AN: Hey y'all! Ready for what's next? I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you to my prereader, DelphiusFanfic, and my beta, Corey. They are awesome.
I don't own Twilight.
JPOV
"What kind of problem?" my mate asked, and I walked over to he and my mother.
"Nothing for you to worry about," I said, and tried to lead him out of the room. He pulled away.
"No. I need to know. If something has all of you upset, I want to know what's going on."
I shot Esme a warning look, and her sympathetic gaze told me she was going to tell him anyway.
"Edward," my mother said gently, "Alice has had a vision."
"About what?" he asked curiously.
"The disappearances," She answered.
"You mean all those people in Port Angeles?"
"You know about them?" Emmett asked, his brows drawn together in a frown.
"Yeah," Edward said nonchalantly. "My dad told me about it. He saw it in the paper. What about them?"
Esme shot me a worried glance before continuing, and I slid my arm around his waist and held him to me.
"They are vampire related," she told my mate. His expression turned from perplexed to worried in less than a second.
"And?" he prompted.
"According to Alice's vision, James is making an army of newborn vampires," she almost whispered, as rage bloomed deep within my chest. There could only be one reason for him to be doing that. Revenge. I knew that the disappearances might have been vampire related, but this was the first I'd learned of what Alice actually saw.
"He won't get to him," I said on a low growl. "We won't let him."
Edward glanced from me to Esme, trying to put the pieces together. When he realized what I meant, his eyes widened and he began to tremble slightly.
"No," he breathed out. "Please tell me he's not coming for me. Please, Jasper."
"Shh," I soothed, holding him as tightly as I dared. "You'll be safe with us, I swear it."
"I...don't understand," he said, shaking his head. "Why?"
"Jasper killed his mate, so he wants to get revenge," Emmett said somberly.
"By killing me," Edward said in a detached voice. His knees threatened to give out and I held him firm.
"Come on," I said quietly in his ear and took him up to my room. He seemed almost catatonic as he sat on my sofa and wrapped his arms around himself. I sat next to him, holding him close, hoping to alleviate some of his fear. He grasped my sleeve in an almost death grip.
"Jasper," he whispered. "Please don't let him get me again."
"I won't, mate. I promise," I murmured against the top of his head. It was ripping me apart, hearing him plead for me to protect him. Of course I would, always.
We sat there in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the music from downstairs. My heart was aching for Edward, and I felt so helpless. I meant what I said. I would not allow that monster to get my Edward again. The first time, we were careless in our protection and lucky we made it in time to save him. This time, we would make no mistakes. I would make sure of it. Nothing short of dying would keep me from protecting him. Even then, I knew my family would take over for me.
Soon, Edward's weight was heavy against my side, and I realized he had fallen asleep. Carefully, I picked him up and laid him on the bed so he would be more comfortable. Clearly the shock of the situation had caused him to be exhausted, and at least sleep would keep it out of his mind.
I paced at the foot of the bed, trying to think of any and every way imaginable I could keep him safe. The obvious would be that one of us would have to be with him at all times, including at his home. In order for his parents to allow that, I would have to explain the situation to them, and then they would be worried and frightened, too.
The only other option I could think of was to have his whole family stay here until the danger passed. Was that even possible? What would Carlisle and Esme think if I suggested it?
While I continued to pace and think, the noise of the party eventually became less and less. It was winding down, finally. As one hour stretched into two, then three, I was beginning to get worried about my mate. He hadn't moved an inch and was still sleeping deeply. I wanted him to wake up, so I could see how he was feeling and hear his thoughts.
Deciding that my pacing wasn't going to make him wake any faster, I pulled a book out and settled on my sofa. Just as I was getting into the first battles of the Civil War, a soft sound interrupted me.
Dropping my book beside me, I stood and walked over to Edward, who was sitting in the middle of the bed, looking rumpled and confused.
"Jay?"
I sat beside him and took his hands in mine. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," he said, piercing my soul with his sad eyes. "I'm afraid, Jasper. Please, would you hold me?"
"Always," I whispered, pushed him back on the bed, laid next to him, and let him cuddle into me. He was so warm and soft against me, and I ran my hands leisurely up and down his back, occasionally tracing his spine with my fingertips.
He wasn't sleeping. He had the collar of my shirt between his fingers, toying with it. We were still in our suit pants and shirts, having gotten rid of the ties and jackets in the car on the way home.
"Are you alright, Edward?" I whispered, and he nodded against my chest. My dead heart was overflowing with love and concern for my mate. I only wanted him to be happy with me, and it felt like we were facing one obstacle after another.
Soft, warm lips brushed the skin at the hollow of my throat, effectively cutting off my thoughts. I sucked in a fiery breath of my mate's scent and tightened my hold on him. He tried to get even closer and wiggled enough to reach the buttons of my shirt with nimble fingers.
