Jasper (3 page)

“It’s
important work, Brother. I will let you know what’s going on as soon as I can.”

“How
many Gargoyles are there?” Trevor asked as he held onto the door handle. Dante
wasn’t wasting any time getting to wherever they were now headed.

“I
would have to ask Nikolas the exact number. Our Clan in the States has
hundreds, but there are many more clans than ours. Here in New Atlanta alone we
have probably eighty or so.” As he drove, Dante told Trevor about some of the
others in the area. As they approached the bridge, Dante cursed. He slammed on
the brakes and skidded to a halt behind flashing red and blue lights. Since
Jasper had been in the helicopter, it had to be Dane.

Dante
said, “Stay here,” but Trevor bolted from the car as soon as he saw Jasper. He
couldn’t stay in the vehicle if his life depended on it. He didn’t know why,
but there was an inexplicable pull, drawing him toward the gorgeous man. Dane
was standing behind the open door of his cruiser, his service weapon still
holstered. Jasper and Matthew were standing in the middle of the bridge, and a
man was several feet away, aiming a gun at them. “Gun!” Trevor shouted. Shots
rang out, and Jasper unfurled a set of wings, wrapping them around Matthew.

“Do something!” Trevor yelled. When Dane continued to stand
there watching, Trevor twisted the pistol from Dane’s holster, flipped off the
safety, and fired one shot. 
The
man went down, and Trevor handed the gun back to a shocked Dane. Trevor ran to
where Jasper was still protecting the teen. Like a moth to a flame, Trevor
reached out to touch one of Jasper’s wings. Before his fingers made contact,
the wings disappeared behind Jasper’s back.
I guess those are off limits to
me.
Still, Trevor knelt down and wrapped both Jasper and Matthew in his
arms.

“Trev…”
Jasper pleaded.

“We’ll
talk later. Right now Matt needs us.” Trevor leaned his head against the teen’s
and closed his eyes.

The
swords and pikes were no match for the pistols, and cannons. Phelam saw the
Englishman take aim at the O’Donnell. “No!” he roared as he used his shifter
speed to place himself between his father and the shooter, wrapping him in his
wings.

When
Seamus saw Phelam’s wings, he screamed, “You’re no son of mine, Phelam
O’Donnell. You’re a monster. Be off with ya.”

“No,
Athair! I saved you.” Phelam dropped to his knees, begging the only one who
ever loved him to not turn him away. He lowered his head to his chest only now
realizing he was naked with the exception of the knotted ropes twisting around
his torso.

“I
said be off with ya!” Seamus raised his sword, ready to take Phelam’s head.

“No!”
Jasper yelled, thrashing around his king-size bed. He sat up, panting heavily.
Once he got his breathing under control, Jasper disentangled the sheets from
around his waist. He ran a shaking hand through his bed-tousled hair and let
out a long sigh. The dreams were getting worse. Ever since Theron had made an
appearance at Dante’s, every bad thing that ever happened in Jasper’s past was
haunting his sleep. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rolled his
shoulders.

He
didn’t have to look at the clock to know the time. One glance out the window
and the position of the moon told Jasper it was a little after three in the
morning. He rose from the bed and opened the double doors leading to the
balcony off his second-floor master suite. Instead of having Rafael design him
a home, Jasper bought this one when Finley left for the West Coast. In honesty,
Jasper couldn’t have designed one more fitting. The log and stone structure was
perfect, situated in the middle of fifty acres of Georgia pine trees. Hardwoods
were strewn in the mix, as were a few pink and white dogwoods. Jasper couldn’t
wait until spring when the blooms would be offering color against all the green
and brown.

Jasper
lived on a secluded road close to both Dante and Gregor. The Stone Society had
recently purchased all the other land around their homes, giving them the
privacy of thousands of acres. With the Gargoyles finding their mates, security
was even more important now than ever. Thinking of his own mate caused Jasper’s
heart to hurt. It had been almost two weeks since he had seen Trevor. Thirteen
days since they had spoken to one another. Jasper had sent texts. He had even
handwritten a note and mailed it to Trevor. He finally broke down and sent a
bouquet of roses to the man. He didn’t know if Trevor even liked roses, but
they were the universal flower for love. Not that he loved Trevor, he barely
knew him. But he couldn’t get to know him if he kept avoiding Jasper.

Jasper
kept an eye on his mate from a distance, taking turns with other Gargoyles to
make sure Theron didn’t get to him. Dante assured him Trevor was okay, but
Jasper wanted to see for himself. Dante had worked most of the crime scenes
Jasper had been to. The one Trevor had overseen had been assigned to the new
detective, Ramsey Harris.

