“I just want to make sure you get some sleep,” he whispered back. “You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, running a hand over his rough, stubbled jaw. Her eyelids were already dropping. She hadn’t been getting any sleep in New York. New places, new bed. But now she had something comfortable, even when it wasn’t something she should have.
She was asleep in seconds.
The opera. The music, the lights, the setting, the singers. Sawyer was in love. She felt a hand trail over her back and smiled to Vincent. He was smiling back to her. She loved his smile. It was small and yet genuine. He wasn’t holding back, he just didn’t have the over-the-top nature of Zander.
When it was over, he helped her stand and led her out of the building. He ushered her into the back seat of a car and pulled her into his lap as the driver took them home.
Driver.
Sawyer tried to pull away, confused, but he held her too tightly. They didn’t have drivers.
Because it wasn’t Vincent. The man whose lap she was in already had a tight shield around him in case she tried to fight him. She couldn’t break that shield.
“We’ve had a good night so far - don’t fucking ruin it,” Axel snapped. “I’m not in the mood for the argument. Henry doesn’t need to see us screaming at each other.”
“You mean he doesn’t need to see you beat me,” she retorted, bitter and angry. She couldn’t sublimate away. He’d be able to hold her with his control over the air. She couldn’t blink out of the car since she couldn’t focus on anything outside the dark windows.
Trapped.
He wrapped a hand around her throat and yanked her closer. “Tonight, you’re just going to get in my bed. I’m not in the fucking mood.”
Sawyer wished she could fight back. She wished so much that she could kill this man and take her Henry anywhere else.
She tried, throwing a wild, untrained punch. He slammed the back of her head into the window. Her world went dark.
Sawyer woke up and tried to fight the hold. She needed to get away from whoever was holding her. She needed Axel to let her go. She struggled, but the son of a bitch wouldn’t release her. Her magic would be useless. It always was. Always useless to fight, but she that didn’t mean he needed to touch her like this.
“It was a nightmare, Sawyer,” Vincent whispered. “It’s okay.”
The words penetrated her sleep haze and she hated herself. Again. It’s fucking happened again.
“Fuck,” she growled. She didn’t try to leave his chest again. Her cheeks were cold from tears.
“What was it? What happened in the nightmare?”
“Where’s Jasper? He’s supposed to come in for me and help me.” She didn’t want to tell him.
“The enchantments in the wall probably stopped him from knowing,” Vincent explained quickly. “He would have if he knew. I promise. He’s most likely asleep and has no idea. It’s okay. You didn’t try to hurt me or yourself. You just cried until you started waking up. What was the nightmare?”
Why wouldn’t he just drop it? Sawyer knew the answer. He cared. She’d promised herself to work on this and without Jasper, she knew Vincent was the best option to talk about it.
“We were at the opera.”
“You and Axel?”
“No, me and you. You became Axel on the drive home. It had been a good dream and turned bad,” she told him. That was really all there was to it. “Did I wake you up?”
“No, I haven’t slept yet.”
“Why?” She didn’t like the sound of that. Axel used to fuck her and leave her in the bed to sleep, but he stopped sleeping next to her once they soured. Vincent was now doing it.
For the same reason, neither Castello would ever sleep in her bed. They both thought she would kill them. One knew she would if it ever happened, the other she never wanted to hurt. Both in equal danger.
Her stomach rolled, but it was too empty to lose anything.
“I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “If you can, go back to sleep. I’m just reading a book. It’s no worries.”
“Why?” she asked again. He hadn’t given her the answer she expected. She didn’t know if sleep was possible, so questioning him was a better option than trying.
“Because I can. Go back to sleep. You were only out for a couple of hours. You need more. I’m fine.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled. She closed her eyes and just stayed curled into him. She didn’t get any more sleep, angry that her good dream of music and the opera with him had turned sour. She didn’t like the new trend of her few good dreams turning bad. She didn’t have them often, if ever. She just wanted them to stay good.
