Jasper (23 page)

Tessa
had never seen anything like it. The inside of Dominic’s home was as eccentric
as the Goyle. Lilly exclaimed, “Tabitha!” as she descended the staircase
dressed in a long flowing skirt topped with a colorful tunic. All she needed
were gold earrings and castanets, and she’d make the perfect gypsy.  

Tessa
held her arms open for her cousin and said, “Lilly, you’re looking well.”

“As
are you. Your aura is glowing, but there’s a darkness tainting the edge. What
has happened?” Lilly held Tessa at arm’s length, studying the air around her.

“Love,
let them get settled, then you can cure the lass.” Dominic gestured for them to
follow him. Where Gregor had a living room, Dominic had a parlor. He truly was
old world. Once they were seated, Dominic poured them all a drink. He didn’t
ask what they preferred. Instead he poured each a tall glass full of the best
rum Tessa had ever tasted. No cola was needed for this brand.

When
he was seated, Dominic said, “What brings you back to my city?”

Tessa
said, “My next door neighbor, Gladys, passed away recently. I came for the
reading of the will.”

Lilly
tilted her head to the side. “I’m so sorry about your friend, Tabitha.”

“I
need to tell you something. My name isn’t really Tabitha, it’s Tessa. I used
Tabitha as an alias. Remember when I was here last time, I told you how I
traveled around watching out for your siblings?” Lilly nodded. “I had an alias
everywhere I went. It was more to keep my
father
from finding me than
anything.”

“Why
would you hide from your father?” Dominic asked.

“He
wasn’t my real father. He was a tyrant. My mother met my biological father, a
Gargoyle, after she married Gordon Flanagan. You may have heard of him.”

“Your
father was the bastard who created the Unholy?” Dominic had definitely heard of
the man, but then again, so had most everyone living in the States.

“He
thought he was my father. My mother ran away with me when I was two. We went to
live with my biological father. Gordon lost his mind when he couldn’t find us.
He never stopped looking for me until a couple of months ago. Right after I visited
you last time, one of his goons found me. There was a car crash, a helicopter
fight, and we are hopeful he is dead.”

“Tessa!
That’s awful. But there has to be more to the story than that.” Lilly leaned
into Dominic’s side, tucking her legs under her on the sofa.

“There
is, but it’s over. I’ll tell you the long version one day when we don’t have
crazy Gargoyles targeting the family.”

“I
knew there was something else. Please, tell me what has happened. Your aura
indicates pain and suffering, but not yours. Who are you worried about?”

“She’s
good,” Gregor mumbled.

“Aye,
she’s very good,” Dom growled into her ear. Lilly laughed and elbowed him.

Gregor
explained, “When I was here, I told you about Tessa not wanting to mate with me
because I’m a full-blood.”

Dominic
nodded. “Yes, and after you left, I pursued my Lillian. Once we completed the
bond, she confided in me what Tessa shared with her.”

“And
you mated with him anyway?” Tessa grinned as she asked Lilly.

“He
was very persuasive,” her cousin said, smiling up at Dominic. He kissed her
passionately, not caring if they had company. She knew that feeling. She and
Gregor sipped their rum, waiting for their host to get his fill of his mate.

When
they finally unlocked their lips, Tessa told them, “Since we were last here,
several Gargoyles have found their mates. Some are human, and some are
half-bloods, like us. Gregor’s uncle, the one who ostracized your father, has
decided to target not only Jonas’s offspring, but the King’s family as well.”
Tessa explained everything that had happened since they were last together.

“Shite.
It seems madness runs in the Gianopoulos bloodline. Where is Theron now?”
Dominic asked as he refilled everyone’s glass.

“We
don’t know. Urijah and Sixx went after his sister. Hopefully they have forced
her to talk by now,” Gregor said.

“And
this poison, do you know what it is?” Lilly asked.

