The moment Jasmine started swaying her hips and dancing like she didn't have a care in the world, Jasper and his wolf knew why she seemed so familiar. Her scent was a dead giveaway and he was going to strangle her when they got outside. Not only did he feel like a fool, but he couldn't believe he had fallen for her antics. Again.
In an effort not to cause a scene, Jasper let Jasmine finish her little dance. When the song ended, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Let's go outside for some fresh air, beautiful." Just the thought of using such an endearment on her made his stomach turn. She was a manipulative, conniving witch who was about to be put in her place once and for all. He was done with all this nonsense. She needed to understand there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell they were ever getting back together.
When she smiled and complied, Jasper gently took her by the elbow and escorted her out of the building. It took everything he had to reign in his temper. He wanted to throttle Brittney, but knew it wouldn't solve anything. Why she couldn't leave the past where it belonged was beyond him. They both needed to move on. Hell, she had moved on… with Salvatore. He really needed to figure out what had happened there because he didn't have time to deal with a jealous boyfriend. Laughing in disgust, he simply shook his head at the irony of it all and continued toward the exit.
The moment they stepped outside away from prying eyes, Jasper turned to Brittney and said, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"
Feigning ignorance, Brittney smiled and said, "I don't understand. What are you talking about?"
Taking several deep breaths and running his fingers through his hair, Jasper looked her dead in the eye and said, "I know it's you, Brittney. Your scent is a dead giveaway."
Jasper watched as a myriad of emotions played across her face before she whispered under her breath…
Lies upon lies,
I ask the Goddess to release this disguise,
It's obvious this farce is up,
It's time for me to return to my former slump,
The one I desire is mad as sin,
Please don't let him hold it against me in the end,
So mote it be.
"Do you really think I won't hold this against you?" Jasper yelled. "You've made a fool out of me for the last time, Brittney. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, we're done. You ruined whatever chance we had when you slept with my best friend."
"Jasper. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? It meant nothing," Brittney whined. "Besides, in the end, I came back to you."
"It may not have meant anything to you, but it sure as hell did to me. You don't love me. Hell, I don't even think you love yourself. If we were destined to be together, it wouldn't have been so easy for you to cheat. You left Bass Ackwards with Salvatore. I'll never forget the smug look on that asshole's face, and if I ever see him again, I'm going to do what I should have done. Kick. His. Ass," Jasper said through gritted teeth.
"If you don't love me, then why are you so angry?" Brittney asked, confident she had him by the balls.
"I'm mad because once again, I've fallen for your cheap tricks. It's obvious you have no morals and will do anything to get your way. Well, here's a clue for you. You won't get me. We are done. We were done the moment you jumped into bed with Salvatore. I will never trust you. Ever. As far as I'm concerned, you're dead to me," Jasper exclaimed. "Do you hear me? Dead."
Sniffling, Brittney pleaded with Jasper. "Please don't say that. I love you. I will always love you. We're meant to be together. Don't you see?"
"What I see is a woman who took my love for granted and threw it away like it meant nothing. Now, she's returned to the scene of the crime and is naïve enough to think all will be forgiven. That we can just pick up where we left off. What I see is a delusional person who needs to move the hell on… without me," Jasper replied.
By this time, their yelling outside had stirred a crowd. Jasper wanted to tell them all to go back inside and mind their own damn business. He hated how small this town was and knew by tomorrow morning, his business would have spread like wildfire. He needed a drink and some aspirin for the headache pounding in the back of his head. Once again, he would be the town spectacle. He didn't need this shit, but something prevented him from walking away from the train wreck that had become his life.
When Dillen gently touched his shoulder and told him to calm down, he had to hold back his instinct to react. His wolf wanted vengeance, but Dillen wasn't the one who deserved his wrath. Before Shorty and Ariel could get everyone back inside, he saw the looks of pity on his friends' faces. He hated that damn look. The look that said, poor, stupid Jasper. Will he never learn? Unfortunately, that was the least of their worries when flashing lights attached to Sherriff Buford's car pulled into the parking lot.
"Who in the hell called the police?" Shorty asked, anger evident in his voice. When no one responded, Shorty ordered everyone back inside with the exception of Brittney, Jasper, Dillen and Ariel.
