Page 86 of The Blood Witch

It was oh so satisfying to watch them run away. To hear their screams.

To know that—this time—they saw her for what she really was.

Chapter 38

JASPER

Jasper hadn’t bothered grabbing his things when he stormed out of the club the night before. And when Ferus had spotted him coming out of Alastair’s office and called out to him, Jasper had turned on him savagely enough the other Wolf had whimpered like a frightened pup and quickly moved out of his way. Jasper hadn’t bothered to stop even for a moment until he was out of the club, kept going even after he’d made the change and shifted to his Wolf. Then he was running, running through the city, leaving all that anger and pain behind him.

He’d run for hours. Run until he’d barely been able to make it back home, almost too exhausted to shift back and change into fresh clothes.

And now?

The evening sun was still hovering far above the horizon, but Jasper couldn’t wait any longer. He had to do something to fix this, had to restore whatever balance they still had. If there was a chance, even a remote chance, that he could make this right…

Come on, you stupid sun.He glared up at the sky as though he could threaten the sun to set a little faster. But it took its time, tendrils of light clinging to the day as though fighting against the coming night.Finally, when the very last tip of the sun’s orb rested just above the horizon, Jasper steeled himself.

Close enough.

Raising a hand to Alastair’s front door, he knocked. And knocked again.

No answer. Was he still asleep? How long after sunset did it take for Vamps to wake up, anyway? How long was he going to have to wait out here, standing awkwardly on their doorstep?

Jasper raised his hand to knock again, but before he could, the door clicked and opened.

“Boss?” he called, poking his head into the dark room.

“Come in. Close the door.”

Well, Alastair hadn’t immediately told him to fuck off. That was something, at least. A good sign, maybe. Jasper ducked inside, trying to let in as little of the remaining sunlight as possible, and shut the door behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark of the townhouse.

With the sun barely dipping below the horizon, it was a surprise to find Alastair fully awake. In the dim light, with the blackout curtains drawn tight against the sunlight and only one lamp lighting the room, it was hard to see too well. But it looked as though Alastair hadn’t been to sleep at all.

He sat on the couch, still dressed in the suit he had worn to work the night before. His shirt was unbuttoned and opened to the waist, and his belt lay on the ground at his feet, as though he’d attempted to get undressed and simply stopped. He held a glass of amber whiskey cupped tight in one hand. An empty bottle sat on the table in front of him.

“Hello, puppy,” Alastair said, raising the glass in greeting before taking a long drink. “Let me guess—you’re here to beg for your job back?”

“I wouldn’t say beg,” Jasper answered with a shrug.

Alastair smirked.

“Good,” he said. “You won’t need to. You’re not fired.”

The stiff knot in Jasper’s chest loosened a fraction.

“And,” Alastair continued, staring into the amber liquid in his cup as he swirled it, “you’ll be happy to hear that I no longer have theauthority to fire you, starting today. Ferus, and Ferus alone, now holds that power.”

His stomach sank.

“Are you leaving The Last Drop?” Jasper asked.

Alastair glanced up quickly.

“Fuck’s sake…no. I’m not leaving my fucking club. But as far as your employment goes, only Ferus can fire you from this point on. Officially, he’s your new boss. Since apparently I can’t be trusted with it, according to him.”

Jasper snorted.

“So…. If that’s all you came here for, you can go now,” Alastair said, gesturing toward the door. “Run on home, puppy.”

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