a/n sorry I totally suck and haven't posted in like a month and half. My life has just been crazy with work school break ups all kind of annoying stuff. so without further ado here is chapter 25
Jaspers POV
"I want to kill him." Bella says scarily calm but with anger building. I stare at her for a moment trying to decide if she means I want to kill him like I'm so mad I could kill him or I want to actually kill him. I can't tell through her facial expressions though.
"So... do you want to kill him tonight?" I ask her kind of confused. She stares at me coldly and shakes her head no. "I want to give Mrs. Shea a chance to leave him first but if I see another bruise on that sweet little girl I am going to kill him. It's one thing or the mother to be an adult and choose to stay with a man who beats her, it's another for an innocent child to be beaten by a man that she has no choice in the matter."
I shake my head in agreement and stand up waiting for her to join me. We quickly clean up the school house and turn off the lights and head back home at human speed. It's good for us to mingle with the locals and seem like we are part of the community in such a small area like this. We have quickly been welcomed into their folds. We have gone to their homes to eat and meet with them at the local pub. We both feel included. I can feel how happy and at home Bella truly is here.
When we get home Bella slinks off into her room and shuts the door. She doesn't often close herself off from me but I know that sometimes it's just a lot for her to take. She still hasn't fully opened up to me about everything that happened to her but what I do know is horrible so I can only imagine what I don't know. She has alluded to me that her body looks like mine under all the sweaters and jeans she wears and I just pray she doesn't have to live with the scars I do. I am comfortable with them now but I by no means find any kind of joy out of them. Bella said they show my strength I disagree. They are just a constant reminder to me why Bella deserves so much better in a mate.
I go to work on the kitchen. I finished the tiles but still need to place the counter tops. Peter had sent us some marble counters to install so I haven't had to leave her even once for supplies. After the counter is placed and I have the sink hooked up Bella comes out of her room. I can tell she is upset but I am going to wait for her to talk to me. She needs to be able to express herself and not depend on someone else to do it for her. Edward has messed her up and it is my duty to help put her back together. Make her the strong woman she was before he took her away from me. She is my mate after all.
"Jasper if I kill him will you think less of me?" She asks quietly. If I wasn't a vampire I wouldn't have heard it. I move out from under the sink and wipe my hands off on my jeans. I shake my head no. "Bella if you want to kill him that is up to you. I have killed many people over my life. You haven't yet. It's something you have to decide if you can live with. When I killed them I only thought of them has a food source and it wasn't that difficult for me. Now it's different. The few times I have slipped have been very hard on me. But this is an evil man. Any man that hurts his woman and child losses all respect in my eyes. If you can live with it I will never think less of you."
Bella just shakes her head and I can see the wheels turning in her head. "Can we go eat?" She asks me meekly. Again I wish she didn't feel the need to ask me before she does something but 50 years of Edward is hard to forget. I smile and take her hand and lead her outside. It's not really hunting when you are going after sheep. Maybe once school is out for summer I'll take Bella to Russia where we can really have fun hunting. But for now this is what she needs. Something easy and accessible. I am getting a bit sick of sheep's blood but I won't even entertain the idea of leaving her for even a minute to get something else.
She is such a graceful hunter and eater. She merely jumps and lands on her prey quickly severing the jugular and drinking. She never wastes a drop and most certainly doesn't make a mess. Her hands are so gentle and soft on the creature as she puts it down. I can't wait till I get the chance to get under that graceful body. Dammit Jasper! You need to stop thinking of things like that. She isn't ready.
We both eat our fill and head back inside. Bella still seems on edge but she'll talk to me when she is ready. I can feel the anxiety building. "Jasper?" She asks me when she takes a seat on the couch. I turn around and her feet are pulled up under her and she's trying to hold herself in a tight ball. I sit down on the couch next to her and slowly put my arm around her shoulder so I don't startle her. "What's up darlin?" I can feel her pleasure at how I call her darlin. She likes when I use my southern draw so I make sure to use it as often as possible. I could bottle that emotion up and live off it.
Bella bites on her lip for a moment then slowly pulls her arms out of the tight ball she is holding herself in. She is extremely anxious and nervous. I can feel a bit of shame lacing through the other emotions. "I want to show you something. I am not ready to show you everything but I want you to understand why I want to kill that man. I choose to stay with Edward and have this done to me. I believed I deserved it. He made me feel like this was my punishment for not being what he wanted. But if he had touched Reneesme even once I would have left and allowed you all to kill him." Bella slowly rolls up the sleeves to the sweater she is wearing on the left arm then the right. I have only ever seen her wrist since we have gotten here and I remember the horrible creases that marred her skin showing where Edward has dismembered her. She slowly extends her arms into my lap so I can see them.
"He did this to you?" I choke out almost unable to comprehend what I am seeing. Bella shakes her head yes and lowers her gaze and looks at a spot on the floor. I gently take a hold of her arms and I trace over the many scars. There are creases and lines where he has ripped her arms off at all different places. There are numerous crescent shaped bite marks all over her arms. He has thoroughly marked her. The Mate in me starts to growl angrily. Mars in me starts to batter against me. He has hurt our mate and he has to die. We need to comfort and protect our mate.
