Chapter 1

Humans are a funny fucking race. They pride themselves on being the dominate life force on the planet. They fear what they do not understand, and they understand very little about their own world. And those that do think outside the box are thought insane, when in truth, they are the most sane in existence. They are aware that they are not alone. I am not referring to little green men and the like. No, I am talking about the real threats, the real dangers, and the ones that are already on the planet. No one is saying that E.T. is not real, but uh, he's not here. (Insert evil chuckle)

What humans fail to realize is they were not even the first to stake a claim. My kind and our counterparts were here for eons before they were even a twinkle in the Big Man's eyes. This planet was destroyed and rebuilt countless times before they were even a thought. All of us, even the angels, though to a lesser degree, laugh at them constantly. We know the truth, but it is still a fun fucking time to hear of our origin from their point of view. I must say, my father's story has to be by far my favorite. But we will get into that a bit later. But for now why don't I introduce myself. If you're going to be following me around like a fucking puppy, might as well get the pleasantries out of the way.

My name is Jasper. I am the prince of what humans call Hell and the most powerful demon that the world has ever seen. Yes, that does include my father, Lucifer. I bet you wanna know how that is possible, huh? Well, a lot of ways really, but the biggest was I integrated myself into the human's civil war, on the confederate side of course. Then I trained with vampires for well over a century. And during that time I got to know how they work, but I gotta say, not my father's best idea. From there I left with two vampires I made myself during my time there. Peter and Charlotte are two of the funniest fuckers I have ever met. You'll meet them later, but please allow me to finish my tale. It is an overview, but I see no real need to get into real detail. Not that interesting, believe me.

So after I left with them, we traveled together for a few decades, but even though I liked them and all and we got along alright, a demon and vampires can only live together for so long, plus I was only putting off going home. I didn't want to yet, so I continued to wander around the surface world, mapping out the land and getting a kick out of the humans. It was the early 1900s at the time and the stories and myths about the night walkers and other demonic creatures were out in full swing. Little did the little towns' people know it was a true demon they were sharing those stories with. I got a good laugh out of it.

I was in Philly when a newborn vampire came up to me spouting all this bullshit about how I kept her waiting for such a long time. On the outside I kept a blank face, but on the inside I was rolling my eyes. She kept going on about how she wanted to help me find my place and show me a new way of life full of love and happiness. Yeah, okay, cuz that's what I was looking for. But I decided to go with her, not for the life she promised, no, not at all. But she looked like a good fuck. Turns out, I was really wrong on that point. It was like fucking a log, or as you humans say, a fucking ragdoll. But I must digress, getting off point, my most humble apologies.

When we reached where we were going, it was a coven of fucking veggie vamps. What the fuck is that shit? They were created to kill and destroy the human race. Well, more like thin them out. That was a long and heated debate between my father and the Almighty. It was decided by the two of them that the human population was growing too much and far too fast for the planet to support them all, so the vampires were created to thin them out so that the population as a whole could survive. Then you have these golden eyed pansies that hate what they are and are trying to retain what they no longer even possess. With a roll of my eyes I say whatever. To each their own I guess. The thing I find the fucking funniest out of all my time there is I am clearly not a vampire. First off, I have fangs, not just really sharp teeth. Second off, I have blue eyes, not red or gold, and third, and most prominent, I have WINGS! Big mother fuckers too. I can hide them at my will, and I do most of the time, but if you catch me off guard, you'll catch a peek. However, even with all these things that point to the obvious, they did everything they could to convert me to their way of life. To sustain my life, I do need to consume blood, but for the most part, I just eat regular food. If I eat a burger made out of real beef, ordering it rare keeps enough blood for me to be good, but there is a point that I do need a larger amount, and sorry, but that animal shit just didn't cut it.

Edward liked to say that I was pure evil, that all I did was think about and plan the destruction of the human race. Well, that's just not true. I am pure evil, that's a no fucking shit there chief, but destroying the humans? No, that's not what I was doing at all. I was thinking about destroying the angels. I'm a demon, it's what I do. And speaking of that ass rammer, god, could you get anymore pathetic? First, all the fucker can do is go woe is me. I'm a soulless monster, I hate my life, blah, blah, blah. Then what the fuck does he do? He goes and falls in love with not only his true food source, but his singer. Are you fucking kidding me? Really? But in the end, he showed his true colors. She got a paper cut, and he lost it. He tossed her ass into a table of glass, she got a bigger cut, and he snapped. I tried to intervene, and I got blamed. Oh fucking well, but sorry to say, if I wanted to kill the human, I would have done it long before that fucking paper cut. He left her after that. He knew the truth, and couldn't handle it. I left the vegpires after that. I was sick of their holier than thou art attitude.

This fuckary went down about seven years ago. Miss Swan dropped off the face of the planet. I have not been able to find her; not that I was really looking for her. Though I was curious what happened to her, I will never go out of my way for a human. I have better things to do with my time than track down a human that got caught up in a world that she has no business even knowing about. Just another strike against the Cullen's I guess. They should have killed her or turned her or something, but to let a human continue to breathe with the knowledge of vampires and werewolves, it is asking for trouble. But that is simply my opinion. They don't really answer to me. They have their own governing force that will deal with them if they see fit.

Thinking about that human was a bad idea. My curiosity is peaked as to what happened to her. I think it is time to find her and see what has become of the human that the vampire race seems so enthralled with. Yes, I think I will. She was an entertaining little thing. Always falling all over the place. It's not like I have to worry about her blood. The more I think about it, the more appealing of an idea it is. Yes, I will find this human and see what the past seven years had done with her. Come out; come out wherever you are Miss Swan.

Chapter 2

 

Sire, just settle the fuck down. Everything is going to work out just the way it is meant to. So have a shot, take a deep breath,and relax." Fucking little dickhead.

"Peter, I swear, if you open your mouth one more time, I am going to rip your tongue out and shove it up your ass. Then let's see how fast you want to reattach it."

"Well, if that's the case, I am so glad I have not gone poopy in over a century."And he actually fluttered his eyelashes. Well, the fucker was always good at making me laugh.

"Alright, I am not kidding. Shut up." He just smirked and made a shot motion with his hand. I rolled my eyes, "Fine fucker, let's do a shot. But it better not be another one of those pink things. I am a fucking demon. I cannot be nine kinds of scary if I get my buzz on with something that your wife says is too girly."

"Ok, to correct that, first, it is called a wet pussy, and I am sorry, but you need one, even if it is made of liquid. And second, she did not say it was too girly, she said it was a sissy drink." And the difference is?

I rolled my eye and crossed my arms. "I do not even know why I still spend time with you."

"You do it because your daddy said that if you won't come back home that you need a sitter and you refused the fanfare of guards that he demanded. That and I am the coolest guy you have ever met."

"Yo, retard, I didn't meet you, I made you; one, and two, if you ever call him my daddy again I might just have to kill you for good."

"You would miss me and you know it." he called the bartender over and ordered those fucking pink things. Time to intervene.

"Excuse me, he can have those, I want two shots of Jack and another beer." The bartender that I am so happy was a guy smirked at me before going to get my shots. I turned back to Peter, "As for the whole not getting pissed off thing. I think I have a relatively good reason to do so."

He did one of the two shots in front of him before turning to look at me, "well, first I just want you to know that I love the fact that you made it to where we can still consume alcohol. Great move and I love you for it. But let me elaborate on NOT getting pissed. You know that the Cullen coven is a more or less peaceful group. They don't kill humans and live like the human do. They integrated themselves in small towns and the doctor one works in a hospital saving lives. What about that pisses you off anyways? It's not like they are giving your kind a bad name."

"Only those that share my venom can get fucked up. It is not a worldwide thing. Anyways, it is not about that. Them giving vampires a bad name means about jack and shit to me, what about that fucking coven that pisses me off is the whole I am better than you and everyone else because I have no soul but like to pretend I do. It is about their complete disregard for the rules and laws of the supernatural world and it is about their fucking pushiness. Don't get me wrong, I think that the good doctor is an alright guy, as is that big mother fucker, but there is just something about their ingrained fuckary that just makes me want to rip them apart."

"Disregard for the rules and laws? What the fuck are you talking about? That Swan chick? I don't really see how that is a piss off."

"I didn't say shit about her. You're the one that brought her up. I was referring to knowingly putting the exposure of the vampire race in danger."

"And they do that how?"

"You're the one that pointed it out you dumb fuck. Living in small towns, working way to close with them, interacting with them on a daily basis. It is ridiculous. They look down their nose at the 'real' vampires like you and your mate. They think that they are better than everyone else because they don't kill humans to survive. But if you think about it, what they do is worse. They kill three times as much as human drinkers do. Killing a doe sentences the fawn to death, and with the dwindle of wildlife, the humans in the area are at risk of starving to death because they are not all that careful not to upset the balance of nature."

'Well, you did live like that too for the time you were there."

"The fuck I did. The two times a year I had to consume blood, it was not Bambi that I did it with. It was the scum that my father loves to enlist in his army. Two birds and all that. But that is beside the point. My point is that fucking coven is a sham. Think about it, I told you all about them, but it was really the mind reader that pissed me of more than anything. He was always trying to get shit out of my head that he had no business going after. I swear, even a deaf man would want to dig out his eardrums when that prick opened his mouth."

He started laughing. "I really want to meet this guy. I have to meet the fucker that actually WANTED to piss off the prince of hell. That stupid son of a bitch needs a good ass kicking."

"You have no idea. But, back to the topic of Miss Swan; what do you know?"

"Not much really. Just what you told me. I can't get a read on someone I have not at least seen. You're the demon, use those wicked cool skills and find out for yourself."

"My wicked cool skills as you call them do not work on the good hearted. I can detect evil souls on the other side of the world, but I cannot detect a soul as pure as hers. Other than getting caught up in the supernatural, she has not done a bad thing in her life. She has not even lied. Bent the truth yes, but never outright lied. The mark on her soul from her knowledge is not enough to locate her from a distance."

"You said that she was bit by a vampire during her time with Edward right?"

"Yes, but he sucked all the venom out. I could find her if there was even a trace of it left, but there is not. I tried."

He sat there and was quiet for a moment. He scratched the back of his neck like he often does when he tries to get information that is not right there for him to receive. "Alright, then I guess we do this the old fashioned way. We start at the last place you knew her to be and go from there. It has only been seven years. She was a senior in highschool right? Than it would stand to reason that she is in or just getting out of college." Good point.

I sighed. "Alright, then I guess we go to Forks." I stood up and stretched. Reaching into my back pocket I got my wallet, tossed money on the bar top and grabbed my helmet. This should be fun. Going back to the one place I never wanted to ever go again and I am on my way feeling like a kid going to Disney World. There is something wrong, or maybe it's not. I don't really know what the feeling coming over me is. I have never been excited about anything but death and war, but the butterflies in the pit of my stomach are a good indicator that I am, in fact, looking forward to this. Perhaps it's the thrill of the hunt, perhaps not. Only time will tell, and time is something I have plenty of.

LONG AND UNEVENTFUL DRIVE TO FORKS

I drove up the long and familiar drive to the old Cullen house. Christ, it looked like hell. Now I know why Esme always left a week before the rest of us to get the house we were moving to in order. The grass was overgrown, the paint was chipping, and the windows were fucking gross, a few of them broken. I could smell the scents of humans. Some were newer than others, but none were more than a few months old. I looked at Peter and he was just staring at it, wide eyed. This was the only one of the Cullen houses he did not visit. We left before he got the chance to make arrangements to come. I think he knew we were not going to be here long so didn't even make the effort.

I walked up the steps, opened the door and went inside with Peter behind me. The first thing I could smell was the scent of decay and death. It was everywhere, on every surface. I could feel fear and it was thick in the air. We slowed our pace to that of a human crawl. When we reached the living room, if it was possible for Peter to vomit, he would have. There were dead bodies all over the place. On the floor, on the abandoned furniture, the fireplace mantel. They were stacked on top of each other, tossed about like they were nothing but garbage. Some of them were missing body parts; others looked like their faces were literally ripped off. It looked like a war zone in the place I once called home. I was actually sorta impressed. Yes I know, but hey, demon here.

I looked over at Peter and he looked green. "You alright there Petey?" There was a smirk in my voice. I couldn't help it. He was a war hardened vampire. This should not be that big of a deal for him.

His eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed a few times. "Who the fuck do you think was responsible for this?"

I shrugged. I had no fucking clue. The scent of decay was so overpowering that that was all I could smell. It sort of burnt my nose. I am used to death and all that, but this house was not big enough, and the window were shut, except for the broken ones, that the smell of these peoples tomb was so concentrated that no one smell stuck out more than any other. I looked around the room again trying to piece this together but there was no way to pick up the scent of the offending party. I rubbed the back of my neck, "burn the house and all the bodies. I don't want anything left. I lived here too. Last thing I need is my father catching wind of this. Make sure there are going to be no remains by the time the smoke is noticed."

"Of course. Where do you want to meet when I finish, and what about the Cullen's?"

"The Cullen's would appear to be the least of our problems. Don't worry, I'll find you." Then I was gone. I knew Peter was going to follow orders. He always does.

Driving through the little town was much the same now as it was then. I swear, nothing in this place changes. The heartbeats were ringing in my ears; I could smell the blood pumping in their veins. Seems like it is getting closer to my time to consume blood. It really does sneak up on me. Since I don't need to that often, I never really think about it. When I'm home, I have it at every meal, but here, I can drink it at my leisure. I looked in the side mirror of my bike and saw my eyes were blue , if she is still in this town, at least I won't scare her. Yet.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the gray smoke from the fire start to rise from the trees. Come on Peter, the fire has to be hotter than that if it is going to ash those bones. I trusted him to do what he has to, to get rid of the bodies, but if my plan was going to work, then I have better get my ass in gear. I sped up to a rather dangerous speed and shot down the road.

When I made it to my destination I stopped and looked down the road at the two story house. From here you could see the forest that housed the Cullen home and Bella's house. I saw the curtains move in the room on the second floor. There were no cars out front which I thought was weird. It was late. The Chief's car should be here, and I know she used to have a truck. I got off my bike and started walking down towards the old yellowish house. I was looking at the smoke over the trees and smiled when it turned a dark black. That was more like it. When I got closer to the house I saw a woman standing on the porch, but knew right away that she was not Bella. Bella would never go blonde. I didn't recognize her but I figured I should be careful. Seven years can change people. She was on the phone assuming with the police about the smoke.

I got a bit closer. "Excuse me; I was looking for an old friend that used to live here. Isabella Swan? Do you know her?"

The woman looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Yeah, I know her. Poor thing. I met her when I moved here. We were in the same class. I got here just after her father died." Excuse the fuck out of me?

"I didn't know. Do you know what happened?"

"He died while he was looking for her. I guess her boyfriend took her in the woods and left her there after they got into a fight. She never talked about it, so I don't know if that was really what happened or not, just what I heard. The second she had her diploma she left, walked right out of the building. Put the house up for sale and disappeared. I don't know where she went. I don't think anyone does."

"Did she ever talk about what she wanted to do with her life? School, career, anything?"

"Not to me, but like I said, she was a wreck. She never talked to anyone."

"Thank you. Do you know what is burning in the woods? It's too wet for a forest fire."

"There is a house out there. It belonged to the family of Bella's ex. They moved right after the break up. Three days after her birthday." I rolled my eyes. Figures.

"Well thank you for your time."

"If you find her, tell her that I still have all the things she left here. It's in storage." I nodded and turned to walk back to my bike.I pulled out my phone and called Peter.

"Hey, a human saw the smoke and called it in. It shouldn't take too long for them to show up. Everything taken care of?"

"Yes, Major. By the time they get here, everything will be gone, even bones. Did you find the girl?"

"No, but I did find out some things. Meet me at the town border. It's to the right of the bottom of the drive way. I'll be there in ten." I hung up and got on my bike and headed that way. Finding her might be harder than I thought. There are not going to be too many leads to track down this long after she left. Plus, it's not like I can just walk up to people and ask questions. I doubt they would be forthcoming with what they knew considering I was the 'brother' to the guy that broke her heart. So tracking it is then. The planet is not that big, and I will scour every inch till I find her.

Chapter 3

 

"Peter, I swear on everythin' you hold dear in this world, I am going to fuckin' kill you." You know, sometimes I feel like I spend more time threatening his life than I do just talking to the guy. I crossed my arms so I didn't bitch smack him. No need to emasculate him in front of his mate that joined us not long after leaving Forks.

"Oh come the fuck on Major. It will be fun and you know it. When was the last time you went out just to have a great time and get drunk as fuck? By the way, have I told you how much I fucking love that you gave us the ability to get fucked up? Well, I fucking love it and you. Now stop your bitchin, get dressed up real nice like and get in the fucking car."

Charlotte quirked a brow at him, "Peter, love, don't you remember the last time you talked to him like that?"

His eyes grew and he grabbed his arm, bowing his head, "Please." Ah, yes. I remember. He crossed the line one to many times and I relieved him of his arm for a decade.

I smirked and his mate laughed. "Well, because you asked so nice, give me 20. I'll meet you at the bikes." With that I disappeared up to my room. Sometimes I feel like all we ever do is get drunk, but after the month I have had, that sounds like a great fucking idea. I never thought it would be so fucking hard to find one goddamn human.

I made quick work of getting a shower and getting dressed. I put on a pair of black acid wash jeans, a black wife beater, and a dark crimson color red long sleeve button up shirt, leaving the top three buttons undone and the shirt un-tucked. To finish off my outfit I put on my black biker boots and there was nothing I could really do with my hair so I put on my black fedora with the bill cocked to the right. With a real quick look in the mirror I was out the door and standing next to my bike with moments to spare.

Peter and Char joined me about a minute later. Char was sporting the shortest jean skirt you could find and still be able to call it one with a black and red corset style tank top. Peter was dressed similar to me only his jeans were blue and his shirt was short sleeve with a tribal graphic on it. He had his hair tied back in a ponytail and Char had her hair down.

"Trust me my Lord, you will not regret going out tonight. I have a feeling that it will be a glorious evening."

"Really now? More of your fucked up Yoda shit there Peter?" I was wondering when that shit would kick in again.

"It's not shit. It's more of an educated guess. Think of it this way, have we ever gone out for a night on the town and it not been our own brand of fuckery?" good point. "Ok, now there is a new bar that just opened up about 30 miles from here. I say we start there."

"You want to go there because it's probably the only place within 50 miles you have not gotten barred from."

"Completely beside the point, Major." He retorted back with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes, yes. Well, shall we be on our way?" I mounted my brand new Ducati and Peter and Char got on his chopper, then we were on our way.

PPOV

I was really starting to wonder if our dark prince was ever going to grace us with his presence again. Hell it had been over six decades since my mate and I had seen him, closer to seven if we are being honest. I knew that we would see him again, but I just didn't know when. He has a nasty habit of disappearing for decades. Something that pisses his old man off like you would not believe. Oh, he is well aware that Jasper can take care of himself, but it is a father's duty to worry about his only son and heir. But in true Jasper form, he shows up out of nowhere and puts us to work; looking for a human of all things.

But, back to the task at hand. We just got to the bar and let me tell ya, I love the human that owns it. I met her a few years back and she was a riot. Shortly after meeting her she had a run in with some vampires and suffered some very serious and hideous (by human standards) injuries. Better let Jasper know what he's about to see. He is not one to hold his tongue just to save someone's feelings. "Major, there is something you need to know about the owner of this bar." He turned to look at me right before he opened the door.

"Alright, what is it?"

"I met her a few years back. She's a great girl, but there is something about her that you need to be aware of. She was attacked about a month after we met." He turned completely towards me with a raised eyebrow. He crossed his arms before he spoke to me.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to really piss me off?"

Because it will. "She was hit in the face hard enough to shatter her right cheekbone. That injury needed major surgery, and left a really nasty scar on her face. It starts from right above her right eyebrow, goes over her eye, and down her face ending level with the bottom of her bottom lip. She suffered internal bleeding, broken legs and arms; her spine was broken but thankfully not to the point to paralyze her. She had a ton of other surgeries leaving her with other scars everywhere from her neck down to her toes. She was a mess, and in a lot of ways still is. And before you ask, no, I didn't catch the ones that did it. Getting her help was slightly more important to me." During this little history lesson, Jasper's blue eyes got progressively darker.

His lips pursed, he turned his head slightly to the side and narrowed eyes locked on mine from the corner of his. "Did you get a decent enough look at them to be able to point them out?" Demon or not, Jasper was raised a gentleman by his mother and does not take kindly to a lady being abused.

This is the part that is really going to piss him off. I rubbed the back of my neck and looked down. "Yeah, I did, but I'll tell you this; these are the kind of people that you will never see in a police lineup."

He looked at me for a moment before recognition lit up his eyes. I nodded at him, telling him that he figured it out. "Explain."

I shook my head, "I can't Major. It's not my story to tell. You're going to have to ask her." He growled but let it go deciding to get it from the source. "Just remember what I said. She is a great girl that has been through hell and I will not allow anyone to upset her; even you no matter how long I have to go without a body part."

He looked at me a moment before he nodded and opened the door. Jasper is glorious in his anger and like poetry in motion when he gets going. I don't want to be one of the poor fuckers that are on the receiving end of it when he catches up with those involved.

Chapter 4

 

JPOV

We walked into a dive bar that really did not look like it could draw the kind of crowd it has, but it did have kind of an upbeat type vibe. There were two pool tables, five high top tables, a row of booths and fifteen or so barstools. Charlotte went to claim the last booth at the far end of the room while Peter pulled me up to the bar. There were three humans behind it running around like their asses were on fire. There was a bottle blonde, a brunette and a guy with some crazy hair style.

When the girl with brown hair got close Peter called out "What the fuck do you have to do to get some fucking service around here?" She whipped around with murder in her eyes before they widened then lit up like the fourth of July.

She launched herself over the bar like she was stepping over a log straight into his arms. "PETER! What the fuck are you doing here?"

He caught her and spun her around making her scent smack me in the face. Oh, fuck no, that can't be her. When he set her down he held her at arms-length. "How you doin' Izzy?"

She smiled, "I'm doin' alright. Finally got this place up and running so that is one less stress for me. Thank fuck for small favors right?"

He looked around, "It looks like you're doin' slightly better than just alright Darlin'." Then he leveled her with a serious look, "How are you really doing?"

She gave him a flat look. "What do you want me to say Peter. She said she wouldn't stop till I was dead, and as you can see, I am still kickin'." Then she sighed, "I still blame those fuckers. If not for them, none of this would be happening." Someone called her from behind the bar making her temper rise and her grind her teeth. She looked over her shoulder, nodded and when she looked back at him she said she would be over in a few and asked how many in his party. He told her three, she nodded to that and hopped back over the bar going right back to what she was doing like she never stopped in the first place.

He turned to me and I know my shock was plan on my face. "You alright Jasper? You look like you seen a ghost."

I looked at him, "Do you have any idea how that is?"

He looked taken aback, "No I have no clue. Her knowing my name and the greeting was all for show. Of course I know her, her name is Izzy Wolf and she owns this place."

I walked back to the table Charlotte was waiting at and sat down, dropping my head back on the headrest and closed my eyes. "She might be going by that now, but that was none other than Isabella Swan."

Silence, that was what met my announcement. Even their emotions were blank. It took a moment but then I was hit with extreme anger. "That is Isabella Swan? My Izzy is your Bella?" There was nothing I could say. It was true, the Bella we have been looking for is his Izzy, so I nodded. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms and was quiet for a minute before he sighed. "So, now what? I like this human and don't want to see anything else happen to her. Now that you found her, what do you plan to do with her, sire?" His attitude is going to get on my last fucking nerve.

I gave him a hard look. "I don't remember saying I planned to do anything about her when we found her, so I suggest you drop your fucking attitude right the fuck now. The only thing I plan on doing is getting fucked up and dealing with things as they come." I opened my eyes and lifted my head, "What I want to know now though, is who hurt her like that?" I lifted my brow and he sighed.

"I can't. It is her story to tell and you know better than anyone you don't give that shit out. She told me to keep my fucking mouth shut. To tell you the truth my lord, I have seen the wrong side of her temper and I would rather deal with you than a pissed off Izzy; she is scary in her anger and a sneaky bitch."

"Oh Peter, I didn't think you thought so highly of me. I'm touched." Her voice came out of nowhere making us all jump a bit. She giggled as she put four shot glasses and a bottle of jack on the table.

Peter looked at me with an awed and wry look, "See, sneaky bitch. It is like she lives in the wood work."

She slid in the booth next to me with a smirk on her face, "Well, I don't have any superpowers like some people, so I do what I can. If I can make you fuckers jump I must be doing something right." She poured out a shot for all of us and looked at Char, "Char, my love, how are you doing?"

She smiled at her, "just fine darlin', thank you for asking. Yourself?"

She shrugged and tossed back her shot. "Still kickin like Jackie Chan." Then she looked over at me, "And how is this guy and is all happy and talkative?" I looked over and her eyes went flat. "Aww fuck."

BPOV

Are you fucking kidding me? Can my day really get any worse? First both my bartenders are late, and then they act like they have never done the job before, and now I am looking at Jasper Cullen Hale. My life must really be a cosmic joke because this cannot be happening. Haven't I been through enough? Let me tell ya, karma is a fucking mean and vengeful bitch. I thought I was a good person. I kept my stupid bitch of a mother in line and alive. I welcomed people into my life and cared for them far more than they ever did me. I went out of my way to forgive people, even when I knew they didn't deserve it. When I knew that they would wrong me again far worse than they did the first time. Even after all that, karma still came up and bit me in the ass because I am sitting in a booth, in MY bar, in the middle of bum fuck nowhere next to Jasper fucking Hale. Was I a mass murderer in a past life or some shit because if I was, well that would explain a lot actually. But really, after seven years the best I can do is 'aww fuck'? What the hell is wrong with me? The way I see it is I can go one of two ways; I can run. Peter knows I own this place so a graceful bow out would not be that farfetched. Bella would run, but I'm not Bella anymore. I am Izzy Wolf and I am going to do what I do best, Piss of a vampire.

I gave Jasper a smile as I got up and pulled Peter out of the booth, well he let me, but at this point, it is all a matter of perspective. "We'll be right back." I pulled Peter along with me towards my office. "I have a lighter and can of hairspray with your name on it chief." I slammed the door and went over to my desk. "What the fuck Peter! What were you thinking bring him to MY bar! Can your kind be retarded?"

"Izzy…"

"Don't Izzy me fucker! This is so far past fucked up you son of a bitch!"

"Iz…" I chucked a paper weight at his head. He dodged it of course, but the thought was there. "Feel better?"

"Marginally." I sat down behind my desk and crossed my arms.

"Are you done throwing shit at me?" I shrugged. I don't make promises I don't intend to keep. I might be gluten for punishment, but I like throwing shit at him. It's fun for me. "Izzy, Jasper is not who or what you think he is."

"Oh I am well aware of that."

He shook his head and sat down. "No you don't. You have no idea."

I leaned back in my chair, "That very well may be, but I could really care less. I could have died a happy bitch having to never have to see him, the pixy bitch, the emo fuck, or any of the lot of them again. Don't you understand, they are like cockroaches, one shows up and next thing you know, you are over run with the little bastards. And I might be mistaken, but I don't think Raid makes a spray for that."

He snorted. "Iz, talk to him. What could it hurt?"

I laced my fingers together behind my head, "It could hurt a lot actually." I sat there and thought about it for a moment. Asking what it could hurt is as pointless as what's the worst that could happen. That is an easy one; it could destroy the only thing I have left. Well, like I said, glutton for punishment. "Will you be driving me home then?"

"Sure, but why?"

"This is not in any way a sober conversation and I don't need or want a DUI, savvy?" he nodded. "Make you and your wife scarce." He nodded and left the room leaving me to get my shit together. I cannot believe I am going to do this. Well, I knew I wanted to get fucked up tonight, at least now I have a reason. I stopped at the bar on my way back to the table and grabbed another bottle of jack told the bartenders to tab up what Peter and Char got and I would take care of it and went to face my doom.

JPOV

When Peter came back and grabbed Charlotte I was a little worried. That was until a random bottle of whisky was slammed down on the table and Bella slid across from me. She didn't look up at me as she moved two glasses out of the way and put on in front of me and one in front of her. "We are going to play a game. It's kinda like twenty questions, only different. The rules are simple; you ask your question, you do your shot; the question is only answered when your glass is on the table. We go until one of us can't drink anymore. Got it?"

"And if we run out of alcohol?"

She gave me a flat look, "I own a bar, it won't happen. Do you understand the rules?" I nodded. "Good, it works better if I am not playing with a moron."

I waved my hand, "Ladies first."

She smirked at me, "Just because I have tits does not make me a lady. You will learn this, I'm sure." She poured her shot and picked up the glass and swirled that amber liquid around before she looked back up at me, "Where are the rest of your cult?" she took her shot and slammed the glass on the table.

I crossed my arms and shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest idea. I left them the night of your birthday. You can only be blamed for shit you didn't do so many times before you get sick of it." She looked at me with disbelieving eyes. I poured a shot for myself and thought about what I wanted to ask. The obvious one is who hurt her, but I figured that was something to wait on. Let her get drunker and then I'll go there. Instead I asked, "What are you doing all the way out here so far from your family?"

She snorted, "What family? My father is dead, murdered, and my mother is a cunt. The other people that I considered family left me high and dry without so much as a fuck you very much. As for why I am so far from Forks, well I didn't come looking for this little piece of happy, it was a lucky discovery. Running from vampires tends to make you think a tab differently about where you lay your head at night." She poured her next shot and I was reeling. Running from vampires? What the fuck? "What did you mean 'Getting blamed for shit you didn't do'?"

I leaned back in my seat and thought about how to answer her. "Bella, how much do you know about me?"

She shrugged, "Not much. They all said that stories were their own, but they flat out refused to talk about you." I figured as much.

"That would be because they didn't know anything about me. My origins are… older most definitely, and far more dangerous. Tell me, do you believe in God?"

She snorted, "With some of this shit I have seen, that is so not out of the realm of possibilities."

"You should, because God does exist. There is also really a heaven, really a hell, and there most certainly is a devil. I call him father. I am the crowned prince to the throne of hell." Her eyes went wide.

"You're not a vampire?"

I chuckled. "Why does that shock you? When did I ever do something to make you think I was? I never went 'hunting' with the coven, my eyes are not red or gold, and I that escaped your notice, I would have thought someone with your perceptiveness would have noticed the fangs." I gave her a huge smile showing them off. "But back to your question. It was just as I said, you can only get blamed for shit you didn't do for so long before you get fed up with it. I do enough on my own, I don't need to shoulder their fuck ups as well. For the record though, I was not on the attack. If I wanted you dead, you would be and six vampires would not have been able to stop me. Edward, however, was. It was my interference that gave him the distraction he needed to focus on something other than your blood." I looked her in the eye as I poured my next shot, "Who are you running from?"

She sat back and rubbed her forehead, "Just ask what you really want to know Jasper."

"I did. Who are you running from?"

She sighed, "Victoria." If she heard my hiss, she didn't show it. "She showed up the day you all left. When I was being found after getting left and lost in the woods, she found my dad. Paul, one of the wolves from the rez found him. There was not really a whole lot left of him. She used him to write me a note, his blood was the ink, and his body parts were her pens. 'Heart for a heart. Yours' will be as shredded as mine by the time I'm done.' It would probably been longer if there was more blood to write with."

"What about your mother?"

She looked at me with true hate in her eyes, something I didn't think she was capable of. "What about the bitch? Trust me, she is perfectly safe." She paused to take a shot, "The cunt would sooner see me on a milk carton then go through the trouble of even picking up the fucking phone. Her new life with her new husband and new baby were far more important than me I guess. I was 18, there was no reason that I couldn't just stay put and finish school; it would be what Charlie would want for me. Only a heartless twat would use my dead father to guilt me into staying put. I had a job and Charlie's life insurance money, everything I needed to take care of myself till I graduated. Fucking insensitive self-serving whore. That bitch would have been dead years ago had it not been for me and I never once asked for shit, the one time I do, she couldn't be bothered. Unconditional love my padded white ass." She did another shot, "to hell with her."

During her rant I moved to sit beside her and Peter and Charlotte came back to the table and were sitting across from us. I had my arm around her on the back of the booth and she was looked at the table with a hard look and her arms crossed. I looked at Peter and he nodded to her. I didn't know what the fuck to say to that. She has been through hell and she did it alone. She lost her father to a revenge seeking vampire, and she was abandoned by her mother. Peter kicked my under the table and I growled at him gaining Bella's attention. She looked up at me and raised a brow. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Bella, if I asked you to trust me, would you?" the other brow rose up to join the first. "Hear me out. You got fucked,there is no other way to put it and you went through it all alone. Even with all I can do, I can't change the past, but I can make sure you have a future. You trusted me once; I am asking you to do it again."

