Amelia and Jasper sat in silence for a long moment, though that moment spanned several hours. Her mind was so far away, Jasper didn't have it in him to try to bring her back to the present. He kept his blanket of calm wrapped around her, which his beautiful mate allowed.

The empath wasn't a fool, he could tell that whatever affected Amelia's gift, whatever she brought with her from her human life; gave her a much bigger advantage than just being an elemental.

Suddenly, her burnt orange gaze snapped to him. Her hair was dry and shiny, thick full barrel curls hanging around her face. "Whatever I am, is whatever I was. I need to dig into my past." Her statement was vague, though he understood. She couldn't possibly understand her full abilities without knowing where she came from and who her family was.

Or, what they were.

Jasper left without a word, returning with a black laptop bag. He quickly set up the laptop on the small oak desk in the farthest corner of his room. Amelia watched him, plugging it in and starting it up. Her mind was racing, trying to remember her last name from when she was human.

It was annoying, trying to remember such a small detail. She could remember so many things. Her recitals, her dance group, each girls name, her parents face, her sisters face. Yet, her surname was escaping her. Jasper could feel her frustration growing, reaching out his senses to see if Peter was still in the house.

They were alone, though as he turned to face his troubled mate, his half charged phone rang. Amelia answered without hesitation. "Jasper's phone." She smirked slowly, giving a quick thanks before she hung up.

"Slaughter." Jasper's head tilted ever so slightly, his arm snaking around her waist as she came to stand in front of him. "Amelia Slaughter. Really?" The elemental couldn't stop a giggle as she pecked his chin and moved to sit at the desk. Amelia began to dig, listing the year she was 'drafted' with her name. She found several articles, many speculating what could have happened to the 'rising star'. She chose a handful that seemed the most legitimate.

"Dated: April 28th, 1933

Amelia Slaughter has been missing since her final showing of the Art of War, which she performed on the night of April 15th. There have been no signs of where Miss Slaughter may have gone, no clues, not even a note. If you know anything, her family is pleading to bring their daughter home.

'She is our first born, our baby! Please, if you know anything contact the police immediately, no questions asked. We're offering a reward for her safe return.'"

Amelia tore her eyes away, trying to gain control of herself at the thought of her parents suffering without her. She often pushed them to the back of her mind, there was nothing she could do to change the past. Thunder cracked outside the window, pellets of rain beginning to fall.

The empath could feel Amelia's chaos, her emotions running everywhere and nowhere all around him. His calm wasn't working, she couldn't bare the thought of what her missing had done to her family. And truthfully, it was his fault. He had no idea if she knew that or not.

He tugged her up and took her place in the chair, pulling her into his lap. She moved easily, letting her body fall against his torso. She inhaled deeply, letting his fresh scent wash over her. The empath moved his fingers through her hair, kissing her forehead and the crown of her skull.

Minutes passed and the tremble of her lower lip stopped, the venom tears receding. She adjusted herself, continuing to read as the sound of the storm outside began to calm; if only slightly.

"Dated: December 15th, 1933

It has now been eight months since the young starlet was first pronounced missing. Many false leads have been checked and verified to be empty. There has been no sign and no contact about Miss Amelia Slaughter. Mr. & Mrs. Slaughter have announced if their daughter isn't found by the one year mark of her disappearance, that they will hold a funeral service.

Again, if you have any information, please contact the police. The Slaughters are still offering a reward of $10,000 for the safe return of their daughter."

Amelia had read over the paragraph several times, her fingers moving over the mousepad to click on another article which featured her obituary.

"Dated: April 20th, 1934

Amelia Slaughter was twenty years old at the time of her disappearance, she is now presumed dead. Miss Slaughter was a rising star, many theaters and professional dance schools having been interested in adding her to their shows and rosters.

Amelia Slaughter has left behind her father, Barnabas Slaughter, mother, Sonya Slaughter, and sister, Elaine Slaughter."

There was more, but the elemental found the information she needed and at the same time couldn't continue reading. Her mind thought of the timing, knowing full well what she was experiencing as they mourned her death.

