Tessa ran her hands over the lean muscle of his shoulders and down his arms, marveling at the perfection of his body. His chest, abs, and sides seemed as if sculpted by a devilish hand. Aside from a light smattering of chest hair, he was smooth and warm everywhere she touched.
Jace allowed Tessa to explore his torso for a few minutes, and even stayed still as she kissed and nipped at his shoulders and neck, moaning in appreciation.
/> Tessa brushed her hand down over his toned abs and gripped his hip bone, brushing her thumb softly against its curve and squeezed gently, eliciting a growl from Jace. Her other hand traced the dark line of hair trailing from his navel down below the waist of his low-slung jeans. Tessa ran a finger along the barrier of his jeans, wondering at the soft skin covering taut muscle. She tried to dip her fingers lower but Jace lost patience with her examination, and began to move.
Tessa found herself on her back with Jace draped over her left side, trapping both her wrists above her head with one hand. She pushed back against him, testing to see if she could free herself. Jace didn’t budge, but he did lean down and take her earlobe in his mouth. He bit hard for a heartbeat, then sucked on her earlobe before softly exploring the lines of her ear with the tip of his tongue.
Tessa’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she released a series of little gasps that seemed to excite Jace further. He let her wrists go and then his hands were everywhere that his mouth was not and Tessa was half-crazy with his touch. Her pants disappeared but she wasn’t sure how or when, and certainly didn’t care.
Jace fit himself against Tessa’s hip, taking hold of her wrists once more. His other hand roamed across her flat stomach and down the side of her hip before coming to rest on her knee. He slid his hand down gently to where her legs were pressed together, nudging them apart.
Tessa squirmed and kept her legs together, suddenly nervous despite her out of control state. Jace looked up at her, checking to make sure she was okay with his touch. Tessa bit her lip and gave him a brief smile as approval. Jace ran his hand down to her ankle and then slowly brushed up the back of her leg until he was touching the backs of her thighs.
With surprising tenderness, Jace brushed his fingertips against Tessa’s core, finding her With surprising tenderness, Jace brushed his fingertips against Tessa’s core, finding her
damp at the first contact. A hungry smile lit his face as he rolled Tessa over on her side and ran a searching finger back and forth over her dampness, slowly sliding it into her outer sheath. Tessa rolled her hips without thought, seeking his touch in the right spot. Jace continued his leisurely exploration, running his finger between her most sensitive spot and her innermost core but not touching either. When Tessa could stand no more, she begged.
“Jace, please.”
Jace stopped for a long beat, making Tessa ache even worse.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
“Please,” Tessa half-moaned.
“My name, Tessa. Say my name, damn it.”
“Jace,” she urged.
Jace slid two fingers up and found the tight bud of her arousal, rubbing soft circles around it.
Waves of hot pleasure erupted and washed through her legs, curling Tessa’s toes. She was on fire, already prepared to crest a wave of release. Tessa’s wolf was having none of it. The wolf craved more than this, and Tessa growled her need at Jace.
“I need you inside me,” she commanded, trying to wriggle loose of Jace’s steel grasp.
His fingers left her clit and Jace rolled Tessa onto her back, kneeling between her knees and sliding two large fingers deep inside her core. Tessa bucked and made a strangled noise, pushing her wolf back as Jace slowly worked his fingers in and out. He slid them deep again before flexing his fingers in a “come here” motion, his long digits touching a soft place just under Tessa’s belly button.
Tessa’s feminine muscles clenched tightly as she trembled, trying to fight the oncoming orgasm. She was determined that the first time she climaxed with him, Jace would be right alongside her.
Jace worked at the spot for another half a minute, frowning at her resistance. Finally he withdrew, and Tessa quickly sat up.
“You were about to come, Tessa. You should have let me finish you,” he said, brows knit in frustration.
“It’s not enough,” was all she said.
Tessa moved to her knees and pressed her hands against Jace’s chest until he collapsed back on the bed. She unbuttoned his jeans and quickly stripped them off, leaving him exposed.
“No underwear?” she asked, amused.
“You weren’t wearing any, either,” Jace replied.
“Great minds think alike,” Tessa joked.
Tessa’s gaze dropped down Jace’s body, taking in his lean flanks and sinewy thighs. She steeled herself before dropping her gaze to his cock, sucking in a surprised breath.
Tessa had expected Jace to be big, but that was an epic understatement. She reached out to stroke him gently, teasing her fingertips over the hot, silky length of him. He was easily several inches longer than her hand and so thick that when Tessa encircled him her hand couldn’t close all the way.
Jace grated out a laugh, and Tessa looked up at him.
“I guess you really haven’t been with a Shifter,” he said.
“This is normal?” she asked, flustered.
