An: Thank you so, so much for all the reviews, I know I've been crappy at replying, but I thought you'd prefer another chapter to a reply. Hope I was right :) Massive thanks again to xTeamxJasperx for all her help x

Chapter Three

Jasper

I found a victim quickly, a depressed old man who lived alone and had no visitors. I may have gone back to my natural food source, but I was by no means the same man as the last time I'd been a human drinker. Back then, blood had been a reward, and as a good soldier I'd had my fill of it whenever I wanted it. I remembered nights I'd killed several humans, drinking until it became uncomfortable, simply because I liked the taste.

Now I hunted roughly once a fortnight, and if possible, my meals were well past caring whether they lived or died. I wasn't sure why I cared, why I didn't sate myself fully on whatever took my fancy. Perhaps I'd lived with Carlisle too long, and started to truly believe in the sanctity of human life. Perhaps I was punishing myself. I didn't care to dwell on it.

Bella was plaguing me. Part of me had decided to keep her because I didn't like the way Lucian was looking at her, but I'd changed my mind about letting her go mainly because I wanted to hurt her, as she'd hurt me. No one had questioned my lifestyle or my morals in a long time. And no one had made me feel that guilty since Alice. The point was, I knew letting those things happen was wrong, I just didn't care. Usually. Bella had made me care again.

What right did she have to come here and tell me what to do? At least I had moved on. She was still searching, and still clinging to some desperate hope. It was pathetic.

I'd only shown her those things because I knew she was too weak to stand them. I wanted her to know that her pretty caramel eyes didn't make her any better than me. I was the strong one now. I was the one in control. I was needed here, I was important. She was nothing. And I needed her to know.

I could easily explain my reasoning, but I couldn't explain the guilt. She had deserved to be hurt, hadn't she? That was what I wanted. Why had her fear, her desperate pleas, made me feel so bad? I caused fear all the time, it never bothered me. Why the hell was I feeling so guilty?

I'd frightened her to the point where she couldn't move. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she'd thought I was going to force myself on her. Again. And hadn't I given her every reason to believe I would? I couldn't stop seeing those beautiful, terrified eyes staring up at me.

And I couldn't stop liking them either.

Again, some dark part of me took pleasure in her pain. I fed off her fear as I never had before. I almost craved it. Seeing her below me, at my mercy, ready to agree with whatever I said, because she knew what I could do to her if she didn't. The power was heady.

There was another helping of guilt. I should not have enjoyed it. I couldn't deny that a part of me, most of me, had wanted to go further. I wanted her more than I'd ever wanted any of Maria's offerings before. But she was Bella. Things were different.

I knew that I would never get her to beg like the others had. She'd never want me that way, but it was difficult not to see her as the gift she'd originally been. I'd seen her, and wanted her, and known I could have her. And then she ruined it by opening her eyes. And then her mouth.

Despite all that I still wanted her, of course I did. What man wouldn't?

Lucian had certainly liked her. And she had despised him before he'd even spoken. When he'd raked his eyes over her, I'd felt an almost overwhelming urge to step in front of her. Then he'd reminded me that she was to be his if I didn't want to keep her, and I'd wanted to rip his head off.

She was mine.

Bella had always been an astoundingly good human, and I'd guess she was just as good, and just as kind now. She didn't deserve any of the things he would do to her. Then again, she didn't deserve what I had done to her. Or what I wanted to do to her. She brought out the worst in me.

I was conflicted. I wanted to protect her, and at the same time I wanted to hurt her. I wanted her to fear me and I wanted her to like me. She was all at once, the Bella she had been fifteen years ago, and a different woman entirely. I didn't know what to do with her.

The only thing I was sure of, was that for whatever reason, I wanted her around. I was glad Maria had found her, and I was glad I had her. She was mine now, and whatever I decided to with her, she was staying. I had been bored for years, she would give me something to think about, if nothing else.

I realised I'd been heading south for too long, and I'd overshot the house by miles. I was about to turn back when I remembered I hadn't found anything for her to eat. If I was holding her prisoner, and I knew that was exactly what I was doing, she would have to be fed.

I hadn't hunted animals for so long that I expected to find it difficult, and was pleased to find the scent of some sort of feline quite quickly. I followed it, imagining the look on Maria's face if she saw me walking in with it.

Eventually I found what I'd been tracking, an Ocelot. I tapped the top of its head, knocking it out so that it would be less of a hassle to carry back. Carlisle would have a fit if he knew Bella was about to eat something so endangered. The thought made me smile.