She needed Jasper to help her. She needed him. She couldn’t do this ‘fight the nightmares’ thing on her own. She didn’t know how to make herself lucid enough during them. She got sucked in and went back to a time when she didn’t know how to fight back like that. She’d been great at slipping a knife between someone’s ribs, but not at defending herself.
“I wish he’d never hurt you, beautiful,” Vincent whispered. He probably thought she was asleep.
“Me too,” she murmured. She felt him jerk. Her guess had been right. “I wish none of it ever happened, but it is what it is. Now I’m here. With you and the team. That makes up for it a little.”
Silence.
“Do you want to just watch TV?” She didn’t miss how he didn’t say anything in response to her statement.
“Room service?” she asked. “Dessert in bed.”
“Good idea,” he chuckled. She got up to use the restroom while he ordered. When she was back, he just pulled her into him as he finished up the call.
Twenty minutes later, Vincent answered the door and pulled in a little cart with some cheesecake. She sat up and took a slice from him. He put on an old Western and they ate cheesecake at one in the morning together.
“This is nice,” she whispered. “I like this. Midnight dessert in bed.”
“I do too,” he agreed, reaching over to dip a piece of his into her chocolate sauce. She reached over him and did the same to his strawberry sauce. “Feeling better?”
“A little,” she admitted, looking back down at her cheesecake slice, half eaten. “Thank you.”
“Sawyer, I’m going to do whatever I need to, remember? Anything. I meant it. If that means you want to work stuff out before we go further, then I’m okay with that. If that means I stay up all night just to make sure you’re okay, then I will.” He sounded so passionate about it.
She looked at him and gave a weak smile. “Thank you for that. With how…with everything else, it’s nice to know that you just accept things.”
“It’s hard,” he said, swallowing. “I want everything to be…better, good. Elijah used to do all of the ‘feelings’ stuff. I’m taking a page out of his book on this.”
“You’re doing wonderfully,” she assured him, leaning to kiss his cheek. “You and Jasper are both great.”
“Not Zander?” He chuckled as he asked. She gave him a blank stare. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“He and I just…it’s constant. New York has at least distracted us from arguing.”
“He loves you and he’s trying,” Vincent reminded her.
“I know,” she sighed. “I love him too.”
“Have you told him?”
“No,” she mumbled, stabbing her cheesecake. “It’ll go to his head and I’m afraid he’ll take it as…”
“As a sign that he can keep trying to run you over a bit, that everything is perfect.”
“All of that, and I’m just not ready,” Sawyer leaned back onto the headboard. “I can admit I love both of them to you but not to them. It’s weird.”
“Nothing about this is normal.”
“Thank you for listening. About Axel and them, and…just everything.”
“Anything,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “I meant it.”
&nb
sp; “I know,” she whispered back. “Now, cheesecake and movie. Maybe even a little more sleep. What time do we need to be there tomorrow?”
“Noon. We have plenty of time. It’s why I chose last night for the theatre. They’ve been performing for the last week, but tomorrow we wrap up and then pack up. We fly home early Thursday.”
“Thank fuck.” She threw one of her legs over his and he tossed an arm over her shoulder. They shared bites of cheesecake for another hour and her eyelids began to feel heavy again. She fell asleep leaning into him, still propped up to watch the movie.
13
Jasper
Jasper was having a late breakfast when she stormed up to him. To anyone else, it was a nonchalant walk, but Jasper knew when Sawyer was upset. He could see it in her eyes. Something was bothering her, and he was going to answer for it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.
“I had a nightmare last night and you didn’t show up,” she told him. “I know it’s probably the enchantments, Vincent assured me of that, but I’m still a little agitated.”
Jasper blinked several times. She talked to Vincent before him? That hurt in a way he didn’t expect.
