Chapter 12: The Dangerous Game
Ariel finally shut her ugly mouth and blissful silence fell upon our merry dining group. Our entree plates were carried out and a plate of dried-ass chicken replaced them. I wrinkled my nose as I chewed on the cardboard tasting meat. It's great that the kitchen staff weren't too bold with the seasoning... who would want their food to actually taste like something?
Then again, I don't know if I've ever eaten good wedding food. Everything was always plain and dry and/or burnt. If I ever managed to trick someone to the alter, I'd fucking hire some random granny to handle the food.
"On a scale of one to throwing up, how bad does this taste to you?" I asked quietly from Jasper. He was putting on a brave face, but this shit must've tasted extra gross to him. I swallowed another dry mouthful and gulped on my water.
His face told me everything I needed to know. It was like he had to give himself a silent pep talk before swallowing anything down. Poor Jasper. I wondered what made blood taste so yummy to vampires.
I didn't mind the taste of blood. I had a bad habit of licking every little scrape I ever got, so I was familiar with the taste of my own blood. It didn't taste much like anything, really. Kind of like putting a penny in your mouth. How did it taste to him?
"It's... passable." He mumbled back. What a fucking liar. I snickered and nudged his ribs with my elbow.
"Yeah right. I can tell how much you are enjoying yourself."
We were sharing a table with just Brody and Faye, which was surprising. Was this Ariel's poor attempt to apologize for what happened earlier? If that was the case, the bitch would be in a cruel surprise. I was not going to forgive and forget. The she-devil was going down, one way or another.
Brody and Faye were completely absorbed with each other, so it was essentially like sitting alone with Jasper. I just had to keep my voice down, because I could never be sure if Brody was listening in. For a guy, he was super good at multitasking.
I had to give up half-way through my eating. My jaw was getting sore for all the chewing and my mom's little off-hand comment about my weight was nagging somewhere in the back of my mind.
I didn't think that I was fat or anything. I knew just how slim and toned I was, but it was just one of those things that I couldn't shake off. Like how I couldn't cut my hair into a more decent lenght or how I refused to leave my house without a full face of make up on.
"It's just something that... I'm not used to eating."
I wanted to make a joke so badly. 'Not fresh and raw enough for you?' I had to bite on my tongue to keep myself from saying those words out loud. So not the right place for vampire jokes.
A soft clinking of glass drew my attention away from my self-esteem issues and Jasper's vampiric tendencies. Mom stood proudly up from her seat. Dad actually rolled his eyes before he caught himself and eyed the people around him to see if anyone had noticed.
If I had any balls, I would've used that as a blackmail material. But I don't think I'd ever actually dare to stand up to my parents, so it was another pointless observation for Ella Johnson.
"Hello everyone. First of all, I want to congratulate Ariel and Justin for finally tying the knot. Marriage is a sacred, beautiful thing and it's wonderful that you two will get to experience it first-hand. I hope I'm not taking too much attention away from you, dear, but I do have some wonderful news that I would love to share with the people dearest to me; my family."
Holy fuck, she was laying it sooooo thick. Ariel's fake face morphed into an unattractive sneer and I was fucking living for it. For once in my life, I was so fucking happy that my mom was who she was!
"I think I should start to worry about your sanity..." Jasper whispered into my ear.
Whooo... The fucking goose bumps and the shivers! What did we discuss about turning me on? And when did he move so close to me? God help my fucking heart...
He was smirking down at me. That smug, sexy bastard. He would fucking get his before this wedding was over... and after that I would ride his ass so hard...
With the homework and tutoring! That was all I was thinking about. There was absolutely no way an image of me straddling him crossed my mind. No fucking way.
"Hey, don't judge me! You would enjoy destroying her too."
"Probably yes, but I'm the big bad vampire remember? Being a monster comes with the territory."
I rolled my eyes. He was having way too much fun. And it was so fucking infectious. It caused my brain to stop working. The game was back on. This was such a bad idea...
I got up from my seat and wrapped my arms around Jasper's neck. I bit my lower lip and grinned at the surprised look on his face. I lowered myself right into his lap, squirming just the tiniest bit.
Jasper growled so softly that I was sure I was the only one who heard it. One of his arms wrapped itself around my waist. His other hand came to rest on my bare knee. I couldn't look away from his beautiful face. His eyes darkened even more. I felt so fucking accomplished right there and then.
