Page 20 of Jasper

“He hits stuff all right,” Luna said with a laugh. “Are you going to be here for long? You could come hang out. We’ve got other baby animals and small animals for the kids to pet and feed. We just got a pig that was surrendered to an animal shelter because they thought he was a teacup pig but they found out there’s no such thing when he gained a hundred pounds.”

“Oh my!”

“He’s sweet. His name is Norman.”

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. My family needs help and I came to talk to Jasper about it. I’m from Pennsylvania.”

Melody felt Jasper before she saw him, and she petted Jonas on the head and rose to her feet. He came into view wearing all black and looking sexy and dangerous, a potent combination.

He slowed his stride when he saw Luna and the goat, his gaze darting between the two.

“I see you made a friend,” he said.

“Hi, Jasper,” Luna said. “Jonas and I were just getting some air. He’s a troublemaker.”

“I’m going to take Melody to the cafeteria, maybe you guys can catch up later.”

“Come by the petting zoo anytime,” Luna said.

“Thanks for letting me pet Jonas; hope he stops causing trouble.”

Luna waved and walked away, leaving Melody and Jasper.

“Are you ready for me?” she asked when the silence stretched as he stared at her with a blank face.

“Yeah.” He glanced at her still in her pajamas and said, “I’ve got clothes for you in the cafeteria. We’re going there to meet with my friends and a couple alphas to plan the trip. Did you sleep well?”

“No.”

“Me neither.” He jerked his head to the side. “Let’s go. There’s lots to plan.”

“Okay.”

She turned and pulled the apartment door shut, then walked alongside him as he led her through the park back to the cafeteria.

Chatter between them was painful, like they couldn’t even make small talk easily. By the time they reached the cafeteria, she was thankful for something to occupy them, even if she knew the mission ahead was dangerous.

After a quick introduction to the alphas, she dressed in leggings and a T-shirt, then joined the group around some tables pushed together and got to work making a plan.

Free her parents.

Then she’d talk to him about the future.

Whatever that might be.

Melody’s leg bounced as she stared out the window at the darkness that blurred by. They were close to the pack, and hernerves grew steadily worse the closer they drew. It didn’t help that Jasper was driving and she was in the second row by herself, the silence between them like a wide gulf.

A lion male named Lucius was in the passenger seat, and he and Jasper were talking quietly about the plan, but she wasn’t included in the conversation. She’d been part of the planning process because she knew the woods surrounding the pack well and Jasper had been gone for years, but she wasn’t supposed to leave the SUV once they were there.

Jasper had clearly wanted her to stay behind, but he hadn’t asked her to, and she appreciated it. She didn’t want to get into an argument with him about why she needed to see that her parents were free.

But while they were foremost on her mind, she was also non-stop thinking about Jasper and what would happen when he did what he promised—set them free.

Jasper pulled to a stop and turned off the SUV lights, plunging the nearby woods and road into darkness. She knew where they were by the GPS map that glowed a dull blue on the dashboard—about one mile from the back of the prison.

Lucius climbed from the SUV and shut the door gently, leaving her and Jasper in darkness once more.

“You can get behind the wheel,” Jasper said. “We may need to leave quickly and it’s better for someone to be prepared to drive than for us to scramble.” He looked at her in the rearview, his face covered with shadows.

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