Chapter 8:
A/N: Sorry about the delay. I promise it won't take that long ever again…hopefully.
Chapter 8: Mouth-Rape?
"Tell me more about you," I asked. "…more about your past."
He turned to me with eyes full of anguish. I couldn't stand to see him looking that way. I looked away shamefully.
"…I'm sorry…you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" I muttered apologetically.
He smiled uneasily.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but how about we wait until we get you home?"
"Okay," I whispered. I still felt really bad about asking about his past. I didn't want to bring it up if it was a touchy subject. I felt the car stop and Jasper turned once again to look at me. My gaze hadn't once left his face. He smiled again, this time it looked more genuine.
"Are you coming in?" I asked hopefully.
He didn't reply, he just took off his seatbelt and exited the car. He led the way to the door silently, and opened the door before I could reach for my key.
"It was unlocked?"
"No, I used the spare key," he said nonchalantly.
"That's creepy," I told him. "Don't you vampires respect people's privacy?"
I stepped in the house and turned on the lights. He followed me and sat in a chair at the counter.
"It's not like I spied on you or anything, now that's creepy. The only time I've been in your house is to get your keys."
I walked over to the fridge, getting out some leftovers to eat. I put them in the microwave before turning my focus back to Jasper.
"You want anything?" I asked jokingly.
He laughed. "Lucky for you, I'm not hungry, see?" He widened his eyes showing me exactly how golden and beautiful they were. Then he turned his head as if he had heard something in the other room.
"Your father is around the corner, should he know I'm here?"
"No…oh shit, your car!"
"Don't worry, I'll go move it." He whispered with a smile. "I'll be in your room."
Then I was alone in the kitchen, hearing the faint sound of the lock on the door clicking as he left. I didn't hear him move his car, but seconds later, I heard the sound of Steven's cruiser pulling into the driveway. I heard the faint creak of my bedroom window, then my father's key turning in the door.
"Devin?" he called.
"In the kitchen," I replied hastily. I hoped he didn't hear the anxiety in my voice. I turned to the microwave, getting my food out and avoiding eye contact.
"Hey, how was your day?"
"Fine, I just went to the library, did a little homework. Nothing too exciting," I lied. I quickly guzzled down my food, barely taking time to chew.
"Hungry?" he asked.
"Understatement," I replied. "Hungry and tired." I added to the lie.
"You seem pretty jumpy to me," he said skeptically. "It's Saturday. You don't have any plans or anything?"
"Nope, I just wanna get some sleep." I insisted.
"Not sneaking out to meet someone are you?"
"What?! No, Dad, really, goodness." He's already here!
I made my way to the stairs.
"Night Dad," I called as I went up the stairs.
"Night, kiddo," he called after me. I knew he'd be sneaking up to check on me later.
I slowed dramatically as I went up the stairs, trying to sound tired as I went. When I got to my room, I cracked the door and peeked in, looking for Jasper. I didn't see him so I creeped slowly into my room, closing the door behind me.
"Jasper?" I whispered.
"Devin?" he whispered. I did a double take as he appeared on my bed.
"What the hell!" I whispered.
"What?" he asked obliviously.
"How did you do that? Are you invisible?"
He laughed quietly. "No, just fast."
"You scared the life out of me."
"Sorry, need me to calm you down?" he said teasingly.
"No, I'll survive. Besides, that gets annoying. You toying with my emotions and what not."
"Would you like me to stop?"
"Yes please, only do that when it's necessary." I said politely.
"As you wish."
"Okay, I have a few mortal things to take care of, I'll be right back."
"Go right ahead," he said lying back on my bed. On my bed. On my bed. On MY bed. It took me a few seconds before I was able to look away.
"Don't go anywhere," I said, trying to sound stern.
"Sir, yes sir," he said with a smirk. I glared at him before grabbing some pajamas and leaving the room quietly.
I hurriedly brushed my teeth, checking twice to make sure there was nothing in my teeth. I jumped in the shower, relaxing beneath the warmth of the water. I tried not to think about Jasper sitting in my room waiting for me. I knew that if I did, I'd get all wound up again. I shut off the water, dressed quickly, and then rushed down the stairs to say goodnight to Steven. I stopped a few steps early preparing myself mentally to seem tired. I peeked around the stairs and into the living room.
"Night, Dad."
"Night, Devin." I tried not to laugh at his stunned expression. Hopefully he would no longer feel the need to come and check on me.
I rushed quietly back up the stairs and dashed back into my room, closing the door quietly behind me. Jasper was still sitting on the edge of my bed, still as a statue.
