Chapter 3.

New York, 1948.

A violinist was in the midst of a solo when Alice suddenly stiffened. Her eyes dropped to the table, her expression blank. Jasper put a hand on her shoulder, felt a physical and emotional ripple go through her.

He said, "What is it?"

Alice did little to conceal her voice, "Someone smelled us."

Jasper tightened his grip on her, concealing his alarm, dampening hers.

She said, "He wasn't going to stop, but the wind shifted. It was such a slim chance…" Alice came gradually into the present, forcing a smile through her concern, "We can deal with him after. He's going to wait for us outside."

Her nervousness alarmed him. Alice was usually unshakably confident. He was on alert for the rest of the show, unable to hear the music as he searched for signs of the enemy. He was downwind of them, according to Alice, so the balcony would conceal him. Still, Jasper scanned the nearby alleys, the dark streets beyond, as still as a lion in the grass.

Alice nudged him, "Breathe."

He reminded himself to pretend to be human, faking a few breaths, shifting in his seat. He didn't bother looking at the performers.

"Calm down," she said, a moment later.

Jasper's emotions were engulfing the nearby humans, making their hearts quicken. A few of them were looking around, holding their loved ones a little closer, unaware of what frightened them. He forced himself back into line, but it was getting away from him. Jasper was not accustomed to checking his aggression.

Alice applauded when the music stopped, taking his hand, leading him down into the street. Jasper was not bothered by the proximity of the humans, focused on a more significant danger.

The stranger was standing in the entrance of an alley, looking very curious, a bit out of place. He was of similar height and build to Jasper, dark hair, bloodred eyes, wearing a black three-piece suit and a broad-rimmed hat. His style fit in with the nearby humans, but he was too still, too focused. It was like the three of them were suddenly alone in the world. He ducked into the alley when they were close, an unspoken summons to a private meeting.

Jasper and Alice followed.

The stranger was intently focused on Alice, provoking a snarl from Jasper.

"Jazz…" Alice chided. She smiled pleasantly, the expression a veil. "Hello."

The vampire had a strong southern accent, a false friendliness in his tone, "Well, hello, beautiful. I'm Michael. It's been a while since I've come across another vampire in my town." He was making a point to look only at Alice, exuding confidence, perhaps trying to get a rise out of Jasper. It was working.

Jasper kept his tone and posture rigid, "We weren't aware this area was claimed. I apologize. We don't intend to hunt in the vicinity."

Michael smiled, drifted closer, "You have some very interesting eyes. Especially you, beautiful. You have a mystery about you."

He had ill intentions. A child would have seen it, felt it. His territoriality made him too cocky.

Jasper stepped pointedly between the stranger and Alice, "We'll be leaving now."

"He speak for you, sunshine?" the vampire said, looking around Jasper.

Alice seemed far away, busy sorting through possibilities. But she said, "Yes, he does."

Michael tipped his head, smiled.

Alice came back to the present suddenly, "He has a coven. We need to go."

"Whoa, hold on, no need to rush off." Michael stepped closer, brashly testing the space that should remain between strangers. "I'd love to hear more about you, maybe unravel that mystery."

Jasper snarled again.

Michael shifted his gaze, appearing impatient, and he seemed to notice Jasper for the first time. It took sharp eyes for humans to see the bites, the scars, the mark of someone who had been in – and walked away from – hundreds of fights. Vampires saw them plain as day. Jasper had a tapestry on his skin, a clear warning.

When the other vampire experienced a wave of uncertainty, Jasper planned his attack. He reacted viscerally to vulnerability, a predator who had seen blood.

Alice put her hand on his arm, possibly the only thing that could bring his instincts to a halt. She said, "Not here." She spoke to Michael, "It was nice to meet you. We must be going now. I don't advise that you follow. Jasper is very protective."

His mate led the way, her hand clamped firmly on his. She spoke rapidly on their way down the boulevard, ignoring the crowds they passed. "Am I blind? I should have seen an entire coven here." She stopped suddenly and Jasper crashed into her. She said, "No, no. I saw that."

He pushed her along, far from amused, "It doesn't matter now. We need to leave. It's taking all of my self-control not to go back for him."

"But vampires don't claim cities in the northeast," Alice said, "You told me that."

"How many in his coven?"

"Four."

"We'd be outnumbered."

Alice sniffed, "No one can touch me in a fight."

"I did."

"I let you."

He said, "I couldn't bear to have you harmed."

Alice rolled her eyes. "And you think I could bear it if you were?"

