Chapter 7

Although he’d been on death’s door while being rescued from the alley, Jasper had a faint recall of being draped over the vampire’s shoulder and flying through the air for a considerable period of time.  Because of this, he naturally assumed that their mode of travel to retrieve his notes from his lab would be the same.  His first response when he slid into Rowan’s limousine was to mentally mock himself for thinking that they would fly instead of drive.

He said nothing to Rowan about his assumption.  In fact, as time passed and the road took them closer to their destination, he questioned if he’d really flown at all.  Perhaps it was simply some type of crazy illusion by a man who was barely alive.

They drove the roads in what seemed like a normal fashion, yet time didn’t behave normally.  The world on the opposite side of the windows whizzed by so fast that it was barely discernable. A trip that should have taken several hours took a fraction of the time. 

Pointing this marvel out to Rowan, he asked, “How did we manage it?  Not only is it impossible, but we should be feeling the repercussions of traveling at warped speed. Yet, I feel fine.”

“We moved at a normal and respectable speed,” Rowan informed him.  “We simply traveled on an alternate vibration where time is not measured in the same way.”

“It all looked the same,” Jasper said with confusion. “Of what I could make out, that is.  We traveled so fast…”

Rowan gave a low chuckle as he murmured, “Oh, the ignorance of man.  If you had made an effort to listen closely to me in our earlier conversation, I stated that the vibration is different, not the scenery.  We entered a plane of vibration that melds with this one.  Any human can do this.  They simply need to understand the how and the why of it all.”

“Without you?” Jasper stated, noting how foolish his question sounded just a little too late.

“Yes,” the vampire said with a sigh. “Without me.”

Fortunately for the chagrinned scientist, they’d reached their destination.  Their attention immediately went to their surroundings and the task at hand, sparing him more embarrassment on the topic.

Jasper’s laboratory was located in a turn of the century building on one of the community’s main streets.  Reaching the parking area and the entrance that he used on a regular basis required that they maneuver down a long narrow alley road.  He was instantly reminded of the alley where he’d almost lost his life and gave an involuntary shudder.

“Are you alright?” Rowan asked with curiosity.

Not willing to admit to the emotions that whirled within him, Jasper quickly nodded and pointed to the door that led to his lab.

He still had the key in the door’s lock when his assistant, Lila, pulled the heavy oak barrier open with a fervor.  Her eyes went wide with joy as she cupped her cheeks with her hands.

“We thought you dead. Where have you been?” she demanded with a mixture of relief, joy, panic, and angst.  “When you didn’t show up for three days, I called Steven Giles.  He said that you never went to his home that night.” Her eyes fell on Rowan as she continued with, “What happened to you?” Then, with more emphasis, she reached out to place her fingertips on his temples and added, “What happened to your eyes?”  Her tone switched from concern to mistrust as she asked, “Who is he?”

“Don’t be rude,” Jasper barked as he pushed his way past the young woman.

“I assume this is your assistant?” Rowan said as he stood in the doorframe but went no further.

Taken aback by both Jasper’s attitude and Rowan’s smooth, alluring voice, she simply stared at him and nodded.

“Perhaps you would invite me in?” he continued.

Having already reached his desk, Jasper gripped a pile of notes in his fist as he looked over at the door with surprise.

“So, the stories about you not being able to enter a human’s home without an invitation are true, I take it,” he said.

Rowan gave a slight smile as he purred, “Or, perhaps it would simply be an exercise of common courtesy?”

“Please come in,” Jasper said with a distracted tone as he focused his full attention on the gathering of his files.

“What’s happening?” Lila asked with a hint of panic.  “Why are you collecting your files?”

“We’re moving the lab,” Jasper impatiently explained.  “Pack up the testing equipment, will you?”

“That will not be necessary,” Rowan said as his long, slender fingers lightly caressed the nearby microscope.  “I will supply all of this, plus anything else that you may require.  It will be of the best quality available.”

Jasper thought for a brief minute and then nodded.

“Okay,” he said with a breathy sigh. “Just get the test samples.  Those are irreplaceable.”

“Truly?” Rowan asked.

Jasper stopped collecting and looked directly at the vampire.  With a firm voice, he said, “If we leave them behind, we’ll have to start fresh.  That’ makes no sense.”

Rowan nodded.  Looking at Lila, he said with a soft smile, “By all means, pack them.”

“Did Steven Giles cough up more funds for research?” Lila quizzed. “Is he making us move?  I don’t understand.”

Carefully placing the lid on the oversized plastic tub that contained his research files, Jasper stopped working and took the time to properly explain things to his assistant.

“Forgive me, Lila,” he began. “To shorten a rather lengthy explanation, I was beaten to the brink of death the night I left to solicit more funds from Steven Giles.  This gentleman found me and nursed me back to health. It was a long, laborious process.  Since my recovery, we have discovered that we have a similar goal with our research.  He has offered to back the research in a way that Steven Giles never would be willing to do.  Thus, we are moving to his lab.”

“I see,” Lila said as she warily eyed Rowan.  “Does this gentleman have a name?”

Jasper’s eyes went wide.

“Good grief!” he explained. “I’ve completely lost my manners.  Please forgive me.  Rowan Julian, meet Lila Clarke.”

Lila smiled as Rowan bowed low.

The vampire’s tone was low and sultry enough to cause chills to rush up her spine as he asked, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lila.”

Amused with his old-fashioned mannerism, and a bit giddy from the erotic rush that she’d just experienced, she giggled, “Same here.”  Then, satisfied with the information given to her, she hurriedly gathered their test results from the refrigerator.  “Where is this lab?” she asked as she carefully nestled each test result into a large cooler.

“It is in the Catskill Mountains of New York near the Pennsylvania border,” Rowan informed her.

“Where?”  she asked with a scowl. “That’s far.  Too far to commute.”

Jasper rushed to help her complete the task of packing the testing results.

“I will be staying there,” he admitted.

“What about me?” she said with a tone that sounded hurt and worried.  “Where do I fit in?”

He gave her a look of genuine surprise as he confessed, “I hadn’t thought.”

Lila looked boldly at Rowan and then back at Jasper before blurting out, “Just because I’m an assistant and don’t have “Dr.” in front of my name doesn’t mean that I deserve to be cast aside. I have just as much time, effort, and frustration invested in this research as you do.”

Jasper gave a desperate look in Rowan’s direction.  So far, he’d managed to keep the fact that he was traveling with a vampire secret.  If she pressed the issue anymore, he saw no way around telling her the truth.  What would happen then was anyone’s guess.  Would she scream and force the vampire to bite her?  Kill her?

Beads of sweat formed on the back of his neck and his forehead as his mind went over the myriad of possibilities of what was to come.

“You are welcome to stay and work alongside him as you have been doing,” Rowan said.  “I see no reason to cast you aside. You will make a valuable addition, I think.”