Jasper (18 page)

“I’m
following up on the incident at the diner between Miss Sperry and her
assailant.”

“Since
when did the Chief of Police start making house calls?” she asked, cocking her
eyebrow.

“May
I come in?” Dane was tired of standing on the porch when Marley was inside.

“Sure.”
Cammie stepped aside allowing Dane entrance into the small house. It was neat,
if sparsely decorated. The roommate didn’t move from the door. She was drinking
in all six feet three inches of the man who’d come to check on her friend.

“Ma’am,”
he said, getting her attention. “Miss Sperry?”

Cammie
didn’t blush at being caught ogling him. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and
groaned. “I’ll just, uh, go get her.” She turned back for one last look before
disappearing down the hall. A door opened and closed, then “You didn’t tell me
your cop guy is hot as fuck. He could be a cover model.”

“Shh,
he’ll hear you. Shit, I can’t let him see me like this. I need to take a
shower. Do my hair. Dammit! Why did that asshole have to hit me in the face?”

Dane
had heard enough. The motherfucker hit her. Why wasn’t that in the report? He
strode down the hall and threw open the door. Cammie jumped, and Marley
squeaked. Before he could stop, Dane had Marley’s face in his hands inspecting
every inch of her normally pristine skin. “I’ll kill him,” he seethed.

“I
don’t think you should be saying stuff like that, being Chief and all,” Cammie
said.

Dane
cut his eyes to the roommate and said, “Out. Now.”

She
looked at Marley who could barely nod considering her face was clamped tight in
Dane’s hands. Cammie gave him one last look and left the room. When they were
alone, Dane smoothed Marley’s crazy bed hair away from her face and kissed the
spot where a man’s hand had hit her. He kissed her forehead then looked into
her beautiful hazel eyes, still holding her face. “What happened?”

“Remember
the man who tried to rough me up a few weeks ago that you stopped? Well, he
came back. Sat at the same table. I tried to get Roberta to take his order, but
she was swamped.” Marley wrapped her hands around Dane’s wrists, the touch
sending sparks zinging through his body.

He
closed his eyes briefly, getting his shifter under control and asked, “Then
what?”

“Well,
I’ve been taking self-defense classes down at Hartley’s. I’ve only had a few,
but I specifically asked the trainer to show me how to get away from someone
who grabbed my wrist. It’s what the jerk did the first time. It’s what he did
this time, too. Only this time I broke his hold and threatened to call the
cops. He stood to leave, and I didn’t bother leaving his ticket on the table. I
wanted him gone. He grabbed me again, so I broke the hold, again, and then I
kicked him. In the nuts. He howled right before he hauled off and hit me.”

Dane’s
breathing was getting harder to control. He was going to find the bastard and
make sure he never touched his mate again.

“Chief,
calm down. I’m okay. It won’t happen again. He’s been banned from the
restaurant.”

“You’re
damn right it won’t happen again. Did you press charges? I didn’t see you come
into the station.”

“No,
I can’t afford to miss work by going to court and all that. Jerry banned him,
so I won’t have to deal with him anymore.”

He
pulled her to him, hugging her close. She let him hold her for a minute before
pulling back and asking, “What’s going on? You come all this way just to check
on me?”

“Yes,
Marley, I did. You’re my favorite waitress. I can’t let anything happen to my
favorite waitress, now can I?” He knew it sounded stupid before the words left
his lips, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “Have you iced your cheek? It’ll
help.”

“Yes,
I have. As a matter of fact…” Marley pointed to her unmade bed and a zipped up
plastic bag full of melting ice. Her bed was a rumpled mess. He finally noticed
she was wearing pajamas. Her legs were covered in cartoon sleeping pants and
her top was covered, barely, in a worn out red t-shirt. Either she was really
glad to see him or the heater was broken. He dragged his eyes back to her face
before his cock decided to betray him.

“Good.
I’m going to have a talk with your boss. Then I’m going to have a unit patrol
the area for a few days. Just in case.”

“You
think this jerk’s gonna come after me again?”

“Not
after I find him. Until then, we can’t be too careful.” Dane rubbed her cheek
with his thumb. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you later.” He kissed her cheek
again and left his mate standing with her mouth open.

Trevor
was so tired of being at the hospital. At least when he was at work, he had
things to do to keep him occupied. Sitting in the stiff bedside chair was
wearing on his ass. Travis was physically ready to go home. Currently, he was
talking with the staff psychologist. Trevor didn’t think that was standard
protocol, but what did he know. He dealt with the dead ones, not the ones who
survived. When Travis returned to his room, he told Trevor he was being
released, but he didn’t think he could go home. He wanted to go get Molly and
then check into a hotel.

Dante
had already made arrangements for one of the Athens Gargoyles to watch over
them in case that was what Travis decided. Trevor had hoped and prayed his
brother would return to New Atlanta. Now, they were on their way to a hotel
that was dog friendly. The CSU tech was scheduled to bring Molly to the hotel
after she got off work that day, and Isabelle and Dante were going to Travis’s
to gather him some fresh clothes. Dante had returned to Trevor’s apartment to
grab some more items for him that included books and his laptop. His boss truly
was a godsend.

