Chapter Ten
“Are any of these skulls from the women you killed here?” The words slip from my lips before I can change my mind. I swallow down the bitterness, the hidden jealousy that he possibly kept souvenirs.
He glances at me, confused. “No, some I burned their flesh and bones and used the ashes as fertilizer, mixed it with the manure. Others Marvin took care of.” Jasper shrugs, and I suppress the laughter that bubbles up.
“Fitting,” I murmur, and he grins at me. “Promise me, though, if you ever do feel the desire to end my life, to respect me enough not to turn me into dung.” I deadpan.
Jasper looks at me, his brows furrowed, eyes widened. “First, Darling, you will not perish by my touch. I’ve waited too long for you, and second, if death finds you, I will cherish you. Embalm you, and lay you to rest in a glass coffin beside my bed so I can continue my worship.”
The fact he thought about it doesn’t frighten me, it’s strangely romantic.
“Teach me how to preserve death, Jasper.”
He nods, playing absently with the silver nose ring pierced through his nostril.
“We’ll need someone for that.”
Thrill pools low in my stomach—a new hunt.
“We do,” I confirm, almost too eager.
“I hope you’re ready for a hike tomorrow, Darling. At least the weather forecast looks good. Temperatures are rising, so it’ll be warm, which means more people will go out.”
My eyes flit to him. “You already were planning an outing, weren’t you?”
“Perhaps.”
I shake my head and smile—this man. I feel giddy about tomorrow, the memory of Patrick still vivid in my mind.
That night, it takes time before the Sandman whisks me away to his realm.
Too early, I open my eyes, the sky still dark, and I blink a few times, adjusting my sight to the shadowed surroundings.
Jasper’s arms are draped loosely over me, yet possessively, and despite yesterday’s revelation, I feel calm.
No unease gnawing at my mind. I lean into his embrace.
Still half asleep, he presses me closer, and I relish the warmth that radiates from his body.
One of his hands travels down my body and drags up the black satin negligee I’m wearing.
His fingers graze my thigh, and I sigh in contentment.
He hooks his finger underneath the fabric of my thong and pulls it aside.
My core is instantly singing and dripping from his touch.
He dips his digit inside me, the cadence slow.
My breathing increases as he pumps in and out of me.
“So, so wet for me already, Darling. You’re fucking soaked,” he murmurs approvingly.
His warm breath, caressing my ear, sends delicious shivers down my spine.
Jasper lifts my thigh, widening me, and uses his other hand to guide his erect cock to my entrance.
With ease, he thrusts into me, and I gasp.
I’ll never tire of the sensation of feeling him deeply inside me.
At a lazy pace, he fucks me, planting soft kisses on my neck, and I surrender to him, melting into his touch.
He traces his tongue over my skin, from the base of my neck to my earlobe, slow and deliberate.
There’s nothing better than waking up your body with leisurely love making, savoring each other until you both reach that toe-curling high.
I stretch and roll onto my side to quickly kiss him, painfully aware of my morning breath, keeping my lips pursed.
Not willing yet, to make out without brushing my teeth, I get out of bed and go into the bathroom.
I smirk when I hear his padded footsteps approaching; he always joins me in the shower.
I quickly grab a toothbrush, clean my mouth, before I turn on the faucet.
After Jasper towels me dry, the fabric feels soft on my skin, we put on our clothes.
I open the front door, glancing over my shoulder at Jasper, and bump into Marvin.
His body stiffens from our altercation, and Jasper is at my side in a second, shoving me behind him.
I want to hide behind Jasper, but aside from the fact that I literally walked into him, it would be childish behavior.
“I’m so sorry, Marvin. I wasn’t expecting you. My apologies,” I say.
“It’s all right, Miss.” His words are clipped, as if it pains him to speak to me. I have a sense he doesn’t like me being here. He forces a smile, but it only heightens the anxiety I feel under his glowering stare.
“Marvin, now that you are here, Clara and I had a conversation yesterday about her living with me.”
His eyes shift from me to Jasper. This time, the smile that appears is genuine.
“She is bound to stay here, and you shall treat her with the respect she deserves. This woman ruined me in a way I cannot describe. The love I have for her is deeper than the abyss itself. If I ever notice she experiences any discomfort from you, I’ll bring her your blood. Is that clear?”
Marvin’s smile falters at the crude and direct threat; his eyes quickly flit to me, narrowing them at me.
It dawns on me that my presence here interrupted their intimacy, a friendship of years built on trust and rotten flesh.
Marvin took care of Jasper in ways I am only just beginning to understand, and I am fracturing it; as one would with brittle bone, crushing it with barely any effort.
“Of course, Sir… Miss, it was never my intention to make you… uncomfortable.”
He gives me a small, uncomfortable smile which never reaches his eyes.
“No problem, thank you, Marvin.”
“Was there a reason why you’re here?” Jasper asks, slightly annoyed.
“Just wanted to check up on you, Sir.”
He was checking whether I was already dead, I think to myself. Maybe they would sip a glass of wine after Jasper killed one of the previous women. Celebrate another death. Either way, Marvin doesn’t seem pleased that I’m still breathing oxygen, though I don’t understand why.
