Protection: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (20 page)

“
Y
ou will wait here
for Monsignor Sunderland,” one of the nurses said.

Her emotionless voice echoed in the empty white hallway as gripped Tessa’s arm. They came to a halt outside of a blank white door, identical to several dozen others they’d passed on the way from Tessa’s cell. The nurse gave her a threatening look, pulling out a large ring of keys and unlocking the door. Opening it, she pushed Tessa inside a strange room and slammed the door shut, leaving Tessa alone.

Tessa blinked as she looked around. Her eyes reacted to the rich colors of the cherry desk, the green leather chairs, and the piles of dusty books everywhere. Someone’s office? Nothing like her plain, padded room. Yet she felt no more comfortable here than in that white cube of a prison cell.

At least this door has a handle on each side, Tessa thought.

Tessa ran a hand through her-washed ringlets, savoring the feeling of being clean. Even Nurse Blank Face hadn’t been able to ruin the too-quick scrub down. She’d stood just outside the shower and kept checking to make sure Tessa wasn’t up to anything crafty.

Tessa looked around the conference-style room the nurse had put her in. She tried to decide which chair was the best vantage point. Finally Tessa chose a seat next to the curtained window, desperate for a taste of the outside world. To her disappointment, when she pulled it back the curtain only revealed a bank of ambient ivory lighting. Jesus, this place was so creepy. No windows, mindless servants as staff, and this room contained the only glimpse of color she’d seen in ages.

Still, James had promised that if Tessa would help them on some kind of mission, Camilla would be safe. Or, that wasn’t it exactly. He’d inferred that if Tessa didn’t help, Camilla would die.

Not a great deal, but Tessa was willing to take what she could get at this point. And hey, she was already uncuffed and out of the cell. She was clean, and electrode-free. That had to count for something.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Tessa realized that her current good cheer was false. It might be due to severe emotional trauma, or even brain damage from the torture. But as long as Camilla was safe and Tessa wasn’t getting shocked, things were at least a little better than before. Weren’t they?

Tessa’s thoughts derailed as the door swung open. IN came James and a much older man with a slight resemblance; they had the same jaw, the same eyes. When James was in his sixties his dark locks would be the same bright silver, Tessa guessed. There was no chance the resemblance was a coincidence.

Tessa eyed the older man. If not for his expression, his simple black garments and the worry lines etched about his mouth might have marked him as a priest. The pure hatred burning in his eyes was frightening, though. His chilling dark blue eyes raked over Tessa, expression brimming with repulsion. As soon as James was inside and the door closed, the older man spoke.

“I hear you are going to help us,” he said, enunciating each word as if speaking to a mentally handicapped person.

Tessa regarded him in silence, head cocked to the side. James cleared his throat, growing tense. Looking between them, Tessa realized that James was afraid of the older man. In truth, she didn’t want to know what it took to scare someone as crazy as James.

“Well?” prompted the older man. “Do you speak, demon? Will you attempt to redeem yourself in the eyes of God?”

“I hardly think God has much to do with this place,” Tessa replied, trying to keep her voice calm. She frowned and sat up a little straighter, unable to resist a show of defiance.

“I don’t think a creature like you would know much about God,” the older man responded, taking a step toward her.

Tessa’s gaze flashed to James when he spoke up.

“You must not let her upset you, Uncle. She is not enlightened. She does not know what she says,” he said, his tone mollifying.

The older man turned to the younger, eyes narrowing.

“Novitiate James, you will address me by my proper title in the presence of a supernatural. You will also refrain from issuing orders to a superior,” the man snapped.

James bowed his head in supplication.

“Yes, Monsignor Sunderland. I apologize profoundly,” the younger man said. The words flowed from his lips with ease, as if he’d said them a thousand times before.

“You will have punishment after you finish with the demon. Seeing as how you can’t help the blood you got from your mongrel of a mother,” Sunderland said, pausing for effect. “You can choose your own remonstrance.”

“Yes, Monsignor. Thank you.”

As James bowed, he caught Tessa’s eye and gave her look that was half threat, half plea for her to behave. Tessa dipped her head, staring down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap. Biting her lip, she steeled herself against feeling guilty.

James was the one who’d started all this in the first place. He’d sought her out at her favorite bar, plied her with drinks and conversation, and when everything started to go blurry…

Somehow she’d ended up in that eerie white padded cell. Bitterness flooded through Tessa, turning her thoughts black.

