Jasper
“This is… Ah,” Jasper pulled a face, gesturing out with his hands, causing the tailor to pause in his adjustments of the fit of the jacket. “I mean,” he continued apologetic to the man. “It’s very nice, I’m sure, but…”
“You are the King of Diamonds,” Charlotte laughed at him, flicking the lace fan that she held, the hearts unfolding into a chain of blood-like red against the froth of white. “You have to sparkle, Jasper.”
“Yeah,” he drew the word out. “I think I outsparkle the sun in this costume however.” The suit was black, thankfully, but it was embroidered with gold thread and sequins and crystals competed to outshine each other, stiffening the fabric. The trousers were so form-fitting that they left nothing to the imagination, and the waistcoat was cut to emphasize that.
The jacket, with it’s stiff fabric, when buttoned offered some relief, covering what felt to be the emphasis of his groin. The tailor, however, was folding back the hem with the obvious intention to pin it to show the red and gold lining.
“Umm…” Jasper tried again. “I like the jacket better the way it was.”
“The King of Diamonds doesn’t want to show off the family jewels,” Charlotte snickered.
“No, he doesn’t,” Jasper agreed emphatically. “Really,” he added to the tailor who shrugged slightly and released the fabric that he’d been folding back. “Thank you.”
“You’re no fun, Jasper,” Charlotte tsked.
“I’m not an idiot,” he told her. “I know that you left this fitting until literally the last second on purpose so I couldn’t argue the costume.”
“You knew that it was a masquerade ball,” she reminded him, twisting in front of the mirror in order to admire herself. Her costume styled her as the Queen of Hearts in figure hugging red satin with an overskirt layered with black lace and shimmering with black gemstones. Her hair had been styled and dressed to hang in ringlets over her shoulder, and her lips painted in a tightly pursed heart. A black beauty spot in the shape of a heart rode her cheekbone just below the gold of her mask.
“I did,” he stepped down as the tailor released him. “But I expected a tux and mask not… this,” he reviewed himself in the mirror.
“This is more fun,” she grinned delighted, turning and smoothing her hands down the lapels of the jacket. “And you look so handsome, Jasper.”
“Tell me that we’re not the only people who are going to be dressed like this,” he asked her urgently. “Because if that’s the case, Charlotte, I’m changing right now.”
“It’s a costume themed masquerade ball, with every guest assigned a court depending on whose invite list they came from,” she rolled her eyes as if he were being foolish. “Mother is the Queen of Spades, and father is the King of Clubs. I am the Queen of Hearts, and you, the owner of the family jewels,” she wrinkled her nose with her grin. “Are the King of Diamonds.”
Jasper heaved a sigh. “If dad’s not wearing something stupid like this – forgive me,” he nodded to the tailer who was still packing up his kit. “It’s an amazing suit for someone else. My sister’s taste and mine doesn’t always align, and I made the mistake,” he said through his teeth, turning his eyes back to Charlotte. “Of assuming when Charlotte told me that my suit was ordered, my taste had been taken into account.”
“It’s black, isn’t it?” She replied. “Now put on your mask and stop pouting. Our guests are arriving.”
“I’m not pouting,” Jasper replied as he tied on the mask, the diamond design making clear what house of cards he belonged to. “I am regretting tucking left. You don’t own a cock; you have no idea how awkward trousers this tight are.”
“Aww, Jaspie’s worried he’ll - ”
“Say it, and I’ll step on your hem on the way down the stairs,” he told her as he opened the bedroom door for her. They stepped out into the hallway, the noise of the arriving guests rising to greet them, the voices a cacophony that all but drowned out the stringed quartet who was playing during the arrivals.
A popular band had been setting up in the ballroom when Jasper had returned to the house from the folly where he’d spent much of the last week. At least the music for the main part of the party promised to be decent, he told himself as he paused, one hand on the balustrade, looking down into the foyer that seethed with people and waiters carrying trays of champagne flutes and canapes.
“You would not dare,” Charlotte rapped her fan against his chest. “You’re just sulky because I dragged you out of your folly in order to make you dance the night away.”
“I was in the middle of something,” he agreed. “I’ve only been home a week, Lottie. You didn’t give me time to settle back in.”
