Thank you so much for your poignant reviews, messages, faves, and alerts. I truly appreciate the support you've shown me. You can ride on an airplane with Jasper and Bella as a reward.
Jeepers! A few of you were very vocal about how upset you were with Rose and Bella for leaving their mates the way they did. The majority of you applauded their actions, though. I have to say that this journey was necessary-you'll see why when you read. Pay particular attention to the part where Jasper mentions being worried about something someone saw in his soul. Also, pay attention to what is said about Rose and Bella's souls.
Now, on a second note, bear with me. This chapter is just the beginning of Bella and Jasper's journey to discover who they are as individuals and as couples. Like I said before, there will be many twists and turns in this chapter and the two following this one.
This story is AU/OOC.
All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
Mature readers 18+ only.
Rosalie's POV
The phone calls that Bella and I made to our mates took a lot out of us. Neither of us had ever heard our mates sound so dejected. Emmett wanted to hop on the next flight to Tokyo, but I told him we were leaving the country immediately. There was something so Emmett about the phone call. "Rosie, please come home. I'll stop being a bear. I promise. I'm getting sick of jerking off in the shower. Do you think we can at least arrange to meet somewhere, make love, then you can go back to thinking and I'll go back to being depressed? I'm really horny."
I chuckled when he said that. I had to admit that this was the best thing ever. Bella and I needed this time away from the family. We were both ticking time bombs. I finally exploded. I love Esme, I really do, but she butted her fucking nose in where she wasn't welcome. I loved Emmett's idea of starting our own household away from the family. Apparently, Char and Peter have moved away too. They were now living in Pete's apartment in Cambridge with weekend visits to see the family like Bella and Jasper were doing before we left.
Emmett's looking for a place close to Bella and Jasper. We couldn't afford to live on their street. He told me that Jasper's little investment was over four million dollars. The average house in that particular area apparently goes for two million. We were looking for something around 300 to 400 thousand dollars. Emmett said that maybe it would be wiser to rent a place for a few years. Jasper bought homes and let them sit empty for decades. It was fine for him, he had the capital, but we certainly didn't have that sort of luxury. Sure we had a few million put away in the bank, but that had to last an eternity. We were determined to use the earnings from my business to do this.
Pete has been a godsend. He's been taking care of my business while I regroup. He actually hired Edward to take care of small jobs like oil changes and flat repairs. He said that Edward works fast and was efficient and suggested keeping him on after I return so that Pete and I could concentrate on major repairs. Bella and I purchased laptops in Tokyo so we could keep up with business and school. Harvard thinks that Bella was in a massive car accident that has left her temporarily incapacitated and unable to attend classes. I helped her forge a note. The professors have been sending her assignments to her which she is to complete if she is able. Bella, being the trooper that she is, has actually been emailing completed papers to her professors. She found an international library in Tokyo where she was able to do some research and send papers complete with footnotes via email.
We were hiking around India with our backpacks. The cool thing about being vampires was that we didn't need sleep. We hadn't even checked into an ashram or a hotel yet. We just donned our hiking boots and walked around with our belongings strapped to our backs. By day, we'd tour the cities and stop at internet cafes so that we could get some work done. By night, we hunted then bathed in the lakes and rivers to wash. We were really getting in touch with ourselves. Oddly enough, this nomadic life suited us.
"Rose, I'm loving these tigers." Bella said. The wildlife was incredible here and we were hunting everyday just so we could sample everything. Presently, we were hunting in the dense green jungle and letting our senses go.
"Yeah, they're good. You have to try their bears too. Here, let's trade." I suggested. Bella and I had gotten so close that we could hunt right next to each other without hurting each other. Our territorial instincts never took over. We had to hunt side by side for safety. It was just us two, after all.
"Oh, yum, these bears have sweeter blood than the ones at home. I wonder why?" Bella pondered. We both finished feeding and buried our kills then ran to a little stream we saw in the jungle and rinsed off.
We had just finished getting dressed when we heard a twig snap. We instantly lowered ourselves into defensive crouches. A regal looking, golden eyed vampire in Indian garb approached us with his hands up. "I mean no harm. My name is Amar Desai. I was just seeking who was hunting on my land."
Bella and I didn't say anything. We were both terrified.
"I can tell that you are frightened. I truly mean no harm. If you would like, I'd like to invite you to my home. You can clean up there. My mate is waiting for me. We haven't had any company in three centuries and we would love for you to visit. Please. What are your names?"
Bella inhaled a deep breath before speaking. "My name is Isabella Whitlock and this is my sister Rosalie McCarty. Namaste." Bella put her hands together in a prayer position and bowed her head slightly.
I did the same and bowed my head down too.
The man put his hands together and said, "Namaste" to us. "Please, follow me to my home. This is the first time I've encountered golden eyed vampires like me. I would dearly love for you to visit."
He looked like a trustworthy fellow so Bella and I grabbed our backpacks and followed him. We arrived at his home and it wasn't a home—it was a gargantuan palace. Bella and I looked at each other. Neither of us had ever been in somewhere so...so...royal.
"This is very nice." I said.
"Yes, I was the Maharaja of these parts before I was turned. Fortunately, the palace and these lands are still mine. Ah, there you are my dear." He greeted a beautiful woman dressed in a sari. She looked to be about seventeen. She was absolutely breathtaking. "This is my mate and Maharani, Amrita."
"Namaste." Bella and I both said. I looked at Bella and she looked at me. We were a mess. Normally, we were considered the pretty ones in the family. We each had our hair in messy ponytails and we looked horrific. We both started laughing.