“Demon,” the older man prompted, again as if Tessa were slow. Tessa looked up at him, fighting to school her expression.

“I’m not even sure if family means anything to your kind,” the man said, sounding almost conversational.

Tessa’s brow pulled into a deep frown before she could stop herself. She bit her tongue hard to keep from responding.

“If you try to interfere in any way, or double cross us, we’ll kill your sister,” he said, his icy gaze chilling Tessa to the bone. “Do you understand?”

Tessa nodded, her stomach roiling.

“Then we’ll just find another demon to do as we ask. Your resistance would be futile,” he said. His stoicism made her all the more angry.

Tessa glanced over to James, who gave a brief nod of agreement.

Tessa dropped her gaze down to where her hands lay in her lap. That little bit of hope she’d found was fading by the minute. The older man seemed satisfied, turning to speak with the younger one.

“You will come to me after the demon is gone,” he ordered.

“Of course, Monsignor,” James said, bowing his head with deference.

The older man gave Tessa final once over, and then left the room. Tessa let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, letting her body relax.

“He’s awful,” she said.

James eyed Tessa, his sharp look disapproving.

“Don’t speak of what you don’t understand,” he said, coming over and drawing up a chair across from Tessa’s.

He produced a fat white folder labeled Louisiana, handing it over to Tessa. She opened it and flipped through the pages. Stacked inside she found copies of news articles, glossy photos, and printed reports .

James leaned close, gesturing to the documents.

“I know I haven’t explained to you exactly what we do here, Tessa. You don’t even realize yet that you’re different from other people, but you are. You and I, we are both aberrations. Our bloodlines have are tainted, mixed with something unnatural,” he said.

Tessa opened her mouth, unsure how to begin her answer.

“You can’t be serious about this demon stuff,” she said, for lack of a saner argument.

“The Legion believes that anything supernatural is of demonic origin,” James said. He sounded as if he were reciting scripture.

“Who the hell is the Legion?” Tessa asked, now confused.

“The Legion is a group dedicated to the continued health and survival of human kind. We believe that all supernatural species pose a distinct threat to humans, and must die,” James explained. Once again, his words sounded rehearsed.

“You think you’re the frigging Ghostbusters?” Tessa asked, a hysterical giggle threatening to break free.

If these people were crazy enough to think there were demons walking around, Tessa and Camilla were in real trouble.

“This is serious, Tessa,” Jameson said, a soft rebuke.

“And I’m supposed to be- let me guess. A witch? A fairy?” she asked, trying to play along.

“You’re a werewolf, as am I,” Jameson said. No laughter, no smirk. He was dead serious.

“Ohhhhhh, of course! A werewolf! How fitting. Now I can finally put my journalism degree to real use. ‘Reporter Discovers Werewolves; Finds Out She Is One’. Hah!” Tessa couldn’t keep the derision out of her tone.

“You’ll see for yourself soon enough,” James said, but he didn’t explain further.

Tessa raised an eyebrow and shrugged, having no response to that. James narrowed his gaze at her before continuing.

“The Legion has identified a group of werewolves living in Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. We need to find out more about them. Their numbers, their social structures, things like that,” James explained.

“Uh… uh huh,” Tessa muttered.

Nothing she said seemed to faze James, so she might as well just agree and get out of this horrible place. Once she got out, her first action would be a call to the cops.

“The folder contains all the information we have on werewolves. It’s yours to keep and study, but you must get rid of it before you make contact with the New Orleans werewolves.”

Tessa’s head snapped up.

“Make contact?” she echoed.

“Yes,” James said. “That’s why the Legion needs you. You will make contact, infiltrate their group, and then brief us on their habits. You’ll find their lair.”

“I don’t understand. What is it that you hope to gain in all this?” Tessa asked, confused.

It must be something big if they were willing to establish a whole facility like this one. They kidnapped and tortured people. They'd done something unspeakable to those nurses...

“Your task is to gather information. We have identified some of the members of their group, as well as some of the establishments they frequent in New Orleans. The next step is finding out where they live,” James said. He pulled the folder from Tessa’s hand and flipped to the section of photographs.

The first photo was a stunning brunette, all legs and curves. She had the high cheekbones and perfect features of a supermodel. Attached was a sticky note that read Madeline Copeland. The next was a gorgeous man with deep brown eyes and tousled brown hair with just a hint of a curl. He had smooth, chiseled cheekbones and his jaw was set in a grim line that enhanced his sexy mouth. Tessa found herself staring him, taking special note of the label which read Jacques ‘Jace’ Copeland.

