Jasper (26 page)

Gregor
did as he asked, placing him carefully on the white ground. Trevor sat down
beside him, both their clothes getting wet. He didn’t care. It was the least he
could do for his mate. Whether what he tried worked or not, he considered
himself Jasper’s mate. Trevor knew there would never be another for him.

After
a while, Trevor lay down beside Jasper, enjoying the silence that a blanket of
snow brought with it. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

“So
this is the afterlife,” Jasper said from beside him.

“It’s
beautiful, isn’t it?” Trevor was hearing Jasper’s voice in his head.

“Why
the fuck is my ass wet? Trev…”

“Jas?
Oh, thank god, you’re awake!” Trevor sat up, touching Jasper’s face, his chest,
his arms.  

“How
am I awake?” he asked, retracting his fangs.

“Magic,”
Trevor said honestly. Voices yelling from the house took his attention away
from Jasper briefly. “Magic and love,” he whispered before he leaned over
Jasper and kissed him.

“Let
the Goyle up, for the gods’ sakes. He’s awake. He doesn’t need mouth to mouth,”
Tessa yelled from the door.

“Red,
leave them alone,” Gregor chastised her.

“I’m
not fully awake. I still think this is heaven,” Jasper said and pulled Trevor
down for another kiss. When they came up for air, he asked, “I must have bit my
tongue. My mouth tastes like blood. And you were dead. I saw you.”

“Uh,
that’d be my blood, and it wasn’t me you saw. The last victim looked a lot like
me.”

“The
blood. How’d that happen?” Jasper asked as he rolled Trevor off of him. “I
really need to fuck you right now. Trevor, oh god, what did you do?” Jasper
pushed down on his cock.

“Are
you mad?”  Trevor didn’t like the look in Jasper’s eyes.

“Mad,
are you kidding? I want to strip you bare and make love to you right here in
the snow. But we have an audience. And you’d freeze, or at the least get sick. What
did you do exactly?”

“I
punctured my finger with your fang and dropped the blood into your mouth. Dante
said you thought I was dead and didn’t have anything to live for. I’ve been
talking to you for days, and you still weren’t waking up. It was the only thing
I could think of. Does this mean we’re fully mated?”

“No,”
Jasper whispered. The worried look on his face let Trevor know he was lying. “Not
unless you want to be,” he added.

“I
want to be. I want to be with you, Phelam Jasper O’Donnell Jenkins, forever. I
lo…” He wouldn’t confess his love. Not until he knew how Jasper felt about him.

“I
love you, too.” Jasper pulled Trevor to him, kissing him soundly on the mouth.
“Definitely heaven.”

“Good,
you love him. Now get your asses up and get in here so we can celebrate!” Tessa
shouted.

She
didn’t have to shout, but Tessa was excited. Jasper was excited, too. He was
alive, and Trevor loved him. His precious Trevor had given him his blood trying
to save him. It must have worked. Trevor stood and helped Jasper to his feet. Jasper
was weak, but he sucked it up. He wouldn’t allow Trevor to see him stumble. They
walked hand in hand to the back deck where Dante was waiting with towels. “Good
to have you back with us, Jas.”

“It’s
good to be back. I want to get dried off and then I want to know everything.” He
and Trevor wiped the snow off each other before going inside to change clothes.
Jasper stopped when he saw two newcomers. For some reason the female was
familiar to him.

“Jas,
this is Dominic Dubois and Lillian St. James. Lilly is one of Dane and
Isabelle’s sisters. She’s the one who healed you.”

The
pretty blonde blushed and said, “I think Trevor had a bigger hand in healing
you than I did. I only stopped the poison’s progress.”

“Whatever
you did, I’m grateful. Dominic, pleasure to meet you.”

“Aye,
mate. Glad you’re back in the land of the living.” Jasper couldn’t wait to ask
Trevor about that one.

“You
two go on and get changed. I’m going to start calling the others,” Dante said.

Together,
they made their way upstairs where Trevor helped him remove his wet clothes. “I
can undress myself,” he snapped. Trevor backed up, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. Come
here,” he apologized. He didn’t mean to hurt Trevor’s feelings. Trevor took a
step toward him, wariness in his eyes. “Trev…”

“Jas…”

Jasper
wanted nothing more than to throw Trevor down on the bed and really seal the
bond. He would need his strength for what he had in mind. “I’m sorry, Baby. I’m
still a little out of it. Please forgive me.”

“I
forgive you. Now, get changed, Detective. I guarantee in less than four minutes
that front door is going to open, and we are going to have more company than
the manor saw at Christmas.” Trevor tried to back away, but Jasper needed to
feel him in his arms. Assure himself he was alive.