Amar and Amrita looked perplexed. "We apologize for laughing. Normally, my sister and I are a little more put together, but we've been traveling for close to three months now and just now got a good look at each other.
"Welcome. Please, come inside. Remove your boots at the entry and place them on the shelf there. Sahil will clean them for you. We have two servants here. Sahil and Sushmita." Two vampires, a man and a woman, came to greet us. They both had very kind eyes that twinkled when they smiled. "They have both been in my service since I was human. Sushmita will show you to your rooms now."
"Oh, one room is fine. It's just the two of us, after all." Bella said.
"Nonsense. We have a grand palace with plenty of vacant rooms begging to be occupied. If it will make you feel better, we will place you in adjacent rooms with a shared balcony." Amar said.
We followed Sushmita to our rooms. Geez! Everyone here was beautiful. Amrita came into my room a few minutes later holding a few silk outfits. "Gifts for you." She said.
"Oh, I can't accept these. These are so precious, so beautiful. They must be very valuable." I replied.
"Please take them. I have thousands of saris. You are such a beautiful woman and I think you would do these justice." Amrita started to sob. "We have so few visitors and I want to share the bounty that has been bestowed upon me with you."
"Of course, thank you." I said. I immediately knew that she was lonesome. It suspected that the four vampires have lived in seclusion for years.
"I will give some to your sister now." She said. "Come, we will all bathe together now."
Bathe? Together? Um...what if she's part of some weird lesbian cult? I'd better go with her to Bella's room. I need to keep my sister safe.
Amrita gave Bella the saris which she accepted graciously. She probably heard Amrita sobbing to me. We followed her to a huge room that had a bathtub the size of a swimming pool in the center. Sushmita came to help Amrita disrobe, then helped me and Bella. She had each of us sit on stools as she bathed us. I had never been this pampered in my life. I doubted Bella had to. Bella and I watched the dirt, correction mud, from our hair flow away with the water. After we were nice and clean, we were led to the piping hot bath in the middle of the room. Amrita nodded to Sushmita who cleansed herself then joined us in the bath.
"When I was human, it would have been a crime to bathe with the servants, but Sushmita means so much more to me now. She has been my only friend for close to four hundred years now." She stated.
"How old are you in vampire years?"
"I'm approaching my seventy-sixth year as a vampire, my sister is nine months old now." I informed her.
Amrita and Sushmita's eyes widened. "You are a newborn, yet so controlled. We thought that you were the older vampire. Her eyes zoomed in on our mating marks. Where are your mates?"
"We're traveling alone on a journey to find ourselves." Bella stated.
"Interesting." Amrita said. "I've never heard of two mated, female vampires venturing out on their own. Your mates are not angry with you?"
"They're sad. They want us to come home, but my sister and I need to find what we're looking for first." I said.
"What is it that you're looking for?"
"We don't know." I admitted.
"You may find, upon your return home, that what you were looking for has been right in front of you all along." Sushmita said. Geez. She's more cryptic than Peter is.
After our baths, we were, once again, pampered by Sushmita. She helped us get into our outfits and draped a long, beautiful silk scarf across our shoulders. Then, she adorned us with precious jewels—another gift from the Maharani.
"These are not saris?" I questioned.
"No, they're called Salwar Kameez. The scarf is called a Duppatta. It is more comfortable than a sari and is considered appropriate for daily wear.
Sushmita moved on to Bella's room after she was finished with me.
When we had a moment alone, Bella entered my room.
"Why is she giving us all this stuff, Rose? I feel weird." She whispered.
"I know, so do I. If we start feeling any creepier, we'll leave, okay?" I replied.
We were called down to some sort of family room where we sat on the floor on comfortable cushions and chatted. It turns out that Amar and Amrita were changed in 1608 by a rogue vampire that had gone on a rampage and drained every citizen in his village. For some reason, when he got to Amar, Amrita, Sahil, and Sushmita, he pumped them with venom and left. They were confused as to who or what they were when they woke from the change. They immediately noticed their thirst. Living in such a dense area of the jungle the first thing they encountered were tigers—naturally, they felt their bloodlust and fed on the animals. They didn't know any better so for a hundred years or so, they fed exclusively on tiger's blood.
Around 1720, a mated vampire couple passed through their region and were shocked to find four golden eyed vampires. He explained to them what they were and seeing their mating marks which they instinctually gave to each other, he told them all about mating and vampirism.
From that time on, the four had basically been living in seclusion. Amar and Sahil went to town to do business every now and then. They harvested tea for money—lots and lots of tea from what we could see. "Excuse me, where exactly are we?" I asked. We had been wandering for so long that we had no idea what part of India we were in.
"You are in a remote part of Darjeeling. Some of the best tea leaves in the world come from here." Sahil said.
"Sushmita will read your souls now. She has a gift." Amar said.
"Are you a seer, we have one in our family." I said.
"Not quite. You'll have to experience it to see."
Sushmita had me lean back against her and put her arms around me. I was a bit uncomfortable because I wasn't used to strangers touching me. In fact, the only two people allowed this sort of proximity to me were Emmett and Bella. "You had a very unfortunate beginning to this life. You were violated in the worst way. You were consumed by unwarranted shame. You didn't want this life. Your life changed when you met your mate. You are his world. You have a family who cares deeply for you. Your sister is your best friend. When she came into your life, your world shifted once again. You must not hold people at a distance. You must allow them to share in your life. Only then will you achieve true happiness."