“I’d hate to think that.”
“I don’t even know how this is going to work!” she protested, her gaze returning to his groin. She took him in her fist, squeezing the steel of his length as she slid her hand up and down.
Jace laughed again, but his voice was tenser this time.
“It’ll fit,” he promised, “you’ll just have to be on top at first.”
With that, Jace surged up to take Tessa’s mouth with his. His tongue flitted against hers, mimicking what he wanted most. He picked Tessa up as though she were weightless and settled her on his lap, bringing her aching wetness down to rest against his shaft.
Gripping Tessa’s hips, Jace lay back and locked gazes with her. Then he rolled his hips, sliding his length up to brush her clit and back down again. Tessa caught the rhythm immediately and echoed his movement, rubbing her most sensitive spot against his tip with a little gasp of delight.
Jace slid one hand up to her breast and massaged it firmly, making Tessa arch her back. Tessa’s wolf demanded that she was ready, and Tessa lifted herself just enough to guide the tip of Jace’s cock to her core.
“Hold still,” she told him, receiving a smirk in return.
“Easy enough for you to say,” Jace groaned.
Tessa pressed herself down in tiny increments, sighing as her softness stretched to accommodate him. She got most of the way down before she stuck fast and began to rock back and forth in an attempt to take him in.
“Fuck!” Jace gritted out, pushing Tessa down hard enough to cause an audible slapping of flesh.
Tessa cried out as pain lanced through her, stealing away some of her pleasure.
“Tessa,” Jace growled, seeking her eyes.
“I’m okay, it’s just…” she broke off.
“You didn’t tell me,” he said more softly, worried.
Tessa gave him a small smile and brushed a kiss over his lips.
“Now you know. So show me the rest,” she teased.
Jace growled again, and kissed her fiercely before he started to move ever so slowly. Tessa had never felt so completely full in her life. Jace occupied every inch of her, pressing all the way to her womb. His size at once hurt and felt right, stretching but also rubbing her in places she’d never knew could be touched.
After a few longs beats to let Tessa adjust, Jace began to rock and thrust gently. Tessa followed his rhythm hesitantly at first, and then harder as fissions of heat streaked through her whole body. Tessa tried to maneuver this way and that to control exactly which spots Jace hit, but in this position she could barely do more than hang on for the ride.
Jace must have felt the same way because he suddenly rolled with Tessa, coming to rest on top of her. Pushing up on his forearms, he began to thrust in earnest. Tessa shoved her hands into the thick hair at his nape as Jace began to move in her with deep, steady strokes.
“Yes. Jace, yes!” she said, shouting her satisfaction.
At her use of his name, Jace began to hammer her relentlessly. Tessa’s need built, and she took him hungrily. Jace swore, coming down t
o capture her lips in a demanding kiss. Tessa could feel him straining, trying to rein in his pleasure while he pounded into her.
“The wolf,” Tessa gasped at him, and somehow Jace knew exactly what she needed. He pulled out and flipped her over, pushing back inside her from behind. Tessa’s back arched and she keened with pleasure, taking every hard thrust he gave. His left hand gripped her hip, and his she keened with pleasure, taking every hard thrust he gave. His left hand gripped her hip, and his
right hand across her belly to find her clit, throbbing and needing. Jace rubbed quick circles against her slick arousal. At the same time his shaft rubbed that soft spot inside her again, and her muscles clenched in anticipation. Jace hit that same spot over and over again, rubbing her all the while.
“Oh God,” she whispered. A pull stronger than an ocean tide sucked Tessa down, and for a moment she floated before her body was wracked with mindless ecstasy as her innermost core clenched Jace hotly.
Jace sped up and pushed her through what seemed like a nearly endless climax, panting as he prepared for his own release.
“Fucking say my name, Tessa. Say it!” he demanded, gripping her hair as he rode her.
“Jace!” she responded breathlessly.
“Who do you belong to?” he snarled.
“You. I belong to you, Jace,” she panted.
He finished with a roar, bringing Tessa to a final and unbelievable peak.
Jace sunk back on the bed as if boneless and Tessa went down with him, content to never move again. He pulled her close, running his hand softly over her hair. She’d never felt so cherished in her life, and it was making her tear up a bit.
She reached out and ran a tenative hand over his flank, admiring his complete lack of modesty. It was, Tessa decided, one of the most wonderful things about Shifters. With all their racing hormones, shyness was left in the dust.
Curling up against Jace’s warm body, Tessa quickly felt the serenity of release fading and leaving behind anxiety. Even as she listened to his deep, slow breathing and tried to relax, Tessa knew that being with Jace in this way was wrong. If she continued in this vein, she would eventually be forced to choose between Jace and Camilla. The longer this went, the harder it would be.
