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Jasper tensed. “We’ll talk about it another time.”
I pulled back and fixed him with a firm glare. “Yes, we will. Just know I am being completely honest with you when I tell you the only thing I regret about that evening is you leaving the way you did.”
“Really?” He looked down at me, unconvinced.
I raised myself on my tiptoes so I could whisper into his ear. “I could have gone for a second round.” As I pulled back, I nearly laughed out loud at the expression on his face.
Jack looked up from his phone. “Taxi will be here in ten. If you want to call in on your mother first, I suggest we do it now.”
I nodded, and Jasper caught my hand. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do?”
I went to shake my head, then snapped it up to look at him. “Yes, but it’s probably a daft idea.”
“Anything.”
“Just... would you drive past the estate on your way home and see if my cat has shown up? He’s probably done a runner for good if he survived, but just in case...”
Jasper grinned. “Just the one?”
I took a breath. “Yes, just the one. I’ll tell you why another time. He’s my last one and I just...”
He squeezed my hand. “I’ll go straightaway, and I’ll let you know if they’ve found anything.”
The house was silent when we got back. It was nearly midnight, and there was no sign of anyone as we came through the door.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, setting my bag down on the console table next to a weird jar with a bird’s head on the top. West really did have some odd decor ideas. I was fairly certain that it was a canopic jar, or at least a copy of one, so maybe it hadn’t had someone’s internal organs inside, but it was still a strange thing to have as an ornament in your living room.
Jack secured the door, then turned and smiled at me. He looked tired, and I felt guilty for keeping him out so late, even though I knew it was his job.
“West is out with Zayn doing detective stuff. Wesley went home to shower and sleep. I think he might be along in the morning though. He was injured and quite cut up in the blast, though he managed to heal most of it before the emergency services found him. He might need to... Ummm...”
“Feed from me? He should have said so before he left,” I said, annoyed with myself that I hadn’t realised he needed me.
Jack wrapped his arms around me, and I sank gratefully against his solid frame. “You had a lot going on, and you were worried about your mother. He’s fine, he’s just exhausted, and he’ll be here in the morning. You can just—”
We both turned as the door opened behind us, and Zayn came in. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked distracted.
“Everything okay?” Jack inquired.
Zayn nodded. “We dropped the metal samples off at the lab and talked to a few people West knows about who might have the capability to construct a device like the one they found at the house. The results won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest though.”
“So where’s West?” I asked, glancing at the door in case he suddenly came through it.
“He has contacts at the police station where the investigation is taking place, so he’s staying with the team there in case anything else turns up. They’ve been interviewing people all evening.”
He walked past us into the big room and collapsed on the sofa, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
Jack walked over to the fridge and took three beers out. He snapped off the tops and walked over to the sofa, handing me one. “Any word on Sadiq?”
Zayn opened his eyes and took the offered bottle. “No, nothing.” He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and gave a frustrated sigh. “I just want to know. I mean, everything I know about Sadiq tells me he’d never betray Tory, and he’d never betray me either, but...”
“But everything so far is pointing to him?” I finished, sitting down next to him.
He took a drink. “It seems that way,” he admitted.
I took a drink from my own bottle, watching him. His normally hard edge seemed softer tonight, and like Jack, he appeared tired. I was starting to realise how hard it was hitting them that someone they’d been close to for thousands of years had potentially betrayed us all. Zayn just seemed tapped out, and my heart ached for him.
I set the bottle down and snuggled up next to him, laying my arm across his chest. His dark blue shirt was slightly unbuttoned, and I undid another one, slipping my hand inside to twirl my fingers around the dark silky curls that lay beneath. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, stroking my hair. I felt the sofa shift as Jack sat down on the other side of me, his nearest hand resting on my thigh. We stayed that way for several minutes, drinking and listening to the silence around us and the noise in our minds.
