As Detective Trewitt added a note to his phone, Jasper’s gaze drifted to Gabe who was standing next to him with his arms crossed, looking all kinds of dark and menacing. Which was working on Trish, who kept shooting nervous glances at him. Gabe’s aggressive stance was working on Jasper too, but not quite the same way. Keeping his eyes on him, Jasper ran his thumb back and forth over the cuffs, an almost unconscious action by this point. Heat flared in those piercing blue eyes, making his stomach jangle. Then Gabe blinked and the heat was gone, his expression dark and menacing again. Which, because he obviously had no sense of self-preservation, made Jasper want to push him further. For whatever reason, the scowlier Gabe got, the faster Jasper’s blood pumped and the more alive he felt, which made him more daring, driving him to greater risks, which in turn made Gabe’s scowl deepen, making him look even more dangerous.

The cycle of taunting, heat-filled angry eyes, blood-pounding excitement, and dark scowls might have continued indefinitely if Detective Trewitt hadn’t cleared his throat, bringing Jasper’s attention back to him. The detective’s eyes were filled with amusement, making Jasper think he knew what was happening between him and Gabe. Which meant he should probably knock it off before he got his mate into trouble. Darting another glance at the scowling visage, Jasper’s heart began to race when the flames in those eyes burned brighter. Ookay then. Maybe not. Slowly tearing his eyes away, he gave his attention to Detective Trewitt. Mostly. At least enough that he could answer questions.

“Can you think of anyone who might have any reason to come after you?” Detective Trewitt asked.

Jasper opened his mouth, then hesitated. Should he throw Lucas under the bus? Then he thought back to how Lucas had taunted him. Hell yeah. He deserved to have to deal with Gabe.

“Mr. Belmont,” Detective Trewitt said, watching him closely. “Do you have an idea of who’s stalking you?”

“Not exactly. But I’m pretty sure my ex-boyfriend knows who’s behind it.”

“What makes you think that?”

“My crystals told me.”

Detective Trewitt’s eyebrows shot up. “Your crystals told you?”

Jasper nodded. “Kind of. It’s hard to explain. But my ex did say some things when I accused him of putting that picture up on the news that tells me he knows who’s doing it. But he wouldn’t tell me who.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “So your ex is fine with this person going after you. Is there some reason for him to want to get back at you?”

Jasper shook his head. “Not really. We broke up because of a stupid misunderstanding. Nothing major that would warrant this level of harassment.” Which wasn’t strictly true, but there was no way he was going to let his mate know how pathetic he’d been, thinking Lucas had actually cared, trusting him with his heart when the only reason he’d been with Jasper was because of who his family was. Something someone like Gabe wouldn’t understand. He’d never let anyone make a fool of him like that.

“Just a stupid understanding? Are you sure?”

Jasper bit his lip and nodded.

Gabe grunted, something about it sounding like he didn’t believe Jasper, then he went back to scowling at him.

Glancing back at his partner, Detective Trewitt let out a small sigh, like Gabe was testing his patience, which made Jasper think his mate might be a bit difficult to work with. Turning back to Jasper, Detective Trewitt asked, “What did your ex-boyfriend say when you accused him of putting that photo up on the news?”

“Just that he didn’t do it. I also accused him of taking that photo without my knowledge, but he denied it.”

“Do you believe him?”

Jasper shook his head. “He’s the only one who could have taken it.”

Gabe snorted.

Ignoring him, Jasper pointed to his second earring. “I had this in the photo. Lucas was the last person I was intimate with since I got it, so it had to have been him who took it.”

Detective Trewitt nodded. “What’s your ex-boyfriend’s full name?”

“It’s Lucas Johnson. Lucas with a C.”

Detective Trewitt made a note on his phone. “We’ll have a talk with him and see what he has to say.”

“Thank you.” After another quick glance at Gabe, Jasper asked, “Do you need anything else?”

Detective Trewitt shook his head and put his phone in his pocket. “This should be enough for now. We’ll call you if we have any other questions.”

