AN: Alright, here's chapter 3! I waited a whole week, yall, you have no idea how hard it was to keep from posting this instantly! You're reviews and comments and just all around epic support has been amazing, thank you all so much! I hope you all like this chapter since this is the first time I'm including a penis into my smut (do you know how many effing ways there are to refer to a d!ck?! WAY TOO MANY!). Please, let me know how you feel in comments or reviews, whatever site you're viewing this on. Your words truly fuel my drive to continue and write more on all my works. You make me feel valued in a time when I feel like I simply exist to fill a space and to take up oxygen.

Yesterday, June 24th, was my 35th birthday! But it was also the day the Supreme Court of the US struck down Roe v Wade and set us back decades. As an LGBT+ individual, I fear for our future of our rights. I feel like all I can do is sit back and watch the decay of human civilization while writing out smutty fantasies I have about fictional characters. This is my coping mechanism and I really enjoy it. I don't know what I'm saying, but I just wanted you all to know how much your continued support means to me. OM,TL will be updated, hopefully soon. My darker emotions have made it difficult not to influence my characters into OOC version of the already OOC's that I started them as, but who knows, maybe it's more organic than I realize and I should just let it flow like usual.

Anyways, enough of all that. Please enjoy this lengthy chapter and I appreciate any and all criticism and feedback. Thanks!

Alice

I could hear Bella's heart pounding out a staccato rhythm in her chest, could feel it echoing in my breast from where we were still pressed so intimately together. The smell of her arousal was so thick in the air, filling my mouth with venom as I fought against the urge to pounce. This was her time. She had to be the one to make the first move now that all the cards were on the table.

Her whimper was desperate and I just knew she was about jump my husband any second now when my cell phone went off nearby. I couldn't hold back my frustrated snarl, Bella sighing sadly as Jasper pulled away with a growl of his own. He blurred over to the couch where I'd left my phone, his lips curling up in a sneer at whoever was calling.

"What?!" he snapped as he put the phone on speaker, voice just this side of feral. The pronounced tremble from the beauty in my arms had my grip tightening instinctually around her, nose pressing into her neck as I drew her scent deep into me in order to calm myself before I snatched the phone away from Jasper and laid into Edward.

"Don't 'what' me!" The whiney voice of my 'brother' was overly loud in the quiet of the room. "We lost track of James. We think he ditched our trail some time ago but we didn't realize it until we stopped to get our bearings."

Jasper's growl was deep enough this time to damn near rattle the windows. "You had one goddamn job and you blew it?! How the hell could you lose him without hearing it in his thoughts?"

Edward's sneer could be heard all the way through the phone. "It's not my fault! He stayed just out of the range of my gift! It doesn't matter anyway, we're going to be hopping a plane first thing. What hotel are you staying at?"

A vision flashed before my eyes and I couldn't help but growl as I blurred out of the bed, taking the phone from Jasper. "You moron! While you were distracted, Victoria has broken into the school and gotten Bella's records. They are heading here as we speak!"

A rare curse came from Edward's end of the line. "Esme just texted that they lost her trail. They must have planned this!"

"We're dealing with a tracker! What did you expect to happen?"

Carlisle's voice cut in, somber as he sighed into the conversation. "It is more convoluted than that. I just got off the phone with Tanya. You know how we sent Laurent up to the Denalis after he expressed an interest in our diet?" I made an affirmative noise, not liking the fact that I could no longer locate Laurent in my visions. "It turns out he had a gift of his own, a sort of natural charm that puts others at ease in his presence. He used this to gather information on our family's gifts, which he passed on to his covenmates...before the Denali sisters dismembered and burned his body when he tried to seduce Irina."

Jasper cursed under his breath as he took the phone, his features as tense as his voice. "Carlisle," his voice rumbled, his accent disappearing beneath the power of his vampire. "You know as well as I do why the Denali sisters killed Laurent, right?"

There was quiet from the other end of the line but regardless of whatever Carlisle might have said in reply, Edward's voice cut in. "That's impossible, there's no such thing as a three-way mate bond and we all know it! Those whores just like to wallow in their sin because they can't live with the guilt of all the people they killed over the years. Take us off speaker, Bella doesn't need to hear any of this nonsense."