James cleared his throat, reminding Tessa that she wasn’t alone. She flipped through another handful of pictures, each with a drool-worthy subject and a name attached. Still, she didn't absorb any of the other photos. The first man’s image stayed with her, impossible to replace.

James was talking, but Tessa couldn’t focus. She needed to speak up, tell James that something was wrong. A simple photo shouldn’t give her chills like this, shouldn’t make her feel anything at all.

Instead, she asked a question.

“When do I leave?” she blurted out.

James gave her a faint smile and looked at his watch.

“One hour,” he announced. “So we’d better get you dressed and ready. We’ll outfit you with clothes and a cell phone, to contact me alone. We’re going to put you in a quiet little bed and breakfast for your stay in New Orleans. You can read through the folder on the way to the city.”

“Are we flying there?” Tessa asked, feeling a resurgence of nervousness.

Jameson gave her an odd look.

“Do you remember coming here at all?” he asked.

Tessa shook her head, biting her lip.

“We’re only an hour outside New Orleans right now, Tessa. You left Boston over three weeks ago,” he said, his words hesitant.

Tessa gaped, floored. How had they brought her all the way across the country without her consent? And how the hell had she been here three weeks? Sure, it was all a blur, but…

Tessa’s lower lip trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. She swiped at her eyes with the back of a shaky hand. She was in some secret facility belonging to a bunch of crazy people calling themselves The Legion. People who believed that Tessa was a werewolf. People who wanted her to go find and betray other werewolves for… information, or whatever. Crazy people.

These lunatics had trapped Tessa first, and now they were holding Camilla hostage to make Tessa do their bidding.

The more Tessa thought about it, the more absurd it became. Everything felt unreal, baseless, impermanent. Tessa’s chest constricted until she couldn't draw a breath.

She could sense James trying to say something, shouting for help. She could feel gravity shifting as her body toppled over. Darkness swarmed in her vision, swallowing her before she hit the ground.

I
f Jace didn’t intervene soon
, the human girl was as good as dead.

Jace paused in the shade of a block-long second story balcony, one of many that defined New Orleans’ French Quarter. He waited a moment to be certain he wasn’t followed. Then he dashed across the centuries-old cobblestones and onto the opposing sidewalk.

A long line of people stood in line for a coffee shop. Perfect cover for his pursuit. Jace tucked his lean 6’4” frame into a pocket of shadow near the building’s bright orange clapboard corner. He peeked down the street where the girl had gone.

Scrubbing a hand over two days’ worth of dark stubble on his chin and cheeks, he raked his hand through his roan brown hair. He’d recently had it cropped just above his ears. It felt good to run his hand through it when he was thinking, or self-conscious.

If he had to approach the girl, she was going to take one look at his wild-man hair and his disheveled clothes and run for the hills. If she was smart, at least.

Don’t worry about what the damned human thinks. Worry about the man that’s about to abduct her, Jace reminded himself.

Jace followed after the girl. He passed endless rows of multi-storied shops and houses. Shadowed, verdant courtyards sat back from the street, guarded by massive wrought-iron fences. Every street in the French Quarter teemed with life. Tourists snapped pictures, bicyclists enjoyed the weather, black-uniformed locals headed to bartending jobs.

Unfortunately for Jace, it was a Catholic high holiday, the feast of someone or the other. The religious locals crowded around the St. Louis Cathedral. A procession of high-ranking priests entered the church as everyone watched. Such a large gathering would have been quite helpful had it not been a whole twelve blocks away. Jace didn’t have twelve blocks’ time to intercept Jasper.

He could see the girl strolling down the street about half a block ahead. She was holding a sleek black phone to her ear and frowning. If she was talking to someone, her voice was too soft for even Jace’s hypersensitive ears.

The girl had a tumble of blonde curls that complemented her pale skin and light eyes. She was small, but fleshed out in just the right spots.

She wore an eggplant-colored skirt, a white lace blouse, a yellow cardigan sweater, and simple yellow flats. Her outfit struck Jace as being very girlish, but it looked nice on her.

Jace had to admit that she was pleasant looking. Even if she hadn't smelled so wonderful, she would have caught his eye. That said, he would have dismissed her on the spot, just as he longed to do now. She was female, and helpless. Also rather self-absorbed, if her inattention to her surroundings was any clue.

So like a human. Pretty outside, brainless inside.