Fuck yeah, I could turn the sex god on. That one look of his did more to build up my self esteem than any compliment my mom had ever given me. He found me hot.
"You play a dangerous game, Ella Johnson..." He said softly. Or more like growled. He didn't sound all that human and my body was instantly on fire, like someone had hit a lightswitch.
"I'd like to think that you started all of this, Major Whitlock..." I whispered into his ear.
And it was so true. He was the one who was trying to destroy my few grey braincells with his sexy superpowers. I was just playing along... or so I said to myself.
"... so with that, I would love to officially welcome Faye into our family."
Cheers erupted all around us, but I was barely aware of them. I was way too busy snuggling my face into Jasper's neck. He smelled so fucking amazing. His wicked fingers were massaging their way up and down my thigh, always stopping at the hem of my dress.
Honestly, if I dropped dead right then and there, I'd be okay with it. Was there a better way to die than rubbing myself against Jasper Whitlock? You know, besides fucking him?
"I can't believe you two. It's our big moment and you are about to smash right in front of us." Brody's annoying voice broke through my delicious haze and brought me back into the moment.
Jasper's magic hands stopped their movement and then he retracted the hand on my leg completely. What a fucking disappointment. I took one last deep breath and lifted my head away from his comforting scent. I blinked stupidly as my brain raced to caught up with the situation.
Right... we were surrounded by nosy relatives and not in any place private... and, let's not forget that Jasper was a married man and we were just getting caught in the moment.
Why did that start to sound more and more false to me?
000
"Do you think you can handle yourself for ten minutes?" Jasper asked as the last of the plates were cleared out. I looked at him, confused about the question.
He looked a little sick, like he was in pain.
"I can't actually... digest human food." He clarified.
Oh! That made perfect sense. I had always wondered why the Cullens couldn't just suck it up and eat their damn school lunches to people wouldn't be so suspicious of them. We had just thought that it tasted disgusting to them. So there was a valid reason for it after all.
Now that I think about it, he had excused himself yesterday too, right before we went back to our cabin. Wow, the more you know.
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl, Jasper. You should worry about yourself a little more."
I mean, what could I say? Don't leave me or I'll fall apart and ruin everything? I couldn't be that selfish. Not with a guy who was bending over backwards to make sure I was safe and remained relatively sane. I could handle a few minutes without my indestructable bodyguard.
Jasper gave me a look. Like he didn't quite believe me. I should probably be insulted. I was all about that girl power and being independent and all that jazz, but honestly, I knew my own fucking limits and years of experience had proven that I couldn't actually handle my relatives.
I could just hope that nobody would swoop down like a fucking vulture the moment Jasper left my side.
"...I'll be quick. You should stay close to your brother and Faye..."
Yeah right. Like I would get in there so Brody could use me as a deflection to the crowd of people interrogating him and Faye. If there was something my family loved, it was gossip about the other family members. I guess there was a chance that some of them actually were happy for Brody and genuinely interested in learning more about the newest family love story... but most of them were just gathering information so they could plan their next moves. It was a fucking battle to the death in this family.
"I'll just go and get a drink." I said. Jasper gave me one last uncertain look and then he started walking away quickly. Aww, he was trying to keep his human cover and still hurry back to me.
He really should stop being so damn considerate and caring. His behavior was making it so fucking hard to not have feelings for him. It was all too fucking stressful.
I didn't want to have feelings for Jasper Whitlock. I wanted to keep all of this strictly professional. I wasn't so stupid as to think that I could ever actually have him for real. He had his perfect match already and I wasn't going to hurt myself by pining after a guy who was so damn happily married.
I just had to convince my heart to stop reacting whenever he was close by.
Yeah, good luck with that you stupid girl... God, I wanted to get so wasted...
I went to the open bar, trying my fucking hardest to stay upright with my killer heels, and contemplated my chances of snatching a glass of wine or something even stronger. I didn't like wine, it tasted like death, but it did the job of messing me up quick. The bartender eyed me warily. Well fuck. No way he was going to give me anything stronger than a tea.
"One diet coke, please."
The guy handed me my drink and I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away. Did I really have to wait until tomorrow to escape my life for a moment?