"How about you go fuck yourself, Edward?!" No one was more shocked by Bella's outburst than me because even I didn't see that coming. Oh, she's not finished, I shot Jasper a vicious grin that had him relaxing and passing the phone to Bella's open hand. "I am so sick of your shit! We've been dating for less than a goddamn week and you think you have the right to treat me like some kind of child who needs to be sheltered?! You think you can just ignore my choices because the almighty Edward 'knows better'?! You controlling, manipulative, petulant son of a-"

I snatched the phone up, failing to suppress a giggle as I overheard Emmett's thunderous laughter booming in the background. "Geez, Bella," I grinned as my brute of a brother's voice shouted from somewhere in the background, "Leave the boy some of his dignity!"

There was a growl and a scuffle, followed by a feminine sigh as a new voice joined the line. "I'm not even going to ask what we missed or why Emmett has Edward in a headlock at the moment." I could only just make out Esme shouting at the two to knock it off, though Rosalie's voice drowned them out as she continued in her bored tone. "So, what's the plan?"

Jasper cleared his throat as he once again took control of the conversation. "As I was reminding Carlisle before Edward interrupted, the Denali sisters share a mate-bond-a triad bond, as I refer to them. It is the reason the sisters attacked and killed Laurent when he attempted to use his persuasive gift to seduce one of their mates."

Rather than continue standing, Jasper gestured for Bella to move over in the bed. When she hesitantly complied, Jasper crawled into the center of the bed and laid down, opening his arms wide. I was quick to join him, half-laying across him with my head nestled on his left shoulder while Bella looked like a deer caught in headlights. Grinning teasingly, I patted Jasper's chest invitingly, knowing the girl wanted to join us in the intimate embrace but still felt hesitant about her place in our relationship.

Eventually, Jasper took the choice out of her hands, wrapping one of his strong arms around her waist and pulling her over with an undignified yelp until she faceplanted into his chest. She remained there, no doubt hiding that adorable blush of hers as she grumbled something unintelligible into Jasper's stone-cold pecs.

"What was that?" came Esme's concerned voice, the phone now resting on Jaspers stomach with the mic facing upwards.

I let slip another giggle as Bella huffed and shifted until her head was resting comfortably on Jasper's other shoulder, a pout forming on those kissable lips of hers. "Just a disagreement on seating arrangements, but we're all settled now," Jasper said with a teasing lilt to his voice, earning a glare from our little human that had his smirk twisting in that sexy way that always made me shiver with antici-

Bella's sharp inhale confirmed she was no less susceptible to my husband's charms, though the timing could definitely be better. Like, maybe 'accidentally' crushing the phone might not be such a bad idea with the way Bella was nearly panting as she stared into Jasper's heated gaze.

"What the hell is going on there?!" came Edward's whiny voice, drawing growls from all three of us, though Bella's attempt at the sound was far more cute than fearsome like Jasper's. "I swear, if you're doing anything inappropriate in front of my ma-"

"Don't you dare!" I snarled at the phone, body trembling as I held tightly to Jasper's waist, both to keep myself from grabbing for the phone and smashing and to keep him from doing the same. "She's not your mate and you damn well know it!"

"What the hell do you mean, of course she's my ma-"

"Boy," Jasper's voice rumbled deep enough to shake the windows, "if you finish that sentence, I will personally come back to Forks and rip you apart, slowly, piece by piece, and make you watch as I burn every inch of flesh until you're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Dead silence rang out from the phone as Bella's heartbeat pounded out a heavy rhythm into the quiet of the room. The fact that she was once again flooding the space with the delectable scent of her arousal made me seriously question that girl's self-preservation instincts. Then again, I was just as turned on by Jasper's viciousness, so maybe we're all a little mad down this rabbit hole.

Bella cleared her throat no less than three times before she managed to speak clearly. "Edward, in case my earlier words weren't clear enough, I'm breaking up with you. By the way," she turned look between Jasper and I with a small smile. "Will you two turn me?"

Jasper and I shared a quick smile before turning back to the brunette with matching nods. "Of course, darlin'," Jasper confirmed for us both. "It would be our...pleasure."

While Bella trembled beneath the force of Jasper's piercing gaze, I picked up the phone and interrupted whatever screeching diatribe Edward was spewing from the background. "We will be moving Bella to somewhere safe. She has made her choice of her own free will and will be turned as soon as we can get our venom in her."

A thunderous crack of sound echoed and I grinned as the vision of Emmett snapping Edward's neck filled my mind's eye. "Thank you, Emmett," I continued, my attention never leaving my two mates as they began to lean closer to one another. "After Bella is turned, I believe the tracker will give up on the hunt." Jasper nodded, his gaze never leaving Bella's as she lifted herself up onto an elbow, her movements slow and purposeful and I was almost panting with her as the anticipation grew. "I'm not certain how close they were to Laurent, but there's a slim chance they will want revenge for his death."

