Jasper (14 page)

Matthew
was trying to hold back his laughter. Trevor’s eyes were misting over. Everyone
else grinned at the normally subdued dancer. They all ignored Trevor’s parents
and ate their food. Everyone except Trevor. He didn’t even look at his
sandwich. Jasper would have to keep an eye on his mate. He wouldn’t let him go
too long without nourishment, even if he didn’t feel like eating.

Trevor’s
mother scolded his father for not sticking up for her and stormed out of the
room. When she was gone, Mr. McKenzie approached Trevor. “Hi, Son. Can we
talk?”

Trevor
couldn’t get over Abbi’s words. She said she loved Trevor. Said they all did. He
had never heard those words spoken by anyone other than Travis. Ever. His heart
was breaking for his brother. Even though the doctor said he would be okay,
Travis had just found the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Now she was dead.
Travis hadn’t known much love in his life, either. With his girlfriend gone, he
still wouldn’t.

Even
though his parents were there, Trevor was holding on to Jasper’s hand, using it
as a lifeline. Grounding him. He couldn’t care less if his parents knew he was
gay. They didn’t care about him, only Travis. When his mother stormed out of
the waiting room, his father approached him. He glanced down at Trevor and
Jasper’s joined hands, and Trevor could have sworn he saw a smile. It faded as
he spoke. “Hi, Son. Can we talk?”

Trevor
wasn’t sure they had anything to talk about, but he would hear him out. He
nodded and stood, motioning for his father to go back to where he’d been
sitting. He knew almost everyone in the room would be able to hear their
conversation no matter how much space he put between them, but he was okay with
that. If what Abbi said was true, they were his family, and he had nothing to
hide from them.

Once
they were seated, his dad asked, “How have you been?”

“Fine,”
Trevor responded.

“How’s
the morgue? Do you enjoy what you do? I want you to know how proud I am of you,
Son.”

“How
do you know where I work?”

“I
talk to Travis. I should probably call you, too, but you were so angry with us.
Trevor, I’m so sorry you felt I didn’t love you. I won’t speak for your mother
because she…”

“I
love working at the morgue. It’s nice and quiet.” Trevor was finding it hard to
sit there and talk like they hadn’t been estranged for the past ten years, but
his father seemed to be genuinely interested.

“Good,
I’m glad you found something you like, just like your brother has. Travis loves
his job. So, your gentleman friend over there… are you?”

Trevor
looked at Jasper. He was waiting for what Trevor would say next. “He’s my best
friend.” That was all he could say at that point. He didn’t know what the
future held for him and the Gargoyle, so there was no need in making more out
of it until he was sure.

“Can
I call you sometime? Maybe get together for coffee? I’ve missed you all these
years.”

“Yeah,
uh, I guess.”

“Good,
good. Listen, I’m not going to make apologies for your mother. She is who she
is, but I’m sorry I let you go all these years without you knowing I love you.
I didn’t know how to reach you when you were so angry. You had every right to
hate us, but I hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive us.” His father
stood. “I better go see where she’s gotten off to.”

Trevor
stood, and his father pulled him into a tight hug. Trevor was shocked. Before
he could hug him back, his father left the room.

“Huh,”
he muttered. He went back to his seat and picked up his sandwich. Suddenly, he
felt a little like eating.

Since
they knew Travis was going to be okay, Frey returned the women to New Atlanta
via helicopter. Gregor drove Matthew home, leaving Dante and Jasper with
Trevor. Trevor tried to get Dante to go home so he could be with Connor, but
Dante refused. Trevor asked, “Aren’t you afraid Theron will target Connor while
you’re away? You left him with Maria.”

Dante
stretched his long legs out and crossed them at the ankle. “Lorenzo’s there
with them. He picked up Amelia on his way, so she’s safe as well. Mason was
patrolling the woods before Lor got there. I will never leave my family
unprotected as long as Alistair has us in his sights. Speaking of which, I want
you to consider moving out of your apartment. I am going to talk to Rafael, but
I want to bring Travis into the fold. He’s going to need protection, and he
deserves the truth of what happened.”

Trevor
wasn’t ready to give up his apartment. He was still undecided on being with
Jasper, and he couldn’t imagine himself living with anyone else. He was a risk
to him as long as they were together.  “Isn’t that rushing things? I’m not sure
I want Travis to know what happened. I want him to welcome my friends into his
life, not hate you because he thinks you’re responsible.”

“Do
you think we’re responsible?” Dante asked.

