It was a palpable thing, holding trust in the palm of her hand. It skittered like lightning bolts over her flesh when she met him, palm to palm. He was safe—a harbor in a raging storm of endless preoccupations and uncountable unknowns.
Home.
A soft gasp, a mere puff of air pulled into her throat at the sensation, the consumptive burn centered there radiating outward from the source of her thirst.
Thirst for him.
Thirst for blood.
Hunger.
Lust.
Need.
She leapt from the sofa, crashing back into a low wooden table before she could stop herself, but he was there, strong arms bracketing her lithe frame and keeping her from plummeting to the floor. Splinters from the impact erupted around them but they remained frozen, her hands flush against his biceps and his arms wrapped tightly around her torso. Red eyes connected to amber, unable to look away, captivated by the clarity of his gaze.
"I… I need—" she tried, immediately distracted by her the sound of her voice, not unlike the vibrant church bells in the distance that rang over the landscape to toll the hour. It was foreign and strange, a new voice within her head, not her human voice but something ethereal and supernatural. She felt untethered, captivated by each small thrill of this new, unfamiliar existence.
It was as exhilarating as it was frightening.
His finger pillowed against her lips, "Shh. I know, darlin'. You need to hunt. It'll be easier once you've fed."
Her tongue darted out to taste his skin, the tip just brushing against the pad of his finger, and she was gone. The all consuming thirst, the need to drain the blood from another to sate the fire in her throat, paled in comparison to her thirst for him.
A small voice in the back of her mind decried that he was not the proper person, but a much stronger voice firmly claimed him as her own.
Mine.
The world stopped moving as his lips arched into a smile, white teeth centered between plush pale lips, the gentle cadence of his voice washing over her like a wave. "Yours."
She hadn't meant to say it aloud, though contentment washed over her at the acknowledgement, the yearning sated momentarily from the affirmation. He pulled her fully to her feet, a whimper falling from her lips as his hands slipped away from her waist and she launched herself forward, throwing herself into his arms.
He caught her easily and her nose found the scarred juncture between his neck and shoulder. Her nose was clouded with conflicting scents, tiny traces of venom left behind by those who had previously harmed him, but beneath it all was the warm, clean scent of him. The conflicting scents in her nose made a growl bubble forth from her throat until a wave of calm washed over her. His gift soothed her as his fingers traveled the length of her spine in slow delicate brushes. "I'm okay, Bella."
She fought to find her voice, to tell him she'd never let harm come to him again but she remained silent as he cradled her body, gently using his gift to ease her emotions from one extreme to something manageable—something where she didn't feel as though she might fly apart at the slightest provocation. It helped clear the fog in her mind, easing the distractions that fought for her attention, so she could simply be.
The thirst was there, ever present beneath it all, but somehow, centered in his embrace, she wasn't overcome.
"You're doing so well," Jasper crooned against her ear. "Once you've fed, you'll feel more like yourself and we'll talk."
Bella nodded, eyes closed as her nose and lips trailed across the scarred patch of skin as if her very touch could wish each indentation away. There was something important she seemed to be forgetting as she clung to him, some detail of her human life that she needed to remember, but her mind was consumed only by thoughts of the man who held her so carefully.
He kept her close as they left the house, tucked neatly beneath his arm in a simple, comforting embrace. The trek into the forest was short, the trees blurring as he urged her to run, never letting go of her hand as they darted between soaring trees and over bulbous roots. Laughter bubbled up from her throat at the sensation of the earth moving beneath her feet, the wind whipping her hair about with the rapid pace.
Until she stilled.
Venom filled her mouth as the pulse of a heartbeat filled her ears. She leapt away from him, darting toward the faint sound. The animal was no match for her. It's neck snapped easily and her teeth tore into a thick vein, warm red liquid coating her tongue and barely easing the burn as she drank from the animal. Droplets of blood dripped down her chin, trailing over her pale skin and soaking into the fabric of her dress until there was no more for her to drink.
The taste of it was uninspired, the sustenance of each drop lacking and she didn't feel fulfilled. It marginally eased her thirst and as she stood tall, she stared down at the animal. Another heartbeat gone from the world and the first one at her hands, even if it were only a doe. Her mind spun, liking her kill to that of a hunter who might use the meat to sustain his family—it was necessary for her survival, though in the back of her mind she craved something forbidden in the lifestyle she'd chosen.
Except she wasn't certain she was strong enough to resist it.
A presence at her back reminded Bella she wasn't alone in the woods and she turned, coming face to face with her sire. Her eyes trailed over his torso as he took a step forward, meeting his gaze as his thumb brushed across her chin, through the trail of red drying on her skin.
"Hi." Her voice was quiet, no more than a whisper upon a breath of wind, but he heard the small sound without difficulty.
"Hello," he replied before slipping thumb into his mouth and cleaning the blood from it. The action should have disturb her, but all it did was make her abdomen clench with sheer want. "Feel better?"
She shook her head, hair catching in the breeze as she fought to control the rapid movement. "Not particularly. It's... " her eyes drifted to the lifeless animal, "...unsatisfying."
He nodded, "It takes some getting used to. The other is more gratifying but comes with moral complications, depending on who you ask."
The conversation seemed strange, if somewhat stilted. Standing in the middle of the forest discussing dietary considerations while droplets of blood still bathed her skin was not what she had expected after having awoken in her immortality and found her thirst for something beyond blood near overwhelming. She considered the thought, searching through the filmy haze obscuring her memories until a face drifted into the periphery of her mind's eye.
"Where's Edward?" The name rolled off of her tongue with ease but the emotions she'd attached to it in her moral life seemed muddled, dulled by the fury of the change, no matter the images her mind brought forth. She'd loved him, Bella knew that much, but the feeling had dimmed.
"He's around." The answer was vague and Bella was nearly certain Jasper was avoiding the question. She felt more for the stoic blond standing before her than she did for the man she'd asked about. Whatever bond had developed between them was inexplicable, something she hadn't been rightly prepared for.
Not that she'd had a chance to become prepared for this fate.
A papercut.
Chaos splintering around where she stood in the middle of the Cullens' living room.
Certainty in Jasper's eyes in the moments before he sank his teeth into her flesh.
"It wasn't an accident."
He took a step forward, the pads of his fingers brushing over the curve of her cheek before sinking into the dark hair behind her ear, his hand cupping the back of her head. She melted into his touch, unable to resist his siren call as he tilted her head back to meet her gaze. "A calculated risk, perhaps. But not an accident."
Her hand curled around his forearm, tongue darting out to taste the sharp tang of blood still coating her lips. "Why?"
Jasper leaned closer until his lips just brushed over hers, "Because I couldn't watch him touch you for one second longer."
She felt the firm press of his lips against hers and she opened for him on instinct. A deeply rooted fervor took hold and grew with each gentle pass of his lips until she wasn't certain where he ended and she began. Her hands lifted and tangled in his hair, holding him as close as he kept her, refusing to be parted from the euphoria flickering through her like the flame of a candle dancing in the wind. She needed him like she needed the sustaining nourishment of blood, he was essential and something deep within her knew it.
He pulled back, lips training along the curve of her cheek until they left the ghost of a sweet sentiment at her temple.
"Because you, Isabella Swan, are mine."