AN: Ok, I know I suck, it's been almost three months, and I have no excuses except that I've been busy – RL and all that having well and truly beaten me recently. But I thought I'd give you this as a Christmas Present, and to thank you all for sticking with me.
Happy Holidays to you all, and if I don't see you before, Happy 2012!
Maria straightened herself out and tried to regain some of her composure. I ignored her for the moment, finally taking in my surroundings and sparing a curious thought for the two 'guards' the Skank had stationed there. I was curious as to why they hadn't moved to protect their leader. I felt a slight wave of amusement flow through me as the 'guards' appeared to come to, as if they'd been dozing off in their corners, a small smile flitted across my face before the icy mask I had been wearing resumed. My Major was sneaky, and I loved it.
We dove straight in to planning what we were going to do over the coming week or so, depending on how quickly the Skanks minions could complete their tasks, I personally was hoping that they were a supremely organised and skilled group as I didn't want to be here any longer than was necessary, I had a sneaking suspicion however that they wouldn't be.
More than once I had to reel Peter in, he was letting himself get carried away, suggesting outlandish schemes which would never work, and in the end I had to send him out, and Char along with him. As he left however I had to smother a laugh, he was pouting like a toddler who'd had their favourite toy taken off them, but it served him right for not being sensible about this. Maria wasn't much better, she had very grand plans for herself, many of those Jay and I shot down, almost like we were tag teaming.
After several hours, hours in which the 'Eau de Whore' Maria insisted on wearing permeated everything around us, the air, our clothes, our hair, I felt dirty just breathing,, and desperately wanted to shower any trace of her off me. And off Jasper. An hour or so after the realisation that Jasper was going to smell like her I started becoming slightly less rational, and a little more like the newborn I really was. I became snappy and confrontational, not dramatically so, but enough that Jay wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me to his side as I argued with Maria about yet another ridiculous idea of hers. Apparently she hadn't noticed how close I was to just ripping her head off and being done with it.
Finally, the meeting came to an end and Jay and I escaped into the relatively fresh air of the hallway, I took a deep breath, trying to cleanse my lungs as well as calm myself down. Jay laughed softly, kissing my forehead and taking my hand, leading me back to our room. We said nothing until as we walked into our room, and both headed straight for the bathroom. Jay turned the shower on while I started to get undressed. Soon our clothes were in an intermingled pile on the floor and the steam surrounded us while the water beat down from the shower.
I leant against the tiled wall and closed my eyes letting the hot water run over my skin whilst inhaling the 'Jasper' laden steam, letting my mates scent run through me. Maria's stench having been cleared from our senses pretty quickly. And I did much prefer the new aroma wafting in the vapour. I twitched slightly as I felt a hand brush lightly across my cheek and I had to fight the instinctual urge to tense as I felt someone's skin brush against mine, logically I knew that it was just Jasper and that he wasn't going to hurt me – unless I asked him to – but being stuck in a room with Maria all day had put me on edge a little.
"Relax" Jay breathed in my ear as his fingers ghosted down the right side of my neck, following my shoulder and trailing down my arm before they entwined with mine. His right hand ran through my hair, teasing out a couple of knots which had formed through the day – not to self: don't continuously run hand through hair unless there is semi immediate access to a brush. I still didn't open my eyes. I remained encased in darkness, relishing the love I could feel swirling around us, mixing with the steam and creating a safe, moist, cocoon, blocking out the real world and all of its worries. "That's my girl." Jay crooned as I felt my muscles unclench and a soft slow breath leave me.
He brought our entwined hands up between our bodies until I felt his lips brush over my knuckles, and his breath fan out across my skin. Tingles shot through me, making my breath hitch ever so slightly. It may have only been twelve hours since we left our room but it felt like I had been without him for years. I could feel the need well up inside of me, the need to be close to him, to feel him everywhere, the need for us to just be us, not the Major and Colonel, not Jasper and Isabella. Just Bella and Jay.
