Chapter 24
MIDNIGHT GARDENING
It’s only just been two weeks but when the elevator opens on his apartment, I run into Jasper’s waiting arms. I run so fast I barely have time to take him in, crashing into him with a thud.
He absorbs the impact and wraps me up. I’m instantly comforted by the strength of his embrace.
His arms are solid around me, his chest firm against mine.
I feel safe.
I feel like I’ve come home.
One hand cups the back of my head, his fingers combing through my hair, which is in pretty bad need of a trim.
His scent consumes me. Mint, lemon, and that familiar cherry blossom, that I know now, comes from his mother.
“Missed you,” I mumble into his chest.
“I missed you too.”
I lean back to get a good look at his face. The muscles are tight and his eyes, while warm, have dark crescents beneath them, he looks older somehow. I place my palm on his cheek, run my thumb along his jaw.
“Are you okay?”
“Better now.”
He kisses me tenderly. A short but meaningful peck.
“Catch me up?” I say afterward.
“Not here,” he says, taking my hand and leading me through the living room toward his bedroom.
Jasper shuts his door behind us while I move to sit on the edge of his bed, but before I do, he catches my hand and pulls me back to him. He kisses me again, more forcefully this time, his hands roaming, slipping under my shirt and up my back.
“Shouldn’t we talk?” I ask, breathless but letting him pull my shirt over my shoulders and toss it aside.
“Later,” he says, a growl rolling in his throat.
I return his kisses with the same fierce sense of urgency.
There are important things we need to discuss, but right now, with his breath warm on my neck, his lips soft and moist pressing against mine, his hands pulling me closer, holding me against him, this takes precedence.
In one smooth gesture his shirt is off as well, and I gasp a little as skin meets skin.
Awkwardly, we stumble toward his bed not wanting to break apart, as if allowing even a millimeter of space between us would be too much. The backs of my knees crumple as they hit the mattress, and I topple backward. Jasper lands on top of me, his weight a comforting pressure.
He laughs at our less than graceful descent and wipes the hair from my face.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, and starts up with the kissing once more.
I wake up wrapped in Jasper’s arms. Sleeping peacefully, he looks less tired than when I ran at him an hour or so ago. His jaw muscles are relaxed, his eyes closed gently, fluttering behind their lids.
His long navy curtains are still open and warm afternoon light is shining in. With two fingers I gently trace the curve of his shoulder and down his arm, then nestle in a little closer and shut my eyes again.
Jasper groans lightly, tensing his arms and locking me in place.
“Mmm, we should probably get up.”
“I would but I’m too comfortable.”
He nuzzles into my hair, kissing the top of my head before loosening his grip, shifting back a little so he can see my face.
“Tell me about your trip.”
I look down, or I guess sideways, seeing as I’m horizontal, and tuck my foot between Jasper’s ankles.
“I already told you Mal won’t ask the rogues to help us. But it wasn’t all bad. Mia and Olivia came back with us. Mia said she’d speak with her father.”
“I know,” Jasper says. “Morven sent word, he’s coming to visit.”
“But that’s great, no?”
“We’ll have to see.” He strokes the side of my face. “But forget pack business for a second.” He looks like he needs a distraction. “What was visiting the rogue settlements like?”
For a second, I have to think about my answer. Because it wasn’t as if the trip was the most successful. I came home with Mia and Olivia in tow but not with the support of the rogues. Still it was amazing meeting so many people and seeing how they live.
“They’re really inspiring,” I say. “Resilient. But you know, they could use our help. They’re surviving and they’re happy, but they’re isolated, even from each other.
If they had some way of speaking or sharing resources .
. . But I guess that’s why they’re rogues.
Because they don’t have a pack to call home. ”
“Maybe when this is all over, we can do something to help?”
Jasper’s eyes are big and earnest, and I could just about die. Who is this caring, thoughtful, sexy-as-hell wolf in front of me and what did he do with the brooding, distrustful, stoic guy I met two summers ago.
