"Where are we?" I say, blinking awake as we pull up between two towering walls.
It's dark out and up ahead an enormous, ornate gate is swinging open.
Have I woken up outside of Wayne Manor? Is Batman waiting inside with hot cocoa?
I must have fallen asleep somewhere on the road back to New York.
Only this isn't Manhattan or Stony Point. This isn't anywhere I recognize.
While we wait for the gates to swing open I make out the dull roar of the ocean in the distance. But that can't be right. Can it?
"We're in the Hamptons," Jasper says.
I sit up, shaking my head. I must still be asleep because I'm definitely dreaming.
"The Hamptons?! What are we doing here?"
"Aisha needs to rest and this is the safest place to bring her."
Aisha is asleep in the back seat, leaning against the window.
"I can take you home once she's settled in."
"But what is this place?" I stare at a line of perfectly spherical trees as we cruise down a long, gravel driveway.
"This is my house," Jasper says, swallowing.
"Oh."
We glide along until the front of Jasper's house comes into view.
The house is three stories tall, and looks as if it's made entirely out of concrete and glass. Brutal and minimalist it looms above us––alien and unwelcoming. A large entry way is lined with flower beds curated to perfection. A few palm trees wave their fronds in the breeze and a fountain bubbles in the center of the forecourt.
Was Tony Stark the previous owner?
To the left of the front door is a cherry tree––still in blossom. Pink and white petals are strewn about the lawn like candy.
This place is too, too wild and I've only seen the front yard!
The driveway curves around the house leading to a garage door longer than my parents entire house. The door slides open as we approach.
Lights ping on inside and we slip into an empty space between two other cars. I step out of Jasper's jaguar and let my gaze drift along the line of vehicles. It's like a damn car dealership in here! Sports cars sit next to SUVs, jeeps, town cars, and motorcycles.
And there aren't just cars either. On the far wall, a couple of jet skis sit on some industrial strength shelves. There are quad bikes and golf carts as well. It finally dawns on me...this isn't just Jasper's house. This is the alpha's house!
Without waiting for me, Jasper carries Aisha into the house, so I stop gawking and follow behind.
It's hard to take anything in at first. It all seems so big and glossy.
Every surface looks pristine. I'm scared I'm going to scuff my shoes on the polished concrete floor or bump into a perfectly white wall and leave a mark.
There's sculptures in the hallway and abstract paintings that take up entire walls. The furniture looks unused. The whole house is straight out of the pages of Architects Digest.
Jasper leads us up some stairs which overlook a sterile living room.
Four couches that could fit my entire family three times over sit facing each other, between a built-in fireplace and a wall of windows.
Beyond the expansive lawn outside, I can make out the rolling slope of sand dunes, and behind them the sea.
I follow Jasper down a long hallway of doors, and into a dark bedroom.
Gently, he lowers Aisha onto the bed, where she rolls over onto her side.
"Wait here," he says, turning back to me. "I'm going to get her some water and see if I can get a healer here in the morning."
He passes me, heading back in the direction of the hall.
"Wait––" He's gone before I can ask him my question. I want to know if the alpha is home.
"He doesn't mean it, you know," Aisha says, looking over her shoulder.
"Hey, you should try and sleep."
I walk to the bed and kneel beside her, taking her hand.
"He only acts like a jerk…" Aisha's voice is hoarse, "...because he's scared."
"How hard did you hit your head?"
Aisha laughs but her laughs quickly turn into coughing. She sits up to try and get more air into her lungs.
"Whoa, are you ok?"
She nods and the cough settles down.
"No more jokes," I promise. "Get some rest."
Aisha nods and lies back against the pillows, closing her eyes.
I spin around and take in the room. It's big, of course, probably about ten times the square footage of my room. The bed is a California King. There's room for a full sofa and entertainment system, complete with PS5. A large wooden desk sits in one corner and built-in shelves take up an entire wall, stuff with books and trophies.
This is Jasper's room. I thought maybe he'd take us to a guest room or something but no… This is his space, his inner sanctum.
My skin starts tingling. If I close my eyes I can feel him, he's everywhere around me. His scent...
I don't know how I didn't realize sooner.
I wander around the room absorbing every little detail, taking snapshots in my mind.
It's nothing like my room at home. For one thing, it's way tidier.
There are no posters on the walls, no stuffed toys leaking fluff from where they got torn eight years ago. No stickers on the headboard and no pile of dirty clothes.