Jasper said nothing, frustrated, trying not to take it out on her. When they got back to the hotel room, Alice started throwing things into a suitcase – a suitcase she didn't own that morning. Her shopping haul was getting a little out of hand.

"He was bound to come past the restaurant," she said, talking to herself. "Of course he would have smelled us. I usually see the weather shift because it affects us so directly. I was watching very closely."

Alice stopped suddenly, staggered.

Jasper caught her.

She pressed her hand to her head. "Ouch."

Jasper eased her to the bed, alert, spreading his senses out through the hotel, into the street. He felt nothing unusual, no malice, no danger. "Alice? What is it?"

Alice seemed dizzy. "Nothing, I just… a lot of things just changed all at once."

In the seconds that followed, her eyes became trapped in a faraway place. She stared blankly at the wall, stiff, her hands clenching the covers. Jasper held her shoulders, unable to fully control the storm in her head. She felt things in extremes – joy, fear, love – with no middle ground, no mild moods. He was practiced in tempering it, but this time his efforts were worthless.

It felt like an eternity. Jasper was helpless. He could only watch, wait.

Alice finally stirred, relaxing, blinking away the haze in her pretty eyes. When the walls came away, Jasper seized control of her panic, quelling it, shutting down the harmful things that had trapped her. Alice wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tightly enough to break a human in half. He projected safety, security, the warmth of his affection for her. Her vulnerability frightened him. She was subject to dangers he couldn't see.

She spoke softly into his neck, "I'm okay. I'm fine."

He held on, even when she tried to pull away.

She smiled, kissed his throat. "Jazz, I'm fine. Really."

He liked her nickname for him. No one had ever bothered shortening his name. It felt informal, familiar, again like they had known each other for centuries.

He released her, taking her face in his hands to kiss her. She laughed against his lips.

"What did you see?" he wondered, following her as she got to her feet, afraid she might slip away again.

Alice returned to packing. Her face scrunched up. "Flashes, nonsense. I couldn't pick anything out. A lot of things got jumbled around suddenly. I'll have to think on it. Maybe we can drive away instead of running?"

He had a feeling she just wanted to steal a car.

He said, "Of course. Finish packing and I'll find you something nice."

XxXxX

Hours later, miles and miles away from that little town in New York, she had a revelation. Jasper felt her mood change, first with excitement, satisfaction, and then caution.

She said, "Someone is coming for us. For me."

He quelled a tremor of aggression. "Who? When?"

"I'm not… quite sure. I can see snow, so it has to be somewhere cold, which makes sense because we're heading toward Canada now."

Jasper considered turning around.

She yelped, "No, stop. It's changing again."

He growled, frustrated, helpless.

She put her hand on his arm, "It's alright. I think they'll find us whichever direction we go."

"Who?"

"No need to be mean."

Jasper controlled his tone, though his voice was still tight, "Please elaborate."

"I see us encountering a coven, and they all seem… one of them is the vampire we encountered in New York. I see him there, and then I see them here. More than four, though…"

Jasper grew frustrated with her disjointed thoughts. He said, "Why are they coming for you?"

"I'm not sure how, but he seems to know that I can see things."

"Does he have an ability?"

"I said I'm not sure."

Jasper was putting his mind to work, considering the possibility. "And are these vampires hostile? What do they want with you?"

"I don't know. If I see anything else, you'll be the first to know." She sounded irritated. She was filling the car with doubt, curiosity, fear.

Jasper tried to ease her stress.

"Stop," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you. I'm just…"

"I know."

Alice slid across the seat, curling up against him, stealing one of his hands from the wheel and holding it against her chest. She shut her eyes. "I'll try to see more. I've never really tried looking ahead like this, at anyone but you and our family. It feels different, tenuous. I can't describe it."

He realized her frustration came from not being able to express the way she was feeling, the unique way she looked at the world. Jasper was no help.

She said, "We can go somewhere remote, so you don't have to be around humans for a while."

Jasper was relieved by that, at least. He didn't have to worry about another catastrophic loss of control – just the arrival of a coven of vampires that wanted her. Jasper had some ideas about who they could be, but he kept them to himself. No need to worry her further.

XxXxX

British Columbia, 1949.

Jasper shut his eyes, focusing on the strange atmosphere of the forest. He zeroed in on the heartbeats of nearby prey – deer, a lumbering bear, a herd of dairy cattle. He had no taste for herbivores, and even omnivores disgusted him, but they were his primary sustenance in this area. He had asked Alice, once, if he could take a human once every few meals, just to ease the ache, but the horrified look on her face had kept him from asking again. He would gladly suffer through their emotions, let himself feel guilty, to stop his pain. He might even risk disappointing Alice.