As I ran back, I wondered what Bella was thinking right now. I was willing to bet she was still trying to escape. The Bella I knew wouldn't sit and wait for someone to rescue her. She'd never been that kind of girl.

Was there even anyone out there who would be looking for her now? I hadn't smelled anyone else on her but Maria, and the men who had brought her in.

I couldn't understand why she was alone. There wasn't a chance Alice had missed everything that had happened to her. From what she'd said, it sounded like she'd been turned less than a year after we left. Alice must have seen it happening, and she wouldn't have left Bella unprotected. She must not have told Edward either. The love he felt for Bella was the single strongest emotion I'd ever encountered, and he loved her enough to leave her to keep her safe. There was no way he would leave her to the fate he'd tried to save her from.

The only conclusion I could come up with, was that they were dead, or at least Alice was. Why else would they leave someone they loved so much to such a fate? The thought that my one time mate was truly gone didn't hurt me as much as I expected. I still loved her, I'd never stop, but I knew with absolute certainty that there was no future for us. She'd made that abundantly clear.

What difference did it make whether she was dead or alive? Either way I'd never see her again.

How would Bella react if I was right, if Edward was dead? When she'd asked to stay with me, I'd realised she'd given up on finding him, but it was clear she still loved him. Finding he was gone would kill her. I would not voice my suspicions to her.

I wondered what we'd be doing now if I had simply allowed her to stay, without showing her the pit, or treating her as my captive. How long could I have enjoyed her company and behaved myself before she realised how bad I'd become, or before she'd found out what an evil place she was in? She might even have welcomed my advances. I rolled my eyes at myself for thinking that.

And then I wondered if she was still alone and ran faster. Why hadn't I thought of that? I'd left her completely defenceless in a house full of vampires with even less morals than me. They knew to stay out of my room, but sometimes I'd catch a scent in there that wasn't my own. I knew my privacy wasn't always respected. And some of them knew Bella was in there.

What if she proved too much temptation?


Bella

I was scared, and I was losing it. Jasper had been gone for hours and the candles around me were burning low. Most of them had already gone out. Darkness didn't usually bother me, but here, in this unfamiliar, frightening place, I wished for light.

For the third time I heard footsteps approach, and both hoped and feared that he was back. But yet again, the steps passed my door, and the quiet came creeping back. The only sound was the low purring of the remaining candle flames.

Why hadn't I left when he'd given me the chance?

I gave the restrains another half-hearted tug. What the hell were they made of? If Jasper was in a good mood when he came back I'd ask him.

I felt myself tensing up at the thought of him coming back in a bad mood. I started hyperventilating and then stopped breathing until I'd calmed down. He swore he wouldn't touch me like that, but the look in his eyes when I'd tried to buck him off told an entirely different story.

I had met vampires that I had thought meant me harm before, but I had run. I was fast. Trapped like this I was helpless. I hated what I was, but I'd always been thankful for the safety it brought me. Vampire strength was useless now.

I thought about just giving in to him. I had nothing left to live for anyway really, not now I'd realised how little my 'family' cared. It would be easier to do what he wanted. He might even be kind to me again if I was good. I shook my head ashamed at myself for being ready to give up so easily. I had never been that girl.

No, I couldn't do that. My stubborn streak wouldn't let me, so I decided that this would be easier if I co-operated. I wouldn't fight him unless it was necessary, and I wouldn't try to escape until I was sure I could actually get out. The most important part of my hazy plan, was to give Jasper no reason to hurt me.

I could hear footsteps again. Running this time. I pressed back against the wall, hoping that if anyone came in they wouldn't notice me if I kept still enough.

The door flew open and crashed against the wall, and my captor and tormentor stood surveying the room. He made a noise, which I took for relief, but could have been anything really. I wondered if he'd thought I might have escaped.

He dropped something to the ground. I could smell the blood pulsing and hear the steady thump of a heartbeat and my throat burned in response. I ignored the animal, preferring to keep an eye on Jasper as he moved around the room. He was muttering angrily to himself, but I couldn't make out the words. The room brightened as he lit more candles. Why didn't he use the electric lights?

I was getting impatient. I wanted to be out of these cuffs and I wanted to eat.

"I'll feed you in a minute Bella." He muttered.

My head snapped up. "Feed me?" I growled. "I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself!"

"How do you expect to feed without the use of your arms?" His voice was silky as he turned towards me, smiling nastily.

I had promised myself I wouldn't anger him, so I tried to reign in my more hostile feelings as I ignored him.

He scooped the stunned creature up, and I realised it was some sort of large cat I'd never seen before. Almost like a small leopard. It smelt fairly appealing. Venom slowly welled up in my mouth, and I swallowed and licked my lips as he brought the animal closer.

