Shifter In Ascent (Louisiana Shifters) (14 page)

“Do not be concerned, he never responded in kind. After my very first time watching the pack play the Game, we were both very drunk and he spoke honestly with me about his feelings. He said that he had nothing to offer a woman, whether physical or of the heart.”

“You mean he thinks he’s cold-hearted?” Tessa asked, confused. The Jace she knew could be quite impassioned, especially when his anger was provoked. The idea that he was without emotion struck her as absurd.

“That is what he meant, but I think it’s more. He believes himself to be without worth, it seems. For me, he carries around too much on his shoulders. He is very sad, you know?”
Tessa was quiet for a minute before responding.
“What am I supposed to do with this information, Emmy?”
The stunning woman merely raised one shoulder in a half-shrug, a classically French study in graceful movement. Tessa was struck again by the woman’s physical perfection, and judging by this conversation she wasn’t exactly stupid either.
“I am not suggesting anything to you, Tessa. I simply tell you what I would want to know if I were trying to win Jacques’ heart. Please consider it a gift rather than a demand.”
Emmy’s deep blue eyes raked over Tessa for a moment, then she reached out and patted Tessa’s shoulder.
“It will be all right. You’ll see,” Emmy said reassuringly.
Tessa blinked and nodded, the gears in her brain whirring to process all of Emmy’s information. Emmy inclined her head gracefully and gave Tessa another quick smile before she hurried to catch up with Kat and Cera. How she moved so fast in those stilettos, Tessa had no idea.
Tessa took a deep breath and sipped the drink in her hand experimentally. She winced. If this passed for pineapple around here, she wasn’t eager to try all the other fruits. Still, it had been nice of Angel to buy Tessa a drink, so drink it she would.
Tessa took three long pulls from the drink’s twisty straw, sucking down about half of it.
“I thought you said you were taking it easy tonight,” came a rumbling voice just behind her.
Tessa turned her head to look at Declan, who sidled up next to her and kept pace as she walked.
“Maybe I changed my mind,” she said.
“I suppose Bourbon St. can do that to a girl. Be careful with the hand grenades, though.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hand Grenades. The name of what you’re currently drinking.”
“Hurricanes, hand grenades. Everything has a crazy name here.”
“Try pronouncing some of the street names,” Declan said knowingly.
“Like… St. Ann?” Tessa teased.
“Like Tchoupitoulas,” he fired back.
“Raincheck on pronouncing that one,” Tessa said with a smile.
“Your boy Jace taught me that one when Kat and I first moved here. He and Maddie helped us transition here from our old pack,” Declan said.
“Is that right? Why did you move here from Cork?” Tessa asked amiably, steering the conversation away from Jace.
“My sister wouldn’t settle for some lowly job as a cook or a teacher, which is what women “My sister wouldn’t settle for some lowly job as a cook or a teacher, which is what women