Whoa! Um, how the fuck did she know all of this? "Excuse me, what did you mean when you said that I must allow people to share in my life?"
"You, Rose, are frightened to let people get to know the real you. You're only yourself in front of your sister and your mate. You are afraid that people will hurt you if you allow them to get to know you. I suspect that this has something to do with your unfortunate beginning. The pain and the suffering is all in the past, you must release it in order to allow happiness to flow through you." Sushmita said.
I nodded my head in acknowledgment. Somehow, I believed this wise woman.
Sushmita, then, moved on to Bella. She assumed the same position and had Bella lean back against her. "You are a very complex young woman. Your human life made you afraid to lose control. You will not allow others to pamper and take care of you—to spoil you. It was quite evident while I was bathing you today. The tension resonating from your body was palpable. You feel that you would lose complete control if you allow others to spoil you. You worked so hard, from a young age, the entirety of your human life, that you could not call it your own. The ending to your human life was violent, but you were created into a vampire out of love. I noticed the different markings on your major arteries. I assume you were changed by more than one vampire?"
"Yes, she was changed by eight vampires." I affirmed.
"Each one of those vampires love you as if you were their own flesh and blood and some are, indeed, of your bloodline. They can be overbearing at times. You must understand that they do this out of love and love only. Oddly enough, you have three sets of parents in this life. Each of them want to cherish and protect you. Yet, you run from them. You also run from your mate. You crave independence, but you are dependent on your mate. He is the other half of your soul. You and he share a bond that is tighter than any encountered in our world before. Without him, half of you is becoming stronger while the other half is withering away. You need the balance that your mate provides for you. Your mate is powerful, as are you. Together, you are an unstoppable force that can move mountains if necessary. With your family behind you, you can move the entire Earth. You must allow them to love you and you must cherish them for who they are. They are a part of you and you are only running from yourself whenever you run from those who love you. Only then, will you find the independence and happiness that you desire."
Bella's mouth was hanging open. "Close your mouth, Bella, you're gonna let the flies in." I said.
Before she shut her mouth she mouthed "bitch" to me.
I wagged my eyebrows at her. She narrowed her eyes at me. We both giggled.
"There is one more thing between the two of you." Sushmita said. "You share a bond with each other as powerful as a mating bond. You rely on each other when your mates or your family are unable to provide support. You share an emotional connection which can never be broken. You must always keep each other close for part of your soul will die without the other."
"Huh?" Now I was the one with my mouth hanging open.
"What do you mean when you say that part of our soul will die without the other?" Bella asked.
"Just as you are a part of your mates and your mates are a part of you. You are a part of each other. You will not survive this life without Rose, just like she will not survive without you. You coming into this life allowed Rose to finally start living her life as a vampire. Before that, she was merely surviving. Just like you were meant for your mate, you were also meant for your sister. She was also meant for you."
I ran to my sister and pulled her into my arms. She was meant for me. She absolutely was. She was my best friend and confidante. She was there for me when no one else was. Who else would dance half-naked in a cage for me or abandon their degree and their mate and run for my sake? Only Bella would.
"Thank you, Sushmita, you are very wise." I said, gratefully.
"I only say what I feel when I touch you. I only know of this bond because I share a similar one with Amrita. We are as close to each other as we are to our mates. Amar said that he saw you two hunting together in close proximity without letting your animalistic side come out. Amrita and I are the same way." She informed us. "I recommend you feed together off of the same tiger one day. You will notice, then, how your bond is enhanced.
Amrita then spoke. "Might I suggest that you phone your mates and have them join you here at our palace? We would dearly love to meet them and I daresay that you both have done enough soul searching to allow them back into your lives."
"Well, it is now time for us to begin our nightly mating rituals. Please make yourselves at home and do phone your mates. Have them fly to Bagdogra Airport. Sahil and I will pick them up from there. We will see you in a few hours." Amar said, then picked Amrita up and left. Sahil did the same with Sushmita.
"Thank you." Bella and I said, simultaneously.
We roamed the glorious palace and chatted. We sat on cushions laid out on the adjoining balcony and held each other. "Let's call them." I said. "We've been in India for almost two months and we were in Japan for a month before that."
"I miss him, Rose." Bella whispered. "What the heck is a nightly mating ritual?"
"I don't know. Somehow, I think it's more than just fucking. Maybe we can ask Sushmita tomorrow."
"You don't think that's too personal, do you?" Bella asked.
"Are you kidding me? The woman just explained our entire souls to us—I'd say that's more personal." I said.
"You're right. Let's make sure that Em and Jasper bring gifts for these people. They've been so hospitable and it hasn't even been a day." Bella recommended.
"You're right. Hey, sis?" Bella looked at me in acknowledgment. "I really do feel like you're a part of me, you know. I love you, Bella."
She smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug. "I love you, too, Rose. Let's go call our mates."
Jasper's POV
I was dying inside without my mate. I needed her so badly, so desperately, but I had to give her this time to find herself. Pete advised both me and Emmett to just give our mates time to heal. We were doing that, but each day was getting harder and harder.
Emmett ended up leasing a house about a mile away from us. He lived at the midway point between my house and Pete's apartment. Pete and Char have been there for me and Em every step of the way. They knew how it felt to be separated from your mate. Char was a trooper. She helped us keep both houses looking spic and span and she made sure that we did our laundry and put it away instead of letting it all pile up. Pete and Char did laundry at our house because they didn't have a washer and dryer in their building.
