Jasper (22 page)

Julian
returned to his lab while Lorenzo and Nikolas helped Trevor take Jasper home.
Once they had him settled upstairs, both Gargoyles left him alone in Jasper’s
bedroom while they went outside to check the property. They had no idea if
Theron was satisfied now that Jasper was paralyzed or if he was waiting to see
whether or not he lived. Until they knew for certain where the bastard was,
they wouldn’t let their guard down.

In
little over two hours, Tessa and Gregor arrived in New Orleans via the Stone
Society jet. She felt like she’d just gotten off of it, coming home from Egypt.
As much as she loved traveling in style, she hated the reasons she’d been
aboard the plane. Instead of going to her home, she and Gregor drove straight
to the lawyer’s office. She wanted to get the paperwork out of the way. They
didn’t have to wait long before the attorney shook their hands and ushered them
into his plush office.

“Miss
Blackmore, I do wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Ms. Sprague
was a joy to be around.” He waited until she and Gregor were seated before
continuing. “I appreciate you coming so quickly. What I have is fairly simple.
Gladys had no children; therefore, she left you her entire estate. Her home and
her assets are all yours. Part of her will also instructed on her burial
wishes. She is to be cremated, and she requested her ashes be scattered on the
Mississippi River.”

“What
about Toby?” Tessa asked.

“Her
dog is being taken care of by the woman who lives on the other side of Gladys.
Mrs. Robinson I believe is her name.”

Tessa
was thankful for that. Toby hadn’t minded Tessa, but she doubted the little
furball would get along with Gregor. “Here are the keys to the house as well as
the safe deposit box at Tulane Bank. All of the paperwork has been drawn up
listing you as her benefactor. You should have no trouble transferring the
money into an account of your own or withdrawing it, whichever you prefer. Here
is the deed to the house already transferred as well.”

“I
thought Gladys had a heart attack. How were you able to make these transfers so
fast?” Tessa asked.

“Gladys
had cancer. She had been in remission, but it returned a few weeks ago. She had
the documents put into effect immediately. Her assets were yours before she
passed.”

“I
talked to her on the phone last week. She didn’t tell me she was sick.” Tessa’s
heart was breaking for her old friend. Gregor reached out for Tessa’s hand,
offering silent comfort.

 “She
didn’t want you to know. Said it was better this way. Do you have any
questions?”

“No.
Thank you for everything.” Tessa and Gregor stood, shaking the attorney’s hand
again. Tessa gathered the paperwork and the keys, and they headed to her home.

“Life
is so fragile,” Tessa said once they were alone. “I mean, even with the
Gargoyles. I can’t believe Theron got to Jasper.”

Gregor
linked their fingers and kissed her hand. “I can’t either. I pray that Julian can
find some type of cure. If not, do you think Jonas could help? He is the mad
scientist after all.”

“It
sure wouldn’t hurt to ask him. I’ll give him a call once Julian knows what
we’re dealing with.”

Gregor
parked the car and let it idle. “It seems like yesterday the last time I was
here.”

“It
wasn’t that long ago, Stone.”

“No,
but look at all we’ve been through since then. Your wreck, Isabelle and Connor,
Sophia and her parents. You were right, Red. Life is fragile. Let’s get in the
house.” Tessa knew that look. It wasn’t often Gregor needed the softer side of
sex. Now was one of those times. He needed to feel his mate, make love to her,
reassure himself she was safe.

Tessa
unlocked the door, not bothering to check the mail. Her heart ached knowing
Gladys wouldn’t be doing that mundane task for her any longer. Tessa tossed the
paperwork on the table and led Gregor to the bedroom where, for a few hours, he
made sure his mate was safe.

When
they finally emerged from the bedroom, Tessa was hungry. “What do you say we go
to McFadden’s? I’d love to see how Fiona’s doing.”

“Sounds
good to me,” Gregor said, pulling her to him for another slow, sensual kiss.

