Okay, okay...So, I know I'm a horrible person because this has taken so long, but I got a new computer, and I am still working through the transition from my old computer. Still, I decided it was time to update this sucker, meet some new spirits and all that jazz. Again, I do apologize for the late for this :) Please, don't kill me for its tardiness.
Also, Merry Belated Christmas, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! And Happy New Year in advance! I am still out of school, and I am planning to, hopefully, get out three more updates before school starts again. No promises that those will all be on this story as I am working on some others that deserve to be updated as well :)
Anyway, hope you all like this!
Enjoy!
Jasper's POV
The venom in my veins rushed throughout my body with ferocious flames that seemed to eat away at my core. The world around me was damp and darkening, the sky filled with roaring, clustered clouds that mocked me with their aggressive nature. Trees and branches swayed around me with the whirring wind that rushed through the leaves and trampled grass. I was lost in it all, the picturesque view of the modern artist that revolved around me in blurs of greens, blacks, grays, and blues, reds. A multitude of color, a symphony of the world. While stunning, the world that surrounded me was not what captivated me. It was the lonely lion that I stalked that had captured my attention, my eyes zeroed in on the dark golden fur that sparkled with leftover raindrops from this morning's rain. He was soon to be caught up in another storm, but I knew that he was searching for his last meal of the day before the weather turned bad.
Little did the cat know, I had not feasted in three weeks, ever since Bella's arrival. She had had my full attention, her wounds healing under my watch. They were healing beautifully per Carlisle's wonderful medical background filled with excellence. In the time of healing, Bella had taken a break from helping the spirits that floated about. She always told me when one was near, telling me that she was catching their attention to keep them around a little longer. It was the last push to keep the dead near until she had built up the strength to begin aiding in the souls crossing. Though she often said that the wait to help did not bother her, I was an empath and could feel all the lies. She missed it so bad it was starting show through her eyes, all that discomfort. She was a loving woman, and her wounds had put a powerful damper on her abilities.
Still, she pressed on, waiting just a little longer. I could not say the same for myself. My eyes went black about four days back, something that pushed Bella to the edge with her irritability. She all but had to push me out of the house to hunt. Since she could not physically do so, she had Emmett do it for her. Of course, all that did was result in a fallen tree, and Alice going on a screaming fest about the ruining of fine clothing material. Personally, I could not care less, what with Bella's glowing eyes at my finally accepting that I needed to gain sustenance and Emmett getting the earful he deserved from Alice. If it was not for the fact that I had to leave Bella, this would be a win-win situation for me. But as with all things, a situation that fantastic was impossible, especially with the mate bond between me and Bella lighting up like a candle every time we got close to one another. We did kiss, albeit chastely, my heart still felt like it would miraculously start beating when Bella's lips met mine. This never happened, of course, but there was such heat that I got about as close as a vampire could get.
After I left the house, venturing out to my current position, I had taken down quite a few doe and a buck. I was really stocking up. If I had known I would end up stalking a lion, however, I would have left the buck. I was already experiencing the uncomfortable feeling of sloshing in my stomach, but I had not had a meal worth anything in a while. I was going to enjoy this.
Creeping over the grass, I grabbed up, wrapping my fingers around a sturdy tree branch. I swung up onto the branch, skipping from one to another as I followed the lion from overhead. It did not suspect a thing. Gaining speed, I got ahead of the lion, stopping on a particularly sturdy branch two trees ahead of the slow walking creature. Curling my lips over my teeth, I pounced. I landed on the animal's back, and it immediately curled around, swiping its paw with an unanticipated speed. It managed to rip through my shirt, roaring as its nails scraped across my hard skin. I immediately broke the animal's neck after that, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh. I inhaled before beginning to swallow, taking in the deliciously red nectar that sustained me. It rolled down my throat smoothly, pulling out the burn as it did so. Soon, the venom that coursed so veraciously a moment ago was now silent, calming as I was filled with such gratification.
Pulling my teeth from the now empty animal, I through the lion away and it rammed into a nearby tree, its back cracking in the process. Standing, I looked down at myself. Pristine, as usual, except the bottom of my shirt hung in tatters, completely destroyed. I was still covered in dirt from hitting the tree earlier so I just looked more of a mess. I shrugged, unaffected, and I turned and began running home. I passed through the trees speedily, listening to the thunder roar overhead. I neared the treeline and began to slow, picking at the tatters on my shirt, shaking my head and scoffing. All these years of perfectly clean eating, and I finally get caught.
"I don't think it would be right for you to go and see him."
I looked up as I walked towards the house to see Bella sitting on the steps, her back against the railing as she looked towards the opposite side of the stairs. Slowing, I listened, waiting on Bella to notice me.