I walked over to him and waved my hand in front of his face jokingly.
"Alive in there?" I asked.
"Technically? No…" he said with a smirk.
"You know what I mean," I said, crossing to the other side of the bed, sitting cross-legged beside him.
"My dad thinks I'm sneaking out…"
"Yeah, you're not very good at acting 'hungry and tired'"
"You heard that?" I asked, in awe.
"I can hear a lot of things, your heartbeat for instancef."
This inevitably caused my heart to start speeding up. Then he put his hand behind my neck, and leaned his cold ear to my neck. This sent chills down my spine, and my heart rate spiked even higher.
"I can hear the blood pulsing through your veins…Mmmmm…" he said, sending the vibrations of his voice through my body.
"Are you okay? I mean how come you…can be this…close to me?" I finally managed to get out. Being so close to him was causing complications for my brain.
"It's easier, I think being around you all this time has made me desensitized. Don't worry, it'll be harder tomorrow. The longer I'm away from you, the harder it hits me." He slid his face up to my ear and let his lips rest there. I felt like I couldn't breathe, but somehow I managed.
"Don't go away then."
"Fine with me," he whispered in my ear. I pulled back, gently pushing him away.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked apologetically.
"No, that's just it. You're driving me insane," I told him, still trying to regulate my breathing.
He leaned in again and whispered seductively in my ear, "Really?"
I couldn't help myself. I started hyperventilating.
"You're teasing me," I told him breathlessly.
"Am I?" he asked playfully. As he said this, I felt him grow still. "Lie down!" he whispered in my ear before disappearing into the darkness.
Oh shit! Steven!
I hurried under the covers and turned my back to the door, trying desperately to slow my breathing. A few seconds later, I was able to hear Steven walking down the hall. I heard my door creak open slowly, and I shut my eyes despite the fact I had my back to him. He stood there for what seemed like minutes instead of seconds, and then I heard him slowly close the door.
Then, I felt Jasper's cold lips at my ears after he slid swiftly into the bed next to me.
"You should really invest in some acting lessons," he whispered softly into my ear.
"Thanks Jasper, ill get right on it," I replied sarcastically.
"Mmm, you smell really good."
I rolled over to face him, and eyed him skeptically.
"Are you okay, Jasper?"
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, and completely under control," he reassured me.
"Okay then, can I ask you more questions?" I asked uneasily, remembering the look on his face when I asked about his past.
He paused, then said," Anything you want to know."
"Okay, how many vampires are there in the world?" I asked, barely touching the humongous pile of questions I had in store for him.
"Well, there aren't a lot…but then again there are. It's hard to explain. There are covens all around the world, and there are even more nomads. In our…culture…it's normal to be nomadic to avoid suspicion. It's very rare for more than three of us to be together at the same time."
"Well what about yall? I mean, there are seven of you and you haven't drawn any suspicion."
"Like I said, it's extremely rare. There are no more than a dozen covens like ours in the world, and the reason we don't attract attention is because we don't feed on humans. That is rare too. The only other coven that shares Carlisle's beliefs are the Denali coven in Alaska."
"Who are they?" I asked.
"The Denali sisters are Tanya, Katrina, and Irina. They are the original succubi. They preyed on human men after they…had their way with them…and eventually their love of men began to make them feel sorry for them. That's when they decided to abstain. Carmen and her mate Eleazar are also part of the Denali coven, but they came later."
"Had their way with them?" I asked.
"Yes Devin, fornicati-"he started.
"I know that! But is it the same for vampires as it is for humans?"
"Yes, Devin, it's very much the same…why?" he asked, his tone becoming more inquisitive.
I hesitated. He gave me an appraising look. I could tell he was reading my emotions, and probably seeing a whole lot of awkwardness and embarrassment.
"I was wondering…about…you and me, someday?" I stammered.
"Devin, were you awake today?"
"It still feels kind of like a dream, so I'm not entirely sure. I'm still expecting to wake up and this all be a dream."
"I'll still be there when you wake up." He said tenderly. "But after what happened today in the meadow, I don't think I have that much control. And even if I did, I would probably kill you. I don't think you know how fragile you are to me. Every move I make around you is extremely slow for me. The slightest mistake and reaching out to touch your face could result in ripping your head off."
There was nothing I could say after that. I never thought about the extent of control that Jasper had to maintain around me. He was super fast and super strong, so I must feel like a slow and frail to him. I didn't like the thought of that. It made me feel like I wasn't enough for him.
"You haven't…been with anyone, have you?" He asked hesitantly.
