Chapter Eleven
It had taken Jesse more than a week to complete his masterpiece. That was mostly because he had a hard time keeping his hands off the beautiful, naked woman before him. It had truly been worth the wait though, as it had turned out to be his greatest work yet, exactly as he had told Tanya. It now hung in the room dedicated to art and other priceless objects in a place of honor above the fireplace. Even among the priceless originals in both paintings and objets d'art, the painting stood out.
Tanya, not being the shy sort, was very proud of it, that she was the inspiration for it, and that her Jesse had painted it. She had called everyone into the room to admire it. Carmen, who had an eye for art just as Tanya did, but not like Jesse's, had declared it one of the most magnificent pieces she had seen in her 400 years. Kate, Garrett and Eleazar had all agreed.
Jesse stared out the window in their room. Tanya had gone with her sisters to Anchorage for a day of shopping, and all three men had been relieved to not have to go with. However, he missed her when she was gone. It was a strange feeling to him, like an emptiness he never knew he had until he had met Tanya. And now that she was gone, even if it was only for a short time, relatively, he felt like that piece of him had gone with her. He briefly wondered if Garrett and Eleazar felt that way each time their wives left for awhile.
Tanya continued to amaze him. He had spent some time talking with Kate and Garrett while Tanya was out hunting one afternoon, and he had learned a bit of her past. Kate had told them both how she, Tanya and Irina may be the inspiration for the succubus legends. Kate had laughed, because all three of them had tried so hard, and failed so miserably, not to seduce the unsuspecting male population. What could she say? They liked what they liked. Irina had been the first to end that lifestyle when Laurent came to them. She had fallen head over heels for the beautiful, charming man. Unfortunately they had found out later that he didn't quite feel the same way. Kate was next to give it up when she had met Garrett. And finally, now Tanya had given it up as well, because, Kate had said, she had finally met a man who not only matched her in passion, but she wouldn't break him either.
Jesse would have blushed at that if he could have. Instead, he marveled in the changes that he hadn't seen, but those closest to her had. And to think he had been responsible for those changes was a huge ego boost. He couldn't deny the fact that he loved her any longer. He had known it from the start, but refused to acknowledge it. Jesse sighed and pushed himself up from the bed, going to stare at some of the things that were Tanya's around the room. She'd been accommodating, and the room no longer looked as if it belonged just to her.
Coming to stop in front of the full length mirror on the closet door he took in his appearance. There were dark purple bruises under his eyes, and his eyes themeselves were nearly black. He had been putting off hunting. The animal blood was disgusting to him, but to see the disappointment in Tanya's eyes if he killed another human...
He had told her, of course, about his slip up with the girl in Anchorage. He didn't want to, but to hide it had seemed unacceptable. Or maybe it had been that his eyes were a brilliant red and couldn't hide the fact from her. No matter the reason, he had told her, and she hadn't been upset. She had nodded and told him she understood. But the disappointment in her eyes... it cut him to the core. He had apologized over and over, and she just told him that it was okay, and she was sure he could get used to this lifestyle, but she knew it was a huge adjustment, and didn't expect immediate results. That had hurt worse, her total confidence in him, than if she had railed at him.
And he was trying. He told her he would, and he was. But the blood... it just wasn't human blood. It was fairly disgusting. Only Tanya, his Tanya, could get him to drink it at all. Running a hand through the messy mop on his head and making a face at his reflection, he decided it was time to talk to Garrett and Eleazar. Maybe they could give him some pointers on this whole abstaining from human blood thing.
He could hear both men at their respective activities in and around the house. Garrett was out in the garage, working on his Pontiac. The body wasn't anything special, but he kept the engine top-notch. That car could rival the Viper if they had cared to test the theory.
Eleazar was in his study, shuffling papers. Jesse assumed he was grading papers or something. He had watched Eleazar fall in love with Carmen, and watched as Aro let him leave. Eleazar had been an inspiration to Jesse, whether he knew it or not.
Jesse tore his gaze away from his reflection and left the room. As he was walking down the stairs, he called Garrett and Eleazar's names. He could hear as they stopped what they were doing, and then finished what needed to be finished before answering him. Settling into a chair in the living room, Jesse didn't have to wait long before both men appeared.
Garrett hadn't even washed his hands, so he was careful not to touch anything other than his ratty work clothes and he didn't sit down. Eleazar, on the other hand, came in and dropped into his chair. Both men looked at him expectantly.
"What can we do for you Jesse?" Eleazar asked in his quiet way.
Jesse looked at them both and then sighed. "I was hoping you might be able to help me. I... I was wondering how you both handled your lifestyle so well. To say I'm having difficulty adjusting is an understatement."
Eleazar nodded. "I never thought that feeding from humans was right, but it was the only thing I knew. I wrestled my conscience every time we drank. When I met Carmen, I knew she had that same gentle nature. After leaving Volterra, we would let our thirst go until there was nothing we could do but find someone and drink. And we would both spend days afterward mourning what we had done. And then we met Tanya and her sisters. Being that we were both so opposed to killing a human, we took to this lifestyle fairly easily. Granted, the blood certainly isn't as tasty as a humans, but the trade off is worth it to me. You just have to decide if the trade off is worth it to you Jesse."
Jesse mulled over his words a moment, and then Garrett spoke. "I didn't have nearly so noble of intentions as Eleazar did," he said, giving Eleazar a smile. "I was happy with my life. It all turned upside down the moment Emmett and Rosalie Cullen found me and sent me to Forks to witness for them. Meeting Tanya, Kate, Eleazar and Carmen was certainly life changing, though I didn't set out to be a vegetarian. But my nature being what it is, I couldn't resist the challenge in Kate's voice when she asked me to go hunting with her. No, I didn't like it, I found it really disgusting," he broke off when Eleazar started chuckling.
"But by that time, I was hopelessly lost to Kate's feminine wiles."
This time it was Jesse who was snickering.
Garrett rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's not easy for me, Jesse, but I do it because I want to. Maybe when I've been doing it as long as Eleazar it will be much easier, but until then.... I just do what I can. And believe me, to me, Kate is worth it. As Eleazar said, you have to decide if the trade off is worth it to you."
Jesse nodded. "You are basically saying that I need to commit myself one way or another."
Garrett and Eleazar nodded in unison.
"Well, I guess that answers that question. I know what I need to do then." Jesse hauled himself out of the chair he'd been sitting in, and headed back toward the stairs. He had just passed the foyer when a small knock came on the door.
