Hi Everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating. It took me a little while to figure out how I wanted the story to continue, but I have it fixed now. I made an extra long chapter to make up for it. None of the characters are mine. Hope you are having a good week. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Please come into the house. We are so happy to have you here." Esme was speaking while leading into the gorgeous white house.

As I entered I couldn't help but admire the pristine condition of the house. Everything was so white and in place. I admired the work that it must take to keep everything so orderly. The house hardly looked lived in if we were being completely honest. As I was looking around I could tell that it had been recently cleaned. It was confirmed by the thoughts of Esme "I really hope I remembered to get everywhere today."

Jasper was talking animatedly with Emmett about the Whitlock Ranch and the new horses that we had bought. He invited Emmett to come and try his hand at riding "like the good old days of his youth." I do love this man with all my heart. I stayed close to Jasper as Esme talked to me, I didn't want them to get too intimidated with the scars that showed across my body like warnings to others of my kind. While Emmett was talking to Jasper he still kept Rosalie behind him to shield her from the possible threat to his mate. It was a statement to me that I could also hear in my mind from the mind reading gift I picked up from Edward. Don't let her out of your site. Must save mate from the threat. Emmett was hiding it well but I could tell he was on edge, so I made myself as calm and understanding and I pumped some calm out around me.

I could see the effects on the others from the calm I was releasing in the room. It was visible to me and Jasper could feel the emotions I was releasing making him calm as well. As I was working on making sure a fight didn't break out, I was also aware of increasing aggression in the two vampires that were walking up behind me.

Edward and Alice were whispering back and forth so low it was impossible to hear them outloud, but their minds practically screamed and that I could easily understand.

Who is she? Edward was the first to voice his concerns aggressively.

I don't know. I can't see her or Jasper or the other Whitlocks. She is completely invisible to me. What do you hear from her?

I can't hear anything from either of them. Edward was exasperated.

"Why can I not hear anything from you? Are you here to rip them apart? You must be some kind of monster to have all of those scars. I guess you fit perfectly together since..." Edward was right behind me now. I spun on my heel and hissed at him involuntarily. My years of training and fighting coming back to me full force.

"Edward, what are you doing? What is the matter with you?" Carlisle cut Edward off in the middle of his little rant. In an effort to be civil and respectful in a home that is not my own I was quiet, but I was not going to be rude in the Cullen's house. Not yet at least.

"I can' not hear her mind. She must be here to kill us with a power like that. Who sent you? The Volturi?" Edward continued as if Carlisle had not even spoken.

"Edward this behavior is unacceptable" Esme started in on Edward again. Trying to get him under control. Alice was trying to hush him in her mind.

Edward you might want to cool down. Jasper is getting a little heated and we don't want to get him riled up the monster might come out. You know how little control he has. Alice was going on in her head, but I could not react to it. To keep my secret I had to be as if I didn't hear her and that was one of the hardest things I had ever done. It was unacceptable to hear her about my mate. I would take my revenge on her and it will come when she least expects it.

Jasper had lost his control at the last comment that Edward made next. Though I had missed it, it was the action of Jasper pushing Edward against the wall with his teeth as Edward's throat that brought me out of my distractions.

Esme was hysterical that someone would injure her dear Edward and Emmett was unable to get Jasper off without getting a hiss from my mate. I pumped more calm out into the room and went over to Jasper to de-escalate the tension that was going around in the people around me. I walked over to Jasper and put my hand on his shoulder and talked to him in my mind to his with a telekinetic power I picked up as I spoke out loud. "Jasper, it's okay. You don't want to hurt your brother. I am okay." I spoke out loud to him. In my mind I said Don't worry my mate they are not the first to try to insult me. I love you and I am fine. Esme is worried and you don't want to hurt Emmett in the process of getting back at Edward. I kept soothing words going while Jasper's grip loosened and he let Edward out of his grip.