The
sun was starting to set as they walked down the street, hand in hand. Tessa
couldn’t remember the last time they’d done something so simple yet so
together. She enjoyed her life as a watcher for the family. Traveling the world
looking after her cousins had been exciting. Now that all of Jonas’s offspring
had transitioned or been told about the shifter hidden inside, she should be
able to kick back and enjoy life. Instead, Gregor’s uncle and cousin were
hell-bent on making his family suffer. And for what? All because Alistair
didn’t like humans, and Theron’s feelings were hurt when Jasper left him two
hundred years ago? Petty fucking excuses.

“Hey,
stop thinking so hard,” Gregor said as he tugged on her hand. She looked up
into his face and said a small thank you to whomever decided they should be
together. She couldn’t imagine what life would be like without this Goyle by
her side. He stopped walking and kissed her before they got to the pub. “I love
you, Red.”

“I
love you, too, Stone.” And she did. With every fiber of her being. Love wasn’t
a strong enough word for what she felt.

As
soon as they walked in the door, that old familiar feeling swept over Tessa.
Gods, she had missed this place. Not just the pub, but all of New Orleans.
Hopefully, the Clan shit would settle down soon, and she and Gregor could come
visit for a while. She wanted to spend some time with Lilly while she was
there.

“Tabby!”
Fiona yelled as soon as she spotted her. Tessa should probably come clean about
her name. The beautiful Irish woman pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so glad
you’re here. And I see you brought your husband with you,” she said, eyebrows
raised. “I was worried after you hurried out of here the last time.”

“I’m
sorry about that. Jacques hasn’t been causing you trouble, has he?” Tessa could
laugh now, thinking how her former lover came face to face with Gregor.

“No.
As a matter of fact, he left town.”

“Is
that right?” Tessa glanced at Gregor who cocked his head as if he didn’t know
anything about it. They would discuss it later. Tessa grinned and asked Fiona,
“So how are you? Is everything okay with the baby?”

Fiona
led them to a table close to the bar. Roy was standing sentry as usual. “Roy!
So good to see you. You remember my husband Gregor?” The men shook hands. Tessa
did not hug Fiona’s husband as she normally would. She stayed close by her
male’s side. Roy brought pints of Guinness to the table for Tessa and Gregor
and water for his wife.

“Oh
my goodness. Things are doubly good. We’re going to have twins!” Fiona raved. Roy
looked a little green at that announcement.

“That’s
wonderful. I think. I can’t imagine having two babies at the same time.” Tessa
wanted kids, just not anytime soon. She wanted to spend some alone time with
Gregor before they brought cute miniature wardens into their home.

“Oh,
I’m thrilled. Roy, not so much.” Fiona filled Tessa in on the latest gossip as
they waited on their food to arrive.

“I
was so sorry to hear about Gladys. Is that why you’re in town?”

“Yes,
I wouldn’t have known if her attorney hadn’t called me.”

“That’s
the way she wanted it. To go quietly. I’m going to miss her spunky attitude.”
While they ate, both Roy and Fiona told stories of Gladys throughout the years.
Tessa hated she missed so much of it. Gregor must have felt her sadness, for he
put his hand on her thigh offering silent comfort. After a delicious meal and
too much beer, Tessa and Gregor said goodbye, promising to visit again soon.

“I
like them,
Tabby
,” Gregor said once they were outside.

“I
thought about telling them some story about why I used an alias, but it would
be a lie, so what’s the difference in a new lie and the old one?”

“I
understand. I like the name Tabitha.”

“Me,
too. It’s why I chose it. Say, do you mind going down by the square? I’d like
to see if Lilly’s there.”

“Not
at all. Maybe she’ll be with Dominic.”

“Dominic?”

“Dubois.
The leader of the Clan here.”

“And
just why would she be with him?”

“He
thinks she is his mate.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me this?” Tessa stopped walking and put her fists on her hips.

Gregor
laughed, “You and I had a few other things going on at the time, Red. Besides,
it could have been wishful thinking on his part.”

“You
were watching us when we came out of her art studio, weren’t you?”

Gregor
grabbed her hands and wrapped them around his waist. She tipped her face up to
his, grinning. She wasn’t really mad; she just loved giving him attitude.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe
my ass.”