My eyes run over the many, many awards, golden cups, plaques and shiny little men standing on plinths with Jasper's name engraved on them.
He's won more prizes than Meryl Streep!
His desktop is bare, except for a laptop and a photo in a silver frame.
Who does he care enough about to give their photo such pride of place? I head to the desk and pick up the picture. It's a black and white portrait of a stunningly beautiful lady. I recognize her instantly.
Mitsuha Apollo, Jasper's mom. Her black hair is pulled back beneath a straw hat and she's smiling effortlessly. She has the same light freckles across her cheeks as Jasper.
"That's my mom," a little voice behind me says.
I turn and find a young girl standing in the light of the hallway.
She's wearing light blue pajamas with Anna and Elsa from Frozen printed on them. Her hair is dark like Jasper's. She looks like the kid version of the woman in the photo.
"Is it?" I fumble with the frame trying to place it back on the desk so it doesn't fall over.
"Who are you?" the girl asks, walking straight into Jasper's room.
"Me? Uh, I'm Max. Who are...I mean, what's your name?"
"I'm Jodie."
She does this cute little shrug when she says her name.
"What are you doing in my brother's room?"
"I...I…" For some reason, this kid is intimidating the socks off me.
It must be that alpha bloodline.
"Hey stinky face," Jasper says, returning just in the nick of time.
"What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep because you weren't here. Where were you?" she says.
"I had to help Aisha." He crosses the room and places a glass of water on the bedside table next to her. "You remember Aisha, right?"
"Of course I do," Jodie says, swinging her arms from side to side.
"She's here all the time!"
"Don't be jealous, stinky face," he taunts.
So, Jasper has a thing for lame nicknames. Although he hasn't called me bonehead in a while.
"Come here." Jasper steps to Jodie and kneels to hug her.
I stare in astonishment. I've never seen him show this kind of affection to anyone. It's kind of baffling and kind of adorable.
"Is Dad here?" Jasper asks.
Jodie sticks a finger in her mouth and shakes her head. "Un-uh."
"Oh, is that why you couldn't sleep?"
Jodie scrunches up her face. "You both left and I got stuck here with Melissa."
Who's Melissa? And what did she do to deserve that look of hatred?
"I thought Melissa was a good babysitter," Jasper says.
"She made me carrots for dinner. Carrots! Gross."
"Carrots?" Jasper says making a face like he just ate an out-of-date twinkie. "We can do better than carrots. You want a snack?"
Jodie nods enthusiastically and Jasper looks up at me.
"Are you hungry?"
I haven't thought about my stomach since early this morning but the second Jasper asks if I'm hungry it starts growling like a wolf possessed.
"I could eat."
Jodie is sitting on the granite kitchen counter swinging her legs and chomping on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Jasper slices a knife diagonally through a second sandwich and slides the plate in my direction.
"Here," he says.
"Thanks!" I grab the sandwich and take a massive bite. I moan audibly and Jodie shoots me a weird, grossed-out look. But this grilled cheese is the absolute GOAT! It tastes so good. They must have some kind of fancy person cheese because this is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.
Jasper goes to work grilling himself a sandwich.
"Did Dad say when he was going to be home, Jodes?" he asks, flipping the grilled cheese with professional flair.
"Nope," she says with her mouthful.
Jasper catches me looking at him.
"Sometimes Dad has to leave at short notice for business. Melissa manages the property so she lives on-site and we pay her extra in case we need her to babysit last minute."
I nod like a madman, trying to pretend like everything he just said is totally normal.
It sounds like Jericho is away quite a bit.
Not that you could blame him. He's the alpha! He has an entire pack to take care of and a big one at that.
It's kind of obvious Jasper is used to taking care of his little sister.
"How is it?" he asks Jodie, whose face is greasy and smeared with mustard.
"It's good," she says, nodding. "One of your best."
She laughs and it's so contagious I start giggling as well. Finally, when he can no longer avoid it, Jasper starts laughing too. I can't help but stare at him. I don't think I've ever actually seen him laugh before. Of course, his smile is ridiculous and the one dimple he gets in his right cheek is so adorable my heart might burst.
I wish he'd smile more often.
"Okay, time for bed, stink face," Jasper says when we're all done eating.
"Fine," Jodie says, sighing. "But do I have to brush my teeth?"
"Yes."