“At
first I did. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I don’t.”

“What
changed your mind?” Jasper asked.

“Tessa.
She said blaming your past with Theron for the recent murders is like blaming
her being cloned for the redhead deaths.”

Jasper
stood and walked to the window. He slid his hand through his hair before
putting both hands in his pants pockets. He was still dressed for work,
although his shirt was partially untucked and a little wrinkled. His badge and
gun were both visible on his hip. He was gorgeous. Trevor looked away and
sighed. He didn’t want Jasper to blame himself, but then again, he was still
taking the blame for Travis getting hurt.

The
door opened, and a stranger walked in. “Dante?” the man asked.

His
boss stood. “I’m Dante.”

The
man held out his hand. “I’m Paxton. I wanted to come see how Travis is doing.”

Dante
shook his hand and said, “This is his brother, Trevor, and this is Jasper.” Pax
shook hands with them both while Dante was filling him in on Travis’s
condition.

 Pax
said, “Rafael paid us a visit not too long ago and told us about mating with
humans. When he was here, he also let us in on your uncle’s sudden interest in
targeting your mates. I just never thought it’d hit this close to home. So,
Theron’s doing his father’s dirty work?”

Jasper,
who’d returned to staring out the window, said, “Not exactly. This one’s more
personal. He’s after me specifically. He’s already killed my ex. Now he’s
targeting my mate.”

“Travis
is your mate?”

“No,
Trevor is.”

Pax
frowned until he looked at Trevor. When their eyes met, his mouth turned up
into a big smile. “This is most excellent.”

“How’s
that?” Trevor asked. He still didn’t think he and Jasper belonged together.

“Because
my best friend is gay, and he’s resigned himself to never finding his mate. I
can tell him that other gay Gargoyles do exist
and
they are mating.”

“We’re
not mates yet,” Trevor muttered.

“Why
not? You have a Goyle as hot as Jasper, and you haven’t latched onto him? Silly
human.”

Trevor
didn’t know if he should be jealous or offended. Or both. He looked at Jasper
to see if he was appreciating the other cop appreciating him. He was surprised
to find his eyes on Trevor. Jasper’s look was one of torment, much like what
Trevor was feeling inside. In that moment, the need to go to Jasper and hold
him was stronger than anything he’d ever felt. He didn’t move, though. He was
afraid to. Until Jasper held out his hand. Trevor was across the room and in
Jasper’s arms before his next breath. In that moment, everyone and everything
else melted away, and the two of them were the only ones in the world.

No
words were said. They stood and held each other, offering the other one
strength. Trevor inhaled deeply, embedding the scent that was Jasper into his
senses. He found it strange that the way someone smelled could be comforting,
but Jasper’s unique scent was like a balm to his soul. He didn’t understand it,
but the connection he felt, especially when they were touching, was unlike
anything he’d ever expected to find with another man.

Over
the past couple of weeks, Trevor had observed the other Gargoyles with their
mates. He thought it was the newness of their relationship causing them to
constantly hold hands, hug, or simply caress a face. Now he knew better. There
was an invisible string connecting the two together, pulling them to one
another. He felt that tug when he was near Jasper. Trevor knew Jasper felt the
same thing. It was the only explanation why someone like him would be drawn to
someone like Trevor.

The
door opened again. This time it was Dante and Pax returning. Trevor hadn’t
realized they had even left the room. He had been caught up in the man holding
him. Dante said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Dane just called. There’s been
another killing.”

Trevor
didn’t move out of Jasper’s arms. He turned so his back was to Jasper’s front,
still needing the contact. Jasper held onto his waist, pulling him close. “Was
there a note?” Trevor asked.

“Yes.
This one said
keep
. One of Paxton’s men is going to drive me home. I’ll
take care of the body. You stay here with Travis.”

Jasper
said, “Harris is off today. I need to get back for the investigation.”

“Dane
said he’ll take this one. You are to stay here with Trevor for however long you
need.” Dante strode across the room and placed his hands on Trevor’s shoulders.
He felt a low rumble in Jasper’s chest. Surely he wasn’t jealous of Dante. The
man was his boss, and he was straight. “Trevor, I’m sorry to leave you, but
I’ll be back. Do you need me to bring you anything?”

“A
change of clothes would be nice. And some toiletries.” He reached into his
pocket and pulled out his keys, removing one of them from the ring and handing
it to Dante. “This unlocks all three deadbolts. I’d like to stay with Travis a
few days, at least until we know what he’s going to need.”

