I do NOT own any recognizable characters. Takes place after Breaking Dawn. Renesme is in the form of 17-ish. I'll have past and present chapters, they will be dated. This is a past chapter, hence the year 1919...lol. Ummm, it will have a few dark themes. There is a lot of Jasper's past as the story is centered on Jasper...and Renesme and her snooping ways. There will also be sexual situations. I will warn you ahead of time. :)
Enjoy!
July 4th, 1919 - Galveston, Texas
We stood end of the dark alley, leaning against the red brick walls. I could hear the reverberating heartbeats that filled the area round me and I could feel excitement build up inside my cold, dead body.
"I want you back before dawn," she reminded me in a barely there whisper.
"I will," I promised and pulled my hat further down on my head. "I'll find a good one too." I smirked and walked off. Tonight was one of the very few nights that she let me go alone. She always had us go in pairs or groups but then complained that the targets would get too scared. I finally convinced her that going alone and in a public place would be best to lure them where we wanted. She had let me go alone before but never in a public place.
Until tonight that is.
I pulled my jacket around me and slowly walked down the fog-filled alley. I did not have a plan but I did not think I needed one. Something like this did not need a plan. I needed myself and my ability to lure whomever I wanted.
The door to the local bar swung open as I approached the end of the alley, I looked over and saw a young female walk out. She was wearing a black flapper dress with rhinestones embroidering the neckline.
A neck that, might I add, was very long and welcoming.
She had light brown hair and the softest, lightest green eyes I had ever seen on a human. They were perfectly outlined with long, thick lashes. Her lips were in a natural pout and had a slight nude color gloss coated on, making the lights shine off them.
My eyes worked their way over her tall, lean body and I found myself quite attracted to this girl. Her appearance had actually out weighed her smell for me and that was a feat in itself.
I heard a soft giggle and looked up to her those green eyes staring right back at me.
A wide smile crossed my face and I heard her heart skip a beat.
"Miss," I greeted and tilted my head downwards. The corners of her lips twitched and she bowed her head a little.
"Sir," she smiled and I noticed the tiny dimples on each of her cheeks. Her head was angled down and she was sneaking glances at me from under those lashes.
"Were you leaving?" I asked and gestured to the bar behind her.
"Yes, it's quite the fuss in there. I had to get out," she smiled and I nodded my head.
"I was heading out to the pier, would you like to join me?" I offered and held my hand out. I smiled when she took my hand without the slightest bit of hesitation.
It was over then. The moment she took my hand, it was the end of her life.
I was thankful that I remembered to wear my gloves and that it was a little chilly that night. If neither of these were in my favor, she would have been confused as to why I was so cold. Then I would have had to use my ability and I wanted to refrain from that as long as possible.
"I'm Temperance, by the way." she smiled and tilted her up to look at me. She was quite tall for a woman. Most women in town were a measly 5'4" or 5'5" but she was maybe 5'11", give or take an inch.
"I'm so very sorry. I should have introduced my self." I smiled an apology. "I'm Jasper."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Jasper." she drawled and turned away.
I walked her to the desolate beach and walked her near the pier. I was amazed that she was not frightened or curious yet. Most women would not have come with me and if they did, they would be asking me about myself but not her. She was simply in awe of the view we had from under the pier. The moon was reflecting off the water and made the night brighter.
"You're staring at me, Jasper," she whispered. I was suddenly aware of how close we were. Did I do that? I wasn't sure but I...I liked it. I could feel her body heat on me and it felt amazing. I felt her breath on my face and it washed her sweet scent all over me.
This made the venom pool in my mouth and my throat burned with an intense burn I never felt before. What surprised me though was the fact that I was not hungry for her. I did not want to drink her, bite her, or kill her.
I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to hold warm body against mine and have her all over me.
Her eyes were wide as I slowly leaned down. Another surprise was that they were not wide in fear or shock but in anticipation and want. She wanted me. I could feel her longing and the rise of her lust as I inched closer. I felt her breath on my lips and I could not hold back any longer.
My hands wrapped around her tiny waist and pulled her against me. Every inch of our clothed bodies was touching and it was...heaven. My lips found her hungrily and I shivered when her hands found my chest and started to massage slow circles through my shirt. I tried my hardest not to hurt her with the kiss but she was making it harder but wrapping her long, slender fingers tightly in my shirt and pulling me closer.
