A/N: This one's kinda short. I apologize for that, but it gets us to where we need to be. Running from Charlie and the shifters is fun and all, but I'm ready for some answers. The next one will be longer.

– Jasper's POV –

Is this gonna happen every time she meets a new vampire? The Major grumbled in the back of my mind.

I was startin' to wonder the same thing.

What the hell is my mate? And why the hell does, whatever liquid she's producing, have such a profound effect on every vampire she comes across?

And she seems to have an endless supply! How the hell does that work? I drank from her fer hours last night—after Edward guzzled down a couple of pints—and she still had more!

It changes color. How does that happen? When I drink from her, there's blood in the liquid. It's white and gold, not the standard shimmery gold when Edward drank from her. How does it change color? Why does it change color? And how the hell does it know to change? Is it an unconscious decision on Bella's part? Or is it somethin' else?

None of this made any sense!

She's obviously not a normal, regular human woman.

Then what is she? The Major asked. No supernatural creature I've ever heard of produces ambrosia from their tits! Or can make vampires fall to their knees and start worshiping her after one taste! Or somehow, magically grant a vampire the ability to consume human food!

You think she did that?

Of course, she did, you dunderhead! Either it was an unconscious act on her part—some kind of gift, maybe—or something to do with the nectar she's producing that we've been guzzling for the last three days!

There ain't anythin' more exquisite than my mate. No blood or food could ever compare to her taste. She was . . . nirvana. But The Major's right, she obviously isn't human. She's told me about the darker part of her that's growing stronger every day. But I've got no idea what she could be turnin' into!

Bringin' me back to the situation at hand, Edward let loose a fierce growl as Peter groaned into my mate's bosom.

Hell. I can't say I didn't enjoy the sight of Pete worshipin' my mate's lovely breasts. I did! Fuck, I wanted to join him!

I don't mind sharin', especially not with Pete. Bella ain't the first female we've shared over the years. But she will be the last. I've got no interest in bein' intimate with any female but her. She's all I want and all I'll ever need. But I have a feelin' my mate's eye is gonna wander. I've seen the way she looks at Edward. I've felt the draw she feels to him and her desire to dominate him. I'm okay with that, too! Fuck, I wanna be there to witness her take him fer the first time!

If that's what she wants, there will be rules, Whitlock!

Damn right, there will!

I may be willin' to share, but she is still mine and everyone will know it!

Never, in my wildest fantasies, did I believe I'd become the type of guy to want to share his mate. Fuck! I never thought The Major would agree to such a thing; that side of me is possessive and territorial! I always figured, when we found our True Mate, she'd be ours and no one would ever touch her again. But the thought of watchin' her with Pete or Edward, or another male, or female, is arousin'! Fuck! I'm as turned on as Pete and Edward!

Beside me, Edward was salivatin' at the sight of Bella's exposed breasts. He groaned and humped the air like a fuckin' madman!

Pete was growlin' at Edward as he continued to lick and suckle, his black eyes never leavin' the younger vampire as he made my mate moan his name.

Fuck. If we weren't on the run from fuckin' shapeshifters who want to initiate my mate into their pack and breed her to death, I would've considered allowin' this to continue. But as it is, we need to get out of Boise. Fast.

You smelt it, too?

Seems I ain't the only dunderhead today! Course I smelt them. The fuckin' wet dog stench all over the city is kinda hard to miss. They're closer than I anticipated.

Then we need to leave. Now. We don't have time fer this! We can play when our mate is safe. She is the only thing that matters anymore! Get them in line, or I will, Whitlock!

"Fer fuck's sake!" I growled. "Captain! Get the fuck off my mate!"

Pete whimpered but did as he was told, only fer Edward to let out a loud groan, tear off his clothes, and take Pete's place. His mouth was on Bella's exposed breast as he, once again, began humping the carpet.

Well, at least he ain't gonna cover her in his jizz this time!

I sighed. "Babe, I'm gonna need ya to holster those bad boys."

Soft pearls of laughter left her lips. "Believe me, Major, I would if I could! But I don't know how to turn them off! They didn't come with an instruction manual."