"Hey, Sugar, calm down." Until he spoke I hadn't realised that my breaths had become shallow and irregular, nor had I noticed the feeling of drowning I was experiencing, like the steam had clawed its way into my lungs and was slowly suffocating me – even though I had no need of breath. My knees gave way beneath me and I collapsed to the floor, my fall slowed by Jasper guiding me down – even though I wouldn't have been hurt. He cradled me to him, wrapping his arms around me and holding me while I dry sobbed against his damp chest, the water still flowing us, drops rolling down my cheeks like tears. I started to feel a little better until…
Water surging around me. I didn't know which way was up. All I knew was that I was going to die. Lost to the ocean. Alone. My head broke the water, I gasped for breath just before I was dragged back under. Warm arms. Warm lips. Warm voice. Jake.
I gasped as the images faded away. I couldn't make sense of them just yet, and didn't really want to. If I had considered myself alone then it was a memory from the Dark Days, when the Cullens had left. And I didn't want to remember that time. "Jay." I whispered.
"You alright Darlin'?" His voice was filled with worry.
"I need to get out."
"Let me just turn the water off, and we'll go chill in the…"
"No, out of here, out of this compound. I need people. Human people." I explained, looking up at Jay who looked back at me, his expression torn.
"I don't know Bella. You're control…"
"We need our strength Jay. We already made this choice. Didn't we?" He still didn't look convinced. So I went for the low blow. "I could always ask Peter to take me."
"I'll take you." He growled, lifting me from the floor a nanosecond later. If there's one thing I know about Jay it's that he doesn't hand over responsibility easily, and though I hate thinking of myself as a responsibility it worked out quite nicely for me this time. "Get dressed." He huffs, turning off the water and setting me on my feet. I don't question him for once, or get annoyed about him issuing orders, I'm too excited about getting out of this place, and maybe getting something – someone? – to eat.
Five minutes later I have donned a dark green wrap around dress which hits just above my knee, and a pair of matching heels. My hair is still damp, but I've left it down. Jay has pulled on jeans and a black shirt, which makes him look like a feast, but I reign myself in, I was the one who wanted to go out after all.
We walked hand in and out of our room and out to the front of the house where our hire car was parked. Jay slid into the driver's seat after opening my door for me. I switched on the stereo as we drove, knowing I had a while until Jasper would ready to talk. Apparently I didn't know him too well.
"You're a bad influence on me Miss Swan." He chuckled darkly, shaking his head a little as I turned to look at him.
"Lil' ole' me? Not a chance." I smirk, running a hand lightly up his thigh, squeezing it gently before letting go and returning my hand to my lap. "You know you want to party too, besides what a better way to spend our time away from the Skank?"
"Maybe Emmett is the ultimate bad influence." He sighed, a lighter note to his voice. "So, what kind of party did you have in mind?"
"Just a party. I need to let off some steam, and you know I love showing you off."
"Bella, are you sure you want to do this? You haven't really been around…."
"Buzz kill." I chime, interrupting him, but not caring, I don't need negativity right now. I just need some music.
We pull up a half hour later in front of a bar, the music thrumming, making my bones vibrate, as I climb out of the car. The strobe lights are flashing and the bodies are heaving. I smile as I take Jay's arm and we step through the door.
The smell hits me like a tidal wave. Sweat floats on the air, covering everyone and everything in a fine sheen of salted water. The blood pounding through their veins, almost drowning out the music, each one of them on a slightly different beat, each one smelling different to the next, some more appetising than others. I know that this was the right decision. That all of my toing and froing about the decision of my diet has been pointless. These people eat so many creatures, breed and kill them for their own enjoyment, convinced they're the top of the food chain, that they reign supreme over the beasts. But I know the truth. None of them stand a chance against me, I am the ultimate predator, designed to lure them in, to capture their imaginations, feed their dreams before taking what I need from them. And, oh, do I need it. I feel Jay tense slightly beside me.