Em and I both managed to finish off our terms at MIT and Harvard. I just got our report cards in the mail. I squeaked by with straight C's and one D. Bella, from wherever the fuck she was, managed to get straight A's. How the hell did she manage that? They even renewed her scholarship for next year, which she doesn't really need.
I was missing Bella like crazy today. It was exactly a year ago today that we met and mated instantly after Edward's bachelor's party. I cracked open a bottle of Jack and downed it in one go. I took a deep whiff of the pillow where her scent lingered—not good, thinking of her made my dick hard. I'm gonna have to jerk off in the shower again. I was just about to go do that when my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I answered.
"Jasper."
"Bella? Are you coming home?" I asked, hopefully.
"No, you're coming to see me." She said.
"Where are you?"
"Rose and I are at the palace of Maharaja Amar Desai." Bella replied.
Okay, well, Em and I better get there fast because we don't need our mates joining no harem.
"Baby, could you elaborate a little more? I'm a little confused, did you say that you're at the palace of a Maharaja?"
"Uh, yes. Well, he was a Maharaja before he was turned, but really India did away with the whole royalty thing in 1947 when they achieved independence, therefore, turning into a democratic country. Babe, after I finish studying American History, can I study Asian History? After spending all this time here, I'm finding it terribly interesting."
"Bella, you can study whatever the fuck you want. Let's discuss that later. How lon..." I was cut off by my mate.
"Really, Jasper? I can? Ooh! I'm so excited. Before I forget, you need to pick up gifts for his household. The Maharani has given me and Rose beautiful silk saris, salwar kameez, and precious jewels. On top of that, they've offered all of us their hospitality. There are a total of two male vampires and two female vampires here—both mated." She said.
Okay, I feel better now. There are other women there. "How do I get to you?"
"You need to fly to Bagdogra airport. It's in India."
"I love you, Bella. I'll see you as soon as I can. Let me get off of the phone so I can get to you. I love you. I love you. I love you." I kept repeating it, hoping it'll stick to her.
"Bring a case of Jack Daniels. I'm thirsty. Rose and I haven't had any since Japan. Jasper, can we buy an apartment in Tokyo? I really like it there."
"We already own a house in Tokyo, babe. We can stop there on the way home—just you and me. If you want an apartment, I can buy you that, too. It's one of my favorite cities in the world."
"Hurry, Jasper. I miss you. Oh, and call me as soon as you have the flight plans."
"Okay, baby. I'll be right there." I ended the call and grabbed my laptop to look for flights to India.
My cell phone rang, Bella was calling again. Before I could say anything she spoke. "I forgot to tell you that I love you, Jasper." With that, she ended the call.
Emmett ran in through the front door, just then—literally. "Sorry, man. I'll fix that for you before we leave for India. What the fuck are we supposed to get a Maharaja?"
My cell phone went off again. It was Alice. Her vision was working flawlessly, and so was Edward's mindreading, because Bella was so far away. At least we know that her mental shield covers us while in the United States and Canada. Alice still couldn't see much regarding Bella and Rose because obviously the shield was working fine where they are.
"Pick up cartons of American cigarettes for the men, two sets of his and her Rolex watches, jewelry from Tiffany and Company for the women—they prefer gold over platinum, Channel No. 5 and Coco perfumes, also Red Sox t-shirts and jeans for all of them. They'll get a kick out of them." She said. "I'll text you their sizes. Oh, and Bella and Rose need new bras and panties—desperately. Bella dropped her shield momentarily. I hate to say this, but they resembled mountain men. I wouldn't be surprised if they started growing beards."
"Thanks, Alice." I said. She had improved considerably in the last few months. Being fired from five jobs in a row humbled her. She had to sell her beloved Porsche and she was now driving a Honda Civic. She was working at a local Dairy Queen in New Hampshire for minimum wage. She absolutely detested it and I couldn't see her last much longer at that job.
"Don't mention it. Jasper, would you tell Bella that I'm sorry—for everything?" She requested. "I'll tell her in person too, but I really do want her to know that I am sorry."
"Sure, Alice." I said.
"Okay, I'll see you in a couple of months. Bye."
"A couple of months? Are we gonna be gone for that long?" Emmett asked.
"Looks like it." I was tapping away on the computer. "Okay, I found a flight to London that leaves in five hours at 8pm tonight. From there we board a flight to Delhi. After that it's a short flight to Bagdogra. In roughly 32 hours—we should be with our mates."
"That's awesome, man. Book two tickets. I'll pay you back later." Em said, excitedly.
"Don't worry about it. I booked us two first class seats. We're good to go. So, go pack your clothes and, in the meantime, I'll fix the door." I suggested.
Emmett sighed. "We need to talk, bro. This is a time for truths and this is one truth that's long overdue. You aren't good at fixing shit, Jasper. We've been having to distract you whenever something breaks so that you don't get your hands on them. When you slammed your fist through the kitchen counter last month, Pete and Garrett had to take you drinking so I could put in a new one while you were gone. Before that, Bella's been having to sex you up so that we could distract you. Jasper, we know you mean well, but it's time to put down your hammer."
"Am I that bad?" I asked, bewildered.
"Jasper, you brought down an entire house in Chicago. Carlisle told me that you put a crater, the size of a mac truck, through the wall of your bedroom when all you had to do was replace a window. He said, you nearly took out a supporting beam to this house. Let me take care of the door, bro. I'll be quick, accurate, and then we can be on our way."
