Jasper Whitlock

"I didn't know the human the Cullens had was you," I told Bella. "Here's my phone, read my messages about it, I don't care."

Bella didn't respond, so I left my phone on the coffee table.

"I'm going for a hunt," I said, "I will be back."

I knew leaving wasn't the answer, but I had said what I needed to and I could tell we both needed space. I wasn't used to having company. All I ever had to worry about since leaving the war was myself, but now I had Bella too and it was trying at times. I didn't want her to leave, but I needed a break. Plus, it would be good to get some fresh blood into my system. I always felt more clearheaded after a feed.

I paused close by. Bella was still feeling everything, but she seemed calmer now. She was alone, I wasn't keeping her prisoner, yet she didn't make an escape. She wasn't feeling negatively or trying to move, so I left her be. The sooner I hunted, the sooner I'd be back with my Swan.

Bella Swan

Everything was overwhelming Bella. She had gone from one extreme to the next. Her vamp had fought in the Civil War, he was the worst of the worst, yet he was a better vamp than the Cullens. She wasn't sure how that was true. He'd been through a lot, his scars screamed at her, his rough exterior, how most of his answers were clipped, how he roared at her, his growls, yet he was still much sweeter to her than the Cullens.

She couldn't believe he knew about the them. It had shocked her at first. She never wanted to tell him, but after hearing about his past, she knew he could handle them, but what she wasn't expecting was that he already knew it was them who took her. He had said he didn't know that it was her though. Bella picked up his phone and read through the messages he'd shared with Garrett about her.

Blocked Number: Give me something

Unknown Number: Apparently the Cullen children have kidnapped a human to keep as their pet

Blocked Number: Pass. Give me something else

Unknown Number: There's nothing else, you've taken care of all the newborn problems

Blocked Number: Message me when something arises

Unknown Number: Just go rescue the human, it'll be a great feed if nothing else

Blocked Number: Pass

Unknown Number: This is your last chance. The Cullen children are done with their human pet

Blocked Number: So?

Unknown Number: They're either going to kill her or change her, it's still up in the air. ...You can still save her

Blocked Number: What does it even matter? Either way, she won't be a problem anymore

Unknown Number: I sometimes wonder what happened to your heart

Bella saw that her vamp had messaged Garrett again earlier this morning. He was asking about the Cullens, he wanted to know what they were up to. The Cullens were going to grab another human, Bella shuddered. She didn't want anyone to go through what she had, and neither did Jasper by the looks of it. At least they could agree on that.

She read back through his messages again. He didn't know it was her, there were no details, just that the Cullens had a human. It wasn't even revealed that she was female until a month later. Bella no longer hated him for it, but she did feel bitter regret. If he had answered he could've saved her from so much, but it was impossible.

Before she left Phoenix Bella thought her vamp was the worst. He was cold, rough, uncaring. She could constantly feel his distaste towards her, but now she could see it was because of what she was, not because of who she was. She was a human and he was a vamp. The Cullens had let her know her place in this world. Humans were nothing compared to vamps.

Even now, she was surprised he was with her, that he was being so kind, so caring, that he loved her. And he did love her, she could feel it rolling off him.

Everything he had told her, about Garrett, Peter and Charlotte, the vampire doctor, the vegetarians, it had given her a lot to process. She just assumed all vamps were the same. Evil beings who wanted nothing more than to seek and destroy everything.

She wasn't sure on the exact ratio of good vamps to bad vamps. She knew there had to be lots like the Cullens, but there had to be more like her vamp too. Some that were in between. Not solely good, not solely bad.

Bella tried to calculate his age and she knew he must be over 150, she remembered Edward saying that he was the oldest of the Cullens and that he was born in 1901, which made her vamp at least a third older than Edward, and then Garrett was maybe 250 years old. How old did vamps get, she wondered. This showed her that Edward and the other Cullens were young in comparison, maybe that's why they acted like children.

