Jasper (12 page)

Jasper
was awakened by moans coming from the other side of the bed. He looked over to
where Trevor had rolled, taking the sheet with him. His mate was having a bad
dream, and he wanted it to stop. He knew all too well how a dream could ruin
your mood upon waking. He untangled the sheet from around Trevor’s waist and
pulled him closer. “Trev, Baby, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

Trevor
continued murmuring and thrashing his head. “Trevor, wake up,” he said a little
louder. Instead of shaking him, he held him closer and kissed his cheek. “Trev,
you’re safe,” he whispered in his ear.

Trevor
finally stilled. He opened his eyes, blinking in confusion. “Jasper?”

“I’m
right here. You were having a nightmare.”

“Sorry.”
Trevor tried to turn away, but Jasper wasn’t having it.

“Nothing
to be sorry about. I have them all the time.”

“You
do?” Trevor rubbed at his eyes with his knuckles.

“Yep.
Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I
was back on the bridge. Quinn was shooting at you, only you didn’t have wings.”

“Can
I ask you a question?” Jasper had been curious about something ever since that
day.

“I
guess.”

“Where
did you learn to shoot? I mean one bullet, and…”

“I
have no life, remember? All I do is play video games in my spare time.”

“Had
you ever fired a real gun before that day?” Jasper was a perfect aim with his
service pistol, but he practiced.

Trevor
didn’t answer immediately. He finally turned his eyes to Jasper and said, “Yes.
When I was younger my father took Travis and me to a firing range several times.
He thought since he had a gun in the house we should know the basics. On the
bridge, Dane was just standing there. I don’t know why I did it, but when I saw
Quinn shooting at you, I lost it.”

Jasper
hugged him a little tighter. “Thank you. It’s good to know you have my back.”

“You
had your own back. Those wings are something else.”

Jasper
knew Trevor wanted to see them. Touch them. Hopefully someday.

“Merry
Christmas, Trev. I hate that I have to work today, but Harris has kids, so I
told him I’d take his shift. If I’d known you were going to be here, I wouldn’t
have volunteered.”

“It’s
okay. I need to go home anyway.”

“Oh.”
Jasper was hoping he would stay.

“I
don’t have any clean clothes. Besides, Dante must have known you had to work
because he invited me to spend the day with them. Abbi also asked that I visit
them, plus I want to go to the morgue and check out the latest victim. I know
Dante is the best, but I still like to document each body that comes in. My day
is full.”

“I’ll
need to ask one of the guys to follow you while I’m at work. Will you come back
tonight? I’d like to share at least some of the day celebrating, and I want to
play the new video game Rafe got me.”

Trevor
didn’t immediately answer. He turned his head and searched Jasper’s eyes.
Jasper traced the line of Trevor’s jaw while waiting on him to answer. “So
beautiful,” he murmured. Trevor wasn’t pretty in a girly way, but he was
stunning to Jasper. Trevor pushed on Jasper’s shoulder, rolling him to his
back. He straddled Jasper’s waist and leaned down on his elbows so he was in
Jasper’s face. He threaded one hand in Jasper’s hair and kissed him. The way
Trevor was situated on his knees kept their lower bodies from touching, and
Jasper didn’t like it. He wanted the friction. His cock was already hard, and
he figured Trevor’s had to be as well. They couldn’t kiss without getting
turned on.

He
started to pull Trevor down on top of him but resisted the urge. Maybe Trevor
needed the sweetness of just kissing instead of the passion of rubbing their dicks
together. Jasper ghosted his fingertips across Trevor’s back. If he was honest
with himself, this tenderness was nice. He’d never had it before. Craig was the
only man after Theron he was physical with, and there had never been a moment
like this between them. He sent up a prayer to the gods that Trevor would
realize how special he was. That they were meant to be together. Jasper would
continue to be patient with him.

Trevor
rose up on his hands and said, “Yes, I’ll come back. But you might want to
practice your skills before I do.” His tone was serious as were his eyes.
Something was on his mind, but Jasper wouldn’t pry. Jasper felt the uneasiness
rolling off his mate. Either his nightmare had been worse than he let on, or
Trevor had something eating at him. Jasper ran his hands up and down Trevor’s
sides, taking care not to get too close to his nipples or his ass. Keeping it
easy. Keeping it loving. Jasper didn’t know what love was. But if he imagined
what it felt like, it was this moment. No words, just a look. A caress. Not
wanting to let Trevor move so he could keep his hands on him. Forever.