“Hold
me. Please.”

Trevor
wrapped him up tight, kissing his cheek and his jaw before nestling his face in
the bend of Jasper’s neck. Voices from downstairs interrupted their moment.
“How long did you give them?” Jasper joked. Trevor hadn’t been wrong. His house
was filling up with Clan members and their families.

“It’s
a good thing Priscilla fixed so much food. I bet you’re hungry. Come on, let’s
get this over with. The sooner everyone sees you, the sooner they’ll go home.”

Jasper
didn’t miss the hungry look in Trevor’s eyes. His mate had changed while he was
unconscious. He liked it. “How long was I out of it?”

“Five
days, twenty-one hours, seventeen minutes.”

Six
days. Six fucking days he lost because of that motherfucking Theron. “Tell me
he’s dead.”

Trevor
backed away from him a little. “He’s in Greece. Urijah has his sister, though.”

Why
was Trevor looking at him like he was going to bite his head off? He opened his
mouth to ask him when his fangs cut into his lip. “Godsdamnit!” he yelled.
Trevor backed all the way into the bathroom.
Fuck.
He had to get control
of his anger. Trevor came out of the bathroom holding a wet washcloth. He
handed it to him then turned his back to him while he changed his clothes.

“I’ll
be downstairs,” Trevor said as he left the bedroom, closing the door behind
him.

Jasper
sat on the bed, wiping at his mouth. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He sat
there and steadied his breathing. He chalked the mood swings up to being
poisoned and unconscious for six days. He had to keep his temper in check,
especially around Trevor. Gods, his sweet Trevor. His mate had bled for him to
bring him back. The longer he sat there the more voices floated up the stairs.
Sighing, he rose from the bed and took his time in the bathroom before changing
into dry clothes. Having lain inactive for almost a week, he needed to freshen
up.

As
he made his way downstairs, Jasper fully expected Trevor to be waiting for him,
but his mate was nowhere to be seen. He reached out, searching for him. Trevor
was outside on the back deck. Before he could go to him, Jasper was swamped
with Clan members swarming around him, asking how he was, saying they were glad
he was okay. The one who supposedly saved him, Lilly, stood off to the side
with Dominic. The way the pirate held her close told Jasper they were mates. Even
though he’d been lying in bed for days, Jasper needed to sit down. His strength
was returning slowly, but not enough that he felt like standing for hours. With
this Clan, he knew they wouldn’t just wish him well and leave.

The
house was full of people talking and laughing. He knew he had cause to
celebrate, but after hearing “how are you feeling” for the twentieth time, he
growled, “I’m fucking fine. What will make me heal faster is to know where
Theron is so I can go after the motherfucker.”

Everyone
stopped talking at the same time. It was Rafael who took control of the room.
“I think we should give Jasper time to get back to his old self. Uri, since you
were the one to capture Kallisto, please remain and fill Jasper in on
everything that’s been going on. Jasper, Brother, I’m glad you are going to be
okay. Take your time, and let us know if you need anything.”

Jasper
felt like a dick. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“He
needs time. And I’ll be here taking care of him,” Trevor said from the back
door. Jasper’s heart filled with love for his mate. He needed Trevor. Needed to
make love to him. His beast was berating him to complete the bond the right
way. He knew they were already mated; his beast was just a horny fucker. He
held out his hand to Trevor who came and sat beside him.

“We’ll
talk to you soon,” Kaya said before she and Rafael ushered everyone out the
door. When Lilly and Dominic followed the crowd, Jasper stopped them.

“Lilly,
please stay.” She glanced up at Dominic who nodded once.

When
the others had gone, Jasper rubbed his forehead. “I’m thankful for whatever it
is you did, but I need to know what it was exactly. I don’t feel right, and my
moods are all over the fucking place.”

Trevor
laced their fingers together while Lilly explained, “You were given a powerful
mixture of wolfsbane, hemlock, and cat bone. When Julian figured out the three
ingredients, I recognized them from my grandmother’s grimoire. Those particular
poisons are used in a dark magic spell.”

“You
do dark magic?” he asked her.

“Goddess,
no! Dark spells are passed down so if we come across them, we know what we’re
dealing with.”

“So,
Theron cast a spell on me?” That didn’t make sense.

“No,
that is why you are conscious now. He only injected you with the poison. I
didn’t have a counterspell, but there was one similar I used, adding Trevor’s
blood to strengthen it.”

“You’ve
given your blood to me twice. Thank you,” he whispered to his mate.

