After All This Time

Chapter 23

The team looked up from what they were doing when they heard the key unlock the door. "Are you—?" Sean started to ask then stopped when he saw Luke walk in perfectly fine then Jasmine right behind him with North following behind her.

"We are fine Doc," Luke beamed as he stood beside Jasmine. "Jazzy came to meet everyone."

"I'm only here to fulfill my part of the deal Lucian," She said coldly. "The sooner my part is done, the sooner I can leave."

"Deal?" The man with steel grey eyes and black rimmed glasses asked as he adjusted his cuff links.

"I promised her that if she would listen to everything we have to say and look at what we want to show her and then she still wanted to leave we would not stop her," North admitted. "We wouldn't follow her, and we wouldn't stop her."

"Oh," Doc Sean said as he watched her look around the room. He could tell she was examining the room plotting an escape route if she needed to. Quick glances told him everyone else noticed as well.

"Why don't I introduce you to everyone?" Luke asked as he gently touched her elbow. She jerked it away and he forced back a sigh of frustration. "Please meet our family, Jasmine?"

"Fine," She sighed. "I already know Doctor Green and was it Mr. Owen Blackbourne?" She asked and he nodded. "Who are the rest of your family, Lucian?"

"This is Silas Korba, Nathan Griffin, Kota Lee, Victor Morgan, Gabriel Coleman, Axel Toma, Marc Weiland, Raven Ravenstahl, and Brandon and Corey Henshaw," Luke said as he went to each of them.

"Hi," They said in unison.

"Nice to meet you again," She nodded to them. "Let me guess, all purebloods?"

"Yes," They said in unison.

"Figures," She mumbled and sighed in annoyance. "So, what is so important that you insisted on showing me?" She crossed her arms and shifted so one foot bore more weight than the other.

"Have you seen this before?" the one named Kota asked as he opened the leather book once more then moved it so she could see what it was open to.

She walked over to the book and skimmed over the words. "Very interesting, exactly how long did it take for this one to create this?" She asked pointing to Gabriel without looking up from the book.

"What are you talking about Jasmine?" North asked confused.

"Did I stutter Taylor?" She scoffed, "I'm not a fucking idiot." She shut the book and rolled her eyes then stormed over to him, grabbed his hands, and held them up. "Ink stains, callouses, paint under his nails, point marks indentures, he's clearly an artist, it would be nothing and take nothing for a pureblood artist to make something like this. Great work by the way, you almost had me fooled." She dropped his hands and walked back to the book. "Clearly something with creativity could make something like this up, and you reek of books," She pointed to Kota. "So you definitely helped with these so called facts and making sure the language was written of olden times."

"This book is authentic," Kota said softly. "You can see for yourself. I promise it is not a fake. There is information on every single page, and you can take the book if you want to look for yourself. I have nothing to hide from you."

"Oh, I'm sure you have plenty to hide from me," She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Is this all you have to show me, Taylors?"

"No," Lucian shook his head. "We want to show you our vampires so they can try and call out to your vampire, please Jasmine. You are our beloved, yet you refuse to believe it. The only way to show you is to have our vampires call out to yours. Only beloveds can call each other out, Jasmine. If it doesn't work then you are right and we are wrong. If your vampire doesn't come out from our calling then you aren't our beloved."

"It won't work," She rolled her eyes, "I have no vampire," she said through clenched teeth as she glared at him. "She has been gone for years."

"She's not gone Baby," North shook his head softly, "you have just repressed her for so long that you no longer feel her."

"I am NOT your baby North Taylor," She seethed as she stood straight up and clenched her hands into fists. "Quit calling me that."

"I'm sorry Jasmine," He sighed and looked up to the ceiling to try and calm his emotions.

He reached out to grab her arms and she took a step back, "Don't touch me."

"Alright," He nodded and dropped his hands. "As you wish."

Just then her cell phone rang and she grabbed it without taking her eyes off him. "Hello? What? Yes, I'll be right there." She hung up and took another step away from him. She pointed at him. "I have to go, don't follow me, Taylor."

"We aren't done talking Jasmine," Luke took a step towards her. "Please we aren't finished."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "I'm not walking away Lucian, the hospital needs me." She walked to the door, "Just to be clear, the only reason I'm not leaving is because I want to see the look on your faces when I prove you wrong." She walked out the door and the door closed so quietly that it echoed throughout the room like cannon fire.