"But I already did it…" "Then you should be good at it."
He hoists her off the counter and begins to carry her out of the kitchen. I have to hand it to her, she's brave. Not many people would have the courage to stand up to Jasper like that.
'Uh, hey, I should probably call my parents,'' I say. Mom and Dad are probably so freaked out right now I wouldn't be surprized if they've called the coast guard.
"Sure, the living room is through there." Jasper nods in the direction of a hallway.
"Thanks," I say.
Jodie takes Jasper's hand and they leave on the way to sleepytown.
"Is Max going to visit all the time now?" Jodie asks once they're out of my eyeshot.
I can't make out Jasper's answer.
That's okay though. I'm just glad to have made a good impression with one member of the Apollo family.
I wander into the room with all the couches, pulling out my phone and switching it on. Immediately I'm bombarded with text messages and missed calls.
Slouching into a sofa, I dial the house.
"Hello? Max is that you?!" Mom shrieks down the line.
"Mom, it's me. I'm fine."
"Where have you been, Max? We've been worried sick!"
There's no point hiding anything from my mom so I start at the beginning and tell her all about our adventures with the rogues. Midway through the story Dad picks up the other phone in the study and I have to start all over again.
Each twist evokes some exaggerated reaction from my parents.
Either they're terrified for my life or they're angry at me for acting rashly.
Once I'm done my parents launch into a monologue about how worried they were and how much stress I've caused them. I stare at the walls of the alpha's sparse living room. There aren't any pictures of Jasper or Jodie in here. There's no sign that a family even lives here.
I think about the walls of my parent's house, covered in so many embarrassing photos of me it's ridiculous.
"Mom, Dad!" I say interrupting them. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I should have called. I shouldn't have let you worry. But I promise you I'm fine."
They're quiet on the other end.
"Are you there?"
"We're just glad you're back and you're safe, honey," Mom says, her voice tight like she's crying.
"I'll ask Jasper to drive me home in the morning, okay?"
"Okay, Max," Dad says. "We love you."
"Love you too," I say and we hang up.
This house is state of the art, it's amazing, but as I slide my phone back in my pocket, I feel buzzed knowing that my home trumps it in every single way.
I wonder if I should wait down here for Jasper or go find him. My phone is low on battery and I'd hate to miss another of my parent's calls, so I decide to head up in search of a charger.
On a landing halfway up the stairs, I stop to look at a picture on the wall. It's the only family picture I've seen in the whole place.
Alpha Jericho is standing on the beach in a loose button-up shirt, which can barely contain his broad chest, and khaki pants. An angsty-looking teen-aged Jasper is standing to his right in a not-beach-appropriate black t-shirt and skinny jeans. Jodie is kneeling behind a sandcastle to Jericho's right, smiling the toothless grin of a kid in the midst of a tooth fairy invasion.
There's a fourth person in the picture who I don't recognize, although he does look strangely familiar. He's wearing a grey uniform and leather gloves. He doesn't look like part of the family––maybe an employee?––but I can't shake the feeling that I've seen him or someone who looks a lot like him before.
Other than the weirdly familiar stranger, it's a cute family portrait.
I head upstairs to try and find Jasper and hear his voice from down the hall.
I glance inside the door to Jodie's bedroom and find Jasper sitting on a beanbag next to her bed. Jodie's tucked in with her head resting on a fluffed-up pillow, while Jasper reads to her from a Sailor Moon graphic novel.
The girl's got taste!
Jodie's room is massive too but it's messier than Jasper's. Toys and books are scattered across a fuzzy pink rug. The walls are lit in the warm orange glow of her 'Raya and the Last Dragon' themed lamp.
Jasper reads until Jodie is asleep. When she's dozed off he pulls the cover tighter around her and kisses her forehead.
I hurry back to his room to plug in my phone.
Not wanting to wake Aisha I go back to the living room. I'm starting to sweat just from walking between rooms in this mansion.
Something flickering in the garden draws my attention and I peer through the glass wall.
"Whoa!"
"There you are," Jasper says looking across the pool. He's found me, pants rolled up, legs dangling, enjoying the cool water.
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt," I say. "And I couldn't help myself. This pool is mega."
Of course, they have a ridiculous swimming pool right in their backyard.
"Sure, but why are you sitting in the dark?" He walks to a little shed off to the side and ducks inside.
The lights in the pool flick on, casting those trippy rectangular patterns across the tiled bottom.
