Shifter In Ascent (Louisiana Shifters) (7 page)

door just a few feet away. Jace had been so wrapped up that he hadn’t even heard someone approaching the house, but with the first knock his mind had switched over to security mode, leaving his hard-on a bitter second place.

Jace stepped back enough to let Tessa breathe, and she darted out from under his arms and vanished toward the bedroom.
Jace groaned and went to the door.
“Yeah, what?” he yelled rudely.
“It’s the Smiths! We live next door! We wanted to finally meet our neighbors!” came a chirpy female voice.
Jace sidled over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to reveal a young yuppie couple standing expectantly on the stoop.
The last thing he needed was a couple of nosy neighbors telling everyone how odd the couple next door were. He needed to see what they wanted, and then get rid of them. Jace steeled himself, then undid the locks and swung the door open.
“Hi! Lesley Smith here, and this is my husband John,” the girl chirped again, offering him a handshake.
“We’re busy,” was all Jace could manage, accepting their handshakes with his most malicious glare.
“We just, um… we wanted to introduce ourselves…” the woman prompted, “you know, trade names and maybe have a drink together.”
“Ah. Yeah. Uh. Jason. And uh, Bess. She’s changing,” Jace lied.
“Neat! Well we just saw that you guys were around for once and wanted to stop by. You two must just travel all the time, because we never see you here,” the girl said, eyeing the nearly unfurnished front room.
“Yes. All the time,” Jace agreed, looking over his shoulder to see where Tessa had gotten off to.
“Right. Well, we’d love to walk with you to the parade if you’re going,” the man chimed in. Jace had forgotten his name already.
“No thanks,“ Jace said, starting to swing the door shut in their faces.
“Oh, but we LOVE parades!” came Tessa’s voice from behind him.
Jace turned to see her right behind him, with a huge fake grin pasted across her face. She was smiling so hard it was painful to look at, and she definitely wasn’t meeting Jace’s eyes.
“Listen,
Bess
, I don’t think we have time to go to a parade today. Remember, we’ve got that… thing? You know, later?” he prompted.
Without so much as a glance at Jace, Tessa scoffed and waved off his protest. Opening the door wide again, she turned her mega-watt smile onto the neighbors.
“Don’t be silly. A parade is just what we need. Lesley, was it?”
“Oh yes, so nice to meet you,” Lesley half-shouted, excited. Tessa brushed past Jace and linked her arm through the other woman’s.
“Gosh, I can just tell we’re going to be fast friends, Lesley. Tell me all about you while we walk,” Tessa said, her voice saccharine-sweet.
“Well, I’m from Shreveport originally...” the woman started.
“You coming?” the other man asked Jace.
Jace gave him a scornful look, but grabbed his satchel from beside the door and followed the girls, swinging the door shut behind him.
“You gonna lock your door there, partner?” the man asked.
“No,” Jace snapped.
“Ah… okay. A new ager. I can appreciate that. So, are you a Saints fan?” the man asked.
“I am a fan of anything that will make you stop talking to me,” Jace said, not sparing a glance at the fellow.
The man fell silent, and quickly enough he sped up to catch the girls and join in their conversation. Jace was left stomping along angrily behind them.
The girl had just manipulated him as if it were second nature. Not to mention she’d turned his own rules against him. Yet again she’d proved her intelligence, but in Jace’s mind it echoed the danger she could present. Jace had to be in control of the situation, not a fool wrapped around some female’s finger.
Jace would see to it that she understood the rules soon enough. He would show the little temptress the error of her ways, and enjoy every second of it.
SIX

Tessa’s heart was beating a million miles an hour, threatening to leap from her chest. First she’d kissed Jace – that in itself had been ridiculously thrilling. But there had been a moment, just before the neighbors had broken the spell. Tessa couldn’t explain exactly what had happened, but it was like some long-hidden part of her had suddenly awakened. There was a strange friction in her heart, and an intense feeling of no longer being alone in her body; it was almost as if someone was watching her every move, but from
inside
. The weirdest part was that instead of completely freaking out and launching herself into another panic attack, Tessa felt good. Not just good, amazing actually. As if she had been missing a piece to a puzzle for ages and suddenly found it in an odd place, and now she’d slipped the piece into its corresponding slot.

Jesus, she was almost certainly losing her mind. This had to be what schizophrenia was like, right? But crazy people didn’t know they were crazy, so Tessa was probably okay. Or was that just another part of the mental disease? Shaking her head, Tessa decided she’d just have to sit on the existence of her new companion for the time being.

Tessa could feel Jace’s Xeyes burning into the back of her neck as she followed the neighbors on a leisurely stroll to the parade site. The street signs indicated that they were now on Magazine Street. According to Tessa’s very minimal research into New Orleans, this was supposed to be a hip shopping district.

The street was lined with boutiques of every shape, size and color; Tessa was hard pressed to let her gaze settle on any one place. Historic oaks arced gracefully across the street here and there, unharried by all the traffic.