“This is your welcome home party, Jaspie,” she told him through her smile as they began to descend the stairs. “Your reintroduction to the pack as the heir-apparent, and to the young pack members, amongst whom you’ll, hopefully, find your mate. You can’t spend all your time in the folly. You have to help dad out with the pack and the business.”
“Hmm,” he couldn’t argue with that. He had been, perhaps, negligent in his duties to his family and pack, spending his time in the folly with his paints, but after five intense years studying, he’d been enjoying the freedom of spending his time as he choose, staying up as long as he liked, waking when suited him, and the folly had been the perfect place for him to do so, in the privacy of the maze, away from the house.
“Alright,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll do better.”
“Thank you Jaspie,” she said as they entered the ballroom.
They weren’t the most elaborately dressed amongst the guests, he saw with relief. Some had taken it further, really leaning into the theme. The good thing about a masquerade ball was that they weren’t expected to host, he noted as they passed unnoticed and unremarked amongst the guests. In order to maintain the game of being masked, they could just drift amongst everyone else, and everyone pretended not to know who they were.
There was a lot of curiosity, however, he noted, and stiffened his back, straightening his shoulders, knowing that he was being evaluated and judged by those gazes, and as the next lead alpha of the pack, he had to present himself as the epitome of what a pack looked for in an alpha, even if it were a lie.
It was all a lie, and that was one reason for him hiding in the folly. He had been avoiding what he knew was a very necessary conversation with his family.
“Oh my god,” Charlotte murmured.
“What?” He looked up, following her gaze and felt as if someone had struck him in the gut.
A young man had entered the ballroom, the crowd seeming to part around him naturally. He wore red with black heart details, broad shoulders filling his suit jacket perfectly, the cut following the lean lines of his torso to where it buttoned at his narrow waist.
Jasper wet his lips, catching the bottom one between his teeth. Fuck, he blew out a slow breath, seeking control of his racing heart. There was something to how the other man moved, a combination of predatory confidence and grace, that declared him to be an alpha in every way.
“King of Hearts?” Jasper wondered, breathlessly.
“A Knave, more likely,” Charlotte corrected, her fan working hard, lifting Jasper’s hair.
As if sensing their eyes on him, the Knave looked their way, and smiled.
Jasper“He’s coming this way,” Charlotte whispered digging her elbow into Jasper’s side. “Close your mouth.”Jasper forced his lips into a stiff smile as the Knave held out his hand and he accepted it. “Hello.”“Ah, my King, greetings,” the Knave of Heart’s grin was charming and wicked and his hand in Jasper’s lingered beyond a strictly polite handshake. “I promise I won’t steal your diamonds.” His grey-blue eyes held Jasper’s just as firmly as his hand did. Locking eyes in such a way with the masked stranger was intense and intimate, and Jasper found himself flushed and flustered, the throb of his cock echoing the race of his heart.“Just your heart.”Jasper wasn’t sure he heard the words, or simply wished that they had been spoken, and yet they hung in the air between them, sending a shiver of desire across his skin. The rest of the party, the press of bodies around them, the cacophony of voices fighting to be heard over the music, all faded away. They were alone in the ballroom wit
Jasper“Wow,” the Knave commented from behind him. “Look at this place.”The folly had been built as a conservatory in the shape of an octagon, the roof domed dramatically high overhead, and the floor an elaborate mosaic of brightly colored tiles forming flowers, leaves, and curling vines. Roses grew up the supporting pillars to the roof as a testimony to its origins, although they were the only things still growing there other than the marijuana plant in the bathroom that Jasper had brought home with him from college.In his teen years, Jasper had claimed the space as his art studio, fitting it out with lights and a stereo, a bathroom, and a kitchenette. During his last holidays at home, he’d added the wrought iron bed, which had meant that he could work at his art for as long into the night as he liked, without waking anyone from the household with his comings and goings.And that was what he had done since coming home. He spent his days and nights painting, falling into bed when he
