Jasper

by Faith Gibson

  Trevor responded, “Oh.”

  Jasper tossed the cloth aside and kissed Trevor’s neck down to his chest where he tongued both of Trevor’s hard nipples. He licked his way down Trevor’s stomach to his cock that was swelling.

  When Jasper sucked Trevor’s cock into his mouth, Trevor muttered, “Ohhh.” Jasper got Trevor good and primed before instructing him to get on the bed. With his mate wearing his ring, Jasper made love to Trevor. Sometime around four a.m., they fell asleep, thoroughly entwined around each other and thoroughly sated.

  The next few days were pretty much the same. Jasper dropped Trevor off at the morgue. If Dante wasn’t at work, Mason or Lorenzo would hang out with him while he worked. Jasper picked him up on his way home from the station, and they hung out with Travis and Matthew at Frey’s until bedtime. Rafael had come to visit Travis, personally extending the invitation for him to work at Stone, Inc. Once Travis was settled into the apartment, he would begin going to the office a few days a week, getting acquainted with his new job.

  On Saturday, Jasper, Trevor, Sixx, and Dane went to Travis’s house in Athens and packed it up. They moved all his things with the exception of the living room furniture into Trevor’s apartment. Once he was situated, Travis would go get Molly and bring her to her new home. Sixx was overseeing getting the house cleaned and ready to be sold.

  Jasper instructed Uri to send the text to Theron. He was as strong as he was going to be, and he wanted to get this over so he and Trevor could really get on with their lives together. Nikolas, Julian, and Sixx worked around the clock at the lab, keeping an eye out for Theron’s return. When they questioned Sergei regarding their mode of transportation, he told them Alistair had several jets. The only time they flew commercial was when they had been tailing Sophia. While they were waiting on Theron, the clan members with family were basically on lockdown until Theron was taken care of.

  The text to Theron made it clear that if he wanted his sister to remain alive, he was to come to Jasper’s house. Jasper and Trevor had their first big argument as a mated couple. It was Sunday, and they were at family day at the manor. Breakfast was over, and instead of doing their own thing, everyone was discussing the situation with Theron. Jasper insisted Trevor stay at Frey’s with Travis while he was fighting Theron. Trevor insisted he be there at home while it was going down. It wasn’t that Jasper was afraid he was going to lose; he didn’t want Trevor to see the beast when he let it loose. Jasper already got lost inside his head while he was training with Urijah. He was afraid Trevor would be scared of him if he saw how violent he could be. Jasper knew it would be a close fight. Theron had his own beast, and the Goyle was evil inside. He had nothing to lose while Jasper had everything to lose.

  When Trevor lost his temper and showed Jasper a side of his mate he never thought he’d ever see, Jasper was stunned. If he was being honest, he was also a little turned on. Trevor told him, “If you think for one second I’m going to hide like a scared little bitch just because I’m a human while you are fighting to the death, you’re sadly mistaken. I have no doubt you are going to take him down, and I will be there to see it. End of discussion.” The fact Trevor told him off in front of a houseful of Goyles, including Rafael and Kaya, was surprising. Trevor stormed out of the backdoor, and Jasper stood there with his mouth open.

  “Now that was impressive,” Kaya said, grinning. “I didn’t know he had it in him.”

  Jasper groaned and ran his hands down his face. He didn’t know whether to go after Trevor or give him some space. Dante made the decision for him. “I’ll go,” he said and headed out the back door after his assistant.

  The room got quiet when Connor walked up to Jasper and handed him a folded piece of paper. “I think you should see this,” he said. Jasper took the paper and unfolded it. Connor had drawn another one of his visions. It was sort of morbid that such a young child would have to see details of such a violent nature.

  “Can I keep this?” he asked the boy.

  “Of course. Maybe it will help you.” Connor cocked his head to the side for a moment. Jasper was afraid he was having one of his visions, but he looked up at Jasper and smiled before walking off.

  Jasper turned to find Isabelle and asked her, “What was that about?”

  “He doesn’t always share his visions with us. Only the ones he thinks we need to know about now. I’ve asked him why, and he says there are things we must decide for ourselves.”

