Page 45 of Take

“Just saying, Max. Thought . . .” He stood, picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Never mind. Let’s go.”

He held out his hand and I walked over to him and took it. I had no energy to argue with Jasper and if he wanted to hold my hand, then I’d allow it. He tossed a wad of bills on the dresser and I looked at him questioning.

“Bathroom door.”

Shit, right.

We walked through the hotel, stopping to grab water and croissants and then went out the front door where he passed the valet his car keys.

His cell rang again. “Yeah? . . . Fuck. We’ll leave it here.” His hand tightened on mine and his entire body went on alert. “She can make it.” He started walking, pulling me along behind him. “I said, she can make it.”

We were leaving the car? I glanced back over my shoulder and saw the valet searching around for us.

Jasper moved at a slow jog and I kept pace as he said short, curt answers in the phone. “No.” He glanced over at me. “Things have changed.” He was quiet and I could hear someone yelling on the other end. “I don’t give a fuck,” Jasper replied calmly. “If it comes to that, then I’ll deal with it . . . No. Too fuckin’ bad . . . Then come kill me.” He pressed end, and then threw his phone on the ground and crushed it with his boot.

“I gather you don’t like him?”

Jasper didn’t say anything, but his lips were pursed together and his jaw was clenched. After a few seconds, he ground out, “Something like that.” He nodded to the all-encompassing mountainside. “We’re headed up there and we need to make it by nightfall. You up for it?”

He could have been referring to anywhere on the mountain. “Do I have a choice?”

Jasper sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Something was off, agitating him and I didn’t think Jasper was capable of being agitated. At least not by the looming threat of vampires and some guy who may have pissed him off on the phone. “No.”

“Then why are you asking?”

He shrugged as if uneasy with the question and then he said, “Civility, sunshine.”

“Really?” That surprised me.

“Yeah.” He averted his eyes from mine then took his satchel off his shoulder, unzipped it and reached in pulling out a brown paper bag with the freshly baked croissants. My mouth watered as he passed one to me and I quickly took it and bit into it.

“What’s up there?”

He hesitated and stared up at the mountain. “A place to stay for a while. Normally, we could drive part way up, but with the vampires finding out we flew into that airport, there’s a chance they’ll eventually track the car to the hotel.”

“You think they will?”

“I’ve lived this long because I bet on every possibility.”

I didn’t know who had been on the phone, or what was waiting for me up in the mountain, but despite Jasper’s attitude, I did trust him to keep me safe, which for now, was my best option.

My legs were quivering after several hours walking through the rough terrain uphill. We’d crossed two streams and my shoes were soaked, and just when they felt dry, we came across another one. Jasper merely trudged through as if it was dry land.

I refused to complain, but as the hours dropped away with the sun and temperature, coldness sank into my bones. I shook uncontrollably by nightfall, my thigh muscles burning and the arches in my feet aching.

I didn’t think I could take another step when Jasper turned to look at me for the first time in an hour. His gaze trailed down my shivering body to my soaking wet feet then back up again.

“Jesus,” he muttered then strode toward me. He grabbed my arm and backed me into a tree. “Lean against the tree, baby.” His body pressed into mine and the heat emanating from him was like he’d wrapped me in a wool blanket.

He scowled as he rubbed my arms up and down several times. “You should’ve told me you were fuckin’ cold.” He lowered his bag to the ground and took out one of my blades. He placed it in my hand, curling my trembling cold fingers around the handle. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He kicked his bag closer to me so the trunk of the tree hid it, and then he pulled out his knife from the leather holster across his chest.

“Jasper—”

“Don’t move. I need to make sure the place is safe first.” He didn’t wait for a reply as he crept off into the darkness.

I stood leaning against the tree, my muscles screaming from exertion and cold, and my blade held in both hands in front of me. I was uncertain what damage I could do if I was attacked. My hands were numb and I suspected I’d collapse if I took one more step.

It was only a couple minutes before I heard his voice and then he was there in front of me again. “Max.” There was a large bruise on his cheek and he had dried blood on his lip. He caught me looking at it and shrugged. “Run in with a bear. I punched him. Fucker punched back.” There was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. God, I liked when he was playful like that; it made me forget the type of man he was. But maybe that wasn’t a good thing. He held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you warm.”

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