"Listen Eddie, if you ever insult my mate again, I will end you in some of the most painful ways the Southern Wars ever tried. I will not hesitate. Do you understand Boy?" Jasper practically growled at the end as The Major made an appearance at the end of his sentence. I was instantly turned on, but everyone else began to practically shake out of worry. I found it funny, it seems they never considered who they had in their coven. The God of War is not someone you want to mess with and his mate is absolutely off limits. This would be the perfect time to talk to him about the whole animal blood problem.

"Jas, let's go out to the forest and blow off some steam." I said to him as I pulled him from the room "Esme, thank you for the hospitality, we will be back tomorrow to get to know everyone a little better." I yelled behind us as we crossed the threshold to the door and took off at a sprint. The faster we got away, the better it was for the family as well.

The longer we ran the calmer I could feel Jasper get. It was exhilarating to have someone to run with that he didn't have to hold back with. Wow, she if super fast. I wonder if she is faster than Edward. It would be amazing to see him get beat by my mate. I have to hold back when I run so that he doesn't get too emotionally hurt. Carlisle asked me to slow down around him so he could be the fastest. That little weak man. I can't believe he was insulting Isa, I will kill him for it…

I just let him go. He needed to get it out because he really would kill Edward if he said another word against me, The Major wouldn't let him give up that much of himself now that I am in the picture. Honestly, I would be the only one able to stop him, but I wouldn't even try. Alice will be getting the same treatment the first time she speaks poorly about my mate in my hearing range. I will not stand for those insults to him.

Once we reached the top part of Canada and had turned around to run back Jasper was calm enough that I started to slow in a beautiful clearing I had seen on the way up. I was going to talk to him here. Peter's gift was saying that it would take some convincing, so I would have to try really hard to be calm and honest with him.

I knew the telekinetic power would come in handy here. Once he sees my memories he won't be able to disagree with me.

"Jasper can I talk to you for a few minutes about the animal blood diet?" I asked softly to bring him out of his thoughts.

"Of course my mate." He said as he came to wrap me up and set me on his lap in the middle of the clearing, "What would you like to talk about with it?"

As I gathered my courage I observed our surroundings. Jasper had put us up against a rock cliff that housed a waterfall to keep ur backs protected. The river would prevent anyone from hearing our conversation should there be anyone following us and we had full lines of sight in every direction. It was a good tactical location which I appreciated in an instant.

"Well, I am not going to drink exclusively from animals. I can't do it to myself. The Goddess of War in me refuses to be that weak as well as to harm myself that way." I stated as quickly as I could. It was better to get it out then listen to his remarks then to drag out my reasons.

"I don't understand…" I could feel the shock radiating off of him as he spoke. I knew this would be hard, so here we go.

"Well, you see when you were with Maria she hid things from you wanting you to be the best fighter in her army and she knew that you still had a soul and a conscious. So when you were fighting and training she kept a bunker hundreds of miles away where she conducted experiments on some vampires that she changed in secret. Some of the experiments weren't too bad, like the one I will tell you about, but others were horrifying and I will spare you some of those details. How I wish I could forget them myself." I couldn't look at him as I began my tale. I stared blankly at the water as it ran out of view.

"She used to take me there as a human to tempt the vampires. I guess it made them work harder and be more ruthless. She used to dangle me in front of them and see who could resist. Once I was changed she would take me to change people and to make sure everything was running accordingly. There was one vampire that she fed only animal blood. She had been feeding him all sorts of animals for centuries. Before even you were changed. Not long before but still he had about 600 years of animal blood running through his veins." At this point I felt Jasper stiffen a little. I could hear in his mind that he was thinking about Carlisle and his diet for the last 600 years.

"The man was calmer than the others I had met, but he was a little crazy. As the years go on I noticed that he was getting worse. He was tested every year and each time he was weaker. His eyesight was losing its focus and his hearing was getting dimmer. Through the years you could see his muscles lose mass and definition. It was criminal what she was doing to them. I ended it as soon as I left. I put everyone in that building out of their misery even though I couldn't end her." Jasper was going through his own personal experiences on animal blood and recounting his family's struggles through the years.

