All Chapters of Jasper: The Beginning (Book 1): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Darkness slowly receded as Jasper’s muddled mind gradually regained a semblance of consciousness. Blood steadily oozed past swollen lips as he lay, face down, in a shallow, muddy pothole. He could feel the flesh over his left eye swelling while the throbbing in his head intensified to the extent that he was sure the iron bar that was used to beat him with was lodged deep inside of it.  There was a faint sensation of warmth coating his ears from the blood that steadily trickled from them.  This explained why all sounds were muted and barely audible.He was grateful that the pothole was shallow enough to keep him from drowning because he had no idea when he’d find the strength to push himself up and out of it. Even the effort of rolling onto his back felt unobtainable. He’d run out of money to pay for his research. Never one for waiting until tomorrow to do what could be done today, he’d insisted on making the trip to the other sid

Several Weeks Later Jasper slowly eased his body onto its side.  Mimicking sleep, he intently listened to the conversation between a young woman named, Cora, and the old nurse he’d heard called both Bess and Smithfield.  He’d assumed that her true name was Elizabeth Smithfield with Bess being the nick name for Elizabeth, but names were funny things.  He’d noticed the increasing pattern of nick names or abbreviated names being given to children at birth by parents wanting to be different.  Therefore, he could have been incorrect on that assumption. “He has been here for weeks.  It has been determined that he will not provide service in the household, but he has not been turned,” Cora complained.  “Others have come and gone, yet there he lays. I do not understand what is so special about him.  He wastes valuable bed space.”“I agree that he has been occupying a b

“It was Halloween,” Jasper mused with unbridled confusion.  “I thought they were in costume.   Who knew those things were real?”“What better time to walk in the open without fear of discovery?” Rowan said as he inspected the color and shape of Jasper’s eyes and his mouth’s interior. “You have experienced mild alterations, but nothing severe.  You still show signs of being human.”“Alterations? In what way?” Jasper asked with concern as his fingers roamed over his facial features.  “I don’t feel like I look different.  I don’t look like a zombie, do I?”“Would you like a mirror?” Bess asked as she moved out from behind Rowan to produce a small, hand-held mirror.  “You are still a handsome man if you must know.  The significant change that I see is the color of your eyes.  They are much darker.  In fac

Although he’d been on death’s door while being rescued from the alley, Jasper had a faint recall of being draped over the vampire’s shoulder and flying through the air for a considerable period of time.  Because of this, he naturally assumed that their mode of travel to retrieve his notes from his lab would be the same.  His first response when he slid into Rowan’s limousine was to mentally mock himself for thinking that they would fly instead of drive.He said nothing to Rowan about his assumption.  In fact, as time passed and the road took them closer to their destination, he questioned if he’d really flown at all.  Perhaps it was simply some type of crazy illusion by a man who was barely alive.They drove the roads in what seemed like a normal fashion, yet time didn’t behave normally.  The world on the opposite side of the windows whizzed by so fast that it was barely discernable. A trip that should have t

The apartment provided to Jasper was located in the far side of the vampire’s castle. The awe that he felt as the limousine drove high above the clouds up the winding mountainous road toward the enormous stone structure that looked as if it was floating in the sky still lingered.  Had he not been so angry with his recently acquired benefactor, he might have been better able to appreciate the awesomeness of his new home and situation.  As it was, he was having difficulty moving past what had happened to his assistant during their drive home.He battled with his guilt.  Just as Rowan had assured him, Lila remembered nothing of what happened.  She wasn’t even aware that there had been a gap in the drive from his home office in Philadelphia to their new home hidden deep in the tree laden forest of the Catskill mountains. Unfortunately, he was very much aware of it.  Now, he tortured over whether he should inform her of it or keep quiet and hop