“Why Vincent?” he demanded softly. He shouldn’t have been asking. It was her business, but he’d thought she trusted him with this. Now Vincent was also taking her on dates and talking to her about her nightmares. Jasper felt something important slip from his fingers.
“Because I was in bed with him when I woke up,” Sawyer explained, sitting down next to him in the hotel’s restaurant.
“Oh. My…my bad,” Jasper mumbled, stabbing a fork through his omelet. Of course she had been. They had gone on a date and finished it off like most people would. It was actually a good step for them, since she’d been scared of hurting Vincent. Which meant the nightmare in bed with him again was going to set her back, not make her feel better. “The walls are exactly why I didn’t know. You can…” Jasper took a deep breath. “You can stay in my room tonight, just in case.”
“That’s a good idea,” Sawyer replied, nodding thoughtfully. “I’ll trade with Zander. We leave tomorrow. It’s a health and safety thing and there will be two beds. Good idea.”
“Yup,” Jasper mumbled. “You should get breakfast if you had a…late night.” He noticed her lack of plate and she pointed across the room. He looked to where she directed and chuckled. Vincent was bringing over two plates, followed by Elijah, Quinn, and the wolves. He slid one of those plates across the table to her and she started eating after a murmured thank you.
“How are you this morning, Jasper?” Vincent sat across from him, without any awkwardness. Jasper didn’t mind Zander at all, but something about Vincent’s casual nature to the morning after being with Sawyer irked him.
“Good,” Jasper answered, maybe a little curt. “You?”
“He’s probably on cloud nine,” Elijah cut in, before Vincent could even open his mouth. “Sawyer’s Italian Boy-”
“Stop that,” Sawyer cut him off too. “None of that, Cowboy. You ever want to try the ride, you’ll keep your thoughts about everyone else to yourself at breakfast.”
“Oh shit,” Zander laughed, walking up too. “Shut down.”
“That hurt a little,” Elijah mumbled. Quinn patted his back in some sympathy but even Jasper could tell he was either uncomfortable doing it or didn’t mean it.
“You deserve it,” Vincent muttered.
“Little lady, tell me you don’t mean it,” Elijah begged, reaching across the table for her.
“Every word, big boy,” she teased, giving a grin. Jasper couldn’t stop his own smile at the banter that took over the table. Vincent looked up at him, frowning.
“Are you really okay?” Vincent’s telepathic voice invaded Jasper’s thoughts. He just looked away from the Italian. “We’re going to talk later.”
He finished his omelet and let the waitress take the plate. They were all ready to leave once they finished eating. Jasper walked out the front of the hotel, their CO hot on his heels.
“Jasper,” he said sternly. “You got something on your mind. I can tell. You think too much.”
“It’s nothing,” Jasper answered, crossing his arms. It was a him issue, not a Vincent issue. Vin had nothing to do with how he felt annoyed that Sawyer hadn’t found him when she had a nightmare. It wasn’t Vincent’s fault for thinking a date in classy New York and a night in bed were a good idea to help them be together.
He just found Vincent a threat to his place, honestly. He hated it. He wasn’t wild Zander, and he didn’t have Vincent’s weird connection to her. He was just the smart, inexperienced one. Inexperienced in dating and everything else.
“It’s obviously something,” Vincent said quietly. He heard a lighter strike and watched Vincent take a long drag off his post-breakfast cigarette.
“You can’t smoke here.” Jasper groaned. “Smoking section is thirty feet that way.” He pointed out to his right and his team leader just shrugged in response.
“Who’s going to stop me?” Vincent chuckled. “Come on. You can stand with me. Give it another two minutes and Sawyer will be out here too, with Elijah on her tail. Maybe the entire team.”
“I figured Zander, not Elijah,” Jasper commented, walking with him to the smoking section.
“You and Zander don’t like her smoking mouth. She’s using breath mints now, because she won’t quit the habit just to appease a guy.” Vincent ashed his cigarette, flicking it several times out of habit, while Jasper just considered what he said.
