Chapter Four: Mates
I was Jasper fuckin' Whitlock, for god's sake! The Major; the GOD OF WAR! I did not get nervous!
So why in the name of the Confederate army was I still standing on her doorstep? I knew why. She was my mate; I could sense her… emptiness. There was no other word. My fucking empathic abilities weren't even sensing anything, yet I could hear her heartbeat and her mindless cooking.
I soothed my nerves and stamped down on my fear. Nothing, not even heartbreak beyond belief, could keep the Major from his mate one minute longer. I'd been waiting for her since 1863! So I gathered myself and poised my hand to knock-
And the door swung open. There stood an angel. Had she always been this breathtaking? Probably. I could see the fatigue and emptiness in her eyes, the too pale skin and thin body were telltale signs she hadn't been taking care of herself. The Major ached knowing his mate was in pain. I ached. And then she registered the fact I was there. Emotions flitted across my awareness: shock, pain, disbelief, all of it so fast and weak I barely caught it. And then she flew at me.
"Jasper!" she sobbed. "Is it really you? Oh my god! Don't leave me, stay! Are you alone? Why are you here? Don't go, Jasper; don't leave me!" She sobbed wetly on my chest, gasping in my scent as comfort; like she was affirming I was real. I cooed lovingly in her ear and held her on the couch for nearly an hour, rocking her and reassuring her. All the while a small part of my mind was creating more and more imaginative ways to dispose of my brother for causing this. But I knew it was partially my fault as well, and it killed me every moment.
Eventually she quieted down and just stared at me. I smiled a little and spoke quietly.
"I'll answer your questions now, if you'd like," I offered, my long forgotten southern twang and gentlemanliness finding its way back to me. She just nodded, not taking her eyes off my face.
"I'm never gonna leave you again, darlin'. I'm not alone per se; my old friends Peter and Charlotte are out in the woods. I'm here because I ditched the Cullen diet and Alice. I let out my inner beast and he led me to my true mate, imagine my surprise when it was you."
"I thought," she started; her brow furrowing adorably as she lightly bit her soft lip "I thought I was E-Edward's mate?" she choked out the name.
"Only a vampire's inner beast knows your true mate. Some, like Edward does and I did, push it down and suppress it. Some tame it, like Carlisle. And some embrace it, like Peter, Char, and I do." Now, anyways, "If you suppress it, it cannot guide you to your mate. Therefore, Edward assumed you were his mate, but you really weren't. A real mate wouldn't be able to spend more than 2 days away from their mate after the first bond was formed. Also, if a vampire's mate is human and the first bond is formed, the human mate's blood loses all attraction to the vampire mate."
"Oh," she said in a small voice. 'That makes sense," she thought for a moment before asking another question.
"What is the 'first bond' and how many bonds are there?"
"There are only three bonds. The first is a consensual kiss; the second is admitting your love; and the third is consensual sex." I ticked off in a gentle tone, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear tenderly. I waited for her next question. She asked something I did not expect at all. But then, Bella was a mystery.
"Can I meet Peter and Charlotte?"