"What do you need from us?" Carlisle asked, all business despite the fact that his son was lying paralyzed beside him. He'd be fine, I knew. Either his body would repair itself slowly, or Emmett would take particular joy in realigning his spine. Both were strong possibilities at this point and I couldn't tell which would be the final outcome.

"Esme and Rosalie should stay and watch over Charlie," I said, clenching my thighs together as I watched the heat rise between my mates. I was losing the battle with keeping my voice calm and collected, and I really needed to get this conversation over with before the rest of the family bore witness to far more than they probably wanted to. "The rest of you need to come to Phoenix and see if you can pick up James or Victoria's trail while Bella undergoes the change."

The sound of her name had Bella pausing as she was leaning in, intent on claiming that kiss she had been denied before the call had begun. She glanced my way hesitantly, and I couldn't help but bite my lip to keep from begging her to continue, settling for nodding rapidly that she had my complete permission to seal the deal. "That being said," I continued, voice turning breathy despite my best efforts, "We're a bit busy here. We'll call with details if I get any new visions about the location of the nomads."

I hung up quickly before the conversation could continue, only just barely restraining myself from crushing the device as Bella finally found her courage and lunged forward, her lips claiming Jasper's in a fierce kiss that had all three of us groaning in unison. Gods, Jasper and I had been together for decades and we have done some rather decadent things together, but the simple act of watching my husband kissing Bella, pressing himself back into the headboard so hard it cracked to keep himself in check, it was downright painfully arousing.

Bella had somehow managed to crawl up from leaning on her elbow until she had both hands braced on Jasper's shoulders, one leg thrown over his waist as she delved farther into the kiss. Tongues clashed and Jasper's chest rumbled with a purring growl that set my breath to panting as his gift leaked desire into the room like a flood. Unable to sit still any longer, I leaned up and began tracing kisses down Bella's exposed neck, the same place I'd been nuzzling into earlier, only now I began to suckle the skin delicately, nibbling teasingly at the sensitive flesh I yearned to break.

Jasper swallowed Bella's gasp of pleasure as I sucked hard, needing to mark the girl in some way for the world to see. I only pulled away when she began to mewl, this pitifully aroused sound that had her arching that sinful little body of hers against Jasper's muscled frame. I could already see his pants straining against his erection and I couldn't decide if I wanted to have him inside me again or watch Bella have him first.

Bella seemed to have her own ideas, as the right hand that had been clenching at Jasper's shoulder began to trail down over his chest, her fingertips ghosting lower across his rippled abs. She had a destination in mind and Jasper and I both recognized it, Jasper catching her hand and twining their fingers together as he began to slow their kissing down until he pulled away, leaving a whimpering and confused Bella blinking owlishly down at him.

"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?" he asked, voice just above a growl as he fought his own desires, and those pouring off Bella and I in waves. "Because there's no going back from here Bella. Everything you've ever known, your entire human life ends today."

Bella seemed to really think about it, though she didn't move from her position atop my husband's yummy body. I watched in fascination as her choices played out in my mind's eye, but never once did I see her choose her humanity over us. When she eventually smiled lovingly down at us both, I knew she'd decided and I couldn't be happier with where I saw this going.

"I had never given thought to how I would die. But to die in the arms of the two I love most in the world doesn't seem like such a bad way to go."

I took her face between my hands and kissed her with every ounce of love I'd been forced to hold back. I knew my eyes were flooded with tears but I had never felt so happy. And horny, did I mention horny? Because Bella, the little sneak, had slipped backwards until she was straddling our mate's lap, and judging by the groan that came from his throat, her ass was rubbing his hardened groin.

Bella whimpered pitifully, and it was only when I pulled back did I realize that Jasper had taken control of her hips with his hands, forcing her clothed core against the rigid bulge outlined by his jeans. I don't think I'd ever seen him so hard so fast and I couldn't help but grin at him as he shot me a heated look.

One of his hands left Bella's hip to grasp me around the back of my neck to draw me into a heated kiss that had all three of us moaning and panting. When Bella eventually spoke, her voice was so breathless I feared for her short-lived mortality.

"Please, I need you both so bad. And I really don't want to die a virgin."

Jasper stilled all movement and I knew exactly what was going through that dominant mind of his. He slowly turned his black-eyed gaze to Bella with a hunger that had nothing to do with her blood. "You've never been with anyone? He never had you?"

