Jasper (10 page)

Trevor
was more confused than ever. Before he and Jasper went to the crime scene,
things had been pretty perfect. Trevor had given his first real blowjob, and
from the way Jasper reacted, he was pretty sure he’d done it well. Jasper even
returned the favor before they left the house. The way Jasper made him feel was
more than he ever expected out of a boyfriend. He felt silly calling him that
since he was an almost five-hundred-year-old being. Boyfriend seemed so
juvenile. Now he understood exactly why Jasper had referred to Tessa as
Gregor’s mate.

He
might not be ready to move in with Jasper full time, but he had been ready to
bring clothes for stayovers. Then Dante had talked to him. When Jasper walked
off, Dante had told him to be sure of what he wanted before he strung Jasper
along. It wasn’t fair to the Gargoyle to make him think they had a long future,
when Trevor was only playing house for the time being. It would be easier on
Jasper in the long run if Trevor broke things off now instead of hanging around
for a while and then deciding he didn’t want to make the bond permanent. Trevor
didn’t want to break things off, but he also didn’t want to hurt Jasper. But
now, true to the man Trevor was getting to know, Jasper set his mind at ease,
or at least tried to. He said he would take whatever Trevor gave him.

There
had to be give and take on both sides. If Jasper was willing to be patient with
him, he needed to offer up more of himself than hiding out at home. Waiting on
Jasper to tell him about Theron, he willed the tears not to fall. He had never
been one to cry. Not since he’d told his parents he didn’t want them in his
life. When he walked out the door of their home for the last time, he’d let the
tears flow, washing away eighteen years of heartache. He hadn’t cried since.
Until now.

“Can
we sit?” Jasper asked.

Trevor
was interested in Jasper’s long life. He nodded and let Jasper lead him to the
sofa. Before sitting, Jasper lit a fire in the fireplace. Trevor loved the
smell of burning wood, the flicker of the flames dancing around, and the
crackle of the steam being released from pockets in the wood as it burned.
Jasper knew Trevor loved fires, because he had told him as much on his first
visit.

Jasper
sat down, leaving space between them, and began his story. “I’m not going to
detail every part of my life, because most of it is really boring. After I
fought with the Redshanks, I realized I was tired of fighting. I left Ireland
and traveled throughout Europe. For years, I wandered from country to country, town
to town, doing odd jobs for a roof over my head. I couldn’t work around animals
since they have an aversion to Gargoyles. I did a lot of manual labor. The
language barrier was one of the biggest challenges I faced, since I spoke Irish
and Gaelic with an elementary understanding of most English. I was lucky in
that the O’Donnell had made sure I could read and write, but I didn’t
understand any of the other languages spoken throughout the lands I traveled. When
I took a job, I would ask that half my wages be in the form of teaching me the
local language.

“I
would stay in one place until I learned enough to travel throughout the
country, knowledgeable of the world around me. I had to move around every five
years or so to keep people from noticing I wasn’t aging. I would choose another
location and start the cycle all over again. It was bearable for a while. I
would start at the southern end of a country and end up at the northern end, or
vice versa. All this time, I never had companionship other than those who hired
me or the others I worked with. Hanging out with other men wasn’t the same then
as it is today. You didn’t have video games to play or basketball courts to
shoot hoops on. You couldn’t hop in the car and go to the movies. It was mostly
work, eat, and sleep.

“I
did try to find areas where I could escape to the forest and practice with my
sword or bow and arrow. Being a Gargoyle, I often searched for clans that I
might join up with, but they were few and far between, at least where I was
looking. After a couple hundred years of traveling all over Europe, I ended up
in Greece.” Jasper rose and stood by the fireplace. He propped his arm along
the mantle and continued. “When I was sold as a teenager, I vowed then to never
look upon another male with lustful intentions. That was easier said than done.
I’m a full-blooded Gargoyle, and we have needs just like human males. Ours are
probably stronger since we have a beast living inside that demands release.
Anyway, I had lived over two centuries, keeping to a celibate lifestyle. Not
once had I allowed myself to pursue another male. My life had gone from being a
fierce warrior in my father’s army to nothing but a nomad with no family. No
clan. I was no longer fierce. I was lost and lonely.

“My
plan when I arrived in Greece was to settle on an island and learn a fishing
trade. I wanted to buy a small boat and throw out nets every day. I had no idea
how hard the work was or what it entailed. All I knew was I wanted to be out on
that beautiful blue water.

