Chapter 21 - Jasper
They sped along in the car, taking the twists and turns along the treacherous, bumpy road through the woods as fast as they could risk it. Jasper’s leg jittered up and down in the passenger seat, his hands curled into fists as he glared ahead.
He wanted to be sprinting through the woods in his wolf form, but the car was faster.
So despite how much he hated sitting and waiting, he let Camden drive them at a breakneck pace through the woods to where the scouts had indicated on the map.
Every minute seemed to last an eternity.
He kept thinking about Nikki, what he would do when he saw her.
What if she were hurt? What if she wasn’t there?
If Lucas had hurt a single hair on her head, Jasper would tear that asshole to shreds.
None of them spoke. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, they came to a halt in front of a cabin, an SUV parked out front.
The instant they stepped outside, Jasper knew he was in the right spot.
Nikki’s scent, mixed with fear and anger, spread through the air.
It was surprisingly fresh, too, as if she had been outside recently.
He glanced over and noticed one of the windows was broken. He had no evidence, but something told him that Nikki was somehow responsible, and a savage pride rippled through him. He smirked, then pulled his attention away to take in the rest of their surroundings, looking for any signs of an ambush.
“And here I thought I would have to go out and find you all myself,” Lucas said, appearing in the doorway.
Rage burned through Jasper at the sight of Lucas’s smirking face. The man leered, looking at them as though he had just won some sort of prize. Bristling, having to hold himself back from lunging forward and tackling Lucas right then and there, Jasper stepped forward in front of Camden.
“Where is she?” Jasper demanded.
Lucas’s sneer turned into a wide, malicious grin. “Who? Nikki? She’s here.”
“I want to see her,” Jasper growled.
Chuckling, Lucas yanked at a chain clutched in his hand.
There was a rattle, and Nikki lurched into view.
The chain Lucas was holding attached to the manacles snapped around her wrists.
Her arms were scratched and her clothes dirty, as if she had fallen in the woods at some point.
Lucas pulled her against him, stroking her arm.
“See? She’s all right. She’s in need of a bit of correction, but she’ll be all right.”
Nikki grimaced and tried to recoil, but Lucas only pinned her tighter against him. She glared up at him, still trying to push herself away. Lucas bared his teeth, his grip on her arm tightening as she struggled.
“Let her go before I rip that arm off,” Jasper said, his voice even and without a hint of bravado.
Nikki’s eyes strayed toward him. She didn’t say anything, but her gaze softened when it met his. There was still fear, though there was also a sort of confidence there, a reassurance. Trust, he realized. He had to tear his gaze away from her to focus back on the threat.
“It’s over, Lucas,” Jasper said, eyes narrowed.
Lucas laughed, his face contorted in a sneer. He shoved Nikki back into the cabin and out of sight.
“It will be over when I see all of you dead on the ground,” he said.
“Come quietly, and we can talk this out,” Camden said.
Another laugh from Lucas. “Talk? There’s nothing to talk about. You’re all dead men walking.” He turned back to look at Jasper with a sneer. “And I’m going to have so much fun with your little mate Nikki once you’re dead.”
That sent Jasper over the edge. With a roar, all sense of strategy or restraint thrown out the window, Jasper lunged, lurching toward Lucas, shifting into a wolf mid-stride, preparing to collide with Lucas’s shoulders.
Lucas shifted just in time, dodging so Jasper soared overhead.
He spun back around the second he landed, but already Lucas was lunging, lashing out with sharp claws that would gouge the second they made contact.
Jasper dodged the first blow, dancing away, but the second one scratched a long gash along his back. He yowled.
Out of the open door spilled another three wolves, each of them charging for one of the Silverrose wolves, and the real battle commenced. Jasper barely noticed, too preoccupied with Lucas and removing him from the equation. Get rid of the head, and the rest will fall.
He jumped, and this time he managed to slam straight onto Lucas’s back.
But Lucas flung him off with such speed and strength that Jasper wasn’t prepared, and he went flying.
It was only by a miracle that Jasper landed on his feet instead of his flank.