Bella blushed magnificently beneath his heated gaze as she shook her head in the negative. "I know the blood might be an issue, but..." her voice trailed off as she looked away, embarrassed, but it only lasted a moment before her confidence returned with a vengeance. She leaned in close until her lips were brushing Jaspers' ear. "I want you to have me, all of me."

I saw what was coming but I knew I had to intervene if we wanted to keep our hotel room in one piece. It started as a small shaking I felt in the hand still holding my neck until Jasper was releasing a low, rumbling growl. His grip tightened on my neck, and judging by the gasp and roll of her hips, so did the hand still holding Bella by the hip. Our poor mate was being pushed to his limits and yet he still held perfectly still to keep our Bella safe.

"Alice," Jasper growled, and I knew exactly what he wanted. Grinning with excitement, I took Jaspers' hands and placed them behind his head.

"Keep them there for now, can you do that for me, honey?" I asked, voice coy and teasing yet entirely serious. If he couldn't control his instincts, he might hurt our Bella by accident and neither of us would forgive ourselves. "Let me teach our little Bella how to please you."

I tried my best to ignore the increased scent of Bella's desire. She was so aroused, I think the slightest twitch towards any erogenous zones might send her over the edge. I would need to help get her ready because I already knew she had zero experience with sex, though she admitted to masturbating before becoming involved with Edward. She'd confided that bit of information one night I'd had to watch over her while Edward left for an extra hunting trip because Bella's arousal had gotten the better of both of them. She'd been too afraid to take care of her own needs from then on lest Edward smell it in her room.

"Firstly," I began, moving until I was kneeling beside Jasper's hips, gesturing for Bella to move opposite me, "We can't have all of these clothes in the way, now can we?" I let my fingers tease over Jasper's straining erection through his jeans, his arms clenching but staying where I'd placed them. "It's just downright torture to keep all of this hidden away, don't you think so Bella?"

Bella was staring at the bulge my hand was caressing, her head nodding almost absently. Her breathing was increasing to a slight pant and her pupils were blown wide almost giving her a vampiric look to them. Realizing I was going to have to spell it out for her, I reached over and took Bella's hand in mine, startling the girl as she turned a surprised look my way, blushing beautifully. Smiling encouragingly, I brought our hands to the buckle of Jasper's belt and released her hand.

Bella was quick to comply, her fingers making swift work of unbuckling his belt, popping the button and sliding his zipper down almost all in one smooth motion. Her fingers slid upwards, though, rather than into the open v of his pants, her blunt nails dragging over defined abs. Grinning, I decided to help Bella along, reaching for and helping Jasper out of his shirt. The whimper that slipped from her lips confirmed it: Bella likes definition in her men. Good thing, then, because Jasper had been fit when he was turned.

"Now this is just not fair," Jasper husked out, accent thick as he grew more and more aroused. "You two lovely ladies have me at a distinct disadvantage." He used one hand to gesture at his scarred chest and then to our still clothed bodies before returning his hand behind his head.

I was quick to toss my blouse up over my head and off the side of the bed. Unfortunately, this had the side-effect of reducing Bella to a gaping fish as she stared hungrily at my bared breasts. I didn't have much in the way of size compared to Bella, but the way she she was looking at me had me biting my lip to keep from moaning aloud. This was supposed to be about Bella's foray into her first sexual experience with a man, but I'd forgotten the tiny detail that Bella was equally attracted to both of us.

Grinning, I reached across the space separating us and took ahold of the hem of her shirt and slowly began lifting it. "Well, since Bella seems so distracted, I guess her best friend will just have to help her out of these cumbersome clothes."

I had the shirt up over her bra-clad breasts before she seemed to remember herself. She hesitated for only a moment before lifting her arms, allowing her sleep shirt to be tossed aside. With a confidence that seemed to surprised both Jasper and I, Bella reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, tossing it aside and baring her beautiful breasts to us. Now it was our turn to sit and gape at the glorious sight of our topless mate. Gods she was so perfect, I almost couldn't fathom how becoming a vampire could improve upon her already flawless body.

Bella clearing her throat brought us out of our reveries as she shot Jasper a shy look. "Well, we're on even footing now." She turned back to me, her smile becoming a confident grin. "Wasn't there something you were going to teach me, my little love?"

A growl slipped from between my lips as I temporarily abandoned the lesson plan and lunged for the brunette, pulling her into a hungry, desperate kiss, groaning pitifully as I felt her warm breasts pressing into my smaller ones. A sudden gasp from Jasper had me pulling back from Bella's lips, only to find him arching his hips into Bella's hand that had snuck into his loose pants and was currently rubbing his hard member.