She turned her body to face me. "Me have a future?" She grabbed her hair that was in her face and moved it out of the way and gave me the first look at the scar on her face that Peter told me about. I was pissed off about it, but kept the look off my face. "What kind of future can I really have with this? When I kind see it they cringe, look away, or stare like I am a sideshow freak. You know the fucked up part of it? This one is not even the worst one; it is just the one that can be seen. What kind of future can I have when people can't even look at me?"

I moved my arm from the back of the booth to her shoulders and was pleasantly surprised when she didn't move away. "Humans as a rule are superficial fucks. They have always been more concerned about what is on the outside instead of the inside." I leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "For what it's worth though, I think it only adds to your beauty."

She looked at me wide eyed for a moment before she glanced at her watch. Her head snapped up and looked around the room. "Satan fucks whores in Mexico!" we all just looked at her as she climbed up on the table and cupped her hands around her mouth, "Drink em' up or toss em' out. Anyone with a drink in their hands in two minutes is bared for the next six months!"She jumped off the table and grabbed up everything that had alcohol in it saying, "Give me five minutes and we and go" When she turned back to the room and saw that no one paid her any mind, her face went red and she took a deep breath and yelled, "NOW! I ain't fucking around!"

I looked at the table and mourned the loss of my jack. I could have had the whole bottle gone in the two minute time limit. I looked to the bar and watched as she got on the bartenders for not paying attention to the time. Her vocabulary was far more colorful, but that was the gist of what she said. I cocked my head to the side as I listened and watched. No, Bella is not scary on her anger, she is beautiful.

Chapter 5

 

PPOV

Sitting at the table with Jasper while Izzy was shutting down the bar was an enlightening experience. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. It made me smile. Now that I know who he was talking about, the voices in my head were connecting some dots that I didn't know were there. I have always known that Iz was meant for more than the life of a human, but I didn't know that she was meant for the life of a demon. Course, she might not have been before now. Jasper never really saw her before, so there were never any ties to be made, but now that he sees her, there are a plethora of possibilities. This redheaded cunt, Victoria, has the full wrath of hell staring her in the face, and doesn't even know it. Something else I know that Jasper does not it he will have the full backing of his father in this endeavor. Another thing is my little human has become his chosen, but neither one of them know it yet. It will take some time, but they will see the light so to speak. There are some things that need to happen first, but when it does, she will be glorious.

As a human, Izzy is a force all her own. She has had it rough, but then again, the prince can't have a weakling at his side. He needs someone with a backbone and a taste for blood. Izzy has both. You can't have her life and be soft and caring. Her mother was the first step. A hard one for her to swallow I'm sure, but she did it. That little human has so much hate in her; it really is not shock that Jasper would be drawn to her in some way.

Now, with that being said, I have a few guesses as to why he couldn't find her on his own before now. One being her name; he didn't know that she changed it. That would put a damper in a hunt if you are looking for the wrong person. Another is he didn't know how much she changed or all that she went through. She more than likely did in fact show up on his radar, but he didn't know, again because of her name. When I changed her name and everything for her when she was hurt five years ago, she refused to tell me what her real name was. She gave me a social when I asked for it, but made me promise not to look it up. She had been through enough people fucking with her, so I didn't. I just had the person that belonged to the one she gave me killed. Easy enough with what happened to her. The hospital records just needed to be changed from released to deceased. It was cake walk from there for the guy I use for that kind of thing.

I looked back at Jasper and he was still looking at Iz. "So, what do you think? I am going to guess that she is not the same girl that you knew?"

He snorted. "Night and day Peter. That little hell cat is nothing like the passive teenager I knew from before." He looked at me with a contemplative look. "I like this version better, I think. She seems… more comfortable in her skin than she used to. I don't know, this girl seems real to me. Before, it was like everything she did was for everyone else, nothing for herself. Humans are not meant to be that selfless. They were not made that way. They were made to look out for number one. Aside from those that are now saints, no one has ever put more people before themselves. I don't want you to misunderstand, there are generally good people out there, but even those people know when to throw in the towel. She just let more and more people walk all over her. That will snowball and turn out badly, but fuck; even worse case shouldn't be quite that bad."

I nodded, "So what are your plans now sire?"

He crossed his arms, looked down, his brow drew down, fangs biting into his bottom lip, his eyes darting around with no points of interest for a few moments. That's his deep thinking face. That usually means he is connected to his father. He doesn't do it often, but everyone needs a parent to tell them what to do on occasion. Finally he sighed and shrugged. "It's her choice. It must be her choice. I need her trust or I can't really do anything beyond killing the ones after her." He rubbed his face roughly with his hands. "Not a lot of help there. I already knew that. I guess the first thing I have to do is gain her trust on my own merit. There was a time that that would be an easy task. Now? Now I have to deal with a scorned, jaded, and pissed off female. You know what they say about THOSE kind of females right?" A kind of bubbleish laugh came out rocking him back against the seat.

I pursed my lips to hide the smirk. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Yeah. Looks like you certainly have your work cut out for yourself My Lord. I do not envy you right now."

He snorted again and had a half smirk on his face. "Course not. You're on her good side already." That I am, and damn happy about it too.

JPOV

It was five minutes and 37 seconds after she walked away from the table that she came back with a scowl on her face. "Everything alright little one?" I looked around and saw no one. When the hell did that shit happen?

Scowl still in place she went off, "Stupid, incompetent, retarded FUCKS! If I had a way to replace them I would have fired them both tonight. First they decide that last call is more of a guideline than a fucking rule and HAS to be followed. Then I am cashing out tabs. Easiest shit there is to do. It takes two minutes, as long as the fucking tabs are RIGHT and under the RIGHT FUCKING NAME. They didn't tab up what Peter and Char got from the bar so now my fucking count is going to be off for inventory in two days. Well, that I can swallow because they more so fucked themselves on that. They were going to get tipped on the tab. No tab, no tip. That's how it works. To top it all off, they didn't do jack or shit as far as clean up went so now I have to come in early to close this place down before I can go about opening. Ugg, fucking moronic fucks." Then she growled a very impressive growl for a human. "I had to just send them home or I was going to go to jail for murder, I saw it coming. This night could not have ended on a good note no matter what. I was resigned to that fact within the first five minutes of walking in this afternoon." She put her head in her hands and scrubbed her face, taking a deep breath. "Well, I can't deal with much more stress tonight or I am going to rip my fucking hair out. Ya'll up for going to my place and just getting stupid drunk and dealing with all the other shit in the morning?"

We nodded making her smile. Peter stood up and held out his hands, "I do believe that I said I would drive you home. Give 'em up."

She nodded, "Alright, be right back. Gotta go get my bag from my office and we're good to go." She turned on her heel and walk back round the corner. She came back with an across the chest style book bag and handed Peter a set of keys. "Shall we get out of here then? There are things that I just want to forget ever happened tonight."

We walked outside and the only other car there besides our bikes was a fuck of a truck. I looked down at Bella and raised an eyebrow at her, "Looken' to run some people over Darlin'?"

She giggled and shrugged, "Vast improvement over the last one you saw huh?"

I nodded, "No shit. That hunk of junk barely made it up the driveway."

She gave me a wicked grin and her eyes were alight with laughter. "Once, when you, Alice, Em, Edward, and Carlisle were gone for one reason or another, Esme called and asked me to come over and do a taste test for something or other I don't care to remember, it didn't make it. So Esme made Rose go down and get my truck and look it over and see what it was that was wrong. So all huffy and shit she goes and gets my truck. She was almost back when I clearly heard her start screaming obscenities. So Esme ran out the door with me on her heels yelling to watch her mouth. Because of the rain and shit all the time the ground was slippery and while pushing my truck she ended up face planting in the mud, my truck rolling over top of her. Esme looked horrified as Rose pulled herself out from under it and I was hard pressed not to piss myself I was trying so hard not to laugh."

I was laughing before we she even finished the story. "Are you serious?"

Bella was laughing so hard she was turning red, holding onto my arm so she could stay on her feet. Since she couldn't talk she just nodded, "Her… her ha… hair was so gross she spent almost 5 hours in the shower. When she came out, it was still dirty. It took her almost the whole time you guys were gone to get all the mud and literal shit out of her hair."

"Did she ever find out what was wrong with your truck?"

"You mean asides from being a piece of shit you mean? No, said if she got anywhere near it, she would kill it. Oh god, I think that was the only time that she didn't look at ME with the look of death. My truck however, would have died a thousand deaths if looks alone were enough."

I chuckled. "I bet. One thing she was good at was dirty looks."

She turned to face and with an incredulous look. "Jay, let's call a duck a duck shall we? The only two things that bitch was good at was dirty looks and fuckin, but only one of those I can prove. She was the most up her own ass vain person I have ever come across, and I know Peter. That's saying something."

My eyes darted to Peter as his head shot up. "Hey, I am not that bad. And if you want me to dive you, I would shut it human."

She shrugged. "I call things as I see them." Her lips pursed together in an attempt not to laugh, but I know she won't make it much longer. I decide to prove it seeing as how I seem to be in a playful mood this evening.

I moved to stand behind her and squeezed both her sides making her knees give out and her to literally fall down laughing, or would be if I were let go. Peter and Charlotte were laughing at us and Bella was threatening to piss on my boots if I didn't let go making me chuckle. I bent down by her ear, "I'll let you go if you ride with me."

"FINE! Whatever, just please, let me the fuck go! I don't have any other pants with me!" I let her go and she darted into the woods just beyond the parking lot yelling over her shoulder, "You fucking suck Whitlock!" I shrugged at her back. I got what I wanted.

While she was doing her thing Peter and I loaded his bike in the back of her truck figuring that if she was on my bike with me, Charlotte would ride with Peter. We were just about done doing the tie down when Bella came stomping out of the woods looking all the world like a pissed off kitten. Peter snorted and I smiled, "Ready to get out of here?"

She looked dead at me and stuck her tongue out while giving me the finger. "Sure. Let's go."

I held out a hand and helped her onto the back of my bike while she gave me directions to her place. I nodded and revved the engine to tell Peter we were set. Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned in to my back, squeezing my hips between her thighs. And let me tell ya, she has quite the grip. I looked over my shoulder, "Ready Darlin'?" I felt her nod, "Hold on tight." I hit the gas, spun the back wheel and took off like a bat out of hell making her arms tighten a little more.

The ride was quiet, but not as bad as I thought. Her driveway was kinda like off roading, but still not as bad as I thought it was going to be considering that it was in the woods. We pulled up in front of a relatively big log cabin style house. It was two stories and had a wrap-around porch that had a built in swing on one side and a table and a couple chairs on the other. It was cute. I helped Bella off the bike before getting off myself. I felt her eyes on me as I looked up at her house and I had to say I was impressed. Looking back down at her, "Very nice, just a little bigger than I would have pictured it."

She giggled. "It looks bigger than it is. There are only two bedrooms, but the living room has a vaulted ceiling. The second floor has a balcony over-looking it. It's kinda like a loft sort of thing. You'll see, come on in." We were walking up the steps when Peter pulled up behind me. She turned her head to the side, "Just leave it there. One night out of the garage won't hurt her." When she opened the door without unlocking it I asked why she didn't lock her door getting a shrug out of her. "No one that wants to steal from me is going to make the trip up here to do it and the people that I would want to keep out of here won't be stopped by a lock. I see no real point." Well, I guess that's true enough.

Walking inside was like walking into the past. Everything was made out the logs and timber that the house was, just like they would have done years ago. All the cushions were over stuffed; all the walls were painted in earth tones. It was very calming. And I did indeed see what she meant. It was almost like the second story was an add on. The balcony started halfway across the living room and went the rest of the way to the end of the house over the kitchen and dining room. There were only two doors on the whole floor. You could see that from the entry way. The majority of the first floor was the living room with screens instead of walls separating it from the dining room and kitchen. All in all, it was a really nice place. Very homey feel to it.

Bella looked at us with a smile, "So the dime tour; this is the great room. Through the screen is the dining room and beyond that are the kitchen and the other door to the porch." She pointed to a hall looking thing, "The guest bathroom is down there. Upstairs is my room and the library. The place looks big, but this is the biggest room in the house." She started to back her way towards where she said the kitchen was, "Well, have a seat and make yourselves at home. I'll be back in a minute." And she disappeared through the door.

We did as we were told and Charlotte looked around the room. "She has hardly any personal touches in here. No pictures or anything. Everything looks like it is meticulously placed." Peter and I both nodded. We noticed the same thing.

Bella came back ten minutes later and tossed the biggest deck of cards I have ever seen down on the coffee table in the middle of the room and then set down an arm full of beer and an empty glass before she vanished again, coming back with another load of beer in one arm and a pizza in the other hand. She set all that down and turned and looked at me and Peter, "You, big strong men type things, move that and that up to the table. We gunna get fuckered up." Pointing to the two love seats. We looked at each other and Peter had a wary look on his face as we went to do as she asked.

I smirked at him, "Peter, don't tell me you're afraid of drinking with a human. You're a war hardened vampire. I think you're losing your touch Petty. First you almost puke at the sight of a human tome, and now you look like you want to cry at the thought of drinking games with a human. What the fuck happened to you? Was it all the pussy drinks you been living on for the last decade or so? I told you to stay away from that shit."

"You go ahead and yuck it up fucker. We FEEL the effects of alcohol, but the liquid has to go somewhere dick and you know that. Our bodies don't absorb it like you two. A few drinks and a couple shots ain't that huge of a deal, but the amount you have to drink during a game is really gonna suck."

I shrugged as I sat down when we were done. "Take all complaints up with the old man." At that he looked horrified.

"No, that's alright, I'll deal. So, what are we playing?"

That wicked look was back on her face. "Kings. Ever play?" she looked around and rolled her eyes at our blank faces. "Well, looks like I found you fuckers just in time then. Alright I will run through the rules real fast and if you have any questions you can ask as they come up in play." She opened the retardedly huge cards and looked through them, pulling out certain ones and I found myself having to ask.

"Iz, where the hell did you get, and why the fuck do have cards like that?"

She glanced at me real quick before going back to her task, "Um, the story is really boring actually. They were a gag gift from Jake for no other reason than to piss me off. We used to play cards all the time and, like most humans, the drunker I get, the harder it is for me to see what's in front of me." She turned a card to face me and the card front was so big that a blind man could see from a mile away. "Well, he thought that with these fuckers there was no more excuses to fuck up." Then she smirked, "Jake always did underestimate me." Then she giggled. "I started to do stupid shit on purpose just to piss him off. He tried to embarrass me, and so I showed him you can't do that to someone that just does not care. I made myself look like the world's biggest fuck nut to prove this point." Her eyes went far away for a second before she shrugged.

"Anyways, this game is really easy. Two through eight are just cards you drink off. If you draw a red card, you have to drink it. The rule is called 'red to the head'. Cut and dry. If you draw a black card, you get to pick who has to drink it. You can give it all to one person or you can break it up between people. The rule is 'black you give back'. Now, this is where things get sticky. There are special cards in the game that you need to remember. They are not dependent of color, they just are, but they will always end in someone drinking. Nine is a rhyme. The person that draws it picks a word and going in the order that we draw cards, you have to come up with a word that rhymes with whatever they say. If you can't, you have to drink for five seconds. Ten is categories such as types of alcohol; rum, gin, whisky; brands of alcohol; crown, jack, Jim. Again, if you can't think of one, drink for five seconds. Jack is the fucker of the game." She looked at me with a grin, "Being the prince, he comes back and bites you in the ass for the rest of the game, there is no hiding from the dick." That got a chuckle from all of us. "He is the rule card. Whoever draws a jack makes up a rule that must be followed for the rest of the game unless someone draws another one and revokes it. Uh, some of the ones that you wouldn't know unless you have played before are the little green man and the three d's. They serve no purpose other than to piss people off. The little green man is a tiny guy that sits on your bottle. You have to remember to take him off and then put him back on or you have to drink double. The three d's are 'drink, drank, and drunk'. If that rule is in effect, if you say any of those, you have to drink.

"The queen is a waterfall. We all drink on this one. The one that draws it starts and the next in line can't stop till the first person does and so on around the circle. So if I draw it, Jasper can't stop till I do, Peter can't till he does, and Char till Peter is done. Get it?" We nodded. Sounds simple.

"Good. Okay, the ace is a social card. We all drink on that one and it is just one drink each. No suffering for anyone." Then she reached out and grabbed the empty glass she brought in. "This is called the kings cup and has to do with the four kings. There is no drinking on the kings unless you're the poor bastard that draws the fourth. For the first three, the one that draws it pours however much beer they want into the glass. Guess what happens to the fucker that draws the fourth. Yup, on the fourth king, the one that draws it has to drink everything in the king's cup in one minute. That ends the game and we start over. Any questions?" no one had any so we played.

I have to say, it was a lot more fun than I thought I was going to be. With everything that she sprouted off before we started, I thought that is was going to suck remembering everything with as drunk as we already were, but Bella couldn't help pointing and laughing when someone drew a card that fucked themselves, so that made it easier for us. I also thought she was going to kill Peter during the second game when he drew a jack and made the rule of no swearing. The drunker that girl gets, the worse her mouth is. The combination of words that she comes up with was definitely an eye opening experience. After a having to consume a whole beer, that she kept track of, she settled down. She still gave Peter the stink eye every time she had to say crap or bullarky instead of bullshit, and frick instead of fuck, but her eyes were alight the whole time. We played four games before she ran to low on beer and she refused playing it with anything else saying that she learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago.

The more I watched her the more I was curious about what had originally changed her. The more stories she told us of the time between the time the Cullens left and the death of the pack, it seems to me that it was long before the ladder. I saw my opening to ask when she informed us that she was going to go make a pitcher of something. I got up and followed her into the kitchen and was surprised by it. It was a chef's wet dream. She looked over at me as she was pulling a blender off a shelf. "I like to cook. I figured that I don't really have much anymore, so I owed myself something just for me." I nodded and sat at one of the stools at the counter and watched her for a moment. Before I worked out what I wanted to ask her she jumped in, "Wanna do a shot with me? I'm fucking trashed, and I was going to make this really weak, but I want one more hard thing before I start to tone it down."

"Sure Darlin', whatever you want." We did a shot of tequila and she went back to what she was doing. I figured the best way to go about it was just ask so I did. "What happened when the Cullens left? You told me about Victoria, but what else?"

She froze before she looked like she just collapsed into herself. Keeping her back to me, "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. Sorta shocked it took you so long to grow the balls to do it honestly. If you don't mind, I would rather not get into it with so many ears around." No sooner were those words out that we both heard the front door open and close signaling that we were alone in the house and she cast a dirty look at the door before she sighed. "Alright, you win." I usually do.

3RD POV

The jaded human grabbed two glasses and sat across from the demon prince with her version of weak long islands.

"It all started to change and go downhill when Edward took me home after my party, which for the record I didn't even want to have, and refused to talk about what just happened." She went on to tell him about the next three days and how he would ignore her for the most part, only talk when he was asked a question that required more than a grunt or a movement of his head. She told him about how he would come over like normal, but would sit down stairs with Charlie and watch whatever game was on at the time, how he wouldn't spend the night anymore, wouldn't even kiss her forehead before he left.

"It was on the third day that I got fed up with the bullshit and was going to confront him when he asked if he could come over. I should have known something was up at the point, he never asked that before, he just did it. I was happy about it because like I said, I had a few things to say to him as well. I had a package I needed to mail on the way home, but he took it and said he would take care of it and meet me at the house. So I go home and he is there waiting for me like he said he would. When I got out of the car he came over and took my bag from me and I thought everything was fine again, that was until he asked me to go for a walk with him."

She went on to tell the demon prince about the talk that he had with her. About how he was leaving and how he didn't want her to come with him, about how she was not good for him, about how she was nothing but a distraction. She continued on about how in time her human mind would forget all about him and his family. She told him about how she begged him not to do it, that what happened was not a big deal; that if he changed her it wouldn't happen again. Then she told him that the vampire said that he didn't want her at all, that he never loved her; that he was trying to be nice and not make it too hard for her but she was making it impossible. That there was a vampire waiting for him when they got to Alaska. She told the pissed off prince about how she was told that she would never see or hear from them again, that it would be that they never existed, even going as far as to promise such a thing. About how he made her promise not to do anything stupid because Charlie needed her; to promise to live for Charlie.

The last straw for the demon prince was when she told him that she was left alone in the woods to find her way home alone.

"That was when I met the pack. I already knew Jake from when we were kids, but I didn't yet know that he was a wolf. I found that out later when the first vampire tried to kill me after you left. Laurent showed up and if not for the pack, I would have died that day. I got to know them and they were there for me when I didn't have anyone else. They protected me and kept me safe; well until Victoria came around. She tried to get to me but the pack wouldn't let her so she started picking off people that I knew from around town. Bodies were never found only my father the day Edward left, but we knew it was her. It wasn't till graduation that she left bodies to be found; members of the pack, all their imprints, and a few choice people from the rez. I told them if I left than she would leave too. They told me that if I left she would win but after the first imprint was killed they wanted to keep me there for bait I'm sure. If I left at that point, they would never get the revenge they were after. When Jake was all that was left, I couldn't leave because he would have been all alone. When he was killed, I ran as fast and as far as I could." The human looked up that the demon prince, "you know everything from that point on."

JPOV

I was leaning on the counter, staring at my clasped hands, thinking about everything that I was just told, getting more and more pissed off by the second. It would seem the Cullen coven has much to answer for. I could feel the guilt surround the human like a storm cloud. I looked up at her and saw her head down, shoulders shaking with the force it was taking not to cry.

'My son, you must fix this'. Wonderful timing as always father.

'No shit. Any pointers?'

'You know what to do Jasper.'

I reached across the counter and took her by the wrist, giving it a tug. She looked up at me and I pulled her wrist again. She Got up and I pulled her around to stand between my legs. I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Bella, what happened was not your fault." She went to open her mouth and I shook my head. "No, nothing you can say will make it your fault. The blame for all of it rests on the Cullen coven and myself. Before they left, if they were not going to follow the rules, they should have made sure you were safe. I should have made sure they did their jobs before I left them. You are a human facing supernatural problems, little one, problems might I point out, you are not equipped to deal with alone, and you have been. That in and of itself is a feat not even all supernatural can say. You have nothing to feel guilty about. If I could bring your friends back for you Bella, I would. Unfortunately, I can't, not without consequences."

She looked up and into my eyes. "Do you… you said heaven is real right?" I nodded. "Do you think my dad is there? Jake and the pack? The imprints? The alpha's mate was pregnant with twins, what about them?"

Fuck. She just had to go there, didn't she?

'Lay the groundwork and all shall fall into place.'

I sighed and slid my hands from her shoulders to her hips. My brows drew down and I bit into the corner of my lip before I looked back up at her. "Bella, look, I am like, the last person that would know that. I have not been home in over a century. Hitler, Hussein, Castro, it's a really good chance that they are in fact in hell right now, but I couldn't even tell you that for absolute certain, that's how long it's been since I have been there. Contrary to popular belief, we don't know every last person there at any given moment. When they pass through the gates, they are given a number and that is how they are known for the rest of eternity. There is the archive that has name and number together to find out for sure, but other than that, I don't have an answer for you, I just don't know." she looked crushed.

'Lift her spirits.'

I lifted her head with my finger under her chin and looked into her eyes. "There is something I know about that you might find some solace in. There is a rule, a sort of soul fail sake, if you will. It's called the 'age of innocence'. Any soul that has not been on the earth for at least 18 years is still seen as pure, or close to it anyways, easy to shine up like new. The way it is seen is prior to that age; the person is unable to comprehend what true consequences are for their actions. So the unborn twins, and any of the humans, or any of your pack that had not yet reached their 18th year gets a pass straight through the gates. As for the rest, I didn't know them, so I cannot tell you what happened when they took their last breath."

She nodded and looked a little lighter, but I could tell that the unknown destination of her father was weighing heavy on her.

'Give her hope.'

I looked away from her eyes before I looked back at her, "I might not be able to help you, but I do know someone that can." I smiled a half smile at her when her eyes lit up.

'Give her the information.'

I reached out and moved her hair behind her ear and out of her face and looked right in her eyes. "You need to ask yourself something first little one, what is that information worth to you?"

Her brows drew together, "Worth?"

I nodded, "Yes. Information is never free Bella. There is a price for the answer you seek." I cupped her cheek, not looking away from her eyes. "You need to ask yourself, is it a price you are willing to pay?"

She looked at me with worry in her eyes, "Price? I don't have a lot to pay any kind of price."

I chuckled. "Funny. No, Bella, I'm not talking about money. That shit holds no real worth in this situation. The price for what you want to know is far steeper and far more valuable. The question is, is your soul worth finding out the fate of your father's?

Her eyes went wide. "My soul?" I nodded. "But, I'm still using it."

Again I nodded, "Yes you are. I told you it is a steep price to pay. Are you willing to sign away your soul to find out where your father's is?" she stood there, eyes darting back and forth as she thought about that.

'Gain her trust.'

Calling her attention back to me, "Don't answer me right now. Think about it, long and hard Bella, because once you decide, there is no going back."

She looked in my eyes and just stared for a moment before she nodded. "Alright, I'll think about it. For now though, why don't I show you where you can hang out tonight if you want to get away from Peter and Charlotte." I gave her a smile before she turned her back to me and started walking back towards the living room.

'Well done Jasper.'

And with that, I followed after her.

Chapter 6

 

BPOV

After showing Jasper to the library I went to my room and changed out of the jeans and long sleeve shirt I was wearing in lieu of a pair of boy shorts and a shorts bra and went and stood in front of the mirror. I pulled all my hair up into a high ponytail, uncovering my face; Jasper's words ringing in my ears, 'for what it's worth though, I think it only adds to your beauty'. I saw a blush rise on my cheeks as what I felt when he said that came back. I could feel the sincerity in his voice, in his words. I used to think I was a good judge on that, but now, after everything I have been through, I just don't know what to think anymore.

I turned to the side as my eyes traveled down from my face to the long scar that goes from my left shoulder blade, over my shoulder, following my left breast around between its twin then cutting across my stomach to my right side, figuratively cutting my in half diagonally. My fingers follow another that goes from under my left arm making a small arc down my side going down into the curve of my hip ending below the hem of my shorts. Though I can't see them that well, I know my back has carvings as well. Twin marks that go from the small of my back bubble out and come back together between my shoulder blades. I was the cunts fucking art canvas. To bad the bitch can't draw for shit. Even my arms and legs were marred. My biceps have two lines from my shoulders to the inside of my elbows, then two more from an inch below my elbow bone over the tops of my forearms ending at my wrists. Then from hips to knees the same as my biceps and knee to ankle like my forearms. Guess she was channeling her inner anime. Ever seen Inuyasha? Well my arms and legs look like his brother Sesshomaru. I wanna smash the mirror almost as much as the bitch's face.

Pulling on my robe but not tying it I went out onto my balcony. Leaning on the rail I looked up at the stars, thinking about what Jasper told me tonight about the age of innocence. I had never heard of it before, but I was thankful that he told me about it. Jake was barely 17, so he fell under that; as did Leah, Seth, Collin, Brady, Clare, Kim, and Emily's twins. Emily, Sam, Paul, Jared and Billy though, all ages out of that umbrella. I guess I just have to hope that everything they did for the people of their tribe, everything they did for me, would be enough to find them eternal happiness with their loved ones.

Then there is my dad. I know that my dad has killed people in his life. It was in the line of duty, but does that matter? Does it matter that it was his life or theirs? The people he killed were no less of person than he was in the grand scheme of it was what his peers called justified homicide, from what I was always taught was God judged all equally. No one person was better than anyone else. So, with that in mind, with the fact that I KNOW my father has those kinds of blemishes on his soul, is it enough to pray? God, Jesus, even your own fucking mother knows I am not a religious person, not by any stretch, but to have things confirmed, it tends to change your outlook I guess. I know praying you win the lottery is a bunch of bull, but when you are asking for the salvation of someone's soul, would that be considered the same thing when that soul is not your own. I know that if you ask forgiveness it is supposed to be given, but I am not asking it for myself, but for someone else. Is that considered cowardly for someone else to ask on your behalf? Does it look like to God that you are not sorry and other's asking is like a slap in the face to him? All these questions and no answer seem forth coming.

The stars suck for advice.

I turned around, leaning my back on the rail and crossed my arms and ankles and looked at the deck. Then there was Jasper's offer. He said he knew someone that had the answer to where my father's soul went. Fuck, I wish I knew why it mattered to me. If he is in hell, there really is nothing I can do about it, and if he's not, it's not like I am ever going to see him again. I'm sure there is a nice spot in hell reserved for fuck ups like me. There is a lot of blood on my hands; a fuck of a lot of blood. I might not have ACTUALLY killed those people, but I AM responsible for their deaths. A hundred people that were never found, but are known to be dead; there was too much blood for them to have a chance at survival, even if they were alive before their bodies were moved.

That brings me to another issue. It would cost me my soul if I were to go about finding out the only thing that seems to matter to me anymore. So I guess Jasper was right, I have to figure out if my soul is worth the solace of knowing what happened to my daddy. Fuck, Charlie was the only parent that I have and I am questioning myself about what MY soul is worth. I never used to be this selfish. I am going to hell either way, so is it really that big of a deal if it is just a little sooner than planned? I guess I need to go talk to Jasper. He might know how to sort out my fucked up thoughts, or at least give me a little insight.

I ran back into my room looking around for any reason I could find to use as a vale so I don't look like a retard going in there right now. My eyes landed on my dresser where I know there is a pair of sweatpants the belonged to Jake that should fit him if not be just a little short. With him being a demon and not a vampire, how am I to know if he is just as comfortable in jeans as in cotton sweats. It was perfect. I threw on my Victoria Secret pjs and a long sleeved t-shirt, grabbed Jake's sweats and walked way more calm than I felt out of my room to the door to the library. This room is actually the master suite of the house, but I didn't see a need to have everything that the room comes with in a room I sleep in. It has a fireplace, in suite bathroom and a walk-in closet that I use for storage.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door before I took a step inside. Jasper was stretched out on the chaise lounge in the center of the room, book in one hand, glass of something in the other. There is a mini fridge in the room so probably whisky or bourbon. What gave me pause was the huge, and I do mean HUGE black gargoyle looking wings flowing over the edge of the lounge. He must have a ten foot at least wingspan when they are fully stretched out. Well, if there was a doubt in my mind that the fucker was lying before, it's gone now.

He looked over at me a moment, "Something the matter?"

I shook my head to clear it, but that shit proved about as possible as a dog having kittens. "N no, nothing, I just… I mean, I thought… Jesus, I'm sorry. You have fucking wings?"

He looked confused for a second before it looked like a light bulb went off in his head. He sat up saying, "I'm sorry. When I'm relaxed enough it doesn't cross my mind to keep them hidden. If they make you uncomfortable I can cloak them again."

I stared slack jawed at them for a moment longer before I got used to them. Well, maybe not USED to them, but not quite so freaked out by them. "No, it's ok. Sorry, just wasn't ready for that dose of reality I guess. It's one thing to be TOLD that I am housing a demon, quite different to have that proven."

He smirked, "I concede to your point. I can understand that I suppose." He stood up and crossed his arm, but I couldn't take my eyes off his fucking wings. They looked like they came out from between his shoulder blades. They were wider than his shoulders sticking out six inches from his arms, were long enough to touch the floor and went to a point six inches or so above his head. I know a holy shit, or something close to it came out of my mouth. When Jasper cleared his throat my eyes snapped to his and he smirked, "Well, I doubt that you came in here to get freaked out, so, what is it I can do for you?"

I bit my lip wondering if I was doing the right thing when I felt my confidence rise. I glared at him, but was thankful none the less. "I don't know much about demons, so I didn't know if jeans were the same to you as sweats, but I thought that if that wasn't the case and there is a difference that you would want something more comfortable than what you're wearing and that if you wanted…"

"Bella." My mouth snapped shut and I looked at him, "You're rambling."

I took a deep breath, "Sorry. Uh, I brought you something to change into if the different material of clothing makes any difference to you. I would have offered Peter and Charlotte something else if I didn't know for a fact that vampires didn't give a damn if they were naked or wearing a suit of armor."

Jasper smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye. "Thank you; and yes, there is a difference in the feeling. That was very kind of you to think of me."