Sheriff Elmo Buford stepped out of his car, pulled up his pants, and walked toward them. "Shorty, I told you what would happen if I received another call about your cli-en-tele."
Before Shorty could respond, Ariel spoke up. "Elmo, there's nothing going on here. Just friends having a conversation outside, so you made the trip for nothing."
"That's not what I heard," he quickly replied, shrinking up his nose like Barney Fife always had in The Andy Griffith Show. In all honesty, Elmo was the splitting image of Barney. He was thin with dark hair, clumsy as all get out, and the Mayor never allowed him to carry a loaded gun. Sound familiar. He was more likely to shoot himself in the foot… again, than to apprehend a criminal.
"I assure you Sheriff, we're all friends here. There's nothing to see. We were about to go back inside and have a drink," Shorty insisted. He didn't need this shit tonight. Don Juan's was his livelihood. If the Sheriff shut him down, he'd have to leave town.
Before Sheriff Buford could respond, one of the tires on his car exploded. Jasper was going to strangle Brittney for messing with the Sherriff's tenuous nerves. Startled by the interruption, Sheriff Buford quickly pulled out his gun and started waving it around like a mad man. He quickly turned toward his car and suddenly realized his mistake before turning back toward Jasper, Ariel, Dillen and Shorty. During the commotion, Brittney had mysteriously disappeared.
"Where's the other one?" Sheriff Buford asked in a shaky voice.
"Where's who?" Ariel asked in confusion.
"You know who. The brunette in the red dress. Where'd she go?" Elmo asked with more force in his voice.
"Sheriff, are you okay? We didn't see a woman in a red dress," Dillen said, trying to deescalate the situation.
Continuing to waive his gun back and forth, Sheriff Buford said, "I know what I saw. There was a brunette in a red dress here just a few minutes ago. You're not going to fool me. I’m not crazy."
Fed up with the Sheriff, Shorty finally said, "Elmo, stop waving that gun at us before you shoot someone. Besides, everyone knows it's not loaded."
"You don't think it's loaded. I'll show you," Sheriff Buford said as he squeezed the trigger and released one, lone shot in the air. "Oh crap! Now look what you made me do. I'm telling Mayor Granger it was all your fault. He's definitely going to take away my gun and badge this time," Elmo whined, as he paced back and forth.
"Just calm down, Elmo. We promise to tell the Mayor it was an accident if you'll just let this situation go. In fact, no one has to know, except us," Ariel said in a soothing voice.
"Really? You promise not to tell him. I love being sheriff, Ariel. If he takes away my gun and badge, what will I do?" Elmo continued to whine, obviously distraught by the entire situation.
"No worries, Elmo. It'll be our little secret. Shorty will help you clean your gun and we'll get you another bullet. When Mayor Granger checks your gun at the end of the night, he won't know the difference. It's like I said, it'll be our little secret. Now, you go on inside with Shorty and we
'll take care of your tire. Okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Ariel. I've always liked you. You're a good a citizen," Elmo said, wiping the tears from his eyes.
There was a small part of Ariel that felt a little bad about taking advantage of poor Elmo, but only a small part. They needed to fix this mess and put things back to the status quo before Mayor Granger actually showed up. They would definitely need Zoe and Zara's help, so she quickly dialed the sisters. Within minutes, they were on the scene and cleaning things up. Zoe used her powers to make everyone in the bar forget the scene that had played out between Jasper and Brittney. Zara used her powers to repair Sherriff Buford's car. Brittney was nowhere in sight, so they'd have to deal with her later. When things were back to the status quo, the sisters said good night, as Ariel, Dillen and Jasper joined everyone in Don Juan's. It had been a long night and all Jasper really wanted to do was go to bed. He'd figure out how to deal with Brittney tomorrow. She wouldn't get away with the stunt she pulled tonight. Enough was enough.
Chapter 2
When Jasper entered Don Juan’s, it was as if the last two hours had never happened. Brittney hadn’t tricked him by pretending to be someone else. The looks of pity he had seen on his friends’ faces earlier was now non-existent, and Ruby was waiting for him at the bar with a Bud Light in hand. He’d have to thank Zoe and Zara tomorrow for their magical hocus pocus. It had definitely saved his ass tonight.