After dodging the next attack, he soared toward Lucas, his teeth biting into the scruff of his neck.
But Lucas shook him off, and his claws raked across Jasper’s throat. Yelping, Jasper stumbled back, feeling warm blood matting his fur. He panted, and Lucas moved again, slicing into Jasper’s side this time, more pain erupting from the injury.
He could feel himself beginning to weaken.
Before Jasper could react or retaliate, Lucas’s wolf landed on top of him.
A massive paw slammed against Jasper’s throat, crushing his windpipe.
Instinctively, Jasper switched back to human.
He might have been able to wriggle out from Lucas’s paw, but the other wolf turned back into a human at the same time.
His hand coiled around Jasper’s neck and cinched tight.
Jasper gasped, unable to breathe. His vision began turning black. He gaped, trying to gather his breath. Lucas’s grasp on his neck continued to tighten, squeezing the air and the life out of Jasper while the rest of the battle raged on around them.
“I’m going to savor this,” Lucas hissed. “Once you and your alpha are dead, it’ll be smooth sailing for me to come in and take over.”
Snarling, Jasper clawed at Lucas’s arm, trying to pry him off.
It didn’t do any good. Lucas leered down, a smirk spreading across his face.
His grip tightened, almost enough to crush Jasper’s throat.
Every inch of Jasper was beginning to ache, his blood pooling on the ground beneath him, and he knew that he didn’t have much time left.
Lucas loomed over him. No one seemed to notice that Jasper was about to die.
“And don’t worry about Nikki,” Lucas said. “She’ll be just fine. I’m thinking I’ll make her my primary slave. As long as she behaves, of course. So she’ll be treated very well. I like keeping my property well cared for.”
Those words snapped something into place, and rage burst through the pain.
Jasper snarled, hand lashing out. His fingers turned to sharp claws seconds before they raked across Lucas’s face.
Lucas yowled, but didn’t reel back, intensifying the pressure on Jasper’s throat.
Blood trickled down the side of Lucas’s face, spreading down like tentacles.
He leered at Jasper, rage rippling off him.
The wound on his face was a mirror of the scar Jasper had already given him.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he hissed.
Instead of responding, Jasper lashed out again, this time letting those claws tear into Lucas’s side. Yowling, Lucas’s grip finally loosened, and Jasper could breathe freely once more.
Without wasting any more time, Jasper shoved Lucas off him. The other shifter went flying, landing on his back, sprawled on the earth. Before Lucas could get up, Jasper lunged again. By the time he had landed on Lucas’s shoulders, he was a wolf once more, paws slamming into the other man’s chest.
There was just enough time to see Lucas’s startled, horrified expression before Jasper sank his teeth into Lucas’s throat.
Lucas gurgled, twitching. A moment later, he stilled. Sightless eyes stared up at the gray sky.
Panting, Jasper staggered back, turning human again. He wiped the sweat off his brow, glowering down at the corpse, even though he knew it wouldn’t move again.
As his tunnel vision cleared, the rest of the world came back into view. The sounds of the forest filtered toward him, no longer obscured by the cacophony of battle that had surrounded the cabin a few minutes earlier.
A figure appeared next to him. Jasper looked up to find Camden and Franco looking down at him.
“You all right?” Camden asked. He had a cut along one eyebrow and was coated in a mix of sweat and dirt.
“Yeah,” Jasper said. “Others gone?”
“One dead. The others have fled. No sign of Vincent since the fight started, but I doubt he’s going to show his face now that Lucas is dead. We can hunt for him some other time.”
“Sounds good.” Jasper rubbed his neck and grimaced. “He got a good hold on my throat, though. Damn.”
“Looks like it,” Cillian said, nursing a long scratch on his arm. “Just means that you’ll look prettier.”
Jasper raised an eyebrow. “Keep talking like that and see if I help you next time you need healing,” he fired back, not without some good humor.
Cillian cackled, delighted with himself.
“Well, the worst is over. Now we just need to…” Camden went quiet, looking at something off to one side, raising an eyebrow.