JPOV

As I stood there looking at the twitching human in front of me I was hard pressed not to laugh. Even if she wasn't a nervous wreck just by looking at her, her emotions were all over the place. When she came in stuttering I knew that something was up. I really didn't know that my wings had been revealed so I can understand her mini freak out, but when she started tripping all over herself about bringing me a pair of pants I almost did laugh at her. Humans are really a lot of fun. I decided to help her out, "Thank you; and yes, there is a difference in the feeling. That was very kind of you to think of me." Leaning back against the backrest of the chase lounge I crossed my ankles. "Now that we got that out of the way, why don't you tell me why you're really here, because we both know that wasn't it."

She sagged into herself and hugged the sweats t her body. Shaking her head I distinctly heard her say something about stupid fucking emotions before she looked back at me, "You're right."

I nodded, "Usually am little one. Mouths can lie, emotions can't." I extended my hand to the lounge indicating that I wanted her to sit down. When she did I looked down at her, "Now, tell me why you are here and not in bed."

She held out the sweats without looking at me, "I really did bring you these to wear if you wanted to. They were Jake's they might be a little short, but shouldn't be too bad." She turned and pointed to a door in the far corner, "There is a bathroom through there if you want to change." I figured that was more of a request for more time than anything else so with a nod I took the offered garment and went into the bathroom to change.

After taking as long as I could without being obvious about it, I walked back into the room and saw Bella pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace muttering to herself in her own language I guess. I couldn't understand a single thing she said. I turned my head to the side and regarded her a moment before I spoke, "Bella? Are you alright?"

She stopped and turned to look at me, "No, no I am not fucking alright. I'm going fucking batty, well, battier and don't know what the fuck to do!"

I walked across the room and grabbed her by the arm, turning her to face me fully. "Talk to me Darlin'. Tell me what's wrong and we'll see if I can help alright. Just calm down; nothing can get fixed if you get yourself worked into a frenzy. Take a deep breath and calm down or I will do it for you. And, if my memory serves, you were never a fan of that."

She looked at me like I was speaking gibberish, and in her state of mind I probably was. She closed her eyes, dropped her head, and slowly started shaking it back and forth while she started backing away from me. "My friends are dead, my mother wants nothing to do with me, and I can't get close to anyone for fear that they will turn up dead when the bitch decides to come out of hiding again. All that sucks but all fails in comparison to the fact that I don't know what happened to my father when he died. I know he killed people when he was alive, but they were all ruled a justified homicide, self-defense, him or them." She looked up at me, tears in her eyes, "Does that matter? Does it matter that it was his life or theirs? Does it matter that it was self-defense? In the end, is that taken into account? When he was judged, did God care about that?" Tears were streaming down her face at this point. "I have to know, Jasper. I have to know what happened to him. I have to know if the way he was killed, the way he was brutally murdered, if the pain and anguish he felt when he died, if the remorse he felt about taking the lives he did meant anything at all at his final judgment, or if God is the asshole I thought he was."

I tried to cut her off, but she was relentless. "I never believed in God before because I didn't want to believe in a God that was so cruel as to let what happened to me, happen." Looking me in the eyes she took off the shirt and pajama bottoms she was wearing and my eyes widened at the sight. She was covered in long angry looking scars. She did a full circle showing me all of them giving me a sick feeling. "I didn't want to believe that God would let THIS happen to one of his children that he was supposed to love. I hated him, I still hate him." She took a stuttering breath and I thought she was done, but I was wrong. She lowered her voice and her eyes, "Someone once told me that you can't hate something that you don't believe exists. If you hate it, you have to believe it's there to hate." She looked back up at me, resolve and determination hard in her eyes and in her emotions. "My soul has been destined for hell for a really long time, Jasper. What is the point of putting off the inevitable? If the price to find out is my soul, the answer is yes; my daddy is worth giving up my soul."

During her speech I had leaned my shoulder on the mantle and crossed my arms and ankles. My head was down as I listened and thought about what she said. After a few moments I looked up through my bangs and rubbed my forehead, "You're sure about this?" She nodded. "And there is absolutely nothing in this world that will change your mind, nothing at all?" She shook her head, fully dedicated to her choice. "What about your bar?"

"What about it? It's not like I am going to need the money where I'm going. I'll sign the bar over to Peter and he can run it. It's not like the owner of the place really needs to be there anyways." True on all counts I guess.

I rubbed my fingers over my mouth as I considered my options. She really didn't leave me with a lot of them. Not with as strongly as she felt about this. Throwing my fingers out, "Alright, fine, it you are completely and 100% sure about this, and you feel the same when sober and after a full night's sleep, then I will take you to who you need to talk to. But, Bella, remember, you have to be sure. Once you're there, there is no turning back or changing your mind. There can be no doubt or righteous speeches, cuz I can tell you this, pretty words mean about jack and shit to him."

She looked at me hard, like she was trying to see in to my soul. Yea, even I have one, weird right? I don't know what she saw, or didn't see but her eyes hardened. She pointed to the chase lounge, "Sit. It seems to me that you need a lesson in human emotions. You know, for someone that deals with them all the time, you really fucking suck at the concept." Again, not giving me a lot of options, I did as I was told as she walked over to a stereo that was set up on one of the book shelves. She pushed a couple buttons and came and plopped down next to me. "This is sort of the theme song to my life. Listen to it and pay attention to the words." With that she pushed play on the remote in her hand and music to a song I have never heard before came on over the speakers.

When the song ended I looked at Bella. She was sitting there, legs pulled to her chest, head resting on her knees so she was looking at me. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, "That song is called 'Life is Beautiful' by a band called Sixx AM. After everything happened, when everything went so wrong, this song seemed to know it, seemed to know just what was going on in my life. There is a lot of truth to that song. Life is beautiful. But you have to LIVE to have a life. You have to SEE what's around you to see beauty, Jasper." She sighed and turned her head to look into the unlit fireplace. "I have no regrets. I have done things in my life that no human will ever imagine. Never could imagine for that matter. I know things that humans could only hope to. There is not another human out there, well alive anyways, that knows beyond doubt and without faith, that heaven and hell are real, that God and Satan exist. There is a trail of blood for me to follow to go home. Blood that is on my hands no matter what you say.

"It took my OWN funeral for me to feel alive. Coincidentally, did you know that you feel the most alive right before you die? Thanks to Victoria, I have been on the brink of death five times in the past five years." She looked at the calendar on the table, "Huh, would you look at that?"

I looked at her and saw a whimsical look cross her face and enter her eyes, "What? What is it?"

She nodded at the calendar, "It's getting to be that time again. I give her a month, tops, before she shows up for my yearly near death experience." She said in a tone that clearly wrote it off as unimportant. Looking at the scar on her side that I have a really good view of, I could almost see why; almost.

"It sounds like you have given up."

She shook her head. "No, I haven't, not by a long shot." She looked back at me. "But if it's all the same to you, your highness, take me to the fucker that can tell me about my father and let me deal with the consequences of my choice as they come." And she stood to leave. I called out to her just as she reached the door.

"Why? You tell me why, the real reason you chose this and I will. I don't want the pretty bullshit you sprouted to me earlier. I'm sure that has a place somewhere, but I want the bottom line because in the end, that's what matters."

She turned her head to look at me, "The bottom line huh? How's this, I'm fucking tired. I'll keep fighting, but I am so fucking tired. Tired of the stares, tired of the pity, tired of running."

"I told you Bella…"

"Bella is DEAD! Bella does not exist anymore. Bella died the day Edward Cullen abandoned her in the woods behind her house. Bella is GONE. Isabella Swan is no more. I am no more Bella Swan than you are Jasper Hale. I am Izzy Wolf and I am FUCKING tired."

"Whatever the name the fact remains the same I told you…" Mother fucker, stop interrupting me.

"Told me what? That I'm not alone anymore? The fuck I'm not! Who do I have, really? I have a demon prince that left me high and fucking dry before and a vampire couple that disappear more than fucking cake at a weight watchers convention. So you'll have to forgive me, your highness, if I don't fucking believe you. I am doing this because I need to know what happened to my father. The rest that will come with it is just an added bonus."

"You think the end result of this venture is you getting rest? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Probably, but that's the point right? No SANE person would have ended up where I am in the first place. And trust me Jasper, live six months of my life and you would understand. Nothing the fucker you're going to take me to could come up with for me could be any worse than the hell I live every day."

My phone vibrated, and knowing who it was I had to end this. "Go to bed Bella. We will talk about this in the morning when emotions are not running so high and you have a chance to sleep on it. I said that if you still felt that strongly about it, I would take you and I will, but I won't do it with you drunk. It is a sober choice or nothing." She just turned on her heel and left the room.

Taking a deep, huffy breath I called my father back. He picked up after the first ring. Without waiting for him to say anything,"You called?"

"Yes, I did. I am going to assume that did not go according to plan?"

"What the fuck do you think?"

"I think you need to settle the hell down and remember who you're talking to, first of all. Second of all, I think I have a perfect solution to the little problem you have."

"This is not a little problem, Father. This is a huge problem."

"Oh, I don't think so. As a matter of fact, I think it will work out nicely for all involved. She wants to know the whereabouts of her father's soul, yes? That's all?"

"As far as I know, that's the only one she is really upset about. Telling her about age of innocence seemed to put much of her soul at ease. I don't know how many other lives she put on herself for certain. She said that the blood of everyone Victoria killed since James' death is on her hands. I have told her otherwise, but it does not seem to get through to her."

He was quiet for a moment before he came back, "Yes, I do believe I have the perfect solution to this problem. I will see you soon my son." And with that the fucker hung up. If he was not my father, I would really hate that guy.

Chapter 7

BPOV

I woke up the next morning feeling way better than I should. I know I had too much to drink last night, but I feel great. I got out of bed after the mental assessment, finding only a slight headache that a couple of Advil would fix. Going through my clothes I pulled out a pair of tear- aways that I have had for so long that I couldn't even tell you where they came from and an oversized hoodie. It was still early so it will be cold outside.

Going downstairs for coffee I ran into my first problem, running in to Jasper was not just a drunken hallucination as I forced my brain to think. I know this because I am looking at him over a banquet sized breakfast spread out over my counter. Jesus fuck, this is not how I wanted my morning to go. I just wanted a cup of coffee and to sit on my porch swing before I had to deal with the bar today. But no, it seems that I have not suffered enough and God likes to fuck with me. Oh well, lemonade and all that.

I put a smile on my face, "Morning Jasper. Did you sleep well?"

He gave me a skeptical look for a moment, "I slept fine, thanks. Yourself?"

"Oh, I feel fantastic." I looked at the food and lifted an eyebrow, "Hungry there chief?"

He slid a cup of delicious to me gaining him a real smile in thanks. He nodded to me, "Actually, I didn't make any of this, and I would be wary if I were you. Charlotte means well, but when she can't taste what she makes, she tends to go a little overboard with basic seasoning." Alright, coffee only this morning then. I sat back and took a long drink of the black bliss with an apprising hum. Jasper leaned a hip on the counter and looked at me, "Do you still feel the same today as you did last night?"

I choked on my bliss, "Excuse me?" what the hell was he talking about?

He looked almost relieved. "Last night, we talked and you made a choice. Do you still feel the same way?"

I sat my cup down and folded my hands on the counter. "Jasper, I was so far beyond fucked last night when we left the bar. I hardly remember the second game of kings we played. Outside of a whole bottle worth of obscenities directed at Peter, my memory of last night is like nonexistent; so whatever I said past the point of coming home cannot be held against me." He looked like I just fell to my knees and gave him my undying love. "Oh god, what the fuck did I say? You look way too happy that I don't remember." I have a vague memory about talking to him after I went to my room, but it's not clear enough to tell me anything useful.

He smiled and shook his head. "Izzy, all I am going to say on it is it is probably best that you don't remember our talk last night." Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "If you say so Jasper." I looked away from him for a moment before looking back, "Just to put my mind at ease, I didn't like, make an ass out of myself did I? No drunken confessions of unyielding love, nothing like that right?"

He laughed. "No Iz, nothing like that. Your unyielding love is still unattained as of right now. A sad fact that I will have to find away to live with."

I chucked a piece of bacon at him, "You're an ass."

He shrugged, "Eh, I've been called worse." I bet you have.

Picking my cup back up I headed outside to sit on my porch swing like I planned on and what I saw when I walked out gave me the giggles. Peter was sprawled out in my front yard looking all the world like he was fucking my lawn. An evil, fantastic idea came to mind and I called in to Jasper, "Hey demon prince, do me a favor yeah? The middle dial on the panel by the back door, push it all the way up." I looked over my shoulder and he was standing there giving me a look that clearly said 'why'. "Please?" He rolled his eyes and did what I asked and was rewarded with my sprinkler system tuning on and Peter jumping up with a really loud fuck.

Peter metalized next to me with a pissy face, "What the fuck was that for?"

I gave my best innocently horrified face and looked back over my shoulder at Jasper who was staring wide eyes at the soaking wet Peter and said, "Oh fuck, did I say middle? I meant the one on the right." Jasper flipped the right switch and the overhead light came on. I looked back at Peter, "See, honest mistake."

Peter crossed his arms and his face clearly said he did not believe me. "If you were not my favorite human, Iz, and I was not used to your own brand of fuckary, I would end you for this. I have killed people for far less than that."

I nodded, "I bet you have. But in order to do that to me, you would have to go through him." I pointed a thumb over my shoulder at Jasper who clearly did not like Peter's threat. "Now, you wanna tell me what you were doing to my front yard? The hippies might like you having sex with the grass, but I got to say, I am not a fan. I have enough vampires after me, I don't need them to grow out of the ground as well, savvy?"

Peter's eyes grew wide, "I wasn't… I mean I didn't… bloody hell." He shook his head and walked back inside giving me a satisfied smile as I sat down.

JPOV

When Bella said she didn't remember our talk last night I could have cried I was so relieved. If I was anyone else I would have been surprised, but I could almost see my father's smirk saying, 'told you'. I said if she felt the same this morning I would take her to see my father, but I really didn't want to yet. That girl has a lot of issues that need to be worked out before then. Oh, I am not so disillusioned that she changed her mind, quite the opposite actually. I know that she is still set in her decision, but if she does not remember coming to the choice, than I have a bit more time to get her ready for that.

I lied when I said I slept fine, I didn't sleep at all as a matter of fact. I was too bothered by what she said. I can understand how she could feel that way though, after seeing the scars she carries, I most certainly can understand that. I know that the alcohol was not talking last night; it just gave her the courage to voice it. She really does feel that way. She truly hates God and she really does feel that strongly about finding out the fate of her father. She is truly worried that her father's judgment was a bad one. I KNOW the answers to some of the questions she asked about if it mattered. The answer is no, it doesn't. Your death means nothing, how you die means nothing, it is only what you did in life that holds any bearing in your last judgment. Remorse is a bullshit emotion and God knows it. Sure you can feel bad after words, but it is a blatant choice to take a life, and in his eyes, a BIG no no.

Self-defense is a human ideal, not something that is recognized by the powers that be. Justified homicide is a bogus loophole to keep cops out of jail for murder to keep the murder rate in prison down. Things used to be so much more cut and dry before guns and laws. The saying 'an eye for an eye' is one of my favorites. Do unto others is another great concept that was lost to the passing of time. When she told me that her father has taken lives it took everything I had not to groan. I know where her father is, or at least a pretty good idea. And there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it.

Something else that bothered me was what she said about Victoria. That one might have been the booze, but somehow, I doubt it. Shrugging it off, THAT was the alcohol, I am sure of it, but the time frame she gave, that might not have been. It Victoria is like others of her kind, she is a creature of habit. Bella might only know the time frame subconsciously, but it is ingrained in her internal clock. She proved that last night when she told me Victoria comes around once a year, from what it seems, around the same time. Without meaning to, she gave me something to work with as far as getting my fucking hands on her and doing away with a threat that I should have dealt with years ago. The first thing I have to do is find out everything I can about her and see what I am really dealing with outside of what I already know. The thing is about vampires that lost their mates are they are unpredictable and that makes them dangerous. When they lose their mates, they lose themselves and just don't give a fuck about their own lives anymore. They are completely devoted to revenge and don't care if they die trying to get it. Unfortunately for Bella or any human really, it's a death sentence to be on the bad side of a vampire.

After I helped Bella soak Peter, totally unknown to me by the way, I went back to my thoughts on the matter and what all I needed to do within the given time. Bella said a month tops, so in a matter of weeks we will be graced with her presence. That really does not give me a lot of time to figure this out and take care of the problem. I think it might be time to call in a favor. During my time on the surface I have seen the best and the worst of the vampire race. I think for the time being, I am going to hover around the middle and go from there. I need to talk to Peter and work this out.

Bella came back in and informed us she was going to take a shower and get ready to go to the bar and get it ready to open tonight. When she disappeared upstairs I turned to him and nodded to go outside. "I promise, I won't turn the sprinklers on again." I said with a smirk. He gave me the finger as he walked out the door.

"It would have been funny if I had something else to change into, but as it is, I'm sure you understand."

I rolled my eyes. "Get over it; we have bigger issues than you being wet."

He looked at me like he was going to make a smart ass joke, but the smart fucker thought better of it. "Well, what is it Major?"

I leaned on a tree and crossed my arms. "Something Bella said to me last night about Victoria. Vampires, I have learned, are creatures of habit yes?" he nodded.

"Yeah, there is little to nothing that changes us and if it does it is an eternal one. Nothing will change us back."

I just looked at him like he was a stupid fuck. "No shit. That was not what I meant. What I meant was, if they have been doing the same thing year after year, they keep doing it right?" he nodded but kept his mouth shut this time. "From what Bella told me, Victoria makes a yearly visit to her. There is a body count leading up to the encounter, and Victoria brings her as close to death as she can without actually killing her." He looked taken aback by that for a moment, but then looked guilt ridden. "What is it?"

"Every year, about the same time, she calls and asks me and Char to visit."

Both brows rose at that, "And you never did?" he shook his head. I sighed, "Well, there is nothing you can do about it now, so don't get all worked up over the past." I was calm while speaking, but inside I was seething. She wouldn't have half those scars if he would have come when she asked. "Anyways, what she said is it is getting close to the time that Victoria shows up. Gave her a month tops before she shows. If you feel that badly about not being there for her in the past, be there for her now."

He looked at me, "What do you need?"

I scratched my temple, "I need someone that can go undetected and find the bitch before she gets to close, but not someone that will attack. I need information that we don't have. If she is alone, if not how many at her disposal, their location, things like that."

"If she is found, why would you not just want her head on a pike?"

"Think about it Peter. If there is more than her involved, and I am sure there are by what Bella said, we can't do anything to her before we know what kind of ties she has to them. We don't need to make an already bad situation worse by pissing off more vampires. I am more than capable of keeping Bella safe, but even I am not stupid enough to go into an altercation with unknown vampires of unknown numbers."

"But you're a demon; you outmatch our kind hands down."

"Yea, I'm a demon, so fucking what. My priority is keeping that human safe, not going to war with a bitch that can't get her fucking facts straight. The cunt is going to die, that's a sure fire fact as much as me standing before you right now is, but I want this to be on MY terms, not hers. The only way to do that is to know exactly what the fuck I am up against so I can plan shit out accordingly. If I need reinforcements, I need to know that as soon as fucking possible. Get me?" He took a step back and nodded. I don't ever get worked up like this, so I can understand why he is a bit wary. "Good."

"Do you have anyone in mind sire?"

A slow smirk came to my lips and I saw Peter gulp. "Garrett. I want him here by sundown." I started to head for the house when Peter's voice stopped me.

"That might not be possible, Jasper."

Turning my head to look at him over my shoulder, "Make it happen Captain." And I walked away.

PPOV

I watched Jasper walk back towards the house, just staring at him. He has not called me that in a century, and fuck it all if that didn't show me how serious the fucker was. I leaned my back on a tree and tried to figure out how the fuck I was going to not only LOCATE a nomadic vampire, but get ahold of him and get him here before sunset. I looked through the branches to judge how much time I had to do this. Not much. Eight hours tops and I have no fucking clue where that bastard is. I have not seen or heard from him in decades. I dropped my head in my hands. Fuck my undead life.

"Quite the pickle you found yourself in, huh vampire?"

"Yeah, no fucking shit." I lifted my head and turned to look at the person that said that and my eyes went wide. I dropped to a knee and bowed my head, "Forgive me, my lord, I didn't know it was you."

Again, fuck my life. It was none other than Jasper's father, Lucifer himself, standing a few feet away from me.

He snorted, "I didn't think you did. You can get up. I want to talk to you, not the top of your head."

So I got up. "What can I do for you my lord?"

He crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "This human, the one my son is going to go to war over, do you know what is it about her that draws him in?" the smirk on his face was mocking me.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but Jasper is trying to avoid that scenario. He has no plans for a war with the group of vampires."

"Be that as it may vampire, he IS going to war. Plans change, you know that. Now, answer my question."

I rubbed my forehead and sighed, not for the first time in my unlife I wander about headaches. "I have no idea. Well I have an idea, but I don't know how accurate it is."

He smirked at me, "Now we both know that is not true. I mean no harm to the human. I am actually quite interested in her continued survival, as it were. I just want to know Jasper's interest. I know yours and your mate's. But it is not your opinion on the matter that interests me. Jasper however, I am most interested in."

I bit my lip. "He doesn't know you're here, does he?"

He raised a brow at me. "Would he have walked away if he did?" I didn't think so, but Jasper does like to surprise people. "He does that more often than I would like, vampire. Now, about the human."

shifted from one foot to the other, "If you'll forgive me for asking, but what do you want to know?"

He smiled at me, but it was anything but nice. Coming from the devil though, what do you expect? "You have nothing to fear, I have been rooting for them from the sidelines. As I said, her continued existence is of the utmost importance to me."

I sighed. Jasper is going to kill me for this. "Jasper knows her from a few years back, when he was with that joke of a coven."

He rolled his eyes, "The animal drinkers. Yes, I remember that all too well. That mind reader was something else. One of my better designs if he was not such a fucking halfwit; falling in love with a human when he was made to kill them. What a waste."

Oh he is going to love this. "That human is the same one that the mind reader fell for." I cringed when he laughed.

"You seem under the impression I was unaware of that." Well, that was not what I was expecting.

"Well, I didn't know that the human you sent me to watch was the same one he knew back then. She didn't tell me her name and I refused to betray her trust by going behind her back and finding out. It would have defeated the purpose of the mission you sent me on."

He nodded, "Yes, it would have. Jasper is still in the dark about that yes?" I nodded, though it made me sick to my stomach keeping it from him. "Fear not vampire. Everything will be as it is meant to. This will not come back on you if Jasper does in fact find out, you have my word." His head tilted to the side a bit. "Tell me, what is it you think about the human?"

I looked at him, "I'm sorry my lord?"

"It was a simple question, what do you think about her. I know how you feel about her; I want to know what you think about her."

I crossed my arms and leaned back on the tree and looked down at the ground as I thought about my answer, "She is strong, Sire, stronger than any human I have ever met. You don't have her life and see the world with blinders on. She is also jaded as fuck. She was done dirty by those that should have been the closest to her when she needed someone. Some of what I have heard is worse than some of the tortures you do my lord, and she is still here to tell the tale. Though I don't know how much longer if we can't stop whoever this Victoria is. Jasper knows some things about her, but not enough, hence the impossible task he sent me on. There is no way to find a nomad in the time he gave me."

He looked at his nails, "The revolutionary is in route. He shall be in the area an hour before sunset for you to meet with him and get him in Jasper's presence by the appointed time." He looked up at me and forced me to lock eyes with him. "You need to know vampire; that this entire situation and all the fucked up shit that the human has been through has all been for a reason. This is not MY doing for once, this was, and still is, the design her life was meant to make. This human, this Isabella Swan was chosen by the fates."

My jaw dropped. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before I found my voice, "You mean…" I couldn't say it.

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. God himself chose her for my son and set everything up to make her the person she needs to be. Her life was never meant to be complete without him and he could not interfere until she was ready, hence the reason he was otherwise involved, for lack of a better term, at the time she was first introduced to him. He does not have a wondering eye, even if he is simply using whoever for biblical pleasures."

Well, that was not something I ever expected, but things make a bit more since with the voices in my head. "Alright, what do you want me to do now?"

He rubbed his chin for a moment before to throw his fingers out. "Nothing. Just continue to do what it is you have been doing. Go retrieve the revolutionary that Jasper wants and keep this conversation to yourself. Tell not even your mate we have spoken. I will see you soon." And he just vanished. I really hate when he does that. He knows that, while the fiery exit is cool and all, fire is deadly to vampires. Fucking demons. Well, I guess since I now know where to find Garrett, I should head that way. Can't be seen around here if I am supposed to be looking for someone, now can I?

Taking off the opposite direction of the house so as not to get too close to Jasper and thought about everything that I was just told. That is some fucked up shit and I am sure he didn't tell me everything. The hard part of this will be keeping it from Charlotte. She always knows if something is bothering me and is relentless in finding out what it is. Not looking forward to that confrontation. Well, with a few hours to spare, what can I do to get my ass in trouble?

 

Chapter 8

 

JPOV

Looking across a table at Garrett brings back a lot of memories, and not all are pleasant. I'm sitting at Bella's dining room table with my hands behind my head, ankle resting on my knee, just looking at him, waiting. Garrett is a very odd fucker. He was turned during the revolutionary war and still acts like it. Strange. I can tell when he started to get uncomfortable; he started fidgeting. Garrett is a nomad through and through. He acts like a vampire, sits stone still, hardly breathes. Right now though, he looks like he sat on a rock and it is in a very horrible position. He cleared his throat and I raised an eyebrow. He shifted once again and I smirked.

"You look like there is something on your mind, old friend. Care to share?" yeah, I'm being a dick, but god I love fucking with vampires.

He crossed his arms and cleared his throat again. "Peter says you are in need of my assistance, my prince. What is it I can do for you?"

I changed my position putting one elbow on the armrest and throwing a leg over the other arm of my chair, putting my chin in my hand. Looking at the nails on my other hand, "Yes that is correct. I do need your… oh what's the word?" looking up at him,"Talent. I have a problem of unknown proportions, and I need you to find that out for me."

He nodded, "I can do that my lord. What can you tell me about the situation as you know it?"

So I told him about Bella, Victoria, and finished off with what I wanted him to do. "What I need from you is to find out the unknown variables. Where she is as of now, how many others might be with her, if you can, a more definite time of her attack and what that will be. This has been going on for seven years and it ends now. I don't want her anywhere near Bella. I would like this to be as clean as possible. She has killed enough humans; I do not want anyone added to her already high body count."

"You just want me to get you information?"

I nodded. "As I explained to Peter earlier, I do not want to make a bad situation worse by killing her and pissing off a horde of vampires of unknown age, talents, and numbers. I am trying to avoid a war with your kind Garrett. But I want no mistakes made." I stood up, put both hands on the table, and looked at both Peter and Garrett, "If it comes to it, I will do whatever I must to ensure Bella's safety. I don't care if I have to kill off your entire race to do it." Sitting back down I leveled a look at Garrett, "let us hope it does not come to that hmm?" he gulped and nodded.

"What are your orders?"

I shrugged, "Simple. Find her, watch her, and report back to me in a week with whatever you have. I will take it from there." I waved my hand, "Dismissed." He bowed his head and was gone. I looked back over at Peter, "You feel like you have a dirty little secret Captain. Care to share with the class?"

He looked guilty but shook his head. "You're going to just have to trust me sire. This is something that is better left for the time being. I have a few thoughts and my gift is going haywire, but I don't have anything concrete just yet. As soon as everything falls into place and I have a better reading on things, I will come to you immediately, as always."

I narrowed my eyes at him a bit. He was lying through his fucking teeth. "Alright Peter, as you wish. You're not hiding anything important from me are you?"

He hesitated a second too long for my tastes. "No, Jazz."

I studied him for a moment before I shrugged. "Okay. That's all I needed to know." I clapped my hands together once and smiled. "So, since Char is keeping an eye on the bar, you and I are going to visit my Father."

His eyes went wide. "Your father sire?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know weird right. There is a reason for it and I can't really put it off; no matter how much I want to. Don't worry Pete, we will be back in plenty of time to be back before the girls and if there is a problem, it's not like it will take all that long to get there. We are closer to them in hell than we are here. So, let's go, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

PPOV

Well mother fucker and a mutant Christ. This is not my day. I am not a stupid fuck, Jasper knows I'm hiding something from him and I KNOW he is going to be pissed when he finds out, and now he wants to go see his father. The fucker NEVER willing goes to see him. He has not been home in over a century and now, NOW, out of the blue, he decides it's time for a fucking family reunion. There was literally nothing I could do about it either. So like a stupid fuck I nod my agreement. God damn it all.

Even with all this negative going on in my head, I am still, even after all this time, mystified by the vision of Jasper with his wings showing. When he's home the cloak automatically comes off. They are a symbol of his blood line so he can't hide them here. There is also a noticeable hierarchy here and very strictly enforced, hence why I am walking behind him instead of beside him like I would on the surface. However because I am higher up than most of my kind, I get to walk off center opposed to directly behind him. God almighty I hate this place, it always smells like smoke and ash. However, on the flip side to that, the palace is definitely something to behold. Your normal everyday fuck up that ends up here never get to see it, nothing beyond the walls, so like a tower or something like that. The décor is all done in deep reds, the darkest blacks and darker shades of blue. Kind of cool.

We stopped at the open doors to the throne room and Jasper leaned on the door frame listening to the tail end of the Dark Lord's 'adviser's' speech. I have no clue what he said, but chances are Jasper heard everything from the time we entered the hallway leading here. I chanced a glance at him from the corner of my eye and he did not look happy.

"I still say you should let me kill the fucker." Way to make an entrance, Sire.

Every head snapped to the door and then there was a mad scramble to bow and scrape and shit before the prince. The adviser froze and Lucifer looked beside himself with glee. He stood from his seat and walked towards us. I bowed low at the waist and took a step back.

"Jasper my son, I am so happy you finally decided to come home." He had a smile on his face as him and Jasper shook hands, though daddy looked like he wanted a hug.

"Father. It is… odd to be here after so long."

Smile firmly in place, "well, than perhaps maybe you should not stay gone so long in the future."

Jasper snorted. "Perhaps." Than he smirked, "I still think you should let me kill him." tilting his head towards the adviser.

His father laughed as he turned to walk back to the front of the room waving us to follow. "As happy as I am that you came home for a visit, I am not so daft as to think that it is a social visit. What can I do for you Jasper?"

Jasper stopped a few feet before the dais and crossed his arms. "Am I not simply allowed to come and see you, father, or do I need a reason to grace your presence?"

"Of course you are; you just never do so forgive me if I am skeptical about your purpose here."

Jasper raised a brow at him, "And you must think ill of me to assume that I don't know for fact that you know precisely why I am here."

The adviser with a death wish stepped forward, "You will show your lord the proper respect." Jasper looked at him and hissed making both me and his father smirk when he backtracked, "My prince."

Lucifer snorted a very undignified sound, "It would behoove you not to underestimate my son's very well-known dislike for you. One of these days he will kill you damn the consequences if you are not careful." Looking back at Jasper with a twinkle in his eye, "You are correct as always, though I don't fully know your reason, I do have a rather good guess."

Jasper is the only person that could roll his eyes that devil and keep them in his head. "Right." He gave a sidelong look at the adviser, "Can we speak privately father. The topic is rather delicate."

He stood up and nodded, "Of course, we can speak in my lounge. Is your vampire accompanying you as well?" Jasper nodded making him smile. "Wonderful. Peter, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Closing my eyes and bowing, "The pleasure is mine, my lord. It is good to see you well."

He snorted. "Trust me vampire, you have not seen anything yet." Me and Jasper looked at each other, both of us at a loss as to what the fuck he meant. So we followed him like good little boys through the hallways to his private wing. I felt privileged to be here, no one but the royal family and the ones that clean it are allowed here. When we got to what looked like his study Jasper and I sat on one side of the desk and father on the other. "Alright Jasper, what can I do for you?" And Jasper told him everything.

He told him about what we found at the forks house, about his time there and the altercation with the nomads' years ago, he told him about Victoria, and he told him about Bella. He told him everything.

"Father, I don't know what to do. Bella is… special. The girl has been tortured, mutilated, and mentally destroyed, and she just picks herself back up and keeps going."

Lucifer looked at him for a long moment before he smiled. I looked away from it because, let's be honest, when the devil smiles, it is fucking creepy. Jasper looked a little bored. "Well, I was wondering when you were going to grow the fuck up and tell me this."

Jasper gave him a deadpanned look, "You knew?"

Daddy nodded, "Of course I did. There is not a lot that you have done in the last century that I am not aware of. But to make sure I am not mistaken, the human that you were talking to last night, that was the same one from this epic story, yes." Jazz nodded and Lucifer leaned back in his seat and laced his finger together in front of his face. "Just want to make sure. I must say son, you sure do know how to make a mess."