"Here," Jasper says, appearing at my side and holding out a can of orange soda.
"Thanks." I crack it open and take a sip. "Jodie seems cool."
"She's a special kid."
"I can tell. How's Aisha doing?"
"A healer is coming first thing. But I don't think she's injured too badly, nothing that won't heal in a day or two. I think she's just tired and shaken up."
"Of course." I take a sip of soda and think about how terrified Aisha must have been. I'm glad we were able to rescue her.
"I want to apologize," Jasper says, clearing his throat. "For what I said in the car after we...well, you know."
His fingers are making dents in the sides of his can.
"I know you were just trying to help. It wasn't great of me to get angry the way I did."
"You were stressed," I say. "We'd just escaped a bunch of dudes with some serious anger issues. And you were right. I should have thought it through. I have a tendency to jump into things without thinking about the consequences."
"Only because you care."
I shrug. "Maybe. Or maybe I just didn't want to get left behind. But either way thanks, you know, for apologizing. I know you have a lot going on. I can see that much." I gesture toward the house with my soda. "I don't want to be another problem for you."
My head drops and I rub my pruning toes together. All this time I've been pitying myself, thinking Jasper was rude and selfish for ignoring me.
But his life is wild. After just two nights with him I've had a taste of how intense it must be. And I'm exhausted!
"You're not…" he says and I look up to find him glancing in my direction. "You're not a problem, Max."
Our eyes linger on each other for just a moment before it becomes too awkward and I have to look away. There's a leaf on the bottom of the pool. I stare at it, studying its subtle movements.
"Sometimes I wish I could be more spontaneous," Jasper says, taking a sip of his drink and kicking his legs a little in the water. "Ever since I was a kid my whole life has been scheduled and planned. Play this sport, study hard, meet this foreign dignitary. I barely had time for making friends."
"That sounds hard."
"The truth is I'd often see kids like you and Aisha running around, making noise and getting into trouble and I'd be jealous."
I laugh. "You're jealous of me? No way."
He shakes his head. "Sometimes."
"But, like, how can you be jealous when you have this amazing house and this pool?!"
"I didn't say it was often."
I can't believe it, Jasper is getting pouty, he's all clenched jaw and no eye contact.
"We can swap houses anytime you like," I say and I can tell he's trying hard not to crack a smile.
"You're such a bonehead," he says.
I gasp in feigned shock. How dare he?!
"I thought you'd stopped calling me that."
"Nah, why would I stop calling you a bonehead, when you're a total bonehead, bonehead?"
I knock my shoulder into his trying to put him off balance.
"Stoooop."
He shoves me back. "Bonehead!' I turn my back on him very dramatically. "You're a dick."
"Hey bonehead, remember that time we went out in a canoe?"
What? Why is he asking me if I remember–– Jasper pushes me and I fly forward, splashing through the surface of the pool. I come up gasping, flapping my arms about and spitting water.
"Why did you do that?!"
"Payback," Jasper says, cackling.
"That's not fair." I swim to the edge of the pool and grab his dangling leg.
"Nonono, what are you doing?" he asks, still laughing.
With all my might I pull. Jasper splashes into the pool, throwing water into my face. He comes at me like a shark, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me under.
I grab his arms and we wrestle. Our legs get tangled as we both try to keep the other one down.
Eventually we both come up gasping for breath.
I try to wipe the water out of my eyes but Japer splashes me and I turn in open mouthed shock.
So that's how he wants to play this!
I splash him back and I keep splashing him until he finally puts his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, okay! You win!"
I smile and tread water, satisfied.
Jasper chuckles while making circular motions beneath the surface with his arms.
After all our splashing the night seems quieter than before. And Jasper… Jasper is staring at me.
Droplets are trickling from his hair. There are more dotted across his lips.
With one smooth stroke Jasper closes the distance between us. He swims right up to me.
What is he doing?
I prepare myself to be dragged under again but he doesn't strike.
We bob up and down in the water huffing, keeping our eyes locked.
The stars spin overhead in quadruple time.
I let the smooth pulsations of my stroke pull me closer to Jasper, shrinking the remaining space between us.
He doesn't back away.
I run a hair through my hair, pushing it out of my eyes, and Jasper parts his lips.
Every cell in my body is longing to connect with him.
Our mouths draw nearer.
Is this really about to happen?
I tilt my head and go in for the kiss.