were supposed to do in our old pack. Kat’s far too ambitious for that, and Shaw was accepting new members, so… here we are.”
“So what does she do here?” Tessa asked.
“Well, you know Shaw’s the alpha, sort of like being the president of the pack. Rhett’s his second in command, and Jace is third in command plus security. So they’re like the vice president and the speaker of the house, respectively. That makes Kat the Secretary of State, I guess. She’s the pack administrator, has her hand in just about everything to do with pack operations,” Declan explained.
“I guess I should be thankful that I found a pack that doesn’t discriminate against women. It sounds like a lot of Shifters are pretty stuck in the past. I’m not sure what I would be able to bring to the table here, though. I’ve never really done anything other than sit on committees and fundraise for charities,” Tessa said.
“You’d be surprised what you’ll be good at, Tessa. I felt the same way before I came here, but Kat and Shaw put their heads together and found me the perfect position.”
“And that would be…”
“I’m the procurer. I don’t like being trapped in the Den all the time, and I’m a fair hand at blending in with humans, so they put me in charge of going out and getting anything that the Den doesn’t provide for us. Everyone just submits their requests, and I bring it back to the Den. I also stand in for Shaw in any instances that our pack-owned companies might need public representation.”
“Is Shaw camera-shy?” Tessa asked, amused.
“In a manner of speaking, yes. There’s a long list of reasons why he doesn’t want to be in the public eye. That’s his story to tell, though.”
Tessa nodded thoughtfully, strolling slowly alongside Declan. She was thankful that he’d been thoughtful enough to slow his long-legged stride so that she didn’t have to run to keep up with him. Just another sign of his overall wonderfulness, really. Declan went on talking, keeping her entertained.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about your job anyway, I’m pretty sure that Kat already has designs to steal you over to her office. She has an enormous workload and no one to share it with. She’s already been singing your praises to me,” Declan said with a bright smile.
Tessa flushed, returning the smile. For some reason, hers felt a bit false compared to his. She couldn’t help but compare Declan’s easy humor and mellow attitude with Jace, his opposite in so many ways. She didn’t want to think about Jace tonight, though.
“You know, I’m glad we came out tonight. I’ve been wanting to get to know everyone a bit better, plus this is way more fun than sitting around Jace’s house, trying to figure out whether or not he hates me.”
“I doubt that he’d want to hear that, Tessa.”
“Who cares what Jace wants? I certainly don’t.”
“Can I ask you a question, then?” Declan asked, his lilt thickening.
“In that accent? Anything.”
“Ach. You, uh, you do feel it don’t you? The pull?”
He stopped, and looked down at Tessa. All the sudden Declan’s face was deadly serious.
“I, well- yes. I do,” Tessa hedged.
“I can’t quite understand how that can be.”
“Why not? You’re- well, you’re very..”
“I’m not talking about my looks, Tessa. When a couple mates, there are certain steps, like. Things that change as they begin to commit to one another. Their wolf might change color or grow. The scent especially changes.”
“Okay…” Tessa prompted.
“You smell like him.”
“Well, he’s given up his bed for me to sleep in. Alone,” she hastily clarified.
“It’s more than that. His scent is ingrained on your skin. It’s a sign of courtship.”
“That’s… weird. And kind of gross. Jace and I aren’t courting. He’s made it very clear that he isn’t interested in me that way,” Tessa said slowly.
Declan gave a sharp bark of laughter, and Tessa raised an eyebrow in query.
“Tessa, love, have you looked at yourself in a mirror? I suppose you can’t really smell your own Ascendant scent, but still. Every unmated male is interested in you that way, to a man.”
Tessa flushed, and looked off down the street.
“I don’t see how you can speak for the whole Den, Declan.”
“Did you know that after the Game, the men all use communal showers? Boys talk.”
“Okay, TMI. Anyway, I meant what I said about Jace.”
“Look at me, Tessa.”
She looked up into Declan’s aquiline eyes, waiting for his challenge. Instead he leaned down and caught her mouth with his in a tender, searching kiss.
Tessa’s heart fluttered and she leaned against Declan to keep herself upright. Declan’s kiss was soft and probing, asking a question that she wasn’t sure how to answer. Tessa went still, not knowing what to give back.
Declan immediately broke the kiss, stepping back and running his hand over his mouth and jaw.
“I-“ she started.
“Tell me you’ve got no possible future with Jace, and we can try that again. Promise me that you’re not waiting for him. Otherwise as I can see it, touching you again means I’ll be losing my friendship with Jace,” he accused.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that kiss was good, but it would have been a hell of a lot better if I were the one you wanted.”
Declan turned his face away, masking his expression.
“I can’t… I don’t know. I can’t promise anything to anyone,” Tessa said haltingly.
“I understand, Tessa. Really I do.”
After a moment of silence, Declan looked back at Tessa.
“You’ll let me know the moment he fucks it all up, will you?”
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh, and Declan’s smile returned.
“Of course,” she replied.
“I am nothing if not a hopeful man, love.”
Tessa grinned and took the last sip of her drink, slurping loudly to get the last drops. She was feeling nice and warm now. The drink had loosened her up a bit, she thought. Just not enough to kiss Declan.
“How about a couple more of those, then?” Declan said, indicating her drink.
“Just don’t call it pineapple-y.”
Declan gave her a strange look and shook his head, smiling as he turned and headed across Declan gave her a strange look and shook his head, smiling as he turned and headed across

