Chapter 3

Jasper was leaning against the counter making he was way through a bottle of whisky when the young lady finally surfaced from his room. Her movements were slow and slightly jerky, but she was finally moving, which was his intention when he dropped the bomb on her ten minutes prior. She would be stiff for a while, a side effect of laying still for two days. It would work itself out if she moved around though, so he wasn't worried about that aspect. It was the wet dog smell that had him concerned which was why he was drinking. It would take quite a bit, but his senses would start to dull as he began to get drunk.

What was a bigger issue here was the level of anger he was currently suppressing for her. He had never felt such anger and hatred from someone before and from the little he knew about the wolves, this was their Achilles Heel. The more pissed off she got, the more likely it was he would have a giant dog destroying his home. Not something he wanted to happen. He did know he would eventually have to stop controlling her emotions and make her deal with them, but for now, getting her something to eat and civil conversation about it seemed the better way to go.

At least for now.

Only his eyes followed her as she walked, watching and waiting for any indication she was going to strike. When she basically ignored him and took a seat at the table, Jasper relaxed slightly, taking another long pull from the whisky bottle. He saw her nose wrinkle and again braced for something, anything, from her, but all she did was clear her throat and pick up a fork and begin picking thing off the brunch assortment he made and put it on the plate in front of her. He did raise a brow at the amount she took without batting an eye, shaking his head when she asked if he was going to eat with her. He didn't even try and lie about already eating either. He was long since done pretending to be a human and he was pretty sure she would know he was lying anyways.

The room was tense and uncomfortable while Leah ate and Jasper drank his booze. There were stolen glances on both their parts, but neither one thinking the same thing. Only one of them currently knew there were two supernatural beings in the room and the one that didn't was possibly the more dangerous of the two. Dogs were inherently vicious and unpredictable, something Jasper had the ability to deal with, but there was something about her that had him not wanting to hurt her. Maybe it was her eyes and the pain and heartbreak in them, he didn't know; but there was something and it was all encompassing.

He waited until she finally set her fork down before he spoke and when he did, it was before she could, wanting to control the subject and where he knew the conversation would eventually go.

"Let's start with the basics, hmm? Whatcha name, Darlin'?"

Leah stared at the man she knew she should know, but couldn't place, not sure she should give him any sort of personal information. Then again, as she let her eyes drop and taking in the banquet he provided for her, she sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Leah. Leah Clearwater." Lifting her eyes, she raised a brow. "And you are?"

Setting his bottle on the counter, he crossed his arms. "Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am."

Both brows shot up to Leah's forehead. That's it! That's why he looked so familiar. In class they had recently learned about the Civil war and this guy was a spitting image of someone she learned about. How weird was it that he not only looked like him, but actually had the same name? The words were out before she could stop them. "Are you related to the Army Major Jasper Whitlock?"

A smirk made its way to Jasper's lips as a chuckle sounded in his throat at the question. He had been curious at one point if he made the history books, and it looks like he finally got his answer. He tilted his head only slightly, his smirk growing wide enough to show his teeth. "You could say that, I suppose. I wouldn't, but you can."

Leah blinked, starting slightly at the statement. "What does that mean, you wouldn't but I can?"

Waving a dismissive hand, not quite ready to go there, Jasper flawlessly redirected the topic. "Later. For now, how ya feelin'? Any better?"

Instantly her brows dropped down, a glare settling on Leah's face. No, that shit ain't gonna fly with her at this point. The last time someone said that to her was when she asked Sam if things between them were alright and he used the same diversion to get her to drop it and she wasn't going to put up with it again. "Don't dismiss my question. What did you mean by that?"

Jasper made a face and picked back up his whisky. He wasn't drunk enough for this yet. But, it didn't seem as though she cared much. So, he downed the last quarter of the bottle, licked his lips and spoke as he looked at the empty bottle in his hand. "This world is full of all kinds of things that humans don't know are here. There are far fewer myths than people think. Technically, I'm related to myself, so you can say I'm related to him, but really..." Lifting his eyes, he looked dead in her's. "I am him."

Her reaction was just about what Jasper expected. She snorted and crossed her arms. "Bull shit. He's been dead for over a hundred..."

Jasper cut in. "Missing. Trust me, I can vouch for the fact his body was never found and the grave that holds his name is as empty as an Egyptian King's Tomb these days... cause I'm not done with it yet. Maybe someday there will be something in the disintegrated casket that lies beneath the soil, but for now, not so much." Again, waving both hands this time, he redirected the conversation, but only away from him. "Tell me, Leah Clearwater, that you have no idea about the world around you, even growin' up with legends to lead you. You know I'm not lyin', but it's easier to call someone a liar than it is to believe there are things in this world that aren't lies. All myths and legends come from truth, they just get blown out of context over the years. Everything you think you know is the lie. Take you, for example. You're not what you think you are either. How the fuck do you think you survived that crash? A HUMAN never would have. A supernatural, though... they have every chance. Since you're still alive, maybe you should stop questionin' me and start questionin' yourself." And damn it all if he didn't realize he sounded like Peter in that moment.