He accepted the beer from Ruby and grabbed the vacant seat next her. Dillen was on the dance floor with Melanie attempting to line dance, while Ariel had rejoined her friends. Shorty was consoling Elmo and by the looks of their smiles, it seemed as though the two men had come to an understanding. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a total bust after all. Downing his drink in three long swallows, he grabbed Ruby’s hand and escorted her to the dance floor. Wrapping her in his arms, they swayed to Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” When Jasper heard the song crooning from the jukebox, he sighed and gave up trying to fight Cupid. The Love God had definitely made it clear that tonight belonged to lovers, so who was he to judge. For some, the heart wanted what the heart wanted. He just wanted to enjoy the moment of content with Ruby Shae in his arms. If he got lucky tonight, so be it. If not, it would be just another Saturday night in Bass Ackwards, Tennessee.
It hadn’t taken long for things to get hot and heavy with Ruby. Although inviting her to his place had broken every one of his rules, he’d decided to throw caution to the wind. So, when Cole’s ringtone started playing on his cell phone, he had to fight his instinct to ignore it. Being the Beta of the Pack could be a royal pain in the ass at times. Yet, he knew if the dragon was blowing up his phone, it had to be important. Cole wasn’t the type of man to call with idle chit-chat.
“This better be good, Cole. You’re interrupting my alone time with Ruby, if you know what I mean.”
“I get the picture, Jasper, but this is important. We are at Alec’s house for dinner, but he’s not here. Do you know if something came up? While nothing seems out of place in the house, it looks as though he left in a hurry. The food was cooling on the stove, and the salad he was preparing was left unfinished in the kitchen.”
“Not that I’m aware of. He was looking forward to your dinner tonight. In fact, when I saw him earlier, he looked downright giddy, but don’t tell him I said that. Have you tried calling his cell?” Jasper asked, concern in his voice. He knew from earlier that his friend was being taunted by his ex, Serena. Had she done something to his Alpha?
“Yes, that’s the first thing I did, only to discover that his cell phone is here.”
“What? Alec never goes anywhere without his cell phone. Something’s not right. Give me about fifteen minutes to drop Ruby off and I’ll meet you at the house,” Jasper replied in a no nonsense voice that brokered no argument. If Serena had harmed Alec, there was going to be hell to pay.
“Okay. We’ll see you when you get here,” Cole said. Knowing that if Jasper was willing to cancel his date, something had to be wrong. He just didn’t know what.
Less than fifteen minutes later, he was pulling into Alec’s driveway. His wolf was pissed and wanted some answers… now. Without a word, he slowly, methodically started searching the house for any anomalies. Once he’d completed his search, he came back downstairs and in a matter of fact tone explained that something bad had happened to Alec.
“How do you know something has happened to Alec, let alone that it’s bad?” Sophie inquired.
“Because in addition to your scents, I smell Serena’s and Dark Magic. Given that she and Alec had a run in earlier today and the vixen was determined to win him back, my gut is telling me that he’s in trouble,” Jasper replied in a deadpanned voice that left no hint of what he was feeling.
When everyone’s face paled a little and they all suddenly became quiet, Sophie asked, “Who is Serena?”
“She’s the witch Alec was dating before he discovered you were his mate. You may not remember much about the battle, but she’s also the one who received daddy’s Dark Magic. If Jasper is right and she’s used it on him, then he could be in big trouble,” Sarah said in a calming voice, as if she were afraid any more bad news would send her sister either running for the hills or cause her to have a nervous breakdown.
Straightening her spine, Sophie finally asked, “Is she a good witch or a bad one?”
“Well, if you consider someone who’s manipulative, vindictive, and spiteful good, then yes. If not, then I think you have your answer, little lady,” Jasper countered with all the venom and anger he could muster up. Between Brittney’s stunt tonight and the idea that Serena had done something horrible to Alec made him want to throttle someone. What in the hell was wrong with these cousins? Didn’t they understand the meaning of the word ‘No’?
“Good to know. So, what do we do?” Sophie asked.
“You go home and I let the rest of the magical community know what happened. We don’t want to tip off Serena and lose the element of surprise. I promise you, the witch is going to pay for whatever she’s done to Alec,” Jasper replied.