I chanced a glance up at him, and saw he was enjoying this too much. Did he like the fact that it humiliated me, or was it the control it gave him? Either way, I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. I turned my head away from the meal I so badly wanted, and focused on remaining calm.

"What's the problem Bella?" He asked. I could hear the smile in his voice as I refused to look at him.

"I'm not a child." I spat. "I won't be fed."

He gripped my jaw and jerked my head around to face him. "You will do as I say."

He released his hold on me, and brought the cat close to my face. The smell of blood intensified, and I could feel its heat spreading out towards me. I breathed in deeply enjoying the warm scented air and swallowed more venom. I turned away from it again.

Jasper's hand was on my hip in an instant, squeezing too tightly. "Am I going to have to punish you?" He whispered leaning in close to my ear. The warm body of the cat pressed against me comfortingly, in complete contrast to the effect of his harsh grip.

I shook my head in defeat and tried to keep a hold of my fear. I had promised myself I would behave, and I was going against him already.

I sunk my teeth into the animal's jugular and let the warm, sweet blood coat my burning throat. "Good girl." Jasper purred, stroking my hair back from my face. I flinched away from him before I could stop myself and looked at him to see if I'd made him mad.

He looked oddly pleased by my reaction, and then hurt for a second before he covered it. I finished my meal, and tried to work out what his expression meant. It was as if he wanted to hurt me, like he wanted me to be afraid, but at the same time, he wanted me to like him. It was confusing.

He had behaved similarly the whole time I'd been with him, even before we'd known who the other was. He'd hit me, and then tried to soothe me. Slapped his powers at me, then apologised and tried to make me feel better. He tried to convince me to leave, as that was best for me, then decided to keep me against my will. Was he insane? Could vampires lose their minds? I needed to be very careful.

He threw the carcass out of the room and closed the door, returning to stand in front of me. His eyes roved over my face for a moment, focusing on my chin. I tensed, waiting for him to hit me, and closed my eyes.

The pain never came. I gasped as I felt his tongue flick along my jaw and across my lower lip. Pulling away I only managed to crack the back of my head against the wall.

And then he was lying on the bed, propped up by soft looking pillows and licking his lips. "Not as bad as I remember, but I think the taste of you had something to do with that." He smiled at me genuinely.

I struggled to calm myself down. He was only getting some spilt blood. There was no need to be afraid. My breaths came out shakily, so I stopped again for a while. I hated that he could tell how much he was affecting me.

I shifted from foot to foot. I wasn't uncomfortable physically, but I wished I could get my legs together, and my arms by my sides. It would at least make me feel a little less exposed, less defenceless.

Jasper sprang to his feet and waved a hand over the bed. "Would you rather be chained to the bed before we begin?" He grinned.

"No." I shouted. "Begin what?"

"Silly girl." He laughed, enjoying my fear. "I only want to talk to you."

I relaxed very slightly. "Oh."

"Would you be more comfortable on the bed?" He asked again.

"No thank you."

"Are you quite sure? I really do just want to talk." He looked honest, but what did that mean. He could change his mind.

"I'd rather stay here." I told him as firmly as I could.

He scowled. "Stay where you are then. I'm bored, so I want to know what happened between your eighteenth birthday party, and your change."

I clamped my lips together automatically. I didn't want to talk about it.

"I haven't got all day Bella. Get on with it." He smirked at me. "Or do you need to be convinced?"

I shut my eyes and shook my head. No, I didn't want to be convinced. I didn't even want to know how he intended to convince me to talk.

The story was difficult to tell, and I'd I told it only once before, to someone who offered me love and comfort. I had a feeling Jasper would take pleasure in my pain. I only hoped that when he felt me hurting, it hurt him too.

"A few days after the party, Edward took me into the woods to talk. He told me that he no longer loved me, and that he was tired of pretending to be what he wasn't. He broke my heart, and left me there. I can't really tell you much about the next few months, as I don't remember what happened, but I know I was a shadow of who I used to be."

"Charlie was worried about me, I had nightmares, or didn't sleep at all. And I was nothing but a shell, full of pain. Until Jacob. We were already friends, but not close really. He brought me back to life, like my own personal sun. I think without him I would have wasted away. Not long after I started spending time with him, he discovered he was a wolf, and I put the pieces together and worked things out for myself."

"Laurent came looking for me one day on behalf of Victoria. I was in Edwards meadow, trying to find a piece of him that he couldn't take away. He was going to kill me when five huge wolves came out of the woods, chased him away, and killed him. Jake was one of them."

