Jasper (29 page)

“Worried
about you, actually. With Jasper’s moods being up and down, he was scared you
might be in danger. I assured him Jasper would never hurt you.”

Trevor
thought about the ache in his ass where Jasper had taken him the night before.
He could hurt him that way anytime he wanted. When Frey laughed, Trevor
blushed. “Dammit, I forget you all have those special Spidey senses.”

Frey
clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad to know you two
are finally together.”

Trevor
couldn’t help but smile. “He asked me to move in with him.”

“Are
you going to?” Travis asked from behind him.

Trevor
turned around and smiled at his brother. “I think I am. Hey! Your eyes are the
same color as mine,” he noted.

“Of
course they are, silly. How many times do I have to tell you we’re practically
twins?”

Trevor
waited for the reality to sink in. It didn’t take long.

“Wait,
you can see the color of my eyes?”

Trevor
nodded and explained how he and Jasper were now mates. Travis smiled for his
brother, and it almost reached his eyes. It would take a long time for Travis
to recover from his loss. They went inside the house, and Frey left them alone
to talk.

“What
are you going to do with your apartment?” Travis asked.

“I’ll
have to get out of the lease or sublet it.” Trevor hadn’t thought that far
ahead.

“What
do you think about me and Molly moving into it?”

Trevor
was both thrilled and worried. Of course, he wanted to be nearer to his
brother, but if Travis was moving to New Atlanta, it meant he was having a
really hard time with what happened. “If you think Molly would be happy without
a yard, I say it’s a great idea.”

“It
would give me time to decide what I want to do. I already know I’m going to
sell my house. This will give me the opportunity to check out the area, find a new
job. Frey already said one of the Gargoyles is in charge of their properties.
He’s going to talk to Sixx and ask if he’ll handle selling mine. I’m not sure I
can go back and pack my stuff.”

“I’ll
do it for you. Don’t worry about that. I know Jasper will help me. We’ll get my
stuff moved to his house, then we’ll go get your stuff.”

“Thanks,
Trevor. Can I ask you something?”

“Of
course.”

“Have
you seen a counselor about what happened? You know, you shooting someone?”

“Jasper
and I talked about this. I haven’t because I would be tempted to tell the
Gargoyles’ secret. Jas suggested I see a Gargoyle psychologist, if there is
one. So far, the nightmares have been minimal, but they’re there. Do you want
to talk to someone about what happened to you? Maybe we could get a McKenzie
brother discount.”

Travis
laughed, and it warmed Trevor’s heart. He would give anything to take the hurt
and the trauma away from his brother. Trevor had Jasper to keep the demons at
bay. Travis didn’t have anyone now that Rachel was gone. He may never again.

Urijah
tossed Jasper a bottle of water. “Looks like you’re back to form, Brother.” Jasper
was ready for Theron. Surprisingly, he’d bounced back from being poisoned
quickly. Even though he was a Gargoyle, he attributed his recovery to Trevor.
His mate was the best medicine he could ever hope for.

“I
feel good. Even my beast has settled down,” Jasper admitted out loud. He was
confident that was due to mating with Trevor. His shifter was sated.

Training
was over, and Rafael gathered everyone around. “Jasper, it appears you’re in
fine shape. What are you planning to do?”

“We’re
going to give Theron a few days to wonder why he can’t get hold of Kallisto.
He’s been wearing out both her and Sergei’s phones already. Then we’re going to
send the photos of Kallisto to Theron using Sergei’s phone. When he returns for
her, I’m going to fight him. If you would prefer I take this somewhere other
than our own backyards, I will leave New Atlanta.” He didn’t admit he was
planning on taking the Goyle’s head; that was a given.

“I
have every faith that Jasper will be the victor,” Uri said.

“Aren’t
you afraid this will start a war?” Sixx asked.

Rafael’s
face was stern. “The way I see it, Alistair started this war the second he
thought about targeting our Clan. In the beginning, he might have been going
after Jonas, but in the long run, it affected us. He’s not going to stop until
we stop him. I’d say taking out his heir is a pretty clear message we accept
the challenge. Jas, you will fight him here where we all will have your back.
It will also be easier to contain the aftermath if you’re close by.”

Jasper
was glad to hear his King stood behind his plan. He had been ready to leave the
States if that’s what it took. “Thank you, Rafael. I would apologize for my
past, but Theron and his father would have found another reason to come after
me. If we don’t stop them soon, all of our mates are in danger.”

Rafael
added, “I agree. Those of you who are already mated, we need to continue
round-the-clock security. For those who have yet to seal the bond, I’d be very
careful spending time with those who are your intended. The less ammunition we
give Alistair, the better.” Rafael handed his sword to Uri. “Until some type of
cease fire has happened, let’s amp up the training schedule.”

“Will
do,” Uri said.

“Be
well, my brothers,” Rafael said, dismissing them to go about their day.

“And
you as well.” The chorus of voices was strong.