I leaned against the wall and sipped at my drink. Trying to make myself into a wallflower. I didn't want to deal with my fucked up family. I stared as employees rearranged the tables to make room for dancing. My feet were hurting and I was pretty sure they'd start shaking soon. It was so uncomfortable, but I couldn't just go and sit down while people were working.
I glanced to the general direction of my brother. I couldn't actually see him, but I knew he was somewhere stuck in that cluster of people. A little to the left was my mom and dad, drinks in their hands and a couple of empty glasses on a table next to them.
It seemed like most of my relatives had a drink in their hands. That wouldn't end prettily. I really hoped Brody had an escape plan at the ready. Things got ugly once people started drinking and the old bat went to retire for the night.
I hadn't witnessed it, but I heard that cousin Harry and Nahid got into a wrestling match at Harry's wedding. And then Harry's mom and Lydia's mom got into it and my dad had to break them apart by threatening to call the police. Not that he'd actually do anything like that. We didn't air out our dirty laundry in front of law enforcement.
"Did you lose your boyfriend, Ella?"
I nearly vomited in my mouth. An unpleasant shudder wracked through my body. I took a deep, calming breath and plastered a fake smile on my face. My day was just getting better and better.
"No, I know where he is. But are you sure Justin is still accounted for, or did he perhaps get the urge to escort our dear cousin Lydia around again?"
The bane of my fucking existance had the gall to actually glare at me. Did the bitch want to continue our conversation in the woods? My free hand balled into a fist.
Just in case.
I did feel a little bad about using Lydia like this, but not nearly enough to stop annoying Ariel. Lydia would understand... or maybe she wouldn't, but I didn't care about that right now.
"That was such a low blow, Ella. I can't believe you'd be so desperate that you'd go around spreading false rumours like that just because you are jealous of me." Ariel hissed out.
Calm yourself, Ella... don't you dare take the bait. It was Ariel's big party and I would be in so much trouble if I got caught messing with her. It wasn't worth it, no matter how fucking good it would feel to break that plastic nose.
"What are you talking about? I just repeated what I had heard. I think it was Elena who mentioned it to me. I'm sure she had heard it from reliable sources."
If there was a possibility that I could ruin Ariel's only valid friendship, I was going to take it. Nothing was off limits when it came to this bitch. No blow was low enough with her.
"Don't even try that, you stupid bitch. I know it was just you trying to save face so Granny May wouldn't find out that you have a fake boyfriend."
Whoa, if looks could kill... we'd both drop dead at the same time probably. I was getting dangerously riled up. I got angry very easily and it was super hard for me to control it. Especially around this devil's spawn.
"I swear, you get more and more delusional as years pass by. Does it look like Jasper is my fake boyfriend? Honestly, I'm worried about your mental health, sweetheart."
I knew she couldn't have anything concrete. She wouldn't be desperate enough to confront me and hope that I'd slip up if she did. Granny May and aunt Hannah would be the ones doing the confronting. Hell, aunt Gloria would most likely join in just to rub it in to my mom.
She was just fishing and I was not going to take the bait.
Ariel stepped into my personal space for the second time in the same day and I had to look at her fake face up close for the second time today. My god, how could someone so masterfully cut up look so disgusting? Her inner ugliness just shone right through her plastic mask. It was fucking pathetic.
"There's no fucking way a guy like that would ever even look at you twice. Let's face it, you can't attract a man no matter what you do or how fucking slutty you dress. Honestly, this is just pitiful, sweetheart."
Oooooh, them fighting words! I raised one of my eyebrows, refusing to let her see how much her words affected me. Johnsons did not show weakness in front of their enemies. Hell no. We fought back.
"Oopsie, how clumsy of me..." I said and then deliberately thrust my glass of diet coke forward so it spilled all over Ariel's white and lacy dress. She shrieked like a fucking banshee. God, that was a beautiful sound. So satisfying.
"You fucking bitch!" She screamed, looking down at her dress. I fought bravely against the satisfied smile that wanted to come to the surface. Instead I knitted my eyebrows and gave a little pout.
"I'm soooo sorry! Ooh, I hope that doesn't stain... You should probably go and see if someone can clean that up for you."
No regrets. It felt so good to see her furious face. All red and puffy. If she started to cry, I'd probably have an orgasm.
