Page 88 of Shifting Hearts 1
“I thought you didn’t like me?”
“You’re damn right. But I love my sister. The man who turned you into a monster tried to destroy her and you nearly died to protect her. In a way that earns my respect.” The corner of his lip rose as he shrugged one shoulder. “Evil wears many faces. I was in that club and failed to recognize the danger. I share the responsibility as I’d let my guard down.
“The pain an angel experiences as they lose their innocence is unlike any other. I watched one sister go through that. Now I’m watching the other suffer.”
“We’re both after the man who hurt them. I won’t stop hunting him.”
Brock crossed his arms as he weighed the vampire’s words.
“If you hurt my sister again, you will face my wrath.”
“I’ll never hurt her again,” he vowed.
“Don’t make promises to me. Tell her.”
Jasper touched his gaunt cheek. He’d aged since he stopped eating, and only his mate’s blood could sustain him. He could drain an entire football team without satisfaction. His unkempt beard was coarse beneath his fingers as he scratched his chin.
He pulled out the electric trimmers and cleaned the line as tiny dark curls fell onto the counter top. He brushed them into the wastebasket once he was done before pulling out the straight razor.
Jasper brought the cold steel to his neck to clean up the line. Muscle memory guided his movements as his mind drifted to his angel. Her pleas pulled him back into his darkest moments. Without her by his side, he relived his worst moments repeatedly.
“Fuck,” he hissed as his hand slipped, slicing deep into his neck.
Blood poured rapidly from the wound, making him woozy as he grabbed a towel and applied pressure to stop the hemorrhage. He slipped on the slick tile and grabbed onto the counter to steady himself, but missed and fell backward. He slid down the wall, coming to rest as it became difficult to keep his eyes open.
This state was only temporary as his body would repair itself, but in order to heal quickly, he would need to feed. He planned to see Seraphina that afternoon, but going to ask for her blood wasn’t how he’d planned to spend their precious time.
He remained shaky as he bandaged the wound and chose a purple ascot beneath his open collar. His lips remained pale as he called for a car to take him to Seraphina’s apartment. Hewasn’t stable enough to drive. If he passed out behind the wheel, who knows the carnage that would cause, aside from totalling a hundred thousand dollar sportscar.
The driver stopped at a florist so he could purchase a bouquet for Seraphina. When the florist asked what kind of blooms to include, he found himself unsure what her favorite color or flower were. Jas barely knew her at all.
He’d sought to gain the upper hand against her by exercising control. In his bid for domination, he’d failed to understand anything honest about her. What a fucking travesty.
The bouquet was a unique blend of dandelions, moonflowers, night-blooming cereus, primrose, and celestial lilies, chosen for their astral association as celestial blooms. With his sun sensitivity, observing night-blooming flowers seemed romantic.
Knowing she was a vegetarian, he ordered a vegetable sushi roll with white rice for dinner. For dessert, he brought something he’d made himself, bourbon infused chocolates. It was a recipe he’d perfected a hundred years prior.
When he arrived, Mara answered the door.
“What do you want?” she snapped.
“I was hoping to spend some time with your sister. If she’s amenable to the idea.”
“Hmph.” If her scathing look could kill, he’d be buried and turned to ash by now.
“I understand that you’re protective of Seraphina. She’s lucky to have you. I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through. I’ll apologize to her every day for the rest of my life. Whatever she needs.”
“And if she asks you to go fuck yourself and leave her the hell alone? Will you just show up like you did today with an arm full of crap?”
He nodded. “I deserve that. It’s complicated.”
“You can say that shit again.”
He sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to make excuses.”
“Mara, let him in,” Seraphina called from the hall. Her voice made his heart race.
“I’m watching you,” Mara hissed.
