Protection: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance (33 page)

J
ace woke from the dream
, feeling the weight of Maddie’s small form in his arms as if he had been carrying her for miles in the wilderness. More than the smell of smoke or the cries of familiar voices, the sensation of taking his sleeping sister from the Den was still the sharpest and most painful memory from that night.

Jace turned his head and drank in the sight of Tessa, who was curled up close to his side. Her blonde hair formed a fuzzy halo over her head, and her mouth was open just a tiny bit as if she were about to say something. The rest of her body was nestled deep under the heavy quilt.

Jace reached out and brushed his hand against the pulse beating just under her jawline, but she slept on, peaceful.

It was difficult to look at her like this and reconcile the image of the day before, when she’d refused to speak to him in front of the mess hall. In sleep, all the tension and anger had faded from her features and she looked very young.

Tessa also looked very human, in the way that their females looked so fragile. As if one good blow would shatter their fine, porcelain features. Though Jace could smell the Ascendant scent on her skin, he couldn’t imagine this softer version of Tessa making the change over to Shifter. The ritual itself was intense, and the first change painful for those who still resisted their new nature. Jace had never understood how Shifters could inflict that on their Ascendant mates.

Tessa did have a resilient streak, though. She had defended herself against Jasper, fearlessly introduced herself into close-knit pack of Shifters, and damn if that mouth of hers couldn’t flay the skin off her opponent in an argument. Jace pulled his hand back from Tessa’s warm skin and let out a huge breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He wanted Tessa. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, or how much, or for how long. He just knew he couldn’t live like this anymore, wanting, watching, but never taking. It had always been his way, but now he found that the loneliness in his life had a sharp edge that worked at him, cut him deep.

He might not know want he wanted, but he knew he didn’t want to be alone.

He needed guidance. He needed to talk to his lifelong best friend. The only person he ever asked for opinions, even if the advice wasn’t always the best available.

Damn it all. He was going to have to talk to Maddie.

With that thought, Jace closed his eyes and tried to let himself go back to sleep. Things were about to get a lot easier or a hell of a lot harder in the morning. He figured a good night of sleep could only help his chances in winning over his sister.

J
ames hesitated for a long moment
, gathering his nerve to knock on the door to his uncle’s office. The project with Tessa was proceeding much too slowly for the older man’s taste.James had been on the receiving end of his uncle’s displeasure with increasing frequency since they’d released the girl.

James took a deep breath and rapped on the solid oak door, waiting for permission to enter. After a full minute, he turned to leave. Only then did his uncle respond.

“You may enter, Novitiate,” came the muffled answer.

Schooling his expression, James turned back and opened the door, letting himself into the office. His uncle sat behind his roughly-hewn oak desk, reading some correspondence. Papers and books were stacked all over the desk, contrasting with the neatness of the rest of the office. Monsignor Sunderland was a busy man today.

“Well, what is it?” his uncle asked, glancing up from his reading. “You knocked on my door, remember? I assume that means you wish to speak to me.”

James cleared his throat, embarrassed. His mind wandered quite a lot these days, thinking about the werewolf situation. And even more about the werewolf’s sister, the beguiling Camilla.

“Yes. I came to tell you that I’ve brought the… woman you asked for earlier,” he said, uncomfortable.

“The witches have arrived already?” his uncle asked, surprised. “I thought they were being transferred all the way from our facility in Quebec.”

“Apparently the Elders’ Council in Quebec was more than ready to part with them. They didn’t really say why,” James said.

“Have you found some leverage on them, then?”

“Yes, sir. One of them has a child, a daughter. I don’t believe we’ll even have to lay hands on the child; a threat will be enough in this case, I should think,” James said.

He tried to ignore the fact that they were discussing harming a child. The Legion would never stoop so low as to hurt a human child, so James hoped that the child would turn out to be more mundane than her sorcerous mother.

“I want the child brought in for testing, James. Seeing as you’re having trouble enough with your own duties right now, you may assign someone to procure the child,” his uncle said, his eyes dropping back down to the letter in his hand for a moment. James tried not to flinch at the mention of his lack of progress with the werewolves.

“Of course, Monsignor. There is only one problem, sir. They seem to be refusing to cooperate.”

“Both of them? Have you started compliance treatments on them?”

“It’s just that they’re very slight, sir. I don’t know that either one could stand much treatment. They look half-dead as it is,” James explained.

“Novitiate, did I ask for your opinion on whether or not the witches should be treated?” Monsignor Sunderland snapped.

“No, Monsignor.”

“Then stop wasting my time with this. I want the witches separated, and to reinforce their compliance I want you to tell them we already have the child,” Sunderland said, looking down at the papers in front of him again.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, go on then. I want a demonstration of their powers as soon as possible. And whatever happens, make sure one of them remains intact. The Elders desire one for the eugenics program,” Sunderland said, leaning back in his chair.

“May I ask what that might be, sir?” James said, surprised. The Legion was staunchly anti-paranormal, so the fact that his uncle wanted to keep the witch around was strange. Then again, perhaps not. They’d been collecting specimens as of late, a seer and a true werewolf so far. All on his uncle’s orders, of course.

