Shifter In Ascent (Louisiana Shifters) (16 page)

“Will you get your head out of your ass, mongrel?” came the sharp voice of Larson, one of his fellow Novitiates. The man was just a foot in front of James, coming out of one of the patients’ rooms. James’ gaze snapped up at the man, who was adjusting the zipper on his pants.

“What were you doing in there?” James asked Larson, looking warily between the man and the door he’d just exited. This cell was James’ responsibility, James’ inmate. No one else was supposed to have contact with the witch.

“Just getting some firsthand knowledge of our newest procurement. Not any of your business, wolf boy,” Larsen sneered, turning to leave.
“Stay away from my charges, Larsen. The Legion still considers what you do a sin, I’m pretty sure.”
Larsen gave him a final backwards glare before vanishing around the corner, no doubt off to lecher on some other helpless female.
James tapped the button to reveal the observation panel of the witch’s room, and gave a deep sigh of relief when he found the woman pacing agitatedly, still fully clothed. She was lucky that Larsen had happened by before she’d been given the drug-filled tray of food James had ordered for her earlier.
His heart tightened in his chest. Camilla could be the next one that Larsen took advantage of, the next one he hurt. It was unacceptable. Camilla was no more responsible for her mixed blood than James himself, and she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.
James decided then that when he had the chance, he’d help Camilla run. She was soft and delicate; she wouldn’t survive long in the Legion’s holding cells, and James couldn’t protect her every minute of the day.
That settled his mind. He’d free Camilla after he found out the secrets of transformation from Tessa, and offer himself in exchange for her. Truly, it was a fitting punishment since he was the one that had brought her into this dark world in the first place.
And if the Legion wasn’t impressed by his bait-and-switch tactics, then so be it. It would be an appropriate end to a life that, upon reflection, was empty and meaningless from the beginning.
Feeling a deep sense of peaceful relief, Jameson went about his list of tasks; the more mindless, the better. He couldn’t stand to dwell on what might happen if his plan was unsuccessful.
TWELVE

Tessa woke in slow degrees. She was still slightly groggy from the drugs she’d been given, and it took her several minutes to realize that she was completely alone in Jace’s house. The second she thought of Jace, Tessa groaned and pulled a pillow over her face. This was all too much, and she just wanted to crawl under the blankets and never come out again.

Tessa’s mind was doing emotional somersaults, unable to focus on one thought or feeling. Huddling under the blankets and blocking out the world was just the ticket. She needed a few minutes to process everything so she didn’t melt down and have another panic attack. There was no sexy Shifter around to rescue her this time if she got herself that worked up.

One thing at a time
, she thought.
Her feelings were still hurt over Jace’s reaction to their hookup, even though she didn’t really know what exactly
he
was upset about. She was frustrated; this wasn’t the first time he’d

On the other hand, Jace Copeland had saved her life,
again
. He’d risked his own neck,
again
, to pull Tessa back from the brink of destruction. He may not want her as a mate, but he obviously felt some compulsion to keep her safe. As for Tessa, she obviously felt something deeper for him as well.

After her talks with Emmy and Declan last night, Tessa couldn’t deny that some part of her longed for more from Jace. She knew it was too much to hope that he’d suddenly sweep her off her feet and profess his undying love. Still there were other things they could share, things that didn’t ask as much from either of them.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Tessa knew she had a decision to make. She needed to either accept Jace’s flawed psyche and try to make things work between them, or she needed to stay the hell away from him. And that was on top of the fact that she needed a plan to get Camilla back without harming Jace’s pack.

Jace’s command for her to stay put rankled, making Tessa aware that he was all too comfortable ordering her around already. He switched from hot to cold with such frequency that Tessa couldn’t really assume that he even liked her. For all she knew, Tessa was just one of many girls that Jace chased around.

