A/N Thanks for all the reviews, and for putting this story on alert or/and favorite. As always, I'm pleased. Sorry that it took me so long to update, but this summer is simply too hot for my taste … and apparently for my brain cells, too. *snigger*

But anyhow, let's get back to Jasper and his decision making process.

Enjoy!

Previously …

So that left only option one and two. Leaving or staying? A tough choice to make.

Chapter 4

There was no use to deny the truth any longer. I didn't need more time to ponder over my choices, because apparently I've already made it. If I really wanted to leave I would have been gone by now. But I was still here … still sitting in the chair, completely frozen in place.

The only question left was why? Why wasn't I able to leave this room?

I knew it wasn't just the taste of her delicious blood and my deep desire to have another sip that kept me here. Neither was the total void of her emotions, in her sleeping as well as her conscious state. It was definitely both astonishing and refreshing, since I'd never met anyone who was able to block my gift so completely. Occasionally, Peter was able to keep his emotions hidden from me, but it demanded a lot of strength and resolve on his part to manage it, and to this day he had never been successful on a long term basis. This girl on the other hand seemed to do it naturally.

Whatever … they both were strong motives for sure, but strangely not the most pressing ones at the moment.

I still had to wait the next six to eight hours somewhere anyways, for my car getting fixed. Part of me tried to use that fact as a viable excuse. But it was useless to lie to myself, because that's just what it was, an excuse, and a lousy one at that.

By now there was no doubt in my mind left. It was her. She seemed to intrigue me on a whole new level. There were simply too many unknowns, too many unanswered questions. Part of the reason why I was constantly on the move was that I got easily bored. I loved nothing more than a good challenge. And let's face it after I'd left Maria I hadn't had many of those. Not that I wanted to go back to the hell hole. But at least back then I'd had a purpose.

But what had my life to offer me now? There wasn't really anything that made my existence interesting, worth living. I was truly only existing not living at all. I had nothing to fight for, no one to care for … nothing.

Stop whining … The monster growled in annoyance. You are embarrassing yourself … and me by extension.

He was right … sort of. After all, I was a fucking vampire for crying out load. I wasn't human anymore. I didn't need a family. I had two good friends to count on when necessary. I didn't have to worry about money or health problems. I should be happy.

But I couldn't deny the fact that I wasn't. It wasn't easy to admit this, even to myself, but sometimes I felt a little lonely, like something vital was missing. I knew my life wasn't complete, it was downright tedious. This weird feeling of emptiness has been getting stronger over the last two decades or so. I tried to ignore it, to sweep it under the rug, but to tell the truth it was starting to get to me.

So maybe, she was exactly what I needed. A new challenge. A mystery to solve. A change.

And don't forget her blood. My demon reminded me. I could tell he was still slightly miffed that I'd stopped earlier. I did my best to pay no him more attention than necessary.

It was safe to say that there was no going back for me now. My mind was made up. I would not leave her here, not without getting at least some answers. How did she know what I was? Why wasn't she scared? Why did she allow me to bite her? Did she want to die? If so, then why?

But there was something else. In addition to my strong desire for answers, there was a pull, one I've never felt before. I didn't seem to be able to take my eyes of her.

She looked sort of peaceful, lying there under the comforter, her dark, long hair billowing around her face. It felt like I was under her spell or something like that. Without thinking twice I left my seat and moved towards the bed, kneeling beside it. I didn't seem to be able to fight the urge to touch her. My fingertips ghosted over her cheek. Her skin was warm, scorching even, almost like she had a fever. Maybe it was her body's natural reaction to compensate for the loss of her blood. What did I know? I didn't have any reference points concerning this subject. She was the first one I'd kept alive.

And hopefully the last one, too … The demon added, in a curt tone. He was unusually calm considering the circumstances … being denied to finish his meal earlier and all that. All of the sudden he was sort of mollified, feeling almost satisfied even. I wondered what had brought this on, but for the moment I decided to give it no further thought, just taking comfort in the fact that he was content.

I reached out again, gently tucking a stray hair out of her face. She wasn't unattractive, far from it. For a human she was quite gorgeous, a natural beauty some might say. She smelled nice, too. Her scent was sweet, fruity, making my mouth water for a complete other reason than thirst. I leaned in, burying my nose in her neck, inhaling deeply. An involuntary groan escaped my throat.

Her blood had the finest taste, but strangely I couldn't smell it on her. The scent of her blood seemed sort of masked. How odd. I've heard of singers before, but never of a human whose blood didn't call to a vampire at all. But maybe she had some reverse-singer effect on me.

