Page 12

Chapter 12

Caleb

T hey were reaching an end, and they both knew it. Jasper barely had the strength to stand up and move himself between the bed and the couch, so he was staying in bed. It wasn’t like he paid any attention when he had the television anymore.

Caleb looked longingly back at the days, a whole week ago, when Jasper would smile and engage with the shows they watched, pointing out how hot an actor was, or how annoying a character. Sometimes even mouthing the lines out at the same time as the characters on screen.

Caleb had called Poppy a dozen times, but she wasn’t answering. He’d even driven into the city, to her shop, to try to get her to help. Despite the fact that it had been the middle of her business hours, the door had been locked and the shop dark.

He’d have broken in, but a police car had driven by, and that didn’t seem like the best answer anyway.

If Poppy didn’t want to be found, there was usually a reason. Probably an annoying one, but she didn’t disappear on him often. He’d gone home annoyed.

He sat there just after twilight, watching Jasper sleep fitfully, eating his turkey sandwich. Turkey sandwiches weren’t the food of the gods at their very best, but this one tasted like sawdust in his mouth. His throat was so dry he could barely force it down, swallowing repeatedly and reaching for his water to try to clear it from his throat.

“’M sorry,” Jasper moaned in his sleep. “Didn’t mean to.”

Caleb took the excuse to drop the remains of the sandwich back on his plate and head over to check on Jasper. He sat on the edge of the bed and carded his hand through the man’s hair, sweat damp as it was. “You don’t need to be sorry.”

Jasper shook his head almost violently, and for a second, Caleb thought he’d woken. Then he settled, eyes still closed, and mumbled, “Just wanted someone to want me, not the demon.”

Demon? There was no way sweet little Jasper was a demon. Well, except he’d practically told Caleb he was.

I don’t think what I am, what we are, is good .

Somehow, even as the notion penetrated his admittedly thick skull, it didn’t change anything. So Jasper was a demon. Caleb wasn’t a proper werebear like he’d implied either, was he? No, he was half fae, and the bear part had come later. Lots of people hated fae as much as they hated demons, and for good reason.

There weren’t a lot of things that made demons sick, though, and Jasper’s problem kept circling back to starvation. He was starving to death because he wouldn’t—couldn’t?—eat what he needed to.

Caleb pulled out his phone and dialed Poppy.

Again, no answer.

He sighed and scowled at the phone. He had an annoying feeling that the moment he figured this out, his irritating sister would be right back to banging on his door, demanding that he watch movies and do other things normal people did.

If Jasper were alive when it happened, he’d agree to it.

He heard Poppy’s voice in his head then, as clear as if she’d been standing right next to him.

“It’s a corrupted forest spirit, gone feral and violent.”

The story came flooding back to him in a rush. Poppy had told him about the Poisonwood monster back when he’d moved into the cabin. She’d wanted him to rethink moving into the woods by himself, and so, compared him to a corrupted nature spirit.

The Poisonwood monster was a tale about a spirit that had broken away from its purpose—protecting the forest—and hidden itself away, attacking everyone who came near.

The story had been intended to scare children out of the forest.

It had been intended to make him see that hiding from the world wasn’t healthy.

It also said that eating the heart of the monster could cure any ailment. That should include starvation, shouldn’t it? And even if it weren’t a permanent cure, it would give them more time to figure this out. There had to be a way for Jasper to eat whatever it was he needed without hurting anyone.

He thought back to the way Jasper had looked at him a few times, with hunger in his eyes. It could have been plain old lust. It could have been?—

Caleb stopped and looked down at where Jasper tossed and turned. Beautiful in every way. Perfect body. Angelic face.

He almost groaned with realization. Of course he was an incubus. And his sweet Jasper was worried about hurting people.

That was it, then. All he had to do was find the Poisonwood monster, kill it, and feed Jasper its heart. Easy peasy.

He leaned down and kissed Jasper on the forehead. “I’ve got to go out, but I’ll be back soon.” He was sure Jasper didn’t hear him, but saying it seemed the sensible thing anyway.

It was a simple task, but Caleb wasn’t unintelligent. He knew it wasn’t an easy one. He wasn’t sure that Jasper would wake up and be coherent again without help, but he needed to leave a note anyway, just in case.

Gone to find the Poisonwood monster. I’ll be back if I can.

Love, Caleb

It was strange, seeing the word “love” there, in his own handwriting. He’d only known Jasper a short time, but he didn’t feel like he couldn’t say it to him. Or maybe the note was for Poppy, since Jasper would probably die if Caleb did. He loved her too, so that was fine. If he failed, at least she wouldn’t have to wonder what had happened to him.

He headed out in human form, since it was most comfortable for him, and he knew right where he was going. He’d always made a point of avoiding that part of the woods.

In the stories, the creature of legend was always hard to find. The Poisonwood monster was no white stag or golden fish. It was, like Caleb, a bear. A huge, angry, ancient bear.

As though it felt him enter its territory, he heard a roar the moment he stepped into the clearing near its cave. This entire part of the woods felt different. Not dark and foreboding, but somehow wilder. Not like they were far from the city, but like there was no city left anywhere.

Caleb barely had time to push off his boots and unbutton his jeans before the monster came rushing out of its cave, roaring again in challenge. He had expected to have to spend more time searching, at least—but no, this was better. Time was of the essence, after all.

He forced down his jeans and threw himself into the shift, pushing toward the monster. It was bigger than he was. Angrier too, which was something he wouldn’t have thought possible. Poppy probably would have made a joke about it.

Still, the monster didn’t need to win like Caleb did. Maybe the odds weren’t in his favor, but Jasper needed this, needed Caleb to do this for him. The monster didn’t have Jasper waiting at home.

It threw itself at him with reckless abandon, ignoring Caleb’s claws, and raked its own across his chest. His blood, hot and bright, sprayed across his face. All he could see was red.

This creature was what stood between him and Jasper getting well. This creature had long outlived its time, and Jasper was still so young. This creature was nothing nature had intended, and its death could give Caleb a chance at happiness.

It lunged at him. He fell to one side, ducking the worst of its claws, but it still managed to clip him on the shoulder.

He lunged from the side, going for the monster’s throat. A longer fight gave the monster the advantage. Caleb had to end this as quickly as possible.

It roared and swiped at him with its claws, hitting the already open wounds on his chest. Caleb roared in pain, losing his grip on the creature, which rolled away. It didn’t stay gone long, scrambling onto its feet and launching itself at Caleb again.

And again.

Caleb could feel himself weakening with every drop of blood he lost, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t.

He had to think like a man, not a bear.

He fell back, pretended to fall onto his side, slowed his breathing, and listened. When the monster came to have a look at him, probably claw his throat open and make sure he was dead, he lunged up and clawed its throat out.

The world went wobbly around him as he struck, though, and when he landed on top of the bleeding creature, he found that he couldn’t get back up. Couldn’t move at all.

Dammit , was all he could think as the world around him went dark, and then disappeared entirely.