Jasper snorted, "I fail to see how this mess is mine. I will except my part in it seeing as I was the one that killed the bitches mate, but if that fucking mind reader would have left her the hell alone like we all told him to, than none of this shit would have happened."

Daddy shrugged, "Why I am inclined to believe that, you know as well as I do that you can't know that for certain. This could have been a case of wrong place wrong time, but you cannot know that for sure and you know it. However, that being said, had you come to me before now, there is a good possibility that the human could have been saved from at least some of what she has been through. As it is, you did not so we have to work with what we have. Tell me Jasper, why do you feel any responsibility at all? You have killed thousands of humans in the past, all without an ounce of remorse. What is it about this human?"

He sighed and looked down, "I do not know Father. You said you had an idea, what was it?"

He raised a brow at him, "I made forget her conversation with you. It would do no one any favors coming to that kind of decision while that intoxicated." Then he looked at me, "What do you think about this vampire? It is your kind that seems to be the crux of this dilemma."

Dick. Why do you have to bring me into this? "I like this human, she is stronger than any of her kind, hell most of mine. I don't think she deserves what happened to her."

"We all seem to be in agreement to that. She does not deserve what happened to her. How do you think we should handle it?"

"I wouldn't want to speculate my lord. I'm just a soldier. I go to and do what I am told. I leave the planning to Prince Jasper, sire."

He snorted. "No need for such honorifics vampire, you two are friends. Do not change your relationship to my son just because you are in my presence. What I am curious about I suppose is there is an unwritten rule about not killing your own kind for a human is there not?"

"There is, but…"

"And yet you are ready to go to arms if Jasper told you to?"

"Well yes, but…"

"Are you willing to do what EVER you are told to in this situation?

"Absolutely, but…" god fucks Mary in bar, will you ever let me finish a damn sentence?

He went to ask me something I could not answer so I looked beseechingly at Jasper with a look that clearly said 'help me you asshole'. "Father, stop. I am here for advice on how to handle this without it ending in a war. If you are just going to be an asshole…" he trailed off but what he was saying was clear.

Lucifer put his chin in his hand, "What makes you think there is a way to do that? Sometimes that is an unavoidable outcome."

"I highly doubt there is not a way to avoid war with the vampire race."

He looked Jasper dead in the eye, "We shall see. You are, or were rather, a ruthless killer. I think that pixy fucked your head up." He stood up and walked to a window and looked out. After a minute, he spoke, "I want to meet her."

Jasper jumped up, "Father, I do not think that is the best of ideas right now."

He looked over his shoulder, "I would like to know how you came to the conclusion that that was a request. You came to me for help, so we will be doing this my way. Last night the choice she made was for the right reasons, but she was in the wrong mindset. Either you bring her to me, or I will go to her. You have 24 hours to decide before I make the choice for you." He turned to face him fully. "Seven years Jasper. This has been going on for seven years. I am sure in that time your little vampire friend has made friends that you do not want her to have. It is my understanding of the race that they will do ANYTHING to avenge their mates, even if they take a new one?" I dropped my face in my hands and jasper swore in a way that would make our little human proud. You see, if a vampire that loses a mate takes another, the new mate will help avenge the lost one at all cost in an attempt to get the vampire over the loss. Depending who she found, we could be in some serious shit.

It's as if the cunt heard my thoughts; Jasper's phone rang and we all just looked at it hanging innocently on his belt. He looked at me, "you have got to be fucking kidding me right now."

I shrugged; it seems that the fates are really out to get this girl. Jasper stepped out of the room and his father zeroed in on me making me gulp.

"Well vampire, this is a fun coincidence is it not?" I wouldn't say that.

"I must say, Sire, you are one hell of an actor. You do know he is going to be beyond pissed when everything comes to a head, and I have a feeling it will be sooner rather than later."

He looked like he was in pain for a moment. "Yes, well, nothing can be done about it now that it's done. He will just have to be made to understand."

"He hates being left in the dark, and hates even more to be lied to, and you pretty much did it blatantly." He nodded.

"I will deal with it when the time comes."

I shrugged looking as helpless in the situation as I felt. "Question though; are the power that be or whatever, EVER going to stop fucking with her? First she has a revenge driven vampire after her, NOW she has a revenge seeking vampire with a new mate after her. The poor thing doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of making it out of this alive."

A slow smirk made its way to his face. "Exactly. I knew if anyone would figure it out it would be you. I have told you that everything that she went through and will go through was for a reason. And for once, I can honestly say, I have nothing to do with it, nor does fate. Things change vampire, something you will learn very soon."

"But vampire annihilation? That seems a bit… much; don't you think?"

"Who said anything about that?" And that was when Jasper walked in and looked beyond words pissed. "Everything alright?"

He shook his head and looked at me. "Seems she did take a new mate."

Fuck me running backwards naked through a corn field. "You wouldn't look like that if you didn't know who it is."

He actually smiled a rather good imitation of his father's, "Maria's new right hand. Looks like the bitch really is looking for a war." He looked at his father, "Seems you were right."

He crossed his arms, "I usually am." God those two are more alike than most people would think. "So, when should I expect you and the human?"

"Late tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" and there goes Jasper's brow thing on his father's face. At this point, it is taking a lot of focus not to laugh.

Jasper crossed his arms and his brow went up, "Yes. Things just got a lot worse and I have a plan."

I looked back and forth between them a few times. The stance, the expression, the everything. I couldn't help it. The slightly hysterical laugh just came out. "Wow, it's like looking at a funhouse mirror." And I get smacked in the back of the fucking head. "What, just saying. It's like looking at the same guy just centuries apart." I looked down, "I didn't say it was a bad thing." Well, if nothing else, I got them to laugh and lighten the fuck up. Jasper grabbed the collar of my shirt and literally drug my ass out of his father's study with a 'later' over his shoulder. When he let go and I pulled my shirt back down I looked over at him, "So you have a plan?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I have a plan. Not a very good one, but hey, if it works that is really all I care about. I just have to get her here, Father will take it from there; he always does." On our way back to the courtyard to go back to the surface his daddy's adviser stepped in front of him, stopping the progress. God that guy is stupid. Jasper smiled his father's smile, "And what can I do for you, Dick?"

The guy actually huffed like a 16 year old girl, "My name is Richard."

Jazz nodded, "I know, that's what I called you, Dick. So, is there something you needed?" My my, he is in a playful mood. Normally he just throws the guy and sees if he can beat a previous record. If I was that guy I would be a little worried.

The guy looked at his clipboard like it held all the answers to the universe; "Your father wanted to know when you are going to kill the human that knows of vampires?"

Jasper and I looked at each other and I smiled a shit eating grin, "He plans on getting her here tonight. That's why we were here actually. Prince Jasper was curious about how his father wanted him to go about it."

The adviser looked taken aback that he was actually answered. "Very good my prince. Do you have a time frame so I know when to expect her?"

Jazz shook his head while looking down at me with a not so happy look. "Not at this time. I am just going to wing it."

I jumped in, "Trust me, you will be unable to miss her." What? He likes to fuck with vampires; I like to fuck with demons. Guess that's why we make such good friends. We are always pissing each other off. We make it a contest. I am thinking about looking into making it an Olympic sport.

It was with that Jasper caught on to what I was doing making him smirk. "See ya around, Dick." And we bounced.

Chapter 9

 

BPOV

Well, it is official, I hate owning a bar. No, I take that back, I don't mind the bar, but I hate everything that goes with it. If it is not one thing it's another. I can handle small things, but three fights in one night? That is a bit much. To make that better, I was injured in the last one. That pissed me off something royal and just ended up kicking everyone out. I was done. I think it is time to bring in someone to deal with this shit. Yup, I am hiring a manager. I could just make one of my bartenders take the position, but I really hate them all and don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Whatever.

I pulled up to my house and Peter was waiting for me at the door, but the only thing I care about right now is I am about to piss myself. I jump out of my truck and not even caring if the door closes all the way; I ran as fast as I could across the yard, up the stairs, and into the house. Jasper is sitting on the couch and his head snapped up as I came sprinting into the room, taking no pause as I hurtled the table and kept going. I saw Jasper's wide eyes when my feet left the floor. I spared him a gotta pee as I disappeared down the hall to the bathroom. You gotta love doing the pee pee dance while trying to undo the button on your jeans. If you say you have never done it before, you are a fucking liar. Oh how I do hate photo finishes. I consider it a win when I walk away with dry pants. When you go commando, it's gross if you lose that race.

Coming back out Jasper is still looking at me all weird like making me giggle. "Not as clumsy as I used to be huh?" he shook his head. I shrugged and headed for the kitchen to get something to eat, "When it is a matter of life or death, you tend to keep on your feet." I pulled stuff for a salad out of the fridge and looked over at him and he looked like something was off. "What's up Jazz? You look like something is on your mind."

He nodded and leaned a hip on the counter. "We need to talk Bella. The situation with Victoria is worse than I thought, and I am not dumb enough to try and handle it alone. We'll talk when you're done eating."

I set the knife down and looked at him fully, "nuh un. Out with it Jasper; I have dealt with enough of being left in the dark. If it is bad enough to have you worried, than let's talk now. I'm not really hungry; it's more of a habit to eat when I get home than out of actual need to do so."

He sat down at the bar, leaned on his forearms and laced his fingers together. "Alright, as you wish. Bella, I need to know everything you remember about our talk last night. It was taxing on you I'm sure, but if you don't remember I am going to have to remind you. It is very important."

I looked at him like he was an idiot. Didn't we cover that this morning? "I told you, everything after the second game of kings is a blank. I drank way more last night than most humans are able to handle. I am actually surprised that I didn't puke."

He tilted his head to the side, "So then you do not remember showing me the scars you have?" I felt my eyes go wide and the look of horror that settled on my face.

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it. What the fuck was I going to say? I didn't remember that. I started blinking as I thought about it. Finally I settled for shaking my head, "No, I don't." I couldn't even figure out what we could have been talking about that would have made me do that. My scars are horrendous and not something that I just go around showing just anyone. I wear pants and long sleeved shirts no matter the weather to keep them all covered. "Perhaps we can take this conversation to a different venue?" I just left the room and heading up to my room, Jasper following behind me. I looked at Peter and Charlotte and raised an eyebrow, and they were gone. If I am going to get into this, again apparently, I don't want an audience.

I closed the door behind Jasper and pointed to a chair in the corner of the room. "Have a seat. I'm going to change then we'll talk okay?" he nodded and at least had the decency to look like he felt bad about this.

JPOV

Dear fuck I felt horrible about this. I know that this is not a topic that she wants to talk about. Her emotions last night when she was telling me everything were so strong and so negative that I hate to put her through it again, but it has to be done. And as soon as we're done talking I am going to take her to my father; well I am going to take her to the palace. I'll let her get some sleep and deal with THAT in the morning. Father will just have to deal. This is going to be hard enough on her without him making it worse.

Bella came back in long pants and long sleeves with a hard look on her face. She crossed her arms and jetted out a hip, "If I did show you my scars than you know what they are and where they are. If you can point them out, then I will listen to what you have to say, if you can't, I want you out of my house and out of my life for however long it lasts." That was not totally unexpected.

I stood up and walked to her. Looking her in the eyes, I traced every one of them staring with that looked like it cut her in half. My eyes went progressively darker with every one of them, but it was not all from anger. I will readily say this. I am a weird fucker, but I have always really like scars. I have always seen them as a badge of honor. "They are a show of your strength, Isabella; you should wear them with pride, little one. There is not a single human, and very few other creatures that could have gone through what you have and lived to tell the tale."

She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, but it didn't look like they would fall, "Pride? These are nothing to be proud about Jasper. They are horrible. My own kind turn away from just the one on my face, do you know what they would do if they saw the rest?"

I cocked my head as I thought about it, and let me tell ya, not a pretty picture. I shrugged, "Well, if that be the case, when this is over, we'll just have to find you someone that is not human. Truthfully, humans are ridiculously vain for one of the more…homely races. But that is not really what I want to talk to you about." I stopped there trying to figure out how to bring this up without pissing her off again. "I want to talk about what we did last night. You're sure you don't remember ANYTHING after the second game we played?"

She sat down on her bed and pulled one leg up and let the other dangle off the edge. Her brow drew a bit and she bit the corner of her bottom lip. After a few minutes she flung herself on her back and tossed her arms above her head. My eyes locked on her stomach when her shirt rose up enough to show off her scar that disappears under the band of her pants. I wonder how far it goes down. My eyes snapped to her face when she started talking and I was so relieved that she was looking at the ceiling and not at me; that might have looked far different than it was. "I can't get a firm grasp of anything, all I'm getting is flashes of conversation, but none of it makes any sense to me."

"Well, what are they? Tell me and I can tell you the rest of the conversation."

She sat up and thankfully, for both our sakes, her shirt covered her again. "I remember telling you about the pack and what happened to them. Then I remember going off about something, but the what eludes me. That's about it."

I rubbed my neck as I looked at her. "You were going off about your feelings about god; and that came up after you asked about your father."

She looked taken aback. "My father?"

I nodded. "You asked that if heaven was real, if that was where your father went after he died. I told you that I didn't know for sure, but I did know someone that did, but after I told you how that worked you told me you would think about it. Less than an hour later you came in to the library and told me of your choice."

Recognition lit her eyes. "That's what you were talking about this morning." I nodded. "What was the choice I made?"

I plopped hard and ungracefully back down on the chair. My head was down as I thought about this. Well, she set me up to have the exact same conversation we had last night, so this works. I looked at her through my bangs. "Let me ask you this little one, if you had a sure fire way to know if your father is looking down on you from heaven or living an eternity of torture in hell, would you want to know?"

She jumped up, "Of course I would. Are you telling me there is a way to know for sure and not just having the delusion of what I want to believe?"

I placed my chin in my hand. "That is precisely what I'm telling you. Am I to assume then that you want to know?" She nodded quite enthusiastically. "Calm down sparky; there is fine print. But before we get to that, I would like to know what you would do if you find out that he is in fact in hell."

"Why would he be? My father was one of the best men I have ever known."

I cocked my head to the side, "I am sure he was. I didn't know him. I only interacted with him a few times, and they usually involved me getting a speeding ticket. That aside, you told me last night that your father has taken human lives."

Her eyes widened again. "But that was self-defense. They were ruled justified. It was him or them!" she was starting to yell and get slightly more than a little pissed.

"Yes, you told me that. You also asked me if it mattered. On top of that, you asked if the way he died held any bearing on his final judgment. You didn't give me a chance to answer, so I will do it now; no. None of that matters. Self-defense and justified homicide are rules of man, and God does not follow the rules of man. The only thing he cares about is the fact that your father made the choice to take a life; and even in the event of him or them, the choice was still a gamble on his part."

"But, the remorse he felt about it must count for something." I was shaking my head before she even finished.

"Nope, remorse is a load of bullshit in His eyes. You might feel bad about taking a life, but the emotion to do so is not there at the time the decision to do so was made; and not usually for quite some time after words. Relief is the first thing you feel, not remorse."

She looked crestfallen, "So what you're saying is…"

"There is just as good a chance that he went down as there is he went up."

She sat there for a few minutes thinking, so I waited. I knew what she was going to say, but she had to say it again or my hands were going to be tied. She looked at me with resolve burning in her eyes. "I want to know what happened to him. Tell me."

I held up my hands, "Chill out, little one. I already told you that I don't know. I haven't been home in far too long. Anyways, did you forget so easily that I told you there is fine print; that there is a catch? There is a payment required for such knowledge."

Her face dropped. "What kind of payment?"

I smirked, "You don't have to worry about that right now. You just have to be aware there is a payment required of you at the time you receive your answer. That will all be explained to you in due time; all you have to tell me is that you want to know, mean it, and I will take care of the rest."

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. I raised a brow at her and she snorted. "You really suck."

"You told me that before. Your choice?"

"I want to know."

I jumped up, and clasped my hands together. "Wonderful. Pack a bag for a few days. We are leaving in a half hour." I turned to leave the room and when I reached the door I clearly heard her say 'why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil'. Well, that would be because you have my little one. Then she called out, "What about my bar?"

I looked over my shoulder at her, "It was your idea. Peter is going to accompany us to where we are going, and then he will leave and take care of things for you while you and I stay. Don't worry about it, I told you I would take care of things and I will. You just need to trust me." She rolled her eyes and disappeared into her closet to get her shit together.

Thirty minutes later Bella came downstairs with a backpack and a guarded took on her face. Well, ain't that some shit. I looked at her and tasted her emotions; and as I thought, they were all over the place. "Ready little one?"

She took a breath that let it out slowly. "As I ever will be I suppose. So, where are we going?"

I held out my arm to her and when she took it, I scooped her up into my arms saying "home." She barely had time to scream before we were standing in the inner courtyard of the dark palace. Bet you were thinking that there was like a hidden entrance or something that we used to go back and forth didn't you? Well, no such thing. There is only one way in and unless you are part of my bloodline, there is no way back out. I set Bella down and she grabbed my arm to keep her weak knees for giving out. I wrapped an arm around her and held her till she thought she could stand on her own. "You alright there Darlin'?

She looked up and me with a huge smile and a twinkle in her eyes, "Can we do that again?"

I chuckled, "Perhaps at another time. We are here for a reason, remember?" She looked deflated. I didn't like it. "Tell you what, we have an appointment to keep in the morning, but after that I will take you for a ride, deal?"

The spark was still there and she looked intrigued, "A ride?" I smirked and gave my wings a small flap making her squeal, "You promise?"

I laughed, I couldn't help it, she was fucking adorable when she acted like that, "I promise." I extended my arm for her to take again and started to lead her and Peter towards the door. "For now though, it's late and the human needs sleep."

On the way we crossed paths with Richard. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. He found his voice and I growled when he spoke, "She's not dead! Why is she not dead?"

Bella looked over her shoulder at him, "Wow, you're quick on the draw there chief. Were you expecting differently?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Yes, as a matter of fact I was human."

She shrugged and looked forward, "Sorry to disappoint."

"There is no need to apologize to him, my dear. Richard just does not like to be left out of the loop."

Her head snapped up at the new voice and found herself face to face with my father.

Peter bowed, I nodded to him, and Bella, well she looked like a fish out of water making me chuckle. I looked down at her, "Isabella, this is my father, you know him by Lucifer. Father, this is Bella, or Izzy as she goes by now."

Father took a step forward and extended a hand, and she looked skeptical of taking it. "You have nothing to fear of me, my dear. You are a guest of my son's and during your stay under the protection of the royal family that includes FROM the royal family." She looked up at me and I nodded. She shrugged and took his hand. He brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles, "It is a pleasure to meet you Izzy."

She hesitated a moment, "The pleasure is mine?" I smirked at her.

"Trust me little one, this is not something that happens often."

She looked up at me and raised a brow, "I should think not."

Father laughed. "Oh, I think you and I are going to get along just fine my dear." He looked at me, "I had your wing prepared for your stay. To tell you the truth Jasper, I am appalled at that disarray you left it in."

"I snorted. "I have not stepped foot in there in over a century, so the disarray can hardly be blamed on me, Father."

He sighed, "I suppose you're right. Well, take the young lady to get settled in and I will have something prepared for her to eat. I shall see you two in the morning." With that he turned to Richard, "Do remember that the young lady is a guest here and is to be treated with respect."

Bella looked at him, "Yeah Dick, respect the guest." Peter and I did nothing to stop the laughter, and my father was hard pressed to keep his to a chuckle. Richard looked ready to kill her. Instead with a look of true hate bowed his head.

With tight lips and a hard voice, "Of course my lady; I was unaware of your status here."

She looked ready to come back with something so I clamped my hand over her mouth and shook my head. Leaning down I whispered in her ear, "You need to remember little one, you are the only living entity in this whole place, a situation that can change in a heartbeat if you piss off a demon." I pulled back and raised an eyebrow? She nodded and said something against my hand that I couldn't make out, but I could assume it was not very nice to Richard making me chuckle. I pulled my hand away, "Don't worry Darlin', I don't like him either. As a matter of fact, I couldn't tell you anyone that does."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that. Anyways, I'm hungry and tired. Can we go in?"

I nodded and looked at Peter, "You staying?"

He shook his head, "Nope, just need her keys and I'm out."

Bella pulled a set of keys out of a pocket in her bag, "No fucking in my house. I will have Jasper tell me if you do. Bar opens at six. There is a list of shit you need on the kitchen table." She looked him dead in the eye, "You fuck my shit up and I will have him fuck you up." And she was point at me making me smirk. Peter nodded and waited for us to go inside. I heard Richard ask Peter why Bella was still alive, and Peter say 'who said she would be? I said she would be here tonight, never did I say she would be dead'. Jackass.

I led Bella through the halls to my wing and she looked amazed by what she saw. "Wow, this place is amazing."

I looked around, "I suppose it would to you. The palace lost its luster for me a long time ago."

She looked up at me, "Is that why it's been so long since you have been here."

I shook my head, "Not really. There are reasons that I left, but different ones as to why I stayed gone."

We stopped outside of the room she would be staying in. She was still looking at me, "Wanna talk about it?"

I shook my head again, "Not tonight. Maybe someday, but it does not seem as important as it used to." I nodded to the door, "This is your room during your stay. Your dinner will be here soon and I will be here to collect you in the morning. Feel free to explore this wing, but do make sure you don't leave it. I don't want to kill anyone on my first night home, hmm?"

She looked up at me with a wicked looking smirk. "I wouldn't want to fuck up your homecoming Jazz." I nodded and took a step away and headed to my room at the end of the hall. I wonder how long it will take her to figure out that her room is connected to mine.

Chapter 10

 

BPOV

I waited for Jasper's door to close before I ran through my door and stopped short at the dream of a room in front of me. It was done in reds and blacks, the bed was rot iron, the dresser and end tables were a dark colored wood, not sure what kind but it was finished with gloss making it look kind of shiny. The window drapes were black with a crimson sheer cover over the window. The bed had red silk sheets and a black bedspread. The pillowcases were black with red threads running through in with what looked like a crest. It was beautiful. There were three doors in the room besides the one I came in through. I opened the one closest to me and saw it was a closet that had some cloths, but not a lot. From the look of things, they were different styles of robes ranging from silk to cotton.

I abandoned that and went to another door. I felt a sense of anticipation for some reason. Slowly I opened the door and was blown away with what was inside. It was a fucking HOT SPRING! You know the things that you have to give up your first born for an appointment and then sign over your house to pay for? Yeah, that was what I was looking at and it was glorious looking. You could see the steam rising up into that air; it looking like it was designed to look like it was outside. There were trees, bushes, grass, and rocks surrounding the pool. There was a shower stall looking thing over on one wall and a door opposite the one I can in. Well that door can wait. I turned an about face, went back to my room, grabbed my iPod, and went back to the spring. I saw the tray of food and that was the next stop, but for now, I didn't get a shower before I left and I still smell like beer and gross. So my first priority was getting clean. I still had one more door in my room to check out, but I feel nasty so it can wait.

I rinsed off in the shower as fast as I could and still feel decently clean and walked to the pool and stuck my food in. And promptly pulled it right the fuck back out with a yelp. That, my friends, is so not fair. I looked at my foot and saw that it was already red and blistery, good thing I didn't to the canon ball I was thinking about. Well, ain't that just fucking peachy. Well, can't really expect much different. I mean, this IS hell and all, why the fuck should I get to have what I most desired when this place was made for torment. Bastard. With a longing look over my shoulder at the spring, I went back to my room… or what I thought was my room, it seemed right when I headed that way. I looked around and the only thing I could think was… this is not my room as the door behind me shut with a boom of what sounded like finality.

Perfect.

JPOV

I heard her yelp from the next room and chuckled. So, she found the spring huh? Perhaps I should have warned her about it. It is a spoiler for my family. I'll take her in it later and explain to her that unless a royal is there, no one else can be. I bet she will just love that.

I was just getting out of the shower when I was hit with a huge dose of confusion. I poked my head out the door and saw Bella standing in front of the door to the spring; in nothing but a tiny towel around her torso showing off her scars, looking around like the room was going to tell her what was wrong. I looked at my watch and almost snorted. It didn't take her nearly as long as I thought it would to wander in here and if I don't get her out of here, I'll be in some deep shit.

I crossed my arms and leaned on the doorframe and crossed my ankles. Looking at the nails on my fingers, "You know…" her head snapped to look at me, "When I said you were welcome to explore," I looked at her, "I did expect you to be wearing clothes." Bella opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was came out sounding like a squeak. He eyes were locked on my chest; either that or she was staring at my wings like she was so prone to do. Plastering a smug grin on my face, "see something you like, Darlin'?"

She squeaked again as her eyes shot up to my face. She did her fish impression again before she found her voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I mean, I tried to… the spring and burnt my foot… to many doors…" at that point my shoulders were shaking as I tried not to laugh. She huffed and stomped her foot, closed her eyes and tried again. "I think I'm lost."

At that, I did laugh. "Unless you were trying to sneak in here and have your wicked way with me in my in my sleep, I should think so."

Her eyes went wide, "You couldn't possibly think… Jasper you fucker! That is not funny!"

I pushed off the doorframe and walked up to as I said, "Iz, there are only two doors in that room; two, that's it. You knew where one went, yet you chose to check out the other in nothing but a towel." I was now standing right in front of her. "What would you think if I were to walk into your room in nothing but a…" I pulled back and looked at the thing she called a towel, "tiny little piece of cloth?" I raised a brow at her as she stood stuttering and sputtering.

She cleared her throat, "That there could be extenuating circumstances as to how that happened?" You'll need to do better than that my little one.

I shook my head, "Not likely. Like I said there are only two doors in that room, one to yours and one to mine. If there was to be extenuating circumstances, as you say, there really needs to be more variables than that."

BPOV

When Jasper spoke I damn near jumped out of my skin. I should not have looked at him, cuz now I am in some serious shit. He was standing in a doorway to what looked like a bathroom in only a pair of pajama pants, his wings folded over his shoulders, clasped in front of his chest looking like a cape. Mother fucker is that sexy. Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with me? I should not be thinking that shit in front of an empathic demon, but fuck me, I can't help it. How is it he can reduce me to a stuttering idiot with one look? How can he make me go retarded with a few words?

I looked up him through my lashes and started to try to back out of a door that seemed to have slipped my mind had closed, so when my back hit it, I wanted to groan. "I got turned around." Alright, that shit sounded fucking stupid even to my own ears. God damn it. So in true Izzy fashion, I blamed someone else. I looked up at the ceiling thinking, 'you can't stop fucking with me can you, you ass hat'. It so didn't help my flustered state that there was a fuck hot demon standing half naked a foot away from me. Speaking of him, there is an odd look in his eyes.

He placed his hands on either side of my head on the door and bent down eye level with me. Is it fucked up that I just now noticed how much taller than me he was? He looked in my eyes, tilted his head a bit and seemed to study them. After a moment he licked his lips, "somehow, Isabella, I don't think that was the case; and I think you know it. I can see it in your eyes; feel it in your emotions." The only thing that came to mind at that point was stupid empath. I really do hate that fucking tilted his head the other way, "There was something else that lead you here, little one, though subconscious on your part. Something bigger than you, something that you can't fight; something you didn't know was there. Something draws you to me like a moth to the flame." He looked down and when his eyes met mine again, they were a dark royal blue instead of the ocean blue they usually are.

I took a breath and licked my suddenly very dry lips. In whispered words because any louder than that would have seemed out of place. "What makes you think that?"

He gave me a half smile that made my knees go weak and my mouth dry, "Because, I have felt that same thing since the first time I saw you all those years ago. Since the first time I saw your eyes I have wanted nothing more than to steal you away, keep you with me, and protect you from the horrors of the world. I failed to do that, and now because I denied my instincts, the ONLY time I EVER denied them," he pushed my hair behind my ear and for the first time actually touched the scar on my face, "you were hurt." He started to trace the other visible scars on my body with an unreadable look on his face and in his eyes. "You have suffered for more than anyone should have, and you have been suffering alone."

Damn, I need some lip gloss or something to keep these bitches moist, and a glass of water would be good too. I thought about what he said about the draw thing, and I couldn't say he was wrong. There was something, but I just didn't want to acknowledge it. The last time I did, things didn't exactly turn out all that well for me. I swallowed hard trying to make my mouth work, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" okay, what the fuck? Where in the bloody hell did my fucking brain go? I wanted to smack myself.

Jasper snorted, "I suppose that's true, yes." He leaned in closer and rested his weight on a forearm and used his now free hand to play with my hair. That also put him a lot closer. Fuck, if he doesn't back up a bit I will not be held accountable for my actions. He was looking at me out of the corner of his eye and still playing with my hair, "and you have become quite strong little one. Stronger than most people I know actually. How is it that a human can go through attack after attack by a vampire and still be here to tell the tale?"

Fucking dry lips, sticking together and chapping as I stand here in front of the hottest guy in the world, "unbeatable will to live?" alright, he is going to have to move so my brain works again.

He chuckled, "And what is it that drives your will to live, my little one?"

A shudder worked its way down my spine and a burning heat settled low in my stomach when he called me his. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. "I don't know anymore." I opened my eyes, but looked down to avoid eye contact. "Before it was for my father and friends, but I can't say that's true anymore." Looking back up like a moron, I locked eyes with him again, "I think it's more out of spite than anything else now. If I were to give up, the asshole wins."

He let go of my hair and started to draw random patterns on my neck and shoulder, "And who would that be? Who would win if you were to give up?"

I closed my eyes again to prepare for the extreme anger that comes with this topic. "Edward. Edward wins if I lose."

Acting like I didn't just destroy myself admitting that aloud, he continued his assault on my senses, "How?"

I struggled for some sense of control, but found none making me sigh, "He couldn't kill me himself, couldn't bring himself to physically do the deed, I know that. So, he is using someone else to do his dirty work; someone with the balls he does not have to do what he should have done when he left. He wins if I die." I was looking down by the time I finished.

He bowed his head a little more and put his lips right by my ear and whispered, "Are you going to let him win Isabella?" I closed my eyes again, this time to keep the tears I swore I would not shed at bay. I didn't know how to answer that. I wasn't going to LET him, but I didn't know how to STOP it. Jasper leaned in closer to me; not good. "Do you think he is going to win?"

I shrugged, "At this point, I just don't know. I am so tired Jazz. I don't know how much i really have left in me. I don't know if I can survive one more run in with her. I am not saying I am going to give up, I just don't know what there is to fight for anymore." He ran his nose along my neck. Danger Will Robinson, danger.

JPOV

She said the same thing to me last night and that was when our talk went downhill. Let's see if we can change it to go a different way. I ran my nose along her neck, "What if I said you don't have to fight anymore and he still won't win?" I have no clue what is going on with me or why I am acting like this, but I am running on instinct. After what happened last time I ignored them, I learned not to do that again.

She turned her head away from me giving me more access to her neck. Good girl. Her breaths were starting to come out shorter. "How?"

Running my nose along her jaw to her chin then up over her lips, our noses touching, my lips hovering just over hers, "By letting me fight for you. You have been through more than enough, I think. Let me do now what I should have done then and protect you. If you allow it, no one will ever hurt you again without going through me first." My eyes were half closed and hers were almost completely shut. I set my forehead against hers, slid a hand into her hair, and butted my nose against hers getting her to open her eyes a bit. They were dazed and glossy though I am not sure if it was still tears or not. Yes, I felt that, but all I am feeling now is lust, desire, and hope; so much hope.

Her chest was pressing into mine with every heaving breath she took and it was doing very bad things, or good depending on how you looked at it, to me. When she licked her lips the tip of her tongue brushed across my lips and it took control I didn't know I had to keep them to myself. "What's happening to me? Why do I want to trust you?"

I nuzzled my nose to hers slowly, "Because you know you can. You know that everything I said was true, that I won't allow anything hurt you again." I pulled back a bit and lifted her chin with the tip of my finger, "Say the words Bella; say the words and let me make things right."

She looked at me and her emotions were bouncing back and forth between wanting to believe me and her flight instincts. Her voice was so quiet that if I was not what I was I would not have heard her. "What happens then? What happens when the threat is gone?"

"Isabella, there is nothing I can say or do right now to make you believe anything I say. That falls on you to TRUST me. I fucked up seven years ago by not following my instincts, and there is nothing I can do about it now, but ensure it never happens again. But I cannot do that unless you say it." The she dropped her head and I let her, but I restarted my attentions on her neck. My lips brushing against her skin "let go Bella. Just let go and say it."