"I hate you so much! You always ruin everything!" She continued.
"Oh honey, I hate you too. It's so nice that we understand each other so well! Now, if you say anything about my boyfriend again, I'll decorate your face with my fingernails, got it?"
I saw Justin's form from the corner of my eye. He was nearly running across the dancefloor to try and get to us before things escalated even more. I pushed my body closer to the horrible monster in front of me and pressed my mouth to her ear. I was around her height thanks to these horrible heels. It made things easier.
"You know, if I didn't know better I'd say that you are the jealous one. You shouldn't be so salty that Jasper is so much better than that sorry creature you managed to drag home. Green is so not your colour. It makes your skin even more sallow..." I whispered so nobody else overheard us.
Ariel let out another outraged shriek and pushed me away. Like, really pushed. I let out a surprised yelp and tried to find my balance, but it was hopeless. I started to fall back and I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.
Instead of the floor, my body hit a pair of arms that were becoming wonderfully familiar to me. I sighed in relief and opened my eyes to see Jasper above me, glaring daggers at Ariel.
"What's going on here?" He asked, sounding so on the edge. His eyes were just dark amber, so I figured he wasn't about to start a happy murder spree with my relatives, but I still straightened myself into a proper standing position and put a hand on his chest.
Just in case.
We could murder Ariel some other day, when there wouldn't be any witnesses...
"Ariel's being a bitch, but that's nothing new."
"Shut up! Look what she did to my dress!" The wicked witch screeched pathetically.
Jasper's hold of my waist tightened and I could feel his chest vibrating. God I loved it when he went all 'grrr'. So damn sexy...
"So Ella accidentally spilled her drink and your response was to push her?" His voice was so deadly. God I needed my panties so badly... I pressed my thighs tighter together and hoped that nobody noticed that my damn hormones were active once again.
"IT WAS ON PURPOSE!"
"Honey... our guests are staring..." Justin's quiet whisper broke the tense mood. He placed his hand on Ariel's shoulder and tried to tug the devil reincarnated away from us.
I was suddenly very aware that everyone had stopped what they were doing and were just watching us. Fucking vultures. They were just itching for the first fight of the night to happen. It was almost guaranteed that I would clash with Ariel and usually those blow-outs were spectacular.
Too bad for them that our partners were hell bent on keeping us from getting into a proper cat fight.
Ariel looked around like a fucking deer caught in the headlights. She gave a miserable sniff and allowed Justin to drag her away. What a bitch. God how much I hated her.
"I swear... I left you alone for 15 minutes and you managed to get into trouble. I really can't leave you alone, can I?" Jasper sighed. His arms were kept firmly around me.
Oh fuck... I was in so much trouble.
"I guess not. It's a good thing that I'm fantastic to be around then, isn't it?"
Jasper gave me a tender look that went straight to my heart. Like, I think my heart skipped a beat. Should I be worried? Hearts weren't supposed to do that, no matter how often it was used in trashy romance novels. Then again, my entire life felt like one big trashy romance novel, so maybe I was having all those cliche things happening to my body.
"I should probably admit that I did spill my drink on purpose. She was being an asshole." It was only fair to tell him. He shook his head and grinned. Damn his smile was so beautiful... Why did vampires have to be so damn alluring?
"Oh, I know. I saw the whole thing. It was well-deserved. She really is a bitch."
Be still my fucking heart. Jasper Whitlock really had a way with his words. He knew exactly what to say to get into a girl's heart... and her pants if he wanted to.
He picked up a wayward lock of my hair. He played with it for a while and then pushed it behind my ear. I shivered. Soooo much trouble. I should take a step back. We were starting to get into a dangerous territory and it would only end with me having my heart broken...
But honestly, who could fight someone like Jasper Whitlock?
000
Brody collapsed onto his seat with a loud smack. The entire table shook from the impact. Jasper had to use his vampiric superpowers to steady our glasses before they were knocked down. Faye sat next to Brody with much more grace, but she was looking mighty ragged as well.
"Tought night?" I asked with a grin. I should feel bad, but I was having the time of my life. I always felt better when it was Brody who had to suffer and not me. Call me evil. I just called it 'being the younger sister'.