“We
assumed it was hellebore root, but Julian tested Jasper’s blood and found
something entirely different. It contained wolfsbane and hemlock. There was a
third element, but he hadn’t been able to figure it out last time I spoke to
him.”

Lilly
stood and began pacing. “Can you find out? Dom, remember the box of books I
asked you to bring? Will you please show me where those are? I need to look at
something.”

“Of
course, Love. We’ll return in a moment.” Dominic led Lilly upstairs while
Gregor called Julian.

Tessa
didn’t listen in on the conversation. Instead she studied the decorations
scattered around the parlor. Two swords were hanging above the fireplace,
crossed with the tips pointing up. The hilts were at the perfect level to grab
one and twist around swinging. Even though she had her own sword, Urijah had
made specifically for her size, she would love to hold one of these old world
swords in her hand. She knew she was looking at authentic pirate weaponry. How
many men had Dominic slain with those swords? Had he pillaged and plundered?
Did he know Blackbeard? Oil lanterns adorned the walls, casting soft glows and
long shadows. She glanced at the ceiling looking for electric light. There was
a fixture, but it was not turned on.

There
was no television, no video games, no stereo that she could see. Did Dominic
live now as he did all those years ago? And how did Lilly put up with going
back in time? Her art studio was full of bright light and color, as vibrant as
the woman. She and Dom were like night and day.

“Here
we are,” Lilly said. Dominic carried a heavy book for her. When he placed it on
the chest, she opened it, waiting on Gregor to get off the phone.

When
he hung up, he said, “They have taken Jasper home, but there has been no change
for better or worse. Julian determined the third item was a small trace of crushed
feline bone.”

“Oh,
crap.” Lilly started flipping through the pages of the book until she found what
she was looking for. She ran her finger along the text as she read. “Oh, crap,”
she said again. “This is dark magic.”

Dominic
downed his rum and poured more. “Why would Theron use dark magic? He could have
taken Jasper’s head and been done with it.”

“Lilly,
what does this mixture do to a body exactly? He was paralyzed when Dante found
him.”

“It
was originally used to keep werewolves from being able to turn.”

“Werewolves?
There are no werewolves,” Tessa said. “Are there?”

Lilly
explained, “According to the grimoire, the gypsies ran across men who were able
to shift into something other than human. Because wolfsbane was the main
ingredient used to halt the process, the shifters were given the name wolf
shifter, or werewolf. The passage doesn’t describe the shifter’s appearance
though. It could have been a Gargoyle for all I know.”

“Does
the grimoire tell how to reverse the spell?” Gregor asked.

Everyone
remained quiet while Lilly searched the book for an answer. “Not exactly. That
particular spell, once cast, was thought to be irreversible. I wish we knew if
Theron had someone cast a spell or if he just injected the mixture into Jasper’s
system.”

“What
would be the difference?”

“If
he injected the poison into Jasper himself, I doubt he said a spell as he did
it. If that’s the case, we need to find an antidote. If someone else cast a
spell, it’s possible there is no way to reverse or remove it. Hold on…” Lilly
scanned the next few pages of the old tome. “Here! Here’s a similar spell, and
it has a reversal.”

“What
does the other spell do?” Tessa asked.

“It
calls forth demons,” Lilly whispered.

“Well,
hell.” Tessa downed the rest of her rum and poured herself another glassful.
“Sorry, may I?” She asked after the fact.

Dominic
held his hands open at his sides. “By all means, Lass. We are family.”

“Thanks,”
she said before downing the entire glass in one go. She wiped her mouth on the
back of her hand before asking, “Lilly, can you reverse what has been done to
Jasper?”

“I
honestly don’t know. I’ve never come up against dark magic.” Lilly studied the
grimoire for a few minutes. “Let’s assume Theron injected Jasper. If I had all the
ingredients, it’s possible I could reverse what has been done.”