"Sure." I said, completely dejected. I cracked open another bottle of Jack and downed it. I didn't know I sucked that much.
"Alright, give me the keys to your truck. I'm going to Home Depot for supplies. Call Sissy, tell her our flight plans, then pack. I'll stop at my place and pack a bag for myself too." Emmett instructed before leaving me sitting on my sofa feeling like shit.
Wait a minute. I don't have time to wallow in self pity. I get to see my mate in less than two days. I ran upstairs and started packing. I decided to take a quick shower and jerk off while Emmett was gone. My dick was throbbing from inhaling Bella's scent from her pillow earlier.
After my shower, I called my wife to tell her the flight plans.
"Hi, Jasper." My God, her voice sounds like heaven to my ears.
"Hey, babe, I have the flight plans. Do you have a pen and paper ready?"
"Yep, go ahead."
I gave her the information and she took it down. We stayed on the phone a bit longer. She told me how she and Rose were nomads in India for two months until the Maharaja found them hunting and offered them shelter. Apparently, they were a mess when they first encountered him.
"Now, I'm not one for image or anything, but we must have looked positively feral. I think we actually scared the Maharani. It's possible that she thinks we're some sort of charity case. She keeps giving me and Rose silks and jewels." Bella chuckled. "Oh, before I forget, can you pack my favorite flip flops for me? It's summer so I want to wiggle my toes."
"No problem, baby. I can't wait to have you back in my arms." I stated.
"I can't wait to be back in yours. I have so much to tell you. I love you, Jasper. I'll see you soon."
"Okay, Bella. I love you."
I didn't want to hang up, but I had to figure out a game plan. I needed to go to Copley Place and take care of the shopping. I already had a case of Jack Daniels sitting in my kitchen. The cigarettes and perfume I could buy, duty free, on the plane.
"Knock, knock." Pete said as he walked in the house. "You need me to drive you somewhere, don't ya? How is she, man?"
"She sounded refreshed—like a new woman. She and Rose were living as nomads for a couple of months in India." I said. "She said they got a lot of thinking done."
"Baby girl was always introspective. She just needed time, Jasper. I'm proud of you for giving her that. You two are going to move mountains together, you know. Remember what Char said? She said that she had never seen a stronger mating thread than the one between you and Bella. Will you tell her that I miss her?"
"Of course I will." Pete and Bella had gotten really close before she ran away with Rose. They talked a couple of times a week and she had helped him overcome a lot of his issues with Char. Ironically, when they first met last year, Pete and Bella had a rough beginning. Now, they were really chummy—maybe even closer than he and I were.
"Give her this, too." He handed me a piece of paper with some numbers on it.
"What the fuck is this?" I asked.
"It's a list of how much I got hustled out of while playing pool when she was gone. She has to win it back for me. It's a matter of pride." He said.
"Pete, you lost over thirty thousand dollars!" I cried.
"Yeah, I know. That's a brand new fucking truck. She needs to win it back for me." He stated.
Whatever. They had a strange friendship. I found out that they talked, two-stepped, then hustled pool whenever they went out. It was almost like they had a bromance of some sort going, except for the dancing part. At first, I was insanely jealous of the fact that Pete taught Bella how to two-step instead of me. I'd even follow them and spy on them from the outside of wherever they went. Now that Bella was gone, she could two-step with Pete every fucking day as long as she was back in my arms at the end of the day.
Em soon returned with the supplies and Pete helped him put the door in. He said, he'd paint it for us over the weekend while he and Char were doing laundry. We asked him to take care of our houses while we were gone. Pete drove us to Copley Place so we could pick up the gifts. We were short on time so we split up. Peter ended up picking up lingerie for the girls. He then dropped us off at the airport. He gave us two wrapped gifts, one for each of our mates, and asked us to give it to them. We thanked him. He smirked, then drove away.
Thirty hours later...
Em and I were on the last leg of our trip. We'd be seeing our mates soon. The plane landed and we looked all over for Bella and Rose. We couldn't find them. Instead, we were approached by two golden-eyed male vampires. By their dress, they appeared to be native to these parts.
"I am Amar Desai and this is my servant, Sahil. You are Jasper Whitlock and Emmett McCarty?" He asked in heavily accented English.
"Yes, I'm Jasper. This is my brother Emmett."
"Good, your mates await you at my palace. They are bathing with the other women now in preparation for your arrival." Amar stated.
Bathing with other women? What the fuck? Did he have a harem going or something? Shit! Maybe Bella and Rose were indoctrinated into some crazy vampire cult. This is India, for fuck's sake. I remember that movie, 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'. What if this guy was the leader of the Thuggee Cult?
"Excuse me, did you say that our mates were bathing with other women?" Emmett asked with a horrified expression on his face.
"Yes, Sushmita is washing them in preparation for your mating ritual." Amar answered.
Mating ritual. What the fuck? Stay calm, Jasper. Stay calm. You don't want to fuck this up with your mate.
"You seem to be very nervous. Perhaps a session with our hookah will benefit you upon our return to my palace." Amar suggested. We were now riding in his Range Rover with his servant driving. "I was surprised that your mates enjoyed experiencing our hookah so much."
"Our wives experienced hookers?" Emmett was now clearly on edge. I was too. What the hell kind of palace did this fucker run? He obviously had some kinky shit going on. All I knew is we were grabbing our wives and leaving. So far, it seemed that this Amar dude had them lesbian bathing in his harem, preparing for some sort of mating ritual, and participating in wild orgies with hookers. Yep, this man was definitely running a cult.