Sophie walked right up to Jasper, who probably had a good foot or more on her and poked him in the chest. With all the bravado she could muster up, she said, “If Alec is truly my mate like you said, then the last thing I’m going to do is go home, buddy. So, quit acting as if I don’t have a stake in the matter for Goddess’s sake and tell me the plan.”
“Look, Sophie, I know you’ve had a rough time lately, but tonight hasn’t been a picnic for me either. My crazy ex, who just happens to be Serena’s cousin, decided to glamour herself. When I discovered the farce, she tipped Sheriff Buford off who almost shot Dillen, Ariel, and myself as he waved his gun around like a lunatic. During all of the commotion, Brittney slipped through my hands. Now, you tell me Alec is missing. Given that I hadn’t anticipated this, I don’t have a plan, which is why I need to bring this to the magical community’s attention. Please go home and I will contact you in the morning,” Jasper pleaded. His earlier bravado falling to the wayside as he watched Sophie’s eyes fill with worry. Alec was a lucky man to have a woman care so deeply for him, even if she hadn’t admitted to herself that they were truly mates.
* * *
The morning came way too early for Jasper. Once he’d left Alec’s house, he’d telephone Mikhail and Zeva to explain the situation. Given the hour, there wasn’t much anyone could do, so they’d agreed to regroup in the morning. What he hadn’t been expecting was the phone call from Sophie explaining that his Alpha had been cursed by Serena and was now a mouse in her closet. After he had finished laughing at the absurdity of it all, he assured Sophie that not only would the magical community be apprised of the situation, but he would also be over as soon as possible with reinforcements. It took him a bit to round up everyone, especially his secret weapon, but as promised, several hours later he was knocking on Sophie’s door with Roger the Rabbit in tow.
Jasper could tell by the look on Sophie’s face that
she was curious about Roger. How could she not be? The man was as pale as an albino and had whiskers longer than any he had ever seen. His ears were rather disproportionate to his face, and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses with red trim. Add in the fact that his purple Oxford sweater matched the purple in his tweed jacket and complimented his navy slacks, and he was the epitome of sophistication. Jasper knew Roger had a dirty side, but didn’t all sex therapists.
Redirecting his attention toward Sophie, Jasper smiled and said, “It’s good to see you again. Thanks for calling me this morning.” He left out the part that it had been a long night and her call would have been received better around ten o’clock instead of six o’clock.
The man always seemed to be in a hurry. He hadn’t even bothered to introduce his friend, Sophie thought with a smile. Finally, she said, “Hello Jasper. It’s good to see you as well. Who’s your friend?”
“Oh! Sorry. Believe it or not, my mother did raise me better. Sophie, I’d like for you to meet Roger. He’s a sex therapist.”
“Oh-kay. It’s nice to meet you Roger,” she replied, trying to hide the confused look that was probably plastered all over her face.
Jasper could tell from Sophie’s reaction that it was unclear how a sex therapist was going to help Alec, but he knew Roger would rise to the occasion. However, before he could reassure her that everything would be okay, she began talking to the wind. Maybe Alec wasn’t the only one who needed Roger’s assistance. Confused, he finally asked the question everyone wanted to know. “Who are you talking to?”
“Um. Alec, Armand and Iggy. They’re upstairs at the entrance to my closet. Give me a second, and I’ll run up and get them.”
“Oh-kay,” Jasper responded with a shrug of his shoulders to Roger.
When Sophie returned and placed three little mice on the table, he could no longer contain his laughter, especially when he realized that Alec was dressed in a black frock coat with cream colored trousers, a silky, golden cravat, a cream vest with gold trim, a black top hat, and black riding boots. He looked like a method actor from the 19th century. Armand, the stuffy guy next to him, was wearing Fab-a-tards that looked a lot like Alec’s with a form fitting shirt, and the one they called Iggy wore a Yosemite Sam hat with a purple band, a red bandana wrapped around his neck, and purple cowboy boots. To say they made an odd trio was an understatement. He would have gone for the Three Mouseketeers, but only Iggy was dressed for the part. Alec’s voice finally brought him out of his musings. Or rather, Alec’s yelling.
Magic and Mayhem: Witchin' Up A Spell (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Magick & Chaos Book 5) Page 2
