A/N: warning: rough smut ahead. JUST IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S DAY, MY LOVELIESSS!
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
The mayhem that followed Seth's simple question was astronomical. The wolves couldn't understand the immediate protective reaction of the vampires and in three short seconds, everyone was back on their guard, complete with a livid Major positioned in front of her.
The only being still remaining even somewhat calm was Peter.
"Y'all," he began slowly, his voice quiet against the barking and shouting, drawing their immediate attention. "This is something we need to figure out, which we can't do with everyone panicking and screaming. I think it's pretty clear from our response, Mr. Alpha, that Bella isn't dragon, and your statement is cause for extreme concern," he finished with a frown.
"Is there any way I can talk to you, Seth?" Bella asked the wolf cub. "I know you don't have clothes, but I have some in my pack."
Rosalie tossed the bag to the shifter who took out a pair of grey sweatpants and a black hoodie.
Seth yipped in confirmation and took the bundle from the girl with a delicate grip, trying not to ruin her clothing with puncture marks. He bolted for the spot Jacob had previously used and was back in a flash. "What the heck is going on?" he asked, anxious and bewildered.
"I'd really like to know," Bella muttered fearfully. "Tell us what happened."
"Well, a few nights ago I was doing a border run–, I was really excited because the pack finally trusts me on my own. So, after I finished, I took a little jaunt through the woods and heard wings flapping. Assumed it was you, honest."
"We probably wouldn't have believed him, except we can share words and images through our link with the rest of the pack. Seth definitely isn't full of shit on this one," Jacob backed him up.
"What did it look like?" Emmett breathed, instantly curious and excited.
"She was a shifty-sort of black, like how some black birds are, greens, blues, and purples. And big."
Emmett couldn't help himself and exploded. "BRO! Did she breathe fire?"
"I don't know," the boy admitted with a frown. "That would have been cool, but you know. I'd probably be dead if I had to find out."
"What about her temperament?" Jasper asked a more logical question.
"Kinda standoffish at first, but we had fun," Seth said with a shrug.
"From what we saw, I think she was more amused with his reaction than anything. I get the impression she wasn't used to being met as a friendly," the Alpha clarified.
Bella nodded and chewed her lip, mulling over the information. "Why did you think it was me?"
Seth looked suddenly nervous, as though he were afraid to break the news. "She said your name–, I thought it was you, telling me it was you so I wouldn't freak out."
Flooded with terror, Bella began to hyperventilate, not sure she could take much more. "Why does it know my name?"
Jasper wrapped his arms around his mate and clenched tightly. Without another word, he whisked her away. No one dared to pursue them.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Aside from feeding, Jessica and Garrett hadn't left the hot springs, choosing to spend the time they had to get to know one another, slowly growing acclimated to the other's presence. The reluctantly mated pair had shared light reassuring brushes against the other, and eventually sat together in the pool, their bodies taking comfort from the contact.
Learning more about his long and painful life filled Jessica with a sense of understanding; still grieving, he wasn't any more ready to enter into a relationship than she was. While the reason they both needed time wasn't pleasant, she appreciated that she wasn't alone in her feelings.
Enjoying the views of the norther lights one remarkably clear evening, Jessica knew, deep down in her bones, that someday they would work toward what they so desperately wanted, and was content to simply co-exist near him for now. She also knew that their bonding time was coming to an end, and the need to go back home grew to an almost unbearable level of urgency.
"Time to go," Garrett murmured quietly.
"Yes," she agreed, her new voice ringing clear in the silent night. She leapt gracefully from the water and dressed quickly, not caring if Garrett was looking or not.
Interesting. I guess this is trust, isn't it?
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Neither Bella nor Jasper could keep their hands and lips to themselves, as though burning the essence of the other into their memories. His cool touch, his inviting and calming scent, his rumbling growls, his sweet taste, his raised and scarred flesh, and pitch black eyes, invaded her very being, until she became frantic to merge with him, over and over again.
Bella shuffled her leggings and underwear along with the blanket, to the foot of the bed while her mate worked on removing her shirt and bra. She was free of all clothing in less record time and reached to assist Jasper in removing his. Miraculously, nothing tore in the process, something she was oddly proud of.