“Yeah, that would be amazing.”
“And what about, you know, Omar? How was it traveling with him?”
I grin because there he is. Even though it’s unwarranted and I know I shouldn’t, I get a little thrill from the hint of jealousy in Jasper’s tone.
“Fine,” I say. “Chill. He’s cool. You know nothing would ever happen there, right? He’s sort of become like, I dunno, family or something.”
Jasper purses his lips, then nods. “Good. Good-good.”
I roll my eyes, readjust my head on the pillow.
“Anyway, what about here? Any updates since we last spoke?”
Jasper rolls onto his back, pressing his head into his super-soft pillow, blowing air out through his lips.
“What is it?” I shuffle closer, putting my hand on his chest, feeling it expand with each breath.
“We lost another ally. The Blackwater Pack, out of Delaware. They’re not huge but still we can’t afford to lose any more wolfpower.”
I rub his chest in wide, slow circles. “I’m sorry.”
He reaches up to take my hand, holding it to his lips before letting our entwined hands fall back onto his chest.
“It’s okay. We just have to hope that Mia can convince Morven to realign with us.”
“I have a good feeling,” I say, even though I have no feelings whatsoever. I just want to make Jasper feel better.
“Thanks,” he says, glancing sideways. “For saying that. Even though you don’t believe it.”
I drop my jaw in feigned offense.
“It’s okay,” he says, rolling back onto his side to face me once more, our joined hands coming to rest in the space between us. “All I really need is you. With you here I can almost believe we’ll get through this.”
“We will,” I say.
He blinks. His long, dark eyelashes fluttering.
“Just don’t leave me again, okay?”
I try to swallow but can’t.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
In the evening I meet Katie at this cute café in the East Village. The streets are full of sweating locals, on their way to dinner and drinks in their summer finest. We watch them from our seats in the window as we sip our iced matcha lattes.
“I didn’t think I’d like matcha,” Katie says. “But there’s something sort of addicting about it right? It’s complex and this banana bread syrup is freaking scrumptious.”
I shoot her a look and a raised eyebrow. “Did you just say scrumptious?”
“What?” She gives me stank eye. “I’m a college girl now, my palate is more sophisticated.”
I laugh. “You keep telling yourself that. Oh and congrats again on graduating. I’m sorry I missed the ceremony.”
She shrugs, sips her drink. “You were busy saving the pack.”
“We’ll see about that. How was it?”
“My mom made this big scene of course, it was super embarrassing. But Todd and Simon came, and they bought me this as a graduation present.”
She holds her arm up in front of my face. A new silver bracelet with two charms, a horseshoe and a four-leaf clover, dangle from it, catching the light.
“Scrumptious,” I tease.
“How was your reunion with Jasper? From the way you’re covered in his scent I’m assuming it went well?”
I dart my eyes every which way. As usual I’d lost track of time and didn’t have a chance to shower before leaving Jasper’s. My cheeks are red-hot.
“It was fine,” I mumble into my straw.
“No judgment here,” Katie says. “You get it while you can. Moments like that will be in short supply come fall.”
Cold matcha gets caught in my throat and I nearly choke.
“Why do you say that?” I splutter between coughs.
She rolls her eyes, like the answer is obvious. “You’ll be in California, duh.”
I stare at the window. “Oh yeah.”
Katie studies me for a moment. “You still haven’t told him?”
My paper straw is already starting to get mushy, which is not helped by the way I’m awkwardly bending it as I try to avoid the question.
Luckily, Katie gives me a reprieve. “I suppose you were too busy reuniting.” She waggles her eyebrows in a way that makes my stomach flip. “There’s still time.”
“Morven is coming to meet with Jasper,” I say, changing tack, hoping our very real and imminent danger will divert Katie from talking about how I’ve yet to tell my boyfriend that I might be moving across the country in a matter of months. “He’s our last hope at standing a chance against Walter.”
