Jasper’s POV
Time fractured.
I didn’t remember crossing the distance between us. One heartbeat Scarlett was standing there, swaying with that terrible look of shock on her face, and the next she was in my arms, her body trembling, warm and frighteningly damp beneath my hands.
Blood.
My mind kept tripping over the word. Blood. Scarlet against Scarlett. A cruel mockery of her name.
“No…no, no, no,” I whispered hoarsely, clutching her tighter, my chest rising and falling so hard it felt like my ribs might snap. “Stay with me, sweetheart. Just…hold on.”
Her lips parted. “Jasper…”
The way she said my name nearly broke me. Fragile. Soft. A plea.
I gathered her against me and turned toward the door, my vision tunneling. Every step felt clumsy, as though the floor wanted to tilt and drop u