“I
took an apprenticeship under a local fisherman. I had enough money saved from
the last two hundred years that I made a deal with the man. If he would teach
me to fish, I would work for free. He agreed, and we fished every day for
months. One evening after a long day at sea, I was walking to the small shack I
called home. I was just about there when a man who appeared to be my age
stepped out from the shadows into my path. I knew right away he was a Gargoyle.
He introduced himself as the son of the King and told me they would like to
welcome me into their clan if I desired to join.” Jasper paused. He grabbed the
poker, adjusting the logs. Trevor knew it was a stall tactic, but he wouldn’t
press. He sat quietly waiting for Jasper to continue.

When
Jasper had the logs the way he wanted, he replaced the poker in the stand and
crossed his arms over his chest. His biceps bulged under his shirt. It was a
distraction Trevor didn’t need. He wanted to hear the rest of the story so they
could get it out of the way. He needed to know why Theron was after Jasper.
What happened in the past to make him come back now? Did he want Jasper back in
his life? Or did he want to torment him for some wrong he felt had been done to
him?

“It
had been so long since I had a home, since I had someone to call family, that I
was immediately sucked into what he was offering. I didn’t stop to think he
might have an ulterior motive for seeking me out. I went willingly with him to
his father’s home. I pledged my loyalty to the Gargoyle King of Greece. At
first, I kept fishing with my mentor, but as the days went on, my loyalty was
tested more and more. I missed a day here, a day there, until days became
weeks. My mentor couldn’t count on me, so he had no choice but to end our
working relationship. At first it didn’t bother me. I figured I would do what
was asked of me within the clan and then I would be able to buy that boat like
I originally planned. Theron had other ideas.

“It
was him more than his father who demanded my time. One night he asked me to his
home for supper. I went, unaware of his plans for the evening. I arrived, and
he treated me to an extravagant meal. He was the perfect host, making sure my
every need was supplied. After a couple hours of drinking and him getting to
know my past, he kissed me. To say I was surprised is an understatement. It
wasn’t a soft kiss, but one that let me know he was in charge. At first I
protested, but he was the King’s son. If he was gay, surely it was okay for me
to let go of my secret, at least with him in the privacy of his home. So, I
allowed him to kiss me. I had never kissed anyone so I didn’t know what to
expect. I thought the way he kissed was the way everyone went about it. Hard,
fast, no passion, only domination. I allowed him to dominate me.

“When
he broke free, he said he wanted to show me something. I followed him
downstairs to what I thought was a dojo. I hadn’t studied martial arts, but I
recognized some of the equipment he had in the room. He explained what some of
the paraphernalia was and asked if I would be interested in a demonstration.

“I
didn’t want to offend the son of the King of my new clan so I agreed. The first
time he tied me up, he left my clothes on underneath the ropes. While he was
tying the intricate knots, he explained how Hojojutsu was a form of martial
arts where the captive is tied up. He then went on to explain Kinbaku was the
more sensual form of rope play. What he didn’t explain were his intentions and
the extreme ways he planned to use me. I’m not going to lie; being tied up and
thinking about finally having a companion was a turning point in my life. I had
spent over two hundred years as a virgin. It’s a surprise my dick hadn’t fallen
off from all the tugging I’d done at that point.”

As
he told his story, Jasper’s Irish accent came through. The longer he spoke of
his past, the thicker his brogue became. If it wasn’t such an obvious traumatic
tale, Trevor might have found it sexy. Instead, it hurt his heart.

Jasper
continued, “Anyway, I agreed to whatever it was he wanted to do. At first, it
was sensual. He tied me up and made me feel good. The longer it went on, the
rougher he got. When I complained, he called me a girl. Said if I couldn’t
handle a little pain, I wasn’t Gargoyle enough to remain in their clan. After
that point, he got rougher, and I kept my mouth shut. Until one day I didn’t.
I’m not going to scar your mind with the sordid details, but let’s just say he
took things farther than I was willing to go, even for the sake of having a
clan. He left me tied up for almost a week. Every night he would come
downstairs and torment me. Even with my Gargoyle strength, I couldn’t break
free of my restraints. Every night I struggled and fought against him the best
I could. When it finally dawned on me he was getting off on my struggles, I
stopped. The last night I was bound, I didn’t move. Didn’t say a word. I did my
best to ignore him. He hit me over and over, trying to get a rise out of me. He
did unspeakable things to my body, trying every way he could to make me angry.
I was seething inside, but I refused to play his game any longer. It worked. He
cut the ropes that bound me and told me to get out. Get out of his house and
out of Greece. I was no longer welcome in their clan.