Their garments were tossed aside and slid onto the wooden floor of Jasper's cabin. Jasper's empty and blessedly remote cabin, where no one would disturb them.
Bella ran her heated hands down his back, eliciting a quiet hiss of pleasure before his lips found hers once more. She spread her legs, bending them at the knee to allow his body to rest between them.
Wrapping one hand around the back of her neck to stoke his thumb along her cheek, Jasper reached between them, wasting no time to press a cool thumb into waiting center.
She gasped into his mouth, nipples hardening against hard chest. All too quickly, he withdrew his finger, but before she could lament the loss, he began stroking her throbbing clit. Bella dragged her nails up his sides, encouraging him to slide upward and into her.
He obliged her and sank slowly into her with a growl of satisfaction that made her insides clench.
Bella placed her hands onto his cheeks and pulled his face from hers. "I love you," she breathed desperately. She kissed him again, passion building as he eased himself out of her, and pressed deeply into her once more.
"I love you," she gasped again, sliding her hands into his hair and down his neck. Bella cried out as he began to pump into her, this thick, hard shaft pressing right where she needed it.
She ran her nails down his back, begging him to quicken his movements and buried her face in his neck, nipping up the sensitive flesh to his ear.
Jasper did as she wished, thrusting into her more quickly, more roughly, swirling his tongue around the mark on her neck. "I love you," she repeated for a final time before she came undone around her mate, her echoing cries of pleasure filling the room. His pleasure joined hers a moment later, the tightening of her hot center too much to resist giving into, no matter how he wished to prolong the moment.
Their movements slowed and gave Jasper a chance to plant soft kisses up and down the column of her neck as he pulled out from her. "I love you too," he responded, his voice gritty with his need.
She reached between them and encircled his slick cock before gently sliding her hand up and down his still hard length. "Fuck," he choked out, the sensations overwhelming him so soon after finishing.
Bella giggled and squeezed more tightly, torturing him as she tugged along his shaft. An instant later, Jasper was wrestling her hands free of himself and pinned them above her head, flooding her with excitement.
"You do realize I'm going to have to punish you for that, don't you?"
"Oh?" Bella spoke lowly, "I'm counting on it." She watched as what looked like a flicker of flames flashed in his eyes before being taken over completely by the darkest pits Bella had ever seen.
Why do I want to fall in so badly?
The Major, who had never fully retreated began to emerge.
"Mmm, what a delightful turn of events," she teased and leaned forward to lick the line of his jaw petulantly, catching him by surprise.
Bella took the opportunity to free her arms, and using her full strength, began to wrestle The Major for dominance. She very nearly had him pinned, but with a final devious smirk that sent a trickle of warmth down her thighs, he flipped her over so that Bella was on her knees, her hands held tightly behind her with only one of his own.
With surprising force, he pressed her head toward the pillows and twisted his fingers into her hair, locking her in place with her back raised toward him. Bella fought to free her hands and only succeeded in making Jasper tighten his grip.
Without warning, he slid his cold, thick cock into her, pounding ruthlessly, and earned her instant submission. Bella was lost to the feelings, every nerve suddenly screaming for release, but not quite able to be there yet. She panted against the fabric of the pillows, "oh, fuck, please."
"Please what," he rumbled back, his voice as transformed as his countenance.
Bella tried to turn her face to look at him and was rewarded with his tight grip twisting more roughly into her hair. Forcing her to stay down, Jasper was relentless and filled the shifter with almost every inch of him in this new position, his hips close to slamming into her. She cried out sharply at the blend of pleasure and pain, her need for release growing unbearable.
"Please let me come," Bella begged. "I can't when you're–."
Jasper cut her off with a seductively dark laugh and withdrew. "You shouldn't have played with fire if you didn't to get burned," he growled.
Before she could process his moves, Jasper had lifted her upper body by her hair, and slid her closer to the headboard of the bed. "Grab it," he commanded. "Tightly."
