Peter's POV
"Do it now," Jasper roared at me.
"But, Jasper, it's not that simple," I said.
"Do it now."
"Jasper, please I need to speak with-" I just had to try one more time, but Jasper wasn't have any part of it and he hung up on me.
I dropped my head. What was I going to do now? Jasper had ordered me and I was compelled to follow his instructions even though I knew it would cause Edward so much pain.
"There you are," Edward said and I turned to face him. "Anyone would think you possess the shield and not Bella, you're so quiet all the time… Hey, what's wrong?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing's wrong," I told him.
"Are you sure?" Edward asked, stepping closer to me, "because if there is something wrong then I can make it go away."
Edward closed the gap between us and his lips landed on mine. I didn't kiss him back at first, I didn't want to, but I gave in. This may be our last kiss and I owed him at least that much.
"Peter," Edward said, pulling back and resting his hand on my cheek. "What's wrong? Your thoughts have a sadness to them, but I can't get a clear read on them. It's as though you're thinking too much. What's going on in that head of yours?"
"I need to make a phone call," I told him, "and then maybe we can play a game of chess?"
"Yes, that sounds perfect," Edward said. "I'll go set it up."
He ran out of the room and up to his. I put Bella's shield in place and made my phone call.
"What do you want?" they answered.
"You need to get to Forks now."
"Hey, now," they said, "I don't take orders from you. Never have, never will. If this is coming from Jasper then he needs to call me."
"This has nothing to do with him, get here now and I promise you won't regret it."
"You can't just tell me to go somewhere and expect me to comply. Why do you want me there and what are you going to reward me with?"
"Your friend the doctor lives here, come and see him," I said.
"Nice try, but no. I don't want to see him again right now."
I sighed internally. I knew this would be hard, but it shouldn't be this hard.
"Okay, fine, what if I promised you something?"
"I'm listening," they said.
"Anything you want," I said boldly. "I'll give you anything you want."
This was too important not to offer them anything. Hopefully, if my plan worked out, this wouldn't matter.
"Anything, hmm, that's tough. There's a lot of things I want. Retribution, a bear-vampire hybrid, a chance to fuck with the Volturi… How am I supposed to choose just one?"
"Don't," I told them, "don't decide now. Just come to Forks and I will honor this whenever you choose."
"I don't make my deals that way," they said.
"You can trust me."
"I don't doubt that, but I'm not going into this on a promise. I want to know what I'm getting."
"Fine, I'll get you a mate."
"What?" they asked. "You can't just promise me that."
"Why?" I asked. "It's what you desire most and I will get it for you."
"How did you even know? Does Jasper know?"
"Of course not. This does not concern him, just trust me, or don't. You know what, fuck this, do whatever you want, but Forks, it's where you should be."
I disconnected the call and let out a small growl. I should have known that dealing with this particular individual would do more harm than good, but it was the only option. It was the only chance I had for everything to work out perfectly. I was spreading myself too thin, in too many directions. They were the key, if I could get them to Forks quick enough then maybe everything wouldn't fall apart. Maybe we'd be able to make it to the next day, maybe Jasper wouldn't win. Maybe.
I dropped the shield and I could feel Edward's impatience and lust. I closed my eyes. Now was the time. I couldn't put it off any longer. It had to be done, there was no other way. I walked up to his bedroom and sat down on his couch. I didn't say a word, I just allowed my thoughts to speak for me. I didn't want to do this, but… I brought up the memory of one of my fuck sessions with Charlotte and let it play out in full. I saw Edward in my peripheral vision and he was shifting uncomfortably. Edward made a decision and he pushed my thoughts aside. I should have known he wouldn't care that I had bedded a woman before. I needed to show him something that he wouldn't be able to brush off.
I started thinking of Edward and how much I didn't love him. I showed him how I was bored and I thought that he was simply a tight-ass. I showed him how I manipulated my thoughts to make him think that I was interested in him. Then I took every one of our encounters and showed him how I didn't care for them, how I just wanted to fuck him so I could brag that I took his virginity. I thought of everything I could that would crush his spirit and his soul and it worked. Even when I knew he was where I wanted him, where Jasper ultimately wanted him, I didn't stop. I added more and more. I showed him that I would have rather fucked Carlisle, not him. How I had a thing for blondes. I showed him that I was not a good vampire. I showed him that I didn't care for him and that I never have.
"Enough," Edward roared and I shifted my mind into its usual state, into the static he hated. "I don't know why you're doing this, but just stop."
Bella was in the room in an instant.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Edward stared at her, a murderous look in place.
"You did this," Edward told her, "you brought this monster into my house, into my life. You allowed him to do this to me."
"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, looking at me.
I turned from her. I didn't want to face her right now.
"Leave," Edward said and I looked up. I expected him to be talking to me, but he was talking to Bella. "Leave now," he told her.
Bella look conflicted, but she left anyway. Edward jumped to me, knocking over his prized chessboard, the pieces scattering everywhere. He grabbed me by the shirt and held me above him. I looked down into his eyes.
"I will never forgive you for this, never," Edward said and it crushed me. "You may have been manipulating me, but I'm not stupid. You cared for me, for whatever reason, and I will never allow you near me again."
He was right, I did care for him. He had wormed his way into my heart. He reminded me of my younger brother from my human life. I could feel his resolve, there was no coming back from this. Edward had forever been altered by what I had done to him. He had given me his heart and I looked after it until I crushed it. I wasn't happy with my actions, but now was not the time to go against Jasper's orders and I wasn't sure there was ever going to be a time. There was a reason Jasper was the one in charge and that's because he was able to make the hard decisions.
Edward let go of me and I felt his bloodlust. This would not end well. His anger wouldn't allow him to think straight. There would be many deaths tonight and all at the hands of Edward. He would kill and he would get addicted to the taste, to the feelings behind it. He would lose whatever compassion he had and he would start turning evil. There was no coming back from this and although I knew Edward would make a fierce vampire, it wasn't right. His soul was too good, I had seen it, and this would end up killing him one way or another. Bella wouldn't be able to stop him, no one would. Only a mate had such a chance, but his mate wasn't here. I had doomed him and I felt so guilty for my part in this.