As
the others made their way to their vehicles, Rafael said, “Jasper, if you don’t
mind, I’d like to talk to you about Travis. How is he faring?”

 “I’m
sure he’s still hurting, but I don’t know for sure where his head is. Trevor’s
with him now.”

“I
had Julian do a little digging. Travis works for a local homebuilder in Athens.
If he decides he’d like a change of scenery, I want to offer him a job at
Stone, Inc. With Julian and Nikolas so busy with Clan stuff, I need someone
else as the face for the company. I’ll pay for furthering his education should
he wish for that as well.”

“You’re
not only a great King, but an even better friend. Thank you, Rafe. This will
certainly make his life easier if he decides he can’t go back to Athens.”

“He’s
family. Besides, it will help me tremendously.”

“I’ll
mention it to him when I pick Trevor up after work.”

“Already
back to the grind, huh?”

Jasper
felt great. “I’ve already missed too many days. I hate leaving the department
undermanned, even if it was beyond my control.”

“I’m
glad you’re okay, Brother. Now maybe my Queen and I can get married.”

Jasper
grinned. “I’ve been thinking about that myself.”

“Marrying
Kaya?” Rafael joked.

Jasper
laughed with him. “No, taking Trevor to Ireland for a little down time. Not
right now, of course. We have too much going on. But once things settle down
and we don’t have crazy Greeks after us, I’m going to show him the colors of
the world, starting with my homeland.”

“I
thought he was color blind.”

Jasper
couldn’t help but grin. “He was. We completed the mate bond, and now he can see
colors.

“That’s
amazing. Next thing you know, he’ll be pregnant.” Jasper sucked in a breath and
started choking. Rafael clapped him on the back and burst out laughing. “Sorry,
Jas, I couldn’t help myself. I’m really happy for you both, though. From what I
can tell, he’s a great kid.”

“I
thought of him as a kid at first, too. But I can tell you, he’s all man. He
didn’t stop trying to save me the whole time I was unconscious. He’s pretty
much perfect.”

“Yeah?
What would make him absolutely perfect?” Rafael asked.

“If
he had his purple streak back in his hair,” Jasper answered honestly. That had
been one of the things that drew Jasper to Trevor – the fact he wasn’t afraid
to stand out. They walked to their respective vehicles, and Jasper headed to
the station to get his work day started.

Jasper
didn’t envy Dane being Chief. They knew who the serial killer was, but
considering he was a Gargoyle, and Jasper intended to take him out of the game
permanently, they couldn’t announce his name to the public. Dane was hanging up
from a conference call with Rafael and Kaya when Jasper entered his office.
“Jas, you look like your old self.”

“I
feel like him, too. So, what’s the verdict?” he asked, pointing to the phone.

“We’re
going to come up with one huge ass ruse for the public. Rafe suggested we wait
until after you take Theron out to be sure there aren’t any murders that slip
in between now and then. Once that’s over, we are going to pursue the suspect
who Julian is going to fabricate into the system, and he’s going to go out in a
death by cop situation. We’ll have Dante provide a John Doe. It seems
complicated to me, but both Rafe and Kaya assure me it’ll work. It gives me a
headache thinking about it.”

“Speaking
of headaches, how is Marley’s assailant?”

Dane
grinned. “I personally delivered the restraining order to the man. When I gave
him a little extra incentive to stay away from her, I think he got the
message.”

Jasper
laughed. “I’m sure he did. Did you personally give Marley the good news?”

Dane
groaned. “Yes, dammit. Why does she have to be so fucking irresistible? Rafael
told me to lay low where’s she concerned, but fuck if I can.”

“Tell
me about it. I’m having a hard time sitting here waiting on my shift to be
over. Trevor’s agreed to move in with me.”

“That’s
great. What’s he going to do about his apartment?”

“Not
sure. All I know is I’m moving his stuff into my house as soon as possible
before he can change his mind.”

“Want
some help? If I’m moving furniture, it’ll keep me from driving by a certain
pretty waitress’s house for the fifteenth time.”

“That’d
be great.”

“How
about another set of hands?” Sixx asked from the doorway. The Gargoyle rarely
came by the station, but since he was no longer working professionally in
financial management, and Nik and Julian were back from Egypt, he had a lot of
spare time on his hands.

“Sure,
if you don’t mind Trevor going on and on about how much you look like Desi. He
still hasn’t gotten over that.”

“I
don’t mind. Maybe it’ll help me make a decision about going to see him when he
comes here for the concert. When did you want to move Trevor’s things?”

“We
need to start boxing stuff up, and hopefully we can do that tonight. I want him
in my house before the shit with Theron goes down.”

“I’m
free tonight. Just give me a call when you head to his apartment. Do you have a
truck lined up?”

“Not
yet. I was going to call the rental place here in a few.”

Sixx
waved him off. “I’ll rent the truck, and we’ll get the ball rolling tonight.”