"We are related to fucking vultures, El. Vultures!" Brody groaned. Faye nodded her head enthusiastically. Ha! It looks like she finally got a real taste of our relatives. Let's see if she felt like belittling my dramatics again.
"You're telling me? Dude, who do you think has to bear the brunt of their actions?"
Like, excuse me but I wanted to get some recognition for the hard work I did, being the fucking black sheep of the family. Maybe this experience would make Brody show me some fucking appreciation every once in a while. Fat chance of that ever happening, but a girl can dream right?
"I need a drink..." Brody muttered.
"Again, I'm way ahead of you bro. It's a no-go. The fucking bartender is one of the nosy ones. He's not going to give us anything, so unless you have a way to break into the booze storage tonight, we'll have to suffer through this sober." It was a good thing that the torture was almost over. Just a little bit more and then it would be acceptable to leave this shit show.
Jasper's magic fingers found their way to my neck and started massaging my stress away. Thank fucking god for this miracle of a man. This whole empath thing was so fucking handy and I was loving the creative ways Jasper was using to make me relax. It meant the world to me that he didn't use his powers on me without my permission and instead chose to help take the edge off in a more natural way.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I let out a small moan. What would it take to make my homework slave to continue giving me these massages once the weekend was done? Maybe I should let him kill one of my relatives so I could guilt him into being my massage therapist...
"Fuck it all to hell. Why do we go to these things?" Brody continued his grumbling.
"Language!" Faye hissed out. She wasn't the biggest fan of swearing. She did do it herself from time to time, but normally she preferred to keep things clean. Again, I had no idea why she was with Brody who had taught me how to be a potty mouth. It was a riddle... cloaked in a mystery.
The people around us were starting to abandon the dance floor and settle into tables with their drinks. I was mentally calculating how long it would be until the second fight of the night would start.
"How are you holding up with the crazies, Jasper?"
Wow, did my brother just ask a normal question? Holy shit! No 'sooo Jasper's? Well, call me surprised. This was so unlike him. I should think of ways to make him suffer more often if this was the result. It was almost like I had one of those mythical nice brothers.
"It's a lot to take in, that's for sure... I don't like the way everyone talks about your sister."
Be still my heart. Be. Fucking. Still!
Brody nodded his head with a stupid, knowing grin on his face. Was he reading something into Jasper's comment? He didn't know that Jasper seemed to be super protective by nature and since we had bonded, he wanted to protect me. Or that's what I told myself because I didn't even dare to think about the alternative.
"They are pretty shitty... But then again, my little sister is a bit of a shithead too so she can hold her own."
"Fuck you, Brody. If I'm a shithead then you are a fucking asshole."
And the order had been restored to the universe. Brody was back to being an idiot. His good side lasted for all of three seconds.
"I think your sister is wonderful." Jasper said with a raised eyebrow.
Shiiit... Ferrari called and they'd like to file a copyright claim for using their signature colour on my face.
Brody looked at him like he was insane. Yeah, I fucking love you too brother. Go rot in hell or something.
"Seriously? Dude... I feel sorry for you."
Faye smacked his arm lightly. Brody rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out playfully. Faye to the fucking rescue again. She was the real MVP for today. Well, she and Jasper who was rocking a solid A+ grade for his assignment as my savior.
"Is that your mom and Gloria talking?" Faye asked after a while. We all turned to look at the bar. And wouldn't you know it, my mom was standing in front of aunt Gloria, staggering on her feet slightly. Fuck, how much had she drank?
"It's starting. Should we be proud that it's mom that kickstarts the annual bloodbath?" I wondered out loud. Brody smirked.
I was wondering if I should intervene and call for dad or something. Mom shouldn't be allowed to tarnish our good name, but at the same time, I was insanely curious to see where this thing would go. And honestly, some part of me would feel so damn good if mom had to suffer for a bad reputation for a hot second. Of course, she'd eventually take it out on me, but it could be worth it.
"Bloodbath?" Jasper asked.
"It's one of our wonderful family traditions. You've noticed how nobody actually likes anyone in this family?" Brody started to explain. I relaxed myself against Jasper's firm frame and let the boys do the talking. I was getting sleepy and my legs were so damn painful.
"Yes, I've noticed that. Kind of hard to miss, really."
No shit. My relatives could pretend all they wanted, but Jasper could read their real emotions like an open book. I was tempted to ask him if my relatives actually all loved their spouses or were they faking it all for appearances...