Jasper’s
phone rang, shattering the moment. Trevor kissed him hard and quick before
crawling off the side of the bed. “I’ll make coffee,” he said as he grabbed his
jeans off the floor, slipping them on before going downstairs.

Jasper
cursed whoever was calling this early. “Jenkins.”

“Jasper,
is Trevor still with you?” Dante asked, not sounding accusing but also not
sounding thrilled either.

“Yes,
why?”

“I
know you have to work today, and I was going to suggest he come stay with me so
he’ll have someone watching him.”

“He
mentioned that. He also mentioned going to Frey’s and to the morgue. He has to
go home and get some clothes first. Why don’t you ask him what he wants to do?
Or is there another reason you’re calling me instead of him?”

“I
had a chat with Trevor.”

Jasper
ground his teeth together. Dante could gauge his mood through the phone, so he
was doing his Gargoyle best to calm the fuck down. “Yeah, he told me all about that.
What you need to understand is I want Trevor in my life. As my mate, I need him
close to me, but if he can never take that final step, I’ll abide by his
wishes. I’ll tell you the same thing I told him – I’d rather have him as a
friend for however long he lives than to not have him in my life at all. I’ve
lived a celibate life more than I haven’t. If I need to keep my dick in check,
I will. If he wants to live with me as a partner, that’s fine, too. It’s
whatever Trevor wants and needs. My needs have not been met in almost five
hundred years, so I’m not going to miss what I’ve never known.”

“Message
received. I don’t want either of you to get hurt. I’ll call him and talk to him
about his day.”

“Hang
on and you can talk to him now. He’s right here.” Jasper stood and grabbed his
own jeans before walking to the door. He had been aware of Trevor coming back
upstairs, but he didn’t care. What he said to Dante was the truth, and the more
Trevor heard it, the sooner it would sink in. He handed him the phone and
kissed his forehead. Jasper left Trevor upstairs to speak to his boss while he
waited on the coffee to finish brewing. By the time it was done, Trevor was
standing at the entrance to the kitchen. His faded jeans sat low on his hips.
His upper body was bare, showcasing all that glorious ink as well as the light
brown hair between his pecs. His happy trail was like a beacon calling Jasper’s
name.

“I’m
sorry I was eavesdropping.”

“I’m
not. I told you already, I have nothing to hide from you. Except maybe a
Christmas tree and presents,” Jasper assured him, raising his eyes to Trevor’s
face. “You’re my best friend first. You can ask me anything, and I’ll always
tell you the truth, no matter what.

 Trevor
nodded and padded his bare feet across the tile floor. The ink of a tattoo was
peeking out from beneath his jeans on one foot. “I don’t think I’ve noticed
that one. What is it?” he asked pointing to Trevor’s foot.

Trevor
pulled up his jeans so Jasper could get a good look. “It’s the Eye of Horus.
It’s for protection. A lot of the tats I have are similar in nature. That
reminds me; I’ve never seen any of the badasses with ink. Is it against your
code or something?” he asked as he took the cup of coffee Jasper was offering.

“No,
I’d love to have a tattoo. Gargoyle skin won’t hold the ink. Our skin is
impenetrable. We get shot, and bullets bounce right off.” Jasper laughed and
said, “You should ask Gregor about Tessa shooting him.”

“She
shot him? With a gun?”

“Oh
yeah. She knew it wouldn’t hurt him, but boy did it piss him off. This was
before they mated. He was pursuing her, and she was avoiding him. He broke into
her house, and she called 9-1-1. Luckily, I intercepted the call. I walked in
on them in a situation I’d rather not have seen, but that’s when I knew Tessa
was a shifter. The fangs were out.”

“That’s
when the Redhead Killer was terrorizing Tessa’s clones,” Trevor stated.

“Her
clones? You mean her look-alikes.”

“I
mean each of those women had DNA markers in their bloodstream that had to have
come from Tessa. I get bored, so I dig a little deeper into cases than I
probably should. I knew each of the victims were clones from the journals I
keep. When I started comparing their blood samples to be sure, that’s when I
noticed the markers. Whoever cloned those women had access to Tessa’s blood.”

“Does
she know this?” Jasper couldn’t believe it.

Trevor
shrugged. “Not unless Dante told her. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone other
than him. And now you.”

“That’s
strange. Why would someone do that?”