I have lost control of myself and the Mate and Mars are in control. The Mate pulls Bella into our lap and continues to trace over her many scars. He starts to nuzzle into her. He wants to scent her and he wants to make her ours. Mars is thinking up 100 ways to kill Edward that will be long and painful.
"Jasper?" Bella's voice helps bring me back. I still can't speak but I am getting closer to controlling my own body. "Jasper it's alright. It looks worse than it is. I am fine now."
I shake my head no. I try my voice and it cracks. I take a deep breath and try again. "It is not alright. He did this to you. He has to pay for what he has done. He had no right." I growl out but I try not to raise my voice so I don't startle her. That boy had no right to touch our mate!
Bella buries her face in my chest and lets me keep her arms to trace over. She may not know she is my mate but her body is screaming for me to comfort and hold her, and I am eager to please her. "It's over now Jasper. I just want you to know why I have to kill him. I can't allow him to mark Abby like Edward has marked me. I won't allow that sweet girl to go through what I went through."
Now I know I will have no problem killing him either. Maybe Peter and Charlotte have the right idea. They take out filth like this every day so they can't hurt someone else. If I ever come face to face with Edward again he will not survive me, the Mate, or Mars. He will die.
Bella and I sit like this for hours and it is a great comfort to me and I know it is to her too. I need this so badly. It is better being with her every day but it is killer to not be able to hold her the way I want or love her the way I was built too.
The next morning I know Bella is nervous to go back to school. We don't know how Abby and her mom will look. Bella slowly gets dressed and before we leave the house I stop her. "Have you said one think you like about yourself yet?" I ask her.
She shakes her head no and I drag her back in to the bathroom and stand there until she meets my gaze in the mirror. "Bella Swan you are a strong woman. Not many women could survive what you have been through and still be so kind." I know she would be blushing if she could but she just looks pale and gorgeous. She leans over and nuzzles into me a bit. Maybe she is getting a second personality too. Maybe the mate in her needs me just like I need her.
On the way to the school house we pass many of our neighbors and everyone waves at us. I like living like this. It reminds me of the friendly south I grew up in. Everyone cares about each other here. I have missed this.
I stay with her once we get to the school house to see what is waiting for us. Most of the children are already here and Bella opens the doors and lets them in. Right before the bell rings I see Mrs. Shea and Abby walking up towards us. Mrs. Shea has quite a shiner and Abby is looking at the ground with her hair in front of her face. I can feel the fear and anxiety rolling off of Bella. Mrs. Shea hands Bella a bag. "Thanks for the clothes yesterday Mrs. Jennings. I washed them for you."
Bella takes them and gets down on her knees in front of Abby. "How are you this morning sweet heart?" Bella asks her. Abby slowly raises her head and pushes her hair back. I hold back a gasp but Bella isn't able to stop. "Abby dear what happened?!" Abby has a large bruise on her cheek and her lip is busted.
Before Abby can respond Mrs. Shea pulls her to her side. "We were in the kitchen last night when my pot rack fell down and hit us both. It was quite a spectacle and it took a long time to clean it all up."
Bella's gaze bores into Mrs. Shea and I am happy I am not on the receiving end of that look. "Abby why don't you go inside sweetheart." Bella tells her. When Abby walks past her Bella puts a guiding hand on her shoulder and Abby winces. "Sorry honey I'll be in a minute."
We all stand there silent for a moment. "Mrs. Shea I think we both know that it wasn't a pot that did that. I know it is hard but for Abby you need to get help. I can help you Mrs. Shea."
For a moment I think Mrs. Shea might take Bella up on her offer. Her eyes soften and I can feel her want. She wants help. She wants to get her daughter out of this hell. Then fear and dread take over her. They overwhelm her like a storm and I know she isn't ready to ask for help. "It was the pots Mrs. Jennings. I will see you at 3." Then she turns around and leaves.
We both watch her leave. Once she is out of viewing distance Bella collapses into me. "I need you to get some things ready for me by tonight Jasper." I rub her back. "I need you to find a way to set up life insurance policy for that despicable man that will go to his wife and daughter after I am done with him." I don't question her. This is her call and I will do whatever she wants.
"I am only a thought away. Call me if you need me and I'll see you after school." Bella shakes her head sadly at me and walks into the school. Today is going to be a hard day for her.
I spend most the day working on what she wanted. It isn't difficult for me to set these kinds of things up anymore. I have it set up so it looks like he bought into some life insurance plan 5 years ago. It is going to "pay double" in the case of an accidental death under the age of 40. I also have a third cousin twice removed who was very wealthy dying here in the next few days. Abby and her mother should have plenty of money to support themselves for the rest of their lives.
At 3 I head to the school. I take the stairs and stop at the door to the class room. Bella is sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. She looks worn out and exhausted. All the children have left and it's just us. "You ready to go home?" I ask quietly.