Trusting in his judgement, she gripped until her knuckles whitened against the metal. Satisfied with her effort, he grabbed her roughly by the hips and shoved himself back inside of her. The force behind his thrust caused her to gasp as she realized just how much he had been holding back.
With the added resistance of her arms holding her in place, she was filled more deeply than she had before. She could only whimper in response as her body began trembling once more, anticipating release that Bella may or may not be granted.
More unafraid of breaking her than Jasper would normally be, The Major reached his hands forward to grasp her neck tightly. Unhindered by the need to hold her hands still in with change in position, The Major rammed into and out of her at full vampire speed, a rush of venom going to his cock with his excitement, swelling him inside of her.
There were no words, no sounds, no way to describe the feeling of her mate holding nothing back, showing the part of himself that he kept buried deep inside.
A whine fought against his grip on her neck to pass through her lips, but she was denied even that small release, and felt her insides clench violently. She needed to come, and Jasper knew it, working hard to keep her from doing so.
"Fuck," she gasped and finally resorted to begging, voice ragged. "Please."
"Please what?" he feigned ignorance, torturing his mate.
Crying in frustration, Bella tried once more. "Please, Major Whitlock," she huffed, "let me come."
"Why should I?" he growled in response.
Bella couldn't think of a reason good enough: she certainly couldn't promise him she would behavior, as that was a lie and they both knew it.
"You'll come when I say you can," he growled, nearing his own finish.
That simple sentence shoved her even closer to the edge. As the tension coiled in her muscles, The Major pulled her against his body, one hand still pressed to her neck, the other reaching for her clit.
"Come for me," he purred darkly in her ear, coaxing her as though he were the devil himself.
The tension building in Bella's body finally snapped, her insides imploding around her mate as he came, filling her with a rush of his cold, numbing seed. He oh so kindly kept his fingers busy against her, allowing Bella to roll with her orgasm, and only slowed as she did.
She didn't move, body still twitching with aftershocks, until he finally withdrew. Bella turned to wrap her legs around his seated waist, supported by his arms and thighs.
The Major ran his hands over his mate, checking her arms, chest, and neck for any damage. There was none, which left only her face.
His eyes were unchanged, every bit as fearsome to behold as before, but Bella wasn't to be deterred. She raised her hands to softly cup his face and pulled him in for a tender, loving kiss.
The Major was clearly surprised but only hesitated for a moment before kissing her back. He suddenly pulled her more closely to him and waited, allowing her the choice to take him once more or not.
She smiled against his lips and eased herself gently down, knowing this raw, instinctual side of Jasper needed her love just the same as every other part.
He rocked them gently back and forth, his eyes vacuous eyes holding her gaze. Bella couldn't escape them, and she didn't want to. She leaned forward, sliding her hands higher into his hair and pressed her lips to his once more.
Neither racing toward the climax, Bella rolled her pelvis slowly against his, grinding her lips back and forth against her clit. She moaned into The Major's open mouth, who trembled to behold the loving, beautiful, trusting woman in front of him. There was nothing and no one on this planet that would be able to take his mate from him, that much he was certain of.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Bella wasn't quite sure how she managed to walk up the stairs to her bedroom, but she did. Having run alongside Charlie's cruiser on her way home, Jasper was waiting for her to get into bed.
She was exhausted and despite knowing there was even more ground to cover from whatever occurred during the meeting after they left, she didn't put up a fight when he pulled back the covers for her to get under. Bella simply nestled into him and trailed kisses up and down his neck until she fell asleep.
Morning came, and with it, a feeling of renewal. Bella stretched her arms and legs, twisting her back this way and that, reaching far to allow her bones to crack where they needed to. With a contented sigh, she tucked her face into her mate's neck, enjoying the few moments of quiet they would have before needing to ready themselves for school.
One of Jasper's hands rubbed along her face before sliding through her hair. "How do you feel," Jasper murmured quietly into her ear.
Bella moaned happily and snuggled more closely to his body. "I'm not quite sure, Mister Whitlock; you're touching me, perhaps you should be the one to tell how I feel!"
Jasper couldn't stop the undignified snort that broke through his serious demeanor. "You know what I meant."