“My
guess would be to keep her lineage alive in a strange sort of way. Let’s say it
was Jonas who cloned the other girls. From what I’ve gathered in the past
couple of weeks, Tessa is his pride and joy even if she is a great niece and
not his own offspring. Since he’s alive and well, I would bet my last dollar
that he had a hand in cloning those women.”

“Huh.”
Jasper didn’t know much about anatomy and cloning, but that seemed like
something a mad scientist would do. Then again, it was Jonas.

“Speaking
of Gregor and Tessa, they’re spending the day with Dante and Isabelle, so
Dante’s going to ask them to follow me from my apartment. They’ll be there in
less than an hour, so I need to get a move on.”

Jasper
wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. He wanted to keep him sequestered right
there in his home. He knew that was impossible, though. He had a job to do.
“Okay. I’ll hurry and take my shower and get ready for work. I’ll call you when
I’m leaving tonight and come to wherever you are so you can follow me back
here.”

“Sounds
good.” Trevor said as he stuck his head in the refrigerator. Not finding what
he wanted, he opened the pantry. “Score!” he exclaimed, pulling out a box of
toaster pastries. Jasper would have to remember to keep those stocked.

Forty-five
minutes later, Jasper walked Trevor to his apartment door and did a walk-through
before leaving his mate alone. He kissed him briefly, not wanting to have to go
back downstairs with a hard-on. Jasper reached up and ran his fingers through
Trevor’s hair where the stripe used to be. “I miss the purple,” he said before
kissing him again. When he got to his car, Gregor and Tessa were just pulling
up in the Hummer. Gregor rolled his window down and asked, “Jas, how’re you
doing?”

Even
though they’d spent time together at the manor the day before, they hadn’t
talked privately. “I’m as good as I can be with Theron in town. Trevor just got
in the shower, so he’ll be a few minutes. Please don’t let him out of your
sight.”

Gregor
held out his hand, and Jasper grasped it. “You have my word, Brother. Now go
catch the bad guys. We’ve got this.”

Tessa
leaned over and smiled. “He’ll come around.”

“How
can you be so sure?” he asked the beautiful redhead.

“Because
I did,” she said with a wink.

“I
hope you’re right,” he responded. Jasper left his mate in capable hands and
left for the station. He had spent the last twenty-four hours with Trevor, and
it had been the best day of his life. Leaving him behind felt like he had
reached into his chest, pulled out his spirit, and left it behind, too. It was
going to be a long day.

Theron
waited until both the kid and the cop had left their apartments. He made sure
the other tenants were gone as well before he picked the locks on the kid’s
door. Three deadbolts? He was either hiding something, or he was seriously
paranoid. Careful not to touch anything, he looked around the small apartment,
searching for something to use against the kid. It didn’t take long to find
what he was looking for. Pictures of him and someone who was probably his twin
were plastered all over the walls. Theron put on a pair of gloves to search for
the brother’s information.

He
hit the jackpot when he noticed some discarded packaging. His brother had sent
him a present, and his name and address were there for the taking. So that’s
who he’d been staying with in Athens. No wonder he thought he saw the kid
twice. Theron left the apartment, not bothering to lock up behind him.

Trevor
arrived safely at Dante’s, having been followed by Gregor and Tessa the whole
way. He kept an eye out for any sign of a black SUV but didn’t see one
anywhere. He still wasn’t comfortable being around the warden, but if this was
to be his new life, he’d have to get used to him. Trevor would never be the
badass all these Gargoyles were. He understood they had the advantage with
being shifters. Still, it didn’t make it easier to accept.

Isabelle
was in the kitchen with Maria cooking breakfast when they walked in the back
door. This was something that surprised Trevor in the beginning, but now he expected
it. With the exception of the previous night when Jasper wanted to surprise
him, nobody used the front door. Even at the manor, they had entered through
the kitchen. His parents’ house wasn’t big or fancy, but his mother insisted
they come in through the front. Trevor never questioned it; he thought it was
the way things were done. He liked this more laid back way of life.

Another
thing he noticed was that everyone tended to congregate in the kitchen for the
most part. Sometimes the men would go out on the deck and leave the women
inside, but unless they were playing video games or watching television, they
all sat and talked in the kitchen.

Dante
and Gregor talked about the Pen and the Unholy. Tessa helped Isabelle set the
table. Connor was nowhere to be seen, but Trevor knew if he walked into the
boy’s bedroom, he would be making some kind of beautiful artwork or reading a
book. It wasn’t until after they had finished breakfast that the subject of the
latest victim came up. Connor was back in his room, and Maria was taking care
of the dishes.