She slowly raises her head and shakes it once. She crosses the room at vampire speed and wiggles her way into my arms. I give her all the comfort I can. She's my mate and she needs me desperately right now. "Her back and shoulders have huge bruises too Jasper. I could smell the bruises on the surface of her skin." A bruise is only blood welling at the surface and we are built to find blood. I don't respond and we head back home.
We sit in silence until 7 pm when Bella stands up. "He should be at the pub now. We will watch him until he leaves. I want to bring him back to our barn before we do anything." This is her show. I am going to let her handle this anyway she wants too.
Just like she said he is sitting at the bar in the pub. He has a few pints emptied in front of him and he is laughing with one of his friends. I don't like the look of him. He looks smug. His red hair is has red has the fury I feel in my gut. He is going to die tonight for what he has done to his family.
The last thing we want is for someone to connect us to this murder. We want to be able to live here for awhile. We sit outside hiding in the dark until this asshole stumbles his way out of the pub. He is joking with one of his friends about how his wife is warming his bed at home. We both creep behind him and lurk in the shadows until he is alone on the walk home. Bella quickly comes up behind him and knocks him out. I can tell she doesn't want to touch him yet and I pick him up and throw him over my shoulder and run him back to our barn.
I drop him in the center of the barn on a tarp and the sheep are baaing around us. They don't like this man anymore than I do! Bella comes into the barn with rope and ties his hands up and throws the rope over one of the rungs and begins to pull him to his feet. Once he is only holding himself up by his toes she stops pulling.
"Wake up ass hole!" Bella screams out while throwing a bucket of water over the man dangling in front of us. HIs eyes slowly open and assess the situation. "What the fuck are you doing?" He asks. Not quite realizing how incapacitated he truly is. He tries to fight his restraints to no avail.
Bella stalks around him like a wolf would their prey. Her eyes have a predators glint to them. I can feel the confidence and hatred in her. "I have seen what you have done to Abby and your wife. You are going to pay for it." Bella spits out at him.
He actually fucking laughs. "I haven't done a god damned things to either of them." I can feel that he is lying. He is nervous. Bella hits him hard across the face. Not at full vampire strength but stronger than any woman her size could hope to hit. "Do not lie to me or I will rip out your tongue. I have seen what you have done to them."
Realization dawns on his face. "You are that bitch of teacher that just started here aren't you. I guess your man hasn't taught you a woman's place!" Bella's emotions go through a quick roller coaster of anger and fear. Unfortunately for her Edward has "taught" her a woman's place.
I walk out of the shadows and allow Mars to take over me. He is best for things like this. I can feel the cold hearted killer taking control of the situation. When Mr. Shea sees me he is hopeful for a moment until he looks into my eyes. Men like him can recognize the killer in me. He knows he's a dead man. I stop next to Bella and pull her into me. "Unlike you I don't need to hurt my woman to make her respect me. She's my equal and knows her place at my side." Bella relaxes into me and I know for just a moment she takes comfort in my scent. Then she pushes off from me and walks up the man tied up.
"No amount of torture that I could put you through would make up for what you did to your wife and child. I am going to kill you and I am going to like it. Once I have disposed of your body I am going to never think of you again and Abby and your wife are going to receive a lot of money and will probably never think of you again either. Except for the rare occasion that someone asks them what happened to you. They will smirk and say who the fuck cares what happened to that waste of human flesh. Because that is what you are, you are a waste of human flesh. You are no better than a infected scab on the human body. You are the pus that needs to be drained and the infection that needs to be squashed. Your infection will never affect another human being again."
Before he can respond Bella kicks him in the balls. I shutter for a moment knowing how much that must hurt then Mars lets out a loud cackle. Mars walks up the man and punches him in the shoulder giving him the same bruise that Abby had and then some. I know the shoulder is dislocated now.
Bella pulls out a knife from her back pocket and slits his jugular and the arteries on his wrists. My blood lust starts to rise and I move just an inch towards him but Bella stops me. "No Jasper. We do not put that kind of infection into us. We do no feed from him." I take a struggled step back and stand with my mate as I watch the man in front of us bleed out. I am proud of my mate. Mars approves, the Mate approves, and I approve of how she is handling this.
Once he has stopped kicking Bella cuts the rope and carries him outside. I follow her to out dock where she drops him in the harsh tide below. "They may find his body." She says into the wind. We turn back and quickly clean up the barn. She had laid down a tarp beneath him so it isn't so hard to clean up the blood.
I follow her back into our home and she goes into the bathroom and shuts the door. I can feel her pain has she turns on the shower and washes off the blood. After an hour she comes out in a thick turtle neck and sweat pants. I changed clothes and washed my hands thoroughly in the sink. She heads into her room and jumps into her bed. "Jasper can you lay with me for a bit please?"
I don't need to be asked that twice and I jump into the bed next to her. I wrap my arms around her and she moves into my body so her face is buried into my chest. I can feel her getting comfort from my smell and presence. "I don't regret what I did it's just hard."
Bella continues to lay there and I send her calm and comfort and help her drift off for a bit. This is the first night that I have been able to lay with my mate like I have wanted since I meet her. This is what my duty is. To protect, calm, and keep my mate feeling happy and safe.
a/n so what y'all think?