  “He’s too smart to be six,” Jasper muttered before looking at the drawing once again. Several of the Goyles had gathered around so they could see the picture. Jasper passed it around, and when it was returned to him, he knew in his heart Trevor should be there with him when he fought Theron.

  Jasper walked out the back door onto the patio. He reached out with his senses and found Trevor in the garden. Even though it was winter and there was snow on the ground, Jasper had been in the garden enough to know that it was still a sanctuary no matter the time of year. Jonathan had been M.I.A. during the last few family days, and Jasper was afraid the faithful servant’s health was failing him. He prided himself in taking care of the grounds while Priscilla took care of the inside of the manor. Jasper sent up a silent prayer for the older human.

  He took a seat at the outside table and closed his eyes. The drawing Connor had given him showed him bleeding in several places. He knew it was going to be a close battle, and he was ready to receive a few strikes. Jasper was going through the motions of battle in his head when Dante and Trevor came running out of the garden. “He’s here,” Dante said.

  “Here? At the manor?” Jasper asked. He knew Dante was referring to Theron, but he couldn’t be there at the manor.

  The back door opened and Rafael said, “Jasper, Nik’s on the phone. Theron’s plane landed about ten minutes ago. He’s in a black SUV headed north.”

  “It will take him about thirty minutes to get to your place if he drives straight there,” Dante said.

  Jasper reached for Trevor’s hand. “Let’s go. I want to be ready when he arrives.” If Trevor was surprised at his change in attitude, he didn’t show it. He laced their fingers together and followed him to the Jeep. Jasper knew the others would be along behind them. Maybe it was a good thing it was happening today. All the mates and kids were in one spot at the manor.

  Travis came running after them and said, “I’m coming with you.”

  Jasper saw the determined look in his eyes, and he knew it was only right that Travis be able to face his girlfriend’s murderer. Hopefully, after this was over, and Jasper had taken Theron out, Travis might sleep a little better at night. The ride home was quiet. Trevor linked their fingers together again and offered his strength silently through their bond. Travis sat pensively in the backseat.

  When they arrived home, several vehicles pulled into the driveway behind them. Nobody said anything as Jasper unlocked the house and made his way upstairs. Trevor followed him into the bedroom and sat on the bed as Jasper went into the secret room to gather his claymore. Trevor already knew about his hidden space. Jasper had shown it to him so he could hide his journals there alongside Jasper’s own secrets.

  Silently, Jasper removed his clothes and donned his kilt. If he was going into battle, he was dressing for it. When he stepped out of the closet, Trevor gasped. To Trevor, he probably looked like a character straight off the movie screen, but in that moment, he was no longer Jasper Jenkins, detective. He was Phelam O’Donnell, warrior.

  Trevor rose from the bed and stepped up to Jasper, pulling his face down for a kiss. “Tonight, after this is over, I want you in bed wearing nothing but this,” he said, tugging at the plaid colors of the O’Donnell clan.

  “It’s a deal,” Jasper agreed. If Connor’s vision was correct, Jasper would be wrapping his mate in his kilt in a few short hours.

  Theron was dead unless he disposed of his lover and got his sister back. For a Gargoyle who hated humans, Alistair was obsessed with his adopted daughter. When Theron cou
ldn’t get in touch with Kallisto or Sergei, he knew they’d been taken. He never should have left the humans to deal with the Stone Clan. They bested him in Greece, so it shouldn’t be a surprise they would get the jump on his sister. He tried to hide the fact she was missing from his father, but Alistair wasn’t one to be ignored. When he couldn’t get in touch with Kallisto, he demanded Theron tell him where she was. He had no choice but to be honest with his father.

  He had seen his father angry, but when the possibility of Kallisto’s demise at the hands of his enemies was presented, Alistair was beyond irate. He had threatened Theron before, but never had he come as close to taking his head as he had the night before. If Theron didn’t return Kallisto to Greece safely, Theron might as well not return himself.