You know, this shit might be funny if my mate weren't in so much fuckin' danger!

"Give him a minute, Major," Pete said, his eyes locked on Edward as he drank from my mate. "

Mm. Peter's right, Cowboy. Edward needs to finish what he started.

My eyes widened in shock. The sound of her mental voice filtered through my mind, like a liquid purr surrounding me in warmth and comfort. It was mesmerizin'; the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. It was light, soft, and whimsical. It made me quiver. I felt my cock twitch and harden.

Fuck me.

I looked down at Bella to see her gazing back up at me, her dark eyes shinin' with so much love it could've made my cold heart melt.

Bella, can ya hear me?

Mm yes. She smiled. I'm not sure how this is happening. I just . . . knew I could. She shrugged her little shoulders.

She just knew . . .

Like Pete just knows shit . . .

"Fuck me. There are two of them," I sighed, runnin' a hand through my hair.

My mate laughed softly.

How fuckin' powerful is our girl, Whitlock? The Major asked. Telepathy. Knowin' shit. Some sorta Voodoo magic to allow us to eat solids again. Tits that produce gold nirvana! She's gonna be one powerful vamp when she's turned.

I could already sense the power growing within her. It was like nothin' I've ever felt before. Whatever she's becomin', she was gonna be more powerful than all of us! And that was fuckin' terrifying!

Hmm. Let me see if I can . . . The Major began, Isabella, can you hear me, Kitten?

She sighed and closed her eyes. Major.She purred his name, makin' me shudder with the desire she was feelin' for us. For him. Yes. I can hear you, too.

This'll come in handy, he mused. Now. Let me get this straight, Kitten, ya want me to let Ed finish sucklin' on yer beautiful breasts?

She nodded her head. Yes, Major. He needs to finish to complete the bond.

"What bond?" I growled, echoing The Major's growl in my head.

I'm not sure exactly, she sighed. I just know this is what's going to help him. Once it's complete, he'll be calmer, and more amenable. He needs this. And . . . I need him to drink from me.

I can't say I liked it.

But I can't say I hated it either.

Fuck. There was a part of me that was as turned on as her! She wanted this and I wanted to give in to her desires. I wanted to watch Edward drink from her. I wanted to let Pete pleasure her. Fuck. I wanted to take him as he brought her over the edge with only his mouth! And I wanted to tie Edward up and force him to watch us worship her, pleasure her, devour her!

"It's your choice, Cowboy," Bella said softly, her fingers brushing through Edward's mop of hair as he drank. "I'll follow your lead. Tell me what you want, and that's what we'll do."

My eyes went back to Edward as he suckled and groaned and humped.

What I wanted was to keep her safe. To rip Edward off her and run like hell. I wanted to take her somewhere nobody would ever find her!

But the chance of us never runnin' into another vampire is slim. I've got a bad feelin' whatever she's becomin', and whatever she's producing, it's luring vampires to her like moths to a flame! No matter where we go, she won't ever be safe or free.

Better to surround ourselves with those we trust, those we know can help protect her—those we know will be loyal to her—than be on our own and outnumbered, The Major spoke.

I agree.

"I want to continue this," I told her. "But we ain't got time right now, Darlin'. We need to get outta Boise. While Edward and I were out, I smelt the dogs. They're closin' in on us."

I felt her fear and panic skyrocket. "They found us?" She whispered. "How?"

"I don't know, Darlin', but we need to go," I told her, watching as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Shit," Pete hissed. "I figured we had more time."

My eyes shifted to him. "Are you in control of yerself?"

"Yeah, Major. I'm good. Confused as fuck! But good to go whenever yer ready," he answered, gettin' to his feet.

I wasn't sure why he was reactin' differently than Edward. Maybe because he had more of her? Maybe it had somethin' to do with Bella bein' Edward's Singer? Maybe somethin' else, I've got no fuckin' clue!

He's worthy. Bella's lovely voice echoed in my mind, her eyes on Peter. He's part of you, her eyes shifted back to me. He comes from your venom and belongs to us. And he is not an omega. Edward is a submissive male. He will always be submissive to us from now on.