BPOV

Believe me, I wish it was that fucking easy. I have spent years alone getting my control under control. Years getting my emotions in check and an hour alone with the fuck hot demon and I am about to lose it all. Would it be that bad? Would it really be that bad to trust him like he wants me to? He has always been honest with me; he never lied like the rest of them; never made me think one thing and showed me something different. But, can I? Can I really trust a demon; the son of the devil none the less? I really want to. Dear god in heaven I want to. He makes it sound so easy, could it be?

I took a deep breath and sold my soul; "I'm too tired to fight anymore Jasper." Locking eyes with him, I whispered, "please."

Next thing I know his lips are pressing against mine, and none too gentle. The surprising part of this for me was I was responding to him with just as much as he gave me. It wasn't until his tongue brushed my lips that I realized that I still in nothing but a towel. Now, ask me if a give a flying fuck. The answer is a resounding no, I do not. Not with his body pressing up against me the way it was; or the way one hand was in my hair and the other on my back pulling me closer. No, at this point he could do what he wanted to me and I could give a shit.

After kissing me breathless he slowed down and pulled back. As I was trying to remember how to take air into my lunges, he took my chin between his thumb and forefinger and made sure I was looking him in the eyes; "You, little one, are mine now." And I'm surprisingly okay with that.

Chapter 11

 

JPOV

I sent Bella back to her room shortly after the kiss. It would do neither of us any favors if things would have continued on the way they were. Although, I have to say, I so would not have minded. But to keep in mind, we have only crossed paths less than 30 hours ago. It would have been wrong for anything to happen yet. Especially with the meeting with my father tomorrow.

Speaking of my father; seems like I am going to have to seek him out. Perhaps he knows what's going on and why I acted like that. It was almost like I had no control over my actions, and for someone like me, control is everything. So, seek him out I did. Found him too. Somehow, he looked like he was expecting me. Walking into his study this late at night and seeing him sitting there with his feet on his desk, hands folded on his stomach, his signature smirk on his face was so not what I thought I would be doing on my first night home, but I also didn't expect to kiss Bella either. So, I am just going to have to follow this where it goes. I bowed my head slightly, "Father."

His face never changing, "Jasper, this is a surprise." He looked at the old clock across the room. "I was not expecting you for at least another twenty minutes." Looking back at me, "Something happen?"

I sat down, throwing a leg over the arm of the chair and folded my hands on my stomach. When it is just us, there is no need to act our stations. "You were expecting me tonight? I thought our meeting was in the morning."

He shook his head, "My meeting with your human is in the morning. I don't usually call an informal talk between me and my son a meeting, Jasper. But, yes, I was expecting you. Though as I said, not for about twenty minutes yet." He looked at me for a long moment before his smirk morphed into a smile. "So, what brings you here?"

"You were the one waiting on me, you tell me."

If my father was anyone else, he would have rolled his eyes, but as it is, I am just really good at reading him. "Jasper, you have been here once in the last 110 years, and it was to ask for my help with a problem. When you were little, hell, even right before you left and got mixed up with vampires, you always came down for a late night chat with me. I just didn't think the human would fall asleep so quickly with all the shit there is to explore within your wing."

"That human has a name and if you want me to return after I leave to take her back I suggest you remember that and use it."

Him laughing was not what I thought was going to happen when I said that. "Jasper, you know who you remind me of?" I shook my head, "Me. I said the same thing to Richard when I met your mother. You know how he feels about humans and them knowing about us. Less of a fan than he should be for the station he holds."

I snorted, "Yes, well, if Dick has some to say about my human, I have absolutely no qualms in killing the fucker. Funny thing is, I think he is the only one that does not know that."

Father chuckled. "Richard knows you don't like him…"

"No, father, I HATE him. It is not about dislike, I hate the fucker and if I could get the go ahead from you, his life would be forfeit."

He snorted, "Well, it won't be that much longer before you take over things and if you feel that strongly about it, there will be no one to stop you. Your court is your choice."

"Tell me Father, why do you keep him around?"

"Truthfully?" I nodded, "For your enjoyment. I do know how you love to fuck with him. It has always amused me to see what new shit you could come up with to torture him." cocking his head to the side, "Now, as much as we both enjoy speaking of my adviser, I can assume that is not what brings you here. So, what can I do for you my son?" I sighed and dropped my head back. Father was quiet while I put my thoughts in order, though I could tell he was loathed to do so. When I got it worked out, I told him about what happened between Bella and I. Told him about how it didn't feel like I was in control of myself, and Bella's reaction to the whole thing. When I was done, he tilted his head to the side. "I am sorry Jasper, but I am afraid that I am not seeing the problem."

I gave him a deadpanned look, "You are kidding right?"

He shook his head, "No, I am not. You know better than anyone that I do not kid. I am truly not seeing the issue. You gave me quite the story, son but not why you told me. What was your question? Perhaps if I knew what you were looking to find out, I might be of a bit more help."

I face-palmed when he said that. "Father, it is not that difficult to figure out what I'm asking here. What the fuck happened. Bella and I had a certain distance between us before coming here, and not an hour after we arrived… everything went to hell, if you will forgive the phrasing."

He chuckled, "If you call the interaction with your Isabella last night 'keeping a distance'; I am curious as to what you consider close. Jasper, you have always had a problem with dealing with things that to you seem off the wall, and I have always told you that not all things have a cut and dry explanation. Though I will admit that your time mingling with the humans in that war, and then with the vampires afterwards was beneficial to you in many ways, it had an adverse setback as well. It made you forget that there are forces at works that your everyday nobody knows about. You are privy to information that not everyone is, you know that there are actually fates and destiny is a real thing; that the paths that human lives take are set before them at birth.

"The wrench that was thrown into fate's plans for humans was the creation of the supernatural beings that prey on them. Vampires, werewolves, trolls, hell even elves the stupid little buggers they are, all have a way to fuck shit up. Run ins with any of these will mess with and change the path of life. Your Isabella on the other hand, though she was supposed to meet you, was never meant to have her run in with vampires."

I was a bit taken aback by that and I know it showed. "Excuse me? Now THAT you're going to have to go into bit more detail about."

For the first time in my life that I can remember, my father looked tired. He rubbed his fingers across his forehead and sighed. "You're going to get quite pissed off at this Jasper, I can see it coming. You must let me tell you everything before you go flying off the handle, alright?"

I sat up and crossed my arms, a perfect imitation of his stone mask in place. "I will reserve judgment for now, but I make no promises."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, "Not nearly good enough, but I think that is about as good as it is going to get." My father knows me so well don't he? He stood up and went to a bookshelf and pulled out a book and brought it back to his desk and dropped it in front of me. Pointing to cover, "Do you know what that is?"

I glanced at it and shook my head. "Never seen it before, no."

Still standing he crossed his arms, "That is the rules and by-laws for both angels and demons. The rules we both must follow are in there. All decrees for both races, made by both myself and Go are in there. Though we tend to stick to our own kind, there are times that interaction becomes necessary, much like when God and I got together about the creations of the supernatural. Now, that being said, there are times that God will set forth a decree for us and I for them, though those then to stick to just the royal line."

I arched a brow, "Thanks for the history lesson father, but I fail to see what that has to do with Bella."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "If you stay silent I will get to it. All this serves a purpose Jasper, if you just wait. I am doing my best here to save you from losing your temper. I don't think the humans could take another bubonic plague, do you?" I rolled my eyes. Yes, I had a hissy fit and started the fucking plague. I was young and pissed off. Will he never let it the fuck go? I waved my hand to tell him to continue. "Anyways, the reason for telling you that was this. This was sent to me the year I met your mother." He opened the book about half way and pointed to a section. "Read it." Sir, yes sir.

With a mocking salute, I stood up and read the passage;

Let it be known that in the human year 499, that it has been decided that the heir to the throne of the Dark Palace must first take a formal mate before the heir can ascend to power over said palace.

"Alright, I am still not seeing it. That makes sense to me. Demons are backstabbing little fucker. It seems that He that he is only looking out for you for after I was born so I don't just kill you for the crown." I smirked, "smart man."

Father chuckled, but it seemed off. "Turn the page and you might think differently." So I turned the page and saw, well it was not a continuation of the last one, but it was related.

Let it be known that in the human year 502 that I have seen the demon race and have deemed none of them fit for the heir of the Dark Palace. It is decreed that the mate of the heir to the crown of the Dark Kingdom will be of human flesh born of pain, loss and hate.

I read that passage several times to make sure that I was reading it right before I lifted only my eyes to look at my father, "Are you shitting me?" He just looked at me. I could feel my eyes darken as my temper rose. "This shit was written almost 50 years before I was even fucking born. What the fuck makes him think that his ass has any fucking say on who I took for a mate, on who I decided to share MY life with? Who I deemed fucking fit to make Hell's queen? That shit is MY choice no matter how the fuck you slice it." He just continued to look at me when I was hit with why he showed me. It felt like I was punched in the fucking gut. I pressed the heels of my hands in to my eyes and fucking growled, hard and loud. "THAT's what has to do with Bella." I looked at him and he nodded and looked like it was causing him great pain at the same time I felt like my heart was getting ripped out. "Everything she went through, all the bad shit that happened to her is all because of me."

At that Father jumped in, "No, not at all Jasper." He opened a drawer to his desk and pulled out a really thick file folder and tossed it across his desk to me. "That is the written life that your Bella was SUPPOSED to have. That is the life that was decided by the fates. I told you that she was indeed meant to meet you, but it was under different circumstances and at a different place. Everything is right until she was seventeen, everything was on point until she met Edward Cullen." He pulled out another file, but was a little stingier about handing it over. "When Cullen decided to pursue her he changed everything. Remember, the supernatural are the wrench in fate's plans. Since vampires are supposed to kill humans and NOT interact with them. When they do, unforeseen issues happen. In her original plans, no one was supposed to die, she was to lose them in other ways, none were very good, but they were a far cry better than what actually happened to them. There was no rewrite because of the unpredictability of vampires. That," he pointed to the file in front of me, "was what was set forth TO happen. This," he held up the file still in his hands, "is what ACTUALLY happened. This is nothing but the record of what happened to her over the years since Edward entered her life, then left without making sure certain things were taken care of." He tossed the file to me with a look of both anger and hurt in his eyes. I went to open it when he stopped me, "Be warned my son, it will be very difficult for you."

I nodded and just flipped to a page. It was entry from four years ago. She was again on the move, running from Victoria when she had a run in with some not so great men in an alleyway. I hissed but kept reading. Only an idiot couldn't figure out what happened to her. Keeping at it I read the details of the encounter getting more and more pissed off the more I read of it. Just when I was about to go off the fucking deep end I read about a 'good Samaritan' that heard her cries and came to her rescue.

My father glanced at the page and I could see him grind his teeth. He looked back up at me, "I did everything I could Jasper, to try and keep her as safe as I could until you found her. Anyone that helped her over the course of the years got everything they did up to that point erased from their soul, got a clean slate to try again. That man got a free pass from me. Unless he becomes a mass murder between that point and his death he goes straight up." He plopped down in his seat as gracefully as a rhino in glass store. Waving his hand in a whimsical way, "Everything in that folder is directly related to Edward Cullen. Had he not pursued her, none of that would have happened. The horrors and… well let's call it what it is shall we; the pure HELL she went through rests solely on his shoulders, not yours. You were, and still are her salvation Jasper."

I snorted, "Who the fuck ever heard of a demon, a demon PRINCE none the less, being someone's salvation. Why didn't you tell me this before? Better yet, what the fuck am I going to tell her? She is going to fucking HATE me for this." I through the fucking file on the desk not even giving a fuck.

He stood up and walked around his desk and sat down on it in front of me, folding his hands on him thigh, "Jasper, if I had told you, you would have stopped it and you know that you can't interfere with fate. It is written for a reason, and we can't stop it, no matter what happened."

I jumped up, "You should have told me when Edward fucked shit up so bad. You gave me shit just yesterday about not saying shit to you about everything I knew about her, yet you sat back knowing what the fuck she went through! What the fuck was that all about DAD!" I turned away from him, dropped my head in my hands and grabbed my hair. I have never in my life wanted to kill someone as bad I did at this moment.

I have also never gotten yelled at by my father before tonight either. "Jesus Christ Jasper, I TRIED…"

I whipped back around, "You didn't try hard enough or she wouldn't have been through any of it!" I crossed my arms and glared. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn…"

"The fuck you didn't! You made this all seem like it had something to do with me, when I had nothing to do with it! She was supposed to meet me, and then Cullen went and fucked everything up, and you KNEW. You knew and did nothing. So you gave up a few souls, it was the least you could fucking do." My eyes narrowed, "Speaking of souls, what happened to Bella's father?"

He sat back down looking like all the fight left him. He looked away from me when he spoke. "You won't find him here."

I walked back to my father and he stood up. Standing toe to toe with him, noses almost touching, "If I find out that he stepped one fucking foot within the gate, I will decimate you." I gathered up both file and ripped the stupid decree that started this whole thing before turning on my heel and made to leave when his voice stopped.

"What will you do now?"

I turned my head back to him and just stared at him for a moment before my resolve hardened. "She deserves to know. You had better pray that she understands." Right before I left I looked over my shoulder and saw my father's head down. "For the record though," he looked up at me, "Bella would have made the perfect mate even if she was a saint. Inform God of that the next time you get together for a little pow wow."

And I left.

Chapter 12

 

JPOV

I took the long way back to my room giving myself more time to figure out how I was going to go about this; or at least that was what I was telling myself. In truth, I was scared shitless about how she was going to take this. All too soon though, I got to my wing and a sense of foreboding settled in my gut. But I have never ran from anything before, so I was not about to start now. I went to my room first and set everything on my desk. Putting my palms on the surface I bent at the waist and dropped my head. I am not a stupid guy, I know that this is going to end badly, but I also know it must be done. Gathering my nerve, I went to Bella's room through the spring. Looking around, I wonder if this would be a better venue for this talk. I mean, how pissed off can you get in this setting and in a relaxing bath. I remember how much she treasured her showers. And as far as I know, she never found her shower before she went to bed. I shook my head at the thought. That's not fair to her. She has every reason to get pissed off about this if I lost my temper.

That decided, as quietly as I could, I opened her door and slipped inside. The red sheer window coverings casting a red glow throughout the room. I always did like that effect. I looked at her bed and there she was, only half under the covers and not wearing much else. Oh dear fuck, I am in so much trouble. Now I have to try to have this conversation with THAT visual in my head. I am fucking screwed.

Shaking my head to try and dispel the less than civil thoughts going through my head I walked up to her bed and sat down next to her, brushing her hair out of her face. I just looked at her a moment, I am a sick and twisted fucker, but hey, I'm alright with that. I bent my head and ran my nose along her jaw a few times whispering for her to wake up. It took her a minuet, but eventually she opened her big brown eyes and looked at me, a sleepy smirk working its way to her face.

"Now who is trying to have whose wicked way with whom in their sleep?" Snarky brat.

I gave her a half smile and her arousal grew at the sight giving me and internal smirk, "Oh, little one, if that was the case you would have been halfway to an orgasm before you woke up."

She winked, "Sounds like a sinful way to wake up to me."

I chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind. As it is though, something was just brought to my attention and I think you need to know what it was."

She sat up a bit and rubbed her eyes with one hand and supported herself with the other, "Alright, what's up?"

I stood up and held out a hand to help her up, "I think it would work better if I showed you and explained it to you as it was explained to me."

He took my hand and gave me a look that clearly told me of her displeasure, never mind the pissy emotions she is giving off. "Why do I have a feeling I am about to get really pissed off?"

I sighed, "Let's just go talk hmm?" she went to grab a robe that was lying across the foot of her bed and almost without a thought from me, one of my wings shot out and wrapped around her, giving her a half spin, pulling her back to my chest. My other wrapped around her and my head dropped down so my nose was buried in her neck where it connected with her shoulder. I wanted to bit her so bad at that point, but I didn't. But I did lick her and let me tell ya, she tastes incredible. Running my nose up, I bit her ear before I whispered, "I think you should stay just like this." She nodded and bent her head giving me a much larger amount of skin to assault, and because of that, I knew I had to stop, or I wouldn't. "Tell you what, if you still want this after we talk, I will be more than happy to comply."

She turned to look at me, "Is it that bad?

I nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty bad. There is a good possibility that you are going to hate me. Come on, let's go." I moved my wings and put my hand on the small of her back leading her back to my room and had her sit on my bed while I went to my desk and grabbed the poc as I started to call it because pile of crap was too long to say in my mind. I looked at the decree and felt my anger spike again but I held it off for now and handed it to her with the first by-law on it. "This was all just brought to my attention tonight and I have to say, it is fucked up. This is a page literally ripped out of the law book for angels and demons. Read it." She did.

Shrugging she went to hand it back, "I don't see how that is so bad. Seems like God was looking out for the current ruler and making sure there was not premature assentation."

I perched on the footboard and pinched my chin between my thumb and forefinger, "Turn it over." She did. "Read that." She did that too; and like me, read it again and again before she looked up at me with a questioning stare. "That was written almost 50 years before I was even born. I was born in the human year 549. When my father first showed it to me I was pissed that God thought that he had a say in who I took as a mate. It took me a moment to connect the dots that he put out there for me." Seems she came to the same conclusion I did.

Her eyes were liquid fire, and her emotions matched, "This is about me isn't it?" In more ways than you know.

I held up the thicker file, the one that was set to happen. "This is your life as it never happened. This is what was your written fate. This is what was decided by the powers at work and the fates." She reached for it and I gave it to her. "According to my father, everything in it is right up until you turned 17. After that though… it is no longer relevant."

Her head snapped up and she glared at me, "I think that it is extremely fucking relevant Jasper. This is my LIFE."

I held my hands up, "Alright, perhaps relevant is not the right word, let's go with true. Either way Bella, it means the same thing. Everything after a certain point of you being 17 is no longer going to be found in there." I held up the other folder. "It is in here."

She looked at it than back at me, "And what is that?"

"The part that is going to piss you off. This is the record of what actually happened to you… from the point that Edward made the choice to pursue a relationship with you."

Her eyes went wide and she gulped. You could hear her voice get caught in her throat when she spoke, "Everything?" I nodded. She went silent as she looked through the original path her life was meant to take, her eyes going harder and harder the more she read. When she finished she closed her eyes and a single tear slid down her cheek. I reached out and brushed it away with my thumb and was surprised when she let me. She just looked up at me when I pulled away. A minute later she stood up and paced for a moment saying "No one, Jasper, not a single fucking person was supposed to die. No one was going to get murdered. Yeah, the way they left sucked some serious ass, but no one died." She turned to me, "Everything that happened to me was because of him." Another tear dripped down her face and landed with a boom to my ears on the floor. I took in her emotions and she was feeling nothing but anger. She closed her eyes and balled her fists and shouted, "Why the fuck can't I just get the fuck away from him and forget he ever fucking existed!" she looked at me, "The only thing that happened the way it should have was my cunt of a mother. That whore was going to abandon me no matter what the fuck I did. I kept that bitch ALIVE for YEARS. She would have died a long ass time ago if it was not for me and the twit was always going to fucking leave. My friends were going to bounce too, but they were still going to be ALIVE. Not murdered by a fucking savage. And my daddy." She choked on the word as the tears she tried to keep in fell unchecked down her face. She took a deep breath, "My daddy was going to get in an accident and forget me due to brain damage, not get ripped apart for the same savage to leave me a fucking note. And the fucking scars I have were never supposed to be, because I would not have a red headed crotch monkey trying to kill me!"

I looked at her as she tried with everything she had not to crumble. I was still sitting on my foot board because I didn't know how she would take being comforted by me at this point. "Izzy, I doubt it is any consolation to you, but I am truly sorry about my part in this?"

Her tear streaked face shot up and her watery eyes locked on me; she was pissed. "Jesus Christ, Jazz, this is not about you and you're fucked up sense of responsibility. You had nothing to do with this."

I raised an eyebrow, "I was the one that killed the bitches mate, me and Em."

"Yeah, because Edward was too much of a fucking pussy to get his fucking hands dirty. That bastard could have let Carlisle suck on me and him avenge me, but no. the fucking dick had to get all possessive and 'mine mine mine' with the Bella buffet. Ass." I wanted to know if she was calling me an ass or him, but I figured it was best not to ask.

BPOV

Looking at Jasper right now was the only thing that was keeping me from completely shattering. This was a load of shit bigger than anything that any animal could ever produce. I honestly didn't know what pissed me off more; the fact that my life was doomed from the start, or that it was never my life to begin with. We learn about fate and destiny and the path of life at an early age, but as we grow up we conclude that it is all a bunch of crap. So, how are you supposed to handle finding out that it is all real? I can deal with the existence of God, the devil, and angels and demons; the latter being actually pretty nifty. But on the heels of that is the truth that stares us in the face that we ignore our whole lives. That our lives are nothing but a fucking cosmic joke for the amusement of others.

I knew my life was one of those for years, so it was not a great shock to have it validated. What was a shock however was that it was all done to make me the perfect mate to the demon prince. How the hell is someone supposed to take that? I can't blame him for this, he didn't know about any of it; at least he said so. But if he knew before than why is he so pissed now? Why would he wait to tell me this until now if he knew? Why would he let me be with Edward right under his nose if he knew I was meant for him even then? I know he said that he felt like he should steal me away and everything, but if he knew I was his, then why would he be with the stupid pixy if he knew? I would think that if he knew all that then he would not have waited and he would have done everything he could to stop what happened. I don't know for sure, but I would like to think that anyways.

The hardest thing to swallow in this whole situation is that everything that happened didn't have to. I thought that my life just sucked, but I found out that no matter what I did, I was going to lose everyone I cared about. The fucked up part of that I think, I could have dealt with the original plan. It sucked, but everyone would still be alive and I could have found solace in that; not much mind you cuz it was still fucked up, but hey, it would be something. I have nothing and no one now. Everyone I care about is dead and now I knew that the blame I put on Edward is not completely unfounded, not completely misplaced. It really IS his fault; everything really is because of him.

I heard Jasper's phone ring and him answer it, but I couldn't find it in me to pay attention to it. I thought that if there was ever a time to be selfish and think of nothing but one's self, it would be after you were told, and given proof of, your life being a joke was it. I looked back at him and saw his lips move but the words escaped me and my ability to give a shit. Yes, my pity party was far more important.

I saw him hang up and look at me, but I think he knew I was still not all there so he gave me a minute to get it together before he spoke.

"Bella, are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick."

A bubble of hysterical laughter came out of me. "Oh, yeah, I'm just fucking peachy." I scrubbed my face and just now realized that I was crying. I looked at my wet hands and looked wide eyed at Jasper. "Now, when the fuck did that happen?"

He pursed his lips. "Um, when you spoke of your father." His face hardened at that, "Speaking of, I did find out what happened to him in the mist of the fuckary I learned tonight. Do you still want to know?"

I about fell over when he said that. My eyes dropped, "If you found out then that must mean…" he didn't let me finish.

"He's not here." My eyes shot back up, hope clearly written there. He scratched the back of his head before continuing. "There are some people that know more than I do on the subject and want to meet with us about the extreme fuck up, that is, if you are willing to meet with them. I'm sure they would understand if you don't." Let's see, pass up a chance to get some answers; not fucking likely.

"I'm all for it. But let me ask you something, how do you feel about all of this? I mean, I was never really meant to have a life from what it sounds like, but you are like thousands of years old and just found out that your future was decided for you as well. How does that make you feel?"

He was silent for a moment, just staring at me. When he spoke there was laughter in his voice and mirth in his eyes, "surprisingly, not as pissed as I should be." he stalked forward towards me with a strange look in his eyes making me match him step for step, only I was backing up. A predatory look taking over his features with every step I took. When my back hit something I looked over my shoulder and saw that I was on the balcony off his room, and trapped. Well, god damn it. I turned back to him and he was close, like arm's length close. He put his hands on either side of me on the rail effectively trapping me. Well, this is familiar. I seem to like to get myself trapped by him. He again bent down and looked in my eyes, he's full of something. "They could have picked worse." Without giving me a chance to respond, he scooped me up in his arms, jumped up on the rail, and launched off. A scream tore free as we flew through the air, and then he opened his wing effectively stopping our descent. My stomach however, did not follow us when we started climbing. Good thing too, because if I had access to it, I would have thrown the fuck up.

When I regained my ability to comprehend what the fuck was going on I did what I thought was a good idea at the time, I punched the fucker. "Jasper, you ass! That shit was not funny!"

He apparently thought otherwise, considering he was laughing hard. "Oh come on Bella, you know that you enjoyed it."

I crossed my arms, "About as much as a root canal. Where are we going?"

"Neutral territory." It was then I realized my state of dress. My life really is just a punch in the fucking face. Oh well at this point all I can really say is shit happens.

JPOV

For the love of it, why do I get all weird when in the presence of this one human? I didn't get like this seven years ago when we met, why is it happening now? I swear, this fucker better not be fucking with me. He pissed me off last time I saw him and the way I see it is there is still a score to settle. I know now is not the time for personal bull shit to get in the way of things, but there will be a time that I will break the fucker's nose. Speaking of the asshole, there he is. This should be fun.

I landed a far distance away and folded my wings around my shoulders like I usually do when I can't just cloak them and set Bella on the ground putting my hand on the small of her back. She was looking around with curious eyes. Giving the area a once over I guess to someone that has never seen it before it would look kinda cool. She looked up at me, "Where in the hell are we?"

I looked down at her with a chuckle. "We are not in hell any more. This is the area between life and death. You humans call it limbo. It is where the Judgment takes place. It is the only truly neutral area between my kind and them." I pointed up ahead to where there were four silhouettes waiting. "When you're ready, let me know." she took a deep breath and nodded. Keeping my hand on her back I lead her forward to where the meeting was going to take place.

As we got closer, their features started to become more pronounced. I could feel her surprise at their appearance. Angels, like demons are ridiculously beautiful, though I never really saw the point to that. You're nobody angel has no interaction with humans and the guardian angels are the ugly ones. These fuckers interact with them, but they can't be seen by your average human. But hey, I say whatever.

We stopped five feet from them and they all seemed to only have eyes for Bella. She raised a brow at them and put her hands on her hips, "See something interesting?" They just continued to look at her, but there was a noticeable difference in their looks.

Starting from the left I introduced them. "Bella, this is Azrael. He is the angel of death and collector of souls. When humans die, it's his job to collect your soul and bring it here for judgment."

He nodded to her, "My pleasure, my lady." She nodded back.

"Next is Gabriel. He is the left hand of God, or God's little bitch as you will hear him referred to back at the palace."

Glaring at me, "I am not." He looked at Bella and bowed at the waist. "An honor to meet you." Fighting a smirk she nodded.

I sighed, "This guy has way too many fucking names. At last count how many was there?"

He laughed, "Over one hundred."

I snorted, "So basically, you can call him whatever the fuck you want. He was introduced to me as Ozah. He is the Metatron, or voice of God. All hate mail and things of the like go through him. Anyone that says anything about talking to God or getting an answer anyways, it is actually him that they are referring to, or they are talking to themselves."

He smiled at Bella and bowed his head, "Enchanted my dear. I must say, out of everything I have heard regarding God, I have never heard him called an 'ass hat' before you. You are very creative in name calling."

She shrugged, "He fucked with me first."

Ozah's eye brow drew down, "I assure you my dear, it was meant to be far different than it turned out."

She crossed her arms, "Oh, I'm aware. He is still an ass hat though." Ozah sighed and when he went to open his mouth I cut him off.

"And lastly Bella, this is the Archangel Michael. He is the leader of Heaven's army, well field commander anyhow, and my cousin. He was the one that called."

He took a step forward and extended a hand that Bella just raided a brow at. I pushed her forward and she glared at me before taking his hand. He raised it and placed a kiss on her knuckles, "I'm honored to meet you. Believe it or not my lady, I have been keeping an eye on you for quite a while."

She took her hand back, "I don't believe it. If that was the case, you suck at your job."

He smiled at her, "I am actually quite good at MY job. I am not a guardian, so no, I might not be the best at that, but I did do what I could. I am unable to interfere in human lives directly, but indirectly is a different story. I sent humans to do what I could not. My lady, I am sorry about everything you went through and I know that you have questions as to why, but there are no answers to them. I know that you will not like it but you are just going to have to accept it for what it is; a fuck up of epic proportions. Things were never meant to go the way they did, but there is nothing that can be done about it now. It is best to just accept it."

She looked at him with fire and hate in her eyes. "Accept it? You think I should just accept it? Just accept that everyone I care about is dead, murdered. Just accept that my life was a fucking joke? Just accept it, just like that. Tell me, put yourself in my place for a second, see it from my point of view, can you accept it?"

Michael look down and frowned, "I know that is seems bad, horrible even, to you, but you must believe me when I tell you it was not the Lord's intentions for things to be the way they are."

She crossed her arms, "I am aware. Doesn't make it any better." Then she smirked, "you know, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

He grimaced, "So I have heard. You have His deepest sorrow over the events that took place, though. That should count for something." She snorted and I smirked. Recognizing a losing battle when he saw one he moved on. "I called you Jasper,because I have been given orders to extend you any help you need in the coming altercation. It is the Lord's position that things in the supernatural world have come to a head and must be set to rights."

I raised a questioning brow. "Set to rights? What exactly does that mean?"

He looked me dead in the eye, "Your father's little pets are causing far too much upset to the balance and must be put back on their leash, or put down, permanently."

Immediate understanding dawned on me and I was slightly taken aback. "Father said nothing to me about this; simply that war was going to be unavoidable at this point."

He nodded, "I am not surprised he didn't say anything about it. This is not something we want him to know about. I know you are aware that this is not the first time his pets messed with the balance, nor will it be the last, however, with the way they are now, he was right about the war. It is unavoidable, and we do not want him interfering with it again."

"Are you talking about total annihilation?"

He shook his head, "Of course not. For the most part they serve the purpose that they were created for, there are some others however that must be restrained or destroyed. There is no other way. The one after your lady is a prime example of them."

I looked down at Bella knowing that Victoria was a sore spot with her and she looked deep in thought. She looked up at me with contemplative eyes. "What is going on in that mind of yours little one?"

A very slow, very sinister smile spread across her face, "Can we start with Edward Cullen?" look at me like that, and I will give you the head of anyone you want on a silver fucking platter.

Michael cleared his throat regaining our attention. "So I can assume you agree to our help? I am not insinuating that you need it of course, but we are here if it becomes necessary. Whether or not you choose to acknowledge it Jasper, we are family." I rolled my eyes.

"I am aware. Did you miss the part when I said we were cousins? Just because I don't like you does not mean that I don't acknowledge you." And want to break your fucking nose.

Gabriel elbowed Azrael in the ribs and nodded to Bella with a determined look. What is all that about? Azrael nodded and called Bella's attention to him. "My lady, I have something for you." She looked at him with narrowed eyes making him chuckle. He waved a hand and moved to the side as someone appeared behind him.

Bella narrowed her eyes trying to see what the hell was going on when her eyes widened. She reeled back a half step when the features came into focus. Her breath hitched and caught in her throat and her hand came up to cover her mouth while the other grabbed my arm. I looked down at her, but her eyes were glued to the being Azrael brought forth. It took her a minute to find her voice and when she did it was a strangled whisper. "Daddy?"

Sure enough, Chief Swan stood there looking at Bella like she walked on fucking water. Souls can't cry, but he looked like he would if he could. "Yeah Bells."

She looked at Azrael and he nodded and without any other indication as to what she wanted, she closed the distance between them and through her arms around him surprising the fuck out of me. Looked at Azrael he winked at me. "The least we could do, remember?" gotcha.

Michael came to stand beside me as Bella interacted with her father, apologizing over and over again for lying to him and for everything else she couldn't control. "She really is something Jasper. I am sorry that I was unable to inform you of everything that was happening. As much as I hated it and wanted to tell you or help her in some real way, you know that my hands were tied. I cannot go against His Lord, no matter how much I might disagree with his rulings."

I watched Bella as he spoke. When he finished I sighed and nodded, "I know Michael, I know." I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "What happened with him? And I want the truth."

He rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger, crossing his other arm across his chest. "I'll tell ya Jazz that was interesting. When he came here, Lucifer didn't even put up a fight. He actually looked upset that he was called here for Judgment on him. I have never seen anything like it; he took one look at him, and said hell had no place for a soul like his. Charles Swan was a genuinely good soul, just put in no win situations. But also said when Renee showed up, he wanted her with no fights. Anafiel shrugged and said she was not welcome beyond the gates as it was so that was no problem." He was silent for a moment, just watching Bella and her dad before he looked back at me, "Out of curiosity, what are you going to do with your vampires?"

I looked at him, "Excuse me?"

He closed his eyes and twirled his hand in a circle a few times, "Um, oh what are their names, uh, Peter and his mate?"

"I was unaware that I was supposed to be considering that."

