Previously:

"Don't be so cold," I grabbed her chin. "Enjoy the fire while it still feels this good. And I'll enjoy this blush while its still able to feel your cheeks."

She swatted my hand away. "Get out."

The door was broken, but in place. I ran out to find my unplanned meal.

Jasper

My eyes brought a new meaning to the descriptor of blood red. I caught my gaze on a large puddle of water on my run back and admired the concentration of deep crimson diluting the yellow.

When I returned to the cabin, Elise was soundly asleep. I produced a small battery pack and plugged in her phone.

I had gotten a text from Peter to meet up and I planned to fulfill that task before Elise stirred awake. Her phone was quietly draining the portable battery, guaranteeing our communication in case of any emergency. There was always a part of me that was reluctant to leave her here especially if I was crossing state lines. But I hadn't caught a whiff of any vampires within a fifty-mile radius, so I reasoned through the situation. She was safe, and she could reach me whenever she wanted.

Peter met me a few hundred miles North of the compound. His eyes were freshly reddened by a recent meal, and he regarded mine with intrigue.

"More than one milestone to celebrate this morning, hm?" He grinned.

I certainly wouldn't call my change in diet a milestone. The two human girls that had to die for it last night wouldn't call it that either. "What's the other milestone?"

"Maria's found a shield."

My eyes darted to his quickly. "A shield?"

He could sense my alarm. He wasn't stupid. A hand came up and ran along his jaw. "Now I just can't figure out why you would lie to me about it."

I held my gaze straight, meeting him head on. "I didn't lie to you at all."

"You withheld the truth. Denying your dishonesty is how you'll play this game?"

It worked plenty of times. "Why does it matter, Peter?"

"It matters because I think you're in quite the situation here, Mr. Whitlock. You told Maria you'd deliver this girl in two months, but she's promising the delegates a newborn shield in three weeks."

Thoughts were a hurricane in my brain. Was she referring to Elise? Was there someone else? Maybe she had found a different shield. I asked the stupid question. "Is there another shield?"

His lips dipped and formed a slow frown. "No, Jasper."

I took a few steps back, flinching slightly at the branches that snapped beneath my boots. Maria was going to have Elise turned at her discretion. Without my cooperation or my input. The corners of my eyes were seeing red, and I needed to get out of here. "I need to go."

He grabbed my arm and unknowingly I flipped him over my head and onto the ground. He quickly threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm not trying to stop you from protecting her. Let me come with you."

It registered to me that I had him in a choke hold. I relaxed my grip and let him up. I mumbled out a quick apology and gave him space.

"I get it," he said sincerely. "I was the same with Charlotte. Especially at camp all those years ago. You know I did everything I could do to keep her away from Maria."

His comparison of Elise to Charlotte wasn't lost on me. I motioned North, and we started on a brisk walk. "What will she do? Ambush us and bite her?"

He gave me an incredulous look. "I can't believe you even told her in the first place."

"Maria had me followed. She knew about her already."

"You went further and told her she was a shield. Which, congratulations by the way. You have one hell of a human there."

"I didn't need her suspecting any sort of," I paused. "Bond between us."

"Strictly business."

"Exactly."

My instinct wanted to be beside her. To make sure she was safe. To make sure no one could get their teeth near her. I stopped in my tracks, and Peter stopped a few steps ahead of me. An idea dawned on me. Without much thought, I blurted it as an action item.

"Peter, I need you to go back to the compound. I need you to tell Maria that she will be changed within the week."

Peter took a pause of his own to examine me. "Are you sure?"

No. "Yes."

"She's going to want a reason."

Yes, she would. "The girl's ready. Just tell her that."

"Is she, Jasper?"

My gaze hardened. "Go."

Elise was exactly where I had left her. The blanket was bunched up at her feet, so I lengthened it out to cover her.

I sat at the armchair beside her and waited. The blanket warmed her body and her skin transitioned from a cold pale to a warm hue. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled in closer to the soft fabric.

I worked on filtering the storm in my brain. It was a tornado wreaking havoc through my synapses, which were firing at an alarming rate. A week. I had to do this in a week.

As if reading my thoughts through her slumber, Elise stirred and kicked off the blanket towards the edge of the couch. I watched her eyes flutter before fully opening. She turned towards me instantly, as if she was making sure I was there.

She did a quick double take at my face, but didn't comment on my eyes. "Good morning."

"Same to you. Sleep well?"

"Barely," she rubbed her lower back. "I wish it was warm enough to sleep in the other rooms. On an actual bed."

"You don't want to sleep on those beds."

She arched a tired eyebrow. "Murder, murder, murder. You need a new angle to you. It's getting boring."

I could do a new angle. "Do you know that you mumble my name in your sleep?"

She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. "You're lying."

"Am I?"

"I need coffee."

I bowed my head graciously and gave her privacy to properly wake up her body. The nearest espresso bar was only twenty miles out, and I returned promptly with a cup of milked coffee and a bagel. She had on fresh jeans and a T-shirt, the blanket was folded carefully beside her, and she was combing through her wet hair from her shower. She eyed the cup of coffee in my grip.

She looked at me with utter gratitude as she accepted my offering of truce. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile after taking a sip from her favorite beverage.

But she straightened herself quickly, as if remembering my remark from earlier. "Do you say things like that just to get a reaction out of me?"

"Like what?"