Dante
nodded. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Jasper, do you need anything?”

“No,
I’m good. Thanks.”

Dante
squeezed Trevor’s shoulder once more. Jasper pulled on Trevor’s hips, moving
him even closer than he already was which was pretty damn close.

“Paxton,
I meant to ask. Did you see a black lab at Travis’s? He has a dog, Molly.”

“Actually,
I’m glad you said that. She was locked up in the back bedroom when we searched
the house. One of the CSU’s took her home with her until Travis gets better.”

“Oh,
that’s great. Please tell her thanks.”

Pax
said, “Will do. I’ll be back around six when my shift is over. Here’s my number
in case you want me to bring you something to eat.” He handed the card to
Jasper, not Trevor. Must be some badass code between Gargoyles.

When
they were alone again, Trevor turned to face Jasper. He studied the lines on
his forehead. He wasn’t used to the hot detective frowning. Today, he’d done
way too much of it. “Did you actually growl when Dante touched me?” Trevor
couldn’t help the smirk on his face.

“Maybe.
I don’t like him touching you.”

“You
do know he’s like a father to me, right?”

“Doesn’t
matter. Have you not heard the other Goyles growl when their women hug you? You
are like a brother to them, but the males don’t care. We are very protective of
our mates, regardless of who is doing the touching or how innocent it is.” Jasper
tipped Trevor’s chin up farther. “I’m the only one who gets to touch you,” he
said right before he pressed their lips together softly.

Someone
clearing their throat interrupted the moment. Trevor turned to find a nurse
waiting just inside the door. “Trevor, I thought you might like to know Travis
is in ICU on the fourth floor. Visiting hours start in thirty minutes.”

“Is
he going to be okay?” Trevor knew the doctor had said he would be, but he
needed the reassurance.

“Physically,
he will be fine. He’s going to need to stay in the hospital a few days for
observation. It will take about four to six weeks for him to heal. I’m going to
relay this information to your parents, but I wanted you to know first.”

“I’ll
be here to help him through it. Thank you.” Trevor shook the nurse’s hand and
fell back into Jasper’s chest. He had no doubt Jasper would catch him.

“This
is great news,” Jasper whispered into his ear.

“Yeah,
he’s always been the strong one. I hope he can get over losing his girlfriend. You
know, I don’t even know her name. I’m a shitty brother.”

“I
doubt he feels that way, but maybe you can use this time to really get to know
Travis.”

“I’d
like that. He’s the only one I’ve ever been able to count on. I want him to
know he can count on me, too.”

 Jasper’s
heart was torn. Trevor wasn’t shying away from him like he thought his mate
would. Instead, he seemed to be letting Jasper get closer. He wasn’t sure this
was a good thing. He wanted nothing more than to seal the bond with Trevor, but
if doing so caused him and his family harm, Jasper had to do the right thing
and let him go. But if he did that, he couldn’t protect Trevor. If Theron
thought there wasn’t anything between them, would he leave Trevor alone? Or did
he know how much he meant to all the immediate Clan, not just Jasper?

Theron
already knew Trevor was not only Dante’s assistant, but part of his family as
well. Trevor had gone to Dante’s when Theron followed him from Athens. Trevor was
at risk regardless. For now, he would supply whatever it was Trevor needed from
him. Trevor’s next words told Jasper what he needed at that moment.

“I
gotta get out of here. I spend all day cooped up in the morgue then all night
cooped up in my apartment. You’d think this room wouldn’t be any different, but
it is. Can we go for a walk outside?”

“Anything
you want.” He meant it. Jasper would give Trevor the world if he asked for it.
He might have to ask Julian for help on how to supply it, but he’d do that,
too. He led Trevor to the door and held it open so he could go first. He
allowed Trevor to walk a step in front of him so he could shield Trevor should
anyone surprise them from behind. Instead of taking the elevator, Trevor took
the stairs. Theirs were the only footsteps echoing in the quiet. When they
reached the ground floor, Trevor headed for the front door. As they passed by
the cafeteria, Trevor’s parents were sitting at a small table, drinking coffee.
If Trevor saw them, he didn’t let on, and Jasper wasn’t going to point them
out.

Trevor
led Jasper to a covered pavilion and sat down at a picnic table. He tried to
pull Jasper down next to him, but Jasper sat on the table behind him so he had
his back covered. Trevor leaned back against him and asked, “Can I ask you
something?”

“Of
course. You can ask me anything.”

“You
already told me where you got the name Jasper. Where did Jenkins come from?”