He looked surprised by that before his eyes widened, "You didn't know, did you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Didn't know what?" Michael knows I don't like to have shit kept from me.

"Your father sent them to keep an eye on her after the Cullen fiasco. God sent me when he realized that that was an epic fail. I was the one that sent the human when your lady was in the hands of those humans four years ago. It saved her from having to live that hell and got the human a free pass with your father. It was a win all around from my standpoint."

I didn't even try to stop the growl that came out. I was beyond livid. "Peter was supposed to watch her; and he ignored her?"

He took a small step back and held his hands up, "to be fair, I don't think he knew everything about the situation at the time." like it fucking matters.

"I don't know what I am going to do with them, but I can promise it won't be pleasant." I looked over at him after a moment."Perhaps you can answer a question for me that seems to escape me."

He looked surprised, "I will certainly try, what's up?"

"What I want to know is what the hell is going on with me when it comes to her. I knew her seven years ago and I never acted the way I did for the past few days. I want to know is what the hell it is all about."

He looked at me hard for a moment, "Are you upset by how you are acting?"

I shook my head, "I wouldn't say upset no, merely confused. I can barely keep my hands together, much less other body parts.I would think that less than 36 hours would be a bit soon for the kinds of thoughts I have about 'my lady' as you call her. I am only trying to understand."

He looked back at Bella and her dad before retaining his sight on me. "Jasper, do you know that you always overlook the simplest answer? It is not because you can't see it; it is only because of its simplicity that you just don't see it. When last you saw her for an extended period of time, she was under the protection of the 'Age of Innocence', therefore under God's protection. You being what you are, you knew that you wanted to protect her at first because of an ingrained instinct from before your father fell. It is our jobs to protect the souls under the age of innocents loophole. But tell me Jasper, when was the first time you did anything to protect HER without the prompting of someone else?"

Taking a moment to think about it, I came to the conclusion it was when she got that paper cut, and I told him as much. "And that paper cut was on her 18th birthday yes?" I nodded starting to see where he was going with it. "In that instance, she was no longer under god's protection and her soul was free for the taking." He looked at me with a smirk on his face, "But didn't even give a shit about her soul at that point did you? You wanted HER to be safe."

I nodded. "I to this day still have no clue why I interfered in it."

"Again the simplicity eludes you. She was MADE for you. Even before everything went so wrong, she was still DESTINED for you. And if the information I have it right, you claimed her, OUT LOUD, before you found out about all this. It was still your choice Jasper. You could have never looked for her, you could have simply washed your hands of the human Isabella, but you didn't. YOU decided to look for her, YOU decided to interact with her, YOU decided to protect her, and if it comes to head, YOU WILL have the choice to take her. She made her choice earlier, and it was you. Now it is your turn. Nothing is how it was meant to be. Her life is no longer written, therefore it is be made up as she goes. She will need the protection only you can offer, but it is still for you to decide. But from what I hear though, she would have made the perfect mate even if she was a saint." He raised a brow at me and a smirk took over his face.

I crossed my arms as I looked back at her and tilted my head to the side, a half smile on my face. "She would have. That human, that tiny little girl has strength I have never before seen in her kind. I mean really, who have you ever seen that can be attacked repeatedly by a vampire and live through it? But it is more than that even. Seven years ago, the last time I saw her, I wanted to keep her."

He clapped a hand on my shoulder, "Well, now you can."

We both looked over at her when Azrael placed his hand on her father's shoulder and informed them it was time. Bella looked at him, but nodded and gave her father a hug. "I love you daddy, and I am so sorry for everything."

He reached a hand out and cupped her cheek, wiping a tear away as it fell. "Don't be Bells, I'm not. The way I died meant I died remembering you. You were always my life, I would not have wanted it any other way, because that would have meant that I would have forgotten that I such a wonderful, beautiful and strong daughter I got to call mine. I love you Iz, and I am so proud of you." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead as he disappeared from sight. "I am always with you, even if you can't see me."

Chapter 13

 MICHAELS POV

Talking with Jasper and his dark lady was nothing like I expected. Mostly because I didn't really knew what to expect. When I called him to offer Heaven's assistance, he sounded off, strained, or in pain even. I didn't know that he had met up with her yet. I knew the time was coming, but I was unsure of the ACTUAL date that he was going to find her.

She is a little spitfire isn't she? Watching over her over the past five years was difficult for me. I do not like to see anyone suffer, but to see a lady go through it for no real reason is enough to get my blood boiling. There were many arguments between myself and my lord over what she was dealing with. I thought that since everything changed when the vampire screwed it all up, that Jasper should have been informed. We didn't need to tell him that she was his mate or anything, but Jasper does not do ladies in distress. Demon or not, that guy is a gentleman and won't allow a lady to suffer. Add to the fact that Jasper knew her and already felt a sense of protection for her, and she would not have been through half of it. Then again, had the stupid dick of a vampire that Lucifer sent to watch her done that; most of it could have also been avoided.

I felt lighter telling Jasper everything that was kept from him. His father only knew some of it, but not all, and what he does it not all true. There were reasons that we kept things from Lucifer. The biggest is that guy will take any information and turn it around to fit his own purpose. Nothing that we didn't expect, but we didn't think that he would do it to his own son. That is something that was not unexpected, but unexpected at that same time. But, when dealing with the devil.

Now, this girl. I like her. She is just what Jasper needed, and not because she was made for him. Like I said, Jasper is a gentleman. He was raised by a woman that at one point WAS a human. His mother is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. So how she ended up with the mourning star I still don't get, but they seem to balance each other out. Isabella is nothing like that. She is a foul-mouthed pig headed little thing that has a heart of gold. She still cares about people even when they do nothing to deserve it. Well, she used to. Now she is a lost soul that found her way again in the form of a demon prince. The poor thing's life is like one of those really bad daytime television talk shows like Maury.

Her written life and what she lived are more opposite than night and day. The day that I sent that human to stop her from beingraped she was actually supposed to be at the hospital with her father after his accident, safe and sound. She was losing her father that day, but she was not in danger. The day she got the scar on her face when she was attacked by the vampires outside that bar, she was actually supposed to still be in Fork getting everything ready for him to come home before she left. She wasn't going to stay and have to look at him all the time and know him, but not be known. It would have caused them both more pain in the end.

Though stopping her rape was a huge deal, what I considered my greatest victory was three years ago. That was when she came closest to death, when she was almost sliced in half. That was the first time I ever went against my lord and directly interfered in her life. I used humans up to that point, but a human was not going to help her this time. She was ambushed by that red head and the one that she took as her new mate. They did some horrendous things to her, but when they started to carve on her skin I couldn't stand there and do nothing. I sent A'albiel to her aid. And he was pissed. Angels do not usually lose their temper, but when we do, it is as bad as a demon, probably why we have such long fuses. The way he crouched over her you would have thought that he was in fact a demon, and when he created the fireball in his hand making them run away, I laughed. Yes I was there, leaning on the wall with my arms and ankles crossed watching. The vampire didn't do anything like that again. That day, she was supposed to be hundreds of miles away from there at a funeral for someone she went to school with. Surrounded by people, and SAFE. Every time she was attacked by human or vampire, she was supposed to be around people and save.

She was never supposed to EVER be physically hurt, only emotionally.

When things started to go so wrong Manu, one of the fate angels scrambled to try and salvage something, but he couldn't do anything. Too much had changed by the time we realized it. The only thing that didn't change was her mother. She was always meant to do what she did. That was another thing that was hard for some of us to swallow. We are not the bad guys here, we did what we could, but we can only do so much. We don't have the same abilities that demons have. That was the biggest reason I wanted to tell Jasper years ago what was going on. He could actually do something and not lose everything, unlike me and my kind.

I got in serious shit for sending an angel that time and the only thing I could say was she couldn't die. It was a crap defense, but it was the truest one. Had she died that day, Jasper would have thrown a fucking fit. There has been relative peace between us and demons for a few centuries, and had we sat back and allowed the future dark queen to die, that would have been asking for trouble that we didn't need. Jasper has the strength and drive to do what his father couldn't, and even God knows it. That was the only reason that I kept my wings that day.

I have seen the way that Jasper looks at her and I have to say, I believed what he said about her being the perfect mate even if she was a saint. He truly would have loved her either way. She is more his type this way, but he would have loved her no none the less.

I turned to Jasper and saw him looking at her with a small smile on his face, his feeling clearly written in his eyes. He really does love that human. I doubt he realizes it yet, but the feelings are there. Knowing him the way I do, he will fight it, saying it is too soon to feel something that strong yet, but he will act on it. He won't be able to help it. That tiny human is his destiny, and he hers. They might not understand it all yet, but that won't change the facts. Bella got a bit of closure today, one more thing set to rights and she can move on from. I can see her soul lighten from the knowledge that her father loves her still, is proud of her for surviving.

Giving her a little longer to bask in her glow I elbowed Jasper to get his attention. When he looked at me I tilted my head, "Now that you have all the information, how are you going to handle the situation?"

I looked back at her for a moment before focusing on me fully, "I am going to leave that to her. It was her life that was fucked up, it is only fair that she decides how to handle her revenge." He rubbed his temple, "She wants to start with Edward Cullen we start with Edward Cullen. That cock sucking little bitch has a lot to answer for."

I nodded, "I agree, he does. What about your vampires?"

He growled. "I can't really do much about that now can I? He might be a vampire I made, but all vampires answer to my father before me. He was acting under Father's orders, so I can't kill him. I can however, fuck him up, and I plan to."

I chuckled. He always was a shoot now ask questions later. I nodded to Bella, "She seems better now, lighter."

He looked back at her and his eyes softened and lightened a few shades, "Yes, she does. I must thank you for allowing her that time with her father. I think that was just what she needed."

I smirked, "The least we could do remember?" I pursed my lips, "That was the only time it can happen though. Her questions were answered, she knows where he went, that he does not blame her, and that he still loves her. There is nothing left to communicate between the two. They both got their goodbyes. Her father is at peace now. We are unable to disrupt a peaceful soul."

He nodded, "I know that." Then his face looked thoughtful. That face is never good on him, usually means bad things are in the future for someone.

As scared as I am to know, I am way too curious for my own good, "What's on your mind Jazz?" he shook his head.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about Michael." I raised a brow and he snorted, "I'm serious. I have more than one thing on my mind at the moment. This is nothing you need to worry about unless you are for some reason interested in my personal life." He raised his brow and I think I might have blushed a bit at that. When he laughed, I knew I did.

JPOV

I love fucking with Michael. He is the easiest fucker to make blush. The guy sees war zones but even the smallest mention ofsex and he turns into a fucking tomato.

Bella came over to us then and looked at me with bright eyes and a smile; she was radiant. I smiled at her when she started bouncing up and down. "Jasper, did you see that? My daddy went to heaven!" She shot forward and wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. I clasped my hands together so she was sitting on my forearms when she situated herself in such a way that she could look me in the eyes. "He said he doesn't blame me! He said he was proud of me!"

I smiled indulgently at her, there was no chance I was going to ruin her good mood. After everything she has been through, she deserved something to go her way, "I did my lady." She was like a little kid on Christmas morning.

She started bouncing in my arms as her face lit up like the sun, "You told the truth; you didn't lie to me. You were right about everything!"

I tightened my grip on her legs to keep her still. Her bouncing was not doing me any favors in paying attention to her. "And I never will lie to you Darlin'. Though I wish things had happened differently for you, I could…"

She clapped a hand over my mouth, "Stop. Didn't you hear my dad? If things had happened differently, things could have actually turned out worse. My dad was supposed to forget about me and he didn't. Had Jacob not died when he did, he would have aged out of the age of innocents and when he was 24, he was supposed to kill a man, by accident, in a fight. Don't you see, my life might have not been what it was supposed to be, but because it is what is was, the people I cared about get the afterlife they deserve, not the one that they were looking at because of horrible circumstance."

I smirked, "You, little one, are the only person I have ever met that would think that her misfortune was for the benefit of others."

She stuck her tongue out at me and I snapped my teeth at it making her smile again. "There is nothing wrong with trying to find a nugget of gold in a pile of shit." I smiled at her and Michael snorted. I had honestly forgotten he was there.

We both looked over and saw him just standing there looking all kinds of uncomfortable while creating a new color of red, and Bella pounced on it. "Christ, I think you might make a tomato jealous there chief."

He cleared his throat, "Yes, well I am not accustomed to such displays of affection." He held out a helpless hand towards us, "Angels don't do… that."

I chuckled, "Yeah, they don't do this either." And I turned her face towards mine and took her lips in a searing kiss that she just melted into.

Yes, she might have been chosen for me, but I don't think I could have picked better myself.

Chapter 14

 

JPOV

Bella and I talked to Michael for a bit longer, but both of our minds were still on that kiss. We had kissed once before, but it was different this time. It was still a sneak attack on my part, but this time, it was just different. The last one was one of possession on my part, it was me laying claim, marking my territory so to speak. I was not kidding when I said she was mine, nor was I kidding when I said that anyone that wants to get to her, had to go through me first. I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards that stand with the red head. Almost.

After Michael left I looked down at Bella and smiled a half smile at her, "Well, since you know where your father's soul is, there is no reason to go back to the palace unless you want to."

She looked up at me with determined eyes, "I want another crack at that hot spring. There is no way in fuck WATER is going to get the best of me." I had to chuckle when she looked down and scowled at her foot. "Stupid fucking water." I did laugh at that.

"Your wish is my command, my lady." I saw no need to tell her about the incantation on the spring. I picked her up and jumped in the air, opening my wings when I reached my peak.

The flight back was much better than the flight there. I consider her not trying to hit me a win in any situation.

Landing on my balcony, I set her down but didn't let her go. She looked up at me and smiled this vixen worthy smile and placed her hands on my chest. Looking in my eyes, "I want to thank you Jasper."

I cocked my head a little and whispered, "for what Darlin'?"

She looked down and for a moment looked like the shy human I used to know before everything happened to her. "Anything, everything." She looked back up at me, "you gave me something that I thought I lost forever. There is nothing I could ever do that could show you how much it meant to me." Oh, I don't know about all that.

I slid my arms down and laced my fingers together behind her back, "I'm sure I could think of something."

She gave me a wicked grin, "You're such a pervert." Guilty as charged.

I smirked and one of my fangs showed, "That may well be true, but your scent and emotions betray you." I bent my head down and ran my nose up her neck and whispered in her ear, "You love it." A soft moan escaped her throat and a shudder ran down her spine. My fingers traced the scars on her back and she pressed herself closer to me.

My wings wrapped around her effectively trapping her within my grasp. She wasn't going anywhere. I kissed and nipped my way back down her neck until I reached the apex of her neck and shoulder. I placed a kiss there before I racked my fangs across her skin. I was rewarded with a gasp. She tilted her head exposing her neck fully to me. Perfect. Though I doubt she knew what doing that meant, it was probably the best thing she could have done. By exposing her neck like that, she gave me her full submission, something my kind basks in.

With my wings keeping her in place, I moved one hand to the back of her head and grabbed her hair and pulled her head back and took full possession of her lips while my other hand took a nice sized handful of her glorious ass before taking around her waist and picking her up. She reacted perfectly and wrapped her legs back around me. Even with my eyes closed, I know this room like the back of my hand. I took her to the room with the spring and went to put her down but she was having none of that. The hands that were still on my chest went around my neck and she pulled herself as close to me as she could. Well fine then, but don't get pissed at me when your clothes get wet.

Walking straight into the water, I opened my wings and pressed her back into the side of the spring. I always knew there was a reason for it to be as deep as it was. Even with my 6'5 height, it still came up above my belly button and halfway to my pecks. If she ever let go and stood up it would come to her shoulders. Short shit.

Pulling my lips from hers I pressed my forehead to hers as she gasped for air. Butting my nose with hers to get her attention, I nipped at her swollen bottom lip gaining a groan from her. Looking into her lust hazed eyes, "I already told you, you are mine. If we go any farther, it will seal the deal for you. You have the choice Bella. I won't force you into anything, but this will be your only chance to change your mind. If we do this tonight, you will be mine forever tomorrow." She kissed me and that was all the answer I needed.

Moving my hands from her waist and hair, I didn't wait on ceremony as I just ripped her top right down the middle. It didn't stand a chance. Looking down at her breasts I saw the rest of the scar that goes across her chest, how it curved to follow along the inside of the left one. It almost looked like it was going to be used for access to her heart. Bella went to cover herself and I grabbed her wrists. I shook my head and bent down and followed it from her shoulder, between her breasts and down to where is disappeared under the water, then followed it back up, kissing and sucking on my way.

When I found my face between her boobs again, I could not help it, I motorboated making her laugh. Call me stupid, but I really do love that sound. It got caught in her throat however when I took one of her nipples in my mouth. I was so used to the chest of a prepubescent boy, that the soft fullness of my Bella was a mind blowing change. When she arched her back and pushed more in my mouth, I growled deep and low. I brought my hand up and palmed the other, pinching and tweaking it to pebble in my grasp despite the heat of the room.

Switching my mouth to the other so it didn't feel left out, Bella's hands found their way into my hair. When she pulled, my hips bucked on their own accord pressing my achingly hard member into maddening heat. Fuck, I was gonna end up coming before I ever actually did anything.

My hands moved to her hips and I ever so slowly started to lift her out of the water, kissing a path down her chest, stomach and sides as it was revealed to me. Setting her on the edge of the spring, I scraped my fangs along the dip of her right hip then ran my tongue along her waistband, and got the shock of a lifetime. Her innocents smacked me in the face. I know that Michael stopped her rape, but I thought for sure in seven years, she had fucked someone. Not saying she was a whore or anything, but what 25 year old has an intact hymen? A rather sadistic smile came to my face as I looked up at her. She had her head back, her mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were closed. She has never been with anyone else, and now, she never will.

The pause went unnoticed by her as I continued to her left hip and my destination. Time to find out how far below her waistband the mystical disappearing scar goes. Her hip buckled when I pressed my lips to it and she picked her head up to see what I was doing. I flashed a fanged grin at her as my fingernails sharpened. Her eyes went wide as I carefully ran a claw under the side of her boy shorts effectively cutting them out of my way then I retracted my claws. No need to scare her. When I moved them what I saw made me want to growl but I kept my face blank of it. The scar went rather far down. It was like the one next to her breast. It looked like it could have cut off her leg. I will turn that bitch's ash to glass when I get my hands on her. But again, I kept my thoughts off my face and the pause went unnoticed. I did what any man would do; I traced it with my finger and followed with my tongue. Like I said before, I LOVE scars.

Between that, her scent and her reactions, there was no drawing any of it out. Wrapping her right leg up in my arm and throwing her left over my shoulder, I ran my nose up her slit, brushing her clit with it as I let my tongue follow. The girl tasted fantastic. I was wrong about her being too sweet for me; she was perfect. Her hands grabbed my hair again, and bless her she did her best to pull it out. Her back arched so high it cracked when my tongue found her nerve. The moan that came then I wasn't sure if it was for me or her back and I didn't like it. Having your ego hurt at a time like this is not a good thing to happen, so I did it again. She moaned and I heard nothing else crack so it was safe to assume that one was for me.

I continued my assault on her clit, keeping tabs on her emotions. There was no way I was going to let her finish anytime soon. Whenever she got close, I would focus my attention elsewhere until she settled down. I think there was a death threat at one point, but I was enjoying myself too much to pay it much heed. That was until I went to pull away again and I clearly heard "I swear to god, you stop and I will rip your dick off." It was deep, heady, and so full of lust it came out as a very impressive growl. I chuckled against her, the vibrations doing her in. Her head snapped back, her back arched, her hands left my hair and grabbed her own and she screamed out my name so loud that I know the whole of the palace heard her. That's my girl.

Before she could come down all the way, I inserted a finger into her passage making her cum again. And like the greedy bastard I am, I drank every drop she gave me. I let her come down a little farther before I added another to her. Fuck me, she was like a vice she was so tight. This time I slowly brought her back to her peak drawing it out. But even with me doing that, it wasn't long before she found the euphoric high of her climax.

Pulling her back into the water with me as she struggled to steady her breathing, I positioned her over my ridiculously hard dick and took possession of her mouth. She didn't fight me for dominance of the kiss; she just clung to me like a lifeline, like I was all that was holding her down. Pulling away from her lips I pressed her back up against the side again. I whispered to her,my lips still brushing hers as I spoke, "Are you absolutely certain?" This was her last change to change her mind; her last chance to walk away. If we continued, that would be all she wrote for her. She looked in my eyes and nodded. "Than this is going to hurt." I didn't know if it would be better to go slow and let her adjust little by little or do it like a band aid. I have never taking someone's virginity before, so this was new territory for me. I thought the band aid approach was best. I didn't just slam her down like an asshole, but it was probably fast then she was expecting. By the time she cried out from me breaking her barrier, I was buried to the hilt. I paused for her to adjust to my larger than normal size, and also so I didn't bust my nut right off the bat. Fucking hell, she's tight. My face was buried in her neck, my hands still on her hips.

When she wrapped her legs around me and pressed harder into me I knew she was ready. I moved my hands to the edge of the spring for balance purposes and slowly drew out of her so only the head was still inside and slowly, but forcefully pushed back inside. It was an agonizing pace I set, but I didn't want to hurt her. But the little hellcat was having no part of it. After the first few strokes, when I pulled out, she SLAMMED back down with a strangled cry and her lust and desire shooting through the roof. My smirk was internal, but it was so there. My little one likes it rough huh, well then Darlin', let's go.

I slid my feet a little farther apart so I could use one of my hands. I grabbed her by the back of the head and crashed my lips to hers as I went to town. For a virgin, she sure as hell knew what to do. She slid her hands up my chest, over my shoulders and up the back of my head into my hair. Her fingers were so tangled in it I was afraid I was going to have to cut them out and I really like my hair. And apparently, so does she.

It didn't take long before I could feel the tightening in my gut, driven by the knot in hers, but there was no way in any universe I Was going before her. I was eons old reverted to a virginal teenager by an actual virgin that apparently has seen porn. I could feel my fangs growing in preparation of sinking into her neck, turning her, claiming her, and marking her as mine for all eternity. Fuck. Letting go of her hair, but not leaving her lips, I slid my hand down her side, tracing her scar down to her clit. Brushing up and down from her clit to her opening a few times gaining the most delicious sounds from her throat, I pressed my thumb down hard on her, moved it twice and tossed her ass into the abyss of her orgasm. She pulled back from my lips with my name once again falling from her lips in a great cry that the souls in heaven could hear I'm sure. The sheer strength of the grip of her walls clamping down on me was all it took for me, and everything else in me went into NOT biting her. Yes, she is so mine now, but THAT is not something I will do until I get the chance to explain it to her.

As the stars faded from my vision, I looked at Bella and felt a sense of male pride at what I saw. She had at some point let go of my hair and dropped her head back on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her swollen lips were parted as she gasped for breath, chest heaving making her breasts bounce a bit. Hey, I'm a guy, so yes, my eyes followed them. Up and down, up and down, up and down.

In an effort to keep her from drowning, I grabbed her hips as I pulled out much slower than really necessary, but like I said, I never took someone's virginity before so I didn't know if it was going to hurt her or not. She grunted, but otherwise just kept up her deep breathing. I leaned over her and pressed my lips to hers lightly.

She tried to open her eyes, but I could tell by her emotions that she was not going to be awake much longer. Readjusting my hold on her, picked her up bridal style and carried her to MY room and put her soaking wet and butt ass naked in MY bed where she promptly passed the fuck out. That was fine with me; I had every intention of waking her up later for round two. Hey, it has been over seven years since I got laid and I am a horny fucker. I climbed in with her and pulled her to me and held her as close as our bodies would allow, even wrapping my wings around her to keep her there. The last thing that went through my mind before I also fell asleep was; 'I wonder how flexible my future mate is'.

Chapter 15

 

JPOV

I was woken up to a very persistent knock on my door. When I opened my eyes, it took me a moment to focus on anything. I cannot remember the last time I slept so well. I looked over and saw that Bella was still out cold, completely unfazed by the annoying banging that bounced off the walls of my cambers. Lucky little bitch. She also somehow managed to roll over away from me, but was still lying on my wing. The pressure was not totally unpleasant, but still slightly uncomfortable, probably because of how long she was lying there. I smiled at the sight she made. The covers had slid down her beautiful body to pool at her waist, which in turned pulled down to mine as well. Her hair was absolutely everywhere, her lips slightly parted, her breath blowing a wayward piece of hair like there was a breeze in here. She looked perfect. Now if only the fucking banging would stop and I could go back to sleep everything else would also be perfect. However, that did not seem likely. I don't care who it is, I am going to fucking kill em'.

I flexed my wing making her roll back to me. Turning on my side, I wrapping my arms around her not even caring that the covers were still down to my hips. I closed my eyes and moved my wing to cover her, still not caring to cover myself as I called out, "someone important better be dead or dying or it's your head." And I buried my face in her hair. I never claimed to be a morning person. It was sometime in the afternoon, but either way I am not a graceful riser. I am a fucking grouch when I get woken up, and anyone will tell you that. At least the banging stopped. The door opened but no one said anything. Now I was sure I was going to kill them. "Speak or go the fuck away." I felt Bella kick me and I lifted my head the smallest amount I could and saw that her eyes were still closed but she was smirking.

"It's too early for you to be a dick. Now play nice." Oh, fuck no.

Nuzzling my face right back where it was I snorted. "Fuck that. Come into my room, wake me up, you get Jasper the dick. It is the way the world works and I'm okay with that." I know I mumbled, but fuck it all I wanna to go back to sleep.

"Jasper, darling cover yourself. I do not need to SEE the proof of what I heard."

Pulling my face out of Bella's hair I looked at the intruder through a cracked eye. "If you don't want to see it Mother, you can always come back later." Bella's eyes snapped open and a look of horror overcame her peaceful expression, but she did not blush. I was slightly disappointed. She tried to reach down for the blanket, but I was having none of it. I was comfortable. Plus it was my fucking room; I saw no reason to cover up. Pulling her closer, I returned my face to her hair and closed my eye again. "Did you need something, or did you just want to annoy me?"

My mother laughed. "Oh, yes. I did come here for a reason but I think that I found something better to do. I feel there should be a different color on her face other than the pasty pale and I want to see it." Did I mention that I absolutely love my mother? I could clearly picture her crossing her arms and the playful smirk on her lips.

I chuckled when Bella did everything she could to vanish in thin air. "Relax little one, she's playing." She didn't relax, if anything, she tensed even more. I rolled my eyes even though they were still closed. "Mother, I love you dearly, but you know better than anyone not to wake me up. What can I do for you?"

She huffed, and probably dropped her arms very dramatically. "Fine darling, ruin my fun. I came to talk to you two. I will give you two minutes to get dressed than I am coming back in whether you are or not." God damn it all. I groaned and chucked a pillow at the closing door.

Kissing Bella on the top of her head and rolled on my back getting very creative with the curses in my head. I am sure I could make Bella blush again. I unwrapped her from my wing and she wasted no time jumping up and booking it to her room where her bag still was. Me, I took my good ass time. I stretched like a cat till everything either cracked or popped back into place and opened my wings to their full span and sighed in obvious relief when I got all the kicks out and I could feel blood rush through the one she was lying on again. Believe it or no, that shit is like stupid painful. I folded them around my and grabbed the first pair of lounge pants I touched and was tying them when my mother reentered the room. I looked over at her and smiled, "You could have knocked."

She walked over and hugged me and I kissed her cheek. Yes, I am a momma's boy, fucking bite me. She smiled at me, "I think that I knocked enough this morning my darling. I would have thought that after a century away you would have been happy to be home, if even just for a little while. I have missed you."

I sighed, "I was almost until I talked to father yesterday. Now, I am quite ready to get the fuck out of here again." She pointed her finger at me. Oh, shit, I said fuck. I held up my hands, "Blame Peter. He is a horrible influence." There, that will work. I get out of trouble with my mother and she kicks Peter ass for me. Hope you see it coming to you fucking jackass.

I could tell she didn't believe me, but she let it go, for now. "I am not here to reprimand you on your language Jasper, but do try to watch it in from of me please. I am far too old to kick your ass anymore." I snorted and her eyes lit up. Then she clapped her hands together. Oh, no. "Now, where is your little lady hiding? I do hope I didn't upset her. I was only playing around."

I crossed my arms. "I told her as such. She is not shy by any stretch of the imagination, but she is not really a new person people person. Unless you piss her off anyway, then she opens right up."

My mother tittered, "She sounds lovely." Then she grew serious. "Jazz, baby, don't let your father upset you to the point you don't come home anymore. He is an asshole, there is no nice way to put it, but he does what he thinks is best."

I scowled, "forgive me mother if I don't feel the same, nor wish to talk about my conversation with him just yet."

"Of course. Now, what could possibly be keeping the young lady?" she looked up at me with wide eyes and looked a tad upset. "I didn't overdo it did I? I didn't mean to upset her!"

I put my hand on her shoulder, "I am sure that it was nothing you did. I'll go see what's keeping her."

Calling at my back, "Please, do not add to the tardiness Jasper." See, I love my momma.

Walking through the spring made me smirk. Last night was the first time I ever did anything like that in the Palace. I fucked sure, but none ever came inside to do it. I knocked on her door and opened it and saw Bella looking ready to cry. Stopping behind her I put my arms around her, "Now now little one, whatever is the problem. Whatever it is cannot be this bad." I have never seen her look THIS upset, even years ago she didn't get like this. She was horrified, but I had no idea about what. "Bella, my mother was just playing around, she didn't mean to upset you like this. She just has an odd sense of humor."

She whirled around and looked at me, "That's not it Jasper. I can take a joke but that bitch was not joking." Pardon?

"Watch who you're calling a bitch Bella. I will stand for a lot from you, but calling my mother a bitch is not one of them."

She looked at me like I was an idiot, "Who the fuck was talking about your mother? I sure as hell wasn't. My mom equals bitch, your mom equals, well I don't know yet, but she seems alright to me. I was talking about the bitch that was just in here. SHE was not joking. Jasper, I want to go home. Now."

I lifted my head and took a whiff of the air trying to catch the scent of who she was talking about. When I found it I growled. That little bitch needs to put in her place, again. "Don't worry about her darlin', I'll take care of it. For now, my mother is waiting." I held my arm towards the door, "Shall we?" Bella did not look convinced of anything, but didn't argue. She pulled her hair in front of her face and I rolled my eyes. Brushing it back behind her ear I leaned in a husky voice I really didn't mean to use, "Don't do that. I like it; who care what anyone else thinks."

She smiled at me, "Shall we? I am sure your mommy is a lovely lady, but I just want to get the hell out of here."

"And we will. After we talk to my mother."

"There is nothing I can say to get out of it?" I shook my head. She looked down and said a quiet damn before looking at me with resigned eyes. "Let's get it over with." That's the spirit.

Chapter 16

 

BPOV

Holy shit, Jasper's mom did not just catch me naked in her son's bed. That shit did not just happen. I had to get out of there before the shit hit the fan and two minutes did not seem like that much time to run for the hills; or hide for that matter. Not that I could with Jasper's nose, but the thought was there. And it's the thought that counts right?

So here I am, standing, still naked, in my borrowed room, looking at the epitome of a pissed off female demon. I doubt though, that this is his mom. No this bitch is way too young. I know that demons age different than humans, I mean, look at Jasper, but she was way too young to have a 1400 year old bouncing baby boy. Plus I don't think that she would look at me with THAT much hate and murder in her eyes just for going heels to Jesus with him. Not a mom or anything, but I really don't think that would happen. Plus, the lady's voice that I heard in Jasper's room was happy and playful. This one's has nothing but hate and contempt.

"So, you're the human whore that thinks she get the pleasure of mating Prince Jasper, huh? Well I got news for you, I will be his mate and I will be draining you dry on my mating night." Hmm, sounds kinky. Wait, what the hell is wrong with me? I just stood there, stark fucking naked, staring at this little Miss Priss. I know better than to do that.

"I'm sorry, what the fuck are you talking about?" I know something you don't know.

She got right in my face. Someone was never taught about personal space I see. "If you don't leave Jasper alone, I will personally see to it that both sides of your fucked up face match. Leave and do not left me find out that you have anything to do with My Prince after this moment, or your little vampire problem will get a LOT worse." And she was gone. Well, that bitch knows how to cut someone down.

I was pissed off, hurt, and so surprisingly scared that I just wanted to get the fuck out of here. The LAST thing I fucking needed was more trouble. I could run, I got really good at that. I have the weird ability to disappear when I want to. But the thing is I don't WANT to. I feel safe, protected, wanted, and all those other things you're supposed to feel when you have a guy in your life. Then this twat comes in and does this. Fucking fucker, I can't deal with this. And I am still butt ass naked. Why am I never wearing clothes when it seems to be the time to do so? Looking up at the ceiling, "Seriously, what the fuck did ever do to you?Do you take it up the ass as much as you like to ass fuck the rest of us? You wanna know why I hate you? It's shit like THIS!"