ReidThings had not gone to plan Reid acknowledged as he teased his tongue over Jasper Compton’s cock, gathering the subtly-sweet precum that gathered in his slit, but this was better. This was… fucking amazing, he growled his enjoyment as he sucked Jasper’s cock into his mouth and the other alpha arched, his head thrown back, the tumble of his golden-brown hair spreading like silk over the mattress, and his stomach muscles rigid against the skin.Jasper was a feast of a man, all long, lean limbs and smooth honey-toned skin, and Reid did not know where to rest his eyes as he braced over him, pressing Jasper’s cock into the roof of his mouth, his tongue firmly against Jasper’s frenulum so that each bob of his head dragged along the raphe line from stem to tip, coating Jasper’s cock in saliva and causing the Compton puppy to sob on his moans.The triangle of Jasper's jaw was perfection, the movement of Adam's apple in the exposed length of the throat, the delicately muscled chest and st
ReidJasper raised his eyebrows but stepped back and lay on the bed.“Perfect,” Reid breathed the word. Everything about the other man was perfect. There was something so intensely sensual about Jasper’s long limbs on the tangled bedcovers and the spill of his hair across the pillows as he met Reid’s eyes. The expression in the other man’s eyes hit Reid deep in the guts. Fuck, he thought, he had to be careful, this was already far beyond a casual fuck.Jasper’s thighs spread to make room for Reid to kneel between them, and Reid braced his hands against the wrought iron bed head as he brushed his lips over Jasper’s, feeling the heated silk of them against his own contrasting to the prick of stubble that was breaking free of Jasper’s skin.He kept his body hovering over Jasper’s, wanting to relish the contact of their skin with the slip of oil between them, and took his time kissing the other man, undemanding and gentle, until Jasper relaxed beneath him, his eyes fluttering closed, and
ReidReid woke from a half-doze to the greying light. He could smell the ashtray that was on Reid's side of the bed, overflowing with joints and cigarettes, and the stink of the ash combined with the slippery feeling of having drunk too much made his stomach uneasy, although his werewolf constitution kept it from being a full-blown hangover. The bottle of champagne was empty, along with a bottle of red that Jasper had produced, a testament to his overindulgence.Jasper was a cuddler, sprawled over his back, his hand cupping Reid’s shoulder, and his breath warm against Reid’s skin. For a moment, Reid stayed despite the smell of the ashtray and the knowledge that he had to leave before anyone who might know whom he was woke, comfortable beneath the other man’s body and the skin-to-skin intimacy of the position.Eventually, however, the brightening light motivated him to slide out from under Jasper and pull on his clothes as he messaged Marcella to come and pick him up. He found a sketch
JasperJasper watched the knave slide into the lime-green Spyder, his fingers pressed to the dreamy smile that curved his lips. It had been… incredible. Just incredible. The things the knave had done to him, and that he had reciprocated… “Oh fuck,” he groaned, his eyes rolling back at the memory.“Fuck,” he was hard, his cock straining against his jeans, and standing in the gate of his parent’s house fantasizing about fucking his mate and staring at the now-empty road. “Shit, Jasper, get it together,” he told himself as he closed the gate behind him and crossed the gardens, cutting through to the folly.The scent of sex, linseed oil, and smoke struck him as he stepped back into the folly and did nothing to help the throb of his cock. He looked around the room with fresh eyes and felt his cheeks heat at the mess. He began to pick up discarded clothing and dirty china, before stripping the bed of cum and oil-stained sheets. He startled the maids at the main house by letting himself int
JasperSebastian Compton led Jasper to his study. His office desk was buried beneath layers of paper, building plans laid over maps of the city. He riffled through until he found the one that he sought, setting it to the top.“I am negotiating to buy this building,” he told Jasper, his eyes bright with excitement. Jasper drew closer intrigued as to what lit his father’s eyes in such a way. He could see nothing exceptional about the building on the plans. It looked old, not as large, or tall as a modern building, with the detailed stonework of the past featuring heavily.“You’re wondering what’s special about this building,” Sebastian guessed watching Jasper’s expression. He laughed. “You’re right to wonder. It’s an old building.”“It’s in Morrison territory,” Jasper realized in alarm. “Dad…” He protested. “That will piss them off.”“It’s Morrison territory now,” Sebastian corrected. “But it hasn’t always been so. Originally this building marked the edge of Compton pack land. It was su