Jasper followed his gaze to see Nikki staring out at them from the woods. Relief flooded her face. She took a step out from the trees, glancing both ways, then Nikki came sprinting toward him.
“Thank God,” she said, and pulled him into a tight hug.
He grunted and grimaced at the spasm of pain that jolted through him at the embrace, but he still returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm. He breathed in her scent, taking comfort in it, reminding himself that she was okay. She was all right. It was over.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He pulled away from her, eyes darting all across her body to check for injuries. A growl escaped his throat when he saw the shackles still cinched around her wrists and ankles.
“I’m fine,” she muttered. “I’m more worried about you.”
“He got a couple of good blows in, but all in all, I’m fine.”
Her hand reached out to brush across his throat, her thumb caressing it gently. “I’m sorry. I wanted to help, but I didn’t want to get in the way. So I waited.”
“That was perfect,” he said. “Smart, too. The only note I have is that you should have kept running instead of sticking around, in case we lost.”
“I wasn’t going to leave you without knowing,” she said.
He tugged her closer, wrapping one arm around her. He breathed in her scent, taking solace in it, reminding himself that it was all over. She was safe. The danger was gone.
After a long moment, he reluctantly stepped away. He took in her appearance, the lack of shoes, and the manacles. New rage threatened to burble inside him, and he had to take a moment to compose herself.
She’s all right, he reminded himself. She’s okay. That’s all that matters right now.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “We’ll get those off you.”
Nikki winced and glanced away. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “They took me by surprise. I tried to hold them off, but—”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Jasper said forcefully. “I’m the one who needs to apologize. I was an ass. I should have been more open with you. I’m sorry. I just wanted to protect you. But I should have trusted you more. You’re an incredible woman. You know that?”
She gave a short, scoffing sound that might have been disbelief, might have been a laugh. Her eyes swept across the clearing, but she didn’t respond. Her eyes lingered on him, his throat, the cut along his arm.
“It’s not your fault,” he said, reading her mind.
Her features softened, though doubt still flickered behind them. He held her tight, willing her to believe it.
“They were going to keep coming after you,” he said. “You can’t blame yourself. Besides, it’s over.”
Nodding, she clutched him tighter, as if she was just as relieved to see him alive as he was to see her. She took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “For what I told you earlier, that you were no better than your father. It wasn’t true. I was just angry.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No. You don’t need to apologize. I think I needed to hear it. Because it helped put some things into perspective.”
She tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face. He sighed, tucking a strand of hair away from her face. He wanted to kiss her, but he held himself back, needing to say everything he needed to, not wanting to waste any more time.
“I love you,” he said. “I think I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. I’ve never been able to get you out of my head. It’s why I used to follow you, because I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you. But I should have handled it differently.”
He let out a deep breath, still gripping her tight, as if unwilling to let her go. Being this close to her solidified the knowledge that she was safe, that she was here. It was over. And now he had to get everything off his chest that he had wanted to tell her.
“I’m sorry that I never told you how much I paid attention to you.
I should have admitted it, but I wasn’t sure how.
I fucked up. I’m sorry I was such an idiot,” he said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything.
I’m sorry I was so controlling. If you can forgive me, then I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. ”
At first, she looked stunned, her lips parted in surprise and something else he couldn’t read.
Then, she gave a warm smile and pulled him to her.
Her lips pressed against hers, communicating a dozen different things in that single gesture.
He pulled her tighter against him, wanting more of her, needing more.
His fingers tangled in her hair as his mouth claimed hers.
He absorbed the taste of her, relishing it after worrying he might never get to again.
After what felt like an eternity but was entirely too short, they broke apart. Nikki smiled up at him.
“I love you, too,” she said. “And I forgive you. I understand where you were coming from.”
Relief and triumph surged through him at those words. He grinned, wanting to pull her toward him once more and kiss her deeper, to do more to her.
It wasn’t until he heard a loud, exaggerated cough that sounded suspiciously like Cillian's that he remembered they weren’t alone. Turning, he saw Camden, Franco, and Cillian all watching them with amusement. Nikki blushed. Jasper chuckled, wrapping his arm around her.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go home.”