I was just pulling my shirt on when Jasper came in. I had forgotten that I was supposed to be getting too dressed to talk with his mom when that fuckary went down. I told Jasper that I wanted to go home, but that bastard doesn't like being told no. So that is how I ended up here; sitting in front of a fireplace in Jasper's room, that I didn't even knew was there, across from probably the HOTTEST chick I have ever seen. When I say hot, I mean like she could make the world's biggest whore switch teams. That is how hot she is. Her hair was a little brighter blonde than Jasper's but they had the same blue eyes. She might have had an inch on me, so Jasper had to have gotten his height from his father. She was thin but healthy, and had what had to be the most perfect tits I have ever seen. Perky, full, and perfect size for her body, that my friends, is a lucky fucking bitch. I was not looking or anything, but hey I can appreciate a fine piece of work.

I sat there looking at her and I think I started to twitching, and she just smiled. Trust me, Guantanamo Bay interrogators got nothing on her. That smile of hers has you wanting to spill your deepest secrets just so she'll stop. I looked over at Jasper and the fucker is shaking with the force of keeping in his laugher. Stupid fucking retardedly hot demon. It is official, I hate the fucker. I was on the fence till now, but I am pretty sure I would touch him if I thought it would do anything. I think he felt that thought because he looked at me and fucking winked. Imma hurt em', badly.

His mother cleared her throat and I sent him one more death glare before I looked back at the god of a demon. "So, you're Isabella? I have been waiting to meet you for what feels like FOREVER. It truly is my honor to make your acquaintance." And the fucking smile that leads the blind is back.

I gave her a half smile cuz let's face it; there is no competing with her's. "The pleasure is mine, your highness." Really, what the hell do you say to a demon queen? I was a little tipsy when I met the devil. Now though, I am as sober as Christ on Sunday and way out of my element.

Her laugh could make angels cry. Well at least Michael. For a war guy, he seems like a pussy. Anyways, so, she laughed and gave me that fucking smile again. Fucking hell, can't she save that shit to stop war or something? You cannot be pissed off when she looks at you. "There is no need for the formalities young lady; soon you will take my title. A fact I am more than a little happy for." Pardon the fuck out of me? She giggled and I pictured a newborn looking at his mother making funny faces at him. Hold on, did I say that shit out loud? "It's true." Damn, I guess I did.

I shot Jasper a really cold glare, "I I'm at a bit of a loss here." Jasper snorted and had he been closer, I would have punched him.

She just kept smiling, "Do not worry about anything my dear. Jasper will explain things to you when the time comes, though after what we heard throughout the palace this morning." That was not lost on me…or my fucking blush. "It will be sooner than we thought. I was under the impression that it would be quick, but my my does my son not waste any time." I was fucking mortified.

I have not blushed in years. Fucking YEARS and now I make Michael's blush look pink in comparison. My jaw was on the ground and my eyes were so wide they hurt. I am trying not to vomit due to emotional overload and Jasper decided that now was when he couldn't hold in his laughter any longer. Fucking fucker! I was on the verge of tears, again, and Jasper was laughing at me.

He sobered up in a flash though when he looked at me. "I'm sorry Darlin', but you have to admit that it was funny?" uh, no I don't.

"The fuck I do!" I shot out of my seat and glared hard at him. "That was not even close to being funny. That was fucked up! I am so happy that I am such a fucking source of amusement for you." I was pissed. Both he and his mother were looking at me with wide eyes. I don't think Jasper has seen me lose my temper, yes he has seen me mad, but not like this. "As if my life was not fucked up enough already, you go and laugh at my mortification and expense. Well fuck that. If you're going to do that than just take me home and leave me the fuck alone!" my hands were balled into white knuckled fists at my side and I was breathing hard by the time I was done yelling.

Jasper looked at his mother, and she at him. He looked horrified and she looking like she felt like shit. It was his mother that spoke, "I sincerely apologize for my behavior. I didn't mean for you to get so upset; it was only meant to be a bit of fun to break the ice and my attempt to make you less tense. Please, do not be upset with Jasper." I looked at her and she shrank back from it. "Isabella, please, there is no excuse for my words, but if you'll let me I would like to try again. It is important that I speak with you two before anything else happens between you."

I looked at Jasper and he looked down, "You mean IF anything else happens." Making his eyes shoot back up. Oh yes, that son of a bitch is going to be begging on his fucking knees for my forgiveness for this bullshit. You might not see things the way I do, but that shit on top of the death threat on top of everything else that has happened to me and I don't give in nearly as easy as I used to, if even at all. Did I overreact to the situation; probably. Did I give a shit; fuck no.

JPOV

Looking at Bella right now, I knew she meant every fucking word she just said and I had no clue how to fix it. She was so far passed pissed that I was not sure if I could. I crossed my arms, leaned on the wall behind me, and looked at the floor. I felt like a child that was told they couldn't have ice cream before bed.

My mother was trying to get her to listen and let it go for a moment. From what she was feeling, I could tell she was not opposed to begging at this point. "Please, listen to what I have to say and I will leave you two alone, I promise. If you do I will not allow anyone else to interfere with you either. Please Isabella, it is important."

I chanced a glance at her and her face was still hard. She crossed her arms and leveled her with the deadliest and coldest look that I have ever seen. "Give me one good reason why I should. I don't want to hear shit about destiny either."

My mother looked down at her folded hands a moment before she shrugged. "Because you will hurt more in the long run. You two are tied together now, even before, and…" she trailed off not really knowing what to say. I have never seen her at a loss for words before and as much as I didn't like it, I didn't like Bella being this upset more. "I cannot take back what I said; only say I am sorry for not thinking about your feeling on the matter before hand. I am asking for another chance; please do not take your anger at my words and actions out on Jasper."

Glare still firmly in place her eyes drifted over to me. I wanted to look away, but I held her fiercely pissed off gaze. "You and I will talk about this when we are alone." I nodded and she looked back at my mother, "I will listen, but that is about as far as it goes."

Mother nodded and collected her thoughts for a moment. "I have something to give you if you will accept it." She reached into the sleeve of her dress and pulled out a velvet box and held it out to Bella who raised a brow at her.

"What is it?" Well, she really does not trust mother does she?

Mother looked down at the box, "It is a necklace." She opened the top and Bella's eyes widened slightly at it. "This is a bonding pendent. The design is Jasper's personal crest. You might recognize it from the design on the pillows in the next room. What it does it what the name suggests, but in an odd way; at least when it comes to Jasper. Lucifer gave me mine the night I became his mate. It is a way for the male to not so much keep tabs on his mate, but more so on her well being. It allows the male to know if their mate is in danger when they are not present and their location so that they know where to go. With Jasper it works slightly different. His empathy is stronger than his father's and he uses it in different ways. Because of that, this will not only do what is was originally designed to do, but will also tell Jasper of your emotional state as well as allow him to manipulate it to an extent if you are out of the range of his actual ability." She held it back out to Bella as she said, "These are meant as a mating present when that actual mating takes place."

Bella took the box to my extreme surprise. Looking at it for a moment she looked back at my mother, "So last night wasn't that?"

Mother shook her head, "No, sex and the like is just that. Tell me, what am I?"

Bella looked way passed confused. "A demon right?"

My mother gave a small smile, "I am NOW yes, but I was a born human, a long time ago. You found out Jasper's age yes?" Bella nodded and sat back down making me relax to the point I sagged against the wall. Her emotions calmed down as well putting a barely there smile on my face. I knew I was still in trouble, but she is not thinking of murder anymore so that's a plus. "Lucifer took me as his mate in the year 499. I was a human at the time. When a demon takes a human as a mate it is much like when a vampire does. There is a bite involved that changes the DNA makeup of said human. The saliva of a demon is like the venom of a vampire in the sense that it kills the human. However, when the human takes demon blood in them as well, that blood keeps them alive. The demon DNA alters that of the human and poof, a demon is born from the ashes. The only way for a demon to take a mate is for them to bite. If the mate is already a demon, they exchange blood giving the female the male's scent."

Bella sat there for a moment sorting out everything that she was told. When she spoke she sounded thoughtful, "That sounds unpleasant."

My mother snorted, "I think I would have rather be turned into a vampire. From what I was told, it is far less painful. Though the pain does not last as long, it is by far more intense."

Bella slouched in her seat, "Fucking brilliant."

Chapter 17

 

BPOV

I sat on the roof of my house looking up at the stars seeking answers that were not there in the constellations. Those bastards from long ago you hear about on the history channel were a bunch of fucking lying dicks. I stand by stars suck for advice. It had been three days since I went to actual hell and just over 15 hours since I got back. Just over 14 hours since I told Jasper that I needed time to sort all the fucked up shit I just found out, out. And just under 14 hours since I told him I needed to do it alone.

FLASHBACK

Jasper apologized for being an asshole and because I for some reason cannot stay mad at him, I gave in easier than I wanted to, but I did get him to literally kiss my ass. When we got back to my house the first thing that happened was Jasper walked right up to Peter and blasted him the face. He didn't break his nose; he fucking made the bitch crumble.

"The next time you are told to watch someone and keep them safe, you had BETTER fucking do it."

I just stood there wide eyed and confused, "What was that all about?" I looked at Peter who looked like he was expecting it; Charlotte who looked like the world blew up around her, and Jasper who looked like he wanted to do it again.

Jasper's eyes slid to me before locking back on him and crossed his arms. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"

I looked at Peter like the confused bitch I was, "What is he talking about?"

His shoulders slouched and he looked down, "I was sent by Jasper's father to keep an eye on you six years ago. I didn't know who you were, why I was sent, nothing, just that I was supposed to keep you safe for an undisclosed amount of time."

I blinked, "What? But I have only known you for five."

He nodded, "It took me awhile to find you. Do you think that I just invite everyone to live in my house the day I meet them?"

I reeled back like I was slapped. I just stared at him for a second before I got pissed. "If that was the case, where the fuck were you when I called you every time I was in trouble? Where were you when I needed you? If you were supposed to keep me safe why the FUCK DIDN'T YOU!" He looked like he was going to say something that was only going to serve to piss me the fuck off so I pointed to the door, "Get out. For the time being, I need to be away from you. I know I cannot hurt you without hurting myself and I don't want to go to the hospital because I punched a vampire. You can come back when I don't want to kill you."

He looked at Jasper before looking back at me and nodded. Before he left he called over his shoulder, "I fucked up, but never again. If you scream loud enough, I will hear you, and I will be there." And they were gone.

I looked at Jasper for a moment after they left, "How did you know that?"

"Michael told me."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He looked at me hard for a while before answering, "Do you not think that you have been handed enough shit to deal with that I had to tell you someone that you consider a friend was only there because he was told to be?"

I crossed my arms, "But he wasn't there, so how could it have been orders to do so it he never did?" He looked like he wanted to say something, but decided not to so he settled on a shrug. I tilted my head to the side and regarded him a moment, this was going to piss him off, but I felt it needed to be done. "Jasper, if I asked you to do something for me, no matter what it is, would you?"

He nodded, "Of course."

"Even if you don't want to?" again he nodded, but his eyes hardened a bit. "like you yourself said, I have been told a lot of shit the past few days and I need time to sort it all out, not to mention I am still royally pissed off about the meeting with your mom. So, I ask that you give me some time to do that." He looked at me like he knew there was more. I did not disappoint. "Alone."

Both his brows shot up and disappeared into his beautiful hair. I really need to stop that. "You expect me to leave you by yourself, alone, with an unknown amount of vampires after you?" I nodded. "And what in the seven hells makes you think I would do that?" he crossed his arms and those way too gorgeous blue eyes darkened to a shade I have never seen before, "I will do just about anything for you Bella, but purposely leaving you in danger is not going to happen."

He took a step closer to me and I matched it stepping back. All that was going through my head was 'need brain, need brain, need brain, to close, need brain'. Looking at the floor because I knew I would lose it if I looked in his eyes, "Jasper, I just want to sort everything out. I didn't say you had to leave, I just said I wanted to be alone." I did the stupid thing and looked in his eyes. I could feel my resolve crumbling, but it was not due to his gift, it was all me. "When you are near me my brain fucking dies." I didn't mean to tell him that. "When you get to close, all I want is for you to get closer. "Jesus fuck, I didn't mean to tell him that either. "And when you touch me, even in the smallest of ways…" my eyes widened when that last sentence formed on my tongue and slapped my hand over my mouth. Fucking traitor mouth. I cleared my throat and tried again. Moving my hand I looked him dead in the forehead. It is bad for me to look in his eyes. "See what the fuck I mean? I don't want you to leave, but I want you to go away. Just for a little bit." Puppy dog eyes work on everyone. "Please?"

Apparently, everyone except for Jasper. He looked at me, brow still up, arms still crossed, and eyes to die for set to 'kill thy enemy'. I was in deep shit. "Isabella, you want me to leave you ALONE with vampires after you. That, little one is not going to happen. You want time alone, fine that I can understand and I will allow it."

My brow raised on that, "ALLOW it? Who the fuck are you to allow me to do anything? You ain't my daddy."

He smirked, "After this morning I am certainly glad about that, and it is because of this morning that I have say in this particular debate. I told you BEFORE anything happened that you would be mine after. And I am sorry if it pisses you off, but I protect what's mine, at any and all costs. When it comes to you, all bets are off and no matter how upset that makes you; it will not change that." He closed the distance between us and I was lost. He grabbed the back of my neck and crushed his lips to mine and I fucking melted. He took full possession of me and I was done. When he pulled back he spoke, brushing his lips against mine with every word, "I won't be far. You will not see me, but I will feel you. I won't mess with anything I feel, you have my word. When you are ready for me to return, just say it."

END FLASHBACK

He vanished beneath my fingertips and I just stood there getting my bearings before I came up here, and been ever since. I tried to find him, but I knew I wasn't going to. Jasper is someone that if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be.

14 hours later, I am still no closer to any answers than I was when I first came up, but I was a fuck of a lot drunker. If you were wondering, in 14 hours a human can consume two whole bottles of Jager and a half a case of beer without barfing. Though there was a close call about five hours ago. I was leaning against the chimney, because let's face it that was the safest thing for me to do, when I felt someone watching me. Someone that was not Jasper.

"You have to be the only person alive that would send away the protection of a demon prince when you have a horde of vampires after you. Do you truly think that wise?"

I looked up at the smokestacks and smirked, "You should know that he is not far. I didn't send him away, I just asked him to leave me alone."

He nodded, "Yes, 14 hours ago. He is currently sitting in a tree pouting like someone kicked his dog because you have not called him back yet. Are you planning to?"

I glared at him. "Of course I am. Just, not quite yet. What are you doing here Michael?"

"I do remember telling you that I have been watching you for a long time. Old habits and all that I suppose."

"But what are you doing here? You have been, according to you, watching me for years and I have never seen you before, why now?"

He looked down at me, "Simple, you know that truth. There are those that believe there is truth, have faith that is real; then there are those that KNOW. My kind can be seen by those that know. Near death encounters are the best way to obtain that knowledge, and you have had more than your fair share of those."

I looked blankly at him. "Don't be a dick. Now what are you doing here?"

He hopped down and sat down next to me and looked out over the valley behind my house. "You seem to need someone outside of the situation to talk to about it and while I am not a complete bystander, I am enough of one to give you an outsider's point of view. If you want it of course. I am not in the business, however, of giving advice that is not wanted or asked for. It is merely an offer that is there only if you want."

Looking at him out of the corner of my eye, "And I suppose you want something from it?"

He gave me an incredulous look, "What could I possibly have to gain simply talking to you and giving you a different perspective on a matter that has had you tied in knots? Trust me, I have no altered motives."

Not believing his ass AT ALL, I looked back over the valley and went back to my thoughts. It took me almost a half hour of sitting next to him before I realized that he really was here to help if I wanted him to. Finally I sighed, "why me?"

He turned his head to look at me, head slightly down, gazing at me through his lashes, "Why not?"

My eyes widened, taken aback at the bluntness of that. "Because it's not fucking fair, that's why not."

He shrugged, "Life, from what I have seen over the course of my very long life, usually is not. If it was not you, it would have been someone else. Tell me, is it fair to wish your life on someone else?" I looked away. "Isabella, I will not sit here and make excuses for what happened to you. It was wrong; I will be the second to admit that."

I interrupted, "Second?"

He nodded, "Yes. God will be the first." He looked at me with soft eyes, "He is not the bad guy here. Yes, you were chosen for a hard life but not the one you had. You read the written file, you know that. However, that does not make it right and we all know that. There is nothing that can be done about it, so why be so angry about it? The past is just that, the past. It is your past that makes you, who you are, molds and shapes you for who you are meant to be.

"I have seen some really horrible things in human history. I have watched you kill each other over race and greed, waging war over dust and rubble and the words in old books. And yet in the midst of all that darkness I see some people that will not be bowed. I see some people who will not give up even though they know all is lost. Some people who realize that being lost is so close to being found. I see you Isabella, who has been brought down so many times that there could be no way to get back up again, yet you do. You, who has stared death in the face and walked away from it. You, who with everything there could be against you, against you, just smiles and keeps going.

"There is a point that everyone breaks, yet you just pick up the pieces, and put them back the best you can. And for so long you have been doing it alone. You were given a rough lot, but there is ALWAYS a silver lining, even in the worst of storms. You just have to find it." He held his hand out flat in front of him and the pendent that Jasper's mother gave me appeared in his palm. "And sometimes," he gave me a small smile, "the silver lining finds you."

I stared at the harmless necklace before shifting my eyes back to him. "You know what that is?"

He snorted, "Of course I do." He pulled a chain that disappeared under his shirt out and on the end was something that looked like the one in his hand but the design was different. "This is something that both sides have, used for the same purpose. For demons it is to keep their mates safe, for angels, our brothers. But that is not really the point now is it?"

"Then what is?"

"There is someone that given the chance would bring down the very gates of life for you, destroy the very fabric of existence on your say so."

I snorted, "Someone that can bring me to my knees. Someone that I am unable to think around."

He looked at me like I was an idiot. "Do you think that the same cannot be said for him? Do you think that he does not lose his own thoughts and inhibitions around you? That my dark lady, is a two way street. Everything you experience, he does as well and not because of his demon abilities. It is because of YOU. You and Jasper have difficulties with the same thing. You can both figure out the hard stuff, but simplicity eludes you. You were MADE for each other. You can believe me or not, I can't make you though that would make things much easier, but Jazz was just as much molded for you as you were for him. He is the strongest demon to ever live not simply because he wants to be, but because he HAS to be; for you. You were given a tough life so that you have the strength to stand by his side when he takes his crown."

Giving him a deadpanned look, "That really does not make me feel better about everything."

He smirked, "Now, who ever said I was trying to make you feel better? I sure didn't. I am trying to make you UNDERSTAND the situation, not feel better about it. Truth be told, it sucks, I would be just as pissed off as you if it were me, but the truth you seem to be overlooking is there is nothing you can do about it. You can deny the position as his mate, but all that does is make your suffering all for not and completely pointless."

I felt like I was slapped. "Well, please, don't take my feeling into consideration or anything."

His brow raised, "Alright, if you wish. I think you are being quite the little baby about this."

"Excuse the fuck out of me?"

"What? You are. You have been apologized to repeatedly, the situation has been explained to death, and yet you still feel like you are owed more. That is not how this works, and it is sure as hell more than you would have gotten if things would have gone the way they should have. You are sitting there blaming and hating the wrong being. You are pissed off and hate God for something he did not do. You know what happened, and yes it sucks in your point of view, but that is the way it is. So you have two choices, you can continue to bitch and go woe is me or you can stand the fuck up for yourself and do something about it. You have never backed down from a challenge before, so why the hell are you doing so now when for once you have help?" He grabbed my wrist and if he was not an angel I would have been a little afraid. He put the necklace in my hand and closed my fingers around it. Giving me a meaningful look, he bowed his head slightly. "It would be my truest honor to fight with you my lady, but only if you are willing to fight for yourself."

Then he was gone.

Chapter 18

 

JPOV

"Your little lady is really something else Jazz, but I am unsure if that is a good or bad thing anymore."

I looked up and saw Michael perched on a branch above me looking at Bella's house with hard eyes. His emotions were bouncing back and forth between wanting to defend her and killing her. I raised a brow at him, "You're going to have to elaborate Michael. You were out of my hearing range for simply talking. Had you spoken louder I could have heard you."

For an angel, the fucker can growl. "She is driving me crazy. I can understand her feelings to certain point, but she is taking the pity party way too far."

I had to agree. "I also can see her point, but there is a point that it gets old. I know that she has only known for a few days, but you would think that she of all people would have been able to come to terms sometime over the past 15 hours."

He looked down at me with the same hard eyes. "We have done everything we can to make it up to her, there is nothing else. We apologized for the mess up, which by the way is more than we have ever done before. We explained things to her that she has absolutely no business knowing about, that wasn't enough for her. Then we gave her soul a bit of peace letting her say goodbye to her father, and that also wasn't enough. There is nothing else we can do and nothing else we will do. You are on your own getting her to come to terms from now on."

I sighed. "What did you say that pissed her off that much?"

He looked me dead in the eye, "I told her to stop being a little bitch."

I brow shot up before I started laughing, "You didn't?"

His look never wavered, "I absolutely did. The battle is emanate and she is drowning herself in a self-made ocean of pity and, quite frankly, it is time for it to stop. She always picked herself up before this and if she does not do it again, there is nothing that can be done. You NEED to drag her out of it, forcefully if necessary, and you need to do it now. So the fuck what if she wanted to be alone. If there are no answers to be found in 14 hours, they are not there to be found at the bottom of a bottle either. She is only going to make it worse. The alcohol might have been a coping thing in the past, but you need to make it to where she goes to you instead of the god damned liquor cabinet."

I have NEVER heard him like this before. "What the fuck has gotten into you? You do realize that you just used the Lord's name in vain right?"

His eyes widened a little at that and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. I would have done it for him, but divine protection prevents me from fucking with them. He looked to the sky for a moment before looking back at me, "that aside, you need to do something soon Jasper. We are running out of time."

And the little fucker vanished as I called out, "time for what?" god damn angels. I looked back to Bella's and saw her still sitting on her roof. Well, I gave her over a half a damn day to work her shit out, and I think that is plenty. I jumped up and landed on her chimney, and looked down at her. "So." She jumped at the sound of my voice and looked up at me. "Are you just about done with this bullshit? Running from your issues does not make them go away. As a matter of fact, they tend to piss people off. I had no part of this and you are pushing me away."

She looked put out by that. Good. "I was not! I wanted time to process this shit and…"

"You didn't did you?" she looked down. "I didn't think so. Look Bella, if you want things to change, they won't. It is what it is. You can talk to me and we can work things out, but there is no changing it."

"It's not fair Jasper."

"No, but as I said, it is what it is. You were all about finding gold in shit yesterday, what changed?"

She held up my mating pendent. "Things got a lot more real."

I rolled my eyes. "Bella that is a necklace. It didn't make things real, they already were. All that does is allow me to better protect you if and when you become my mate, nothing more. You are fishing for things to make this far more complicated than it really needs to be." I paused. She didn't have that with her when I left. It was on the kitchen table. "I thought that you left that inside after I left."

She nodded, "I did. Michael gave it to me talking about silver linings finding us sometimes." I had to think about that one. Michael should not have been able to touch it. The only way he could was if she still has not accepted it. That would make it nothing more than a piece of jewelry.

I just looked back and forth between her and the pendant, "You will accept my mating pendent from him, but not me?"

She glared at me, "This is not something to joke about."

I nodded, "I agree, hence why I am not doing so. You on the other hand, are too drunk to think it out straight. That necklace is a significant part of mating, and you hold it when another male gives it to you, yet you leave it lying around when I do?"

She looked down and was looking slightly ashamed. "It was not intentional."

I hopped down and landed beside her, and leaned back against the chimney crossing my arms. "Yes it was, but right now, though I care enough about it to get miffed, that is not really what we need to be talking about. Well yet anyways." I will make sure she understands this later when I put the fucker on her. "Izzy, talk to me. Tell me what the actual root of the problem is and let's see if we can't do something about it."

She looked out over her back yard and was quiet for a few minutes. "I don't like having my choices away from me. I did that before with Edward and I don't want to do it again."

I shrugged, "I had my choice taken away as well."

"And you are not upset by that?"

I rubbed my forehead trying to figure out a way to explain this without pissing off the drunk chick. Finally I decided on the most direct answer and to hell with how it sounded. "Nope. The way I see it is they could have chosen someone a lot worse for me to spend eternity with. I can understand your point as to it not being fair, but there is a point that you just have deal with it."

She snorted, "Well, I am sorry I don't have the instincts you do when it comes to this."

I was starting to get a bit pissed off with her attitude and I know you could hear it in my voice. "My instincts only come into this as far as my desire to protect you, not mating you. THAT is because I want to, not because I have to. You seem to be under the wrong impression here. How about I clear something up for you hmm. You have a choice in this same as I. We do not have to become mates; however, there is no one out there better for us than each other. I can take whoever the fuck I want as a mate. God has no say in that, it is impossible for him to make that choice for me. All he did was put someone on the path to become what it is I need, but you, yourself turned you into what I want. I don't want someone like my mother that just sits back and do and say nothing. I want someone that will fight with me, for me, and by my side on the battlefield." My eyes softened on their own accord because I was still more than a little miffed with her. "When will you understand that though this is not necessarily what you wanted, it is really not all that bad? Honestly, is the thought of being my mate really so horrible that you are going to sit on a roof and get shitfaced drunk at the thought? Am I really that bad?"

Her eyes widened and a horrified look settled on her features. "NO! That's not it at all."

Still leaning on the chimney, "Did you ever think that perhaps, that is exactly how your little episode made me feel?" expression still in place she shook her head. "Have I ever done something to you, personally, that makes you think being with me is such a repulsive notion? I am what I am Bella, but I am really not all that bad a guy. I thought I was doing right by you telling you what happened, but could have not even told you. I personally think that enough is enough and you need to deal with it and move the fuck on. This is starting to border ridicules."

She looked at me with hard but resigned eyes. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that Jasper, but I just don't understand how you can just accept this and not be upset about it."

I held out my hand to her and when she took it I pulled her into my chest, lacing my fingers together behind her back, "I can accept it because I want to; because I want YOU." I stole a kiss and when I pulled back my lips still brushed her lips when I spoke, "What do you want?" She looked down at the necklace in her hand and looked at it a moment. She swallowed hard and looked back up at me and I saw the question in her eyes and I softly chuckled, "Bella, I already told you that is nothing but a necklace that better helps me protect you. It will tell me where you are, if you are in danger, and yes, it will allow me access to your emotions, but that's it. There is no need for such trepidation. And when I change you, you will still be you, only with a few upgrades. But you must know something before I do that, when my kind mate, it is for life; and there is no natural way for us to die." I raised a brow to make sure she understood what I was saying.

She looked at me with innocent but distant eyes, "Like vampires mate for life?"

I snorted. I pulled farther back and smirked at her, "one, my kind came first, so they would be like us, not the other way around; and two, if vampires mate for life than I am the Almighty himself. They might be with one another for a long time, but it is not a forever type thing. The Cullens might last a little longer than others of their kind, but even they break apart and fuck others. They have far too short an attention span. They are as easily distracted as an infant at the carnival. They were made that way so they didn't hang out in one place too long like the Cullens are prone to do."

She looked at me with fire in her eyes, "So Edward told the truth in the woods then?"

I shrugged, "Unfortunately, yes. I don't know about how much really about the one he said he had waiting, but everything else seemed like it to me. Vampires are fickle little fuckers. It is in their design." She looked like she wanted to go on a murderous fucking rampage. I am not understanding why this is. "I would have thought you would have been more pissed off if he lied than told you the truth. What the fuck crawled up your ass?"

She pulled back and her eyes seemed to catch fire, "I would have rather he fucking lied."

"I thought that girls, as a rule, didn't like that so much?"

She looked at me like I should know the inner workings of the female mind. Sorry darlin', but I am a guy, going to have to explain this one cause I am lost. I raised a brow to get her to go on and when she did she was pissed. "He got involved with me knowing that it was a temporary thing and didn't even fucking care what it would do to me. He led me to believe that he wanted me, that he loved me. I knew the fucker was up to something when he refused to have any kind of physical relationship. Don't get me wrong, I am not a vain bitch or anything, but before the fucking attack that scarred the shit out of me, I wasn't all that bad looking. And the ass monkey laid in my bed every night for a fucking year and did nothing but chase kiss me."

She was pacing back and forth making me very nervous with as close to the edge as she got. When her foot came within centimeters of the edge three times I grabbed her wrist getting her to stop. "How about we continue this on the ground where it is not so far a fall. You are going to give me a heart attack and I don't even have one." and her drunk ass giggled.

Giving me her knee weakening smile, "Sure Jasper, whatever you want." Then she looked at me with a blank face before she giggled again, "I still don't know how I ever get down from here when I drink. I just wake up in my bed the next day." The wind blew and I could smell Michael on the breeze. Gotcha, thanks cousin.

I looked at her and she at me before her eyes went wide. She started shaking her head before the cloak on my wing was completely gone. She went to take a step back, but she was in my arms on the ground before the scream even left her mouth. I stuck my finger in my ear and rubbed giving her an irritated look, "Was that truly necessary?"

She looked at the ground then back at me a few times with her face blank. Was it that difficult to figure out what happened?"What the fuck just happened?" I guess so.

I chuckled at her and shrugged. She would forget what she even asked before the answer was done being given anyways. So instead, I cocked my head, crossed my arms and smirked, "So about this whole pity party thing you got going on; you done?"

She bit her lip and looked at me a moment. I could feel in her emotions when she decided her answer. "If you're okay with this mess, then I guess it ain't all bad."

I was shaking my head before she was done. "Don't do this for any other reason than you want to. Don't think about me, my thoughts, or anything you learned in the past few days. Like I said, this is for life Bella, and we live a long fucking time."

She looked at me and smirked, "I don't eat breakfast, I sleep later and more often that a cat and you are looking at a war if you wake me up. I take at least an hour long shower every day, and if I am in the tub, you might not see me for a few days. I drink like a fish and swear like a sailor." Tell me something I don't know. "Anything that I should know?"

I crossed my arms, "Nothing you don't already know. Anything else you'll learn as we go." I held my hand up summoning my mating pendent. The chain was in my hand, the pendant dangling in front of my fingers, "Am I to assume you accept then?"

With no hesitation, she turned her back, moved her hair out of the way and allowed me to clasp the necklace around her neck. All that was left was the bite.

I couldn't fucking wait.

Chapter 19

 

JPOV

"So, what is the range this thing gets anyways?" I looked up from what I was doing and saw Bella looking in the mirror at the necklace wearing nothing but a long sleeved shirt and a pair of boy shorts.

I walked up behind her wrapping one arm around her waist the other around her shoulder taking my crest in my palm. "It will tell me where you are anywhere in the world no matter where I am. The range is infinite. When you have it on, you cannot hide from me. My actual ability goes for about a mile when it is its passive side and about a half mile when active. This will allow me to feel and manipulate your emotional climate no matter the distance once it is activated." Not that is really going to matter.

She locked eyes with me in the mirror. "Activated?"

I nodded and nipped at her neck, dragging my fangs across her flesh. "Mmhmm, at the moment it is nothing but a necklace. It is a way for me to keep my MATE safe. Until I bite you, you're simply my intended. It will automatically activate once my blood runs through your veins."

"I remember your mother saying something about that." She tilted her head to the side giving me better access to her neck. I took full advantage.

Kissing and nipping up and down her neck, "I do hope you got over your aversion to blood because becoming a demon's mate is a messy affair."

Her eyes slip closed and a soft moan slipped from her lips, "I have seen enough of it for it to not bother me much anymore."

I chuckled deep in my throat. "Much? It can't bother you at all for the position you are going to be assuming. Blood will be spilt in your very presence almost daily if you are mine. My mate will not be anywhere but by my side at all times. I am a very possessive and protective bastard. After I bite you, you will not be out of my sight often if at all making this necklace all but useless." I got to her ear and bit, hard. Her eyes locked on the blood from her ear on my tongue. "That does not bother you does it?" she shook her head no. "I was talking about your place not the blood." Again, she shook her head. "Are you certain?" she nodded. I whispered in her ear, "I want to hear you say it."