Being
Trevor’s boss and friend, Dante was very protective of him, but he was Jasper’s
mate, even if they hadn’t made it official. After the recent clusterfuck brought
on by both Theron Gianopoulos and Troy Quinn, Jasper wasn’t sure they would
ever make it official. Theron he could handle. Jasper would take a sword to the
Gargoyle bastard’s neck and be done with him. Granted, he would probably start
a clan war if he did. When Rafael called and told him of Connor’s vision,
Jasper came really close to kidnapping Trevor and leaving town with him. He
still wasn’t opposed to the idea, but they both had responsibilities. Trevor
had already left the morgue to Dante once. It wouldn’t be fair if he abandoned
his boss again so soon, even if it was against his will.

Jasper
wasn’t as worried about Theron as he was Quinn. He would protect his mate from
the Gargoyle. But Troy Quinn? He couldn’t protect Trevor from the memory of killing
the man. Taking a life, no matter the reason, was not something that went away
quickly. Jasper knew from experience that it stayed with you for many years.
Being on the battlefield, striking down more than his share of the enemy, still
haunted Jasper over four hundred years later.

Between
Dante, Frey, and Dane, Trevor had plenty of eyes on him. Plenty of security.
When Trevor was home in his apartment, Dane would check on him since he lived
down the hall. Dante watched over him at work, and Frey kept tabs on him when
he visited Matthew. The two had bonded ever since Trevor shot and killed
Matthew’s brother-in-law. Still, it wasn’t good enough. Jasper was tired of
waiting. He needed to see him with his own eyes. He walked back inside and
pulled on a pair of jeans along with his black motorcycle boots. He grabbed a
shirt and tied it around his waist. Jasper strode out the double doors,
releasing his wings as soon as he hit the cool December air. He launched
himself into the night, heading toward his mate.

Being
early Saturday morning, the first place Jasper looked was Frey’s. He missed
being around the fierce Gargoyle and his new family, but Trevor and Matthew
needed each other. Both young men had received shocks to their system in
finding out about Gargoyles. Jasper had wanted to be the one to tell Trevor,
but circumstances didn’t allow it. When he reached the edge of Frey’s land, he
opened his senses to his mate. Trevor wasn’t there, so he shifted direction and
headed back home. The sky was too bright under the light of the moon for him to
fly into the city.

Jasper
put his shirt on, and grabbed his key and helmet. His sleek motorcycle was
waiting for him in the garage. Jasper rode his first motorbike in the early
nineteen hundreds, after World War One. It wasn’t as exhilarating as flying,
but he found it to be fun. The motorcycles had improved vastly, and the chrome
and metal machine he now rode was a powerhouse. Knowing he couldn’t be killed
if he lost control tempted Jasper to let loose on the machine.

 Only
when he reached the exit that led to the hospital did he slow down. He passed
through the parking lot not seeing Trevor’s car. Still, he turned off the
engine and reached out to listen. If Trevor was in the morgue, music would be
blaring from the speakers. Sure enough, Jasper heard the sounds of their
favorite band floating through the air. Jasper dropped the kickstand and headed
toward the door.

Using
the key Dante had given him, Jasper let himself into the employee only
entrance. His heart raced at the thought of seeing Trevor. When he reached the
door, he cracked it so he could observe his mate without him knowing. Trevor
probably wouldn’t appreciate being watched, but Jasper had to make sure his
mate was okay. The low volume of the music surprised Jasper. Both he and Trevor
listened at levels way above normal. When he caught sight of his mate, Jasper’s
heart all but stopped. Trevor was leaning against the wall, arms wrapped around
his waist. He was rocking back and forth, mumbling.

Jasper
didn’t hesitate to go to Trevor. His mate was hurting, and he intended to ease
his pain. “Trev,” he said softly so he wouldn’t startle him. Trevor opened his
eyes but continued his rocking motion. When Jasper pulled him into his arms,
Trevor leaned in, accepting the comfort Jasper offered. Jasper kept quiet, not
knowing what to say. When Trevor’s heartbeat finally slowed to normal, Jasper
kissed him on the temple and leaned back far enough to see his face. Trevor
wouldn’t look at him, so Jasper used his index finger to raise Trevor’s chin.
Trevor closed his eyes instead of meeting Jasper’s. Taking a chance, Jasper
placed his hands on either side of his mate’s face and pressed soft kisses on
those closed eyelids. His lips found Trevor’s forehead, his cheeks, his chin,
and finally his lips. There was no urgency in his kiss, just a slight bit of
pressure letting Trevor know he wasn’t alone.

Trevor
pulled away, retreating to the sink to wash his hands.

“Trev,
Ba… Buddy, what’s wrong?” Jasper stopped short of calling him
baby
. He
didn’t need extra stress right now.