Leah looked at him like he was as crazy as he sounded. The tribe's legends were just that; Legends. They were nothing but stories to keep the little ones from running around after dark and make them feel safe on the Rez with the knowledge it was protected by their spirit animal.

Jasper, somewhat annoyed by the look she was giving him, growled slightly and decided to prove it, the destruction of his house be damned. There was very little he cared about as it was and being called a liar was right on up there at the top of the list. Besides, he could always rebuild what she broke.

So, with his eyes locked on her's, he started to pull back his gift, letting her once again become consumed with her anger and hatred. When she flushed red, a growl sounded from her throat, the same noise that distracted her from the road before. Seeing her eyes go wide, he smirked at her and completely yanked his power back, giving her the full brunt of it, even adding to it because she pissed him off.

he watched as she jumped out of her seat like she was kicked, her hands slamming on the table, the power behind it breaking the wood beneath her palms. Her back arched back, a scream ripped from her mouth as her bones began to shift and snap. He had to admit it looked painful, but he didn't stop it. He just continued to watch in a morbid fascination. He merely lifted a brow at her when she looked at him, her breathing hard as her eyes flashed before they snapped closed and she hunched over as another scream sounded in the room.

Before the change was complete though, he capped her emotions and flooded her with calm and tranquility, stopping the change in its tracks. As she breathed hard and fast, she began to relax, the pain from what she just went through slowly subsiding with every breath. She lifted her eyes, looking in Jasper's general direction, but only seeing blurs of color.

For Jasper's part, he just continued to stand there and look at the girl he found, his smirk still in place. Having her around could actually be kinda fun. However, before any plans like that could be figured out, first he needed to get her to be able to control this little thing of her's on her own.

Once the pain was completely gone, Leah continued to stand there, staring at Jasper with a glare that would probably have started it all over again if not for him. Her voice still held the growl from before, the beast beneath her skin waiting for a moment's weakness to fully break free. "What did you do to me?"

Again, Jasper snorted. Of course this would some how be his fault. If there is a man within fifty miles of a female having issues, it's always his fault. Pushing off the counter, he went to the cupboard above the stove and pulled out two more bottles of whisky, keeping one for himself and tossing the other to Leah. Cracking the seal, he lifted a shoulder as he uncapped the amber liquid. "I didn't do shit to you, Darlin'. It really ain't my fault you are what you are. Hell, it ain't even my fault I am what I am. The point, Sugar, is that we can't change it. All we can do is figure out how to live with it."

Catching the bottle, Leah held it in her hands, feeling the smooth glass and biting her lip as she listened. When he was done talking, she clicked her tongue as she too cracked open the alcohol in her hands. Retaking her seat, she poured a glass for herself, picking it up and looking back at Jasper. "How? I don't even know what that was, what you are. How do you deal with something when you don't know what that something is?"

Not caring for a glass, Jasper just went ahead and drank from the bottle again. He was going to drink it all anyways; no need to dirty a glass. Humming at the burn that would never get old, he swallowed and let out a breath. "Simple. Ya stop callin' people a liar and listen to 'em when they tell you somethin'. There's all kinds a shit in this world you don't know about, but you will since you're one of them. I'm not gonna lie here, Sugar. You're gonna have a hard time with a lot of it, but I've been around the block a few times over the years and I'm willing to help, but you gotta be willin' to listen. I'm a lot of things, but I ain't a liar and won't stand bein' called one."

A look overtook Leah's face at that last part. "Why? You said that there was more to the legends I grew up with than I'm willing to give them credit for. If that's the case and there is truth to them, then wouldn't we be enemies? I can guess to the fact that since I'm a native, I'm the protector and since you're not, you're the one I'm supposed to protect people from."

"Well, sure, if ya wanna look at it that way. However, there is more to it than just that. If we were natural enemies, I wouldn't have saved your life and let you get blown to bits by the car, nor would I have brought you to my place and let you sleep off the injuries, or fed you, or give you my whisky. It ain't black and white like ya think it is. It's the shades of gray that keep shit interesting. Besides, what are your other choices? Go home and find out there what's goin' on with ya? From the way you been mumblin' about some man there, I doubt that's what you wanna do."

She couldn't argue that. She had no desire to go back there. She should at least want to tell someone she's alive, but in that moment, it didn't seem like a pressing matter in the least. So, instead, she took a drink from the glass in her and and nodded once. "So, what's the first thing we have to do?"