"You little sneak," I growled playfully, earning a teasing grin in return.

"I always was a quick study," she casually added, doing something beneath Jasper's clothes that had him groaning and fighting to keep his hips still.

"Obviously," he ground out, his head tilting back as he groaned in need. "Though I do fear for that fragile little body of yours if you don't move the lesson along soon."

It sounded like a teasing threat, but my visions filled with bruised flesh and far too much blood for my liking, so I pulled Bella's hand out of Jasper's pants before taking ahold of the waistband and beginning to work them down his toned legs, along with his boxers until his erection sprung up at attention before us. Bella was panting again as she stared unabashedly at the proof of our mate's arousal.

Deciding the verbal demonstration was over, I took Jasper in hand and began to stroke him, feeling him twitch in my hand as he growled out his pleasure. Bella couldn't seem to decide where to look, at his face tense with pleasure or at the way my fingers caressed his cock with an expertise that came from decades of marriage. Eventually, she settled for staring hungrily at me, surprising us both as she lowered her head to send her tongue over his sensitive head, swirling her moist little muscle around the tip.

All three of us shared a groan, me at the visual of my 'innocent' little Bella teasing my husband's cock and Jasper no doubt at the warmth of Bella's tongue. Bella's groan was a mystery until she slowly lowered her mouth down a few inches of his length, suctioning her lips as she made way back up before meeting my eyes. "I wondered if I'd still be able to taste you on him. Now I want more."

I could feel my own juices sliding down the insides of my thighs, not even bothering to clench them together. I was so desperately aroused by that display that I don't think I could even speak without whimpering. Still, this was supposed to be about her and her first time, I couldn't be selfish.

Apparently, Bella had her own fantasies in mind, her eyes glazed yet focused singularly on Jasper and I. "Get rid of that skirt and sit on Jasper's stomach facing the end of the bed."

Shit, when did Bella start running the show? I wondered even as I began to strip out of my skirt and slide up towards Jasper, pausing only long enough to engage him in a rough, hungry kiss that had all three of us groaning once again. I pulled back before I could get too lost in the taste of his mouth and straddled his lower abdomen just as Bella had asked.

Bella had moved during my brief distraction with Jasper's lips and was now kneeling between Jasper's spread thighs. Oh, that's why she wanted me like this. She wanted both of us on display for her.

"I've woken up so many times," Bella whispered reverently as she looked up from under thick lashes, "with both of your names on my lips and unsated fantasies leaving me wet and aching. Now I have you here and I fear I might wake up any moment." She grabbed Jasper's cock around the base and gave it a few experimental strokes, making my husband groan. Then she moved her other hand up his thigh until she reached my spread thighs, her fingers reaching my own neglected core, leaving me gasping as she began spreading my juices everywhere. Her fingers found and began teasing my clit, drawing another surprised gasp from me as I bucked into her before she pulled away with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I considered how this would play out between us," she continued, voice throaty and so seductive I could feel myself dripping onto Jasper's stomach. "But then I realized that you two have had decades to explore and love each other." She began stroking Jasper in earnest, and with every upstroke she managed to brush her knuckles against my bare, wet pussy. It was the sweetest of tortures as the not-nearly-enough stimulation edged me along while Jasper's breath panted in my ear.

"Jasper," Bella looked over my shoulder, catching our mate's eyes as she slowed the motion of her hand. "Hold Alice's hips where they are." He was quick to comply, overriding my initial order to keep his hands away with a single sentence.

I turned to berate him only to cry out in pleasure as Bella leaned in as began lapping up the copious juices leaking from my needy body. Bella seemed to be trying a little bit of everything as her magical lips and tongue worked wonders on my pussy. Jasper was no slack in the oral department, but gods there was something so different about having a woman going down on you. Or was Bella just a natural? Either way, my higher brain function was scorched away as a pair of warm fingers entered me with little resistance, making me cry out as pleasure spread to my extremities.

"Fuck!" I couldn't hold back as Bella's insistent little tongue zeroed in on my clit while her fingers crooked inside, hitting every single one of my spots until a continuous stream of obscenities left my lips as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through me. My hips tried to ride up into that wondrous mouth but strong hands held me still until I could do nothing more than dig my nails into Jasper's arms as every bit of pleasure that had been building up exploded out of me in a deafening scream as I came hard, feeling my body spilling it's juices all over Bella's fingers and questing tongue.

