Nikki gripped the edge of the car door and closed her eyes. She couldn't go back to Jasper ... Yet she couldn't let Jake die in her place.
"Nikki, listen to me.” Michael's voice seemed to come from a great distance. “He won't kill Jake just yet. He'll make sure we have enough time to attempt a rescue. Jasper likes his little games. Break the contact Nikki. Break it, now."
She bit her lip and concentrated on pushing Jasper from her mind. He evaded her grasp, as slippery as an eel, his laughter mocking. She gritted her teeth and pushed, hard. Jasper's poison slid away, but the effort left her trembling.
Michael turned her around and pulled her towards him. She leaned her cheek against the warmth of his chest, and wished she could stay in the safe circle of his arms forever. Why couldn't the rest of the world just go to hell and leave her alone? Better yet, why wasn't there a way to simply turn back the clock to the time before Monica and Jasper had walked into her life? Though that would mean not meeting Michael. Perhaps some good had come out of this whole mess, no matter how brief it was meant to be. After a moment, she sighed and pulled away. “If Jasper's moved in the daylight, he's stronger than you thought."
Michael shrugged, finally removing his dark glasses as he glanced at the sun. “It's nearly five, and the winter sun is weak. Besides, it was probably the zombies who grabbed him."
"Just how much do you know about Jasper?"
He shrugged a second time. “As I've said before, he and I are old foes. I make it my business to know my enemy."
"Do you make it your business to keep your allies in the dark?" A wisp of annoyance ran through her, though his face was impassive. “I only tell what needs to be known."
She clenched her fists and tried to ignore the desire to yell in frustration. “Well, right now I need to know everything I can about Jasper."
He nodded, though his dark gaze was suddenly distant. “As I said earlier, he's a twin. He and his brother survived the San Francisco fires of 1906, but the rest of their family did not. We're not sure when they both changed, but we do know it occurred shortly after the fires, when they were fifteen.” He hesitated, his face grim. “Even so, Jasper was responsible for the murder of at least five people before his rebirth." She shifted from one foot to the other and tried to ignore the need to move. Finding Jake would take all the caution and cunning she could muster—and every scrap of information about Jasper and his need for revenge. “You mentioned the royal ‘we’ again."
Michael sighed, though it was a sound filled with annoyance. “I am a member of an organization known as the Damask Circle."
"Are you all vampires?"
"No. But neither are we all what you'd term human."
Human. The bitter emphasis he placed on that word spoke volumes. He'd heard her thoughts, all right. She bit her lip and glanced away from the accusation of his gaze. “And this circle of yours goes around killing people like Jasper?"
"Yes. So people like you can rest easier at night."