"I feel fucking fantastic, silly," she reassured him. "Truly. I mean, I still don't know how I made it up the stairs last night, and I'll probably need to do a good stretch before I hop in the shower, but yeah. Pretty damn good."
Her answer was met with silence, and suddenly worried, she pulled away.
"Wait, are you okay?" Bella asked, concerned. "We didn't do anything you didn't want to, did we?"
"No! Nothing like that," he promised quickly. "I was just worried that I–, that maybe I lost control and–, I would never forgive myself if I hurt you."
"Jasper Whitlock," Bella began and shoved him over onto his back before straddling him, albeit with a grimace as the muscles along her inner thighs protested. "That was, by far, the most amazing and mind-blowing sex I've ever had. Granted, you are my only, I can say that I'm pretty sure there is literally nothing that could ever compare, okay?"
When he didn't respond, Bella continued. "I'm serious, Jasper; I think your soul fucked my soul."
His body began to shake with laughter as relief washed over him. "Good," Jasper whispered and leaned up to kiss her. "Because I'm pretty sure yours fucked mine too, darlin'. And no, nothing could compare to that, except maybe more of you."
Bella grinned and examined his beautiful face. "I have to ask, though–."
"Anything," he answered quickly. "I will always be open with you."
Bella laughed at the serious turn he had taken. "Yes, as I will with you, but my question is different: from everything I've read," she blushed and had to stop looking at his face. "It isn't very common for people to uh- finish together. At the same time, I mean."
Jasper thought for a few moments. "I don't think it is; I never had before you."
"Really?" she asked skeptically.
"Well," he looked frustrated and maybe a little embarrassed. "It just never happened. I like to think of myself as a gentleman, ladies first and all that, but it probably had more to do with the fact that I wasn't wholly into it."
"You've never had good sex?"
"That isn't what I said, darlin'," Jasper answered her with a laugh. "Just not like- not anything near like us."
"Well, that's reassuring," Bella smiled warmly.
"You're my first in a lot of ways," he whispered and pulled her face back to his.
"It's interesting that you still have some, really. You'll have to let me know as we tick them off."
"Deal," he said then chuckled before glancing at her clock.
Bella did the same and saw that it was earlier than she had anticipated it was. "I think I'm going to take a bath to relax a bit since we showered last night and I don't need to wash my hair again."
"Good idea," he answered with a grin. "Charlie left with Char on his tail, and Peter is out hunting, but I'll be downstairs making breakfast and your lunch if you need anything."
If anything happens.
"I don't know if you know this, but you're pretty wonderful," Bella smiled before pressing a kiss to his lips and hopping up to go run the bath.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Bella sat inside of her truck, Jasper at her side, and watched as students filtered into the school. Some took their time, eyeing her, trying to see how she was holding up with the loss of her friend.
She stared down at her hands, still clutching the wheel. "I don't know if I can do this," she whispered quietly.
"It's going to be hard with everyone badgering you to find out details, but I have an idea."
"Of course, you do," Bella turned to face him with a watery smile.
"If it gets too hard, if people are being too persistent, text an SOS to me, Rose, or Em, then ask your teacher for a bathroom pass and we'll meet you wherever you are. If it's in a more public area, like the grounds, cafeteria, or in the hallways between classes or free periods, I know Em would be delighted to help you out. He's a great deterrent."
Bella choked on a laugh and ended up sounding a little hysterical. "Sorry, I just. So much."
"I know, darlin'. I know."
He stepped out of the passenger side door and circled around to meet Bella, offering her his hand for emotional support as they walked into a school filled with a mix of grieving and curious peers.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
The Dragon stood outside of a lovely little cottage, whose owners were currently on vacation and waited for a delivery truck driver to pass through the neighborhood. She waved him down and was grateful when he stopped.
"I'm so sorry to bother you," she spoke breathlessly. "But I need a huge favor."
The man looked at her, suspicion etched into his features, despite an obvious and immediate attraction to the woman. He took note of the boxes stacked behind her.
"Look, lady, if there isn't a label, there isn't a pick-up order, and if there isn't a pick-up order, I can't move it."