"Yes, I do understand," Bella stated, her voice taking on an arguing tone. "I'm not going to force you to stay away, but you may pay the consequences if you go home to him. It won't be pretty." Bella shook her head.
I was getting closer with every word, almost at the bottom of the steps now.
"I checked on him for you, and I hate to say this, but he's moved on. He's got a wife now, a child on the way. It's been years Annabelle." She paused, her eyes widening as she leaned forward slightly. "No, no, don't cry. I...ugh...Annabelle, I know it hurts, but this is how life and death works. You need to be happy for him."
She rolled her eyes, her eyes flashing to meet mine briefly. "If you go, and you get mad over him moving on...if you get violent," she paused again, her head shaking almost imperceptibly, "you will hurt him, maybe his wife...their child! Do you want to be caught in that position?"
Bella waited a moment, her eyes focused before her head bobbed as she nodded. "Exactly. Just, listen, he does miss you. I mean, you were his first love, and you will always be special to him, but he's got other special people in his life. They will never replace you. They're just different. I don't say this to hurt you, but sometimes it's better to move on."
Bella's eyes fell, her gray irises sparkling with tears as she looked back up. "They will love you forever, sweetie." She sniffled. "Goodbye, Annabelle."
I waited a second, waiting for Bella to look back up at me before moving to take a seat beside her.
"Friend of yours?" I inquired.
She smirked, wiping her eyes lightly. "Well, you heard most of the conversation. Annabelle died almost ten years ago. Her life was taken in a car accident that occurred after her bachelorette party. Her fiance finally moved in the last two years, finding another special person. She just could not let go. Not that I blame her. There is always that one love that you cannot let go of."
"Have you had one?" I wondered, then clarified, "A love that is impossible to forget?"
She thought a moment, her eyes squinting at me. "Once, I would have said no, but...I think I'm living it."
I stared into her eyes, astonished at the revelation. Like that familiar feeling I had gotten so very often recently, my chest burned with a sense of life, as if my heart were fighting for movement, longing to pump the liquid that I no longer held within my body. Still, heat flared inside of me, stunning me completely. It felt as if Bella's heart and heat had transpired to me, filling me up with delicious friction and astonishing emotion. I felt life and love, and I reveled in it.
Never moving my eyes from hers, I began scooting forward with Bella copying my movement. I slowly lifted my hand to her skin, tracing the mark that had formed on her neck before cupping her jaw in my hand. We moved forward with synchronization. Our foreheads brushed, our noses, and just before our lips touched, I whispered to her, so softly that my words drifted off in the wind, resounding and blowing away.
"You, I will never forget. You, I will always love. You, I will never leave. You, I will always adore..."
Our lips met.
I finally learned what a true kiss was meant to be. The rushing of venom, the sound of her racing heart, the heat of her skin beneath my fingertips, and the flowering heat that trailed behind her fingers as she ran her fingers over my cheeks and neck. Our lips moved like water, fire and ice. Beautiful, violent, shocking, absolutely smothered with electricity. Slowly, I began to lower my hands, running down over her shoulders and across her ribs, holding petite waist in my large hands. Her hands continued to trail over my skin, lowering down my chest until they reached the skin that peaked out from my tattered shirt. I gasped against her lips, her tongue escaping into my mouth. I groaned as she moaned, our tongues fighting for dominance. From the shock that still overrode my system from her sensuous touches, she won the battle. Slowly, time began to return to normal, our kiss slowing, running down into gentle touches of lips, soft sighs. We began to pull away, the electricity buzzing between us continuously as we parted, pulling away from one another.
Her eyes met mine with wonder, wide and hypnotizing. I looked at her with adoration, our love shining out to one another. The moment was only made more perfect as I began to feel the raw emotion of her love. It coated me like melted chocolate, sweet and indulgent.
"You're words were beautiful, Jasper," she whispered, her hands moving from my skin to hold my face gently.
I smiled, happy to see her cheeks curl up in response. "You are beautiful, Angel."
Her thumb rubbed over my cheek, allowing fire to rupture beneath my skin. "I love you, Jasper."
I leaned forward, stealing another brief, but passionate, kiss, our lips colliding for just a moment more. Chaste but meaningful. "As I love you. Forever."
Her eyes met mine, a spark of seriousness dancing about. "Forever, forever?"
I nodded, happy to see her eyes light up so. "When the time is right, yes. You still have a few years to match my age, Angel." I chuckled briefly. "We can get settled into this life, and then we can move on to that step."
The corners of her lips rose, the rose red color catching my eye and standing out against her satin ivory skin. "I like that idea," she murmured, her body shivering lightly as the rain began to pour around us.
I smirked. "Come on. You need to get inside before you get sick."