In the end it didn't matter, because I already knew how delicious her blood tasted and I would never forget that. And I could hear it pumping through her veins, slowly but steadily. I was already close enough. I could finish her, here and now. It wouldn't even take two minutes to drain her, and to be done with it. All of it. The speculation, the uncertainty, the temptation … all would be gone, and I could be on my merry way.

But I couldn't. Something seemed to hold me back, preventing me to go through with this plan.

What was wrong with me? She was just a human … strange and intriguing and beautiful … but still just a human.

Suddenly I felt the need to put some distance between her and me, before I did something I was quite certain I would regret later. This whole thing was starting to freak me out. Why did I feel this way about this strange human girl? I didn't even know her. She meant nothing to me, but still, in this moment one thing was crystal clear to me. I was incapable of harming her in any way. But why?

I retook my seat at the other end of the small room. This wasn't right. I shouldn't be feeling this way. Lusting after a human was one thing, but caring about one another thing all together. I've had sex with humans countless times before … right before I'd killed them. It had never been more than a means to an end, a quick and easy way to find a release, always short-lived, but still. But this felt different.

Pictures of me bending her over the counter in the bathroom, pounding into her roughly … over and over again until she screamed my name out in sheer pleasure, popped into mind. I felt myself harden.

That's enough! I reprimanded myself. I shook my head vigorously, to rid myself of all the naughty images that came to my mind.

I needed a distraction, a mission. Since I wasn't going to change my mind, and I wasn't going to leave her, I was going to find out what I could without her help.

There was a well-used back bag on the floor beside her bed, but no other luggage. I snatched it, and emptied its contents on the floor. I quickly sorted through the items I found: A second pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, underwear, socks, and two books, but nothing else. This girl was definitely traveling light, unless the rest of her stuff was still in her car, but somehow I doubted that.

I went to retrieve her jacket from the coat rack by the door. I only found her wallet in the pocket, but no car keys. Well that answered one question. Obviously she was hitchhiking. Not unusual, but certainly not the safest way to travel for a young woman. I opened her wallet. There was no ID, only a couple of bills, not more than two hundred bucks total. No credit card.

She couldn't get very far with that laughable amount of money. And how in the hell did she get by without an ID? Did she lose it?

"Well that was a waste of time." I grumbled, getting her clothes and stuffing them back into her bag back. I certainly didn't get a lot of answers, if any at all. I wasn't even successful in finding out her name.

I picked up her books and slumped back into the seat. Jane Austin … not my choice of reading material, but it would help me to kill some time.

The sun came up around six thirty. I still sat in the chair. I had read both of her books twice over, but it had taken me only an hour to do so. The rest of the night I'd spent watching the sleeping girl.

I hadn't moved an inch, keeping a safe distance, avoiding the temptation that was her. She hadn't regained consciousness, but I hadn't expected her to wake up yet. I had taken quite a lot of her blood, and I knew it would take her a while to replenish her loss. But her vital signs were stable, and she seemed to be getting stronger with each passing hour. Oddly that fact made me feel a lot better. Was I really that worried about her wellbeing? It appeared that way.

Around eight, someone knocked in a not so gentle way at the door. I got up, and opened the door, careful to stay hidden in the shadows.

A boy of no more than seventeen years stood on the porch. My presence obviously startled him. "Oh … ehm … the rental fee is up, if you want to stay for another day." He managed to get out. He was mostly confused, probably expecting the girl to answer the door, and not me. I could sense a little fear coming from him. Not a surprising reaction for a human. A normal human …

I huffed in exasperation and pulled a bill out of my wallet. "I think that should cover it." The boy gaped at me, but accepted the one hundred dollar bill eagerly. "And do me a favor. I'd left my car over there to get fixed. Let me know when it's finished."

"Will do, Sir." He agreed enthusiastically. I could sense some greed radiating of him. He was probably hoping for some sort of extra reward for his efforts. I rolled my eyes at him. Anything for keeping his mouth shut … and his eyes closed.

"Okay that will be all … now get lost, I'm busy." I grumbled, slamming the door shut. I heard him mumbling something not so nice under his breath, but inwardly I was just glad that he hadn't asked any unpleasant questions about my presence in this room. Playing ignorant probably saved his life.

The boy finally came back at two in the afternoon. Conveniently, he had parked my car right in front of the room. I gave him another twenty, thanking him for his service. He had definitely earned it at this point.

Ten minutes later I was ready and more than eager to leave this place. I made sure that no one was around when I left the room with the girl in my arms. I gently placed her on the passenger seat, stashing her bag on the backseat. A second later I was behind the wheel.

I knew exactly where I was heading. I was going to seek out the only person who might actually be able to help me. Peter.

A/N As always your input is much appreciated! Thanks for reading!