She mockingly deepened her voice. "Elise, you sing my name from the tops of the mountains in your sleep."

"I just like how your body reacts," I placed a hand on her lower back and applied pressure with my fingertips. "Your posture is strained, can you tell? Fix it and you won't be in this much discomfort."

She lengthened her spine against my hand. I trailed it further up to her shoulders. "Bring these down. Your neck should be long and not hiding in them. Lot of humans suffer from these simple pains that can be avoided with some mindfulness of how your body exists in space."

She gave me a wicked smile. "Is this what Jennifer from Seattle taught you? The wisdom of yoga and mindfulness."

My hand moved up from her shoulders to her neck. My favorite spot. "No, but I do learn a lot from my victims. Observing humanity is fascinating. I should write a book."

"You should. Jasper's twelve-step program to a better life: How the way you're sitting is killing you. New York Time's Best Seller."

I chuckled. "Your smart mouth is something I will never get tired of."

"As long as it doesn't sing your name while I'm unconscious, we're good."

My fingers danced towards her chin, her cheeks. "Why is that so bad?"

"It's embarrassing."

"No," I whispered. "I'm flattered."

The hunger in her eyes weren't for food. She kissed me gently. It should have been completely innocent, but the kiss grew deeper and her hands tugged on my face, my hair. They ran down my neck, trailing over crevices of scars. Her wet hair was on my shirt, staining it with dark spots. The stain on my brain grew darker as well. I wanted to do things to this woman I couldn't do. Not without hurting her.

Her lips were slightly chapped from the dry night, but they were warm. My teeth loved the proximity to her neck. I counted the seconds to pull away and let her breathe. When I did, my teeth drew me to her neck, and I couldn't help but nip gently. Her breathing was addiction. I wanted to revere at the effect I was having on her.

It was a feeling I was used to. Sex was easy with humans if they were going to die. Their bodies reacted pleasantly until the very end when they either broke or I lost the battle and drained them completely. The test of my control was half the fun.

But this wasn't a test, and my control wasn't full proof.

Her hands ran tantalizingly down my shoulders and my arms. They reached up and pulled my lips back down to hers. This was getting harder by the second. Vampires couldn't be breathless, but I wanted to stop and breathe. The inhale-exhale rhythm was ruined and my control wavered.

We couldn't go further. Not yet.

My words came in between kisses. "Let me kill you and we can do this."

She pulled her face back, her cheeks flushed with a rosy tint. Her hands still held my face and her eyes were closed. "What?"

My words felt like manipulation, but it was the most honest I could be about the situation. "I can't touch you more like this when you're human."

Her eyes opened and she bit her lip. "I know. I'm sorry."

She was sorry? "It's not your fault."

"I need to respect these boundaries. It can't be easy for you."

It wasn't. I tugged at her hair. "It's unbelievable how much I want to touch you, Elise Adams."

She smiled coyly. "I've been upgraded to a museum exhibit. You may look, but you'll get kicked out if you touch."

I teased back. "I'd take that risk, but your body wouldn't be that happy with me."

She shrugged. "I'd be okay with a few bruises."

"And a broken bone, twisted neck, and not to mention having to order a new bed. It's such a hassle, sweetheart."

Her smile dimmed. "Did you have sex with the human you killed last night?"

"No."

"Have you done that before?"

"Yes."

She nodded to herself, swallowing the information. "I appreciate your honesty."

I watched her closely. I could read the jealousy in her eyes. "I won't anymore."

She looked at me uncertainly. "But it's something I can't give you."

But soon she could, if she wanted. I took her hand. "And while it makes wearing tight jeans an ordeal, it's beyond your control," I searched her eyes. "I haven't mingled sex into my hunts for a while now."

"Because…" she trailed. Her tone was interesting. It was as if she didn't want to know details, but a part of her was dying for the information. Even though the information could hurt her.

"Because I have a mate."

She drew her eyes away from me, but I could see the sense of a small victory in them. She got up to grab the bagel and brought her coffee with her. She stood in the kitchen, working her way through her food. Her hands reached for her backpack and drew out a few syringes. Morphine shots. She arranged them on the table as she plopped bits of bagel in her mouth.

As she sipped her coffee, I stared out the window. How would I do this? She needed to die. And I needed to be the one to bite her. Absently, my teeth bit my inner cheek. While the thought of having my venom soar through her veins instead of Carlisle's was appealing, my pass rate was significantly lower. I pulled out my phone and texted Peter.

Hope Maria is pacified. Come to Nevada. I can't do this alone.

I scrolled past all of the texts I had been receiving from the Cullens. One in particular, however, stood out. I ran a gaze over Elise before tapping it open. It was from Carlisle.

I received information. Trying to investigate. Call me.

I stood up and walked towards the window. Morning rain pattered against the glass. It was nature's delicate alarm clock.

Carlisle picked up immediately. "I finally got the invitation from Aro."

I spoke lowly. "They're calling court hearings invitations now?"

He ignored my jab. "It wasn't Eleazar that spoke up. I don't know who this vampire is, but we're trying to track anything about him. Any affiliations, associations. Edward's been contacting covens trying to figure out who he is."

An outsider? "Does he have a gift? Mind reader nomad passing through?"

"We don't know," he sighed. "But his name is Damon, and that's all we have."

A/N: Alright. Key players are making their way in.

The Volturi, Damon. You wouldn't like this story if I didn't do this to you.

Until next time.