“There’s
no maybe about that ass. It’s a definite,” he declared right before he took her
mouth in a hard kiss. Their lips were still locked together when the trolley
stopped to pick them up. They had the streetcar mostly to themselves. The other
riders faded away as Gregor picked back up where they left off. Neither one of
them could care less if others had a problem with their PDA.

When
the streetcar reached their stop, they exited and walked down St. Peter Street
toward the area where the street vendors set up. Lilly’s paintings weren’t
hanging along the fence, so Tessa stopped to visit John, the tarot reader. He
was closing up shop for the night, but when he saw Tessa, he smiled.

“Tabitha,
how are you?”

“I’m
good, John.”

He
looked at her and Gregor’s linked hands and said, “I see you took my advice.”

“That
I did. Listen, is Lilly around?”

“You’ll
have to come by early if you want to catch her. Since she’s been hanging out
with her pirate friend, she only works half days.”

“Pirate?”
Tessa looked up at Gregor.

“Dominic.”

“Yes,
that’s the name she called him.”

“Thank
you, John. We’ll come back in the morning.”

“See
you then.”

“What
advice did he give you, Red?” Gregor asked as they turned back toward the
river.

“He
said to follow my heart.”

“Indeed,”
Gregor said on a smile. “It’s early. Instead of waiting until morning, how
about I call and find out what the happy couple’s doing tonight?”

“I’d
like that. I want to meet this pirate. Arrrrr,” Tessa growled.

Gregor
laughed at her right before he rolled his eyes. “You’re a mess.”

“I’m
your mess.”

He
smiled at her and nodded in agreement as he waited for Dominic to answer. Since
she was a half-blood, she had no trouble hearing the conversation.

“Salut.”

“Dominic,
Gregor Stone.”

“Gregor,
what can I do for you? Are you in town?”

“As
a matter of fact, we are.”

“Ah,
you finally wore the feisty redhead down, aye?”

Tessa
huffed, and Gregor laughed. “Something like that. We’re at the square and
wondered if Lilly was with you.”

“Aye,
I wore my fair-haired witch down as well. Oh, come now, lass. Don’t be pointing
your wand at my nether regions.”

Gregor
placed a hand over his crotch and frowned. There was some wrestling and kissing
on the other end of the line. Tessa put her hand over her mouth to conceal her
laughter.

“Sorry
about that. The feistiness must run in the family. We are at my home, if you’d
like to stop by for a bit. I live in the Garden District not too far from your
Tabitha’s home. I’ll text you the address.”

“Sounds
good. Just make sure the wand is put away before we get there. I wouldn’t want
my nether regions zapped off either.”

Dominic
laughed. “Aye, will do. We will see you both soon.”

Tessa
stopped laughing and asked, “Does he have an eye patch? A parrot sitting on his
shoulder?”

Gregor
grabbed her around the neck, and they started toward the streetcar. “No eye
patch. I have no idea about the parrot. Is Lilly really a witch?”

Tessa
shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t underneath Gregor’s arm. “I don’t know. It
wouldn’t surprise me, though. She does have that earthy quality about her.”

“A
long time ago, a gypsy told Dom his mate would be a fair-haired witch. I
thought it was just a term he was using because he felt she was vexing. I
didn’t take it literally. I guess we’ll soon see.”

When
Dominic said his home was close to Tessa’s, he meant close in a relative way.
It was several blocks away on one of the more affluent streets. As soon as they
got close, Tessa felt the energy change around them. “Pretty sure she’s the
real deal,” she whispered.

“I
feel it, too. It’s like…”

“A
summer breeze,” Tessa finished for him.

They
stepped through the wrought iron gate and walked along the cobblestone pathway.
The lanterns on either side of the door were just that: oil lanterns hanging
from posts. No electric lights for this pirate. Before they could knock, the
door swung open, and Tessa could only stare. The gorgeous man before her looked
like he stepped straight off the Jolly Roger. His long black hair was pulled
back away from his face. A white shirt billowed at the sleeves. It was open
showing most of his chest. His very fine, hairy chest. His pants were tucked
into worn black boots. His ears sparkled with a diamond stud in each lobe.
Silver rings adorned his fingers. All that was missing was the eyepatch. And
parrot. He winked and said, “Hello, Lass. Welcome to Dubois Manor.”