Tessa cocked her head slightly, admiring Declan as he went. Damn if that man really wasn’t the catch of the century. Tall, gorgeous, and he did have the nicest posterior.
Tessa threw her empty cup away, watching Declan wait in a long line for the drinks. It occurred to her that this was the perfect opportunity to check in with Jameson.
Slipping the cell phone out of her purse, she quickly turned it on and dialed Jameson’s preprogrammed number.
“About time. I was starting to think you’d abandoned your sister,” Jameson’s voice came down the line.
“No, I-“
“Just listen, Tessa. I only have a minute alone before they come back-“
“What are you talking about?” Tessa asked, alarmed.
“I need something from you, Tessa. I need you to tell me how I can become like the Downlanders,” Jameson whispered, his tone desperate.
“What? Why would you want that?”
“I can’t explain, but let’s just say I think I can be of more use to the council if I am invincible like the Downlanders.”
“They’re not- I don’t even know how-“ she started.”
“But-“
Beep
.
The line was dead.
Just great
, she thought.
Before she could mull it over, Tessa felt the hair on her neck rise. She tensed to turn around a split second before a large hand snaked over her mouth.
She made a noise of alarm, working up to the scream that would bring Declan running. The scream died in her throat as cold metal pressed against her ribcage. A gun, aimed upwards at her heart.
“Come nice or I kill your friend,” a deeply Southern accent ordered, “you understand, girl?”
Tessa nodded, silent and still. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Declan’s back as he stood in line. He was only a few people back now.
The body that went with the big hand pressed close, Tessa was pulled backward into a small side alley. The man who’d grabbed her was big enough to simply drag her down a series of short alleyways and into a multi-level parking garage just off the street.
Tessa’s eyes widened as she saw what awaited her. Parked a few spots in was a sleek black Mercedes, conveniently enough left with its trunk open. So this was definitely not a spontaneous kidnapping.
The man folded her body down like a lawn chair despite her resistance, and Tessa’s view of the floor showed an approaching pair of loafer-clad feet. A hand popped into view as the one holding her took his hand from Tessa’s mouth.
Just as she was about to take a big breath so she could scream, the new hand pressed a damp cloth over Tessa’s mouth. She was forced to take a big breath through the cloth, which smelled like lint balls and camphor. Tessa coughed, but the scent clung to her mouth and nose.
Tessa struggled as the man holding her began to press her into the trunk. She was trying to fight the overwhelming need to gag. The second man’s hands appeared again and a heartbeat later Tessa was enclosed in the dark space of the trunk, coughing and dry heaving.
“You idiot! How much of that stuff did you put on there?” came a loud voice. Her abductor, “You idiot! How much of that stuff did you put on there?” came a loud voice. Her abductor,

she guessed.
“It doesn’t exactly come with directions, asshole,” came the reply. The second guy. Already Tessa was feeling uncomfortably woozy. Her brain was not interested in Tessa’s

pleas to stay awake. There was no question that she had just moments left.
The men’s voices faded a bit as they got into the car and quickly pulled out of the garage.
Tessa couldn’t really understand what they were saying, something about someone being angry. Tessa felt around the compartment desperately. She needed a weapon, so that if she escaped
the trunk she’d have a chance to get away.
Her hand hit a bit of cold steel. A screwdriver, seemingly of the Philip’s head variety. Good
enough for Tessa.
Tessa allowed her body to relax and her eyes to close, fighting to stay awake. She took even,
fast-paced breaths to give her brain more oxygen. Somehow that might help.
Then came a shouted, “What the fuck! Crazy ass biker!” before the car slowed with a
screech. Tessa slammed against the trunk’s wall. Before the car was even still there was a
thunderous crash and Tessa was bounced from one side of the trunk to the other, which
mercifully woke her brain up just a hint.
Gunshots rang out for almost a minute, then everything was silent. Slow footsteps crunched
toward the trunk, and Tessa readied her screwdriver. Everything was getting fuzzy again, but if
Tessa could take out the man approaching, she might be able to get somewhere safe. Light from the streetlamp streamed in as the trunk opened. Tessa tried to strike out with the
screwdriver, but her arm wasn’t entirely agreeing. Then inky blackness wrapped around her
mind and pulled her under, somewhere warm and dark.
ELEVEN