He was hungry.

Every instinct told him to hunt – not for animals, but for the humans in the nearby campgrounds, the small towns. He had become obsessed with thoughts about blood, and as the weeks of his vegetarian diet pressed into a month, two months, almost three, he was on the border of insanity. It was nearly all he thought about. He was starving, even when he was full.

His suffering, inside and out, made him irritable.

He was on edge already, anxiously soaking up every bit of news Alice could muster about their future encounter with an unknown coven, and his hunger put his aggression into sharp focus. Jasper snapped at her sometimes, losing himself, and then the guilt consumed him. Alice looked at him with pity, and that made it worse. She was so much stronger than him. It was so easy for her, and every second it was all he could do to hold himself together. He felt weak, unnatural.

Sometimes he hunted alone, not wanting her to see the way he tore the animals to shreds. He would catch whiffs of humans in the distance and stand as still as stone, listening, plotting their deaths, imagining the way it would taste. Alice showed up a few times, talking him out of it, distracting him, indicating that he intended to follow through. He teetered between being annoyed by it, and humbled by her dedication.

His new diet manifested physically, turning his eyes a brilliant shade of gold. Apart from Alice and the promise of a family in the future, it was one of his only motivations. He looked like her and felt more like he belonged to her. It was a comfort, shining through his black core.

One day, Alice paused in the middle of a painting, "Oh."

Jasper had taken to watching birds flit around outside of their window, always near her, no matter what she was up to. "What? Did you see something else about the coven?"

"Yes. It looks like… well, perhaps longer… maybe a year?" Alice crinkled her perfect face. "I can't tell what, exactly, but I think… I think… no, no."

Jasper let the tension roll through him, released it. "Perhaps form a thought before you speak."

Alice glared at him. "I'm doing my best."

He realized he was letting his hunger speak for him. "Sorry."

She was over her irritation quickly. She flashed a nervous smile. "Everything is fine for now."

Jasper kept it to himself, but he had his own ideas about who she was seeing in her visions. A powerful coven, a single-minded determination to find them.

It was a nightmare, manifest.

The Volturi.

XxXxX

American Southwest, late 1880s.

Jasper perched on the roof, where it would be cold enough to see his breath, if he were human. His mind roved into the distance, aching to be away from here, to be on the hunt.

A voice came from the ground, "You hunt alone now. Why is that?"

Maria.

He looked down on her, found her stunning crimson eyes peering up at him. His solitude was hard to explain. He had to search for the words.

"It overwhelms me," he admitted, "when we take a group of them. Lately my abilities have been more… sensitive. I'm uncertain why."

Humans. When his comrades took to the slaughter, the emotions of their prey raked through Jasper, sometimes bringing him to his knees. He was hoping to master his abilities one day, to block out the things he would rather not feel, but even twenty or more years into that endeavor, he was still failing. He preferred to hunt alone, to suffer alone.

Maria jumped up beside him, observing the distance. "You are a strange one." She shifted topics. "I received word that Salvador's army was taken by the Volturi."

"Are we in danger?" Jasper wondered.

She shook her head slowly, becoming fixated on the stars. "Have I told you about them?"

"Some. Enough to keep me alive."

Maria gave a half-laugh. "It's been quite a while since they intervened with an army in this region. Our success has made them seem much smaller and further away than they are. The Volturi are the strongest among us – a coven, with five core members and a guard of other powerful vampires, all of them with abilities like yours, only more lethal."

She paused, remembering something, and a wave of fear rippled in the air. Maria had a powerful aversion to death, stronger even than the young vampires who had only begun to taste life.

Her tone became detached, "Salvador was careless. He got himself noticed. Once they are aware of you, they never forget."

He wondered why she was here, saying these things to him. It hardly mattered. Jasper kept the newborns in line, and those who disobeyed were eliminated. He couldn't count the ones he had killed. If they drew the attention of the Volturi, he was sure he and Maria could flee and start again. Humans were easy to find and there was no shortage of territory to claim.

"You don't fear them," Maria commented, turning to watch him.

Jasper said, "I fear nothing."

"Not even death?"

"No."

She looked up sharply as the sounds of the newborns returning from a hunt echoed over the empty, endless plains, and she said, bluntly, "We need to move on, and their year is up."

He rose. "Yes, I believe it is."