"A while later Victoria came back to the area herself and I started spending most of my time in La Push where it was safe. After a while she gave up."

"Being a part of the pack was like having you back in a way, we were a family. Some of the wolves had mates, or parents or siblings that were always around. The pack leader's wife, Emily, became a good friend, and we spent a lot of time together looking after our boys." I smiled, remembering a happier time, when the boys would come home to the mountains of food we had prepared.

"Eventually, Jacob told me he loved me, and I tried my best to love him the way he wanted me to. He deserved more. Better. But he wanted me, and I owed him. I was happy enough. We knew it wouldn't last, the wolves imprint, they have a soul-mate, one person, meant for them above all others, and Jacob knew that I wasn't his. But it wasn't something we ever talked about."

"I was a new Bella all over again. I was brave, and confident and though I still missed Edward, and all of you terribly, I'd learnt to live." Remembering the girl I'd become hurt. I wished with all my heart that I was still that Bella.

"You were always brave." Jasper interjected reluctantly. The compliment surprised me. "You were willing to die to save your mother."

"That's not the kind of bravery I meant. Most decent people would give their lives for people they love, that's an easy kind of bravery. All it takes is loving someone else more than you love yourself." He scowled and shook his head. I knew that saying it was easy to be ready to die sounded silly, but I couldn't be bothered to explain it better. "I wasn't afraid to try new things, to be myself, and I was confident. No one made me feel inferior, or worthless."

Jasper interrupted again, sounding angry this time. "We never tried to make you feel inferior, Bella. The whole family thought the sun shone out of you."

"I know you didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't really anyone's fault but mine. I spent all my time with the seven most beautiful, intelligent, graceful creatures I'd ever seen. You were all perfect, and I was a moderately pretty, fairly clever, clumsy human. I couldn't compare." What I wouldn't give to be that clumsy, happy girl again. "On the reservation, I wasn't the ugliest, or the dumbest, or even the weakest. The wolves were like you in some ways, faster, stronger, better senses, but they still had flaws. I felt normal with them, and instead of being someone they always had to protect, I was someone they trusted."

"Then one night, everything changed, Jacob found the scent of a vampire in my room, and some of my clothes were missing. Then we noticed a huge number of suspicious murders happening in Seattle, slowly getting closer to Forks. The elders decided to send some wolves up to Seattle to see what was going on, they had suspicions that the vampire in my house, and the murders were related."

"In Seattle, they found a female, leading what they described as a small army. The woman was Victoria. We thought she'd given up because I was safe with the wolves, but she'd stepped up her game. We had no idea when they would arrive, and for a month, the wolves ran patrols constantly, only changing shifts to sleep for a few hours. I'd graduated by then, so I moved in with Jacob to make things easier."

"The attacks died down, and we thought we might be safe. Jacob took me camping in the woods so we could have some time alone. It was a mistake. She attacked that night, bringing twelve others with her. The wolves were outnumbered. The pack have a collective mind when they're in wolf form, and when Jacob phased to check in, he found them fighting. One of the younger wolves came up to keep watch over me, while Jacob joined the fight."

The moments I was reliving now, were some of my clearest human memories, and I could feel the fear and helplessness I'd felt back then creeping up on me again.

"Victoria, and another, Riley, got past the wolves. Riley took on little Seth, and Victoria came for me. By the time she bit me, I was almost unconscious, and I'm sure I would have died from the injuries she'd inflicted. That would have been better. She'd taken a great deal of blood by the time Jacob made it back to me. He finished her off, and I remained conscious just long enough to tell him what I was becoming. I burned for six days."

"I woke up, on the dining room table in your old house, alone. I was filthy, and covered in dried blood, my clothes were a mess, and I was confused. I lay there for four hours, trying to adjust to my new senses, I thought I was going mad."

Jasper remained silent, while I relived the last hours of my human life. The unbearable, unending pain as I listened to my heart speeding up, and eventually dying. The way my mind seemed to split and fracture further with every passing minute, until I thought I'd never find enough to fill it.

I remember being confused when I first heard the river, and then frightened as it seemed to get closer. I hadn't realised my hearing was improving. When my heart had stopped, along with the pain, I'd finally opened my eyes, and found myself at the Cullen's house. I could see dust particles as clearly as if I was looking through a microscope. I thought I was hallucinating.

When I'd finally adjusted to what I was seeing, I sat up, and had to spend another half an hour trying to get used to the speed I moved at. Eventually, I'd seen the paper on the table. I remembered the words, in that scruffy spiky handwriting, as well as if I'd read them seconds ago.