At the moment it was packed with people streaming in every direction, alone and in groups, dressed in a motley assortment of styles. It struck Tessa that these people were out and celebrating even though there was no actual parade in sight. She supposed they must be early.

“…so daiquiri or cocktail?” the neighbor woman, Lesley, was asking Tessa. “I’m sorry?” Tessa said.
“I asked if you wanted a daiquiri, or a cocktail?” the woman asked, presenting it as an

either/or question.
“It’s like… one in the afternoon,” Tessa remarked, eyebrows raised.
Lesley laughed.
“Oh, you’re obviously not from around here.”
The other woman steered Tessa toward an open door with blaring music and brightly colored

“Yeah babe?” the woman asked over her shoulder as she began to physically force her way through the crowd at the bar.
“Can you believe that Jason here has never had a daiquiri?”
“That’s tragic. We’ll remedy that ASAP,” Lesley chirped as she expertly elbowed her way to the bar.
Tessa casually glanced back at Jace. His face was murderous, and he kept glaring at both all three of his companions in turn as if he couldn’t decide who was going to get it first. Tessa cleared her throat nervously, pretty sure it was going to be her.
Her silent companion seemed to be incredibly interested in Jace, and somehow kept drawing her gaze back to him even though he was staring daggers at the moment. Looking at him, something clicked in Tessa’s brain.
Her visitor had something to do with being an Ascendant, she was pretty sure. Hadn’t Jace said something about this in his story? The wolf and the king lived together in one body, she remembered. This was something like that, she knew.
At the moment though, she couldn’t focus on the new development. Tessa had spent the whole morning trying to figure out how to sneak away and call Jameson to check in and assure them that she was holding up her end of the bargain.
Well, all morning except the all-too-brief soul-drenching kiss she’d shared with Jace. No time to think about that now.
“Here you go. Best hurricane daiquiri in the city!” Lesley said, passing them out. She practically had to force the white foam cup into Jace’s hand, and in return he merely gave her a spiteful roll of the eyes.
“Uh, thanks,” Tessa said, sipping experimentally from the bright red straw. It was kind of like frozen fruit punch, with deep notes of cheap rum. All in all, not bad.
“You like?” Lesley’s husband asked Tessa.
Tessa nodded and took another sip, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Jace.
“Lesley!” came a loud voice from the other side of the room. A young woman was waving her arms enthusiastically to get the neighbor’s attention.
“Sam! Omigod!” Lesley squealed, and pushed into the crowd with her husband in tow.
Tessa started to follow, only to stop short when a huge hand gripped her by the back of her neck. It wasn’t exactly painful, but she couldn’t have broken the hold easily.
Tessa rolled her eyes up to look at Jace, who had divested himself of his drink and looked, if anything, even more pissed off.
“We’re leaving,” he ground out through gritted teeth.
“But we just got here!” Tessa protested, feigning surprise.
“We shouldn’t be here in the first place. It isn’t safe for us to be in a crowd like this. We’re completely exposed.”
“Who can find anyone in this crowd? Look, even Lesley is already long gone. We’re hiding in plain sight. People camouflage,” Tessa argued hotly.
“Which is a very poor method of defense. We need to return to the safe house immediately. I’ll carry you back if I have to,” Jace insisted.
“Alright Mr. Security Consultant,” Tessa mocked lightly, “We’ll go. But can I at least use the ladies’ room first?”
Jace narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
“Can it wait the five blocks back to the house?” he asked, sarcastic.
“Nope! Be right back!” she said, already pushing into the crowd toward the “Restroom” signs. There was a short line, so Tessa waited patiently until it was her turn. Then she slipped inside the bathroom and locked the small door after herself, glad that this was a single-person restroom.
Tessa pulled out the cheap prepaid cell the Legion had given her as a way to contact them from the field. Jameson picked up on the second ring.
“Where the hell are you, Tessa?” Jameson hissed into her ear, reminding Tessa that he was even more of a buzzkill than Jace. How a bad guy could be such a worry wart was beyond her.
“I found one of them. Jace Copeland,” she said, trying to keep her voice down even though the bar outside was riotously loud. Who knew what Jace was capable of hearing?
“Are you safe?” Jameson asked, sounding concerned.
Tessa snorted.
“I’m fine. I can handle him.”
“You have to be careful, Tessa. They’re powerful and very dangerous. Give us your location and we’ll bring him in today.”
Tessa paused, biting her lip.
“There is a chance that he’ll take me to the pack compound,” she said slowly.
Jameson was silent for a long beat before responding.
“The council will want all of them if it’s possible. You can have more time in the field, but you need to check in with me as often as possible. You have to keep yourself safe.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Tessa snapped, irritable at being leashed so tightly.
“I mean it, Tessa. If you mess this up or try to delay, the Council will kill your sister. Don’t try to put off the inevitable. Do it in one clean shot,” Jameson warned.
“Is Camilla okay?” Tessa asked, her voice suddenly small and scared.
“She’s… she’ll be okay,” he hedged.
“What the hell does that mean?” Tessa asked, feeling tears at the corners of her eyes.
“Just make sure you report regularly, Tessa. Like clockwork. Do what you’re supposed to do and all three of us will be saved.”
A click signaled that Jameson had hung up.
Tessa cursed and wiped at her eyes, then stuck the phone back in her purse. She hurried back out of the bathroom, getting glares from the women in line for taking so long.
“Sorry,” she apologized as she squeezed her way back to the bar where Jace waited, looking severely pissed off.
When he caught sight of her his eyes narrowed again in that familiar expression of suspicion. Still, he didn’t say anything about Tessa’s probably-puffy face and reddened eyes. Tessa was relieved.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Jace grasped her elbow and begun pushing his way through the crowd, pulling Tessa along behind him in his wake. When Jace moved forward, people instinctively tried to get out of his way. At least he was good for crowd control, Tessa thought.
Once they made it out of the crowd, Jace dropped Tessa’s arm and walked at a brisk pace that had Tessa half-running to keep up with him.
“Hey, not everyone has long legs here!” she protested, but her joke lacked conviction.
“Can we just get to the house?” Jace said, his voice chilly.
Tessa slowed a little bit in response, stung.
“Ass,” she accused.
Jace was silent as they turned onto the safe house’s block. Tessa gave a frustrated sigh and followed. She was so wrapped up in her anger that she actually smacked into his huge body when he stopped dead on the sidewalk.
“What-“ she started, but Jace hushed her with a quick gesture. Tessa clamped her mouth shut, trying to see what he was seeing ahead on the street.
The safe house was a few houses down, quiet as expected. Tessa furrowed her brow, confused.
Jace motioned to get her attention, and then pointed to the door. It was ajar several inches, Jace motioned to get her attention, and then pointed to the door. It was ajar several inches,