That made sense.

As much as anything else, at least.

"Ya might wanna consider knockin' him out until we get on the plane, though," Pete suggested, watching Edward.

I nodded my agreement. "Bella, baby, yer gonna feel a little lightheaded and sleepy. As soon as he's down, I'm gonna move ya."

She smiled up at me. "Okay, Major."

I hit Edward with a heavy dose of disorientation, lightheadedness, lethargy, and exhaustion. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he toppled to the floor with a thud.

As soon as he was down, I pulled the emotions from my mate and carefully helped her to her feet as I hit her with a little energy and alertness.

"Wow." She smiled and leaned up on her tippy toes to kiss my jaw. "If we could bottle your juju, we'd make billions."

I laughed and leaned forward to kiss her. "I've already got billions, Darlin'."

Her eyes widened. "Damn. I hit the jackpot. Compassionate. Intelligent. Sexy. Strong. Powerful. And wealthy? I'm one very lucky girl."

I chuckled and kissed her one last time. "Go get dressed, silly girl."

She wriggled out of my arms and grinned as she gave me a salute. "Aye, Aye, Captain!"

Pete chuckled. "That would be me, Cupcake."

She batted her eyelashes as she looked between us. "Mm. A Major and a Captain. I am a very lucky girl."

Without another word, she marched into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

"What the fuck's goin' on, Major?" Pete asked as soon as we were alone. "Why the fuck did I just spend half an hour guzzlin' the most delicious nectar from yer mate's gorgeous tits? Whatever that was, it's better than any blood I've ever tasted! Includin' my Singer's blood!"

I shrugged. "Hell if I know. I was hopin' you'd have some answers fer us."

He shook his head, his eyes goin' to the window. "What I know can't be discussed here," he said softly, too quiet for anyone but me to hear him.

I nodded. "We need to get outta here before the dogs figure out where we are and where we're goin'," I said. "Stay here with Bella, while I go check out. If ya need to run, head to the plane and I'll meetcha there."

Somewhere off in the distance, I heard the howl of a wolf.

Fuck!

They're closer than I thought they were. How the hell were they able to find us here . . .

My eyes shifted to Edward.

The fucker ain't that stupid, is he?The Major growled.

Not stupid. Arrogant. Of course, he wouldn't think anyone could get past his gift! He's fuckin' Edward Cullen. He knows all and hears all.

Shit.

I grabbed his jeans and searched his pockets, findin' his cell phone.

It was on.

They were tracking his cell!

He had seven missed calls. Three from an unknown number. One from Carlisle. One from Rosalie. One from Alice. And one from the Swan residence.

"Son of a fuckin' bitch," I seethed.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Edward left his phone on," I told her, connectin' with his voicemail to listen to his messages. He had four voicemails.

The three from the family were simple. "Turn your phone off." And "Where are you?"

The last voicemail was from Charlie Swan.

"Edward, this is Chief Charlie Swan. I'm looking for Isabella. If she's with you or you've seen her, please have her call me immediately. Her mother has been in a car accident. I can't say much more than that over the phone. Please, have her call me, son. Before it's too late."

I looked back up at my mate, wonderin' what she would want to do next. I couldn't tell her if this was a trap. It might be. But then, it might not be.

It feels like a trap to me.

Me, too.

"You think they're using Edward's phone to track us here?" She asked, her dark eyes still on the phone.

"Yes."

Without a word, she nodded and plucked the phone from my hand. I followed her into the bathroom, curious about what she planned to do. She rolled the phone up in a wad of toilet paper, dropped it into the toilet bowl, and flushed.

"It won't last long," she said, leadin' me back into the bedroom. "Probably about thirty minutes. But if they're tracking us through Edward's phone, and the phone stays on, they'll be led wherever the sewer pipes go, which is hopefully in the opposite direction of the airport."

"How'd you know to do that?" Peter wondered.

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "Saw it on an episode of Buffy. In her case, she flushed a tracking device, but I figure, it'll either stay on or it won't. Either way, whoever's tracking us, will either be led in the wrong direction or lose the signal."

Peter smirked. "You watch Buffy?"

