Jasper: Love and Monsters (Book 2 of Jasper)

The first thing that Lila did when she recovered from her fainting spell was to focus on her surroundings. They looked familiar. Yet, her still muddled mind couldn’t quite place them. It took several minutes of study before she realized that she was back in the wing of the vampire castle where she and Jasper had spent so many months. The room was closer to the lab than the one she’d occupied before her escape and much smaller. She’d used it to nap in a few times when she wanted a brief break from the lab but didn’t want to be too far from Jasper in case he needed her.Placing her hand on her stomach, she cradled the bump that seemed to have appeared overnight. Realizing that she was about to give birth to a baby in an environment that had never seen a vampire birth before sent a ripple of fear through her. She had no idea what to expect. She’d never had a human baby, let alone a vampire one. In fact, she didn’t even know that she’d ha

Jasper popped the last of the roast beef sandwich he’d made for his lunch into his mouth and shuddered. The closer it got to the moon being full, the less he cared for the taste of cooked meat. Even the rare roast beef tasted off to him. This wasn’t a common complaint of the other werewolves with which he’d been associating. Therefore he assumed that it was either the zombie toxins or the vampire genetics in him that the moon was enhancing. Because the werewolf genetics had proven to have the strongest influence, he was surprised that they didn’t simply overpower the other traits instead of enhancing them. Since it only happened during the time of the full moon, he was confident that he was correct with his deduction.Coming to this realization filled him with dread and trepidation.His dislike for cooked meat was getting stronger with each full moon. That in itself was a serious matter. What made it worse was the fact that his craving

Cora sucked in air as she cautiously approached the bed where Cerie lay. Even though the restraints were strong enough to protect the vampires from an ancient witch’s retaliation, she was still fearful of what the notorious magic woman would do to her.She’d seen very few witches in her day with only a few glimpses of Cerie on the occasions she’d paid Rowan a visit. She remembered her as being young and beautiful. The pitiful creature, shackled spread eagle to the bed, was anything but that.Her dry, grey looking flesh was loose and severely wrinkled. If Cora had to describe it, she’d have to say it looked like it belonged to a body three times the size of this woman. Her face was gaunt with dark hollows for eyes and thin lips that were practically lost amongst the wrinkles.Saying she looked monstrous was putting it lightly.Gathering her courage, she said with a bold voice that sounded far more confident than she felt, “I a

The moon hung in the sky like a brilliant, oversized flashlight. Lila leaned her forehead against the window pane. It felt cool and soothing.Peering into the illuminated night, she looked out onto the mountain in hopes of spotting Marcus and his pack approaching the castle. She’d had no word from Ben about the rescue Jasper and the werewolves were planning for her, but this would be the prime time for them to do it. She closed her eyes and tried to visualize Jasper in his wolf form as he raced through the woods with the pack, but the pain in her back wouldn’t allow her mind to focus.Fearful of what was happening to her, she sent a telepathic message to Ben.“Ben, can you hear me?”He immediately responded with, “I’ve been trying to connect with you. What’s happening?”“I feel funny,” she replied. “My back feels like someone is stabbing me with a butch

Jasper felt the effects of the moon more intensely than in the past. He wondered if it had anything to do with the zombie aspect of himself. Were zombies ruled by the moon? He had no idea. Ben seemed to know a great deal about them. He made a mental note to ask him about it when next they met.Concern that his zombie traits might surface while he was surrounded by a pack of werewolves under the full moon kept him more subdued than usual as they raced through the forest to expend their excess energy. He was stronger than the average werewolf even when he didn’t shift into a full wolf form, but stayed with a human body that had werewolf traits, but he wasn’t strong enough to fight off an entire pack of them should they decide to attack.Coming upon an unsuspecting deer, Joseph quickly took it down. With a long howl, he called for the rest of the pack to join him for the fresh kill. Worried that the zombie in him would take over upon the taste of the fresh mea