“Okay.”

Detective Trewitt handed him two business cards. One with his name and number, the other with Gabe’s. “If you think of anything else, please give us a call.”

“I will. Thank you again.” Nodding to him, Jasper glanced at Gabe, then unable to resist, touched the cuffs again, a small smile escaping when Gabe’s eyes narrowed, then he grabbed Trish’s hand and quickly pulled her over to the mural. Gesturing at it, Jasper asked, “Do you really think you can save it?”

Leaning her head against his shoulder, she looked up at him. “Yes. But I’d rather talk about the scary hunk of a detective who looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to toss you over his shoulder and carry you off to do unspeakable things to your body or throw you off a cliff.

Jasper snorted. “That scary hunk of a detective is my mate.”

“Your mate. Oh, my god.” Trish’s squeal had both detectives turning to them.

Jasper grabbed her when she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing when she started talking a mile a minute, her words running over each together in her obvious excitement for him.

He just grinned and held on tight. He’d had pretty much the same reaction when he’d first realized Gabe was his mate, even if he hadn’t been able to show it.

——

The sun was just setting when Jasper pulled into his driveway in his newly tuned-up car that now sported four brand new tires. He turned off his vehicle, then just sat there, taking a moment to enjoy the silence broken only by the ticking of his engine as it cooled, his body relaxing after what had been a wild roller coaster of a day, filled with highs and lows, the highest of which had been meeting his mate…even if he did think Jasper was criminal who should be behind bars.

He chuckled quietly to himself. Oh well. No relationship started out perfect. There were always growing pains as people got to know each other. His were just a bit more problematic than most. But Jasper knew deep in his soul that whatever he had to put up with until he could break through Gabe’s walls would be totally worth it in the end.

And until then, Jasper would just keep having fun playing with him.

Fingering the cuffs the detectives for some reason had let him keep—probably because of the call they’d received that had them rushing off—Jasper took a quick look around the darkened neighborhood, checking if there were any reporters still lurking nearby, which there weren’t, then got out of the car and went inside, instantly feeling better when the safety and warmth of his house wrapped around him.

Leaning against his door to kick off his shoes, he noticed the heavily taped box on the side table. Damn. He’d completely forgotten about bringing it in the day before. Dropping his keys into their bowl, he grabbed the box and carried it to the living room, setting it on the table, before picking up the remote and turning on the local news. He squinted at the TV, bracing himself as he waited for it to come on, then let out a breath of relief when it did without his sex face taking over the screen. Putting the remote down, he sat on the couch and pulled the box toward him and began ripping off tape. Then more tape.

When he’d torn off enough to make a medium sized ball but was no closer to getting into the box, Jasper pulled open the drawer built into the living-room table and fished around in it until he found the utility knife he kept in there, then sawed through the thick layer of tape, finally getting the box open.

Peering inside, he found a picture of himself with the eyes gouged out, the crushed fragments of a red jasper stone—a symbolic threat if he’d ever seen one—dried black rose petals, the melted remains of a black candle, and nail clippings.

Fucking great. Someone had sent him a hex box. And not a very imaginative one at that.

As a heavy miasma of despair settled around him, Jasper set the box down, then ran his fingertips over the black tourmaline ring on his hand to wake up the crystal. Holding his closed fist over the box, he called on his magic and sent a burst of power through the ring to dispel the negative energy he’d unwittingly brought into his home. Jasper frowned when the heaviness in the air didn’t lift.

Huh. The hex was stronger than he’d thought. Getting up, he went to his bedroom and brought back the selenite crystal wand he kept on his windowsill. Holding it in his fist over the box, he focused his will and sent another burst of magic through the cleansing crystals.

There was a slight lightening in the room, but the darkness lingered, which was a bit concerning. Whoever had sent him the hex box had used a lot of magic to power it. And nasty magic at that, the kind that left a rotten bitterness he could now taste on the back of his tongue.

The bitter rot that signified black magic.

