Jasper (17 page)

The
sound of a car in the driveway brought Theron’s thoughts to the near future.
His sister had gathered the items he needed to punish his male. If he couldn’t
have Phelam O’Donnell, no one else could, either. Least of all a human kid.

Jasper
couldn’t sleep. His mind wouldn’t stop swirling with thoughts of Trevor. Jasper
snuggling the pillow Trevor had slept on probably didn’t help. His delicious
scent was embedded in the cotton fabric. When Jasper clutched the pillow to his
chest in hopes it would soothe him, it had the opposite effect. He pushed the
pillow back to the opposite side of the bed, but the damage had been done. Jasper
folded back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He ran his
hands through his hair and down his face. When he scratched his beard, he
remembered Trevor pulling on it and biting at it. He would never shave again if
his mate liked it that much.

Jasper
took a cold shower, his second in the few hours he’d been home. His first had
been after he went patrolling. It wasn’t his scheduled night, but he needed the
release that taking out some Unholy gave. It also gave him an opportunity to be
on the lookout for Theron and his sister. With Kallisto having a hand in both
Isabelle and Sophia’s troubles, she was almost certain to be back in the city
to help her brother. Jasper had never struck a woman, but if Kallisto even
thought about harming one of the mates or children, he would not hesitate in
taking her out. She’d already proven herself to be as evil as the Goyle who
raised her.

Dante
had called late in the evening to let Jasper know Trevor was agreeable to
moving in with Frey as long as Travis came with him. They were both guarded in
the hospital by a Gargoyle. Once Travis was released, someone would need to be
with them both until the funeral was over. Hopefully, they could then convince
Travis to come to New Atlanta with Trevor where they both could be guarded by
someone in the family. Jasper hoped he could locate Theron and put an end to
him sooner rather than later. He wanted to be there for both Trevor and his
brother at the funeral. He felt like he’d abandoned his mate, even if he was
staying away to keep him safe.

Jasper
had a few hours before he was scheduled at the station. With Pax working the
murder case in Athens, it was easier to go about his business than if a human
was investigating. The local Goyle knew who was responsible for the attack
since he was there when the attack at Travis’s took place. He was the one who
saw Theron running out the back, so he knew what the killer looked like, even
though it was Jasper’s gun used in the murder. Julian assured him the alarm
system was back online, but what good would it do if Theron wanted back into
Jasper’s home while he was away at work? He had to find the bastard.

While
contemplating on calling Urijah and asking him to open the gym early, Jasper’s
phone rang. Speak of the Viking... “Uri, what can I do for you?”

“Good,
you’re awake.”

“I
have a feeling I’m not going to sleep much until Theron is out of our hair.”

“I
don’t sleep a lot anyway. It’s overrated. Since you’re up, I was hoping to stop
by and maybe do a little moonlight sparring.”

“Yeah,
come on over.” Jasper hung up and put on something suitable for a swordfight.
He didn’t know where Urijah lived, had never seen a need to ask him, so he had
no idea how long it would take the Goyle to arrive. He barely had time to
finish one cup of coffee when he heard a vehicle coming down the driveway. All
of the Gargoyles had multiple vehicles. Most of them had a motorcycle to ride
as well. Urijah was currently driving a blacked out SUV. He got out and opened
the back door. He removed two swords before making his way to the house. Jasper
opened the door just as Urijah stepped onto the porch. “Come on in.”

Uri
didn’t bother looking around. He made his way to the kitchen where he placed
the swords on the island. “Mind if I have a cup of coffee before we start?”

“No,
cups are…”

Urijah
opened the cabinet above the coffee maker and grabbed a mug. After he poured it
full, he turned around, settling his ass against the counter.

“I
take it you and Finley hung out?”

“Yeah.
I miss the bastard. I probably spent more time here than I did at my house. I
love the solitude of the woods. The quiet. When I moved to New Atlanta, I had
come from New Orleans and didn’t give a shit where I landed, so I took the
first place available. It’s not bad as far as houses go, but it isn’t as
secluded as this place.”

“Why
don’t you look for something else?”

“Because
I haven’t decided how long I’m staying. Fin was my best friend for twenty
years. He’s got his life on the West Coast now, and he keeps asking me to join
him.”

“You’ve
lived in a house you don’t like for twenty years?”

“Like
I said, I spent most of my time here.” Uri shrugged. “Now, I’m either at the
gym or the armory.

“What
if you find your mate? What then?”

Urijah
took a sip of coffee before answering. “I think that boat’s already sailed.” He
pushed away from the counter and rinsed his cup in the sink before putting it
in the dishwasher. “Let’s go try out these new swords.” Jasper let his comment
about a mate slide. He wasn’t one to pry, because he knew what it was like to
want to keep your past hidden.

Once
outside, Jasper took the weapon Uri offered. If he didn’t know better, he would
think he was holding his beloved claymore.

“I
hope you don’t mind, but after we left the armory, I went back and forged
another weapon similar to yours. I wanted you to be able to practice with one
that’s familiar to you so you can save your claymore for the real battle. Since
yours is protected with the hellebore coating, I didn’t think you swinging it
at the Clan was a good idea. I’ve seen you get lost in your memories. I’d hate
for you to take down one of our own by mistake.”

Jasper
swung the weapon, getting used to the feel and balance. It was almost identical
to his old one with the exception of the hilt. This one wasn’t worn where his
hand had held it for four hundred years. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome. Can I ask you a question?”

