Jasper Page 11

“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.

  Chapter Fifteen

  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.