And yet, no matter how many sensible reasons she came up with to push him away, she absolutely hated the idea. Tessa groaned aloud at herself.
A soft electronic drifted up from a pile of clothes on the floor. Upon further inspection, they were her own clothes from the night before. Tessa flushed at the thought that Jace had seen her, touched her even, when she was completely undressed. On the other hand, waking up in the pajamas she’d borrowed from him was nice; they were soft and covered in his scent.
Digging through her clothes, she pulled the disposable cell phone from her jeans pocket. The display said she had one new text, and Tessa found that it was from James. It said simply, “asap”, but she got the message clearly enough.
Tessa got up and double checked that the house was empty before calling James back. He picked up after the first ring, as if he’d been waiting for her to call.
“James?” she asked hesitantly.
There was a long pause and a garbled mix of voices and shuffling noises. Tessa waited quietly for almost a full minute before James came on the line.
“I’m here,” James said softly.
“Are you-“ Tessa started, but James cut her off.
“Shhhh I don’t have much time. I’ve been protecting Camilla, and The Elders have noticed.”
“Is she okay?” Tessa asked, her heart constricting painfully. She’d been half-waiting for this, for Camilla to put up enough resistance that she was given compliance treatments.
“Don’t worry about her right now. I messaged because I need you to change me into a… one of them,” he said, keeping his voice just above a whisper.
“James, I don’t know anything about that,” Tessa hedged.
“I need you find out immediately,” he replied.
“Can I ask why?”
“If I don’t find out soon, the Elders are going to kill me. They haven’t said anything, but I know they suspect me of helping the demons. Camilla won’t last two days in here without my protection, and you know it,” he said icily.
“I-I’ll do what I can. I just don’t understand why the Legion could possibly need to know that.“
Another garbled voice and more noises, and the line went dead. Tessa put the phone down with a shaking hand, willing herself not to fall apart. That wouldn’t help Camilla at all, and that was Tessa’s only priority right now. Tessa sat quietly for a long time, trying to find a peaceful place within herself.
A knock at the front door broke Tessa’s quietude, making her jump. Standing up, she squinted blearily into the sunlight for a second. The knock came again, firmer this time.
Tessa made her way to the front door, checking the peephole. She almost cried again when she saw a friendly face on the other side. She opened the door wide.
“Finally! There you are,” Kat scolded, wagging a finger as she entered, making herself at home by flopping down on Jace’s couch.
“Here I am,” Tessa sighed, following Kat to sit down.
“The whole Den thinks you’ve taken off. Everyone’s been worried,” Kat scolded.
“Like who? You and the girls are probably the only ones that don’t think I’m trouble by now,” Tessa replied.
“You look horrible right now. What did Jace do now?” Kat asked with a sympathetic frown. Tessa had to laugh at that, which seemed to soothe Kat a bit.
“Nothing. It’s just- what can you tell me about changing from Ascendant to Shifter? How does it work, exactly?” Tessa asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
“There’s no voodoo ritual, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a natural progression. When an Ascendant is of age, their latent Shifter hormones will arise. The process is even faster if they’re around other Shifters,” Kat explained.
“And there isn’t anything else that can speed it up?” Tessa asked. Kat gave her a searching look, then shook her head.
“There’s nothing else. I’m guessing from your questions you’ve felt the connection with your wolf. Once you’re comfortable with that, you’ll be able to change with ease. When adolescents first change, we tell them to visualize the change. Does that make sense?”
Tessa nodded thoughtfully, trying to appear discouraged.
“It does. But what if I’m not comfortable with my wolf? I won’t be able to change?”
“Not successfully, and believe me when I tell you that you do not want to feel a botched change. It’s really unpleasant,” Kat said, a tiny flush lighting her cheeks. Obviously she spoke change. It’s really unpleasant,” Kat said, a tiny flush lighting her cheeks. Obviously she spoke