Jasper
wasn’t sure where the Viking was going, but he liked Uri and considered him a
friend, not just a brother. “Of course.”

“If
I’m not mistaken, the claymore was used by the Scottish. Aren’t you Irish?”

“You’re
not mistaken. My chieftain preferred the slanted cross guard of the claymore to
the straight one of the Irish sword. He claimed to get a better grip. Once I
fought with it a few times, I had to agree. I never used anything else
afterwards.”

 “Makes
sense. Now, let’s find out how it swings.”

Jasper
enjoyed sparring with Urijah. They were evenly matched, both having been born
with a sword in their hand. They spent a couple of hours showing each other
moves and countermoves they had learned over the years. By the time Jasper
walked into work, his mind was clearer than it had been in days. He helped Dane
go over paperwork that was piling up due to the recent spike in crime around
the city. Like Kaya, Dane went over every report that was filled out. Jasper
had offered to help when he noticed Dane getting stressed.

“I
don’t know why I agreed to this,” Dane told him as he handed him another
folder. “I’m not cut out for reading reports. I feel like a fucking school
teacher grading papers. And where did some of these recruits go to school? Can
you read this?” He handed over a sheet of paper and closed his eyes, rubbing
the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

Jasper
laughed. “It’s only eight o’clock, Boss. Our day has just started. And that
says the                                    homeowner shot the teen in the ass
with a BB gun.”

Dane
took the paper and reread it. “I’ll be damned.”  Dane had already conducted
roll call and handed out assignments. He had asked Jasper to stick close by and
help him with the reports. If there was another murder, he wanted to go out in
the field with Jasper. He couldn’t blame Dane. Jasper wouldn’t want to be stuck
behind a desk all day either.

“What
the fuck?” Dane slammed a report down on his desk.

“What’s
wrong?” Jasper picked up the report when Dane stormed out of his office. A
waitress at a local diner had been assaulted.
Marley Sperry.
Oh shit,
that was Dane’s Marley. His mate. No wonder he was ready to rip someone’s head
off. Jasper had a feeling Dane had left the building. He continued reading over
reports, making notes that Dane might want to look at. Some of the cops he
worked with were excellent policemen, great assets to the precinct. Some were
lazy bastards who couldn’t spell their own name.

His
cell phone rang. “Sixx, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hey,
Jasper. I’m helping Julian watch the security cameras, and I recognized the
woman in the picture Connor drew of Trevor. She got into a black SUV with the
same license plate we saw earlier. Julian’s working on figuring out where she
went.”

“If
we can figure that out, we can get a line on Theron.”

“Truth,
Brother. How’s Trevor holding up?”

“I
guess he’s fine. I haven’t spoken to him since last night.”

“It’s
a tough spot you’re in. I don’t envy you.”

“No
tougher than yours.” Jasper couldn’t imagine having not only a mate but also a
child out in the world, not ever seeing them. At least Trevor was close by.

“You
take care, and let me know if I can do anything on this end.”

“Thanks,
Sixx. Just keep looking at those monitors.”

“Will
do.”

Jasper
appreciated the Clan now more than ever. He kept waiting for a call to come in
stating another body had been found, but the day went by mostly uneventful. In
a city as big as New Atlanta, crime was always happening. He thanked the gods
it had been petty stuff all day. Neither Dante nor the crime lab had found any
usable evidence at the scene of the last murder or on the body. Theron and his
accomplices were being careful. It didn’t matter, though. When Jasper caught up
with the Goyle, he was going to take him out. If he had to move away from New
Atlanta afterwards, so be it, but he would not let his past continue to haunt
his present any longer. Jasper would do whatever it took to protect the new
family he’d been welcomed into.

Dane
knew it was a stupid move on his part, but there was no way he was going to sit
by while his mate was assaulted and not check on her. He drove to the diner on
the off chance she was working. He didn’t have to get out of the car to know
she wasn’t there. He drove out of the city to the small neighborhood where she
lived. As soon as he found out she was his mate, Dane had done a background
check on her. She was single, thank the gods, and lived in a small two-bedroom
house with her best friend from high school. Her parents, both living,
currently resided in a small town two hours south of New Atlanta. Marley had
one older sister but no brothers. Her record was clean. Her credit was good. He
felt like a jerk for invading her privacy like that, but he needed to know who
he was possibly letting into his life permanently. After seeing the other
Gargoyles and their mates, he had no doubt he would eventually give in to the
bond. First, he wanted time under his belt as chief so he could get into a
routine before adding a woman to the mix.

He
probably should have called, but he found himself knocking on the front door.
Female voices called back and forth on the other side.

“It’s
a man,” a voice yelled from right inside the door.

“What
man?” Marley’s muffled voice asked from farther back in the house. She must be
in her bedroom.

“I
don’t know, but he’s fucking gorgeous.” Even if Dane didn’t have shifter
hearing, he would have heard the roommate.

“It’s
Police Chief Dane Abbott,” he announced before the roommate further embarrassed
herself. Then again, she might not be embarrassed. She might be as brazen as
Tessa.

“It’s
your cop guy,” she yelled to Marley.
Her cop guy?

“Oh,
God, Cammie, stall him. I look like crap!”

The
deadbolt turned and the door opened a crack, the security chain giving the
young woman a false sense of security. “Identification, please.”

Dane
smirked and pulled out his I.D., flipping the wallet open showing his
credentials. The badge hanging around his neck must not have been proof enough.
The door closed, the chain slid, and the door opened. “Can I help you, Chief?”