"What-?" I started, and he silenced me with a kiss.
"Shut up, Jay. Let me do this. I need to do this," he breathed, swiftly sliding the buttons through their holes.
He pressed his open mouth against the center of my chest, leaving a scorching kiss there before moving to my collarbones. Leaning my head back and holding him firmly against me, I let him take whatever he wanted from me.
Noisily kissing and sucking his way up my chest, over my collarbone, to my neck and ear, Edward's breathing became harsh and fast.
"Need you," he moaned against my ear, and hitched his leg over my hip.
A low growl erupted from my chest and, lost in the pleasure he was giving me, I turned us so he was laying fully on top of me. He propped his hands on my chest and stared down at me with wild eyes, pupils blown with lust. I didn't think I had ever seen him so aroused.
Reaching up, I stroked my hand down the side of his face. "I'm yours," I told him, and he crushed his lips to mine.
I could barely keep up as my mate kissed me with fervor, using his tongue to set every one of my senses on fire with it's exploration of my mouth. He was rocking his hips, unaware that he was even doing it. Needy whines and whimpers spilled unbidden from him as he chased after his pleasure. If this was what he needed to chase away the fear, so be it. I was more than willing to comply.
Sitting up abruptly, Edward struggled out of his shirt and threw it on the floor, then finished unbuttoning mine. I couldn't take my eyes off of his beautiful body, and I groaned in appreciation, digging my fingers into his hips.
"Yesss," he hissed, letting his eyes fall shut. "I want you to fuck me, Jay. I want to know I'm yours. Mark me. Please."
His plea made me stop short, and I released his hips.
"Edward."
He ignored me, reaching for my belt. I placed my hands on top of his.
"Stop," I warned. "Edward."
"What?" He stopped moving, staring at me with hurt marring the desire that still lingered in his eyes.
"I can't...make love to you right now, no matter how much I want to," I said gently.
"Let me guess," he snorted. "Too dangerous."
"Yes." I reached up and cradled his cheek in my palm. "You don't realize how much I could hurt you, without meaning to. If we were...that intimate, I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety. If I hurt you, I would never be able to forgive myself."
Sighing, Edward lifted himself off of me and sat on the side of the bed. In a flash, I was on my knees before him.
"Listen, babe. If you need me to pleasure you to help you forget, I will." I quirked a brow and winked, earning myself a small smile.
"I don't know what I want, Jay," he whispered. "I just...want, in general. I wanna be a vampire, like you. I want you to claim me like you've told me about. Most of all, I don't want to be afraid anymore."
"Edward," I breathed out sympathetically, sat next to him, and pulled him into my arms. "I want all of that, too. You have absolutely no idea how you affect me."
He sighed against my chest and we sat in silence for a while. While wrapped up in our earlier activities, I didn't notice that the house had become still.
"Party's over," I commented quietly, and my mate nodded.
"Finally. I wish this day had ended a long time ago."
"I know," I soothed. "Graduation gets boring every few years."
Edward chuckled, his warm breath fanning across my throat. I drew in a breath at the contact, and the raw burn it caused reminded me that I needed to feed. Soon.
"Jasper, I'm coming up," my father said, right before my door opened. He walked in and stood before Edward and I, his face concerned.
"Edward, are you alright, son?" he asked gently.
"Yeah," he said. "Just worried and scared."
"I know you are. I'm sorry this is happening, but I want you to know that we will be on our guard every minute until this is over. The whole family will keep you safe, and we'll keep your family safe as well," he tried to reassure.
"I trust you," Edward said quietly.
"Jasper," Carlisle continued, "Esme and I have been talking while you were...occupied, and we think it would be a good idea for you and Edward to take a trip."
"A trip?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, to the Isle. I think it would be a good idea for you two to get away from here for a couple of weeks."
Wanting to take my mate's mind off of the situation, I had to admit it was a good idea.
"Thank you. I think we'll do that."
"What's the Isle?" Edward asked.
"A long time ago," Carlisle said with a smile, "I bought an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro as a gift for Esme, and named it as such."
"Isle Esme?" He was really curious now.
"Yes. As a graduation gift, we are sending you two there for two weeks, all expenses paid."
"Wow," Edward said, giving us the first genuine smile of the day. "Thank you!"
"You will go?" my father asked.
"Yeah," he answered and stared at me with warm eyes.
"Wonderful! Esme and I will arrange everything right away."
He turned to leave the room, and I could hear Alice already planning what she would pack for us, while Esme was sighing, "Thank goodness."
Thank you for reading! See y'all next time!
Penny
P.S. I'm doing my best to do fairly quick updates for this - it's just hard at the moment. I was not happy with the way this chapter turned out, but I sincerely hope you guys will bear with me.