 “It
took me a few minutes to get the feeling back in my limbs enough to move, but
when I did I went to my shack that amazingly had remained untouched. I
retrieved the sword I had hidden beneath the floor. I waited until nightfall
and returned to his home. Before I left Greece, I confronted my tormentor.”

When
Jasper didn’t continue, Trevor asked, “What happened then?”

Jasper
finally looked at him and said, “I tried to kill Theron Gianopoulos.”

There
was no way Jasper could tell Trevor the extent of torture Theron put him
through. For months he endured pain at the hands of the first man he’d given
his body to
.
At
first, Jasper believed Theron when he told him it was the way things were
between men who had sex. Jasper had made the mistake of telling Theron he was a
virgin. It didn’t make Theron go any easier on him the first time he fucked
him. Looking back on it, it probably made things worse. Theron knew Jasper
didn’t know how things were supposed to go, so he treated him harshly, not
preparing his hole before slamming his barely lubed shaft all the way to the
hilt. Theron didn’t give Jasper time to heal. He tied him up the next night and
did whatever he wanted to Jasper’s body.

The
once mighty warrior was reduced to a sex slave. Every night, Theron tied him up
in the intricate knotwork, keeping his hands immobile. The ropes traversed
between his ass cheeks, up the front of his body, separating each ball while
keeping his cock bound so if he got an erection, the pain was excruciating, not
pleasurable. His nipples were clamped with a connecting chain attached to the
rope around his hands. If Jasper tried to move his hands, his nipples would be
pulled to the point he thought they would be ripped off. Jasper’s body remained
battered and bruised the entire time he allowed himself to be used. He had no
one to blame but himself. He allowed it to happen all because he wanted to
belong to a clan. When Theron tied him up and held him suspended from a hook
attached to the ceiling for a week, he finally realized Theron would never care
for him. He had to get away.

If
he had been as strong as he was when he was a Redshank, Theron would not be in
New Atlanta following Trevor. Theron would be in the afterworld paying for his
sins. “I tried to kill him. If I had waited to gain my strength back, I’m sure
I would have succeeded. Instead, I let my emotions fuel my rage, and I went
after him while I was still weak. Theron could have killed me that night. I
still to this day can’t figure out why he didn’t. He had disarmed me and was
poised to take the fatal strike that would remove my head from my shoulders.
Instead, he walked away. I thanked the gods and promised to make them proud of
me. I gathered my things and journeyed north.”

Jasper
waited for Trevor to pack his things and head for the door. He had been a
coward who allowed himself to be used by a sadist. He refused to look at Trevor
for fear of what he’d see in his mate’s face. He was still a coward.

 “I’ll
go,” Trevor said.

Jasper
turned to find Trevor standing next to him, looking unsure rather than
disgusted as he expected.

“I
don’t blame you.” And he didn’t. Why would Trevor want someone who was a
coward?

“No,
I’ll go with you. To the manor.”  

“Are
you sure? I don’t want you to do something because I’ve pressured you into it.
Or because you feel sorry for me.” Jasper couldn’t believe Trevor wasn’t going
home.

“Feel
sorry for you? You’re a badass. Yes, you went through a horrible ordeal that I
can’t begin to imagine the parts I know you left out on my behalf. I don’t know
what happened in those next two hundred years, but the man… uh Gargoyle…
standing in front of me is not someone to feel sorry for, unless you count the
fact the fates have deemed me your mate. That’s something to pity you over.”

“Trev…”

“Jas…”
Trevor placed his hand tentatively on Jasper’s chest. “I don’t want to cause
someone to miss breakfast on my account. Besides, I’ve heard nothing but good
things about Priscilla’s cooking.”