"Well, add alcohol to that and fists will be flying. Why, I remember this one time when dad-"
Brody's spiel was interrupted by aunt Gloria's shrill voice. Ugh, it was like nails on a chalkboard.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY MY MOLLY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH?!"
Fucking awesome. They were comparing daughter-in-laws. This should go over well... especially with Brody and Faye in the hearing distance. Brace for impact. This party was going straight towards the iceberg.
"EXCUSE ME, BUT WHO WAS IT THAT COMPARED MY WONDERFUL DAUGHTER-IN-LAW TO A FILTHY DOG?!"
Faye winced. I felt bad for her. Aunt Gloria was like, super racist. Just a little something to top off her horrible personality. If she had said something bad about Faye... I glanced at my brother. His whole body was tensed up and his eyes were practically throwing lightning bolts at aunt Gloria.
Great...
"IF YOU WANT A DIRTY INDIAN TO TAINT YOUR BLOODLINE THEN BE MY GUEST, BUT DON'T YOU DARE SAY A BAD THING ABOUT MY MOLLY!"
"Brody? Keep it together... You can't go there and punch aunt Gloria." I said in a rush. He was about to get involved and that would be unacceptable. The kids weren't supposed to mess with the adults. Granny May was all about that age hierarchy.
While it would be nice to have company at the bottom of the foodchain, I didn't actually want my brother to suffer like I did. He had enough shit to deal with.
"Honey, listen to Ella. It's alright. I'm fine... Shhh... calm down..." Faye crooned into his neck.
"THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH MY FAYE! TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT TAINTING MEANS!"
Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck. I needed options. Find dad? It was possible that would backfire if aunt Gloria got physical. My dad was a lot of things, most of them not so good, but he loved my mom and I pity the fool who would touch my mom in his presence.
Get out of here and let the chips fall where they may? That was the best option I could think of right now. But how would I get Brody to leave? He wanted blood. Faye's hands holding his face were the only thing stopping him.
Wait... I wanted to smack myself. Did I or did I not have a big, strong vampire with me? God I could be so fucking dense.
"We should leave now. Jasper, could you... uh, could you take my brother out? He's not listening to reason right now."
Jasper looked at me, then looked at Brody and then me again. He nodded, serious as fuck. Holy shit, he looked so hot... I had to physically shake my head to get my thoughts back on track. I could fantasize about Jasper's sexy mojo when my brother wasn't about to beat our aunt into a pulp.
"Of course. Lead the way, ladies."
Jasper moved so fucking smoothly. He took a hold of Brody's wide shoulder and lifted him up. Brody tried to struggle himself free, but that was useless. Jasper was so much stronger than his puny ass. The hand stayed on Brody's shoulder and Jasper started to nudge him forward.
I stood up with shaky legs and nearly cried out from the pain. Goddamn these fucking shoes! I turned to Faye and held out my hand.
"Help me. I can't walk in these death traps."
I wasn't about to make a fool out of myself by falling on my face. I swear I'll never understand how Lauren could fucking run in these things!
Faye came to my side and wrapped her thin arm around my waist. She hoisted me up against her hip and I threw my arm around her shoulders. She was still so much taller than me, even though she was only wearing two inch heels while mine were like eight inches.
We tried to look casual as we hobbled across the ballroom to follow the boys. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from making any noise from the horrible pain my legs were in. I promised myself I would burn these fucking shoes as soon as I got back home...
000
"Thanks, you two." Faye said tiredly as Brody walked past her into their cabin. He was still seething, but he had figured that he couldn't get past Jasper. Thank god for strong vampires who could take on my body-builder brother.
"Just make sure he gets it out of his system, okay? He can't blow up tomorrow when he sees aunt Gloria." I said.
Look at me, saving my brother's ass again. Honestly, I deserved a fucking Sister of the Year reward. Unfortunately the thought of how exactly Faye would 'get it out of his system' made me want to throw up. I couldn't believe I had to tell my brother and his fiance to have sex. So fucking gross!
"I will. Good night you two."
I sighed and looked around us. Nobody was around. Thank fucking god. I kicked off my heels and moaned at the feel of wet, cold-as-fuck grass that caressed my poor, abused feet.