"No, not hookers, hoo-kahs." Amar enunciated. "Water pipes from which we smoke tobacco from."
Oh, that hookah. With Amar's heavy accent, I had misheard him. It really did sound more like hooker. Clearly, Emmett had thought the same thing too.
"Yeah, Emmett, don't you remember from Tangierino's?" I said, not wanting to seem like a dumb fuck. "I happen to be a hookah aficionado myself, Amar. What flavor tobacco do you enjoy?"
"According to your mate, we have many more flavors in our country than in yours. My favorite happens to be Saffron. Your mate says she enjoys mango, but she seemed to gravitate more towards whiskey flavored." Amar said.
Pfft. Bella didn't gravitate towards whiskey flavored, she probably devoured it. What Amar didn't know was that my mate simply enjoyed whiskey. She was a fucking lush and I loved it when she let the liquor get to her because she lost her inhibitions completely. That's part of the reason why I kept cases of hard liquor at home. That and I'm a lush too.
We drove for about an hour and Amar gave us a little tour of his grounds. Okay, not grounds—entire motherfucking jungle plus the enormous tea leaf farm next to it. Sahil pulled up in front of the palace and grabbed our bags. Amar instructed us to remove our shoes. We followed him through the house and we were led to some huge ass room where we were told to wash the grime from the trip away.
"Uh, so what do we do?" Emmett looked to me for advice.
"I think we just take our clothes off and hop in that swimming pool there." I said.
We took our clothes off and found a naked Amar waiting for us. He was standing with his hands on his hips with his dick hanging down. Motherfucker! I ain't blowing or fucking no guy. He pointed to a pair of stools. "Please sit, Sahil will wash you."
"It's okay." I held my hands up in front of me. "I can wash myself."
"No, it is part of Sahil's job to wash you. I will go first so you can see that he means no harm." Amar said.
Okay, I'll just plant my naked ass right on one of these things and watch. My ass is safer sitting anyway—better to restrict access to my man parts. Sahil appeared and started scrubbing Amar's body and washing his hair. He rinsed him off and Amar slipped in the swimming pool. He, then did the same with Emmett and, finally, with me.
"Please, join me in the bath." Amar said.
"Uh, who's scrubbing Sahil's back?" Emmett asked.
"He will wash his own." Amar answered. "He has for many centuries now."
"Well, that hardly seems fair. Sit down and I'll scrub your back for ya." Emmett was always good-hearted like that. True to his word, he washed Sahil's hair and scrubbed his back for him. As for me, hell no, I ain't getting anywhere near a dude's back. I don't care how non-sexual it is. I don't fraternize with men like that.
"Thank you. I have never been washed before. Now, I know what it feels like." Sahil said, appreciatively.
Amar and Sahil told us their histories while we relaxed in the piping hot swimming pool. I'll tell you one thing, the next house we live in, I'm getting one of these fucking rooms put in. This is the way to bathe. Thank God, I packed my camera. I'm gonna need pictures of this room. Maybe I can take some while Bella's bathing in here.
I told the two men an abbreviated version of my history. Amar noticed the scars marring my skin and said that he could tell that I was a powerful warrior. I told him that I was more of a businessman now with all of my assets. That peaked his interest. Apparently, Amar was a bit of a businessman himself. Well, he'd have to be. That's the only way he could keep his palace and all his land for four centuries. He asked if I could take a look at his holdings to see if there were any that would be of interest to me. I told him it was no problem and we could do that sometime during our stay. He thanked me.
Amar told me and Emmett how he nearly toppled over in shock after seeing our wives hunting alone in the wild. "I followed them for two whole days and I noticed that they were entirely alone. They seemed to be living in the jungle. I saw by the marks on their necks that they were both mated and decided it was my duty as a mated, male vampire to offer these women shelter, protection, and a bath; and help them find their way back to you."
I could feel nothing, but honesty, in his words and decided gratitude was in order. "Thank you. We were apart for three months and we were worried about their well-being, but they needed this journey to discover who they were."
We finished bathing and we were given these comfortable Indian outfits to wear. Sahil led Emmett into a room and closed the door, then led me to the adjacent room and bid me goodbye. I turned to see my beautiful wife swathed in layers of silk and adorned with gold jewelry.
"Jasper." She breathed, then ran into my arms. I carried her to the bed and held her for hours—not wanting to let go. After months without her, I finally felt complete. I didn't need to make love to her, I just needed her in my arms with her head buried in my chest.
"Baby, please don't leave me, again." I begged.
"I won't, but I needed to do this. The other day, everything clicked into place when Sushmita read my soul. Jasper, I've been running away from myself and pushing others away instead of letting them love me." She said. "I pushed you away the furthest when you were the one I needed the most."
"Don't take the blame all onto yourself, Bella. I, as well as the others, were so overprotective that we drove both you and Rose away. Esme's been getting counseling from Riley. Much of it has to do with her losing her infant while she was human. For both her and Vicky, it was watching you get beaten and nearly raped before you were turned." I really didn't want her to shoulder the blame herself. We each had a part in this and I hated to say this, but Bella and Rose running away was actually a good thing—it taught us all a hard lesson.
"Thank you, Jasper." She whispered, then stood up and held her hand out to me. "I want to show you the view from the balcony. It's incredible."
The view was breathtaking. It overlooked the lush jungles of Darjeeling and I could see hundreds of tigers roaming the wild. The other door to the balcony clicked open and Rose and Emmett walked out. Rose dove into my arms just as Bella did Emmett's.