Jasper
breathed a sigh of relief. This story was one he would gladly tell his mate.
“After I met up with the gypsies in Romania, I continued north through the
Ukraine on to Belarus. I wanted to get as far away from the sunshine that had
been Greece as I could. I found an abandoned fortress in Kreva and made it my
home. It was close to the forest, so I had plenty of wildlife for food. This is
where my love for snow comes from. The silence that accompanies a blanket of
snow on the ground is one of the most peaceful sounds I’ve ever heard. It is
also the most haunting. I spent almost thirty years living in solitude
surrounded by nothing but trees.

“Eventually,
I knew I would lose my mind if I didn’t ease myself back into civilization.
During my time at the castle, I began thinking of home and how I missed all the
green that was Ireland. I left my fortress and set out across the continent for
what had once been my home. My first order of business was to visit and pay
tribute to the O’Donnell. I traveled to Ireland, but was sad to find his once
great castle had been abandoned upon his death. Since all his sons died in the
war, no one claimed the castle and it fell to ruin. I made my way up to
Scotland, revisiting the Hebrides and the land where I first encountered the
Redshanks.

From
that that point, I traveled south through the country and boarded a boat headed
back to Ireland. I had decided I was going locate my birth clan. On the trip, I
met John Jameson. He was going to Ireland to try his hand at making whiskey. He
and I stood by the rail with him gushing about his dream. Since I had no dreams
of my own, I sort of latched on to his. It was 1780, and Dublin was overflowing
with others who had the same dream.

“When
we got off the boat, I left him in Dublin, and I made my way north to where my
clan and family lived. When I got there, I found my family. Let’s just say it
wasn’t the homecoming I’d hoped for. My athair threatened to take my head as he
should have done instead of selling me. Only two of my older brothers were
there, but they didn’t seem very happy. While I was in Belarus, I practiced my
skills with the sword as well as bow and arrow. I had nothing else to do with
my time but grow stronger. I could have bested any one of them, my father
included. I thought about challenging him for about three seconds. If I had
slain him, I’d have had my brothers to fight, and they wouldn’t have fought
fair. Me against one, sure I would take those odds. Me against two or three? I
was smart enough to offer him my best wishes and hightail it out of there.

“I
made my way back to Dublin where I rekindled my friendship with John. He had
saved up a lot of money and was making some pretty good whiskey by the time I
got back. I offered to be a silent partner in his business. With the money I
added to what he already had, it gave him an advantage over the other
distillers. John was my best friend, and even though he wasn’t much older, he
became a father figure to me. The name Jenkin means little John or son of John.
I eventually had to leave Dublin because I wasn’t aging. I added an s to Jenkin
and headed to the States for the next part of my long journey.”

Trevor
stood and situated himself between Jasper’s legs, placing his hands on his
shoulders. “So at the restaurant when you asked for your private stock, it
really is yours. You own part of Jameson.”

“I
used to. I couldn’t very well continue being a part of the company forever. It
would raise too many questions. So, right before John died, I sold my shares in
the company to his family.”

“I
thought Sixx made you rich. You did it all on your own.”

“Not
really. The money I invested in Jameson wasn’t as much as you might think. It
wasn’t until I sold my stock that my investment paid off. If I had known Sixx
when I first moved to the West Coast, you and I would own Bora Bora right now.
Since I didn’t know much about investing, I stuck my money in a small IRA. Sure
it grew, just not as much as it could have.”

“Bora
Bora, huh? What about you and your snow? I don’t think you’ll see much snow in
a tiki hut overlooking the South Pacific.”

“You’ve
been there?” Jasper teased.

“Yeah,
right after I went dog-sledding in Alaska where I admired the Aurora Borealis
every night.” Trevor grinned.

It
felt good to see the worries of the world fade away from his mate’s face, even
if for only a few minutes. “That is something everyone should see at least
once.”

“You’ve
seen the Northern Lights?”

“More
nights than I haven’t. Living in the northern areas of Europe made it a common
occurrence. But it, like snow, is something I would never grow tired of.”
Jasper would love nothing more than to vacation in the South Pacific with
Trevor before going back home to a log house in the north somewhere. If he had
Trevor in his life as his mate, he would never be alone again. Trevor, however,
might get cabin fever. A loud voice took Jasper’s attention away from his mate
to where Mrs. McKenzie was pitching a fit to her husband as they walked down
the sidewalk.

“This
is all Trevor’s fault. He has poisoned Travis’s mind against me. My own son
kicking me out of his room.” Her voice was still heard the farther away they
walked. “And why is there a cop keeping people out?”

