Page 8 of Nighted

Chapter Three

For the second time that day my scream woke Jasper up. He came running into my small bathroom. “Ava, what is it? What’s wrong?”

I pointed a finger toward the fogged-up mirror, the message still legible on the glass. Following my gaze, his mouth settled into a tight line as he read the words scrawled there. Not saying a word, Jasper left the room, coming back a moment later with his phone. He snapped a few photos of the mirror, then took his hand and wiped the mirror clean. Instead of five haunting words, I instead looked back at my blurry reflection, my face paler than ever. I had stupidly assumed I was safe in my home. How could I have been so wrong? And what the hell kind of debt did I owe? Fuck this shit.

Jasper met my stare in the mirror, his caramel eyes overflowing with concern. “We’ll fix this. We have a whole pack behind us.”

Turning the shower off, I wrapped a towel around myself and shook my head. “I’m not bringing the pack into this. The wolves were endangered because of my family once before. I’m not doing that to them again.” My voice was firm. I meant what I said. My job was to help protect the pack, not bring more trouble their way. Jasper would either know I meant business and back off, or he would continue to push the issue.

Choosing the latter, Jasper narrowed his eyes. “I think the pack could help. We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet, but whatever is hunting you, it’s too much for one person to take on themselves.”

“Two.”

“What?” His voice was tight. I knew I needed to stand my ground on this, but I also understood his temper ran thin when it came to my safety. Normally I didn’t test his limits.

“Two,” I repeated stubbornly. “You said it’s too much for one person to take on, but there’s two of us. You, and me.”

Jasper gritted his teeth. “Ava. For once take your safety seriously. This isn’t us hunting a dangerous creature. This is something deadly actively stalking you. I’m telling you the pack would be more than willing to help protect you.”

“And I’m telling you I’m not letting them put themselves in harm’s way again for me. We will figure out another way. The end.” My words echoed off the tile walls of the bathroom with a finality. I knew I was playing with fire, but I didn’t care.

Jasper’s eyes flashed dangerously at me, and not the kind of danger I usually liked to see in them. He flung his arms in the air. “Fine. Have it your way, Ava. Play the hero.” He pointed a shaking finger at the mirror, still defogging. “Let’s hope for both our sakes you find whatever left this message for you, before they find you.”

He stalked out of the bathroom and my heart sank. His words struck a chord in me. Of course it wasn’t only my life I was gambling on here. Jasper’s was on the line too. But I knew I was making the right call. Whatever this thing was had a personal problem with me, and it seemed only fair I dealt with them the same way.

I turned on the shower again, stepping into the steam. My neck was tight, and my muscles were far too stretched. My blood pressure felt like it was through the roof. I hated fighting with Jasper, but we were both so bloody stubborn that arguments were inevitable. Sometimes I wondered if the moon goddess or whoever was in charge of pairing up mates knew what she was doing when she matched us. But of course she did. Jasper pushed me to be better, and to train harder. But he also brought me a sense of clarity when I was too focused on making up for lost time. In return, I made sure Jasper knew when he was being stubborn and overprotective. I wasn’t a damsel in distress anymore. We had both made certain of that.

The water ran cold by the time I got out of the shower. I avoided looking in the mirror as I grabbed my towel. Maybe a new apartment wasn’t the worst idea in the world. If Jasper and I were even still talking, that is. Who knew what would be waiting for me out there?

I made my way back into the bedroom to find Jasper with his back turned, looking out the open window. Great. He was pouting.

I sighed and started finding clothes to wear. A glance over my shoulder told me Jasper was still pissed. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t let me have this one. My reasoning was entirely logical.

“Are we not going to talk about this then?” I sat on the bed, and Jasper didn’t turn around from where he stood.

“What is there to talk about, Ava? You’ve made your opinion pretty clear.” A quiet fury laced his words.

“Why can’t you see where I’m coming from?” Jasper could be incredibly frustrating, and my own anger was escalating with his. I flew off the bed, stalking over to yell at his back. “You don’t have to agree with me. But at the end of the day, it’s my life. I will protect those people. Why don’t you understand that?”

He whirled around, and his gaze was ablaze with anger. “Because I don’t understand why you wouldn’t take advantage of anything and everything to stay safe. To stay alive.”

“This isn’t their problem to be brought into, Jasper. It’s mine. I’m supposed to keep them safe, and that’s what I’m going to do.” My voice left no room for argument. I grabbed his hand, tracing my finger across his worn knuckles. “Memento Mori,” I whispered.

He snatched my hands in his own. “I never wanted this for you, Ava. I wanted to protect you from this life. But I was selfish, and I couldn’t help coming back to you again and again. You shouldn’t have to feel unsafe in your own home. To constantly wonder what’s coming for you next.”

My heart cracked. “Are you saying you… regret being with me?” I hated the wavering in my voice. I knew what he was saying wasn’t a matter of wanting to be with me now, but maybe he wished he had made different choices. Easier choices.

Jasper’s gaze snapped to mine, softening the slightest bit. “No. Never. Not once. I guess I hoped there would be some magical way for us to be together without all the bullshit. All the fear, and the danger.”

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to exude a confidence that wasn’t there. “We don’t even know what’s doing this. Maybe it’s not dangerous at all.”

Jasper barked out a laugh. “I have some good guesses. None of them are friends you’d invite over for dinner.”

I freed a hand, forcing his gaze to meet mine. “So, tell me what you think did this. Let’s figure this out. Together.”

He nodded -- a truce struck for the time being. Jasper immediately started pacing the room. “The easiest guess would be a witch. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” I repeated, sarcasm dripping. Tension still flooded the room between us, and his tone irked me.

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