“I
was right about the latest victim having his neck snapped. While a human also
has the strength, I’m going on a hunch it’s Theron. The crime lab didn’t find
any DNA on the note or the nail, so he’s being extra careful. I have asked
Julian to help out and see if he can find Theron on any of the traffic cameras
in the area of the victims,” Dante stated.

“We
know all about your hunches, Brother. Has Connor seen anything else?” Gregor
asked.

Dante
shot his brother a look that Trevor caught. Obviously they were keeping
something from him. “What has Connor seen?” Trevor asked, fully aware of the
boy’s abilities to see the future.

Dante
pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. It was Tessa who spoke
up. “He drew a picture of you with Theron and his sister, Kallisto.”

“Tessa...”
Gregor growled.

Trevor
was thankful the woman told him the truth. “So they kidnap me?” he asked.

“We
don’t know that for sure. Connor’s visions aren’t always definitive. More often
than not they are a possibility. It’s one reason we are keeping you so
guarded,” Dante said.

“If
he is killing people, is it to get Jasper’s attention? Are the notes he’s
leaving for him? The first two words are
Can you
… Can you stop me? Can
you catch me? Can you shove a sword up my evil ass?”

Tessa
laughed, and Trevor blushed looking over at Maria. “Sorry, that slipped out. Is
he going after me to get to Jasper? If he is, the best thing I could do would
be to disappear. Then maybe the jerk would stop killing people.”

Dante
leaned his arms against the table. “I don’t think you disappearing is going to
help, Trevor. He followed you when you went to stay with Travis. If you leave,
he probably has a way of finding you. We already know his sister is capable of
being devious. She had help in both Greece and Egypt. Alistair is wealthy.
Who’s to say he doesn’t have someone like Julian working for him?”

Gregor
was leaned back in his chair, massive arms crossed over his chest. “From what
little Jasper has told us, his past with Theron wasn’t a happy one, and Theron
is his father’s son. Why wait this long to seek revenge on Jonas’ family or
Rafael’s Clan? Something must have happened for Alistair to want to cause
trouble now. He’s known about Jonas and his children for two hundred years.
He’s also had it out for Rafael just as long. We need to figure out what triggered
him. I’m thinking Theron would have let his and Jasper’s past stay in the past
if it wasn’t for Alistair pulling the strings.”

“Do
you think Travis is at risk? Theron did follow me when I went to Athens.”
Trevor would never forgive himself if anything happened to his brother.

“It
might not hurt to have someone guard him. Write down his address, and I’ll call
Nik to find out who in the Clan lives in that area.” While Dante called
Nikolas, Isabelle found a notepad and pen for him to write on. He pulled up
Travis’s contact information in his phone and wrote the address down.

“Nik,
sorry to bother you so early, but I need a favor. Please look in the database
and find out if we have anyone who lives in Athens. I want to put someone on
Trevor’s brother.” Trevor slid the notepad across the table while Dante
listened. “He does? Great. Please give me his phone number. Got it. Thanks,
Brother. Give my best to Sophia.” Dante relayed what Nik had found. “Deacon’s
brother Paxton lives right outside Athens. I’m going to give him a call and get
him up to speed on the situation.”

“When
I talked to Travis this morning, he said something about spending the day with
his girlfriend. He didn’t say if it was at his house or hers.”

“I’ll
let Pax know.” Dante rose from the table and went outside so he could speak
privately. Trevor didn’t understand the need since they all knew what was going
on. Unless Dante knew something he wasn’t telling.

To
keep his mind off the possibility of there being something Dante was hiding,
Trevor helped Maria with the dishes. He had called his brother before he left
the apartment to wish him a Merry Christmas. Travis was getting ready to spend
the day with his new girlfriend. He confided in Trevor that even though they’d
just met, he thought she was the one. He’d met her through his work, and they
hit it off immediately. Trevor told him he was happy for him, and he hoped it
worked out for them. He did want his brother to be happy. Travis had spent so
much of his time while they were growing up trying to make sure Trevor was
happy that he’d neglected his own needs and wants. It wasn’t until he left for
college that Trevor realized how much time Travis spent with him. Being left
alone with their parents was the loneliest he’d ever felt. Even living alone
now was better than being under the same roof with people who ignored you.

