Chapter One

Alice

I was a player and had been all my vampire life, we were an unknown entity to most vampires because we chose to be. The world was our game board and the humans and vampires our playing pieces just like chess or backgammon but we played for our own pleasure and satisfaction depending on our personal preferences. Some of us manipulated humans into our lairs for fun rather than hunting them down physically but they were only minor players tolerated but treated with disdain by the more ambitious of us who wanted to prove just how powerful we could really be. Personally I wanted the challenge of manipulating those around me who thought they knew Alice Brandon, who thought they understood what made her tick. My gift made this almost too easy, so to make the game harder I gave myself the task of manipulating more than just one other person and some of the more difficult vampires with gifts of their own.

I waited patiently for just the right situation then set the game in motion and what fun I had. I guess what I was doing could be considered wrong by some but that just added spice to the game. My first task was easier than I thought, somewhat of an anti climax you might say. I'd seen him coming and I knew exactly what I needed to do to ensnare him. The Major, Jasper Whitlock, was a dangerous adversary in combat but he was easily fooled because of the past he sought to escape from. The tricky bit was that he could read emotions and it wasn't easy to fake love but he was good-looking and had a lean hard body so it wasn't exactly a chore and I soon had him eating out of my hand. He had no experience of tenderness and affection so how could he measure my feelings for him?

Of course his very eagerness to embrace both myself and the new life I was offering him made my next task even easier and we were soon in Boston explaining to Carlisle Cullen our wish to join his coven and live the way they did. Carlisle was a bit of a push over really because he wanted to see the good in everyone and so blinded himself to everything else. Edward, his first "changeling" was away when we became a part of the Cullen family which meant I could concentrate on making myself agreeable to the others.

Esme, Carlisle's mate and the other two members of the family, Rosalie and Emmett had all been with him a long time and while Rosalie was initially suspicious of us she soon found herself trying to make Jasper's life easier by becoming attached to him, in a non sexual way I hasten to add, although I think if she hadn't already found Emmett she might have been interested in Jasper. Emmett bless him was one of those innocents who make my game fun as well as easier, he didn't see anything below the surface and accepted us just as we appeared. Esme's weakness was her ability to see the good in everyone. She had limitless amounts of love to give and we were just two more recipients.

Jasper

How had I been so fortunate? Alice was the answer to all my prayers. When I left Maria I had thought my life would improve but after a few months I realized that much as Peter and Charlotte wanted to help me they couldn't give me the things I craved most, peace and love. For an empath murder was torture and I was torturing myself every time I hunted to feed. I tried leaving each hunt until my thirst became unbearable but the feelings of my prey still tortured me just the same. My reputation meant I had little chance of finding a woman who wasn't scared of me and if I were honest I didn't know how to give or receive affection except what I'd learned in Maria's bed and as I watched Peter and Charlotte it soon became apparent that what they shared was nothing like that. Deciding I would never find what I craved in their company I set off alone hoping that perhaps one day I would meet the woman of my dreams and I did, I met Alice Brandon.

She was waiting for me, with her gift she had seen me coming, and knew exactly what I needed. When she told me about the Cullens I knew I had a chance at last, a way to survive without feeling the terror and pain of my prey. We traveled to Boston slowly using the time to get to know each other better. Alice was so warm and tender, she showed me how sex could be, slow and beautiful with both of us feeling the warmth of satisfaction. I gave her everything I had, my entire being, and I felt the love she had for me like a warm blanket. Peter had said there should be a furnace raging in the desire but I was happy with what I felt, it was more than I had any right to expect or imagine.

The Cullen family welcomed me after an initial reserve which I had expected and I found Rosalie and Emmett to be especially friendly, accepting me without any preconceptions. There was however a problem with the other member of the family Edward who had been away in Denali with Carlisle's friends when we arrived. Alice had a way of taking over without anyone being very upset or even noticing really and she commandeered his room as the best in the housed, moving us in and putting his things in the spare room that by rights should have been ours. When he got back he was livid and caused a terrible scene which I thought might become physical but Alice worked her usual magic and had him eating out of her hand within a few hours.

It was rather different with me however, he thought I was dangerous. Not only because of my reputation which might cause me to backslide and therefore present them with problems but because he saw me as a magnet for any tough vampire who wanted to earn a reputation for themselves by defeating me in a fight. He needn't have worried on either score, Alice kept me on the straight and narrow so well that I was able to attend school with the others something I had never done before and found I loved it. No contenders appeared either and after a time even he stopped bitching about me but he would never be one of my fans!

Edward had a gift of his own which accounted for his general attitude, he could read minds and as a consequence knew what everyone around him was thinking. I had a suspicion that Carlisle had found a way of blocking him and Alice had the knack of focusing on things he found boring until he stopped. I had my own strategy which only upset him even more and I guessed reinforced his dislike of me. I found he was incredibly squeamish for a vampire and a few hours of my memories upset him so much he rarely tried reading my thoughts after that. I knew he didn't understand what Alice saw in me but I didn't care, I avoided his company when I could preferring to go hunting with Rose and Emmett or talk with Carlisle whose great knowledge and experience made him a fascinating conversationalist to me.

It was some years, happy years for me, before a suspicion crept up on me that things were changing. Alice sought out Edward more and more and I wondered if perhaps there might be something going on with the two of them but I didn't feel any love between them and when I spoke to Alice about my worries she simply laughed and kissed me,

"Don't be silly Jazz. Edward sees me as his slightly annoying little sister. We are only spending so much time together because I've seen something in his future. Do you know what a singer is?"

I shook my head,

"No. Should I?"

"I suppose not, it's a human whose blood calls to you so strongly it's almost impossible to resist. Emmett met two humans whose blood called to him and he killed them both. Edward's singer is approaching but I think if he can resist the call of her blood she might also call to him in other ways, she may even be his mate"

"How is that possible Alice? If her blood calls that strongly then surely he wont be able to resist."

"Oh I think he might. It will be interesting to see how it goes but there are still possibilities, things that might change Jasper."

Her smile gave me the shivers for the first time since I had met her and I wondered exactly what she meant by her words.