Once
they got checked in, Travis stretched out across the bed in his room, staring
off into space. Trevor left him alone for the most part, not knowing what to
say or do. While they were waiting on Dante to return, Trevor’s phone rang. He
grabbed it hoping it was Jasper. Instead, the caller I.D. came up as unknown.
He pressed ignore, not wanting to take a chance on it being Theron. He sent a
quick text to Jasper letting him know they had moved to a hotel and that Dante
could give him the details. Ever since someone had gained access to his
personal information, Trevor was a little paranoid about sending things over
the airways.

Dante
and Isabelle returned, bringing clothes as well as food. When Dante reserved
them a hotel, Trevor should have known he would spring for a suite. It had two
separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a living area, and dining area. The
three of them were sitting at the table eating, and Slade was sitting on the
sofa flipping through one of Trevor’s books. A knock sounded at the door, and
Slade jumped up to find out who it was. He looked through the peephole, and
said, “Uh, we might have a problem. The dog’s here.”

“Let’s
go into Trevor’s bedroom while he lets her in. She’ll be safe enough for that
long,” Dante instructed. He, Isabelle, and Slade hid in his room while he
opened the door for the tech.

As
soon as he did, Trevor was accosted by the furry animal. He knelt down and hugged
her around the neck. “Here you go,” the tech said, handing him Molly’s leash. “She
was such a good girl,” she said, bending over giving the animal some love.

“Thank
you for watching her. Can I pay you for your trouble?” Trevor asked.

“It’s
already been taken care of. I’d have done it for free, but I appreciate the
generous tip. Bye Molly.”

The
tech left, and Molly took off running towards Travis’s room, knowing her master
was there. She stopped short when she got to Trevor’s closed door, whining and
scratching. “Oh, shit. Molly, come on girl. Let’s go find Travis.” He tugged on
her leash and led her to his brother’s room. “Travis, there’s someone here to
see you.” Molly jumped up on the bed and licked Travis all over, sensing something
was wrong. Travis began rubbing her fur, talking softly to her.

Trevor
closed the door and opened his. “Not sure this is going to work with Slade
staying here.”

The
large Gargoyle smiled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll hide out in your room whenever they
have the door open, and I’ll come out here when they’re asleep.”

“What
about when she has to go outside to pee?”

“I’ll
follow at a distance.”

“I
don’t like this setup. We didn’t take into consideration the animal would get
upset,” Isabelle stated. She placed her hands on her hips, thinking. “Can we
ask that nice young woman to keep Molly a while longer?”

“Travis
needs her right now, probably more than he needs protection.”

Travis
opened his door and asked, “Trevor, why is Molly climbing the door trying to
get out? And what is there for her to get upset about?” Molly didn’t come out
of the room, but stood alternating between barking and growling at those in the
living room.

Trevor
hadn’t heard his brother leave his bedroom. He didn’t know what to do. He
couldn’t tell Travis the truth, that there were other types of
animals
in the room.

Dante
said, “Come on, Beautiful. Slade, let’s go out into the hallway so the dog can
calm down. We will see about moving you into a connecting suite. Trevor, tell
him.”

“I
don’t think that’s such…” Trevor started to argue that Travis wasn’t ready to
hear the truth, but Dante held up his hand.

“Trust
me.”

Trevor
did trust Dante. He had told Trevor the truth of the Gargoyles when Trevor was
distressed. Travis was also distressed, so maybe it was better to hear
something unbelievable when you were already at a low point. He nodded at his
boss. Once the three of them were in the hallway, Molly eased out into the
living area. She sniffed every inch where one of the Gargoyles or Isabelle had
touched.

“Trevor,
what’s going on?”

“You
might want to sit down. What I’m about to tell you isn’t easy to believe. It’s
even harder to explain, especially since I’m not one of them.” Trevor now
appreciated the position Dante had been in telling Trevor their secret.

“One
of who?”

Trevor
sat down on the sofa next to his brother. “Not who. What. The best way I know
to explain this is to just spit it out. Dante, Slade, and even Isabelle are
shapeshifters. Actually Isabelle is only half-blood since her mother’s human,
but she still has the shifter inside her that riles Molly. Molly senses the
shifter within them all, and it’s driving her crazy.”

“Shapeshifters.
Like werewolves?”

“No,
like Gargoyles. But not those little stone creatures on the sides of buildings.
Those were created a long time ago in honor of the real Gargoyles. Sometimes
they were used by the Gargoyles as a calling card of sorts. If a building
contained one of the chimeras, it let others know it was a sanctuary for them
away from humans. Anyway, they don’t shift into an entirely different creature
like werewolves do. They retain their human features while they release wings,
fangs, and really fucking sharp claws. Trust me; I’ve seen what those claws are
capable of.” Trevor shivered thinking back to the victim he’d studied on his
slab.

“Are
vampires real, too?”