  He had not shown his father the text he received from Sergei’s phone. When he saw the intricate knotwork, he knew then Phelam had somehow survived the poison. Nobody else would have known the exact way he had suspended Phelam all those years ago. He should be impressed that his lover had not succumbed to death. He should be. He wasn’t. He was pissed. Instead of driving straight to Phelam’s home in the woods, Theron pulled off the freeway and checked into a hotel room. He knew he was as strong if not stronger than his former lover, but his Phelam had grown. Matured. He wasn’t the same subservient Goyle he’d been two hundred years ago.

  Theron had to admit this could be the end. He had considered bringing other Goyles of his own clan, but this was his fight. Something he and Phelam had to face alone. If it was to be the end of his many years on this earth, he was going to have a last meal as well as a last good fucking. Theron grabbed his overnight bag from the seat beside him, double checking that his ropes were included among his extra clothes.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  If Jasper wasn’t getting ready to go into battle, Trevor would have dropped to his knees then and there. Seeing his lover wearing the plaid of the O’Donnell was the sexiest fucking thing he’d ever seen in his life. Jasper was already sexy, but the kilt with his claymore strapped to his side pushed Trevor’s desire to an almost unbearable limit. He had to get away from Jasper and let him concentrate without sensing what Trevor was feeling. He put all his love into one last kiss and left the bedroom.

  Downstairs, the mood was eerie. Trevor had been around death, but never had he felt such a charge in the atmosphere. It must have something to do with all the Gargoyle testosterone. Travis was looking out the back door, so Trevor went and stood beside his brother. Several of the Clan were stationed around Jasper’s property. He was certain more were in the woods, but he just couldn’t see them. Travis asked, “How are you holding up?”

  “Actually, I’m good. When Dante followed me into Rafael’s garden, he shared one of Connor’s visions with me. He wouldn’t give me all the details, but he said the outcome is favorable to our side.”

  “You believe in a six year-old’s psychic ability?” Travis asked skeptically.

  “I do. Hang on.” Trevor went into one of the spare bedrooms and found the drawing Connor had made of them and Molly. When this was over, he was going to have it framed for Travis. He returned to the back door and handed it to his brother. “Take a look at this. Connor drew this and gave it to me for Christmas.” Travis’s eyes widened when he studied the detail. “Connor had never seen you or Molly. Not even a picture. So yes, I believe in his abilities.”

  “How can he draw what he’s never seen?” Travis asked, rolling the picture up and handing it back.

  “He’s special. He drew a picture of him and Dante together before he met him. When Connor was kidnapped, he would draw pictures of where he was being held and show them to Dante in his mind. A man he’d never met before in his life. I can’t explain it other than to say he’s gifted.”

  Trevor felt the air in the room change. It was even more charged than before. Jasper. He turned as his love strode purposefully down the stairs. Their eyes met, and Jasper closed the distance between them. In a voice so deeply Irish, Jasper said, “Trevor McKenzie, you are my love, my life. I vow to you upon the O’Donnell’s plaid and his name that I will win this fight.” Jasper fisted his heart and bowed his head to his mate before heading out the back door.

  “Wow,” Travis uttered.

  Trevor was speechless. He had seen the Goyles honor the other mates with the sacred vow, but never had he seen one honor their own mate. He assumed it was a given, but seeing Jasper bow to him stirred something so primal that he was ready to don his own kilt and head into battle alongside his man. A hand on his shoulder stirred him from his crazy thought. The King of the Stone Society was standing next to Trevor. No longer was Rafael the handsome architect. He was dressed like the other Gargoyles, wearing a tight black t-shirt and black fatigues tucked into a pair of leather boots. He remembered the night Jasper and Dante had made a late night visit to the morgue dressed exactly the way Rafael was now, less all the blood splatter. Rafael’s long hair was pulled back into a leather thong. He looked as lethal as the rest of the Clan.