"Never again, Bells." Emmett said. He simply held onto his little sister and didn't let go. I kissed Rose atop her head and held her as she sobbed into my chest.
"Shh...you don't have to cry anymore, Rose. We're here now." I cooed.
Em and I took our wives back and settled them onto our laps while we sat on the plush cushions lining the balcony. They told us all about their journey. They had spent over a month staying in hotels in Japan—they climbed to the top of Mount Fuji, bathed under the dazzling waterfalls in Sounkyou, explored Tokyo's non-stop nightlife, and even prayed at a Buddhist temple. In India, they decided to live as nomads and realized two days ago, when they ran into Amar, that they had become so one with nature that they had been wearing the same clothes since they left Tokyo two months ago. Em and I started hooting and hollering. Rose and Bella grabbed their cameras and scrolled through pictures of their trip. In Japan, they looked like their normal beautiful and clean selves. In India, however, they became progressively filthier—almost savage looking. Alice was right, they looked like mountain men.
"This was taken the day before we ran into Amar." Rose showed us a picture of the two of them smiling in front of some sort of village market.
"Geez! That's what Amar first saw?" I chuckled. "He must of thought you girls were neanderthals. You have so much grime on your faces that you can't even tell you're vampires. Your clothes have tiny rips in them too. Rose, your hair actually looks light brown instead of blonde."
"You should have seen when poor Sushmita first bathed us." Bella said. "There was mud, literally flowing off of our hair and bodies. It took her twenty minutes each to scrub us clean while it only took her five minutes with Amrita. It was so embarrassing."
"It only took Sahil five minutes to scrub both me and Jasper clean. You two must have been rank!" Emmett laughed.
"Before I forget, Pete wanted me to give you a gift. Let me go get it." I got up and grabbed the little gift wrapped box that I had in my carry on bag. Emmett did the same because we handed the girls their gifts at the same time.
Bella and Rose opened the boxes and each pulled out a pair of crotchless panties and a note that read, "Tell your mates that they can thank me later." Cryptic bastard. I liked the panties though.
We talked and caught each other up for the next hour until there was a knock on Rose's door asking us to join Amar and his family downstairs. I grabbed the gifts I had purchased back in the States before we walked downstairs and were introduced to their wives. I didn't think they were as pretty as Rose and Bella said they were, but, then again, my opinion was biased—I only had eyes for my beautiful wife.
Alice was spot on about the gifts. The men were overjoyed at the Marlboro's and the women were in awe with the perfume. They were initially perplexed with the t-shirts and jeans until Bella and Rose took them upstairs and dressed the women in them. When they came back downstairs dressed like typical American women in tight jeans and body hugging t-shirts, their mates' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. We found out later that the women had never left the palace except to hunt. That's when I noticed that there was no TV or internet here. These people were really isolated, especially the women.
A month later, we thanked our new found friends and left India. Emmett and I helped Amar modernize his thriving tea business by teaching him how to use a computer and getting him hooked up to the internet. We went to Delhi and picked up four laptops for them and showed them how to email so they could keep in touch with us. I toured Amar's tea harvesting plant and decided to invest in it since he was making a hefty profit. All the fine tea purveyors were purchasing their leaves from him and had been for centuries.
Amar promised to bring his family for a visit sometime and we were looking forward to seeing them. When we got to Delhi, Rose and Em separated from us and headed to London while Bella and I flew to Tokyo. Rose and Bella had venom in their eyes at the thought of being apart. They had been joined at the hip for practically four months—even sharing their meals together. Em and I were floored when we first caught them sharing a tiger together. There was something very intimate about it. That's when Rose explained the connection that Sushmita saw between them. I wasn't surprised. When the two of them were together, it was almost as if they came to life.
As far as Sushmita was concerned, I was worried about something she saw in my soul. She said that I had successfully crossed one hurdle, but I had two separate demons from my past looming in the shadows. She said that the first demon would test our trust for each other in an unimaginable way and with the second one, she said that it would take all the love that Bella and I had for each other to destroy it and that Bella would be my savior, ultimately. She said not to worry about it yet, the second demon was still many years away. I had a sick feeling to my stomach that Maria was going to make a reappearance in my life. For now, though, I was determined to enjoy my wife, fully, now that we were really alone.
Three weeks later...
"I don't want to go home, Jasper. I just want to spend my days making love to you." Bella whined.
"So do I, but real life is calling us. We only have five weeks left until term starts at Harvard and, before that, we have to take that trip to Williamsburg which we postponed because you were gone. I also have to check on all of our assets to make sure everything is okay. I want to have enough cushion, as far as time is concerned, in case I have to take a quick run to check on one of the properties or accounts." I kissed the fresh mark I had given her before leaving Tokyo.
We were on a Japan Airlines flight in their new first class suite, en route to New York. We had turned the 'do not disturb' light on so the flight attendants wouldn't bother us. It was an overnight flight and most of the passengers were fast asleep. Bella and I had set up the awesome beds in the side by side suites—I had climbed over to her side and we were snuggled up underneath the blankets.
"This is so much nicer than the seats Rose and I had on our flight over. Then again, we flew economy class. The two of us were stuck between a fat, bald dude with horrific body odor and an annoying fourth grader who kept fidgeting in his seat and farting. Rose kept wanting to jump out of the emergency exit and swim the rest of the way to Tokyo." She chuckled.