"I know this isn't how you'd normally do business, but it's very important these are delivered as quickly as possible. I'd be willing to give you a really good tip."
The man looked exceedingly uncomfortable, flushing all the way up his face to his ginger hair; a rather unflattering palette. Apparently, this man wasn't used to breaking the rules.
"I understand this may be difficult, but these boxes are all that's left of my dear friends and I'd like to see that these mementos get to her daughter."
"Then why not take them yourself," he asked, seemingly pleased he found a counter to her request.
"I don't have a car," she explained. "I'll be taking a taxi all the way to Seattle and even so, I'm not sure they'd all fit in one car with my luggage."
The driver sighed, close to caving.
"Please, take a look," she opened a box revealing journals and photo albums inside. "I just want her to have things that remind her of her mother."
He looked at the contents, then back up to The Dragon's porcelain face. "Well, they aren't drugs, so I might be able to squeeze them into the back."
"Oh, my goodness, thank you so much!" The Dragon gushed warmly. "I'll help you load them!"
As they finished, she pulled an envelope from her shoulder bag and slid it on top of the box where the man had set his clipboard down.
"The address is on a slip of paper inside the envelope. Take a photo with your cell phone after you finish unloading the packages at her home and send it to the email along the bottom of that paper; I'll pay you double.
He looked at the envelope, pleased with how thickly it was filled and gave her a nod.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
School wasn't as bad as Bella had thought it would be; it was far worse.
Lunch brought with it a bombardment so intense that Bella was filled with the need to leave the cafeteria entirely, escorted by Rose, only to find herself face to face with Angela outside of their next class together.
One look at the girl's expression, and both Bella and Rose knew it wouldn't be a good idea to sit and chat. They had a lot to talk about, especially now that Angela knew that Bella is the reason Jessica was gone, even if not quite to the extent that was assumed by the wolves.
Frowning at Angela's withering glare, Bella and Rosalie backtracked and meandered for the section of the building that housed senior level classes. They were met shortly by their mates and the four spent a rather quiet half hour or so, trying to figure some way out of this mess and coming up empty handed.
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Their arrival to the Cullen home was celebrated by a rather excited Jessica and a somewhat more reserved Garrett.
"Bella, Rose!" the newborn squealed with delight. "I've missed you both so much!" She pulled them into a tight hug.
"Oof," Rosalie muttered under the crushing weight. "Too tight, Jess."
"Oh," she let go quickly. "Sorry about that. You good, Bells?" she turned to face her friend, looking for any damage.
"Oddly," Bella began with a frown, "I'm perfectly fine. I don't think that was too tight at all."
Great, more of a freak than usual.
Peter laughed as though he knew something everyone else didn't, which, to be fair, he probably did, and flopped onto the couch, getting comfortable while they waited for Carlisle.
Esme breezed into the living room, joining the vampire on the couch adjacent. "Please, come," she motioned for the others to join them.
Jasper hung back for a moment and raised a quizzical brow at the newborn.
"I'm doing decently," she murmured quietly and smiled. "Better than before."
"Glad to hear it," his answering smile shared the relief he felt.
No sooner had they joined around the coffee table did Carlisle make his entrance. He hung up his jacket, set down his briefcase and took the seat next to his mate.
"So, Babyvamp" Emmett began, "how do you feel about dragons?"
Jessica froze, apparently waiting for someone to admit that the bear of a man was messing with her in good fun. Her mouth opened and closed several times, resulting in a longer silence while she worked through the information.
"I don't know that I have feelings about them at all."
Emmett burst into laughter, "Jesus Jess, you're the best."
"What he meant, Dear," Esme cut in kindly, hoping she didn't feel stupid, "is that we have knowledge of the existence, and one has been spotted recently."
Jessica's eyes darted back and forth between the two, perhaps trying to convince herself that it was a joke.
"What-, I-, how?"
"Well," Carlisle leaned forward, looking happy to take the conversational reigns. "A few years back, a rather plucky witch from Wizarding London arrived on our doorstep.
Bella's jaw dropped. No. No, no, no. This isn't happening.