I'm sorry it had to end this way. Please respect the treaty. Jacob.

By the time I'd found the note, I'd already come to the conclusion that I couldn't be one of the pack anymore, but I hadn't thought he'd be so cold about it. He didn't even say he loved me. That single slip of paper hurt me just as much as Edward had. More even. My new vampire emotions, just like everything else, were stronger than I thought possible. The loss, and loneliness were so bad it physically hurt.

I could feel the echoes of that pain now, and knew the wound still hadn't healed. I didn't think it ever would.

"Bella stop it." Jasper snapped. I felt him using his gift on me, some feeling of warmth I couldn't name pushed the pain away for a while. I was glad he'd felt it. He deserved some pain. I heard him sigh once I was no longer bothering him. "You can't have burnt for six days, it only takes three."

"I know that now. Garrett said I probably burnt for so long because there was so little venom in my body. Victoria only bit me once, and she probably sucked most of the venom out." I explained. Garrett had taught me a lot during my time with him. I had a lot of questions about being a vampire, having died knowing relatively little about it.

It was my turn to ask Jasper some things now. "Why did you decide to keep me?"

He scowled and glared at a spot above my head on the wall. "I want you." He shrugged.

I tensed automatically. He laughed.

"That's not what I meant, though I won't deny that I want you that way." He smirked and let his eyes roam over me. "I decided to keep you, because I wanted to. You owe me, Bella. And you will make it up to me. Besides, life is dull at the moment, I needed... a distraction."

"How long do you intend to keep me here?" I really wanted to ask him what he was going to do with me, but I was afraid of the answer.

He toed off his boots and linked his hands behind his head, smiling as he answered. "I've had fifteen, fairly shitty years because of you. I think you should repay me with the same. If you're a good girl, I'll let you go in a decade or so."

"You can't do that!" My anger was immediate, and intense. "I'm not an animal. What do you expect to do with me, leave me chained up here, feeding me when you can bothered? Fifteen years! No, you can't." I started to pull at the restraints again. "What the hell are these things made of?" I growled to myself.

"Vampire." Jasper drawled. I stilled.

"What?"

"The cuffs, they're made of vampire. It's in the walls too." He looked proud. I was disgusted, and tried to position myself so that none of my skin was actually touching the cuffs. "I came up with the idea, we melted iron with ash, venom and flesh, and it made an incredibly strong compound. You couldn't even bite through it."

I was just glad I hadn't tried to bite through it. It was disgusting, I actually felt nauseous. And he was sitting there grinning like this was something to proud of. He was talking about using bits of people for god's sake. I couldn't bear to look at him.

I had to get away from this place. Away from him. "What can I do make you let me go? How can I make it up to you? Whatever you want, I'll do it." I knew what he was likely to want, and I didn't care, I just wanted out, and I was willing to do anything to get away.

His answer surprised me.

"There is nothing you can do Bella. You're mine, and you're staying until I'm sick of you." The possessive tone of his voice had me snapping my head up to keep an eye on him. The corners of his lips turned up slowly. "Of course, there are plenty of things you could do to make your stay here a little more interesting."

"Not a chance." I spat, glaring at him. I wasn't going to sleep with him just to pass the time.

I felt a faint flickering of desire burn low in my stomach. It was nothing like the overwhelming waves he'd sent before, but it was still an invasion, and it made me hate him more as I struggled to squash it.

"Are you quite sure Bella?" He smiled, curling his tongue up behind his teeth. He upped the lust a little, making me thankful for the clothes he'd given me as my underwear grew damp. He sniffed the air, his smile widening. "You smell delectable little Bella."

"Fuck you!" I growled, humiliation and frustration warring for dominance. If I ever got out of these chains I was going to rip his head off.

He did nothing to hide his own arousal as he watched me. After a few more seconds of staring at each other he stopped using his gift and crossed the room to stand in front of me. I waited for whatever was coming, knowing I was unable to stop it.

He stepped closer, so that our bodies were pressed together, I could feel every inch of his body against mine, and I fought against the instinct to pull away.

His lips trailed up my neck, stopping at my ear. "All you have to do is ask." He whispered.

I actually laughed. "In your dreams." As if I'd ever ask.

He pressed closer, forcing me into the wall and growled lowly. I cursed myself again, hoping I hadn't pushed him too far this time.

Without warning he pulled away from me and fled the room, leaving me alone again. I wondered where he had gone, but I was more worried about what would happen when he came back.

An: Any thoughts about where Jasper's gone? Any thoughts about anything else? Let me know what you think...