which is definitely not how they’d left it.
Tessa lifted her eyebrows in a silent question: what now?
Jace pivoted and grabbed Tessa’s elbow again, leading her in the direction they’d just come.

A couple of turns later they were on Ronnie’s porch.
Rather than knock on the door, Jace rooted around in a small flower planter on the stoop,
producing the keys he’d handed off to Ronnie earlier.
He produced a high-end smartphone from his ever-present satchel and spoke into it. He
hadn’t been kidding about being a techie, apparently.
“Call Shaw,” he commanded.
Placing the phone between his ear and his shoulder, he went around the side of Ronnie’s
house. Tessa followed him into a nicely shaded backyard, bare except for a couple of the giant
oak trees and a small steel shed that looked as if it might collapse any minute. As Tessa waited, he began to discuss the situation with someone else. Shaw, he’d called him.
Presumably the pack leader.
“Shaw, it’s Jace. Yeah, we’re blown. Someone is inside the safe house, but we didn’t stick
around to see who. Yes.”
Jace paused, listening.
“With your permission, I will bring the Ascendant.”
Another pause as Tessa was trying to fill in the blanks of the one-sided conversation. “Okay.”
Jace ended the call and slid the phone back into his satchel, then slid the bag off his shoulder
and handed it to Tessa.
“Put this on. And the helmet too,” he ordered.
Tessa slid the strap over her head, hands shaking. She was too scared for humor, even. She
pulled the helmet on as Jace threw open the doors to the shed, revealing his motorcycle. He
wheeled it out and walked it back to the front driveway, Tessa following like a duckling. Jace swung his leg onto the bike with practiced ease and started the engine. Tessa was just
settling herself behind him when a loud
CRACK
rent the air and hot pain slithered up her arm.
Tessa cried out, but Jace slapped her knee hard and motioned for her to hold on to him. She slid her arms around his waist, trying to ignore the pain in her left arm. The second her
hands were on him, Jace revved the engine and took off at an unbelievable speed. Another
CRACK
, then
CRACK CRACK
as gunshots followed them. They were quieter this
time, though. Farther away. Wonderful news as far as Tessa was concerned.
Jace gunned the engine as they hit a straight stretch of road. He smoothly wove between cars
as they went, forgoing stop signs and red lights. Tessa would have probably thrown up from fear
in normal circumstances, but she was more focused on the horrible pulsing sensation from her
injury.
Using her good arm, she stuck her hand in Jace’s satchel and felt around for something to
control the bleeding. After digging through his bag and her purse, she managed to press a wad of
scratchy paper towels over the wound. Then she tugged his lightweight leather jacket from his
satchel.
When they were forced to stop because of oncoming traffic, Tessa quickly slipped the jacket
on over the satchel and her purse. At least this would hide the wound from prying eyes, and also
it might confuse her pursuers… if they were really dumb.
The last thing she remembered clearly was willing herself to relax and close her eyes, and The last thing she remembered clearly was willing herself to relax and close her eyes, and