Chapter 43

Chapter 43

JASPER

H e played that moment over and over in his mind for the rest of the day.

She’d asked him to kiss her. She hadn’t objected when he mentioned sharing her. Maybe… maybe this could actually work. Hope blossomed in his chest at the thought of it.

Eventually, he’d have to tell her. Witches didn’t have a concept of mates, not the way some Shifters did. He would have to explain it to her at some point, make her understand what it meant…

But Fey? Gorgeous, independent, fierce Fey? Telling her now, so early… it might be a mistake. Maybe he should wait. It had to be her choice, didn’t it? Her choice to let him into her life. Into their lives. If he pushed too soon, sprung it on her before she was ready…

She might pull away from him forever.

And he couldn’t let that happen.

The smell of her still clung to his clothes when Jasper showed up at The Last Drop for his shift that night. He couldn’t bring himself to change into something else. They smelled too much like Fey, and to Jasper, it was the sweetest perfume he’d ever known.

He really should have changed. Going into work smelling so strongly of her was bound to raise questions. But… he couldn’t do it. Co uldn’t stand the idea of not being coated in her scent. He wanted her mark on him, wanted that ownership.

The touch of her skin was still fresh in his mind as he nodded a greeting to Mara at the door to The Last Drop, standing a little downwind, just in case.

But rather than greeting him back, Mara just frowned at him, looking puzzled.

Crap . He must smell even more than he’d thought.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, brow knit in confusion. “I thought you were off tonight.”

Jasper paused. “It’s Saturday, right?” he asked. He always worked on Saturdays.

“Yeah, but… Ferus pulled your shift tonight and gave it to Sid,” Mara told him, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Didn’t anyone tell you?”

Jasper’s stomach sank.

“No,” he answered, an acidic anger rising inside of him. “No one told me.”

He pushed past Mara and into the club, emotions swirling a little too close to the surface.

Sid? Why would Ferus pull his shift and give it to Sid? And without telling him? Had something happened, something?—

A laugh came from the upstairs bar, and Jasper turned toward the sound, growling.

Alastair .

He knew it was too good to be true. Knew it was too much to hope that things would just… work out. He should have known whatever moment they’d had together, whatever that feeding had meant, Alastair would run from it. The fucking coward.

With a snarl that had the other employees backing quickly away Jasper stalked forward, taking the stairs to the upper level two at a time. Alastair stood next to the VIP bar, a sharp grin on his face as he chatted with Ferus. And he looked so damned relaxed, so damned at ease…

“What the fuck , Alastair,” Jasper shouted as he advanced. The Vampire turned with a casual grace, eyebrow raised and a drink in his hand. At his side, leaning against the bar, Ferus straightened to his full height as though preparing for violence. Jasper didn’t miss the way the other wolf sniffed the air between them and tensed.

Yeah, there was no question that they could smell Fey on him. All around the place, the other wolves were pausing in the middle of their tasks, turning toward him.

And Alastair.

“Am I fired or not?” Jasper asked, baring his teeth as he stalked toward his boss. “Make up your fucking mind!”

He must be going crazy. There was no way Alastair was smirking at him right now. No way he looked this fucking amused .

“Ferus,” Alastair said calmly, turning to smile at the Wolf next to him. “Have you fired Jasper and not told me?”

“No boss,” Ferus grunted. His eyes were narrowed and locked on Jasper, clearly expecting trouble.

Jasper gave the other Wolf a low growl, warning him to back off. Ferus didn’t so much as blink.

“Then explain why I’m not on the schedule tonight. Explain to me why I have to hear from Mara that my shift was given to Sid.” Jasper gestured toward the Wolf, who was currently pretending to wash a glass behind the bar.

Not looking up, Sid polished the glass a little faster.

Alastair’s lips quirked up a little more. He turned toward Ferus again. “Ferus, would you?—”

The words were cut off as Jasper shoved him, forcing Alastair backward a step. Ferus immediately moved forward with an angry grunt, but Alastair just shook his head slowly. Reluctantly, Ferus backed down, eyes on Jasper.

“I’m not talking to him. I’m talking to you, asshole!” Jasper shouted.

“And I told you yesterday, Ferus is the one in charge of your employment now, puppy. So, if you have a question about?—”

“This is because of Fey, isn’t it? You jealous motherfucker, this is because she came to see me today, isn’t it?”

There was no pretending they weren’t paying attention anymore. Every employee in the building was watching them both. They weren’t even bothering to hide it .

He was increasingly aware of how much he must smell like her. Maybe like both of them. But right now, he didn’t fucking care.

Alastair exhaled slowly, raising his hand and running it through his hair. He was so calm, so fucking collected…

Jasper shoved him again, ignoring Ferus as he tensed to intervene. Alastair barely moved from the impact. His drink didn’t even spill.

“Or is this because of us?” Jasper asked, closing the distance between them. “One fucking kiss and you’re running scared.”

Behind the bar, Sid made a choking sound somewhere between a cough and a laugh. Ferus did a small double take between the two of them.

“Two,” Alastair said with a slight grin.

“Fucking coward.” Jasper showed his teeth, ready to fight. “Fire me, then. Fight me, fuck me, whichever, but make up your fucking mind.”

Someone, somewhere, laughed nervously. Mara, Jasper thought. He didn’t give a shit, let them hear it. He was done pretending, done drowning the truth in alcohol. He’d gotten a taste—one glorious fucking taste—of what it would be like to be with them, either of them, and there was no turning back now. He wasn’t going to back down.

“Jasper,” Alastair said, exasperated. He spoke in a calm, measured voice, ignoring the growl rising in Jasper’s throat. “Where did you leave your phone?”

Jasper’s growl sputtered and died.

That… wasn’t the response he’d expected.

“My… my phone?” His hands went to his pockets, but he already knew they would be empty. Jasper struggled to remember when he’d last had it, when he’d?—

“Here,” he realized, suddenly. “I left it… I left it here, behind the bar.” That must have been after his confrontation with Alastair in his office, when he’d left in the middle of his shift. He hadn’t bothered to grab anything he’d brought in that night. Hadn’t picked up his phone after his next shift, either.

Alastair nodded, as though that was the answer he expected.

“If you’d had your phone,” he said through slightly clenched teeth, “you would know that Ferus called you. How many times did you call him, actually?” he asked, turning to look at the other Wolf .

“Five,” Ferus grunted, arms crossed over his chest.

“Ferus called you five fucking times, Jasper. To inform you that your request for a night off was approved.”

“I…” His brain skipped. “But I didn’t ask to take tonight off.”

“No, puppy.” Alastair smiled. “I did.”

He set his drink on the bar and stepped closer to him. Jasper was only vaguely aware that everyone was watching, every Wolf in the club giving up the pretense of not openly gaping at them, as Alastair reached out to cup the back of his neck.

“Fey wants you at our place tonight,” he said in a velvety voice. “For dinner. She tried calling you, but…”

“But I didn’t have my phone,” Jasper finished for him, awkwardly.

Goddess, he was an ass.

Alastair smiled. “But you didn’t have your phone,” he confirmed.

He shouldn’t be doing this, Jasper thought, as Alastair’s thumb stroked his jaw. Not in front of the other employees. He shouldn’t be touching him so openly, like they were… like they were…

“Will you join us tonight, puppy?” Alastair asked, eyes locked on his.

Jasper nodded.

“And this makes three,” Alastair said as he leaned down to kiss him again.