“You
would have done the same thing,” Trevor said, running a finger down his face.
Trevor’s eyes dropped to his lips, and Jasper needed to be alone with his mate.
He had to hurry this discussion along.

“Are
there side effects? Why am I ready to rip everyone’s head off?”

“I
will need to refer back to the grimoire. Honestly, I’ve never performed a counterspell
against dark magic or ingredients intended to be used in such a way. I’m
sorry.”

“No,
don’t be sorry. You brought me back, and I thank you.”

Dominic
pulled Lilly to his side. “I believe it is your shifter that is causing you trouble.
You were close to death, and there was nothing you could do about it. The beast
is rebelling. Once you and Urijah have a chat, I would suggest spending some
time with your mate, letting him soothe the beast.”

That
was the best advice Jasper had heard yet. Upon hearing his name, Uri stepped
out of the shadows. The Goyle looked pissed.

“Once
Julian got a lock on Kallisto and her partner, we were able to find them. We
have them both in a secure location. When we threatened Kallisto, her partner Sergei
gave up the information quickly. Theron went back to Greece, leaving his sister
and partner to clean up any loose strings. I need to know what you want me to
do with them, Brother.”

Jasper
already knew what he wanted – Theron’s ass back in the States so he could take
him out. “I need to get a message to Theron. One that will guarantee his return
to New Atlanta.”

“What
are you thinking?” Uri asked.

“I
need someone who is familiar with Shibari.”

Uri’s
eyebrows rose underneath his blond bangs. “I like where you’re going with
this.”

“What’s
Shibari?” Dominic asked.

“Pretty
knots like this,” Trevor said. He scrolled through his phone until he found one
of the less dramatic pictures shown on the internet.

“Well,
why didn’t you just ask?”

“You
know Shibari?” Uri asked.

“I’m
a pirate, mate. Of course I can tie a pretty knot,” he said with a wink. Jasper
was beginning to like the Goyle.

“Okay
then. Jasper, tell me exactly what you want, and we’ll handle it.”

Jasper
described in detail the way he wanted Kallisto tied up and displayed. Since her
partner was cooperating, they would be able to text Theron with the picture of
his sister in the same pose Jasper had been left in for a week all those years
ago. Jasper didn’t want Lilly to think badly of him, so, without going into too
much detail, he explained why he wanted this done. He made it clear he didn’t
want the ropes to hurt Kallisto, only to paint an explicit picture. Once the
plan was set, Jasper stood, refusing to look weak in front of his guests. He
shook hands with Uri first, then Dominic, before fisting his heart to Lilly and
saying, “On my honor.” The pretty witch had tears in her eyes, but she was
smiling.

Finally,
they were alone. Trevor came and stood in front of him, tracing the lines of
his face, running his fingers through Jasper’s beard. “I thought I’d lost you,”
Trevor whispered.

“I
thought I’d lost you, too.” Jasper couldn’t stand the distance any longer. He
tugged Trevor’s belt loops, bringing him into his chest. “You really want to be
mated to me?”

Trevor
kissed Jasper’s Adam’s apple. He licked his way across Jasper’s neck to behind his
ear. He sucked the lobe before whispering, “Yes, I do.” Trevor slid his hands
underneath Jasper’s t-shirt and tugged at the hem. Jasper raised his arms so
Trevor could take the shirt off. He tossed it on the sofa and licked his lips.
Trevor closed the distance between them and placed open mouth kisses on
Jasper’s neck, drifting lower to his chest. He teased one nipple, blowing on it
when it hardened. Jasper growled, and Trevor jerked back.

“I’m
not going to hurt you, Trev. That I promise. But right now, you are turning me
on, and my shifter is demanding I take you. You are my mate, Trevor McKenzie,
and I need you. Now.”

“I’m
not ready,” Trevor said.

“I
understand. We don’t have to make love. We can still suck each other off,
though.”

“No,
I mean I’m not prepped. I wasn’t expecting you to wake up as soon as you did,
and I haven’t, you know...”

“I’m
ready. It’s what took me so long upstairs,” Jasper admitted.

When
Trevor realized what he was implying, his eyes widened. “You’d do that?”

“Trevor,
you’re my mate. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, and that includes
letting you make love to me. That is, if you want to.”

“I,
yeah, of course I do. I just thought… Never mind what I thought.” Trevor took
great care in not knocking Jasper down when he lunged at him. Trevor grabbed
Jasper’s face and kissed him. It was frantic, it was passionate, and it was
driving Jasper crazy.

“Upstairs.
Now.” Jasper was alive. They both were. He was going to show Trevor just how
alive they could be together.