JasperJasper took the limo, mainly because Gerald, the driver, was generally insightful and knew everything there was to know about the city. As he slid across the leather backseat, he met Gerald’s eyes in the rearview. “Help,” he said immediately.“How may I be of assistance, Master Jasper?” Gerald’s amusement was indulgent and friendly.“I need a gift. I want it to be special. Something that will last, but something discrete. And I need it by tonight.” Jasper wanted to ensure that when they parted in the morning, the knave had something with him that connected him to Jasper. What he truly wanted was to sink his teeth into his mate, to claim him as his, but he knew that would not be wise. He needed to court the knave first, learn about him, starting with his name… And whilst he was doing that, he needed to begin easing his parents towards the idea of not just a male mate but one from the Morrison pack.Small steps, Jasper, he told himself.“Well,” Gerald considered the problem. “It
Jasper Jasper surfaced slowly. He could hear unfamiliar sounds, muffled voices in the distance, many different beeps and squeals, and the rattle of trolleys. Reid was snoring somewhere nearby, and that was reassurance that wherever Jasper was, he was with his mate. Hospital, he thought as he fought to open his eyes. He was in hospital. He could vaguely remember moments of consciousness, where nurses and doctors had spoken to him. He remembered Reid crying and holding his hand, and his mother, father, and Charlotte… He managed to open his eyes. Yes, hospital, he agreed with himself. He turned his head and smiled as he saw that Reid slept on an armchair recliner next to him. A figure moved near the door and Jasper tensed as he looked over. A guard stood with his back to the room, adding sugar to a takeaway coffee cup. A werewolf, Jasper realized. He did not know if the man was Compton or Morrison, but his presence recalled to him talking to his father on the phone. His pack had come to
ReidReid barely looked up from Jasper as the medics carried him out to the street where the ambulance waited. He was aware of the house being filled with armed men from both packs searching through the possessions within the rooms, and, when they stepped out into the street, that the street was roped off, those civilian onlookers curious enough to brave being on the street in this neighbourhood pressing up against the ropes.He saw that the buildings to either side had also been invaded by the pack but had no chance to ask as Jasper was loaded onto the ambulance. Jasper took the spare chair and held onto Jasper’s hand as the ambulance sped off towards the hospital, sirens blaring and lights flashing.Jasper’s eyes fluttered, his mate surfacing from his faint.“It’s alright, Jasper,” Reid leaned forward so Jasper could see his face around the oxygen mask the medics had placed on him. “I’m here.”At the hospital, however, they were separated, with Jasper wheeled off towards the operati
JasperThe dingy, disheveled little bedroom was empty, however, another door opened into an ensuite through which came the sound of running water, and whiffs of steam drifted out indicating that Jay had been in there for a while, possibly since they had seen him in the window.Reid crossed to the rumpled bed and searched through the clothing tossed carelessly there, shoving the guns and knives that he found there into the bag that he wore. He passed the bag to Jasper.Jasper looked from the bag to Reid. “Just shoot him, Reid,” he whispered as he realized that Reid intended to fight Jay hand-to-hand.Reid shook his head. “He’s naked, unarmed, taken by surprise. That wouldn’t be…” He shrugged.“Fair,” Jasper filled in for his mate, his stomach uneasy. “But dangerous, Reid,” he protested.The water in the shower turned off interrupting Reid’s reply and they both turned towards the door. Through the opening, Jasper caught a glimpse of Jay as the other werewolf dried off, wrapping a towel
ReidThey took a taxi from the hotel. Jasper paid the taxi driver at the drop off whilst Reid swept his eyes along the street. It had been raining consistently through the afternoon, and the water puddled in drains clogged with filth, flooding out onto the road so that passing cars sprayed it up in vile showers. The street was a fucking eyesore of boarded up windows, graffiti and filth. Most of the streetlights were broken, creating shadows in which lower level dealers, prostitutes, and their clientele did business.As Jasper stepped back to join him, moving out of the way of the water that the taxi’s wheels kicked up onto the pavement, he followed Reid’s gaze. “Dad deliberately has encouraged this are into decay,” he said in a low voice. “It drives property values down, makes them cheaper to buy.”“And created the perfect place to hide a rogue pack,” Reid replied. “People come and go, and no one asks questions around here, or looks too closely at one another.”“Yeah. The buildings ar