"She had heard through her dealings with vampires of her own kind that we were animal drinkers and wanted to work with us to see if we'd be willing to try dragon blood."
"And?" Jessica asked, her voice sliding up in pitch, excitement getting the better of her.
"We didn't handle it well," Carlisle explained.
"Which is really too bad, because it was delicious," Emmett added sadly. Rosalie nodded enthusiastically next to her mate, closing her eyes as she recalled the exact flavors.
"Apparently, wizards and witches that become vampires are somewhat different than we are in that regard. The dragon blood allows them to live among witches and wizards, without experiencing the burn or urge to feed; though, they are still largely shunned," Carlisle continued with a frown.
"The witch came because her department in the Ministry of Magic was working hard to incorporate the vampires into normal life. She's a bit of an advocate, I suppose," Esme offered with a small smile.
Are you fucking kidding me.
Jessica jumped up, startling the group and paced back and forth, flapping her hands excitedly. "Are you saying Harry Potter is real?" she exploded. "Did you seriously meet Hermione Granger?"
"Er- well, no," Carlisle tried to explain. "I mean, that isn't really her name."
"BUT THE STORY IS REAL?"
"Most of it," Esme confirmed and a laugh. "The author jazzed it up and took quite a few liberties, much to the poor girl's distress. Apparently, casting her and one of her best friend's as lovers made for a better book to peddle to muggles."
Jessica froze mid-step. "NO. Is the author-, IS SHE RITA SKEETER?"
"You really are quite quick, Dear," Esme grinned at her.
"Oh, my god." Jessica finally sat down where she had been standing and simply let the information sink in.
"So," Bella turned her face back to the family. "Dragons are real, then."
"Very much so," Carlisle answered, quite suddenly sounding weary. "They're very dangerous to our kind."
"Flammable," Rosalie and Emmett answered at the same time.
"Hey!" Jessica interjected. "Can you become one?" she asked Bella with a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
"I don't think so," Bella answered with a frown, hoping her instinctual side would chime in, even though she hadn't in weeks. "I could try, but even just thinking about it, it's like my bones are saying no."
"So, what you're saying," Emmett started with a serious face. "It's just. Too big for you?"
Bella inhaled sharply through her nose, hoping no one else had caught the innuendo. "I mean, it really is impressive."
"Which brings us to," Jasper cut the pair off before anyone else began to read into their conversation. "Who the hell was toying with Seth?"
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
Jasper drove Bella home a few hours later with Pete wedged between them. "Wow, so cozy in her!" he chimed cheerily.
"You know I could have sat in the middle, Pete," Bella muttered darkly against the window of her truck.
"But there's no seatbelt, Izzy!" her uncle mock protested. "I couldn't risk you flinging around like a bouncy ball if we got in an accident."
Bella shuddered at the thought and pressed her face to the glass.
"Always one more thing to worry about, isn't there?" she asked quietly.
Her uncle fell silent and didn't speak until they reached the driveway. "I'm sorry, Iz."
"Not your fault," Bella answered as she hopped down onto the gravel and stretched her stiff limbs.
She turned to face the front door, however, and froze. "What the fuck?"
Peter and Jasper followed her gaze and her mate immediately placed himself in front of her.
Jasper gave his Second a firm nod and Peter walked closer to the boxes. He inhaled deeply and a disappointed look replaced the cold, deadly mask he had inadvertently been wearing before. He reached tentatively for the box nearest him and slid a finger under the tape to reveal the contents.
Peter's arm dropped to his side, increasing Bella's anxiety dramatically. "What is it?"
"They're the missing boxes, Izzy."
/ * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \ / * \
A/N:
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF CHOKING, OKAY.
I can't help myself.
Do yourselves a favor and search google for the "don't kinkshame doggo" meme and the top result is how I feel – I'm the dog on the leash, y'all are the owner.
Oh, and no, this isn't going to be a Harry Potter crossover or anything, hence why it isn't categorized as such. Just borrowing a bit of magic!
And no, Penelope's magic isn't anything like what we see in the Wizarding World!
Don't forget to review on your way out!