"No, Jasper. You were my first kiss…" I said quietly.
"Really?!" he asked enthusiastically.
"…yes Jasper…Have you been with anyone?" I asked, also cautious.
"I've never felt this way about anyone before. I have had a kiss…but it hardly counts…" he trailed off, giving me an eye of suspicion.
"Why? Was it a girl?" I asked trying to sound nonchalant, even though I knew it was pointless.
"No…" he muttered quietly. "But it's not what you think!"
"What do you mean? I mean you've been around a lot longer than I have, I expect you to have some kind of experience at least." I reassured him.
"It's not what you think…it's…embarrassing actually." He said regretfully.
"Okay, I don't get it…"
"When I first came to the Cullens…I sort of…kind of had a crush on Edward…"
"He kissed you?!" I asked incredulously.
"No, I kissed him. We were hunting, and I let my instincts take over…"
"You mouth-raped your brother?!" I said, bursting into laughter.
"He's not really my brother! I'm over it now…" he whisper-shouted.
"That's hilarious! What did Alice do?"
"She was shocked, and she slapped me before telling me she loved me but to stay away from her boyfriend."
Then I was overtaken by a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Jasper glared at me with such intensity that I had to roll over and finish giggling before I could bear to look at him again. When I did, I couldn't help laughing again.
"Stop laughing at me!"
"Okay, I'm sorry Jazz, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" I said mockingly.
"I'll think about it…" he said jokingly.
"So, umm…if we won't be doing that..." I began.
"Devin, I can barely kiss you…"
"How do you know that that's what I was talking about that? I could have been talking about something else…" I said defensively.
"Devin, No." he said, closing the subject. "You should get some sleep though, and get your mind out of the gutter."
"Why? I wanna stay up all night like you! So much time is wasted on sleep."
It was true. I didn't want to go to sleep. Today was so amazing, so perfect, that I had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation for it. How could someone as extraordinary as Jasper Hale, one of the Cullens, like someone as plain as me? It seemed impossible.
"But, I don't want you to be a zombie tomorrow. That wouldn't be any fun."
"Why? What's going on tomorrow? I asked.
"You'll see," he said. I could tell I wasn't going to get any more info from him. I sighed.
"Can I at least have a kiss goodnight?" I asked hopefully.
"You're going to be the death of us both," he smiled.
"Excuse me?" I asked, once again confused by his puzzling words.
"At this point, I'm not sure I could live without you…I'd never forgive myself." He said thoughtfully.
I couldn't think of anything to say to that. We stared into each others eyes. Mine staring into liquid gold. His staring into warm brown. I don't remember how it started, but eventually we started kissing. He pulled me in closer to his cold body, kissing me more intensely. I could see what he meant when he said that being around me had desensitized him. There was no way he would have been able to do this earlier today.
The kiss was over before I was ready for him to stop. My head was spinning. He still held me close to him, pulling the comforter up so I would stay warm next to his cold body. Then he started humming a familiar tune, and I realized that it was "Take My Hand" by The Cab.
"That's one of my favorite songs," I told him quietly.
"I know," he said in between hums.
"How come?"
"I went through your ipod while you were in the shower." He said nonchalantly.
"Oh, okay" I said, yawning more than speaking. I really was tired, and despite the unnatural cold, I felt extremely comfortable next to Jasper. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep in his arms.
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I rolled over, stretched, and yawned. I blinked uneasily at the stream of light coming through my window. I felt the presence of something beside me and jumped when I saw Jasper looking up at me from the other side of my bed. Memories of the night before started flooding my mind as it all came back to me.
"I told you I'd still be here when you woke up," he said from beside me. I yawned again, rolled over to face him. I took in his beautiful blonde hair, his icy pale skin, and his incredible gold eyes.
"You're staring…," he reminded me quietly.
"Can you blame me?"
"Not as long as I get to stare too," he said with a smile.
Then we laid there, just staring into each other's eyes. This continued for several minutes, until my stomach started rumbling and I realized that I was hungry. Jasper followed me silently down the stairs as I went to the kitchen. Once we were down there I thought about my father.
"Where's Steven?" I asked.
"He left earlier to go fishing. He disconnected your battery too. Do you really not know how to reattach a car battery?"
I ignored his question. Something he said had triggered my memory, making me feel like there was something I was forgetting to do. I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head, so it must not have been that important.
Jasper watched quietly from one of the barstools as I grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down at the barstool next to his. He rotated on his stool to watch me. To watch my every move…It was making me extremely self conscious.