Jasper sat frozen, his arms a stiff cage around Amelia's hips as she typed in her father's name, then her mothers. Barnabas didn't have much information about him online aside from the articles about his missing daughter, though Sonya's pulled up an older article of the Slaughter marriage.

"Her maiden name was Blackstone." The elemental typed in 'Sonya Blackstone' which pulled up articles about witches dating back to near the times of the Salem witch trials. Her brows sewed together, scrolling down the links. Most websites talking about the Blackstone family had newsletters and scraps that were torn and barely legible condemning the family for witchcraft.

"The Blackstone Witches Hanged!"

"Blackstones Dead at Last!"

"Sara Blackstone's Body Missing After Hanging."

Each title brought a chill down Amelia's spine, her eyes moving quickly over every word. How could so many of her 'family' have died yet continue on? It become quite clear that more Blackstone bodies had gone missing than those that were buried.

The empath read with his mate, feeling her body shudder at the thought of her family being accused for something like witchcraft, but then as doubt began to fill his senses, what if those lunatics hadn't been wrong?

The mated pair remained quiet, though Amelia was no longer digging through the files online. Her mind was racing again, dots connecting into lines. Perhaps Sonya hadn't known she was a witch or that she had magic in her blood. Maybe after so many trials the remaining Blackstone's went into hiding.

Just like the vampires.

What if Amelia was never meant to be a witch, but it was always within her body, in her soul to have this power; this magic? It made too much sense, and yet too little. Was her mother dead? Or was she sustained from magic like it seemed her ancestors were despite being hanged?

Amelia returned to a few different open tabs, verifying that only three of the hanged had been buried and all three were males. Yet the women, the ten woman over the course of a hundred years or so that were hanged as well, their bodies 'disappeared'. No, they had lived.

The vampires fingers moved so quickly she was sure the laptop would self-explode at any moment, but she kept googling the names of the women from the trials and all had died and been buried of natural causes. Or at least that's what was published so long ago.

"Jasper. I… I don't think I should be here." The words caught her mate off guard, a possessive growl escaping his lips. "You were always meant to be here with me."

Amelia shook her head, meaning something slightly different. "I mean, whatever I am, whatever is in me, it wasn't meant to become a vampire. I could be far more lethal than we realize. I could… gods, I could kill you." Her eyes became dark and frantic as her palms wrapped around his face.

Her gaze studied every line and smooth bit of skin. The thought of ever hurting her lover had her heart straining. "No, you wouldn't ever. You made me fireproof, I don't think anything can take me down now." Amelia couldn't speak, she felt this crushing weight. What if one day she did kill him? All because she couldn't control herself.

Suddenly they were kissing, it was heated and frenzied. There was no control, no hold backs. Clothes flew and all at once they were a heap on the floor. He nipped at her jaw, her throat. His love, his reassurance and his confidence all flooding around her.

And then, as she began to calm, he spiked her lust. She moaned his name repeatedly, her fingers tugging on his hair as his throbbing manhood tore into her. The sex was wild, bodies rolling and nails dragging across marble soft skin.

It didn't take long with him clouding her mind with lust and love, with his hips never ceasing as she was on her belly. His fingers closed in around her throat, her screams echoing in the room as he bit with everything he had into her shoulder.

The orgasm and bite, the venom and cum all mixed into the most delicious cocktail for the elemental, her mind spinning and body convulsing.

Jasper slowed, his nails dragging sensually over her arm and down her spine. His tongue traced the fresh mark, his form slipping onto the floor beside her. Amelia nuzzled into his torso, purring sweetly as they calmed together.

It didn't matter; that's what Jasper wanted her to understand. Not that she was a witch or perhaps something else entirely. He loved her and she loved him, and that's all that mattered.

XxX

AN: Sorry for the huge delay. I know what I want to happen in the next two to three chapters, it's a matter of deciding what route to take. I've been trying to keep these chapters longer, but with the delay, I figured I'd go ahead and pop this up and do my best to get the next update out, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Stay Beautiful. ^.^