from experience, Tessa thought.
“I guess that makes sense. I’m just trying not to worry about all that too much right now,”
Tessa replied, ready to change topics. She picked up her purse from its spot on the floor and
fished out the legal pad she’d been using to make notes before her adventure in the French
Quarter.
“What are you up to?” Kat asked, craning to read off the paper.
“I made a list of pros and cons to figure out whether or not I should try to date Jace or just go
ahead and murder him,” Tessa said with a sigh.
“I think you should just ignore him and not care what he does. He’ll come back on bended
knee, don’t you worry.”
“That’s the thing. I do worry. I can’t help it. Making this list made me realize that I wanted
his pros to outweigh his cons, and when they did I was relieved,” Tessa said wryly. “I’m going to need to hear this list,” Kat said, crossing her arms.
“It’s sort of personal. Not to mention long,” Tessa said, wrinkling her nose. “Give me the top five of each category, then. Come on, I’m on Team Tessa,” Kat teased,
elbowing Tessa in the ribs.
“Fine. But absolutely no laughing,” Tessa accused. Kat raised her right hand and tried to
look grave.
“I solemnly swear,” she said, managing to keep a straight face.
Tessa rolled her eyes and picked up the list, pursing her lips as she reread her notes. “Cons first. Number one, he’s dementedly stubborn and doesn’t take no for an answer,” she
read.
“God, that’s true. Every man in this pack is like that,” Kat agreed.
“Number two, he has a giant bitch for a sister.”
“I can’t disagree, although I like to think I’m worse than Maddie.”
“You’re not,” Tessa said, rolling her eyes.
“That hurts,” Kat quipped, putting her hand over her heart dramatically.
“Moving on. Number three, he has anger issues and he’s crazy overprotective.” Kat nodded, finding no fault.
“Number four, he keeps seducing me. He’s got this sort of come-hither desperation – I swear
one second I’m glancing at his face, the next second…” Tessa trailed off, blushing. “Your panties hit the floor?” Kat suggested helpfully.
“Kat!” Tessa protested, covering her face with her hands.
“Really, Tessa. I have eyes just like you do. I’ve seen your man when he gets all fired up. It’s
really something worth witnessing,” Kat said with a wistful note.
“We are so not talking about this,” Tessa insisted.
“Prude. What’s number five, then?”
“He won’t make up his damned mind. He doesn’t want me, but he doesn’t want me to be
with anyone else. He wants me, but he hates that I’m a human. Blah blah blah blah. It’s wearing
me out,” Tessa sighed.
“It’s unfair,” Kat agreed, reaching over to give Tessa’s shoulder a comforting pat. Tessa
smiled at her, glad to have made such a wonderful friend despite the circumstances. “I guess if he’d picked one or the other, you and I wouldn’t have gotten to be friends,” Tessa
said.
“Sounds like something to go on the ‘pros’ side of your list,” Kat said teasingly. “Well. Number three is that he has great people… the whole pack is so close that it’s like a
huge family. I’ve really never had anyone other than Camilla.”
“What are the other four?”
“You’re going to laugh.”
“Probably, but you should tell me anyway,” Kat said.
“Well, for one, I kind of
like
that he’s an alpha male. I’ve never been with anyone like that
and it feels surprisingly good. Like I’m special and cherished,” Tessa admitted. “Nothing wrong with that. I’m pretty sure it’s encoded in our DNA somewhere – Shifter
females must love macho men.”
“And I kind of love that he has a crazy sister. After dealing with Maddie, I’ll seem like a
dream come true,” Tessa said slyly.
“Absolutely true.”
“Let’s see… oh, he’s intelligent and very well-read. To look at him you’d assume that he
would be sort of…” Tessa trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“A mimbo?” Kat offered.
“What on earth is a mimbo?” Tessa asked, confused.
“A male bimbo,” Kat said, as if it were obvious.
Tessa couldn’t suppress a giggle at the term.
“Okay, okay. Yes. Jace looks like he should be a model, not a computer whiz who loves
Hemingway. In his case, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Even if it’s a really sexy cover,” Kat chimed in.
“Which brings us back to the topic I don’t want to discuss. Let’s just say that he is very
attractive and he knows how to use that to his advantage,” Tessa said.
“In a sexy way, I assume,” Kat speculated.
“Let’s leave it at that. The last one, of course, is that he has great people surrounding him.
And those people happen to be Shifters, just like me. It feels sort of predestined.” “That’s because it is. Mates are made for each other. Neither of you would ever be truly
happy with anyone else after you complete the mating ritual. The bond is just too strong. It’s
such a huge decision, a lot of Shifters struggle with it. There are good parts, like how Shifter
