Chapter 20 Jasper
TWENTY
JASPER
I’ve always been good at watching. It’s a skill born of necessity, honed by years of silence that made observation my primary language. It’s also something I prefer doing because it’s when I can see people at their most vulnerable.
“—and then Dredyn just stares at the barista in disbelief as the man lists off the different types of milk they have,” Talon says.
“Once you tell me where the fuck the tit is on a nut, talk to me about different milks. There’s too many!”
Mara laughs, her head tilting back in that unguarded way she does when she feels safe. The morning light catches the curve of her throat, and warmth spreads through my chest. Talon leans closer, while Dredyn sits on Mara’s other side, absently playing with a strand of her hair.
I never thought that sharing a girl with Dredyn and Talon would be so easy, but somehow, it is. Even if it does seem like, at times, they steal the show, I know Mara and I have something they don’t. This unseen connection that tethers us together.
I pull out my phone and send a text. Across the room, Mara’s phone buzzes. She glances down.
Me:
Want to go get Ghost and bring him to the safe house?
Her eyes find mine immediately, lighting up with genuine delight. “Really?”
I nod once, the corner of my mouth lifting into what passes for a smile.
“Oh hell no,” Dredyn groans, dropping his head back against the couch. “That demon is staying at the house.”
“Ghost is not a demon. You’re just mad because he doesn’t like you,” Mara protests, but she’s grinning.
“He pissed in my shoes, Mara. My custom Italian leather shoes.”
Talon laughs. “That’s because you’re a terrible cat parent. You adopted him for her and then act surprised when he senses your resentment.”
“I adopted him to make her happy,” Dredyn says, glaring at Talon. “Not to be terrorized in my own home.”
“Your mistake was thinking you could buy affection without putting in the work.” Talon reaches over to ruffle Mara’s hair, earning him a swat. “Besides, watching that fur ball make you miserable is the highlight of my week.”
“You’re a sadist.”
“And you’re a control freak who got owned by a cat.” Talon grins wickedly, then looks at me. “Want me to come along?”
I catch Mara’s eye and shake my head slightly, gesturing toward the door with a tilt of my head. “Just us.”
“We’ll be back in an hour,” Mara says, standing and grabbing her jacket from the back of the couch.
“An hour?” Dredyn’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “It’s a twenty-minute drive.”
“Got to get all of Ghost’s things. His toys, his scratching post, his favorite blanket …” Mara says innocently.
“His collection of my destroyed belongings,” Dredyn mutters.
Their bickering fades as Mara and I head for the door, and I catch the grin on her face. She loves this—loves them. Loves the easy way we’ve all fallen into each other’s orbit despite the chaos of everything else.
The safe house door closes behind us and the tension I’ve been carrying in my shoulders eases fractionally.
I angle us toward my Porsche 911, making sure I reach the passenger side before Mara can. I open the door for her without comment, and she slides into her seat.
I lean in, reach across her body, and pull the seatbelt from its housing. My knuckles brush her hip on purpose before I click it into place. Only then do I shut the door and walk around to the driver’s side.
“You’re kidding,” she says as I settle in.
I glance at her, one brow lifting slightly.
“I can do my own seatbelt.”
I bite the inside of my lip and throw the car into reverse a little too fast, making her grab the door handle.
“There was never any doubt you could,” I say evenly, pulling onto the street. “Just that you don’t need to.” I glance over at her then. “Not with me.”
The engine growls when I sink my foot onto the gas pedal, the vibration thrumming between us. Mara’s knees angle toward me, thighs pressing together like she’s already feeling it. Her lips part, her breathing shallow, eyes locked on me.
“You’re talking. Out loud.”
My right hand leaves the wheel and lands high on her thigh, palm spreading heat through the denim of her jeans, fingers inching upward with every shift of the gears.
I gun it through a yellow light, the sudden surge pinning us both back as my thumb strokes along the seam, dangerously close to where I know she’s already slick with Talon’s cum from this morning, when they both took her.
Her hand covers mine. “You always choose silence.” She breathes, thighs tensing under my touch. “Why break it now?”
I weave through traffic faster, my fingers sliding higher, knuckles grazing the soft heat between her legs for one teasing second before retreating just enough to make her chase it.
“Because with you I feel safe enough to use my voice.”
Her sharp inhale is reward enough. I squeeze her thigh hard, then drag my hand up again, stopping just short of giving her what she wants.
“When all this bullshit is over, I might talk more—might. But honestly, Mara...” I glance over, lips curling into something dark and hungry. “I fucking love the quiet. Means I can touch you like this instead of wasting words.”
My palm slides fully between her thighs now, cupping her through denim with steady pressure. She gasps, hips rolling into my hand without permission.
“Jasper—”
“Shh.” I press harder, thumb circling her core. “Feel that? That’s me telling you exactly how much I want you, without saying a goddamn thing.”
Her head falls back against the seat, eyes fluttering. “You’re evil.”
I smirk, easing off just enough to make her whine softly. “Like Talon didn’t fuck you senseless this morning in the shower. I heard both of you.”
Finally, I pull into a shadowed spot just short of the frat house, killing the engine.
She turns to me, lips swollen, eyes wild. “If you want me—”
I’m already leaning across the console, one hand sliding into her hair, fingers twisting tight at the roots to yank her head back, exactly how I want it. My other hand shoots straight to her thigh again, higher this time, fingers popping the button of her jeans open in one rough tug.
I crash into her mouth, my tongue thrusting deep, stroking against hers in a filthy, wet slide that makes her whimper. I suck on her tongue, imagining it’s her mouth wrapped around my cock instead, and the thought has me throbbing painfully against my zipper.