He
wasn’t lying. Even little Amelia, who only wanted mac and cheese, loved to eat
at the manor. Jasper trailed a fingertip down Trevor’s face, his eyes searching
Trevor’s. He saw no pity there, no judgment. The face staring back at him cause
his heart to soar. Trevor placed his hands on Jasper’s cheeks and ran his
fingers through the whiskers there. “I love this,” he said right before he
tugged Jasper’s head down for a kiss. It was such a light touching of lips, but
it was filled with so much emotion, Jasper thought he might collapse. Badass?
Yeah right.

When
Trevor pulled back, he said, “I don’t know when you normally go to bed, but I’m
ready to call it a night. If you don’t mind.”

“Not
at all. I want you to feel at home here. You don’t have to ask permission to go
to bed or roam around or make yourself something to eat or drink. I want you to
think of this as your home whether you spend the night here and there or move
in permanently. No pressure, just telling you how it is.”

Jasper
was kind of glad Trevor went to bed. He needed time alone to decompress after
sharing part of his past that nobody else knew. Nobody. Instead of pouring a
glass of whiskey, Jasper took the bottle and headed out to the back deck. He
sat down and opened the bottle, taking in a long drink. He wiped his mouth on
the back of his hand and leaned his head back against the chair. The Georgia
night air was nice and cool. Jasper wouldn’t mind if it was cold and the ground
was covered in snow. He did miss the colder climate of Northern Europe. Maybe
he would get back there some day.

He
reached out with his senses. Trevor was moving around the spare bedroom,
unpacking the clothes he’d brought from his apartment. Jasper refused to call
it his home. Godsdamnit! He wanted this to be Trevor’s home. He took another
long pull from the whiskey bottle. The shower in the hallway bathroom turned
on, and Jasper tried his best to block out all that beautiful, pale skin. He
was outside to calm his beast, not give it anymore reason to stay riled.

Thinking
about the time he spent with Theron caused his spirit to come alive and want to
kill something. It wanted revenge for being tied up and unable to defend
itself. For a long time after he left Greece, Jasper was unable to unfurl his
wings. It was as if his inner shifter blamed him for going back night after
night for the same outcome. Even if Jasper had hoped things would calm down and
Theron might once again give him pleasure instead of pain, his inner Goyle had
known better. It wasn’t until he met the gypsies and held the red stone in his
hand that his Gargoyle came out of hiding. He pulled the jasper out of his
pocket and stroked his thumb over the smooth surface. The gypsy told him the
rock would keep him grounded, and it did. Whenever he needed to calm down, he
rubbed the stone and let it work its magic.

He
knew the moment Trevor stepped to the window and looked out. He could only
imagine what his mate must think, seeing him sitting with a bottle of liquor in
one hand and a rock in the other. Jasper resisted the urge to look up at the
window. He knew if he did, it wouldn’t be long before he was up the stairs and
in Trevor’s room, removing his clothes and feasting on his beautiful cock.
Instead, he took another pull off the bottle before setting it on the deck
floor. He stood and walked down the steps that led to the yard.

The
moon, a little over half full, was bright in the sky with no lights around to
mar its beauty. Jasper felt its pull. He removed his shirt, letting it drop to
the ground. He opened his arms wide, lifting his face to drink in its power. Jasper
allowed his wings to unfurl even though he couldn’t take to the skies. He
thought back to the bridge and Trevor reaching out to touch his wings. As much
as he would love to give Trevor that privilege, he would not allow it until
they were truly mates. His wings were an extension of his spirit. It was all he
had left of himself to give someone, and that someone would have to agree to be
his for eternity.

Retracting
his wings before the urge to fly was too great, he pulled his shirt back on and
headed inside. He replaced the cap on the bottle and set it on the counter. He
turned out all the lights except for a lamp in the living room in case Trevor
decided to come back downstairs during the middle of the night. He set the
alarm, something he’d never done before Theron showed up, and made his way up
the stairs. The light was off in the guest bedroom. He prayed for the day when
that room was no longer used by Trevor. He wanted his mate to be waiting for
him in their bed.

He
took a quick shower, taking great pains to stay away from his dick that was
begging for attention. He didn’t want to jack off with Trevor in the next room.
Not that he would hear him, but still. He wanted to save his load for Trevor
should he ever decide to give him head again. Jasper climbed into his bed,
appreciating the cool sheets on his naked skin. He hated clothes. He missed the
days of wearing nothing but a kilt. Maybe when he reinvented himself again, he
would move to the north where it snowed nine months out of the year and wear
nothing but kilts every day. If Trevor decided he didn’t want to be Jasper’s
mate, he would accept what time they had while Trevor aged. When he was no longer
of this earth, Jasper would leave New Atlanta and hide out in the snow for the
rest of his days.