Dominic
rubbed his temples. Gargoyles didn’t get headaches, but it was something she’d
seen Gregor do when she had one of her crazy ideas. Lilly grabbed his wrists.
“Dom, I have to try this. Jasper is family. I cannot let him live in this
tormented limbo.”

 “Jasper
is being tormented?” Gregor asked.

“Yes.
According to the book, the person cannot shift. Whatever form they are in when
poisoned is the form they retain until they lose their mind or eventually give
up. I imagine Jasper’s shifter is begging to be turned loose. It is taking over
his body, trying to claw its way out. If we do not hurry, he will lose his
mind. At that point, Jasper would be better off dead.”

Tessa
sucked in a breath. She couldn’t imagine the pain Jasper was in, nor the
turmoil Trevor felt watching his mate and not being able to help. “What
ingredients do you need? I will help you find them.” Tessa said. She set the
glass down and wrapped her arms around her waist. Gregor was there immediately,
pulling her to his side.

“I
need hellebore root and sabina.”

“Depending
on how much hellebore you need, I have that.”

“Good,
it will only take a pinch. The sabina, however, will be much harder to come by.
Let me make a phone call. If my source doesn’t have any, I will need to take a
trip.”

Dominic
asked his mate, “Where will
we
need to go, Love?”

“The
Alps.”

“I
hate the bloody mountains,” he grumbled.

“I
never realized you were a witch.” Tessa told her cousin.

“I
don’t share this side of me with many people. You know I was adopted as a baby,
but I was raised by my adoptive mother’s mother. When I was a toddler, she knew
I had a gift. It was a miracle I was adopted by a family whose ancestors had
the same inclinations I do, or I might never have realized the powers I
possess.”

Tessa
thought back to what Dominic said about her wielding a wand. Instead of asking
if she really had one, Tessa let it go. They had more urgent matters to attend.
“How much time before Jasper’s mind starts losing lucidity?”

“It
depends on the amount of poison he was given, best case scenario, a month. He’s
a Gargoyle and strong.”

“Worst
case?” Gregor asked.

“A
week. Let me go make that phone call.”

When
Lilly left the room, Dominic turned to Gregor. “We’ll do anything we can to
help, Brother. Whether we go to Europe or New Atlanta, I also need to place a
few calls. If you’ll both excuse me.” Dominic left them alone.

Gregor
held Tessa while they waited. There was nothing to do but wait, and pray Lilly
really had the answer to helping Jasper. When Lilly returned, she was smiling.
“Good news. My source has some sabina. She is willing to meet me tonight. When
will we leave for New Atlanta?”

Dominic
said, “We can leave as soon as you get the ingredient you need. I have put
Sully on alert; he is to take over in my absence.”

“What
about your friend, Tessa. You came here because of her death, right?”

Tessa
smiled at her cousin. “Yes, I did. But there isn’t going to be a funeral. She
wants her ashes spread over the river, but we won’t have them for a few days.
There is nothing to do that cannot wait until we have Jasper whole and back
with us again.”

“Then
it is settled. Once you’re packed and ready to go, let us know, and we’ll pick
you up. We need to go back to Tessa’s and gather our belongings,” Gregor
instructed.

“Aye.
We will be ready,” Dominic said as he walked them to the front door.

Tessa
grabbed Gregor’s arm as they made their way to the trolley stop. “I was hoping
to spend more time here, but Jasper needs us. Maybe when he’s better and we
come back for Gladys’s ashes, we can stay a few days.”

“We
can stay as long as you like, Red. The only thing pressing is the wedding. Once
Rafe and Kaya are married, our duties will be fulfilled, and we can come back
and stay for a while.”

 “We
have four days. Let’s pray Lilly can help Jasper, or the wedding will be
postponed. Again.”

“I’m
going to remain positive. I want to see you in a dress.”

“I’m
not wearing a dress. When have you seen my ass in a dress, Stone?”

“I
haven’t. That’s why I’m looking forward to it. You, in a dress with no panties,
think about the possibilities,” Gregor whispered against her ear.