I slip my hand inside her now open jeans, under the lacy underwear, my two fingers sliding straight through slick heat and pushing into her. She’s so wet they sink into her, up to the first knuckle on the first thrust. Her back arches as I curl my fingers, stroking that spot inside her.
She moans loud and I swallow it, biting her bottom lip hard enough to make her gasp, then licking into her again—deeper, messier.
My fist tightens in her hair, angling her so I can fuck her mouth with my tongue the way I want to fuck the rest of her.
Her hands claw at my shirt, dragging me closer, nails scraping my neck, and all I can think is how bad I want to shove her seat back, rip those jeans off, and bury myself inside her, right here, until the windows fog and she’s screaming my name.
I grind my hips against the edge of the console just to get some friction because I’m so hard it hurts. Pre-cum is already leaking from my cock.
“Jasper—fuck—”
“Yeah, that’s it,” I growl against her lips, pumping faster, deeper, wrist twisting on every thrust. “Come on my fingers, baby. Let me feel you fall apart.”
Her walls flutter, gripping me like a vise, and I speed up, thumb relentless on her clit, fingers ruthless inside her until she breaks. She comes hard, body locking up, pussy pulsing around my fingers in hot, wet waves.
I ride her through it, slowing only when she starts to twitch from overstimulation, then pull my fingers out, letting her feel every inch. They’re glistening with her, and I bring them straight to my mouth, sucking them clean while she watches, eyes dark and hazy.
She tastes like pure fucking sex.
I lean in, nipping her ear. “Good girl. Now you’re really ready.”
I pop my door open and step out into the street, wiping my hand on my jeans like it’s nothing, when really, I’m still so hard I can barely walk straight.
Ghost spots Mara the moment we walk inside and goes absolutely feral with joy.
“Ghost!” Mara drops to her knees, and the cat launches himself at her like a furry missile.
I watch as Ghost climbs all over her, purring so loudly I can hear it from across the room. The cat rubs his face against Mara’s chin, her cheeks, her forehead, paws kneading her shoulders with devoted enthusiasm.
“Yes, I missed you too.” Mara laughs, scratching behind Ghost’s ears. “Were you lonely? Did you think I abandoned you?”
We’ve had some of the other guys stay here in our absence—to keep the lights on. But I don’t think many of the Omega Chi guys are cat people.
Ghost’s response is to climb onto her shoulder and drape himself there like a living scarf, still purring like a small engine.
“He really loves you,” I say.
“Animals are better than people,” Mara says, kissing Ghost’s head.
“I would take offense if I didn’t agree.”
Mara giggles and allows Ghost to continue his ecstatic reunion as I move to gather the cat’s supplies—food and bowls from the kitchen, litter box and litter from the bathroom, toys scattered throughout the living room.
“His carrier’s in Dredyn’s room... In the closet, I think!” Mara calls.
I nod and head down the hallway.
I pull the closet open, scanning the upper shelf where a cat carrier sits beside a stack of boxes. I reach up, fingers closing around the carrier’s handle, when my elbow catches one of the boxes.
The box tips and falls. My hand shoots out to catch it, but misses. The box hits the floor and its contents spill across the hardwood.
An envelope hits the ground, and a small velvet box rolls until it hits my foot.
I freeze.
Something tells me not to touch it. Something tells me to walk away, to pretend I never saw it. But my hand is already reaching down, already picking up the velvet box with fingers that have gone numb.
Inside, nestled against black silk, is a ring—heavy gold, engraved with the dagger that’s coated in blood. The symbol I’ve seen my entire life.
My heart hammers against my ribs.
There’s a letter too, folded beneath where the box had been. My hands move without conscious thought, unfolding the paper.
Dredyn,
Your loyalty has not gone unnoticed. Your seat at the table is secured for the spring gathering. The Syndicate takes care of its own, as you well know. Your father’s legacy continues through you.
We expect great things.
The signature at the bottom is illegible, but the seal pressed into the wax is unmistakable.
How long has Dredyn known?
The thought settles over me like ice water. He’s known his father killed Evangeline for years—maybe from the beginning. And he never said a fucking word.
Why?
“Jasper? You okay in there?”
Mara’s voice snaps me back to the present. My hands are shaking. I stare down at the ring, at the letter, at the evidence of betrayal that I’m holding.
I should show her; I should call Talon. We should lock Dredyn down, interrogate him, and find out what the hell he’s been playing at.
But something stops me.
If Dredyn’s been working an angle, if he’s been undercover or playing a long game, confronting him now could blow everything—could put Mara in danger. Could cost us the only chance we’ll ever have to take down the Syndicate from the inside.
Or maybe I’m making excuses. Maybe I just don’t want to see the look on Mara’s face when she realizes that someone else she trusted has been lying to her all along.
My jaw clenches as I close the ring box and fold the letter along its creases, tucking both into my jacket pocket.
The box goes back on the shelf, and the papers get scooped up and shoved back into the cardboard container. Everything is back in its place, like I was never here.
I grab the cat carrier and step back into the hallway.
Mara’s standing there, Ghost perched on her shoulder like a parrot. Her eyes search my face with that unnerving perception. “Are you okay? You look...”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
She studies me for another moment, and I can see the doubt in her eyes, but she doesn’t push. “Okay… Let’s get this troublemaker home.”
I help her get Ghost into the carrier, gathering the rest of his supplies, but my mind is racing.
I need to figure out what Dredyn’s playing at.
I need to know if he’s a threat to Mara.
Dredyn’s known. He’s known all along.
And now, so do I.