Page 46 of In the Monster's Wake
“Oh, you’ll be safe.”The goal was to kill Kester.It wasn’t because Archibald had been hired to do it anymore, or at least, not entirely.He’d do it because he was paid to do it, but most of all, he’d do it so that Kester could never get his hands on Jasper again.
Jasper was human.He wasn’t strong enough to beat Kester, even though he’d managed to fight him back twice.Archibald was very muchnothuman, though, and while Jasper had years of experience as a hunter, Archibald had a lifetime of experience as a monster.Was he afraid of Kester?A little bit, mostly because he knew the kind of monster Kester was.He would do anything for his own survival, including hurting his own son.He’d be ruthless when they fought.
But he wouldn’t win.Archibald would make sure of that.
Chapter Thirteen
Archibald usually enjoyedgoing to the clubs.He liked dancing and being part of a crowd.He liked being able to lose himself in the music and not think about work for a few hours.
He wouldn’t be able to do that tonight.He wasn’t here to lose himself.He was here to find Kester.
The floor vibrated under his feet as he danced.He was trying to appear as normal as he could while keeping an eye on Jasper, who was dancing with his friends a few feet away.They’d wanted to be part of this as soon as they found out what Jasper was planning, which had been a relief.Archibald was confident in his ability to keep Jasper safe, but Jasper and Kester weren’t the only ones to think about tonight.The club was full of humans and monsters, and if Kester decided to get to Jasper here, it could turn into a massacre.
Kester wasn’t stupid.Even if he saw Jasper and decided to do something about him, he’d have to know that Jasper wouldn’t just be here on his own dancing and putting himself in danger.Kester might be a monster, but he wasn’t an idiot.He’d be cautious.
But they’d planned for that.They’d planned for pretty much anything that could happen.Archibald would have refused to let Jasper do this otherwise.Still, Archibald and Jasper both knew that things happened sometimes.They couldn’t know for sure what Kester would do or how he would react.They couldn’t even know for sure whether or not he’d even be there.
Jasper had been coming to the club every night for the past three days.So far, there were no signs of Kester.Archibald knew better than to hope that the monster had left town.Whatever he wanted was here, and he probably wouldn’t leave until he got it.Whether that was Cullen or Jasper, Archibald didn’t know, and he didn’t care.He just wanted Kester dead.
He wasn’t sure it would happen tonight.They’d been here for three hours, and so far, there were no signs of Kester.That didn’t mean he wouldn’t come.Jasper wouldn’t leave until he and his friends got kicked out of the club, which meant that Archibald was in for a long evening.
Eventually, he stopped dancing.He slipped back to where Braith was sitting, nursing the same drink he’d had since they walked in.Archibald slumped into the booth, his gaze still on Jasper.“He has more energy than me,” Archibald muttered.
“Honestly, I don’t know why he chose you.You’re basically an old man,” Braith teased.
“You’re two years older than me, so what does that make you?”Archibald took a sip of his bottle of water, but his attention didn’t stray from Jasper for long.He wouldn’t look away from his boyfriend for as long as he took them to get Kester.
“I’m vintage.”
“Keep telling yourself that.Maybe someone will believe it eventually.”
Braith scratched at something on the table.Archibald knew from that gesture that Braith wanted to say something but wasn’t sure he should, so he waited.He and Braith had been friends for years.When Braith was ready, he’d talk.
Archibald suspected it had something to do with Jasper, and he was right.Eventually, Braith tilted his chin toward the humans dancing.“I was surprised when I realized there was something between the two of you.”
“Not as surprised as I was.”Archibald hadn’t expected Jasper.He’d only been trying to help a human, but instead, Jasper had confronted him, slammed him against the wall, and hadn’t backed down when Archibald had kissed him.He didn’t care that Archibald wasn’t human.He’d never shown any kind of fear or disgust when they were together, something Archibald had never seen in any other human.Even when they weren’t afraid, they were still wary, at least initially.Jasper hadn’t been.He’d treated Archibald as he would anyone else since the first second.