"You're staring," I told him. He quickly looked down.
"Does it bother you?" he asked nervously.
"Eh. Just a little."
"Sorry, I just can't take my eyes off of you." He said as his liquid gold eyes, pierced into my soul. I swallowed my last bite of cereal and went to the sink.
"So, what did you have planned for today?" I asked, trying to get the focus away from myself. I finished washing my bowl and grabbed his hand to start pulling him up the stairs.
"Well, I was thinking…" he started.
"About?" I encouraged, still pulling him up the stairs.
"How do you feel about meeting my family?"
I stopped halfway up the stairs, and let go of his hand. I stopped for a second, and then I continued up the stairs to my room.
"What's wrong?" he asked, following me. I spun around to face him.
"Jasper, I don't think they like me very much. I mean, Rosalie…" I said, worriedly. The image of Rosalie's cold black stare flooded my memory, making me shudder slightly.
"Devin, Rosalie has no problems with you. She was just having a…rough day that day, and she felt like she was standing up for me. She was only being a good sister. I guarantee you that no one has a problem with you."
"Okay, well…aren't you afraid of me being in a house full of vampires?" I asked.
"If you can survive around me, you can survive around them. Trust me, I'm the one who has the most-" He stopped for a second, staring off into space. "Trouble with being around humans."
Just the thought of meeting the Cullens was making me nervous. You would be nervous too if you had to meet a family of vampires. I've seen what they can do. I've seen Jasper rip a tree up by the roots. Emmet could probably do a whole lot worse…
"I'll be right back," I told him, escaping to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror, noticing my startled features. This was still a bit unbelievable. Mythical creatures? Are we serious here? I felt like my brain was going to self-implode any second. I brushed my teeth, and splashed my face with water in an effort to calm myself down. I went back to my room. Jasper was sitting in the office chair next to my computer. I went nervously to my closet.
"I was thinking…"
"Again?!" I said hysterically.
"Yes, I was thinking that you should introduce me to your father."
"Oh, he knows you already." I said, relieved.
"Not as your boyfriend…" he muttered quietly.
For the second time, I froze.
"What?" I asked with a slight hysterical edge to my voice.
"I'm not exactly sure how this works, but I am your boyfriend, am I not?"
"If you want to be…but why do we have to tell Steven?"
"Well, he's going to figure it out sooner or later. I'm gonna be around here a lot, and I'm sure he'll get suspicious."
"Umm…okay. I guess…" I thought of Steven's reaction. Would he be angry? Would he kick me out? Would he hit me? I started to worry. Jasper appeared in front of me.
"Everything will be fine, I promise." He said quietly. "Now get dressed, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" I asked wearily.
"To get my car, change, and make sure the house is in order. It should only take a few seconds."
I felt my heart rate start to speed up again.
"Bye," I mumbled, and he was gone. I turned to my closet, and looked for something to wear. I settled for a black dress shirt and some jeans. I dressed quickly, and rushed down the stairs to see Jasper sitting on the hood of his car through the window. I grabbed my keys and rushed out of the house, locking the door behind me. I opened the passenger door to his car and slid into the seat.
"You look really nice." He told me. "You ready?"
"Thanks. Not really. You're probably going to have to calm me down before we get there." I told him.
"How about like this?" he said, leaning in bringing his face closer to mine. I slowly inhaled his intoxicating scent. Then he gently pressed his cool lips to mine. I felt a sensory overload. I felt like my nerves were standing on end as I got goose bumps from head to toe. Then I felt a calmness wash over me, making my heart slow, and my breathing become steady. He broke the kiss, and I leaned back in my seat.
"That works," I said contentedly.
He smiled and backed out of the driveway, bounding down the street. After a while I noticed that we were heading out of Forks entirely. He drove down a long road with the forest on both sides.
We turned onto a gravel road that was hidden between the trees. I assumed this long road through the forest was his driveway. At the end of the road was a large circular stretch of grass. In the middle of the meadow was a beautiful white mansion. It had three stories with long beautiful pillars in the front. We got out of the car and I marveled once more at the beauty of the house. I could hear water flowing and birds chirping in the distance.
"It's beautiful."
"You like it?" he asked, smiling.
"It's amazing!" I replied. He appeared next to me, grabbing my hand.
"Make sure to tell Esme that. This is all her doing." He said, as he started walking us towards the house.
"Jasper, are you sure…" I said once we got to the door.
"I promise everything will be fine." He said, lightly squeezing my hand.
I took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."
He opened the door, and led me into the Cullen mansion.