She nodded, and I stood, pulling her with me and wrapping my arms around her as we escaped into the house. As soon as the door snapped shut, we were ambushed. Esme's arms enveloped me and Bella with a gentle but still powerful hug. She pulled away, placing a kiss on either of our cheeks.
"I am so happy for the both of you," she squealed, sounding very much like Alice.
Carlisle followed, pulling Bella into a gentle before shaking my hand. "As am I, my children. I am happy you have found one another."
I smiled proudly, holding Bella just a little closer as our brothers and sisters congratulated us in turn, each giving a hug or a handshake. While we both stood proudly, happily, Bella's face did turn a lively shade of red, her face illuminating with a stunning glow that made her entire form shine brilliantly. Bella angled her body towards me as everyone began to settle again, and I carefully maneuvered us up the stairs, entering Bella's room within a few short minutes. I pushed the door open, walking in. Bella and I walked over and sat on the couch, Bella immediately curling into, bringing her legs up into the seat. I turned slightly, leaning against the arm of the couch so Bella could lean against my chest comfortably. We sat in silence, Bella's fingers tugging at the tattered edges of my shirt.
"You know," I looked down at her, "I'm surprised no one said anything about this," she murmured, flicking the cloth.
I chuckled lightly, moving a hand from Bella's waist to fiddle with my shirt. "I think my inability to eat cleanly was on their mind."
She smiled, shaking her head slightly. "Does this happen often?" she wondered, rubbing her hand across my exposed skin.
"Not really," I replied, almost robotically. Her hand was incredibly distracting.
"Hmm," she hummed, pausing briefly. "I-I like your skin..."
"What do you like about it?" I asked quietly, my voice soft.
Her soft voice echoed around the room with her reply, her hands slowly undoing the buttons of my shirt as she spoke, her body moving away so she could open my shirt to reveal my chest. Her hands roamed my skin as she spoke.
"I like how soft it is to me, even though you are indestructible. I love the ice, the satin glacier that covers you. I love how it sparkles in the sun when you and Emmett wrestle outside. I love how defined you are, but not overly so."
Her hands ran up to my pectorals as she leaned forward, her lips pressing against the skin of my chest, butterfly kisses covering my chest. My eyes fell closed a moment, my fingers curling into Bella's hair. My sense of control waned, passion and love overriding my system. Not truly realizing when or how it had happened, I soon found myself looking down into Bella's eyes, my body stretched out across hers. Her shocked and wide eyes met mine before she calmed completely, even daring to smirk at me as she watched my entire body rage with passion as my control fell away. Her curled lips beckoned to me, our bodies connected everywhere except for the most needed connection. Tracing her lips with my eyes, I completed the connection.
Her hands made work of removing my destroyed shirt, my chest and back exposed to her. Our lips moved as they had before, Bella's hands setting me aflame. As my shirt fell away, her hands ran up and down my spine, forcing me to bend into her, our chests pressing together tightly. I kept one hand wrapped in her hair, the other tracing down her side and around to her back, her back arching over my arm as I slid it beneath her. We kissed and caressed in time. Minutes passed, and Bella moved her hands to my chest, pressing them against me. Forgetting our position, I flipped over, intending to take her with me, hold her to my chest, lay her body across mine deliciously...
We did not quite make it.
Bella huffed as she landed on me, our bodies now in the floor. I sighed, dropping my head to the floor as Bella giggled.
"This is the second time I have done something very non-vampire," I breathed, faking irritation. Truthfully, this position was perfectly fine to me. Bella draped over my form, her body heat covering me.
Bella laughed again, leaning up over me while using her hand for support. Her free hand rose to my head, her fingers running through my golden curls. "Don't worry. If I affect you enough to turn you into a klutz, it just adds to your charm."
I breathed a laugh. "Good because you're stuck with me."
"Oh, I don't think that's a bad thing." She smiled, her face dropping down to mine.
"Me either," I sighed, our lips meeting softly.
We separated, and she curled into me, laying her head on my chest with her arms around me. I curled my arms around her a little tighter, keeping her close.
An eternity like this...
Heaven.
Absolute perfection.
Alright, filler? I don't know, maybe.
Anyway, I have some plans for this story, but it could be another chapter or two before stuff starts hitting the fan. I have to get through another thing or two before this starts getting really interesting ;)
As I said before, I'm sorry for the delay, but I will try my best to update very soon!
Also, if you have not checked them out, be sure to check out my stories "I Protect My Love", my most famous story "We Will Never Hurt Again", and it's in-progress sequel "Till Death by Fire Do Us Part." If you like this you will definitely like WWNHA and TDbFDUP. They are Bella/Jasper stories also :)
Hope you liked it!
Please, remember to drop me a review! They make me happy!
Until next time...
~Zoe-XOXO