Wake of the Dead | One

Chapter thirty

Crackling flames and a collective heat from the fire pit Jasper sat in front of relaxed him more than he'd care to admit. The rest of the group seemed wary and unsure of this whole arrangement, and everybody had mostly kept to themselves. Once the group had gotten what they needed, they could move on, and that would be that. 

From across the camp, Killian and Jackson were wrestling together across the ground, rolling to and fro. Killian eventually got the upper hand and managed to kick Jackson off of him, staggering up with a smile. That smile was one Jasper had only seen from Killian a few times. Easygoing, genuine, playful even. The way the other man's brunette curls bounced along as he walked, the way his eyes lit up when he laughed...Killian was happy here, with them. Jasper hadn't ever seen Killian so happy with Tom's group. Seeing his friend so happy made Jasper's lips curl into a dazed smile. 

The smile soon faded however, into a more melancholy one. Seeing Killian so happy with others made his gut twist uncomfortably. Again, there was that feeling of undeniable jealousy. But it was stronger this time. Why couldn't the rest of Tom's group just treat Killian as well as they treated each other? Why did this complete strange group treat Killian better--make him feel more safe with them, when he could feel safer with Jasper? Swallowing back an irritable lump in his throat, Jasper only felt worse whenever he realized he'd eaten all of his dinner. 

Everybody in Jasper's vicinity--as well as him--jumped when the sound of agitated yelling echoed through the camp. Jasper immediately stood up when he saw Killian standing face-to-face with another young man, their eyes burning with a fiery hatred for one another. It was somebody from Renier's group. They shoved Killian backwards roughly, yelling in Killian's face. A sickening, gut-wrenching anger curled Jasper's hands into clenched fists, his brows narrowing. What had Killian possibly done to provoke them? Well...a lot of things, actually. But still, how dare they? 

When Jasper took a step forwards, he felt a small hand on his chest to stop him. Aubrey was shaking her head, her eyes sharp. "Jasper, if you get involved then there's nothing stopping everybody from pulling weapons. Let them handle their own people." 

A sinking, hollow feeling opened up within Jasper's heart as he replied sharply, "Their people? Killian is one of ours, Aubrey." He didn't mean to be so sharp with her, but that didn't seem to get through to Aubrey one bit. Instead, she stared silently at Jasper, and his bit his tongue to hold back an angry, snapping remark. It wouldn't be fair to take his frustrations out on her. But she was also right. Killian also wouldn't thank Jasper for coming to his rescue. 

To his surprise, Killian was the first one to actually throw a punch--a brutal one at that. The younger man was a bit slighter than the other, but he was quickly making up for it with his fiery disposition. He winced when Killian punched them across the nose, and they backed up, holding it in their hands. He caught a glimpse of blood leaking between their fingers and dropping onto the ground, and Jasper wasn't aware of his lips parting with shock. How had things escalated so quickly? 

Never had Jasper expected to see Killian act out of...whatever this was. Sure, he could be aggressive and short-tempered, but violent? What had that other man said to Killian to piss him off so much? Or maybe, the least favorite of Jasper's thoughts--maybe this was just how it was--and maybe this is what Killian was used to. The other man came back and grabbed Killian by the collar of his shirt, throwing him down on the ground. Jasper's heart raced, wondering just what would happen to his friend if he lost this fight. All of Tom's group was transfixed, but Jasper noticed--Renier's group did not care. The only steps they took was to step out of the way to avoid getting hit. 

A soft hand grabbed onto his, and Jasper glanced down to see Aubrey giving him a concerned smile. Jasper felt bad for ignoring her, but Killian was in danger. As far as he knew, he might need a bit of help. But as soon as it had started, it stopped. Killian's hazel eyes glimmered with a vicious, flaming resentment that Jasper wished he had never seen. Now with the fight over and things calming down, he was even more confused when Killian strolled over to him as if nothing had happened. "Killian, what the hell was that?" He demanded, feeling his frustration finally getting the better of him, no matter how much he tried to hold it back.