XxXxX

When evening fell over their mountain home, Alice finished her painting and climbed into his lap, stroking his face, drawing him out of his thoughts. She said, "What are you thinking about?"

"Death," he admitted. "I have something to live for. I've never had that before."

She tipped her head, curious, "Is this about our future visitors?"

"Yes, and no." He tried to find a way to explain it, fell short. "When I was created, I thought war was all there was. Even when I was human, the country was heading in that direction. It was just the way that we were, our only function. I learned that wasn't true when I left Maria and her army, but… I still wasn't living for anything in particular. Just living. Now that I have you, I have hope for the future."

She smiled.

Jasper drew her in for a kiss.

Alice hesitated, pulled away suddenly. He had rarely seen her doubt herself, and it stung. Her eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry. It was my visions causing you so much trouble. And forcing you to change your diet. I've come into your life and brought you misery."

Jasper laughed, unable to help it. It was easy to express this, the truest of any emotion he had ever felt. "You brought me love. I can handle everything else."

She looked unconvinced.

Jasper pulled her close, holding her against his chest and wishing that he never had to let go. "If we could sit here for eternity, just like this, I would be happy. I'd never hunt again, never leave this house. I love you."

Alice leaned up, kissed his jaw, "You mean it?"

He smiled. "Of course."

"I have a request, then. A destination." She sat back, eyes glittering, the culmination of her pitiful act. "And you have to say yes, since you were being so sweet just now."

Jasper wasn't bothered by being manipulated. He meant what he said. Alice had him captured, their futures intertwined. She could ask him to do anything, be anything, and he would.

She didn't finish her request. She smiled. "I keep looking ahead to see what you might say, to find the right phrasing, and every time, it's the same. You don't care how I say it, or if I even tell you where we're going. You just say 'yes.'" Her affection for him filled the cabin, lifted his spirit from the dark memories he had been mulling over all day.

He kissed her, lifted her up, made the short trip to the bed. Alice giggled when his lips met her neck. He settled into her body like he was made to be there. Nearly a century of death and cruelty paled in the face of her laugh, her taste, her hands sliding through his hair.

XxXxX

Ireland, 1949.

It was hot in the mansion, and bitterly cold outside. Humans spun in endless circles, laughing, smiling, while a classical band played an upbeat ballroom hybrid.

Alice was having the time of her life. She chatted with the socialites, dragged him on and off the dancefloor, in and out of the house. Jasper had never seen a place quite so grand, so regal, and the moment they stepped foot inside, Alice suggested they buy it – only, it was not for sale. She settled on absorbing every detail she could, planning a future home that she was going to build herself. When he asked if she saw herself following through in the future, she only huffed.

He was tolerating the party well, all things considered. He had taken down a badger a few hours ago to prepare, but the smell of humans still made his throat blister. It was his sixth month on a new diet, with only a few near-misses since they had rejoined society. Alice would lose her mind if they spent one more moment in the Canadian wilderness, so Jasper told her to pick a place.

She chose Ireland.

She chose parties and restaurants, people, fashion, big buildings, and streetlights. She was constantly pushing his limits. It was hard, but her method had worked so far. He was determined to justify her faith in him and live up to her expectations – also, he spent almost every moment tangled up in her lovely emotions, her smell, her smile, so ignoring the humans was a little easier.

"I love you," she murmured, as he spun her again on the dancefloor. When she came back to him, she kissed him.

Jasper smiled. He had become an expert at hiding how uncomfortable he was, motivated by the suggestive spark in her eyes, the way she pressed herself to him. It was so easy to become consumed in Alice.

But something happened suddenly, something she did not see coming.

A woman stumbled, drawing her partner with her, and they swept very close to Jasper. Her hair rippled, her scent briefly overwhelming. His body begged him to attack, to finally indulge after months of abstaining. Jasper resisted, going completely stiff, not daring a breath, a step.

Alice slipped her hand into his, smiled charmingly at the couple, dismissing their apologies, "Oh, no, I understand." And, quietly, so only he could hear, "Come on."

Jasper forced himself out of his single-minded focus, fighting his instincts at every turn. He focused wholly on Alice, her disappointment hitting him like a battering ram. Jasper was so intent on her that he would have run into every wall without her hand to guide him.

He followed her outside, gulping fresh air to clear his head. The mansion had a sprawling patio, with steps leading out into an expansive garden, rows of hedges, a few tennis courts. It was too cold out for humans. Alice released his hand and strolled into a gazebo, feigning interest in the evergreen vines wrapping around the columns.

Jasper followed her, half of his mind back at the party. He was in control again.