Jasper was going to need something a bit more traditional than just these two crystals to counter it.

Getting up, he carried the box into his spare bedroom, which also doubled as a ritual room, and set it down in the middle of the carpet before going to the dresser in the corner and opening the top drawer which was filled with an assortment of stones and crystals. Letting his magic guide him, he selected the crystals he would need, then pushed the drawer closed and grabbed the large lava rock sitting on top of the dresser —the lava stone had been spelled to withstand high temperatures but not get hot itself— and set it down next to the box. Then Jasper went to each of the four cardinal points and put down one of the crystals he’d selected, speaking quietly to it as he set it in place to wake the power inside of it and invoke the spirit that aligned with its element. Once the crystals for air, earth, fire, and water were in place and charged, Jasper called up his power and moving in a clockwise direction, slowly drew out a circle with his finger, linking the crystals as he came to them, then carefully joined the ends of his circle when he returned to his starting point. 

With the circle complete and the protective magic in place, Jasper knelt next to the box and removed the elements of the hex, placing them in a small circle formation on the lava stone, then poured the Red Jasper stone fragments in the middle of it. As a final step, he placed a small piece of his namesake stone, Red Jasper, on top of each component of the hex, then stood and moved a few feet back from it. Taking a moment to feel the energies in the room, he nodded. Everything felt right, including his choice of Red Jasper, which wasn’t customarily used for purification and cleansing. But the symmetry of using the stone that had been meant to harm him to counter the spell felt appropriate in this case, so he’d gone with it.

Closing his eyes, he centered himself, then opened them and focused on his crystals. “Are you guys ready?” Pulses of energy flickered in each of them as crystalline tinkles of agreement filled the air. “Alright, then. Let’s destroy this thing.”

Jasper called up his magic, then released it. A line of fire raced around the circle he’d cast, enclosing the protected area in blue flames. He raised his hands. The flames rose higher. Pointing one hand toward the hex components, Jasper released another burst of magic, channeling it through the Red Jaspers, his power lighting a spark in the heart of each stone. Then he pushed more power at them until the stones glowed red. The protective circle, catching the edge of his magic, rose to the ceiling. Thrusting one hand out to the side to hold the flames of the circle in place, he pushed even more power through the Red Jaspers until they glowed like little suns.

But the hex remained intact.

Calling up more of his magic, he increased the flow he was channeling into the stones until there was a loud pop and they burst into flames, incinerating the components of the hex.

But the dark magic lingered.

Jasper fed more power into the stones until the flames turned white, which finally started to burn away the bitter rot of black magic. But it didn’t go easily. Jasper let out a yelp when sharp claws scraped at him, digging at his soul. Gritting his teeth and locking his knees—which had started to wobble—he pushed out more power until the tips of the flames turned purple. There was a high-pitched shriek that he felt more than heard, then the magic binding the hex shattered. But Jasper kept the flames burning until the air in the room felt lighter, cleaner, with no sense of darkness remaining. Only then did he release his magic.

And promptly fell to his knees, then forward onto his hands, his entire body trembling, breaths coming fast, and sweat pouring down his face. When his elbows gave way, he collapsed to the carpet, then rolled to his back and stared up at the ceiling. Holy crap. He couldn’t believe how much effort it had taken to destroy the hex. Someone really had it in for him.

Which was not a comforting thought at all.

Once he’d gotten his breath back, Jasper wiped the sweat from his face, then sat up and slid across the carpet to look over the remains. All that was left of the hex components were a few small piles of ash and…he blinked, then gently blew on the ash pile in the center of the small circle, letting out a surprised laugh at what was revealed.

Sitting in the middle of a bed of ash, surrounded by the small pieces of Red Jasper he’d used to destroy the hex, was a new Red Jasper stone, larger than the others, glowing with an inner fire, an actual tiny flame that flickered in the center of it. Jasper stared at it in awe. No matter how much he thought he knew about crystals, they always managed to surprise him. But none more than this beautiful Red Jasper, formed from the fragments of stone in the hex box and the collision of crystal magic and black, reshaping itself into this fiery new stone like a phoenix rising from the ashes of what it had been.