mates can communicate mind-to-mind in wolf form, but it comes at a high price.” “I guess I can see why that’s scary. A married couple can get divorced, but a mated couple is
stuck together. The idea could be pretty suffocating if you’re not sure about your choice of
mate,” Tessa acknowledged.
“The mating process is a little different for males, too. They get this obsessive need to
protect their females, and that’s not even to mention the jealousy aspect of it all. Then you pile
on all these emotions and stuff… as you can imagine, they don’t really take it all that well,” Kat
said, bemused.
“I’ve never even thought of it that way. Do you think Jace is being a smother-y ass because
he’s freaking out a little bit?” Tessa asked slowly.
“Probably more than a little bit, but you get the idea.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t realize that. Thank god you’re here, because apparently I know
absolutely nothing about men.”
“Glad to be of service. That said, I have to be off. I just came to check on you. You should
get dressed and come meet us for lunch at the Mess Hall,” Kat suggested.
“That actually sounds great. I’m starving,” Tessa said gratefully.
“Well, yeah,” Kat said, as if it were obvious, “You’re a Shifter now. We burn like twice as
many calories as humans do.”
Tessa rolled her eyes at Kat’s back as the other woman got up and let herself out the front
door. The first order of business would be a shower, and then lunch. After that she’d try to track
down Jace and talk to him.
When she reached the building that housed Jace’s office, she found that the main door was
locked tight. She’d looked all over the Den for him, and this was the last place on her list. A
short list, admittedly. Frowning, Tessa made her way around the side of the building in hopes of
finding another way in. She found an identical set of doors but they too were locked. Tessa
groaned and raised her fist to pound on the door in hopes that Jace might hear her from his
office.
“I wouldn’t do that, Tessa,” came a deep voice from behind her.
Whirling, Tessa found herself face to face with a very pissed-off looking Jasper McDonough.
Make that a pissed off Jasper McDonough who happened to be holding a sleek black gun.
Tessa’s eyes widened in terror and her breath caught in her throat.
“You’re coming with me. Silently,” Jasper said, motioning toward a well-worn footpath into
the woods. He moved aside just enough to let her pass by, but they nearly touched. Tessa
shivered as a spike of fear shot up and down her spine.
Tessa stumbled as they hit the tree line, and Jasper nudged her in the back with the gun. Fear
was coursing through her veins, but now she was feeling the beginnings of anger crackling
inside her mind. Who did this guy think he was, going around kidnapping people? Jesus, it was
like Tessa had a giant sign on her back that said “VICTIM” in day-glo letters. She’d escaped Jasper twice, and she was determined to do it again. Maybe the third time was
the charm. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.
“What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here?” she ground out.
A pause before Jasper answered.
“I have a right to challenge Copeland for you,” Jasper growled.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tessa sneered.
“I formally requested a challenge from your Alpha, but he hasn’t responded. I assume he’s
been putting me off so that he can keep the new Ascendant in his pack. Mate you to Copeland,
or even himself. It’s against our laws to ignore a formal challenge,” Jasper said. “But it’s not against your laws to abduct someone?” Tessa asked angrily.
“Not if they’re unmated, it’s not. More walking, less talking,” he commanded. They trudged along in silence for what seemed like ages. Tessa scrambled for a way out that
didn’t involve her trying to outrun McDonough. Somehow she didn’t think that she’d get very
far. She couldn’t lie and tell him that she was mated, either. He might just go ahead and kill her
before she had a chance to get away.
Suddenly the trees thinned out to form a large clearing with a small clapboard house similar
to Jace’s. Tessa stopped at looked back at Jasper, unsure how to proceed.
“Inside,” he demanded.
Swallowing, Tessa stepped up onto the porch and opened the door. She shuffled nervously
inside, mainly moving forward to keep her distance from Jasper, who followed right behind. The cabin wasn’t much more than a bed, a couple of chairs, and a fireplace. It had a small
wood burning stove, but no table. It seemed as though it had lain dormant for ages, though there
were signs here and there that someone had visited on occasion. The place certainly didn’t look were signs here and there that someone had visited on occasion. The place certainly didn’t look