My lips moved from hers and trailed hot, opened mouth kissed down her jaw and neck. I shivered again as a wave of lust flowed from her when I nipped at her collarbone. I did it again and elicited a long, soft moan from her.
"Jasper." she whispered. I lifted my head up to look at her in the eyes. The emotions radiating from her were unbelievable. She wanted me. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.
Nevertheless, I was supposed to kill her.
Oh no. I had to kill her but I did not want to. I wanted to kiss her, to touch her and to make love to her. I wanted to hear her whisper my name as I caressed every inch of her tall and voluptuous body.
Before I knew what had possessed me, my hands dropped from her body and I pulled away. The rejection was thick in the air and I gave her a sad smile.
"I'm afraid this isn't a proper way to do things." I told her and she blushed. I wished she'd quit. That reaction was making it quite hard to walk away.
"Would you walk me home then?" she asked.
I could not say no. I never would be able to.
I walked her home. It didn't take long. She lived close to the beach and we sat on her door stoop and watched the fireworks explode as the town celebrated America's birth. I watched in awe as her eyes sparkled with each burst of fire in the sky.
She was absolutely gorgeous.
"Thank you," she whispered. Oh, I said that aloud. I smiled at her and she extended her hand. My eyes fell shut when her soft fingers brushed the stray blonde hair out of my face. Half way to her home, she insisted that I take my hat off. A smile that shined brighter than the sun showed on her face when my shaggy honey blonde hair fell around my face.
"You must go," she murmured and brushed her thumb on my jaw. "You're cold." My breathing faltered.
I was cold. I was cold and dead. I was a murderer.
She was warm and alive. She was smart and beautiful.
"You're name," I thought as I gazed into her eyes. "What does it mean?" I asked. I had wondered this through out the night. I had heard of the word before but not as a name. "I've heard it before but I can't place it."
She smiled shyly and pulled her hand back. "My mother was a poetry fanatic and got it from Psychomachia by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius."
It clicked in my head.
"One of the seven heavenly virtues." I smiled and she nodded. "What does your virtue mean?"
"Self-control." she smiled and I fought hard not to frown. The seven heavenly virtues was a list that opposed each one of the seven dead sins. Each heavenly virtue had a vice in the sins.
Chastity (purity) opposed Lust.
Charity (generosity) opposed Greed.
Diligence (effort) opposed Sloth.
Patience (peace) opposed Wrath.
Kindness (satisfaction) opposed Envy.
Humility (bravery) opposed Pride.
That could only mean that...
"Temperance means self-control." she smiled brightly. I could not return it though.
Temperance opposed Gluttony.
She was Temperance and I was Gluttony. I practiced no self-control...
Until tonight.
My eyes widened and I stared at her. Her smiled was fading.
"Are you okay?" she asked and started to extend her hand again. I stood up briskly and pulled my hat back on.
"I should leave. I am fairly cold." I mumbled and made my way down her steps.
"Jasper!" she called. I didn't want to turn around but I did. My own body was refusing my mind's commands.
Or was it my still heart refusing?
"Will I see you again?" she asked in a whisper. I could hear the desperation as well as I could feel it. That still heart wanted to beat again.
"Temperance," I smiled and walked back over to her. My gloved hands found her face and gently tilted it up so I could kiss her lips once more. "Can I keep you?" I asked when I pulled away. Another blush crept into her cheeks and I smiled at her.
"Yes." she nodded and I kissed her again. I let her face go and she grabbed my jacket before I could turn around. "Don't forget." she demanded. I could see there was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to tell me so much. So much that she did not want me to forget.
However, I knew what she wanted. I would never forget her. I would never forget this night.
"I'll never forget." I promised. With one last bow of my head, I was gone and as soon as the town was behind me, I ran. I ran as fast as I could to get back to the one who demanded me to kill tonight. I knew she would not be pleased when I came back empty handed but I did not care. She would listen to me and grant me my wish or I would leave.
She needed me.
I could feel her as I approached. She was bored. That changed to anger when I appeared in front of her. Her mouth opened to ask me where my kill was but I stopped her.
"I found one." I declared and she waved her hands around the field.
"Then where is it?" she asked, growing more and more angry by the second.
"This one is different." I told her. I could now feel her curiosity. "She is different."
"She?" she repeated and I nodded. Her eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms. She was contemplating whether she wanted to hear this or not. "How different?"
A broad smile crossed my face and I clasped my hands in front of me.
"I want to keep her."
