Bitten by Darkness (9 page)

“He's a
friend of Sienna's.” Jasper didn't know how to explain who Sienna was so he
didn't even try.

Sara
looked at him suspiciously. He shrugged. She glanced at Sienna who’d sidled
closer. When he didn’t step away from her, Sara gave him a wide-eyed look. She
knew from before how rarely he let people get close to him. She frowned, and
when Sienna put a hand on his arm, she went white. She definitely suspected
Sienna was important to him, but he could tell she didn’t quite know how. The
pain in her eyes shocked him, but then she blinked and it was gone. Jesus. What
was that?

Sara
visibly pulled herself together. “Sienna, yes, Linda told me you would be
coming. I just didn't expect you to bring my long-lost brother-in-law with
you.” She smiled, mask firmly in place.

Sienna
chewed on her lip and Jasper could see the question on her face. He shook his
head minutely. Thankfully she didn't pursue it.

“I had no
idea he had a long-lost sister-in-law,” Sienna said quietly.

Sara
shrugged then bent down to
listen
Dillon's heart. When
she finished, she slung her stethoscope back over her neck. “Well, I think
Jasper is correct, even if he isn't a doctor.” She shot him a stern glance.
“Dillon is going to be fine. He'll be a little short of breath for a while
until his body rebuilds all the blood he lost, but he'll make a full recovery.”
She smiled kindly at Dillon's mother and brother. Mrs. Gilbert looked like she
wanted to burst into tears, but took a deep breath and thanked Sara, instead.

“Do you
know what happened? How he lost all that blood?” John asked.

Sara
darted a quick glance at Jasper, then shook her head. “We're not sure. There
are no visible wounds and we've ruled out internal bleeding.” She sighed. “I'm
sorry.”

Jasper
tried not to let his anger show on his face. He knew exactly what caused the
blood loss. So did Sara. Sienna was rubbing her finger over her lips as if
trying to keep from talking and he had the sinking feeling that she knew what
had happened too. Not that it surprised him. She knew about vampires. What she
didn't know was that vampires and revenants were essentially the same thing,
with one small distinction. She didn't know that they came from his birth
planet. She didn’t know he
had
a
birth planet other than Earth. Hell, she had no idea that he could all too
easily become a revenant himself if he let the hunger get too strong. It didn’t
take much to slip and feed on the closest living being, sentient or not.
Keeping perfect control was the first and last thing his true father had taught
him.

“Jasper?
You said you'd give me a ride home,” Sienna tugged on his arm. “I can get a
ride with Linda and John though, if you want to catch up with Sara.”

He looked
a question at Sara who shook her head. “I don't get off shift until tomorrow
around noon.”

Jasper
made a quick decision. “Here, give me your phone.” Sara eyed him warily. “I'll
give you my number. Call me when you can. We can talk.” What he really meant
was he could grill her for information on where she’d been all these years and
why she hadn’t tried to contact him, but she didn’t need to know that.

Sara's
face cleared.
“Of course.
Let's just go to the hall so
we don’t disturb Dillon and his family.”

He
followed her out as Sienna said her goodbyes. As soon as Dillon's door shut,
Sara moved in, hugging him tightly. He noted that she was very careful to keep
from touching his bare skin, though he wasn’t sure why.

“Jasper,
I thought you were dead,” she whispered.

He hugged
her tightly, dismissing his worry. It had been so long since he'd had a family,
he almost didn't believe she was real.

“Sara. I
looked everywhere for you and Peter. I searched for days, but then they came
for me. I'm so sorry I had to leave.”

“Hush.”
She pulled back, eyes wet. “I know they hunted you. Ambrose knew. He had a
hiding place for Peter and me and that's where we went. I felt awful—I knew as
soon as they had you they would let us go. You led them away.” The guilt on her
face tore at him.

“No, no,
shh
.
I'm glad you had that. Glad they took me and
left you to live.” He wiped at her cheeks with his sleeve, but she shied away.
“How are you still alive?” Her silver hair and the fine wrinkles around her
eyes put her age at sixty-something. Jasper knew better.

She
smiled shakily. “I think it's the bond I had with your brother. His blood
changed me. I thought I would die when they killed him, but I had Peter. I had
to live even though it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body. I had
to take care of my son.”

That was
possible? One could survive after a mate-bond had been broken? He certainly
hadn’t been that lucky when his father was killed. His mother died not a day
later. Shoving the implications down, Jasper squeezed her arms. “I'm glad. I
wish I could've stayed and taken care of you.”

She let
him hang on for a moment,
then
pulled away, adjusting
her sleeves. Before he could ask her more about how she’d survived, the door
opened and Sienna walked out, head tilted inquisitively. Jasper smiled a
welcome.

Sara
stepped back. “No, we were fine. There was nothing you could've done. Peter and
I were fine. I need to get back to work. Would you give me your number?” She
motioned to the phone he still had in his hand.

“Of course.”
Jasper quickly typed in his number and handed her cell
back. “Call me tomorrow.”

“I will.”
Sara turned to Sienna.
“Nice to meet you.”

“You
too,” Sienna said, watching as Sara strode down the hall.

Jasper
stepped closer to her, putting an arm around her back. Happily, she didn't
shrug him off, though he knew she was still wary of him after their kiss at her
apartment.

“You
ready?”

“Of course.”
She smiled tightly at him.

He urged
her toward the elevators.

“I hope
you're not going to try and convince me that Dillon was just randomly sick.”

He
grimaced. “No.”

She
pushed the button on the wall. “Because I know what happened to him.”

He looked
around meaningfully, jerking his head at the crowded hall. “I know you do. He's
going to be fine.” The elevator door opened.

She
shrugged, moving closer to him as they stepped onto the elevator. “You can
guarantee that?
Because my mom told me otherwise.”