Dane
added, “Count me in.”

“Thanks.
I really appreciate it.” And he did. Jasper had never really counted on his
Clan before he moved to New Atlanta. Now, he didn’t have to ask for help. His
brothers offered it freely.

The
day dragged on, but Jasper was finally headed to Frey’s. He had talked to
Trevor briefly on his lunch break, and he couldn’t wait to get him all moved in.
He stopped at a Home Depot and bought packing boxes. He was in too big of a
hurry to go looking behind liquor stores for empty boxes. When he arrived,
Trevor and Matthew were shooting hoops, even though it was cold out and most of
the snow was still on the ground. Surprisingly, Travis was outside watching
them. “Shouldn’t you be inside?” he asked his mate’s brother.

“I
needed the fresh air. Besides, I think Abbi has an alarm set so I won’t be out
here too long.”

All
the guys laughed, but the appreciation for someone looking out for his best
interest was apparent on Travis’s face. “Travis has decided to stay in New
Atlanta for a while. Look for a job,” Trevor said as he dribbled the ball. 
Matthew stole it from him and did a layup. “You sneak,” Trevor barked.

“You
snooze, you lose.” Matthew danced around, dribbling through his legs until the
ball bounced off and went rolling down the driveway.

“Serves
you right,” Trevor called after him.

“Travis,
since you’ve decided to stay, I have a message from Rafael. He wants to hire
you.”

“He
does? I don’t know anything about building large structures. I’ve only ever
worked on houses.”

“If
you can read one set of drawings, I’m sure they all look pretty much the same.
He also said if you were interested in going back to school, he’d see to that
as well.”

Travis
was gaping, and Trevor chucked him under the chin. “Close your mouth, Bro,
you’ll catch flies.”

“It’s
too fricking cold for flies,” Matthew countered as he ran back up the driveway.

“Smartass,”
Trevor joked. Jasper was so glad to see the camaraderie between his mate and
the teen. Even though there was a bit of an age difference, they were good
together.

“So,
what do you think?” Jasper asked Travis.

Travis
smiled. “I think I’d really like that. I can’t believe how nice everyone is.”

Matthew
threw the ball to Trevor. “You’ll get used to it eventually. Sometimes I still
wait on someone to yell at me just because I say the wrong thing. Years of
being around an asshole are ingrained in my brain.”

“We
already discussed him moving into my apartment, so it looks like it’s settled,”
Trevor said throwing the ball back to Matthew. He walked closer to Jasper and
leaned into his body. Jasper had been itching to grab his mate from the moment
he got out of the car, but he didn’t want to rub their happiness in Travis’s
face. He wrapped his arm around Trevor’s shoulder and kissed him on the temple.
He’d wait until they were alone to give him a proper hello kiss.

“Boys,
supper’s ready,” Abbi yelled out the side door.

“I
guess we
boys
better get inside,” Matthew cackled. “Especially you,
Jasper. How long’s it been since you were a boy?”

“I
transitioned four hundred seventy-two years ago. About that long.”

“Damn,
dude. You’re ancient.” Matthew took off for the house before Jasper could retaliate.

Travis
laughed then said, “I’ll give you two a minute alone.” He slowly made his way
into the house behind Matthew.

Trevor
turned into Jasper’s arms and pulled his face down for a kiss. It was soft and
full of love. “I missed you today.”

“I
missed you, too.” He kissed his mate on the forehead and pulled him toward the
back door. It wouldn’t do for him to walk in the house with a raging hard-on.

As
soon as they were in the kitchen, Amelia was yelling, “Uncle Jas, when are you
getting married?”

“October
of next year. Why? You want to be the flower girl?” After Jasper made up his
mind he was going to ask Trevor to be his husband, it didn’t take him long to
plan the details in his head. They would marry in Ireland and honeymoon in
Scotland. October of the following year was supposed to be prime viewing of the
Aurora Borealis.

“I
get to be a flower girl!” she yelled, running off to some other part of the
house. She came running right back and asked, “Can I wear my tutu?”

Everyone
laughed, and Jasper ruffled her curly black hair. “Whatever you want, sweet
girl.”

“I
get to wear my tutu!” she squealed, running off again.

Jasper
ignored the stares everyone was giving him. He had just said he and Trevor were
getting married, but he hadn’t asked his mate. He would. As soon as Theron was
dead. “What’s for supper? It smells delicious,” he asked Abbi, taking the
attention off the elephant in the room.

“Pork
roast. Now, come on and fix your plates before it gets cold.”

There
was a lot of food on the table, but Abbi was feeding two Gargoyles, two grown
men, and a growing teenager, not to mention Amelia and herself. It warmed
Jasper’s heart to be part of a family, even if they weren’t related by blood.
Frey had adopted both Matthew and Amelia. Abbi was young. She was a year
younger than Trevor, but the maternal instincts kicked in where all of them
were concerned. The fates had blessed Frey with the perfect mate as well.