“Besides
the fact I killed a man?” he muttered as he cleaned his hands with a brush.
When Jasper saw the intensity with which Trevor was scrubbing, he took the
brush away. “I wasn’t done with that,” Trevor snapped.

“Your
hands are clean. Let’s talk about what happened, okay?”

“What’s
there to talk about? I shot and killed a man when I didn’t need to. He wasn’t hurting
you. He couldn’t hurt you.”

“But
he could have hurt you. If you hadn’t stopped him, he could have shot you.”

“That
might not be so bad,” Trevor whispered.

Jasper
grabbed his mate by the arms and turned him from the sink. “Don’t you ever say
that again, Trevor McKenzie. That would be the worst thing in the world that
could happen.”

Trevor
scowled at him. “You only say that because you have to. That whole fucked up
mate thing Dante told me about. You never would have paid attention to me if it
wasn’t for that. I’m sorry you got the short end of the stick. We both know I’m
not the type of man you normally go for. I’ve seen your past lovers, and they
are not me. You’re a god, and I’m… I’m nothing.”

“You
are not nothing. I wanted to hang out with you before I knew we were mates.
When I asked you to the concert, I didn’t know you were mine. When I asked you
over to play video games, I had no idea. At the time, I didn’t know you were
gay. I wanted to get to know you as a friend, someone to hang out with. Then
when you came over that first night, I knew I would have to tread lightly
because you turned me on. I didn’t act on my feelings because I thought you
were straight. I’d rather have you as a friend than nothing at all. You’re
funny, you’re smart, you’re sexy as hell, and whether you like it or not, you
are mine.

“I’m
not going to pressure you into being with me physically, but I am going to bug
the piss out of you until you let me back into your life as friends. If that’s
all we have, I’ll take it. Because let me tell you something, your friendship
means more to me than a roll in the sack. Now, putting that aside for a minute,
have you talked to someone about the shooting?”

Trevor
turned his back on Jasper and found the stool behind the slab he normally worked
at. “And tell them what? I can’t confess to shooting Quinn; Dane took the blame
since it was his gun. I can’t tell them I’m fated to be with a Gargoyle; nobody
knows about your kind. I could tell them I’m a clone and only here because my
brother might have needed a heart. Isn’t that why most clones are made? Just in
case their sibling needs spare parts? It sure as hell wasn’t because my parents
wanted me. We’ve already discussed that, though. I could tell them the man I
was falling for is into some seriously fucked up kink, and I’m as vanilla as
they come. Seriously Jasper, what the fuck am I supposed to tell them?”

Jasper
didn’t miss Trevor saying he was falling for him. Was being the operative word.
He let it go for the time being. “I’ll talk to Nikolas. In a clan as large as
the Stone Society, there has to be a psychologist in the mix. Even if we have
to travel to find one, we will find someone you can talk to. You can tell them
everything you just said.”

“You
don’t deny being into the ropes and bondage?”

“Would
you believe me if I said I wasn’t? You haven’t given me a chance to explain
things to you. The photos, the past, nothing is what it seems, Trevor. If you
would give me the opportunity to share my past with you, you might find I’m not
so different from you.”

Trevor
shook his head. “Somehow I seriously doubt that. You’re a member of the badass
club.”

“I
haven’t always been a badass. Most of my life I was anything but. You’re not
the only one with parental issues. I was banished from my Clan when the King
found out I was gay. Only he didn’t send me on my merry way; he called for my
head. My father, being the greedy bastard he was, didn’t want to lose the money
I would make him working the land. Instead of following the King’s orders and
killing me, he took me away and sold me to an Irish Chieftain instead.”

Trevor
cocked an eyebrow. “Chieftain? How old are you?”

“Four
hundred eighty-seven.”

“Why
wouldn’t you let me touch your wings?”

Jasper
would never forget the hurt look on Trevor’s face when he reached out to touch
his unfurled wings. “Because even though they’re impenetrable, they’re highly
sensitive to one’s mate.”

Trevor
considered that for a moment before asking, “Can I see your fangs?”

Jasper
closed the distance but stood on the opposite side of the slab. He dropped his
fangs at his mate’s request. Trevor reached across the table, but Jasper
grabbed his hand. “Be careful. Those are razor sharp.” He released him and
waited for Trevor to inspect his long canines. Trevor glanced at Jasper’s hands
as he released his claws, keeping them on his side of the table. When Trevor
seemed satisfied with show and tell, Jasper returned himself to normal. “I
don’t know what all Dante told you, but I’m an open book. You can ask me
anything.”

Trevor
folded his arms over his chest. “Who is this Theron, and what does he mean to
you?”