Page 22 of Nyctophilia

Jasper sounded worried. “Hey, Green, seriously. If talking to me upsets you, I’ll go.”

He thought I was crying because he upset me? “It’s not you Jasper. I just got off the phone with my mom.”

He breathed out heavily. “Oh, I get it. I take it the conversation didn’t go well then.”

I laughed bitterly. “You could say that.” I filled Jasper in on our short conversation, leaving out the part about werewolf mates.

Jasper stayed quiet while I ranted, making sympathetic noises when it was appropriate. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry Green. I dragged you into a world you never asked for. It wasn’t fair of me.”

It wasn’t fair ofhim? Whether I liked it or not, this world had always been a part of me, I just hadn’t known about it. Jasper was the first thing in a long time that felt right in my life. “Jasper, it’s not your fault. It’s my parents’ fault for not being honest with me, and for not believing in me enough to trust me with the truth. I can’t believe they think I’m not Venator material. Who do they think they are?”

“Obviously they can’t see the kickass woman in front of their own eyes.” Jasper’s voice was warm with amusement.

This time my laugh was a bit more genuine. “Can you tell me more about the Venators?”

“What do you want to know?”

“How do they become so… powerful?” It was the only word I could think of to describe the image I had constructed in my mind.

“They aren’t born differently, if that’s what you mean. It comes more naturally to them -- the fighting. They train endlessly. Always learning, always adapting.” His voice was admiring, but I was tired just thinking about it.

“So, nothing is… wrong with me?” I asked quietly. It had been weighing on me since speaking with my mother.

“No! There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”

I sighed. “I’ve always felt like I was letting them down in some way. That I wasn’t good enough. I never understood it -- now, I get it.”

“Ava, don’t let them get to you. You’re stronger than you know, and you could do anything you put your mind to. I’d put money on it.”

Anything I put my mind to?A thought occurred to me, and before I could talk myself out of it, I asked him. “Would you do me a favour if I asked?”

I could hear Jasper’s smile over the phone. “Well, Green, you already got all of my secrets out of me, turned me into the kind of guy who talks to girls on the phone late at night, and got your parents pissed at me. I’m not sure what favours are left, but okay. Doubt I could say no anyway. What’s the favour?”

I sucked in a breath. “I want you to train me to be a Venator.”

Silence. Either he was seriously considering it, or contemplating the best way to reject me without hurting my feelings. The wait was excruciating. Maybe this was a stupid idea. Maybe Jasper didn’t think I could do it either.

“You sure about this, Green? It’s not a small undertaking. It doesn’t make for an easy, picture perfect life, either.”

I’d never seen my life as perfect. I pictured myself living alone, working alone, eating alone in my same old routine until I died. Or I could take a huge risk, and possibly find what I was really meant to do on this earth. Maybe I could make a difference.

My heart soared with hope. “I’m certain, Jasper. This is what I was meant to do.”

“Okay. I don’t know everything they teach, but I can do my best. We start next weekend.”

A pit grew in my stomach, and my voice was dangerously close to a whine. “Next weekend? Why not tomorrow?” I was sure whining wasn’t a quality held in high regard by the Venators.

Jasper let out a low chuckle, one that made me smile like a fool. “First of all, I think you’ve dealt with enough the last couple days. Secondly, I’m out of town this week. Friday, you already have plans.”

I couldn’t remember making any plans. I racked my brains trying to figure out what I had forgotten when Jasper spoke over my train of thought. “Friday, Green, I’m taking you out on a date.”

Chapter 8

I looked down at my phone for the fifteenth time, willing a message to appear. Something. Anything. But not even my deadliest glare produced a text message. I huffed in frustration and shoved my phone into the bottom of my bag where I wouldn’t think about it. I turned back to my computer and tried to throw myself into my work. I was exhausted. I had spent every night since last Saturday pushing myself harder in my workouts. I needed to be better. Stronger. I could be a Venator. I could prove my parents wrong. My muscles hurt in places I didn’t even know I had, but it was worth it.

Jasper and I had stayed on the phone late last night, talking about everything, and nothing. It had never felt so right with someone. It wasn’t only last night either. We had spent every night this week talking. He talked about growing up in Louisiana. About his mom, who was still in Chicago.

“Did your mom join a different pack?” I asked him.

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