She said, "I wanted to stay an hour longer, maybe two."

He said, "I'm sorry."

She usually defaulted to 'it's not your fault,' but tonight she said nothing. She just pouted.

Jasper took her hand, drew her close to him, "We can still hear the music."

Alice thawed a little, "Yes, I suppose." She let him spin her, flared her dress, led him in slow circles around the gazebo. She rested her head on his chest. "You're getting so much better. We were in there for almost an hour. It's stuffed with people."

"The perfumes help."

"Oh, yes, it was awful, wasn't it?"

He snorted.

She started, "Should we try-?" and stopped halfway through the sentence, lighting up. "Oh! Someone is discussing a shoe boutique near here. I need to get more information."

Jasper smiled, but hesitated as she tried to pull him back into the party. He said, "I'll wait. I think I need a little more time to cool down."

Alice frowned, reluctant to let him go.

In the months that they had known each other they'd been separated once, maybe twice, and only for a few hours.

She said, "Okay. Just promise me you won't be out here brooding. I'm not upset with you and I'm not disappointed."

She said that exact sentence a lot.

When she was gone, the night felt much colder.

Jasper tried to live up to her orders, reasoning with himself. He had been a natural vampire for almost a century. It was frustrating that he could be so close to humans before his new diet, and now he could barely breathe around them without becoming an animal. Alice, who he wanted to follow everywhere, for eternity, wanted to be near the humans. She loved their lives and rarely seemed tempted to hurt them.

He was milling over that when he caught the scent.

A lone human, out in the garden somewhere.

Someone was weaving through the arches, browsing, and she had just cut her hand on a rusty bit of metal.

She was close enough, and Alice was far enough, to create the perfect storm.

Jasper was on top of her before he was aware of what he was doing. His tuxedo was stained red, his hunger sated, and the remains of the human lay splayed out on the patterned red bricks. His body sung with pleasure, a long, painful itch finally scratched. Blood. It rolled through him, eliminating his suffering in one fell swoop. His stomach churned with sick satisfaction. It happened too fast for him to feel her emotions, for her to feel any pain or fear, so even his strongest failsafe was completely useless.

"Jazz…"

Alice was standing there, the disappointment in her face and voice enough to shake the violent animal out of him. She was beautiful in her long blue gown, and he was horrifically bloodstained.

She said, "I'm not upset," but it was clear in her head. Her emotions were always so vibrant. Jasper would always know when she was lying.

Jasper stood, relaxed his predatory pose. He processed the whole scene, realizing what a mess he had made, how this must look to her. Alice, who was so strong and sure. Her choice of mate was unwise, dangerous. He put her future plans in jeopardy – this family she wanted.

Her eyes widened. He must have made a subconscious decision. He had seen the same look back in the city, when he decided to run away after nearly killing that cyclist.

She stepped closer, "Please, don't leave me."

Simple words. It shattered his resolve.

She said, "I don't care how long it takes. We can take a break from trying. We can go back to the mountains."

"Your family-" he began.

She cut him off, "Our family." Alice was suddenly harsh, commanding, "Don't you dare assume that I would be better off without you."

Maybe she was right. When he thought about leaving, Alice seemed so afraid. Jasper took a moment to recalculate, to put himself back on the path to sobriety.

He only had one thing to deal with.

He said, "I'll bury the body."

Alice skipped through the future, and then replied somberly, "Yes. That's probably for the best."

It was a dark affair, one that Jasper wished he could forget, even as it was happening. When they returned to their hotel room that night, Alice took a seat on the balcony, looking out over the bustling city. Dublin. It was really something.

Jasper sat against the headboard of their bed, shifting bags and bags of new clothes aside, staring at a painting on the opposite wall. It went on that way for hours, until his stillness was almost a trance.

Alice returned and the sound of the balcony door closing stirred him.

She crawled into bed with him, wrapped one arm around his torso, rested her head over his heart.

Jasper had thought through her reactions to his mistakes, narrowing down the reason. He said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Alice was muted, quiet, and tired on the inside.

He stroked her hair.

When she said nothing, Jasper went on, "I know you fear it. Why does that always come to your mind? Don't you know I'm helplessly devoted to you?"

Alice said, "You're all I have." Candid. Heartbreaking.

"You have your family."

"We haven't met them yet."

"Maybe we should."

Alice tipped her head up, considering him, "You would have to… abstain."

"I know."

"It hurts you."

"You said they were worth it."

She smiled. "Yes, they are. We'll find them. And then there will be more of us to help you."