Eventually, I came back down to Earth, finding my beautiful little mate grinning up at me, my juices shining on her lips and chin. I reached for her, my arms feeling heavy for the first time since becoming a vampire. Bella came to me willingly, her lips meeting mine in a passionate kiss that had us both groaning as I tasted myself on her tongue. My hands moved down her back, searching for the waistband of her sweatpants with the intention of shedding them, only to find bare flesh as my hands took a firm hold of her perfect ass.

"You are a sneaky little thing," I teased, voice rough with satisfaction as I smirked at my gorgeous little mate.

Jasper's gasp, followed by a groan and jolting of his hips had Bella crying out suddenly. When I looked down, I realized that while she'd raised herself up to kiss me, she'd lined herself up on top of Jasper's cock and had slowly begun impaling herself onto him.

She whimpered as Jasper's substantial size was slowly being eased inside of her, inch by inch. Sneaky indeed! I don't know how she was getting around my visions but I needed to take up Jasper's previous task and hold his hips down so he wouldn't hurt our little human.

Bella seemed to have other plans as she used my still-spread thighs as leverage to lift herself slowly up until I could see just the barest inch of my husband's cock still inside of her flowering lips. Then she thrust down with a growl that was part desperation and part pain as she pierced herself through, taking him to the hilt in one smooth motion that had Jasper growling back with a feral sound. I dug my nails in to his hips to keep him from taking over and possibly hurting Bella in his fervor.

Bella was panting, and I knew from all of the Sex Ed classes I'd had to endure over the years that she was adjusting to not only his size but the pain of tearing her hymen. It was an experience I knew nothing about personally since I lacked all of my human memories but I knew enough to understand that she needed time to adjust. Then she began rocking her hips and the scent of her juices mixing with the decadent smell of her blood filled the room, but instead of feeling my mouth fill with venom, my pussy began to weep as I shifted restlessly on top of Jasper.

Soon enough, Bella was riding Jasper's hips in earnest. I couldn't take it, I needed some attention or I might just cry. And I knew just how to get it while still keeping Jasper's hips in check. I sat up while still straddling Jasper's defined abs, sliding my hips backwards while adjusting my legs until my dripping pussy was hovering over my husband's face. His hands moved from their duty of keeping mine in place to grabbing my ass to pull me down onto his waiting mouth.

I couldn't hold back my screech as his vampire-fast tongue started up a punishing pace against my clit. Bella's moans soon joined mine as I leaned forward to pull her lips to me in a desperate kiss. Her tongue met with mine as she panted her pleasure in short bursts of shuddering moans. Her hips were speeding up, and I knew she was close just by the wet sounds coming from below. I needed her to cum with us again, needed it like my next feeding.

I could hear Jasper groaning almost constantly, the vibrations pushing me to the edge. Desperate for Bella's pleasure, I lifted one hand from Jasper's hips so I could reach and find her warm, wet clit, stroking it back and forth in rapid motions that had the brunette screaming out her orgasm as she tumbled over the edge, taking me with her as I felt another rush of fluids pouring into Jasper's mouth.

Jasper's head reared back as he practically roared his own climax, his hips jerking despite my hold on him, leading Bella to cry out as he emptied himself inside of her. I felt a sympathetic wave of pleasure from watching her face light up, eyes rolling back as she shuddered at the feel of his cool cum filling her. What must that feel like, I wondered, thinking about our temperature differences. Then I couldn't think anymore as I rolled off of Jasper and caught Bella as she fell over. Her heart was going a mile a minute but even as we listened it began to slowly return to a normal rhythm. The poor thing passed out! I couldn't help but giggle as I eased our little human down between us.

I brushed errant stands of hair from her face while Jasper pulled a blanket over her to keep her warm. Bella curled in on herself, a quiet hum leaving her lips, followed by the echo of a moan before she settled in against my side. I looked up at Jasper with venom tears blurring my vision, but I could easily make out his loving smile as he stroked Bella's hair absently.

"She's really ours," I whispered reverently, knowing he would understand what I was feeling. Already our mate bond was so strong with her and Bella was still human. I couldn't wait to turn her, just so she could feel this absolute wholeness we shared with her.

"I think we should take her to Denali to turn her," he announced after a moment of shared silence. "Tanya always has off-site cabins prepared for the Cullens in case they ever want to visit. I think they will be sympathetic to our cause, despite Carlisle sending Laurent into their midst."

I looked ahead, checking everything I could from departure times to how our presence would be received. He was right, once we explained to them our circumstances with Bella being ours and our need of a safe place to turn her to avoid breaking the Volturi's laws, they would be more than helpful. Once I had gotten through every possibility, including what I could see of the Cullens' reactions, Jasper was waiting patiently. "If there is anything you want from the Cullen home then you'll need to ask Esme to put it away somewhere safe until you can retrieve them later. Needless to say, when Edward gets here to hunt James, he's not going to like what he smells."