Edward had gotten slower, Rosalie had a hard time seeing across the schoolyard sometimes. I continued as he remiesed. I knew his brain could focus on more than just his memories. "Gifts were one of the final things that started to go. I had absorbed his gift the first time I met him as a vampire.. He could bring power into his voice and make others listen to him. When he was younger he could get the guards to bring him better tasting animals, but as the years went on he could no longer even do that. It was so horrifying if I slept I would have nightmares." I could feel venom pooling in my eyes from the the sorrow that went through me at the memories.

Thankfully I had blocked myself off from him so I couldn't feel my own emotions as he processed his own. His current thoughts were analyzing his own gift as well as Alice's when he had see her over the years. It was true, the frequency and strength of her visions had fallen in the last few years. If only slightly, his vampire brain could quickly pick up on any changes. His own gift was changing. He realized he had more trouble calming down large groups than he previously.

"Why would Carlisle not pick up on all of this? How could he be so selfish? What am I going to do? They will never believe me, and they will be so disappointed. The emotions will crush me when I have to go back…" On and on his mind spiraled out of control with his worries. I quickly rushed to calm him down.

"Jasper, they are hurting themselves as they continue this animal blood only madness. It is criminal. Carlisle should have noticed all of the harm that is coming to him and his family. I am not saying you have to change now, but the sooner you get back on human blood the sooner you will have the nutrients that your body needs to survive. The changes will be almost instantaneous.

"We can figure out a way to make the emotions tolerable for you. I will help with everything I can. I can block them from you, it wouldn't be hard at all. I have had to do it in the past. I love you …"

"How can you know that it wasn't something else that drove him mad. I mean it is Maria we are talking about. I can't believe what you are saying. I have to make my family proud. I have to go. Don't follow me. I need some time to process all this, and I can't trust what you are saying." Jasper was getting hysterical as he continued to talk and I was getting more and more anguished as he talked.

Jasper got up and ran off into the distance as I sat there under the cliff. I let him get barely out of view. I was outside of his vision, but I could see him. I wouldn't let him out of my sight. He was weaker than I was and I wouldn't let him hurt himself or his family at this time. I was up in the mountains trailing behind in the trees. Watching as he tore the forest apart.

His phone rang after he was done. My gift told me it was Peter and he would talk him down a bit. I would get my revenge on him later for running from me. As he talked to Peter I could hear the conversation from my spot in the trees.

"Major, are you being a dumbass again?" Peter is ever the eloquent one.

"Is what she is saying true?"

"You know in your heart that it is. She wouldn't lie to you. You have already seen the effects she was talking about. Now back to my question, are you being a dumbass? Where is Isa, let me talk to her." He was trying to find where I was. Wanting to know if I was still protecting him like I promised I would. "Major, I sense trouble coming your way, where is Isa?"

"I left her sitting my a waterfall. She was fine when I left, but I can't see her right now. She probably left into the distance without me now that I hurt her so much." At least he seemed regretful. "She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I pushed her away. I need to go find her." With that sentence he hung up on Peter and I hopped out of the tree.

"Mr. Whitlock, you will pay for leaving me back there like that. We need to get back to your family though. Before they come looking for us. I sense something has changed at the house." I turned to run up to the house as he came closer. Before I could dart away he wrapped me up.

"My Isa, I apologize for the way I acted. I just didn't want to hurt you in my confusion, so I ran away."

"Jasper, you can't hurt me. We are equally matched and I am stronger with the human blood. Don't worry about me physically. Think about how you leaving made me feel. We really need to go. I still love you, but we will figure this out together." I kissed him lightly on the lips as we embraced. We will be strong. It is the Whitlock way and we have been through too much individually to not be together for longer than a few weeks, but it will take time.

We started back to the house slowly. Talking about what to tell the family about animal blood and if anybody would believe us. We also discussed all that we wanted to do once our visit was over. Jasper agreed to help me continue to help others in need. We would travel the world meeting new people and staying ready. We would stay with Peter and Charlotte on the Ranch and live productive lives. All we had to do was make it through the rest of this visit with the Cullen family.

If only that were so easy.

Thank you for reading. Until next Chapter!