“I believe there is some potential to introduce one the witches into our newest program. If we can somehow cross a witch with the wolf demon, we could produce an unstoppable creature.”

“Why would we want to do that?” James asked, appalled.

“Don’t look down your nose at me, Novitiate. The forces of good are hard-pressed to fight against these monsters. They’re simply too powerful for us to take them all down easily. We need a new weapon to turn the tide.”

“I had no idea this was on the table, sir.”

“The Elders decided this some time ago. You should be honored, I offered you as a prime specimen for the program. The Elders want a full-blooded demon, though. I explained to them that you’ve never shown that kind of potential, and they decided you were better used in your current position.”

James kept his features blank, masking the sudden rage and disgust that arose at his uncle’s words. James had served the Legion his entire life, never once giving in to his baser demon impulses. And yet his uncle and the Council had discussed him as if he were some gelded plow horse, worthless and lacking in virility.

“Will there be anything else, or will you just stand there all day, Novitiate James?” his uncle snapped, perhaps sensing the malevolence in James’ thoughts.

“No, of course not. If you’ll excuse me, Monsignor,” James said.

He couldn’t get himself out of the office soon enough. Once he stepped outside, he pondered his next task. He had a huge list of things to do today, mostly menial and mundane things that the other Novitiates couldn’t be bothered to do. His blood meant that no matter how long he served, he would always be the lowest member of the Legion’s brotherhood. Part of him knew that he would never live to be more than a novice.

He set out to question the witch, but instead he found himself in front of another cell. Careful to be quiet, he pressed a button near the door to open the observation panel. The white panel slid back, revealing a two foot by two foot two-way mirror that showed the patient in cell number four.

Right now she lay still, no doubt sleeping after the heavily-drugged noontime meal. Her dark curls were messy, spread out over the bed where her head rested. He admired her perfectly pale skin, her oh-so-lightly freckled nose, her sweet, heart-shaped face. The more he looked at her, the more he saw the resemblance to her sister.

And just like her sister, he had to keep Camilla sedated at all times; it seemed that the Anderson sisters were as like in their feisty temperaments as they were in looks.

James heard the sound of feet approaching. He closed the observation panel. Camilla wasn’t his charge, so he didn’t have a viable reason to be checking in on her like this. If there was anything he’d learned about the Legion in his twenty-plus years of service, it was that there were eyes everywhere. If you cherished something, you had better damned well keep quiet about it, or it would be used against you in a heartbeat. James wasn’t about to make that mistake again, not when his position with the Legion was so tenuous.

Moving along the hall as if on the way to another task, James wished for the millionth time that his nameless Monsignor father and his demon-blooded mother had never met. If James had been born entirely human, his life would be a hell of a lot easier. And so far, the werewolf genes he carried hadn’t done him a single favor.

James paused, thinking. Perhaps there was a missing piece to this puzzle. Some kind of rite of passage, or ritual to bring forth the demon side. If James could invoke his werewolf form at will, he might truly be valuable to the Legion.

He imagined entering the Council’s stuffy meeting chambers while they were in session, and turning into a menacing, furred hulk with slavering teeth and incredible strength.

His lips quirked, imagining them trying to dismiss him then. Imagining the look of disgust on his uncle’s face turn to one of complete awe. Imagining an end to his life of impotence and fear, of his worry that the Legion would simply tire of him one day and snuff him out in the name of good.

James knew what he needed to do now. He needed to get in contact with Tessa and find the missing puzzle piece. He suddenly knew, without question, that she would be able to fix his problem. In exchange, when the time came, perhaps he could help her escape with her sister.

“Will you get your head out of your ass, mongrel?” came the sharp voice of Larson, one of his fellow Novitiates. The young 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 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 torte 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, 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 was, and she didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

James decided 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. James couldn’t protect her much longer.

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.

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, had been empty and meaningless from the beginning.

Feeling a deep sense of peace, James 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.

T
essa woke in slow degrees
. She was still groggy from the drugs she’d been given, and it took her several minutes to realize that she was 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. 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 he was so upset about. She was frustrated. This wasn’t the first time he’d frozen her out. She felt lonely, and overwhelmed, and drained, and it was Jace’s fault.

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 it was clear that felt some compulsion to keep her safe. As for Tessa, she 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 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. That was on top of the fact that she needed a plan to get Camilla back without harming Jace’s pack.

She needed help to figure out how the pack worked, so that she could save Camilla. She needed a confidante, someone she liked and trusted. She wanted that confidante to be Jace, but she had to sort out her feelings for him first.

When Jace had left his house, snapping out an order for her to stay put, it had bothered her more than she’d cared to admit. Tessa was 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 sound 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.

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. 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,” 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.

“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 in silence 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 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 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. 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?” 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, trying not to appear discouraged.

“It does. But what if I’m not comfortable with my wolf? I won’t be able to change?”

“Not successfully. 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 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, smiling 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.

“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.

“Kat!” Tessa protested, covering her face with her hands.

“Really, Tessa. I have eyes just like you do. I’ve seen your male 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.

“Well. The pros are pretty good… 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 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.

“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 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.

“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.