I was grinning by the time I finished my statement, giggling as Bella's sex-roughed voice grumbled from my side. "Edward can go fuck himself. It's probably the only action he'll ever get at the rate he's going." She slowly lifted herself up onto her elbows, twinging a bit as she no doubt ached from previously unused muscles. She blinked several times before looking back and forth between our still-naked bodies, another one of those magnificent blushes reddening her cheeks as she swallowed hard. "Christ, that actually happened. I'm not dreaming again, am I? Someone please pinch me."

I already had one of her perky nipples between my fingers, exerting a gentle pressure that had her moaning. "Dammit, you little minx!" she grumbled, though she couldn't quite hide her arousal from her chiding tone. "You have got to give the human time to recover before you go turning me on again!"

"Whaaat?" I asked innocently, Cheshire grin to the contrary as I noticed Bella's gaze drifting over my bare body. "You said to pinch you, you did not specify the location of said pinch."

My cell going off ruined whatever mood we had been setting, though when I looked I noticed it was Bella's mother's number. I passed the phone over just as I was pulled into a vision.

Blood, blood spattered across a polished wooden floor. Shattered glass from a room full of mirrors. And in the middle of it all was my Bella, James standing over her broken and bleeding body with a digital camera aimed at her face.

"Come now, beg for him to come save you. Beg for him to avenge you."

Defiance in chocolate brown eyes, 'no' on repeat.

"No? And what about little Mary Alice, do you think she will avenge you? It's a pity she can't be here for your demise. She was the only prey to ever get away from me."

A blood-curdling scream as a bite was delivered to a bare wrist...

I was jerked out of my vision just as Bella answered the phone, the sound of a frantic woman's voice calling for Bella echoing in the air. The moment Bella tried to head for the bathroom for better privacy I stopped her with a finger to my lips as I ushered her on in the conversation.

"Mom, mom calm down, I'm right here." Bella was giving me a furrowed-brow look but she trusted me enough to not question me.

"Hello, little human," came the quiet voice of none other than James. "Are you alone?"

Bella swallowed hard as she fought valiantly to keep her voice steady. "Yeah, mom."

"Good, that's good. We wouldn't want anything to happen to your lovely little mother now, would we?"

"No," Bella whispered, voice beginning to shake despite her efforts to remain calm.

"That's it, just keep that tone and say the following: No, mom, everything is okay."

"No, mom, everything is okay," she obediently replied, eyes gazing back and forth between Jasper and I, looking for instructions. I was quick to grab Jaspers's phone from his travel bag, putting it on silent as I opened up a text before typing out a message before presenting it to Bella.

Ask your 'mom' about her trip, get him to give me more to work on.

Her brow furrowed but she nodded. "How was the trip? Any luck getting Phil signed?"

A quiet growl from the other end had Bella shivering in fear, Jasper's arms pulling her back against his chest protectively. "I didn't ask you to improvise, girl. But if it's proof of life you need..."

"Bella?! Bella!"

My gaze flashed to Jasper's, getting a nod from him as we both could hear the grainy quality of the pre-recorded sound of Renee's voice. Bella looked to be near panic but one look at my serene smile had her agile human mind processing as I tapped my ear.

Recording? she mouthed, drawing another nod from me. Smirking, I held my hand out for the phone. She hesitated only a second before passing it to me, leaning back into Jasper's arms in an adorably subconscious movement as she sought comfort.

"James!" I cried happily, as if speaking to an old friend. "So lovely of you to call! I have to wonder how long it took you to find that video recording, though."

Another growl filled the receiver as he realized his ruse had been found. "I was going to let the human's family live, but I see I'm going to have to kill her entire line to get my point across!"

I rolled my eyes, glad that Bella couldn't hear his threats. Jasper could, on the other hand, his brow raised questioningly. I shook my head subtly at him as I kept my voice bubbly to the point of sickeningly sweet. "Come now, no need to be rude. I'm certain you know you can't get anything past me for long."

"Ahh," he drawled, falling right into my trap. "So Laurent was telling the truth, you really can see the future! I thought those 'bama hicks just wanted to shut that pretty mouth of yours! I'll be damned."

I didn't let my surprise show, though inside my chest was tight with surprise at his ready admission. Jasper's brows raised as he rested his chin on Bella's head. The sight of them standing so comfortably - and still distractingly naked - together warmed my chest, almost making me miss James' next words.