Jasper thanks him, and we wait until the van disappears from sight. I can’t help myself and blurt out the words.
“Did he always visit after you killed a woman?”
“What? No. Never. That would be ridiculous.”
Jasper’s response puzzles me even more.
“Then why did he check up on you?”
“He does that from time to time, to see if I need anything I have forgotten. Food, books, whatever comes to mind. It’s what I pay him for.” He shrugs.
“Right.” It hadn’t occurred to me, but that makes sense; he is, after all, Jasper’s personal assistant of sorts.
Without Marvin, Jasper will need to venture into the open, and I have witnessed firsthand why that is a dangerous idea.
He’s not made for the modern world; he’s happiest secluded, surrounded by nature rather than people.
“Ready for our hunt, Starling?” he asks, pulling me from my reverie.
My stomach instantly flutters with excitement.
“Yes,” I breathe.
My stamina hasn’t improved over the last few days, and the further along we are on our hike, the more my lungs protest as I do my best not to wheeze.
There’s not a person in sight, despite the warmer weather.
I almost lash out, no longer able to ignore my body’s protest, when Jasper stops and points.
Grateful, I suck in some air, and my lungs greedily accept the offering.
When I follow the direction his finger points, I see them: two guys and a girl.
“Isn’t three a bit too much?” I ask with a frown.
“Stalking your prey is part of the fun during the hunt, Starling. With Patrick, we had it easy; he literally walked into our trap, but these three. All we need is one; the plan is to separate them.”
He doesn’t even hide his hunger for blood or the darkness that fuels it. When we exchanged our first message, that first ‘hello’, I never could have imagined the importance he would come to hold in my life. A sin disguised as salvation, which makes him therefore my favorite forbidden embrace.
“You’re the strategist, tell me how.”
He gives me an audacious smile.
I grin and shake my head when he explains what the plan is. While I listen, I just know I was destined to fall from grace with him by my side.
At a lazy pace, we close in on the threesome, their backs to us.
Jasper signals to me, and I drop to the ground, letting out a loud cry.
Even though he knows it’s pretend, I see him wince and fight the urge to lift me and help me.
I suppress a giggle. The trio turns around quickly, startled by the noise I made, and instinctively runs toward us, coming to our aid.
“Are you okay?” the girl asks, worried.
I shake my head. “I think I broke my ankle.” I manage to push out some tears.
“We can help carry,” one of the men offers, and the rage that Jasper exudes at the suggestion is palpable, but he manages to keep a straight face.
“I-I am afraid that might make it worse,” I sniff. “Could you perhaps get help?”
The three of them glance at each other. “Of course, we don’t have reception in these woods, but the parking lot is like an hour away from here, so we can go there and call.”
My head is spinning with a valid excuse for why she needs to stay.
“Could you perhaps stay with her? I’ll go to our camping site and grab some blankets so that she won’t catch a cold on top of it.”
Another exchange of glances. “Sure,” she says, “No problem.”
One of the men steps forward. “I’ll stay too.”
I pull my best worried face, acting as if I am scared if I am left behind with the pair of them, while my man goes away. The girl notices. She waves at him dismissively. “Kevin, it’s fine. I’ll stay. You two hurry up and get help.”
“I’m Tammy, by the way.”
“Claire, and that’s Tom,” I respond without hesitation.
“Nice to meet you both. These two are Kevin and Sam.”
I give them a nod, still faking that I’m in horrifying pain.
Tammy urges the men to get going, and Jasper pretends to do the same, walking away from us in the opposite direction.
Tammy talks a mile a minute. The girl doesn't shut up for one second. She tells me who the men are (friends from work), and says she has a crush on Sam. Poor Kevin. While she rambles on, she’s a fucking chatterbox, probably trying to distract me from my pain, I carefully take in our surroundings, my eyes scanning for Jasper.
Relief floods me when I see his form appearing. Tammy doesn’t hear him nearing us.
“Ladies.”
Tammy looks up, startled. “Oh, Tom! That’s fast, I wasn’t expecting you back yet.” Her eyes darting toward the tree line, probably scouting for the two men. She fumbles with the sleeve of her burgundy-colored jacket, as Jasper stares down at her.
“Where’s the blanket?” she asks.
“You'd better run, Tammy,” he says.
“What?” She blinks at him in surprise, and a nervous laughter slips past her lips.
I roll my shoulders, crack my neck, and stand up. Surprised, she glances at me.
“Your ankle,” she says in disbelief.
“Miraculously healed. It seems your chatter has healing powers, although my ears seem to be bleeding now.”
Tammy is trying to grasp her reality, and she has a hard time doing so. Her confusion is a beautiful thing to witness; the emotions that flicker in her eyes are intense, and watching them fade excites me.
“Where did you come from?” Tammy whispers to Jasper.
He crouches down and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, but there’s nothing loving about the gesture.
“See, Tammy, that’s the thing with birds that always sing their own song, they never hear the song of another.”