“What?
No, of course not. At least I don’t think so. Dante?”

“No,”
he responded from the hallway.

“They
have really good hearing,” Trevor said, shrugging. “And eyesight. Oh, and
special skin that is impenetrable. At least the full-blood males do. The
females don’t get wings or the skin.”

Travis
stood and began pacing the room. “I don’t believe this. Why are you telling me
this? Especially now. I have enough to deal with, and you feed me a line of
bullshit.”

“Put
the dog in the bedroom,” Dante instructed from the hall.

Trevor
did as he asked, knowing what was about to happen. Once Molly was locked up
tight, Trevor said, “You really want to sit down for show and tell.”

Dante
entered the room. He kept his distance but allowed his fangs to drop and his
claws to elongate. Travis’s eyes grew wide. “Holy shit.”

“Wait
for it,” Trevor warned him right before Dante called forth his wings.

Travis
fell back onto the couch, mouth agape. “Holy fucking shit,” he muttered. “You…”

“I
am a Gargoyle. I am five hundred sixty-three years old, and I am originally
from Italy. My father was King until he was slain, and now my brother Rafael is
King of all Gargoyles in the States. Our Clan is the largest in the States,
possibly in the world.” Dante phased back. “Isabelle is my mate. As Trevor told
you, her mother is human, therefore she is a half-blood.”

“Your
friend Jasper, is he one of them?”

“Yes,
he is.” Trevor wished more than ever Jasper was with him in that moment. He
would tell a joke and put Travis at ease. “The one who shot you? He’s also a
Gargoyle. This is why Dante is insisting we are protected at all times. Against
a human psycho, we might stand a chance, but a Goyle psycho?”

Travis
grabbed his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “The psychologist is
going to love this.”

“No!”
Trevor calmed his voice. “No, Travis. You cannot tell anyone. The shifters have
remained hidden since the beginning of time. Imagine the chaos if society
figured out there were non-humans running around.

“You
mean like the Unholy?”

“They
are nothing like the Unholy. These are the good guys,” Trevor stated
emphatically.

“The
good guys? It was a good guy who shot me? Who killed Rachel?” Travis shouted.
The tears returned, and he stood, rounding on Dante. “I want you to go. I will
take my chances without the
good guys’
help,” he said, his voice
cracking. “Just please, go.”

Dante
nodded and left the room.

“Travis…”

“How
can you be friends with them? They killed Rachel!”

“No,
they didn’t. You’re lumping all of them into the same category because you’re
angry and you’re hurt. Travis, you know as well as I do there’s good and
there’s evil.” Trevor went to the bedroom door and let Molly out. Travis needed
the silent comfort she offered.

“How
long have you known about them?” Travis asked, sinking his hands into his pet’s
fur.

“Not
long. When I visited you last time, Theron followed me to Athens. I saw him in
the park, at least I thought I did. Molly was going nuts. When I looked back to
where he’d been, he just vanished. That’s when I left you the note and came
back home. Theron followed me to Dante’s, and that’s when Dante told me the
truth.”

“I’m
sorry I went off on your boss. It’s a lot to digest.”

“I’m
sure he understands.”

“Will
you tell me the truth of why you came to visit me in the first place? If you
didn’t know about the Gargoyles then, what had you so upset you needed to get
away?”

“I
saw some things that I didn’t bother getting an explanation for. Some things
from Jasper’s past upset me. I thought he was using me, but now I know it was
Theron playing with my mind.”

 “Jasper’s
more than your best friend, isn’t he?”

“I’m
his mate,” Trevor admitted. “It seems the fates decide who the Gargoyles are
supposed to spend their lives with.” Trevor explained how the mate bond worked.
“I think they’re playing a major prank on him. I mean, look at him and look at
me.”

“There
you go again. God, when are you going to realize that you are beyond good-looking?
Not because you look exactly like me, even though you do. If you had taken your
nose out of a book for one minute when we were in school, you’d have seen all
the girls trying to get your attention. I guess I kind of always knew you
didn’t swing that way, though. Instead of returning their glances, you were
looking at the guys.”

“Do
you have a problem with that?”

“Of
course not. I want you to be happy, Trevor. Are you happy?”

Trevor
sat down on the floor and ran his fingers through Molly’s coat. “I don’t think
I’ve ever known real happiness, but these last few days with Jasper were the
best of my life. I told myself I could be with him without completing the
mating bond, that way if he decided he was tired of someone less than he was
worthy of, he could walk away. I wasn’t lying when I said he’s my best friend.
I enjoy spending time with him, more than anyone. Except you, of course.”

“Don’t
worry, I understand. I love you, but I would rather have spent my time with
Rachel. There’s something magical about being with the one you love who loves
you back.” Travis closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I never believed in
love at first sight until I met her. She was really special, and I wasn’t
worthy of her. She was so far out of my league, but she loved me for whatever
reason. Real love is rare, Trevor. If you’ve found that with Jasper, fates
intervening or not, please don’t throw it away before you even give it a
chance. You might never get that chance again.”