That’s why I don’t mess with human women, Jace thought. Even the Ascendants.

Jace scowled as he followed the girl. He couldn’t decide if he wished she would get off the phone and realize she had a follower. Perhaps he wanted her to stay on the phone and remain oblivious. It was possible that the other wolf would wait until the human was off the phone before attacking. They were not far off from the bustling part of Decatur St. There was a slim chance that the girl might make it without noticing her shadow. It was always better to let humans think they were the only species occupying their little world.

Jace scanned the street again. He searched for Jasper McDonough, alpha of the vicious Alabama Shifters pack. Word of mouth said that the Alabama pack were killers and rapists, to a man. Jace could only imagine that Jasper was the same as his malicious pack.

Like Jace, Jasper might have looked human, but they were definitely a breed apart. Jasper was said to be feral, and even surlier than Jace himself. At least he had been the last time they’d seen each other, many back by now. That meeting hadn’t gone too well. Jace didn’t think this one would go any better.

Where the hell is that crazy bastard hiding? I don’t want him creeping up on me, Jace thought.

Jace couldn’t see Jasper at the moment, but the other wolf’s scent was all around. Jace was concerned about Jasper blowing his lid, and not just because he stalked an Ascendant female. Jasper McDonough was no idiot, but his hot temper had led him to expose his nature to outsiders before. This wouldn’t be the first human Jasper’s pack had hurt, either.

That was not an acceptable outcome. Jace had been following the pheromone-laden trail of this female Ascendant for almost a week. He wasn’t about to let Jasper abduct the girl. As if stalking her somehow conferred a duty to protect the human? Jace had dibs, but in a creepy, pathetic way. He gritted his teeth.

Just make sure the human is fine, then get the hell out of here. The last trouble you need in your life right now is a female. Walk away the second you know the girl is safe, and let it go.

Jace didn’t know what had happened to the last female Jasper’s boys had scooped up. The details were no doubt grim. Dead, or maybe some kind of drugged-out groupie for the Mobile pack. In other words, the girl’s lifespan had been cut short.

That doomed girl wouldn’t be the first one taken, but Jace aimed for her to be the last. It was wrong to abduct someone against their will, of course. Over and above that, though, a big scene might draw unwanted heat down on the Shifter community.

And that’s something we definitely don’t need, he thought.

Humans could be vicious when they were scared, and they were worse in big groups. Jace knew that fact better than anyone. He pushed back the flood of images: fire, a child screaming, wolves howling in mourning.

Worry about the human. No time for thinking on the past, Jace scolded himself.

Jace jogged after the girl. She was now spitting angry words into her phone. He caught a flash of movement a block down, something moving fast.

Time had run out, and Jace wasn’t going to be able to prevent Jasper from reaching the girl. With the female between them, there wouldn’t be time for Jace to come up from behind. Jace would have to attack Jasper head-on.

“Sweetheart, I’ve been waiting for you!” Jace shouted. As the girl turned around he shot her a look.

Go along with it, he tried to tell her.

The second their eyes locked, Jace felt a soft but distinct tugging sensation in his chest. His wolf wanted to get closer to her, needed to get closer.

The blonde opened her luscious mouth and stammered a confused apology. Jace cut her off. He didn’t want to give her time to say the wrong thing.

“Come over here and give me a big kiss. I’m getting lonely over here,” he said.

Jasper was coming up on the girl fast. If he got a good hold on the her, it was all over.The foolish human scuttled backwards right into Jasper’s open arms.

Damnation.

Jace watched Jasper lean close to breathe in the girl’s heady scent, saw his pupils dilate in reaction. The blond giant gripped the Ascendant girl, an obvious internal struggle playing out over his face. It seemed that Jace wasn’t the only one affected by gorgeous Tessa Anderson. Unsurprising, but also not acceptable.

As the girl turned to look up at Jasper, Jace held his breath. Would she take one look at the other Shifter and just give up? Or worse, would she enjoy his embrace?

But no, now she was struggling a little. Trying to free herself. Too bad the girl’s instinct had led her astray; in this case a struggle would only fire Jasper up more. Any Shifter male would react that way.

Jace shouldn’t feel a flash of pleasure at her rejection of McDonough, even if it was just a gut reaction. The female was nothing to him, and he had bigger fish to fry.

“Your little game isn’t working, Copeland. The Ascendant doesn’t carry your mark or your scent. She doesn’t even seem to recognize you,” Jasper said, his voice taunting.