"Alright, Mary Alice," he eventually continued, his voice tight. "What's it going to take to get you to give up that little pansy boy's mate to me?"

I couldn't help but laugh, even as part of me grumbled at his words. "Well, you'll have to be a little more specific, 'cause I don't have Edward's mate here with me."

We all shared a grin even as James seemed to pause. "What do you mean? The girl, Bella, the one the boy reacted so protectively over!"

His growing frustration was far more amusing to me than the situation probably called for. "Oh!" I rolled my eyes playfully at my mates at I strung the other vampire along. "You must mean Bella, Edward's singer!"

This caused the vampire to draw in a sharp breath before releasing a growl. "Do not play games with me, Ms. Brandon. A singer does not have a very long life expectancy. You are proof of that! I only regret that old fool had gotten to you before I could have a taste."

It was my turn to draw in a surprised breath. I hadn't expected James to reveal so much. The fact that he not only knew my full name but how I was turned meant he had hunted me the same way he was hunting my Bella. Jasper, having heard all of this, growled as he took the phone gently from my loose fingers.

"Turns out you're going to find yourself with another failed hunt on your hands, boy." The rumbling growl in his voice had both Bella and I trembling with clenching arousal as I gathered our human mate into my arms. Jasper could be as gentle as a soft wind on a cloudless day, but when someone threatened those he loves, he became a raging storm that only violence and destruction could satisfy.

"Hmph," was James' response, his overconfidence leading me to focus my visions elsewhere while James prattled on to my husband. "You must be the blonde one, Jasper. I saw your scars and I'm not impressed. What, were your victims too fast for you?"

Instead of angering Jasper further, the vampire's words brought a feral grin to Jasper's lips. This had the unintended effect of making Bella's lovely heart race, filling the room with her heady scent and the aroma of her desire.

Jasper paused only long enough to send us both a wink as he returned to the conversation. "The name is Jasper Whitlock, but you might know me better as the Reaper of the South."

I was pulled into a vision the moment the line instantly went dead.

"Get out of there!" James' voice yelled from a nearby cellphone lying abandoned on the ground. Ringlets of red hair fluttered haphazardly in the breeze that traveled down the alleyway next to the hotel, the woman's discarded body slumped against a nearby dumpster. Jaspers's black eyes seemed to glow in the dim light filtering from the single light from the hotel's side entrance.

The phone was in Jasper's hand, his words hissed through gritted teeth. "I wonder," his voice sounded calm despite the darkness radiating from him, "will you reach your mate before her body is completely ash? I've always wondered just how much damage we can sustain and still recover."

The flick of a lighter illuminated his deathly visage, truly living up to his name as he crouched down next to the body. James could be heard pleading desperately from the phone as the flame singed a few red hairs.

I jerked myself out of the vision just in time to grab Jasper around the waist. "No," I whimpered, "you're not that person anymore. Let them run, let them live in fear and mourn their loss, but don't go after her, please."

Bella, unaware of what was going on, nevertheless joined me in wrapping Jasper up in a loving embrace. I didn't need to look to know his eyes were pitch black as he caught the scent of the redhead. With Bella being so close and vulnerable, and the fact that James had once hunted me, Jasper would corner James' mate and kill her, then taunt James into a trap that could only end in darkness.

Jasper loosed another feral growl before taking the phone from where he'd dropped it. He redialed the number, though I was surprised when the man actually picked up after a few rings. "You've already lost Laurent, do not think I will hesitate to take everything from you should you threaten my mates again. The Reaper will be watching."

He hung up the phone before passing it to me, wrapping Bella and I in his long, lean arms. "I still think I should have taken her out, but you're right. I'm no longer the demon Maria fashioned me into." He pulled back, lifting one of each of our hands to his face, kissing mine first. "I will be your sword, slaying that which you deem beyond redemption." He then turned and kissed Bella's hand. "And I will be your shield, to protect you always from those who would seek to harm you."

Bella and I looked at one another, sharing loving smiles as I nodded at what I saw she wanted to say. Turning to face Jasper fully, Bella leaned in and began kissing at the innumerable scars marring his skin. "Then our love shall be your armor, and you will carry our hearts with you into every battle."

"And though you fight," I added with just as much conviction as Bella, "Know that we will protect you just the same, that your heart will forevermore be cherished."

And for the first time in a very long time, I bore witness to an emotion in Jasper's eyes that I hadn't seen since our first meeting back in that diner.

Hope.