  Rafael told Trevor, “It’s been over two hundred years since I had to fight another Gargoyle, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was fighting to avenge my father who’d just been slain. I was fighting for my Clan. Jasper is fighting for you, Trevor. There is no stronger motivation for a Gargoyle than the need to protect one’s mate. In winning this fight, he is protecting you. If something were to happen to Jasper, he would be leaving you defenseless. It’s one of the reasons his shifter was so angry when he woke up from being poisoned. It knew you were out here without it to protect you. The Stone Society would always have your back, because you are family, but it isn’t the same as having your mate watching over you. Theron might be larger than Jasper, but he doesn’t have the same motivation Jasper does. He will win this for you. Oh, and one more thing… he misses the purple streak in your hair.”

  Trevor didn’t speak. Instead he inclined his head to the King. He appreciated Rafael’s belief in Jasper. Instead of joining the others, Rafael stood sentry at the door, legs spread, hands behind his back. It made sense the King would remain indoors away from the threat of an enemy. Theron was a huge Gargoyle. Frey was the only one Trevor had seen who matched his size. Still, he had every faith in Jasper that he would take down his enemy.

  Jasper stood in the middle of the open area that led to the woods. He didn’t pull his claymore from its sheath. He stood stone still, eyes closed as if he were meditating. Trevor closed his own eyes, and a vision of the two of them side by side looking out over a calm sea as the Aurora Borealis flashed its heavenly light show above them invaded his mind. Jasper said next October was when they would get married. Trevor couldn’t wait. He opened his eyes when he felt Jasper’s presence in his soul. He looked outside to where his mate was staring intently at him. He nodded slightly, letting Jasper know he felt it, too.

  Jasper was more than ready to get the fight over with. They had assumed Theron would come straight to Jasper’s home as soon as he arrived in New Atlanta, but he was still a no-show. A few hours had passed, and the day was giving way to twilight. Jasper didn’t mind fighting at night; he just wanted this whole ordeal over with. He allowed himself a moment to meditate, to bring to mind the future with Trevor, their wedding in Ireland. He reached out to Trevor with his mind, hoping his mate would feel his emotions. When Trevor nodded, Jasper knew he’d been successful.

  Someone’s cell phone rang, and Jasper knew in his heart it was Nik or Julian letting them know Theron had been spotted. Dante stepped into the area where Jasper was waiting. “That was Nik. Theron’s SUV is headed this way. He’s about ten minutes out.” Jasper nodded, and Dante returned to his spot in the woods. The Clan had agreed to stay hidden, not because Theron wouldn’t know they were there, but to give Jasper as much room as he needed to fight his enemy.

  A vehicle approaching the area sounded in the distance. The engine shut off and a door slammed. Jasper was ready for Theron when he flew over the trees and landed in front of him, w
earing only a pair of worn blue jeans. Jasper’s adrenaline surged at the sight of his old lover. Memories of his torment from long ago along with the bastard injecting him with poison had his shifter roaring for release. “Phelam, I always did love you in a kilt. You surprise me yet again. How is it you’re alive?”

  “My mate. His love saved me from your deranged plan. You should have faced me like any respectable Gargoyle would have instead of trying to poison me.”

  “Your young lover cannot be your mate. He is human.” Theron looked around and froze when his eyes found both Trevor and Travis standing side by side on the deck.

  “You failed there as well,” Jasper said, referring to Travis.

  “Where is Kallisto?” Theron asked, his surprise quickly turning to anger.

  “Somewhere safe, but you needn’t worry about her.” Jasper pulled his claymore from the sheath and swung it a couple of times. “Are you ready to die?”

  “If you think you can best me, Lover, bring it on.” Theron retracted his wings, drew his own sword, and lunged at Jasper. Instinct took over, and Jasper easily knocked the blade away.

  Jasper called forth his shifter and allowed its strength and rage to take over his body. He didn’t phase, knowing he would be faster with his wings tucked away. Jasper blocked out everything around him except for the Goyle in front of him.

  Theron stepped foot over foot, circling, assessing. Jasper mimicked Theron, waiting for the perfect opening. In a battle, it was kill or be killed. The only difference here was there were only two combatants. Jasper didn’t have to worry about someone coming at him from behind. He could focus his concentration solely on the Goyle in front of him. He was tired of waiting for Theron to make another strike, so Jasper swung his sword in front of him. It was met with Theron’s, and the fight was on.