JasperReid lowered the phone to the mattress, his hand resting over it. His chin sank to his chest, and his body shook as he wept. Jasper could offer little comfort other than to keep holding onto his mate. It had been hard to face his father that morning, but for Reid to have lost his best friend and had to come out to his family and pack at the same time… Jasper was amazed by Reid’s strength of will, to keep going despite the terrible weight of grief that he was carrying.The plan to take out Jay Turner did concern him, he admitted to himself. In the past couple of weeks since he’d come of age, his life had changed so dramatically from studying art to understanding that illegal activities were the backbone of the pack, and now, to be personally involved in what would be, he knew, a murder. He felt under-prepared and ill-equipped for the situation and feared that his inexperience would endanger his mate.He only hoped that his father would come through for him and Reid.He was young
Reid“Do you trust him?” Jasper asked as they watched Gregory leave.Reid considered the question. The beta had abandoned the Morrisons for the Comptons and betrayed their shipping schedule… There was a lot not to trust about him. “Normally, about as far as I could throw him,” he admitted slowly. “But with this? Yeah. I think he has nothing to gain and everything to lose. And…” He leaned slightly against his mate, feeling raw and exhausted. “I think he had a bit of a thing for Marcella and is upset in his way about what happened.”The words brought back the ache of grief and anger. He threw back the last of his whiskey. “I am going to kill them both,” he decided grimly. “Jay Turner and fucking Vincent.”“Okay,” Jasper said but covered Reid’s hand with his own. “But you heard what Gregory said. They’ve been planning this for possibly years and have been recruiting from both packs during that time. They’re not alone Reid, and you and I…” He grimaced slightly. “We are. So, we need to be
JasperGregory Renmark was okay looking, Jasper decided as he followed Reid into a discrete booth at the bar of the hotel bar. Nothing compared to Jasper’s mate though, he added with a warm glow as he watched Reid order for them from the waitress who had shown them to the table. Both men, however, shared pale faces and reddened, swollen eyes.After the waitress left, Reid and Gregory stared at each other across the table. The beta was dressed in a business suit, but the top button of his shirt was undone and his tie was askew. His hair was a mess as if he’d dug his hands through it many times whilst waiting for them to arrive.“She was a fucking bitch,” Gregory broke the silence, the words almost spat across the tabletop. “But she deserved better than that,” was delivered softer.Reid swallowed hard, a muscle in the corner of his jaw twitching, but he held the beta’s gaze until Gregory looked away, establishing Reid’s dominance. “Yeah, she could be a bitch,” he agreed steadily. “But t
ReidThe apartment still smelled like Marcella, but the smell was stale, lingering from the night before rather than because she was within. The sophisticated Indian agarwood, Turkish rose, and sandalwood perfume combined with the smell of smoke and alcohol. Reid stood on the threshold, his breath caught in his lungs, his eyes searching the furniture for something that he knew was not there.Dust caught in the sunlight whirled in the air disrupted by the door opening, was the only movement inside.Jasper placed his hand between Reid’s shoulder blades, the warmth of his palm a comforting reassurance that gave Reid the courage to step inside. Reid crossed to the bedroom, easing open the door and looking within at the messy tumble of bedding, the closet that she had taken such a delight in, and the mirror where Marcella had forever been fixing her face.He moved the items on the dresser restlessly, shifting the compacts, the lipsticks, and the brushes.“Is there…” Jasper cleared his thro
JasperClaud and Brando growled through a spew of vitriol, raising the hair on the back of Jasper’s neck, whilst the elegant she-wolf who had admitted him put her arms around the other woman, whose distress had been forgotten by her husband in his outrage. Jasper kept his eyes on the two men, tensing ready to push Reid behind him if either male attacked.They were big, experienced alpha wolves, but Jasper was quicker, leaner, and fitter than them both. If they attacked him, he would lose, but he would do his best to protect Reid. He stroked his hand over the curve of Reid’s skull.His mate was, as Jasper had suspected he would be upon hearing of Marcella’s death, distraught but, Reid pulled himself together as the two males rounded on them. “Dad, stop!” He held out his hands, palm forwards. “I know this is a shock, but…”“A shock?” Claud Morrison spat the words. “A shock? I can barely look at you for my disgust, Reid. You and he…” He sputtered gesturing to Jasper. “Defiling each other