She went through all the messages on her vamp's phone, it didn't take her long, there wasn't many. A few from Peter, checking if Jasper was okay. A couple from Garrett, but Jasper mainly initiated those conversations. Her vamp was isolated, Bella realized.

Did he feel like he owed her? Is that why he was being so kind to her? Did he regret not saving her from the Cullens and now he was stuck with her? She didn't want to believe any of this, but she couldn't help but think of the why's. She was a human, he was a vamp.

Only one thing was certain to her, he missed Garrett, his friend. Every time he had mentioned Garrett, he had smiled widely and seemed relaxed. The sketch was something else, another look at her vamp from a different time. He needed his friend, she decided. She checked Jasper's phone settings and saw that his number was blocked, then she sent off a message to Garrett.

Blocked Number: Jasper needs you

Garrett: Who the fuck is this?

Blocked Number: It doesn't matter. He needs you

Garrett: Who the fuck are you? No one knows about me. No one knows him as Jasper

Blocked Number: He told me about you

Garrett: Fuck off

Blocked Number: He showed me the sketch you drew of him, the one he keeps with him, from the Civil War

Garrett: Who the fuck are you? What have you done with Major Whitlock? What do you mean he needs me? Why does he need me?

Blocked Number: I'm his mate

Garrett: Fuck off. Leave him alone or I will hunt you down and kill you

Blocked Number: Why don't you believe me?

Garrett: Major Whitlock is like me, we don't have mates, we're nomads …Why do you think he's your mate? Did he tell you this?

Blocked Number: No, I can feel it

Garrett: Not good enough. Stop wasting my time and stay away from him

Blocked Number: He told me he loved me

Garrett: He was probably lying. Love doesn't make you his mate. Who are you?

Blocked Number: I'm the girl the Cullens took

Garrett: I don't know what your fucking game is but you're not going to be alive once I'm done with you. I have a gift and I'm going to hunt you down

Blocked Number: Good

Garrett: Why is that good?

Blocked Number: Because I'm staying with Jasper and he needs you

Garrett: Why does he need me?

Blocked Number: Because I'm human. He mated to a human and he doesn't know how to handle that. Plus, he misses you

Garrett: Where are you?

Blocked Number: I don't know. Some log cabin, in Texas maybe. You said you could hunt me down, so hunt me down

Garrett didn't reply and Bella smiled. This would be good, Garrett would help Jasper. They had known each other for most of Jasper's life, they were friends. If Jasper was struggling, which Bella thought he was, then Garrett could help. Bella turned the phone screen off and carefully sat it back on the coffee table as she waited for her vamp to return.

Jasper Whitlock

I hated that hunting wasn't as satisfying anymore. The more time I spent with my Swan, the more I saw humans in a different light. I knew I only cared for her, but I was struggling. I held my victim by the throat, they were slumped, unconscious. I'd had my fill, but they were still alive. The urge to kill my victim, the instinct, it wasn't there. I wasn't stupid though, this was the way it was supposed to go.

I snapped his neck and disposed of the body. As I left the scene, I hated that I had wasted his blood. I drank maybe three-quarters, but he still had more to give. This wasn't me. I was a killer, I was a soldier. I didn't care about my victims. Humans were weak, our food source, nothing more.

Would these feelings ever go away? Would I be forced to become a vegetarian? I growled at that thought, I'd rather die than make that change. I just needed to get out of my head. Maybe once Bella was stronger, I honestly didn't know. I missed the simplicity of my old life where I questioned nothing, but I wouldn't give Bella up. I just needed to accept all these changes.

I was hesitant as I approached my house. Part of me thought Bella might've ran. I knew I wasn't the best of company, but I was trying. I could feel her emotions, she still wasn't blocking me. She was inside and she was feeling satisfied. I wondered why. I casually walked into the house, but didn't look at her. I could sense she was still on the couch, so I worked on getting her food and pain medication ready.

"Do you have red eyes?" she asked, curiosity running through her.

I grunted out my response.

"Can I see them?"

"When I'm done."