Vincent was a people watcher. He judged how they reacted to the world around them, how they behaved, how they solved problems, all of it. If anyone knew the dynamics of the house, it was him.
“You’re right. I don’t like her smoking too much.” Jasper sighed. “It’s going to kill you and her. And Elijah.”
“We’re all going to die anyway,” Vincent reminded him. “Might as well die feeling relaxed and not murderous.”
“You didn’t answer my question about Elijah,” he pointed out.
“He’s got a crush on her,” Vincent answered. “He smokes more now as an excuse to be in her space, but doesn’t want to pull the trigger and make it more serious.”
“That…makes sense. Now I remember. We talked about this in Texas.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the wall of the building.
“We did, and nothing has changed between those two yet. They either will or they won’t.” Vincent shrugged. “Why are you upset?”
“It’s really nothing,” he said, looking down at his feet.
“Sure.” Vincent chuckled. “When you’re ready, talk to me.”
“I will,” he promised. If it continued to bother him, seeing them be relaxed and knowing she was giving Vincent the same secrets she gave him. That still seriously bugged him. He was the person she trusted with that, not Vincent. If that kept bugging him, even though they were all on the same team, he would talk to both of them. This only worked if they communicated. Jasper didn’t want to lose his piece of her and he didn’t want Vin to get cut out, since he was important to her.
“Here they come,” Vincent chuckled, pointing. Jasper turned and looked back over his shoulder to see Sawyer and Elijah laughing about something. She was already pulling out a cigarette and Elijah was stealing one from her as well. She didn’t use a lighter, as Elijah lit them both, and they were smoking by the time they got to Jasper and Vincent.
“You both rushed out here,” Sawyer pointed out immediately.
“I needed some air,” Jasper admitted. “Vincent decided to pollute it.”
“Stop complaining, Golden Boy,” Vincent ordered, but Jasper knew by his smile that it wasn’t serious. He wasn’t worried about the secondhand. They were both fucking around. “Where’s Zander and Quinn?”
“Quinn wanted the wolves to get up to the roof and do their business one more time in the animal area,” Sawyer explained. “Zander is…fuck if I know.”
“I’m here,” Zander called out.
“Constantly late today, it seems,” she corrected herself.
“We’re fine,” Jasper cut in quickly before an argument could start. “We’re not running behind.”
“Yeah, we don’t have a meeting for another two hours,” Vincent added. “At this time of day, traffic shouldn’t be too horrendous either.”
“Traffic is always horrendous in New York,” she scoffed. “Sometimes it’s like the first level of hell and sometimes it’s the ninth, but it’s always hell.”
Jasper couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that.
“How was the opera last night?” Elijah asked, looking between them.
Jasper stopped laughing and realized he should have asked that earlier.
“Good,” Sawyer declared, grinning. “Quite lovely.”
“She looks good in a gown,” Vincent told them, with his small smile. “Very good.”
“I’m suddenly jealous,” Zander commented. Jasper saw Zander look down Sawyer’s leg, so he reached out and swatted his friend on the chest.
“Stop undressing her with your eyes and find a reason to take her out in a dress.” Jasper shook his head at Zander’s groan to what he said.
“Fine. Sawyer, there’s this restaurant in Atlanta.”
“I call that,” Elijah cut in. “You aren’t taking her to my favorite place.”
“For fuck’s sake, Vincent. Did you have to tell them about the dress?” Sawyer wore an exasperated expression and Vincent was just chuckling softly, refusing to look at her.
Jasper felt a pang of jealousy. Vincent had seen her in a gown.
The light banter kept going until Quinn came outside, his wolves following dutifully. They loaded up into their small rental cars and Jasper drove with Sawyer sitting next to him and Quinn with Scout in the back.
Jasper lost his patience with the traffic in minutes.
“You can let me drive,” Sawyer reminded him for the third time since they got into the car.
The Redemption Saga Box Set Page 80