"Are you alright?" Jasper asked, looking all sorts of adorable with his brows knitting together in worry.
"Hell no. I think these evil things did some permanent damage..." I muttered angrily. Of course they didn't actually damage my feet. I hadn't been in an upright position long enough for that to happen. My legs were just sore from using some deep muscles that I didn't train regularly. That, and I was sure I'd be sporting a blister or two in my toes.
"If that's the case, then let me help you out lil' darling."
Jasper swept me off my feet. Like, literally. He came up behind me and the world when swoosh as my feet left the ground. I shrieked in surprise and threw my arms around his neck. For balance.
Because it was so likely that a vampire with super strenght and quick reflexes was going to drop me on my ass. But hey, at this point I was happy to use any excuse to cuddle up to Jasper. Yeah, yeah. It was all sorts of wrong and fucked up, but I was tired, stressed out and my feet were hurting.
"By all means. To our cabin, James." I said in a horrible attempt at British accent.
Jasper looked around us. There was still nobody to be seen, so he blessed me with yet another grin that made my heart stutter and then he took off running.
I didn't even get the chance to scream before he came to a full stop in front of our cabin door. Damn he was fast! I thought about asking him to take me for a longer run, but then I realized that I was actually freezing. It wasn't the smartest choice to be outside in a short dress with an open back. I shivered and hurried inside my sanctuary.
I tossed the heels to a corner and collapsed onto the bed. The day was finally over! I didn't have to see any relatives until tomorrow. Hell, I could even skip breakfast and just say I overslept!
"Do you think worse of me if I tell you that your family is exhausting?" Jasper joked as he sat down next to me. My hands went to undo the dozens upon dozens of hairpins that were holding my hair in place. I just wanted to put on my pyjamas and just relax.
"That's putting it nicely. They are horrible snakes. Absolutely the worst sort of people."
"I've met worse, unfortunately."
I pulled the last of the hairpins out of my hair and winced when my hair fell down. Up-do's fucking hurt. I smoothed my hands across my scalp, gently pushing my hair back into its natural position and trying not to cry about how much it hurt.
Things had to be bad if I was too tired to be a drama queen.
"Are you sure? Because straight-up murdering people might be less scarring than being a part of this family."
Laughter. God he sounded beautiful when he laughed all carefree like that. It was so wrong that he didn't do that back home. Or at least he never laughed at school. He always looked like he was in pain and uninterested in everything that made life worth living.
"I can see your point. I would still say that I've met worse. Well, except maybe Ariel."
I giggled. Yeah, it was super hard to find someone worse than Ariel. There was a reason why she was my arch nemesis. My mind replayed our earlier encounter and I felt so satisfied. She had lost her cool that time around. I had managed to get under her sallow skin.
And it felt glorious.
"Maybe we should get ready for bed. You look like you'll drop any second now." Jasper said tenderly. I yawned and leaned against him for a hot second. Gathering my strenght. That's all it was. It had nothing to do with his comforting smell or the fact that his hard frame made my body tingle. Oh no. No way.
"Another night of watching night chat?"
"That, or maybe I'll start planning a perfect murder..."
Wow, he really had a way with his words. If he kept saying stuff like that, I might end up having my heart stolen. And that wouldn't be good at all...
But I would worry about that tomorrow.
Author's Final Notes:
Wooooo we're halfway there... and by that I of course mean that the wedding is halfway there. Ella just has to survive two more days without losing her mind. Can she do it? Is such a feat even possible? I doubt it...
In hindsight, this didn't really turn out as 'Deathly Hallows part 2' after all. Ah well, I'm hopeful that maybe you guys don't mind it that much. You guys just have to wait a little while longer for the blood and guts and sex. :D
If you have made it this far without being bored out of your mind, good job you! Give yourself a pat on the back. The author humbly salutes your valiant effort.
Thank you all for reading my story. And following and favoriting and commenting. You guys keep me young...
Oh, and special brownie points to anyone who recognized the line 'It was a riddle... cloaked in a mystery.' The original quote goes: 'It is a riddle, cloaked in mystery... wrapped in layers of hot, hot manliness'. Well, the original original quote is different, but now I'm rambling. I'll see you all next time in chapter 13 (working title: Two sblings, a love interest and the gay best friend walk into a game room...)!