“When’s he coming?” she asks.
“Not sure. Any day now though.”
“So you’re saying the situation is still too tense to bother telling Jasper about your surprise college plans?”
“Yes, that, and . . .”
My shoulders slump forward. Having lost my appetite, even for scrumptious matcha, I push my plastic cup away from me.
Katie, noticing the shift in my demeanor, leans forward, places a hand on my wrist.
“What is it?”
“I guess I’m starting to wonder if art school is where I’m supposed to be at all.”
“What do you mean?”
Outside, a group of college-aged kids move by, laughing and pointing their phone cameras at each other.
They’re all dressed up like they’re heading to a party, or maybe the party before the party.
It is still early, and this is New York.
Their clothes are trendy and colorful. Stylish.
One girl sucking on a pink vape turns and catches me looking.
She smiles as she exhales a plume of vapor, winks, then moves on.
“I don’t know, it’s just this weird feeling I’ve been having,” I say. “Going out and visiting the rogues has made me wonder if there’s more I can do with my blood-wolf powers.”
“You don’t have to give up everything you want though,” she says, which is fair. Lots of people pursue the thing that interests them the most, some even find time to help people along the way. But not everyone has the abilities I do.
“Maybe,” I say, then glance at my phone. “Hey, it’s getting kind of late. My rentals weren’t home when I got back earlier, and they’ll be pissed if I’m not back before they’re asleep.”
From the odd way Katie is staring at me, I know she knows there’s more going on inside my head. But she also knows me well enough to know I’ll talk when I’m ready, so she lets my obvious avoidance slide.
Outside on the sidewalk we say goodbye, hugging tightly under a streetlight.
“Congratulations again,” I say. “She’s a college girl now!”
“Woo!” Katie throws up her hands and does a little dance.
“Message me tomorrow, kay?” she says. “I want to get maximum hang time in this summer.”
“Definitely.”
We part ways and I begin to walk to the subway.
“Hey, Max,” Katie calls out and I turn. “You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”
Gently, I kiss the pads of three fingers, then blow the kiss in Katie’s direction. She catches it and slips it into her back pocket.
“Thanks,” she says. “I’ll save it for after dinner. Bye!”
She disappears around a corner, and I head for my subway station. As I wander past bars and delis, I’m fascinated by the people walking by.
Everyone is in tank tops and shorts; one guy is blasting music from a massive Bluetooth speaker he’s got on his shoulder. A couple of girls are roller-skating down the street, laughing.
I love summer in New York. Sure it’s hot and humid as hell, but I kind of like the way the air hugs you. Being out at night, without a jacket or a sweater, makes the world seem full of possibility. The city feels electric. The people seem energized, ready for anything.
Strange that none of these humans know how close they are to being collateral damage in a werewolf war.
Before I reach the station I come across a chain-link fence, behind which is an abundance of greenery.
Trees and vines line the fence but behind them are rows of raised garden beds, overflowing with beanstalks and tomato vines, sunflowers, and all manner of plant life.
A sign tells me this is a community garden.
It’s funny because I’ve been down here so often and yet I’ve never really stopped to notice this.
An Asian woman is currently digging in one of the beds, even though it’s dark out, and a short distance away, an elderly white man is watering another.
The woman calls something I can’t make out to him, and he laughs, nodding, continuing with his work.
With a small smile playing on my lips, I turn and continue on my way.
If only werewolves could come together like these nighttime gardeners, maybe there’d be less pain and less violence, and who knows what might grow out of it.
Half buoyed by this strange, fizzing sense of optimism, but also half on edge because I know some wolves, wolves like Walter, will never be convinced, I arrive at the subway. I’m halfway down the steps when Jasper’s voice arrives in my mind.
“Max, you there?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Morven is already here. Must have jumped straight on a jet. He’s speaking with Mia now but we’re meeting in the morning. Can you be here?”
It’s finally happening. The meeting that could turn the tide of this war.
“I’ll be there.”