Jasper
looked at the clock. Again. For two hours and thirteen minutes, he’d lain there
while the sounds of Trevor tossing and turning in the other room floated across
the hall. His breathing wasn’t even, so he was either awake or having a fitful
sleep. Jasper wanted to go to him, wrap him in his arms, and hold him. He was
fighting with himself about staying put when he heard Trevor rise. He went into
the bathroom, took a piss, washed his hands, and went back to bed. Ten minutes
later, he rose and walked to Jasper’s open door. Instead of coming into the
room, Trevor stood there debating on what to do.

“Come
on in,” he decided for him.

“I
didn’t mean to wake you,” he said as he walked around to the empty side of the
bed. Jasper threw back the sheet and patted the mattress next to him.

“I
wasn’t asleep.”

Trevor
lay down and stayed on his side. He was on his back, staring at the ceiling.
Jasper had to touch him, so he pulled Trevor to him, turning him so he could
spoon him from behind. He wrapped his arms around him like he’d been aching to
do for hours. He kissed Trevor’s bare shoulder and settled in. Trevor wiggled
farther back into Jasper and sighed. It wasn’t a troubled sigh but one of
contentment. His breathing evened out quickly, and soon, light snores were
coming from his throat. Jasper allowed the sound to soothe him to sleep.

Sometime
during the night Jasper had rolled to his back and Trevor had turned over. He
had his head on Jasper’s shoulder and half his body was draped over Jasper’s.
He couldn’t remember the last time he slept so soundly. Glancing at the clock,
he smiled knowing they had plenty of time before they were supposed to be at
Rafael’s. Trevor’s morning wood was evident against his leg. He wanted nothing
more than to roll his mate over, pull his sleeping pants down, and devour his
cock until he was good and awake. Even though Trevor had come to him in the
night, he didn’t know if it was for comfort or for something else. He would let
Trevor make the first move if they got physical again.

Deciding
the hard cock was too much temptation, Jasper headed downstairs and started the
coffee pot. When he slid out from beneath Trevor, he moaned and grabbed on
tighter. “Where’re you going? I’m so warm,” he mumbled.

Jasper
returned to where he was and said, “I was going to make coffee and let you
sleep a while longer.”

“Uh
uh.”

“Uh
uh?” Jasper chuckled at the still sleeping man snuggled into his side. When
Trevor rubbed his erection against Jasper’s leg, he knew why
uh uh
.
Trevor wanted a proper good morning wake up.

“Can
we…” Trevor opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away. “Can we take care of each
other? Do we have time?”

Jasper
gripped Trevor’s shaft through the cotton material and stroked. “We have all
the time you want.” He meant it, too. If they were late for breakfast, he would
take the King aside and explain the situation to him. No doubt he would be
forgiven. Jasper had seen Rafael with Kaya. His world stopped when she was in
his presence. They had disappeared into their bedroom more than once when they
had company. The mate pull was that strong.

Trevor
pushed his pants down his legs and kicked them off under the cover. He rolled
onto his side so he could have easier access to Jasper. Morning breath be
damned, they kissed each other while stroking. Jasper pushed Trevor to his back
and straddled his thighs, bringing their cocks together in his hand. He used
spit as lube, not taking the time to get the bottle of lube out of the bedside
drawer. Trevor propped up on his elbows as Jasper rubbed their shafts at the
same time, his breathing getting more erratic the longer he watched. Jasper
wanted so badly to push Trevor’s thighs farther apart, lift his knees and
thrust his dick deep inside his mate. The thought alone had his balls letting
him know they were about to erupt. “I’m coming, Baby,” he warned Trevor.

Trevor
was right there with him as he flopped back on the bed and shoved his shaft
faster and harder into Jasper’s hand. “Oh, fuck. Oh, god, Jasper.” He grunted
through his orgasm, both their come landing on his chest and neck. Jasper let
out a low growl as the last of his spasms subsided. He swirled a finger through
their mixed spunk and stuck it in his mouth.

“Mmm,”
he moaned, licking his finger. Trevor opened his mouth and stuck out his
tongue. Jasper swiped his finger through the mixture again, this time letting
his mate have a taste.