I killed her. If she never wakes up, that means I killed her. As good as if I put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.
Jace looked over at Tessa for what had to be the millionth time, and still there was no change. Her breathing was slow and shallow, but thankfully steady. She was warm to the touch but not fevered. He’d tried to wake her to no avail. All he could do was pray that her lack of response wasn’t due to brain damage or internal trauma.
Jace had tried to shake her awake when he’d pulled her out of the trunk of the Mercedes, but she hadn’t so much as moved. He’d lifted her carefully out of the trunk and hastened away from the wreckage he’d created, rebuking himself over and over for risking Tessa’s safety.
He hadn’t had much time to react, but that was no excuse. The second he got close enough to that sleek car, he’d felt the pull of Tessa’s presence. The car had started moving, soon to pass him. All he knew was that he couldn’t let that happen.
Jace had reacted without thought, and gunned his bike straight at the car. At the last second he’d leaned hard enough to cause the motorcycle to slide sideways toward the car while he rolled off in the other direction.
Jace had hit the ground hard and jumped up while the two men holding Tessa were still stunned, and then he’d emptied a clip into their throats and chests. It was against pack law to kill another shifter without the alpha’s consent, but it wasn’t technically a violation to shoot the shit out of them. So Jace had avoided the headshots he so badly wanted to mete out, and had instead opened the back door.
No Tessa in sight, but he could feel her. So she must be in the trunk, then. When he popped open the trunk, the plastic handle of a screwdriver hit him squarely in the eye. He cursed and then laughed aloud, his heart swelling with relief at the fact that she’d at least attempted to protect herself. She was incredibly brave, a fighter until the very end. Then he’d realized she wasn’t moving anymore, and his heart had dropped like a stone.
He’d been looking after her for hours now. He’d gotten her back to his house, gently undressed her, and wrapped her in the thick quilt that adorned his bed. The quilt was one of the only surviving remnants of his parents, and tucking it in around her sleeping form gave him a measure of peace. He’d laid her down just so, pulled up a hard wooden chair alongside it, and waited.
Maybe he should call Shaw back and take him up on his offer to send a doctor. Jace had checked her over carefully and had found nothing but a few bad bruises, but maybe she was bleeding internally. God, he should have thought of this ages ago.
Jace jumped up to grab his cell phone. He flipped it open and began dialing Shaw, his hands shaking.
Tessa moaned. Jace hung up and dropped the phone next to his chair as he knelt on the bed beside her.
“Tess? Can you wake up?” he asked.
“Huuurnmph,” she replied.
“Open your eyes,” he commanded.
Tessa’s eyes slid open groggily. After a moment she focused on his face. Then she flapped a dismissive hand at him, and rolled to her other side.
Jace let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She wasn’t a vegetable, at least. Jace gripped Tessa’s shoulders and rolled her back to face him.
“Tess. Do you want a doctor? Talk to me!”
Her brow furrowed.
“Drugs,” she said.
“What?”
“Drugs, they gave me… I’m going to be sick,” she said weakly, heaving. Jace snatched up the trashcan beside the bed and held it in position for her while Tessa vomited weakly, shaking and crying all the while. Shit, Jace had never been this miserably helpless in his entire life. At least not since…
Not the time for that. Focus on Tessa, she needs you right now.
Jace could deal with this. He would stay by her bedside, wait for the nausea to pass. He’d take drugged up over a severe concussion any day of the week. Tessa heaved one last time, but it seemed like there wasn’t much left to come up. She flopped back on the bed and he set the trashcan aside, smoothing a hand over her forehead and crown.
“Do you need anything right now, Tess?” he asked softly.
She just groaned and flapped a dismissive hand, pulling a pillow over her face to block out the early morning sunlight.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going to let you sleep. But I’ll be right here if you need anything,” he said.
“Munnh huhm,” she affirmed, then rolled over again and buried her face in Jace’s comforter. Jace wanted to crawl in bed beside Tessa and hold her close, but he wasn’t quite ready for sleep.
Jace turned on the shower and pointed all the nozzles to the center, then turned the water temperature way up. The scorching water drenched over him, and he let the heat relax some of the knots and tension in his neck. That was what he’d installed the shower for in the first place.
Jace leaned his face against the cool slate and let out a ragged breath. He’d spent the last few hours thinking that he’d killed Tessa, and that was after taking advantage of her, rejecting her, and screaming at her in front of the whole pack.
Now that he was sure she was okay, he’d merely done all the other things. Damnation.
The look on her face when he’d asked her to get off his lap flashed in his mind, and he pressed his face harder against the tile. He’d tried to apologize, but she hadn’t been interested in a private chat. Jace had been too embarrassed to say anything in front of the other women, and he’d let Tessa traipse off with Declan.
His hands tightened into fists. Declan was lying low if he knew what was good for him. Jace was going to wreck Declan’s pretty face if he so much as looked at Tessa the wrong way, or any way at all. Worse than that would happen if he dared to approach her. Their association was at a complete end or Jace couldn’t be responsible for his actions thereafter.
Jace stayed in the shower until the water began to cool. Then he dried off and dressed in jersey sleep pants and a soft t-shirt. He turned off the lamp that adorned the bedside table, and carefully lay down next to Tessa.
Pulling the quilt she’d kicked off over both of them, he gently pulled her backward into the shelter of his body.
Tessa shifted and gave a little sigh, as though content. That sound shouldn’t be so damned sexy, or so comforting. The problem with her, simply put, was that Jace respected the hell out of her.
She was sweet, but she stood up for herself if it was needed. She was as independent as Jace She was sweet, but she stood up for herself if it was needed. She was as independent as Jace