Trevor’s
body stiffened as his mother spoke ill towards him. “Shit, visiting hours have
started. Come on,” Jasper urged. When he didn’t move, Jasper grabbed his chin
and pressed their lips together. He demanded Trevor give entrance to his
tongue. Now was not the time for a passionate kiss, but it
was
the time
to distract his mate from that vile woman’s ranting. Trevor opened for him,
allowing him a few moments to make his mate think of nothing but the feel of
their breaths mingling while their tongues danced. Trevor grasped his hair and
pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. If they kept up the intensity, Jasper
would lay Trevor down on top of the picnic table and really give him a
distraction. He pulled away, both of them panting.

Trevor
backed away and held up his hand. “Whoa, that was… thank you. Let’s go see
Travis.” Jasper was glad to know his distraction worked. When Trevor adjusted
his hard-on, he knew it worked too well.

They
made their way to the fourth floor where a policeman was standing guard. Jasper
knew the male was a Gargoyle. He was appreciative to whoever thought to station
someone outside Travis’s room. When they approached, he held out his hand to
Jasper. “Slade Ransom. Pax explained what happened and asked that I keep watch
over Travis.” He didn’t offer to shake Trevor’s hand. He did fist his heart and
bow his head briefly. “Trevor, he’s been asking for you.”

Jasper
wanted to give Trevor time alone with his brother, so he didn’t move to go in
with him until Trevor grabbed his hand. “Please,” was all he said.

Slade
smiled at their joined hands. Jasper wondered if he was the gay friend Paxton
had mentioned. Jasper motioned for Trevor to go first. The door was sliding
glass, and it was wide open. Slade didn’t close it behind them, but he did
stand in the entrance with his back to them. Jasper stood just inside the room,
letting his mate go to his brother.

“Travis,”
he said, his voice breaking. Jasper wanted to comfort Trevor, but the brothers
needed a moment without him interfering.

“Hey,
buddy. Doc says I’m going to be fine.”

“I
know, it’s just…”

“Stop,
okay? I’m here. That bastard…” Travis stopped speaking when he noticed Jasper.
“Who’s this?”

Trevor
turned, motioning for Jasper to step closer. “Travis, this is my bo… my…”

“I’m
Jasper, and I’m really glad you’re okay.” Trevor had come close to calling him
his boyfriend. If circumstances were different, Jasper would be elated. He was
still unsure if they should be together or not, at least until Theron was taken
care of.

Travis
looked between the two. When his eyes landed on Trevor, his face softened.
Jasper couldn’t see Trevor’s face to know what caused his brother to smile like
he did. “Can you do me a favor? Can you see if you can find out how Rachel’s
doing? Nobody will tell me anything. And Molly. Where’s Molly?”

At
first, Jasper attributed Travis’s fairly decent mood to the IV attached to his
arm. Now, he realized Travis hadn’t heard the news yet. Trevor pulled the chair
close to the bed and grabbed Travis’s hand. “Molly’s fine. But Rachel… I’m so
sorry.”

“No,
she has to be okay. No!” he yelled.

Slade,
followed closely by a nurse, entered the room. The Goyle stayed out of the way,
but the nurse figured out quickly what was going on when Travis kept saying,
“She can’t be gone. She can’t be dead. No, I just found her.” The nurse left
and returned with a syringe. She injected the contents into Travis’s IV. She
didn’t offer words of condolence, but she did smooth his hair back like a
mother would do. When the medicine took effect, she left them alone.

“I’m
so sorry, Trav. If I could change it, I would. If I could take away the pain, I
would,” Trevor whispered.

“I
know,” Travis said groggily, the tears slowing down. Trevor wiped his brother’s
face with a tissue. “She was so pretty. And funny. You’d have loved her. Always
making jokes, just like you. She was smart, too. Just like you. She even liked
Darth Vader. I think she was you in girl form.”

“She
couldn’t be. You said she was pretty.”

Travis’s
eyes snapped to his brother. “Are you calling me ugly?”

Trevor
countered, “Of course not. You’ve always been the handsome one everyone gushes
over.”

Travis
was blinking, trying to stay awake. “You idiot. You look just like me,” he
whispered right before his eyes closed.

Jasper
hoped Travis’s words would sink in with Trevor. Being his clone, they did look
like twins, but to Jasper, Trevor was the more handsome of the two. Maybe one
day he could convince his mate just how good-looking he was.