He put an
arm around her and leaned closer. “Your mother doesn't have all the information
I do.”

She
reared back. “Where are you getting your information? And why should I believe
you?”

The doors
opened and he ushered her out. “I think my actions at the café speak for me.”

She
huffed. “Yes. Well, even so. I don't understand how you did that.
Or why.
Why would you bother, hmm?”

He
shrugged as he led her toward his car. It was a clear night and the moon lit
her blonde hair so that the loose strands looked silver. She was so beautiful
it made his heart ache. “I had no desire to see you hurt,” he finally said,
knowing she wouldn’t be satisfied with that explanation.

When he
went to open the door for her, she stopped and leaned against his vehicle. “My
mother told me I should stay away from you.”

He looked
away, over the lights of the hospital. The sky glittered with stars. “And are
you going to stay away?”

She poked
him in the arm. “Should I?”

“Do you
always do what your mother says?”

She
grimaced, her lips twisting, but she didn’t answer.

He
glanced down, eyes immediately settling on her full lips. He wanted to kiss her
again. Ravish her. “I don't want you to avoid me, but it would be safer if you
did.”

She
snorted and, unexpectedly, slotted herself up against his body. She was warm
and sweet and he let his hands hang in the air before settling them on her
arms. He didn’t know whether to push her away or draw her closer. All the blood
in his body was heading for his groin and he had to fight not to shiver.

“Sienna,
I’m serious.”

“Oh
please, that's bullshit and you know it. I didn't even know you when Linda
found that girl. I wasn't around Dillon when he was attacked. And if you hadn't
been at the café, I probably would have ended up in the hospital, too.” She
leaned in, tucking her face in his neck.

He sighed
and gave into the urge to run a hand down her sleek hair. “I don't want
anything to happen to you.” He resisted the way his body demanded he turn her
against the car, press his thigh between her legs. Then, to his shock, she lifted
her face and kissed him, moving her lips softly against his mouth.

“I'll be
fine,” she murmured.

He
groaned and locked her hair in his fist, holding her head immobile. “You don't
know what you're playing with.”

“I know
that you're stronger than I am, and that's saying a lot because I am a freak of
nature. I know that you won't hurt me.” She said against his mouth. When he
didn’t reply, she licked his lower lip then bit it.

He jerked
his head back, blood rushing through his body. The urge to nick her skin, just
a tiny bit, was overwhelming. “Careful.”

She slid
her hands up his chest and hooked them around his neck. “I'm tired of always
being careful.”

He let
her pull him back down. When their mouths met, he dipped inside, ignoring the
ache in his incisors. She smelled so good, tasted so sweet. He couldn't get
enough of her. He kissed her wildly and she met him with a strength all her
own. When she froze suddenly he stopped, inhaling sharply. He tasted blood.
Her blood.
It ran like fire through his body, burning away
everything he thought he wanted. She was his mate, the one whose soul fit his
perfectly. He fought himself even as he savored her taste. He could
not
do this. He groaned, swallowing hard as his hips stuttered against her
softness. His dick was so hard it hurt.

“Oh my
God,” she whispered, licking her lips. He closed his eyes, horrified.
Mortified.
Terrified.
He unclenched
his fingers, letting her hair slide through his palms.

“I'm so
fucking sorry, Sienna.” He tried to pull away, but she grabbed him.

“Are you
kidding me?” She yanked him down again. Off-balance, he fell against the car as
she devoured his mouth. His incisors were half-descended and sharp enough that
her rough kiss nicked
his
lip this
time. His eyes flew open, but it was too late. Sienna moaned as his blood hit
her mouth. He shook violently, feeling the resonance of her soul calling out to
him, and he couldn't help it. He kissed her again, dipping inside and stroking
her tongue with his until his head spun. It wasn't until he felt her tugging at
his shirt that he managed to stop.

“Sienna,”
he panted, dropping his head to her shoulder. He put his hands on hers,
stilling them. Her pulse beat hard and fast in her wrists and he couldn’t
resist rubbing into it.

“If you
apologize, I will kick you,” she said, sounding breathless.

He
chuckled, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. It only took a drop
for the bond to start.
“Sienna, listen to me.
You have
to stay away from me.”

She
laughed. “Not a chance.”

He shook
her slightly. “This is important.”

She
narrowed her eyes at him. “No. You listen. All my life I've been different.
Bigger, stronger, a freak.
I never dated.
Never
wanted to.
This is the first time I've ever felt like this. Do you
understand what I'm saying? I'm not giving you up.”

He shook
his head. “This isn't a joke. I'm not safe.”

Her glare
would have incinerated him if it could. “You think I'm kidding? There's
something about you that calls to me.”

He knew
there was. He wanted to shake her until she understood he wasn't human, but
that would be insane. He couldn't tell her. If she knew
,
if his enemies found out about her— He ground his teeth. “Sienna, don’t.”

“Shut up.
Just shut it,” she said and kissed him again, gently this time.

It broke
his heart. He groaned and let her in.
I am so very weak.
Already the
beginnings of a mate-bond tickled through his mind. He had to get her home.
Had to keep her safe.
“
Sienna,
let
me take you home.”

“Not
without your number, Jasper. Give it to me and I’ll get in.” She jerked away
and dug in her pocket until she pulled out the small device. “Here.”

He eyed
it like it might bite him, but knew she wouldn't relent. And he couldn't let
her go now, anyway.
“Fine.”
He took it and programmed
in his number. As he handed it back to her, a flicker of light caught his eye.
He frowned, turning his head. The sky was dark, the autumn weather bringing a
few clouds overhead now that the sun’s warmth had gone. Everything looked fine,
except— Shit. There were too many stars in the sky.