"Let's dance babe." I whisper, leading him to the middle of the floor, my arms round his neck as his hands guide my hips against his once we find a space.
"Whatever happened to my wall flower girlfriend?"
"She changed." I laugh, kissing his throat softly just below his ear, nipping the skin with my teeth as I pull away.
"She really has. Seen anyone you like Sugar?" He asks as he spins me so his chest is against my back, my hips still under his control as we grind slowly to the music. I nod, resting my head back on his shoulder, having spotted a couple at the edge of the dance floor, enjoying themselves, but keeping to themselves as well, apparently no one here would miss them. Jay follows my eye line and smiles, pressing his lips against the join between my neck and shoulder. "You're a natural Darlin'."
"Why thank you Major ." I chuckle, my really bad fake Texan accent making Jay laugh into my skin, sending delightful tingles shooting through me. After a few more minutes we start manoeuvring our way through the crowd and towards our prey. The thought almost makes me laugh, who'd have thought that one day, I – Isabella Swan – would be stalking prey in a nightclub? Not me.
We reach the couple and I feel Jay go to work when it appears that they are oblivious, seeing only each other, and while that's cute and all, my throat was scorching. He sent them waves of curiosity and bravery mixed with a little lust. It worked pretty quickly, we all got to talking, dancing as a four, pairing off in random combinations and generally enjoying ourselves – apparently. I knew I was going to regret the four shots of Tequila Jason had bought us, and the beer Jay hand handed me, but it would be worth it in the end. We left the club about two hours later, Jason and Tammy both drunk and Jay and me pretending to be just as wasted as we stumbled into an alleyway. As soon as we were out of sight however we shook off the drunken façade, still maintaining our friendliness as Jason beckoned me toward him, and Tammy coaxed Jay on.
I sashayed over to Jason, he was talking, but I wasn't listening, my attention was focused solely on the pulse point throbbing just underneath his skin, pulling me in as I imagined the taste and feel of his blood pouring into me, soothing my aching throat and rejuvenating me. Our hips were flush as I exerted a little pressure, pinning him between me and the brick wall, just as I started dropping kisses on the flesh of his throat – the skin warming and flushing, bringing the blood ever closer. I was in a haze, brought on by the smell of the blood, so close and yet so far away. I was teasing myself, relishing in my own power.
"Bella, didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?" Jay sighed from the wall beside me. I spared him only a fleeting glance, noting the relaxed stance and bright red eyes, before slicing through to Joshua's jugular and feeling the blood spurt into my mouth, I swallowed greedily, holding him tighter against the wall as he started to struggle, realising too late that something was wrong, the adrenaline making his blood taste even sweeter than ever, sating a hunger I hadn't even known I'd had until it had been quenched.
When the last trickle had left his body I stepped back, letting the drained corpse drop to the floor with a thud and turned to look at Jasper, every nerve in my body screaming for him, strumming with borrowed life. The feeling was like no other and all I wanted was my mate. Apparently the feeling was mutual because before I could even breathe his name my back was against a wall, my legs wrapped around his waist and he was sheathed so deep inside me I could almost feel him in my throat. I exploded instantly, growling his name as he started pounding into me. Driving me further into the wall with every thrust, flakes of brick dust falling around us unnoticed. Our growls melding in the dark, echoing around us in the silence as we lost ourselves, gave ourselves up to pleasure.
My second climax was spectacular, and made even more so by Jasper biting my shoulder gently, not breaking the skin, but causing a little pain. Everything went white, a blinding, brilliant, all-encompassing white, none of my senses worked for the longest seconds I'd ever experienced before I was plummeted back into Jaspers arms. As e lowered my feet to the floor and rearranged himself I glanced behind me to see how much damage we'd done and laughed, there was a Jasper fist sized hole in the wall. "Get a little overwhelmed?" I smirked looking back at him, earning myself nothing more than a playful growl in return as we started heading back to the car.
The next morning's news sure was fun!