"Buffy is my hero," she said simply. "She kicks ass and doesn't need a man to save her."

Wrapping his arm around Bella's shoulders Peter grinned. "You and Char are gonna get along great. She loves all of 'em shows."

I had no idea if her cell phone flushing would work or if the phone would stay on bein' submerged in all that worked, but it was worth a shot, and it got rid of Edward's phone so they couldn't track where we were goin' next.

"We need to get goin' before the shifters figure out where we are," I said, lookin' my little mate over.

She was dressed in black leggings and a grey V-neck t-shirt, adding a pink, white, and dark blue checkered flannel shirt over the top. And finishing the outfit with a military green, lightweight jacket. She wore thick socks, hiking boots, and a scarf in case she got cold. Across her arm was her coat which she'd likely need when we get off the plane.

"Ready when you are." She smiled. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, revealin' the two marks I'd left on her neck, claimin' her as mine in the only way I could right now.

"What do you wanna do about Charlie's call, Darlin'?" I asked.

She sighed softly and shook her head. "It's got to be a trick, right?" She asked. "James did the same thing, using my mother as bait. Charlie just wants me to call or go back to Forks so he can hand me over to the shifters," her eyes shifted from me to Pete, "right?"

I could feel her fear washing over me like a bucket of ice water. Feeling too far away from her, needing to have her in my arms, I darted to her side and pulled her into me, holding her against my chest. Restin' her head against my chest, I brushed my lips across her forehead.

"It's a trick," Pete answered before I could say anything.

We both looked over at him, expectin' answers.

"Yer gonna have to trust me, Cupcake," he said, takin' her hand in his. "I can't tell ya much right now. I can say that if we go back to Forks or Florida, the shifters are in place to grab ya and that'll start a war, which'll lead to a lot of death on both sides. The fightin' will get outta hand and the Volturi will be forced to intervene when the battles expose our kind to humans, that'll result in more innocent deaths . . ."

Bella gave a firm nod. "Best not do that then."

Fuck. I had to agree.

"But Renee . . . she's . . . is she dead?" Bella whispered.

"I can't yet, Cupcake. Please trust me, fer just a little while. Until we get home. I'll answer all yer questions then, I promise!"

She nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "And I do trust you, Peter."

I don't think I've ever seen him look so relieved and . . . elated. The happiness and hope comin' from him was amazin' to feel!

With that settled, Pete took Edward and Bella to the car he'd rented while I checked us outta the hotel. Since there was some damage to the room, I also left Edward's credit card number fer any repairs necessary.

Within ten minutes we were back on the road, speedin' towards the airport where we'd board our private jet and fly from Idaho to Colorado.

But if Charlie was tracking us any other way, he'd find an entirely different flight path. Pete arranged for four nomad couples—allies of the Whitlock Coven—to impersonate Edward and Bella. They'd leave a trail leadin' Charlie and the shifters on a chase across the US. Stayin' far away from our location in Colorado.

I didn't need to know the details. All Pete said was the dogs would be chasin' their tails fer a while! And that was fine by me.

Eventually, they'll figure it out. But hopefully, by that point, we'll have some idea of what the fuck is going on! I want Isabella changed before we're forced to deal with the shifters and her father. She wants to wait until her birthday, and that's fine. I know she doesn't wanna be a seventeen-year-old fer the rest of her life. As long as it's safe and her life ain't in danger, we can wait a while. Just not too much longer.

I have a feelin' whatever's comin' our way with Charlie and the shifters, it's gonna end in a battle and there's no way I want my mate vulnerable fer that fight!

As Pete drove away from the hotel, in the distance, goin' in the opposite direction we were headed, we heard the loud, distinctive howl of a wolf.

A/N: So, thankfully, Peter didn't have the same reaction to Bella that Edward did! Jasper's not against sharing his mate with Peter. Jasper and Bella can now read each other's minds, just another facet of their growing bond. The shifters and Charlie know Bella is alive. Peter knows something but he's not sharing. And who knows where Renee is or what's happened to her?

We'll find out more in the next chapter! Let me know what you think! xoxo