As he spoke to Jace, Jasper stared at Tessa. He loosened his grasp by the barest inch, and she broke away from him. She flashed Jace a pleading expression.

The girl was saying something, but Jace found himself distracted by her slender figure. A little late, but now she was attempting to go along with his lie. Jace sighed. He was running out of options, and fast.

“I claim her, McDonough,” Jace said, his voice flat and heavy.

A tingling rush swept through his body, the sensation of old magic stirring. He’d said the words, he’d invoked the charm, and now he’d see firsthand if it worked. He prayed that it wouldn’t, that it would turn out to be some myth.

Jace snapped back into reality. Jasper made a move to grab Tessa’s arm. Before Jace could intervene, the girl whipped around and smashed the heel of her hand into Jasper’s face. A nasty snap sounded, and Jace grinned.

Smart girl.

Tessa took off, her shoes clacking as she fled toward Decatur St. A long strip of boutiques and niche stores drew a large number of shoppers, and she sensed safety in numbers.

Jasper started to shift to his wolf form, and Jace mirrored him. They both watched her with hungry eyes as their bodies rippled and changed. The girl tripped on an irregular bit of pavement and went down hard, with little grace. Just as Jace’s shift ended, he saw that Jasper was on top of Tessa. Jace could tell that Jasper was trying to hold himself back, restrain himself from tearing into the girl’s warm flesh.

The blonde was panting with fear, and her scent hung in the air. She smelled sweet but clean, something altogether different. Jace shook himself, trying to focus on Jasper. Unfortunately, the female looked like she might faint at any moment.

Before Jasper could lose his control, Jace barreled into them both. Both males tumbled across the sidewalk, away from the girl.

For a couple of minutes, Jace and Jasper circled and fought hard. They were both pumped full of adrenaline from shifting, and now that adrenaline was pushing them to go for the throat.

The wolves were well matched. Jasper had an advantage with all his fighting experience, but Jace was faster. He was also willing to play dirty, if needs must.

A loud gunshot went off, and Jasper froze. Jace took the opportunity to take a chunk out of Jasper’s back leg. Jasper growled, but a second shot rang closer and kept him at bay. Jace took in the little old lady standing on the stoop of a cheesy voodoo shop with a huge shotgun, and decided to get moving. He grabbed the satchel he’d tossed to the side and bolted, before the storekeeper could get another shot off.

Jasper was streaking down the street ahead of him, trailing blood as he ran. Shifters needed to stay in their animal form to heal in the most efficient way, a kind of blessing. Jace figured he had a few hours to find the human and keep her from talking about what she’d seen.

If I don’t want to kill her, I’m going to have to find someplace to stash her, Jace thought.

There was no way Jace could bring a human female back to the Den, not to mention into his home. His human-hating sister would have a fit of epic proportions. Jace would have to take the woman to a safe house, which meant notifying his alpha.

Shaw is so not going to like this.

The alpha of Jace’s pack was no more a fan of human women that Jace was.

There was nothing for it. Jace could never kill an innocent human, no matter how inconvenient. She did smell amazing, which meant that her Ascendant potential was coming into bloom. The female would find herself drawn to his kind soon enough anyway.

It was safer if Jace brought her in now. Jasper wouldn’t be the wolf in his pack prowling the city, looking for females to drag home.

At least in the Louisiana pack, the human would have a choice of which wolf she wanted. Assuming Jace could figure how to take back his own spoken claim, that was. He’d figure it out sooner than later, he was certain. No way was he getting tied down in this mess.

For now, it was safer that Tessa remained under his claim. He’d figure out how to disentangle himself later.

Jace clenched his jaw and slipped into a shaded doorway to regain his human form. He opened his satchel and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, then followed her scent across Decatur St.

A stray thought entered his mind, unwanted. He might not want the girl, but he wasn’t going to make it easy on any of his pack mates to claim her. A girl like that deserved a wolf that would protect and appreciate her.

He shook his head. He didn’t even know her. What did he know about the things she deserved? That macho alpha male need got him right in the gut, every damned time.

Steeling himself, Jace scowled. All he had to do was keep his hands off her long enough for her to choose another wolf. She’d become a distant memory, and he would be free to pursue… someone, anyone else.

Angry at his own thoughts, Jace trotted toward the café where the girl had vanished. He had to catch up with the gorgeous but troublesome Ascendant female. Better that Jace find her before anyone else.