She accepted my answer. I loved being able to feel her emotions, it made things much easier. I was no longer flying blind, guessing what not to do, now I could make sure I didn't upset her. ...Until she blocked me again, but I truly hoped she wouldn't.

"I don't blame you," she said softly, "it was a sucky situation and there's no way you could've known it was me. There's almost 300 million people in the United States alone, the chances of it being me was slim, even then, I don't blame you. I pushed you away, I left."

I could feel her regret.

"If I had known it was you," I said, "they would've been dead on day one."

The regret overtook us both. I finished making her sandwich and got her a drink too.

"We need to forget about it," she told me. "As I said, it was a sucky situation. It's in the past now, we can't change it."

How was she dealing with this so well? Was she avoiding everything she'd been through? I could feel her emotions and she seemed to be doing fine. It was troubling.

I brought her food to her and I could feel her amusement.

"What?" I asked, sitting on the coffee table as she started eating.

"How was your feed?" she asked.

I looked at her confused. Were we really talking about this?

"It was fine," I lied. "Why are you asking?"

"Just wondering," she said as she leaned forward and wiped some blood off my chin. She stared at it on her finger for a beat. "You know," she said, "before I was taken, I didn't really care for blood, the smell made me sick, but now…" she licked her finger clean, "it's just there."

I growled lowly. That was so hot, her sharing the blood of my kill. I hadn't looked at my mate in that light before, but I was now. She went back to her food and I tried to snap out of it. She was human, she was injured, now was not the time for such impure thoughts.

"You read my messages then?" I asked.

"Yeah."

She offered me no more.

"Jasper," she questioned, "do you have a gift? It's just, one of the Cullens could read minds but not mine, and another claimed she could see the future, but I'm not sure because clearly she would've been able to see that you would save me and the fate that awaits them. I think you can do something with emotions."

"I can," I told her, "I can feel what you're feeling, I can project what I'm feeling, I can manipulate you, not that I would… I never have actually."

"I believe you," she said, "I can feel it, when you project, and I've never felt nothing that wasn't my own."

"You can block your emotions from me," I told her. "That might be why they couldn't read your mind."

"Do you know the Cullens?" she asked. "Have you met them before?"

"No, I only know of them. Silly children, that's all they are. I've met their maker before, he's…" Could I tell her this? "He's that vampire doctor I told you about, remember?"

Bella was shocked. "But… But why?" she asked. "Why would he let them do this?"

"I'm not sure," I said, "but Doctor Carlisle Cullen is the only vampire I know who has never tasted a drop of human blood. He's the one who started the animal blood diet. Him and Garrett are friends. I heard he changed Edward, Rosalie and Emmett as he wanted a family. He changed his mate Esme too, but something must've went down for him to part ways with his own kin. I don't know what though."

"What about Alice?" Bella asked. "Is she not one of Carlisle's?"

"Who?"

"The one who can see the future."

"I've never heard of her. As far as I know, Carlisle only changed three vampires to be his children… That's probably why they continue to act as children."

"I wonder where Alice came from then," Bella said. "She seemed to be the one in charge. She was the most rational, but also the most ruthless."

"Maybe she's the reason they split from Carlisle," I suggested. "None of the why's matter. I will kill them and that's that."

I could feel her concern.

"Are you sure you can do that?" she asked. "There's four of them and they have gifts."

"You want to know why this Alice could never see me?" I asked. "I don't know how her power works exactly, but those of us who were changed for war and lived that life long enough, well, we don't think the same as everyone else. Our minds run on battle mode, constantly thinking and reassessing, always questioning. If she can't see me, I bet it has to do with that."

"Won't she be able to see me?" Bella was scared.

"Not if you're blocking her and I suspect you are. They wanted you to die, but you didn't. They haven't come for you yet which means they think you're dead. According to Garrett, they're off looking for another pet."

"I read that," Bella said, a myriad of emotions running through her, "we can't let them do it again."

"Don't worry," I told her, "we won't."