Studying the energy it was giving off, Jasper knew exactly what he was going to do with it. Once it cooled, he was going to fashion it into an amulet so he could always carry with him the powerful fire magic that had been woken in the stone, turning what had been meant to harm him into something that would protect him.

His own little fuck you to the asshole who’d sent him the hex.

Leaving the stones where they were to cool, Jasper swept up the ash for disposal, then cleansed his room using a combination of sage smoke and quartz. The sage wasn’t strictly necessary since his crystals could have done the job, but he figured you couldn’t be too careful when dealing with a hex that powerful. Besides, he liked the way it made the room smell.

Closing the door behind him, he disposed of the inert ash, washed his tourmaline ring carefully to ensure all residue from using it to dispel the hex was gone, then dried it off with a soft cloth and placed it on the kitchen windowsill where it could catch the early morning rays of sunlight and recharge. Taking the selenite wand back to his bedroom, he placed it in its spot on the windowsill, thanked it for doing its best to help, then left his curtain open enough to allow the moonlight to fall on it, so it could cleanse and recharge, too drained to do it himself. With all that taken care of, Jasper got ready for bed, pretty much done with that day.

As his body relaxed, his mate’s growly face, never far from his thoughts, flashed into his mind. Jasper drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, looking forward to what the next day would bring, almost certain he’d be seeing Gabe again. Thank god it would be under better circumstances than what he’d experienced today.

Once again, he was wrong.

——

Jasper jerked upright and looked blearily around his darkened bedroom, wondering what had woken him. Then he heard the banging on his front door. Glancing at his phone he saw it was barely past four. Who the hell would be knocking this early? Shit. It better not be those damn reporters again.

Scrambling out of bed, he tripped and almost fell face-first into the wall when his feet got tangled in the jeans he’d left on the floor the night before. Kicking them aside, he hurried from his bedroom as the banging on his front door got louder. Jasper rushed down the stairs, having to grab the railing part way down so he didn’t break his neck, then leapt from the second to last stair to the ground and raced down the hallway as the pounding on his door picked up speed.

“Motherfucker!” Jasper grabbed at the toe he’d rammed into the hall table leg, dancing around in place as he inspected the damage to his foot.

Then whoever was at his door started ringing the doorbell, adding a loud chiming accompaniment to the continued banging.

Pissed, his toe throbbing in time with the banging on his door, Jasper hopped the rest of the way there and threw it open.

“What the fuck do you…Spencer? What are you doing here?”

“Katie just called. She said something’s going on at your shop.”

Jasper blinked. “Katie?”

“Katie. My assistant. She said fireworks are shooting off the roof of your building.”

“Fireworks?” Then what Spencer said finally made it through the fog in his head. “Shit. My store. I gotta get down there.”

Spencer blocked him when he tried to leave. “You might want to get dressed first.”

Jasper looked down and saw all he had on were his boxers. “Right. I’ll, uhm, get dressed and be right back.”

“I’ll drive,” Spencer said, holding up his keys. “Your tires are flat.”

“Tires? All of them?”

Spencer nodded.

“Son of a bitch. That bastard hit me again.”

“Looks like.” Spencer pointed down the hall. “Go and get dressed. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

Nodding, Jasper hobbled back to his bedroom as quickly as he could, wondering what the hell was happening at his store.

——

Whatever he’d expected, it didn’t come close to the reality.

Spencer had barely come to a stop in front of his store before Jasper was out of the car, running toward the stairs that led to the roof, having no trouble seeing where he was going with the sparklers and showers of color lighting up the sky above him. He was halfway up the stairs when the sound of sirens filled the air. Then two police cars roared into the lot and screeched to a stop below him.

Jasper let out a heavy sigh when a scowling Gabe climbed out of the second vehicle and shouted at him to freeze, knowing his anticipated bright new day had just gone from bad to worse.