Chapter 17

Chapter 17

JASPER

I t was just past dawn when Jasper finally returned home to his small rundown apartment, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

He’d barely slept. They’d barely slept. Fey had woken up almost as soon as Jasper had crawled back into their bed, eager for round two. And, later, round three.

He’d lost track after that. Lost track of all the ways he’d touched and licked and fucked her.

Now he was exhausted and in desperate need of another shower. Goddess , he stank. Slipping his key into the lock, Jasper let himself into the tiny, single bedroom apartment he called home. A shower first, he decided. Then a long nap before he had to go to work in the evening. That’s what he needed. Jasper threw his keys down and made straight for the kitchen. He was so thirsty he could drink a lake. Grabbing a reasonably clean glass from the counter, he poured himself a glass of water straight from the tap and drained it in one go.

More . He ran the tap again, filling up the cup and drinking another.

He was so tired and so distracted by the smell of them lingering on his body that he didn’t notice he wasn’t alone until Vivian spoke.

“Jeez, Uncle Jas, where have you been all night?”

Jasper choked on his water, spitting some back out into the sink. Coughing, he whirled around to find his niece seated cross-legged on top of his small kitchen table, a bowl of cereal balanced on her lap. Her eyebrow rose as she looked him up and down, assessing.

Disapproving.

Coughing up the last of the water, Jasper shot her a glare.

“Feet off the furniture, Viv,” he scolded.

Vivian rolled her eyes but complied, uncrossing her legs and dangling them off the edge of the table instead.

“What are you doing here?” Jasper asked. He glanced at the calendar he kept on the icebox, where he noted when Vivian was supposed to be staying with him. Today was blank. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Nan for the rest of the week?”

Vivian shot a grin at him, chewing a mouthful of cereal. “Nope,” she told him in an amused voice. “I’m staying with you until midweek, remember? We talked about it?”

Jasper groaned, rubbing at his face. Fuck . Somehow, with everything going on, he’d forgotten. He never would have left her alone all night, never would have agreed to stay with Fey and Alastair if he’d remembered.

Would he?

Jasper rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, Viv. I guess I forgot.”

She shrugged, kicking her legs in the air as she ate, but Jasper knew immediately it was a front. Viv always did this and always tried to hide when she was upset. She always tried to act older than she really was.

“Tell you what,” Jasper started, smirking at her. “Why don’t we go for a nice run through the city, just the two of us? As an apology for being an ass.”

Yeah, he was exhausted. And yeah, he should really get some sleep before his shift at work, but what the hell, right? One night of exhaustion wouldn’t kill him.

Vivian’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. Jasper grinned. Vivian spent most of her time being shuffled around the homes of the older Wolf Shifters, including her grandmother. The Shifter community as a whole had raised her more than he had, and though that was common with orphaned Wolves, it meant she spent too much of her time with Shifters who weren’t able to run with her. Shifters who weren’t able to keep up with a young, agile Wolf who needed to stretch her legs and paws now and then.

“Really,” Jasper promised, taking a step closer to her.

Vivian pulled a face, putting her hand up to stop him. “Ew,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Take a shower first. You smell like sex, Uncle Jas.”

Jasper stopped immediately, his jaw dropping. “How… how in the fuck do you know that smell, Vivian?” he asked, stunned.

The spoon Vivian was holding clattered into the bowl as it slipped out of her fingers, her eyes going wide. “Ew!” she shrieked. “Ew, I was right? I was just joking! Oh, Uncle Jas, that is revolting. Were you really out all night shacking up with someone?”

Well… multiple someones, Jasper thought, as Vivian shuddered and pretended to gag, leaning over the side of the table and heaving.

“No,” he insisted. “Of course not! I just wanted to know where you got that idea from! You’re only sixteen!”

“Oh, sure.” Vivian rolled her eyes. “Ick, I cannot believe you. So that’s where you were all night?”

“I was working!” he lied. “I’m just… stinky. That’s all.”

Viv wrinkled her nose at him, obviously not believing his lies, and Jasper finally gave up.

“Fine,” he said. “Fine… just let me take a quick shower, okay? Ten minutes, tops. Then we’ll see which one of us can run to the riverfront and back fastest. How about that?”

It had been too long since they’d run together, and Jasper could use some time in his other skin after last night. He needed to stretch his legs, to smell the city.

If Vivian had a tail in this form, she’d be wagging it. She sat up a little straighter, excited.

“Oh, I know I can beat you to the riverfront, Uncle Jas,” she called after him as he left the room.

He didn’t want to shower, not really, even knowing he should. He could still smell them on his skin, and he wanted to keep it that way, wanted to have their scents all over his body as long as possible. But he really did stink, didn’t he? And who knew what would happen if we went to the club smelling like them tonight?

Resigned, Jasper got into the shower and scrubbed himself clean, washing those delicious scents down the drain.

Vivian had already shifted by the time he emerged from the shower, and Jasper couldn’t help but smile at her Wolf form. She’d always been a little too skinny, especially around her mother’s death when times were lean and there hadn’t been enough to go around. She was still too thin, in his opinion, but she’d filled out enough that her Wolf was now nearly as big as his.

She was a sleek Wolf, with short, spiky auburn fur and eyes full of trouble. She looked just like her mom…

Grinning, Jasper slipped into his own room to change, reveling in the feeling as his body shifted and morphed into something new. He was a male, sure, but he was also this—a Wolf. Strong, fast, powerful…

And ready to run.

Nipping at Viv’s heels, he chased her out of the townhouse and out into the streets, toward the water.

He let her beat him to the riverfront. Or, at least, that’s what he told himself.