"You and Rose had so many crazy adventures on your journey—I'm kind of jealous." I said. "Never again, though, I don't think I can go through that again. Little trips for a weekend or even a week, I don't mind, but three months without you just about killed me."
I kissed my wife tenderly on the lips. Bella moaned, her body writhing underneath me. My cock was twitching on high alert. I slid my hand up her leg and stroked her folds. She was wearing the crotchless panties from Peter—I owe that cryptic bastard a big thank you. I slipped two fingers into her dripping pussy and pulled them out. I put the fingers, coated with her delicious juices, into my mouth and tasted every drop of mate. Bella was watching me with rapt attention, the amount of lust she was emitting was off the richter scale. I allowed myself to bathe in her desire and sent the feelings of ecstasy and passion that she was surrounding me with back to her. I kissed her passionately. I felt her hand undoing my pants—allowing my cock to spring free. She started jerking my cock making my senses go wild with lust. I moved my hand down to her breasts and played with her nipples over her shirt. Bella moaned at the sensation.
"Shh...We're on an airplane, my mate, not one peep out of you." I put my hand over her mouth so no sound would escape. I slid my cock into her pussy in one smooth motion then thrust into her piece of heaven over and over again. Bella closed her eyes and immersed herself in the carnal passion of our lovemaking. We were making love on an airplane and we could get caught at any moment, that thought alone made what we were doing more lascivious, more titillating, more erotic.
Bella's walls clenched tight around my cock—she had reached her peak and I let my feelings go at that exact moment. The look of sheer ecstasy upon her beautiful face sent me into a frenzy. I blasted my seed straight into her pussy and sunk my teeth into her neck. She clutched onto my body tight while I soothed her wound with my tongue.
All of a sudden, the airplane was in complete chaos. The emergency lights were flickering and, it was then, that I felt the raw lust surrounding me. "Shit, Bella, I think I was projecting all over the fucking plane. We turned to look on either side of our suites. Couples were fucking like rabbits in the first class cabin. The flight attendants were making out at the front of the plane and there were men jerking off to the sight of them. I quickly got up off of my seat and scanned the business and economy classes. It was a veritable orgy. The plane suddenly jerked and I could feel us losing altitude. I ran into the cabin and saw that the pilots were both jerking off and desperately trying to stay in control of the plane with one hand each. I saw one of the pilots flick the switch on for auto-pilot. At least, the passengers were safe.
"Fuck, Jasper, you've got to do something." Bella came up from behind me and touched my arm. One look at her and my lust levels reached a fevered pitch. I grabbed my mate and kissed her passionately. The combined lust of all the passengers aboard the plane was quickly taking control of my faculties. I carried Bella back to our little suite, placed her on her back, and found myself sheathed inside of her sweet pussy. I pounded my cock inside of her over and over again.
"No...Jasper...you...can't...must...control...fuck...oh...stop...oh...god...pro...projecting...help...plane...oh! Jasperrrr, yes, yes, yessss!" She cried out, then bit down into my neck and marked me as we exploded into an orgasm together. Her bite snapped me out of my frenzy.
"Bella, throw your shield over the two pilots." She did as I asked. I didn't have any other choice so I threw lethargy over the entire plane and caused everyone on board to fall asleep. We had about four hours to go on this flight.
"What are we going to do about the two pilots?" Bella asked. "They're still masturbating."
"As soon as they cum, they'll regain their senses." I stated.
"Oh, ew! They're cumming now." Bella cringed at the sounds of them grunting. "I need a drink."
"This is first class, drinks are free. Do you want me to wake one of the flight attendants up?" I offered.
"Uh, no, I'll just raid the bar myself. You want something, Jasper?"
"I'll take some of that Suntory Whiskey. I'm seriously thinking of switching from Jack Daniels." I said.
Bella found a whole crate of the mini bottles of Suntory Whiskey and brought the whole thing over to our little private pod. We cracked the bottles open one by one and downed them. We finished off the entire crate and realized that it did nothing for either of us. This time I went to where the drinks were stowed and found some Hennessy Cognac, we downed the entire crate and started laughing. A couple of tablespoons at a time of these drinks did nothing for our vampire constitutions.
Three hours passed and I decided to wake everyone up slowly. I instantly felt tons of embarrassment and mortification coming from everyone.
"Well, this is certainly a flight I'll never forget." Bella stated.
The plane landed in New York an hour later. We flew through customs and immigration, then found ourselves aboard a flight to Boston. We landed an hour later. We deplaned and went straight to baggage claim and smelled them instantly. There was a sea of vampires lining the baggage claim area. The entire family, including the Denalis, was waiting for us. I found my mate being pried away from me by Riley. He checked his sister to make sure she was in one piece and pulled her into a hug. Vicky soon joined in. Laurent and Irina were next. Carlisle put his hands on Bella's cheek and kissed the top of her head followed by an apologetic Esme. I was in a similar position with everyone.
"So, did my little present to Bella come in handy?" Peter questioned with a smirk.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, bro." I winked.
"Tsk, tsk, Major. You were a bad boy, weren't ya?" Peter waved a finger in front of his face. "You're lucky the plane didn't crash."
I wagged my eyebrows at my all-knowing brother.
The family all gathered at our home in Cambridge where we all caught up with what's been going on for the past few months. We were surrounded by warmth and love and it was a great beginning to Bella and my newfound closeness to each other.
Okay, so, what did you think of Sushmita's soul reading of Bella, Rose, and Jasper? How about Jasper and his mass lust projection? Let me know what you think. I'll always write back. XOXO