Dante
returned inside. “Pax is on his way over to Travis’s home. If Travis isn’t
home, he is to wait until he gets there. I’m going to take a snapshot of the
picture Connor drew of Theron and send it to Pax. If Theron was to snoop
around, Pax should be able to spot him.”

“Thank
you. He’s the only family I have. I can’t lose him,” Trevor said without
thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt bad. “I mean he’s the
only biological family I have. I know you and the badass clan are my family,
too.”

His
words must have appeased Dante. His boss smiled and clapped him on the
shoulder. “Yes, we are. Did you have a good Christmas Eve?”

“I
did. Actually, it was the best ever. I got a few things I’d been wanting for a
long time.” Like a blowjob. While his Legos and literary gifts were more than
he could have dreamed of getting, being alone with Jasper had been the best present
ever. He never thought he would know the kind of intimacy and tenderness he had
with the gorgeous detective. He wondered what Jasper was doing at the station
and if he was thinking about Trevor.

“Good
to hear it. I have a feeling all your holidays are going to be special from
here on out,” Dante told him.

Now
that Travis was being looked after, Dante sent the photo of Theron to Paxton
before the adults settled down in the living room and watched one of Trevor’s
favorite movies of all time. It shocked him that Dante and Gregor could
appreciate the same silly Christmas comedy he watched every year by himself.
Isabelle told Connor what they were watching before she snuggled in next to
Dante in case he wanted to join them. Connor left his bedroom and sat on the
floor at their feet. Gregor pulled Tessa into his lap, and they settled into
the recliner. Maria excused herself to do whatever it was Isabelle’s foster
mother did when she wanted alone time. She had to be missing her husband.
Another casualty in the Alistair drama.

Trevor
took a seat on the far end of the sofa and did his best not to quote the movie
line for line. Sometimes words would slip out, and Connor would laugh. About
halfway through the movie, the boy got off the floor and sat next to Trevor.
From that point on, Trevor would whisper lines into Connor’s ear just so he
could hear the child’s laughter. Trevor hadn’t heard a lot of laughter over the
years, and it was a sound he rather enjoyed.

Jasper
texted once, asking if Trevor was having fun. He responded honestly that he
was. He had visited Travis a few times over the years, but more often than not,
he spent all holidays alone. Spending time with friends like this was something
he could get used to. After the movie was over, Connor asked if Trevor could
play a video game with him. For someone who’d never played games before, the
boy caught on quick. At six years old he could hold his own against the adults.
Trevor wondered if Connor used his special abilities in playing the games, or
if they even worked that way.

He
and Connor began playing, and the adults stayed in the room, cheering Connor
on. Trevor went easy on the boy for the most part. He was too skilled to put
all his effort into the game. When Connor missed an easy shot at Trevor’s
mutant soldier, Trevor glanced down at the boy. His thumbs weren’t moving the
controller. Trevor looked over his shoulder at Dante whose eyes were focused on
his son. Trevor paused the game and waited for Connor to come back to them. When
he did, he looked up at Trevor.

“What
is it?” Trevor asked softly. Before Connor could answer, Dante’s phone rang.

“Pax,”
he announced. Dante wouldn’t look at Trevor, but he knew. Between Connor’s
vision and the stiff way his boss was sitting, he knew something had happened
to Travis. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Instead of telling Trevor what
happened, Dante called someone else. “Frey, I’m sorry to interrupt your
Christmas morning, but, Brother, we need the bird. We’ll be there in ten.”

“Dante,
what happened?” Trevor was now on his feet, searching for his jacket.

“Connor,
please go find Maria and tell her what has happened. I am taking Trevor to
Uncle Frey’s. Gregor, please drive the women to Athens General. Travis is in
pretty bad shape.”

Everyone
did as they were told. Before it had time to register, Trevor found himself
sitting in a helicopter. Frey and Dante were in the front, and Matthew was
sitting next to Trevor in the back. Matthew held out a set of earphones, and
Trevor put them on. Dante had told Trevor on the ride to Frey’s that Pax had
heard Travis’s girlfriend scream right before he heard a couple of shots
muffled by a silencer. By the time he got inside, the girlfriend was dead, and Travis
was unconscious. He saw a man fitting Theron’s description leaving out the
back, but instead of going after him, Pax stayed with Travis to try and stop
the blood loss. Another member of the Clan worked for the Athens police
department. Pax called him to the scene first so he could tell him why he was already
there, give him the photo of Theron, and put out an APB on the other Goyle.