Page 39 of In the Monster's Wake
He reached for Jasper, and Jasper broke.He didn’t have to be strong right now.Archie was there.He would protect him.
He dropped the knife and threw himself into Archie’s arms.Archie caught him easily, holding him close and stroking his back.Jasper only allowed himself a few moments of weakness before sucking in a breath and pushing away from Archie.
“Kester was here.We fought.”
Archie nodded.“I’m not surprised to hear that.We should go.”
Part of Jasper wanted to argue that they needed to go back to Kester and fight him, but could they?Jasper was already in pain and a bit banged up.Archie wasn’t alone, and the monster he’d been chasing looked like he was going to bolt at any second.Besides, Kester wasn’t an idiot.He’d probably already left.
Jasper wasn’t going back to check.
Chapter Eleven
“This really wasn’tnecessary,” Jasper said, but he made no move to get up from Archie’s couch.
He glanced around the apartment.He hadn’t known what to expect the first time he’d walked into the place, but it was cozy.It was clear that even though Archie probably didn’t spend a lot of time here, he cared about the place.The furniture was clean, and there were personal objects scattered around the room.The smell of cooking coming from the small kitchen made Jasper’s stomach growl, but it still wasn’t enough to push him to move.
“What was necessary?We both know that Kester is interested in you,” Archie called out.“What he did was creepy, and I don’t want to give him the opportunity to do that or to hurt you again.”
Jasper touched the corner of his lips.The cut still stung, but that wasn’t what he cared about.
Kester had licked his blood.It was probably just because he was a creepy monster, but it had felt like there was more to it.Kester had seemed surprised after he’d done it, as if he tasted something he hadn’t expected.
“What do you think Kester meant?”he asked.
He’d told Archie everything that had happened.Archie had pulled both him and Cullen out of the building and into his car, but he hadn’t said anything until they were far enough away from the area.
He’d stopped at a diner and had gotten both of them inside with some coffee and food.Then, he’d introduced Jasper to Cullen.
It wasn’t a surprise to find out that Cullen was running from his father.Anyone in their right mind would run from Kester.Jasper didn’t understand why Kester was coming after Cullen, but he wasn’t sure there was a rational explanation for it.Kester did what he wanted, when he wanted it.Maybe right now, he felt like finding his son.He was leaving a trail of bodies behind as he did so, but it wasn’t Cullen’s fault.
Kester was a danger both to Cullen and Jasper.That was why Archie had decided that Cullen would be staying with Braith while Jasper would be staying with him.He’d brought both of them back to his apartment, and they were currently waiting for Braith to arrive.
Jasper glanced at Cullen.He was sitting on the corner of the couch, curled up as if he was afraid to take up too much space.He kept glancing at Jasper, but Jasper didn’t feel in danger like he did when he was with Kester.
Cullen looked harmless.He probably wasn’t since he was a monster, but most monsters weren’t violent.Jasper wasn’t sure how such a cute monster had resulted from Kester, but it didn’t matter.