She turned her head to the side and looked at me with what had to be the fuckhotest bedroom eyes I have EVER seen before she pressed her lips to mine. She turned her body and pressed closer to me than the laws of physics said was possible. What did I do? I picked her ass up and slammed her back into the wall, a growl building in my chest. I could feel how nervous she was, but she was doing just fine. They shot through the roof right before she let that tongue of her slip passed her lips and softly pressed against mine. If I was not otherwise occupied I would have smiled at her. Her innocents was endearing. I let her control things for a little bit. She finally pulled back and looked me dead in the eyes, "Make me yours."

I could feel my eyes change. Where hers went dark, almost black with her lust and desire, mine went ice almost glowing blue. The cloak came off my wings and my fangs grew. When I was sure that she was not going to unwrap her legs from my waist I let go of her hips, sliding my hands up her sides, down her arms grabbing her wrists. Pulling them above her head and holding them there with one hand, using the other to turn her head to the side giving me a full view of her beautiful neck. I bit it a little harder than necessary, but not hard enough to hurt or draw blood; but apparently hard enough to get a choked moan from her. I pulled back and nuzzling my nose to hers, "I am going to show you heaven before I sentence you to hell."

Pulling her away from the wall and to her bed I was much more gentle with her than I wanted to be when I set her down, but I took solace in the fact that after tonight, I would never have to worry about hurting her again. Her legs still around me hiked up over my hips under her own volition. I let my index finger claw grow a little and, starting at the top of her shirt, slid the sharp tip down the middle; mouth following placing soft kisses and nips along the way. I felt the bumps of goose flesh rise beneath my lips, her muscles twitch and flex under the light pressure. She wiggled and writhed when I hit an extremely ticklish spot that I knew was there, but could not resist aggravating.

When I finished cutting her shirt open I made my way back up, and just to be a dick, licked her tickle spot making her jump and me chuckle. I could tell from her emotions that she wanted to say something not nice to me for deliberately tickling her so, I did it again. When she went to open her mouth I bit making her comment die into the most glorious moan groan combination I have ever heard and swore I would hear again. I continued my accent kissing, nipping and dragging my lips and fangs across her sides and stomach; paying special attention to the scars, the dip of her hips and surprisingly, her belly button. When I let my tongue dip into it, her back arches and her breasts bounce from the shove in the air. I love it.

Still holding her wrists above her head with one hand the other slides up and down her sides eliciting soft moans and excited whimpers; her body twisting and arching moving in ways that really should not be possible for someone with bones as she tried to get more pressure. She actually huffed when I pulled away to take off my shirt. I locked eyes with her and a smirk came to my face as she pouted.

Reclaiming my place over her, she grabbed my hair and pulled me closer. Taking her lips with mine again, I let my hand slide back down her chest down to the top of that really cute pair of underwear that is in my way; for now. She arched into my hand as it slid over her bare mound and my finger brushed her clit. Going a little lower I got my moan groan again as I slid said finger into her.

My mouth moving from her lips down her jaw and neck to my personal perky pillows, I racked a fang over the tip before I took it in between my lips, my tongue flicking out to taste her sweet skin. A growl rising in my throat sent vibrations through her making her arch her back, pushing more of her in my mouth. Adding another finger to her heat and switching to her other tit had her moaning out my name quite loudly making my smile around her. After paying enough attention to them I kissed my way down her toned tummy, licked her belly button again for good measure and settled between her legs, tossing them over my shoulders to get them out of my way. Trading my fingers for my tongue, I feasted on her. Using the pad of my thumb, I brushed her clit lightly a few times before I steadily added more pressure. It didn't take long before her hands found my hair and her legs tightened around my head holding me there. I chuckled at her, the vibrations sending her into her first orgasm. With the pitch of her scream at the release, I was thankful that her thighs worked as earmuffs or mine would be ringing.

She was panting hard, breasts bouncing with the force, eyes closed, face flushed, head still tossed back. It was enough to make my already hard dick harder and scream in protest for not being inside my mate yet. I slowly made my way back up, running my nose along an invisible path, placing biting kisses on the way. This is where I will need to be careful. I am aware that nothing I do to her will kill her; well any more than I will be soon, but until I know for sure, pain is not something I will introduce just yet. When I reached the juncture of her neck and shoulder I did bite hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to inject venom, and she LOVED it.

"Oh god, Jasper."

I lapped up her oozing life source and chuckled. I ran my tongue up the side of her neck to her ear and took the lobe between my less sharp teeth and raked them across it. When I spoke it was a whisper, but I didn't sound all that much like me anymore. "God can't help you anymore. You are MINE now Isabella." I lined myself up with her and pushed a slight pressure making her gasp.

I was going to be nice and gentle, but she was having none of that. She impaled herself on me. My back arched, a loud growl erupted from my chest, and my jaw clenched shut tight being the only line of defense I had at not sinking my teeth into her neck just yet. That is going hurt and I want her distracted when that happens.

Giving her a courtesy moment to get used to me again, I started at a slow pace, but quickly sped up to a more tolerable speed. It took longer for her this time, but still it seemed like it was over way too soon when I felt her start to pulse around me, her breath and movements quicken and become erratic.

I looked in her eyes and saw sheer ecstasy shining in the brown depths. I took just a moment to commit them to memory for once she wakes up, she will have eyes like mine. She closed them and I took my moment to mourn before lowering my head to hers. I took her lips in a bruising kiss and swallowed her ear ringing scream. When she was on her cloud, as quickly as I could and not hurt her, I turned her head to the side giving me the view of her jugular vein.

I still have not stopped my movements and I could feel her approaching another peak. Good. I ran the tip of my tongue up her neck to her ear, "Are you ready Isabella?" She moaned and I think tried to nod, but I wasn't sure, not that it mattered really. I pulled back and caught her eyes again, "then this is really going to hurt." And I sank my fangs deep into her neck, injecting her with my venom. The taste of Bella's blood really is like nothing I have ever had before. The sick and twisted part of me could only think that Edward is going to be pissed when he finds out that he misses out on probably the best tasting human I have ever come across and I have been around for a long fucking time. The sudden pain from my teeth sent her over the edge and the tightness of her combined with her emotions and the taste of her blood on my tongue, there was no stopping me from joining her.

After several mouthfuls I pulled back and licked her clean of the small amount that I missed. I looked in her eyes and saw tears start to well up. Still planted firmly inside her and keeping eye contact with her I bit into my own wrist, drawing my own blood. Bringing my bleeding wrist to her mouth I placed it over her lips and I saw hesitation her eyes. "Bella, if you don't do this, you are going to turn into a vampire, you know that right?" She nodded but still looked like she didn't want to do it. I felt my face soften and a small smile formed at the corner of my mouth. I nuzzled my nose on hers as an idea came to me. She doesn't need that much from me so there is no reason that this shouldn't work. I kissed her softly and let my lips brush hers as I spoke. "Alright sugar, you don't have to if you can trust me. Can you?"

I could feel her lips tremble and when she answered her voice was a whisper, "I trust you." Good to know.

I pushed myself up a little and took my own wrist on my mouth and took a mouthful. Sure that it would be enough; I bent back down and kissed her again. I could still feel hesitation in her emotions, but she responded and slowly opened her mouth. I took her pace and when she was ready I let my blood drip from mine to hers. I wanted to chuckle when she moaned at the taste. Her fingers laced into my hair and she took as much control as the pain would allow and I let her. She was going to be in horrible pain in a minuet, no need to make it worse for her.

I did slow things down when her heart started to pound after she swallowed that mouthful though. Waiting for the opportune moment to pull out, I nuzzled her neck where my mating mark would soon become noticeable. I know there is nothing I can do for the pain she is about to endure, but I know what I can do for her when she wakes up. While formulating that plan in my head, I felt her relax. Knowing that was only a temporary reprieve, I pulled out. Since I was born and not made, I had no idea how long or how bad it was going to be, but my mother always told me that it really sucked. Hearing her say she wished she was turned into a vampire speaks volumes to me though. I know that pain well, if this is that much worse than she is going to really hurt.

I stayed right where I was, hovering over her for a second when I felt her pain start to climb. When that occurred I rolled over on to my side and pulled her to me wrapping her up in my arms and wings. I still had a few things to work out, and I couldn't think of a better place to do it than right here with my mate.

A few hours later. Still Jpov

I untangled myself from Bella and got off the bed. Believe me, I would have loved to stay right where I was, but the pain I felt from her emotions and the pain in my wings from her tossing and turning was getting to the point that I couldn't take; and let me tell ya, that is an accomplishment. I have an extremely high pain tolerance, but when it comes to the wings that is the equivalence of getting kicking in the balls repeatedly with steel toed boots. Dealing with it for a few moments, I put on some sweatpants and went out on to her balcony. I might not be laying with her but I wasn't going to let her out of my sight. I was not lying when I told her that that necklace was going to be obsolete when she became my mate. There was no way that she was EVER going to be out of my sight again. If you think that vampires are protective of their mates, well, demons are by far worst. Our protectiveness can actually be called possessive. However, that still might be to light a concept.

Standing on her balcony I stretched my wings to their full span and felt them snap, crackle and pop back into place and felt the blood rush all the way to the tips eliciting a moaning sigh from me. Folding them over my shoulders, I focused my energy on trying to block out some of her pain, but I don't really think I was doing anything. Leaning my back against the rail, I crossed my arms and ankles and cocked my head to the side giving Bella a thoughtful look. Knowing a few very important things about her, I felt that the plans I made while lying with her were the best mating present I could give her. Well time to put it into action. Knowing he was close, I called for Peter and waited for him to show up. Being the prompt asshole I know him to be, he landed in front of me seconds later.

"You rang my lord?" He went to turn his head to look at Bella and I growled at him.

"She is no longer your concern. From this point forward, the only entity in this universe that she concerns is me. You dropped the ball on your orders Peter and I am still not the happiest fucker with you because of it. However, I think that I found a way for you to redeem yourself in her eyes and if that happens, I might consider not killing you for your part in what happened to her over the years." He went to open his mouth and I cut him off, "You might not have directly harmed her, but by not following your orders, you didn't stop it from happening as you could and should have. You were supposed to keep her safe and you ignored her when she needed you. In my opinion, that is the same as hurting her yourself." I paused a moment, looking over his shoulder at my mate and felt myself smile against my will. Taking a deep breath through my nose and letting it out slowly, I continued. "But, like I said I think I figured out a way for you to get back in her good graces. When she wakes up she is going to be in a really bad mood and out for blood. It is not going to be because she wants to be, it is just what happens with this particular transformation."

He looked reluctant to speak, so I waved my hand to tell him to go ahead. "But Sire, she is a somewhat mild mannered human. Wouldn't that change the way she is when she wakes up?"

I snorted. "Who the fuck are you talking about? There is nothing mild mannered about her anymore. She might have been at one point, but that shit is gone. Even if she was still the girl she used to be, even before you met her back when I did, she is still going to be a demon, and there is no such thing as a nice demon."

His eyes went wide, "You turned her into a demon?"

I rolled mine, "You are an idiot. Of course I did. I am not getting into this with you Peter. You know that there was no way I was going to turn her into a vampire. Your laps of brain activity aside, I want you to do something for me."

He raised a brow, "And that would be?"

I smirked, "I want you to locate that fucking coven."

He looked confused, "I thought that you had Garrett on that and he already did."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple, "Not that one you dip shit, I want you to find the Cullens."

He looked startled at that. "Why in the fuck do you want me to do that? You know as well as I do that Isabella wants nothing to do with them and made it perfectly clear to both of us that she never wanted to see them again."

I raised a brow at him, "Did I say anything about her seeing them? All I said was I wanted you to find them. I want to know where they are, if they are together or separate and what they are doing. They will be dealt with soon enough, but for right now, I am simply curious about their goings on; particularly Edward and Alice. Everything else will fall in place in due time."

He sighed and shrugged, "Alright, and how do you want me to go about this?"

"That is not my concern. Do what you do best Captain. The how is completely up to you. I do not want them showing up here however, so do be careful that you are not found out. I simply want to know what they are up to, not see it for myself. I have something in mind for them and it is not in my plans for it to come out before I have the chance to set the rest of the plan in motion and I can't do that until my mate wakes up."

His eyes grew wide again before a slow smile came to his face, "You turned her into your mate too? I knew you were going to at some point, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Congrats my lord. Doesn't that mean…"

I knew what he was going to say, so I answered him before he could ask, "Yes, since I took a mate, the crown is mine when I decide to take it from my father. Yes, I am the rightful ruler as soon as she wakes up, but I think I will wait a bit on that. I have enough bullshit going on at the moment, adding that particular pile on top is just asking for issues to arise. I know my mother will be slightly upset at the prospect of my waiting, but until my mate is safe again, I do not need the stress of taking over while my attention is on other things. Father has been in power for eons, another month or so won't hurt anything I don't think."

"What if he decides not to hand it over?"

A deep chuckle came from my chest at the thought, "Oh, trust me, nothing would make me happier than for him to refuse to give me my birthright. Father knows he is no match for me but him being the stubborn fucker he is… it could go either way." Bella started to whimper and whine in the room drawing my attention back to her. "Go and do what I ask. Call me the minute you find them and have the information I asked for. I have other things to be dealing with at the moment. I need to get her to the palace before this gets too out of hand. She might be far away from anyone else, but I do not want any chances to be taken." A flash of a memory of the last time I was home came to mind and a sinister smile came to rest on my lips. "I forgot I had an issue to deal with."

He was turning to go when I said that. "Everything alright Jasper?"

I looked back at him, "Huh? Oh yeah, just a demoness that stepped out of line that I need to deal with." The smile grew, "and I think I know just how to do that." I waved a hand, "Off you go. Talk to you in later." He jumped off the balcony and I went back inside to get my mate ready to go to her new home.

Chapter 20

JPOV

Landing on my balcony with a dying woman in my arms was a site to see I'm sure. I was born a demon so I don't know what turning into one would feel like, but I can only assume by my mother's description, it is not pleasant. So, that in mind, I think that Bella is doing remarkably well. If you count tossing, turning, moaning and the occasional scream doing well anyway. Looking at my room I had two choices. I could either put her in my bed or I could take her to the spring and see is the soothing water helps in anyway. I chose the latter. My thoughts being if the water does not help anything I can pull her back out. Actually, now that I think about it, I think going back and forth between the spring and an ice cold bath in my bathroom would do her wonders.

So, selecting my path, I took her to the spring. Setting her down on the grass I removed my clothes and went about the task of removing hers. I said task because with her flopping around like a fish out of water, it is not an easy thing to do, so, I settled on just shredding them. I hopped in the water and gently picking her up, I set her on my wing to help her stay afloat. I sat back against the side, put my arms on the edge, and dropped my head back to the ground. Her emotions were reeking-havoc on my senses and the relaxing environment was doing wonders to my frayed nerves and I could only hope that it would do something for her. I don't know how long this will take, but I think an hour in here and an hour there and trade off like that, it should do wonders for her.

A little less than a half an hour later she started to settle down and her breathing evened out. I know she is not sleeping, but looks like I was right about the water helping. I gently flapped my wing so she was moving a bit and not stationary, making the water flow over and lap against her flushed flesh. God, even when she is in the worst pain of her life, she is still absolutely gorgeous. I closed my eyes and just basked in the atmosphere when I heard something crash in what is now her room. My eyes snapped open and my head shot up, a growl ripping from my throat. No one should be in there, hell no one should even be in this wing of the palace seeing as how no one even knows I'm here. This wing is off limits if I'm not so that begs the question, if they don't know I'm here, than what the fuck are they here for?

I walked her to the shallow part of the spring and laid her down on the soft underwater sand. Getting out of the water I wrapped a towel around my waist and my wings around my shoulders. I wasn't going to leave her side all that long so I saw no reason to get anymore dressed than that. With my blood in her body, the spring wouldn't react to me not being with her. Before I left the room, I took a full stalk of her emotions and vitals. She seemed to be doing as well as any dying human so with a pissed off scowl on my face, I throw open the door to the princess' suite. What I saw had me seeing fucking red.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The demoness whipped around with a look of sheer shock on her face. "My lord, I was not expecting you to be here."

I crossed my arms and raised a brow. "Clearly. Now, how about answering your prince. What are you doing here?"

She just stood there staring at me wearing one of the robes that were in the chest. It was actually one of my favorites and was looking forward to seeing Bella in it, but now, I think it is going to be burned instead. It was rather short and a bit see through. It was a sheer crimson with dark purple and different shades of blue that were in the design of flames with a black dragon on the back. The dragon's wings and the flames covered the important parts. The rest was what you could see through. Clearing my throat to get her attention back on the task of answering me, she jumped. She blinked a few time and squared her shoulders. Oh, I know what is about to happen. She gave me what I guess she thought was a sexy smile and batted her eyelashes. "Well, I thought that I would see what I looked like in these considering that I am going to be your mate soon. I just figured that I would see what fit and what needed to be resized."

Oh, this is going to be fun. Leaning a shoulder on the door frame but still keeping Bella and her emotions in the front of my focus, I decided to play. "And did you figure that out?"

Her smile grew making me smirk. "Well so far, they all need to be taken in. I don't know who you father though that you were going to mate, but whoever it was, she has to be fat as fuck."

It took everything I had not to snort. This bitch is hilarious. There is not an ounce of fat on my mate. That little thing is all muscle. As a matter of fact, I will even bet that Bella is smaller than her. I guess this is not all bad then. Keeping in the game, "Well, I will have to speak to him about getting a different seamstress here then. Can't have my mate in anything but the best." There was a loud whimper from the spring drawing my attention to Bella. Looks like it's time to move her to a cold bath.

I turned to go back in the spring when a growl stopped me. I looked over my shoulder at the demoness. Raising a brow at her, "Problem?"

Her eyes were darker than they were a moment ago. Ooh, goodie. Her hands were balled up at her sides and there was a scowl on her face. "Who the fuck is that?"

I smirked, "My mate of course. I must thank you for bringing the wardrobe issue to my attention. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mate to tend to."

She hissed. "I'm your future mate, so who the hell is that!" She went streaking past me and I didn't stop her. This was the demoness that was giving Bella problems the last time we were here and I want this bitch to know that there is no way that I would ever take her as my mate before I rid myself of the issue entirely.

I walked calmly into the spring and saw Bella was where I left her, but you could tell she was not loving death right now. The Demoness, Katana I believe, had a look of utter horror, disbelief, and unadulterated anger and hatred on her face. She looked at me and I just gave her a shit eating grin. She turned back to Bella and murder entered her emotions. She looked down her nose at her, "I told you Prince Jasper was mine!"

She went to lunge and I was in front of her before her feet even left the ground. Grin still in place, "I don't think that's a good idea. You see, that is my mate and your future queen." My hand shot out and caught her around the throat. Grin now gone, replaced with what I have been told is the look of death itself, I lifted her off the ground so her feet dangled a good six inches off the ground. "You threatened her the last time she was here; you try to attack her when she is unable to defend makes you think for the slightest of moments that you are worthy of being my mate? You are nothing but a peasant, lower than the shit on the bottom of my boot. You're not worthy to be in the same room as a royal, much less lay claim to one, yet you have, on more than one occasion."

She grabbed my wrist thinking that just because she was a born demon that she is on the same level of strength as me. Laughable. She tried to swallow to speak, but I was hardly even letting her breathe, so that was a long shot on her part. What she did manage to get out was gargled and airy. "Please, my lord, mercy."

At that I did snort, "Mercy? You are talking to the new rightful ruler of hell you fucking twit. Mercy is a word that is not now, nor has ever been in my vocabulary. Mercy is something reserved for human children, not the likes of a bottom feeder like have been warned I don't know how many times to stop referring to yourself as my future mate, threatened if you kept it up and now, you attack the one that actually holds the title, yet you ask for mercy. You attack a demons mate and expect mercy. You have to be the dumbest bitch ever born."

Her eyes went wide and she started to up her efforts to get free. She wasn't going anywhere and she knew it, but I think it made her feel better to go out with a fight. It was almost commendable, but mostly stupid and a waste of energy. When she started begging I chuckled. "If I had a dime, hell even a penny for every time I had someone beg for their life in my presence, I would be a rich mother fucker off that alone." I brought her close to my face and an evil delighted smile came to rest on my lips. Looking in her frightened eyes I felt my blood heat up and my eyes lighten up to my true eye color of ice, hell, I could even feel the glow and smoke. If I didn't have full control over myself, I am sure that I would have changed to my true form as well. It's impressive, but not the death I had in mind for this bitch. With her almost nose to nose, I ran my tongue along my elongated fang and chuckled once, "But I would so rather hear your screams of pain and anguish."

I threw her away from me and she landed right smack dab in the middle of the spring. Like normal bodies of water, it's the deepest there. It is also a rather far swim to the side even being inside like it is. She came to the surface spitting and sputtering, coughing and gasping. I was standing in the shallows with Bella in my arms when she locked her wide eyes on me. She knew what was going to happen if I left the water. My wings were open to their full span prepared to take flight and my knees bent. I waiting for her to take her breath to shout her protest, and the second she did I launched myself out of the water and hovered in the air. My head fell back and my eyes slid closed at the sound of her bone chilling screams. I hovered there and just basked in to for a few minutes until Bella cried out.

I shot her up with as much calm as I could muster, which was a lot considering the euphoria I was feeling at the moment. I hit her with so much in fact that she turned to straight Jell-O in my arms. Well, it seems that I can affect her if the emotion is strong enough after all. That is a wonderful discovery. If I kill enough fuck ups to keep my own mood up, I don't think that I will have any problems making and keeping her sedated fully during this. I am also willing to bet if one of them is Dick that will allow me to keep her under for at least a week; until the stress of finding a replacement for him anyways. As much as I hate the bastard, he is good at his job. Unfortunately, I doubt I am allowed to just go around killing the staff for no reason. Father is still in charge until Bella wakes up after all. He might get a mite testy if I start killing off random demons just to make my mate's transformation easier.

The demoness' screams continued to fill the air around me. Being the kind of creature I am I felt myself growing hard at the sound. Pain, death and destruction are like demon Viagra. Still I continued to hover and watch as the bitch slowly boiled to death. The smell is horrendous and will take decades if not centuries to remove, but I think it's worth it.

I could feel a lot of people approaching my wing; most likely drown by her screams. Shrugging, not giving a damn if the whole palace showed up, I continued to hover over the spring, head still back eyes still closed basking in the delightful sounds coming from below. It only got better as forty mother fuckers came thundering into the room through the door to Bella's suite. Well, that's annoying. I am going to have to replace that now.

As the screams from the demoness grew quieter, the shouts from the men surrounding the spring grew louder. When I heard someone shout out that they were going to pull her out and to hold on I snorted. Can't have that now can we?

"I would advise against that Emerson. That is, unless you want to join her."

His head snapped up to look at me like he was just noticing me for the first time. "But my lord, she is going to die if we don't get her out now." I rolled my eyes. Idiot.

I dropped like a rock and landed hard on the ground on a bended knee, but was sure not jostle Bella. I stood slowly and locked eyes with him. "I was aware of that when I tossed her ass in there. You can remove the body when she finally shuts up, but not a moment before."

I started to leave the room when his frantic voice caught my ears. "But my Prince…"

I stopped and my head snapped to the side. Looking at him out of the corner of my narrowed eye and my voice a growl, "my word is law and stands as I said. She attacked my prone mate with the intent to harm her. She was judged, convicted, and executed accordingly. Do you wish to argue this point further?" I saw the shudder go down his spine; both smelt and felt his fear and shock, and smirked when he started to stutter.

"I, I was nnnot aware ttthat you tttooook a mmmaattte, Sire. Mmmmyy cccongggratullllattttions. Shhhhe's lllovvvvellly."

I raised a brow at him. "What? I couldn't understand a word of what you just said."

He cleared his throat and licked his lips. After a few deep breaths, he tried it again, "I said, I was not aware that you took a mate Sire. My congratulations. She's lovely." I nodded.

As I turned to go to my chambers and get Bella more comfortable, "Thank you Emerson. As I said, remove her body once the last breath of air leaves her lungs, not a moment before. If she lives, you die in her place." Standing in the doorway to my room I looked back over my shoulder, "And see to it that you replace the door that you and your men felt it was necessary to break opposed to simply opening." Not waiting for a response, I left the room.

Entering my room once again, I set Bella on my bed and just looked at her. She was changing at a rapid pace and I really don't think that it should take much longer than this time tomorrow for her to wake up. So far she has been doing quite well, but I can feel her pain start to climb again, and at the speed and level of it, I don't think that I will be able to help her from this point on.

As I said before, I was born like this, not made so I do not know all that much about the change. I know that to become a vampire you literally feel like you are being burned alive for three days. My mother said she would rather have gone through that instead of what she did, so I know that this is not going to be pretty. The best I can figure is that all that's happening right now is my blood and venom is simply making its way through her.

Her skin is smoothing out and darkening up a slightly; her build is changing slightly and she is toning up more; her body is growing, limbs lengthening giving her a few more inches of height. She might be chin height instead of shoulder. The scars she has are healing more, but not disappearing altogether. The one on her face has the most significant change. It will not go away altogether, but I think she will be happy with the change in it. I personally loved them, but know that she didn't. Her hair grew longer and darkened to a dark mocha color; the natural red and gold toned highlights that she had are far more pronounced. Her eyebrows are thinner and arched higher. I would have been perfectly happy if she would have stayed just as she was, but the changes she underwent though not extensive, made her look like the demon of my dreams. God, if she was awake right now, the things I would do to her. A smirk made its way to my lips. When she wakes up she will be the definition of unbreakable. I can literally do whatever I want to her and she will love every second of it.

I sat on the bed next to her and saw that she was breaking out into a sweat. Her emotions and body language were both telling me that things were heating up for her and things were about to go tits up with her change. Putting a hand on either side of her head, I bent my head down and pressed a light kiss to her lips. I nuzzled her nose with mine. I winced and closed my eyes when she whimpered. I placed a hand to the side of her face and pulled back to look at her face again when I was surprised to see ice blue eyes full of unchecked pain looking back at me. I knew it was going to happen I just didn't know when. My eyes were soft and my voice was quiet, "I am sorry for this, but when this is over you will never know pain again; I will not allow it." Nuzzling noses with her again, I whispered to her, my lips brushing hers as I spoke, "I can feel your pain my little one. Do not keep it in. Screaming might not stop the pain, but keeping it in won't either. You scream, you scream to heaven above, scream out all your pain, all your hurt, all your hate, all your everything. Scream it out so when you wake up from this you are free of all the negative you endured in life."

Her pain continued to climb making her whimpers and whines turn to moans and groans. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw. She was sweating heavier and her limbs were twitching. I dropped my head, my forehead resting on her chest. I sighed, lifted my head, shook it and snorted, "You have got to be the most stubborn person I have ever met. Have it your way, but I guarantee you will feel better."

I moved from my spot next to her and went to my closet and put on a pair of sweatpants. I grabbed her a pair of my pants and the sports-top she wore last time she was here. After I got some cloths on her I perched myself on the footboard with a book. There was nothing I was going to be able to do for her, so I figured, might as well get some work done.

It was over a day later that there was a knock on my door bringing me back to the room I was in. Continuing to read my book I called for her to enter. I knew from scent that it was my mother; had it been anyone else, I wouldn't have let them within fifty feet of my door.

She walked in and came to a stop next to me at the foot of the bed. Putting a hand on my shoulder in an effort to draw my attention to her, she spoke. "How is she doing?"

At this point I didn't care if it was my mother or not, THAT was a stupid question. Bella had started screaming what felt to me forever ago. Everyone within the palace knew how she was doing. Rolling my eyes I snapped at her, "How the fuck does it look like she's doing?" She crossed her arms and lifted a brow. I looked up from my book and over to her, "what?" I wasn't going to apologize for my language. I was in excruciating pain, my mate was dying before my eyes and I had to let her, and to top it off my ears were ringing and I was having hearing issues. I know I told her to scream and I meant it, but all choices come with a price and the one I am paying is my hearing for the next week.

My mother raised her other brow and I know what she was waiting for. Rolling my eyes again I turned back to my book. She can wait forever for all I care right now. It took her far longer than I thought it would for her to figure it out, but eventually she huffed and turned her attention to Bella. "Well, I see that your blood mostly fixed her physical imperfections, let's hope it fixes her attitude as well. However, we cannot expect miracles. Such a shame that your blood couldn't do away with that hideous scar on her face." I growled a warning but didn't look at her. She snuffed at me and jetted a hip out. "What? Your mate is an extension of you, and she was not what we were promised she would be. All we can do is hope that her change will fix that god awful personality she had since you are stuck with a scarred mate for eternity." My growl steadily grew in volume the more she continued to speak. I have never in my life wanted to hit a female, but right now I wanted to knock my mother into next week. When she said that last part I had to tighten my grip on the book in my hands so I didn't knock her teeth down her fucking throat. I tightened my grip so much that the book disintegrated in my hands.

"You need to get to your purpose and get the fuck out. I have no tolerance for you."

She looked hurt at that. "I am your mother; tolerance should never be an issue between us."

A scowl firmly in place, I slowly turned my head to look at her. Pointing to the bed, "That is my mate, my bride and my life. You are nothing in comparison to that. If all you are going to do is stand there and point out things YOU have issues with, you are not welcome here. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with her. She could have turned into a fucking troll and she would STILL be perfect in my eyes. Your opinion on the matter is both unwanted and uncared about. I do not give a flying fuck what you think on the matter."

She gasped and her hand flew to her chest, "Jasper Whitlock; that was uncalled for."

My eyes narrowed, "Your mere presence is uncalled for. You seem to think that just because you are my mother that your comments about my mate will fly; reality check, I will not allow ANYONE to speak ill of her. PERIOD. I already killed one demon for her actions against Isabella; do not think I will not do it again. You are my mother and I love you dearly, but she is my mate and much higher on my give a shit list than you are."

She looked heartbroken by that, "There was a time that I was the most important lady in your life. You're my baby boy Jazzy."

I growled again. "First, I have told you repeatedly to never call me Jazzy again; and second, I am nowhere near being a baby. I am over a thousand years old; don't you think it is time to cut the cord Mother?"

Her eyes hardened. "No matter how old you get. You will ALWAYS be my baby. You are also never old enough for me not to turn you over my knee, so I suggest you watch how you speak to me Jasper. I will not tolerate this level of disrespect from you." I snorted. Bella screamed again drawing my attention to her and away from my mother. She didn't take to kindly to that. "Do not look away from me when I am speaking to you, do you understand me?" That was the last straw I could take.

Hopping down from the foot board I was perched on, I grabbed my mother by her arm making her gasp in shock. I literally drug her to the still open door and pushed her out of the room. "When YOU get an attitude adjustment, I might speak with you again, but for now if you don't leave I will not be held responsible for my actions against you. I already told you I killed someone for trying to come between myself and my mate and I have no issues doing it again. It would be an awful shame if that happens to be you, but I will if you make it become necessary."

She looked at me with wide yet still narrowed eyes. "You would threaten to kill your mother for a jaded human?"

Getting nose to nose with her I snarled, "You bet your ass I would. This however is not a threat over a jaded human. This is a promise of death over my mate." A flashback of last time we were here and Bella meeting my mother flashed through my mind and my eyes narrowed. "You really are a conniving bitch aren't you? You purposely made her upset last time didn't you? You tried to scare her away, tried to get her to decide to not want to be mine."

She crossed her arms and smirked at me. "It is a mother's job in life to see to it her child has only the best of everything, including the person that they spend the rest of their lives with. There are plenty of women that are much better suited for you than she could ever hope to be. She is not good enough for you Jasper. As your mother and the queen to the throne, I can tell."

An evil chuckle that I never thought I would use in her presence escaped me making her take a measured step back. "If I read and understood the decrees in the by-laws correctly, Bella now holds the crown that you seem to covet, the same one you said you couldn't wait to be rid of. The blood of the rightful ruler of the throne runs through her veins, making you nothing more than a has been and you don't know how to handle it. You were turned to be the mate of Satan and now that I took a mate, you are nothing more than a regular demon with royal blood." I crossed my arms and grinned a fangy grin. "Tell me mother, how does it feel to be an obsolete expendability?" She went to smack me and I caught her wrist with a laugh, "Careful mother, it never ends well for those that anger the devil."

She pulled her hand and I let go willingly. She walked backwards with an ugly scowl on her face, "Just wait until I tell your father about this disrespect Jasper."

I shrugged, "Go right ahead Mother. Be sure to tell him where he can find me; I have a few things to settle with him as well." Turning my back to her in a show that I saw her as absolutely no threat what so ever, I closed my door and walked back over to my mate that was sitting up on the bed with pure murder in her now icy blue eyes. Flashing her a true smile when I reached to foot of the bed, I crossed my arms; "Good evening little one. How are you feeling?"

She looked at me and it took her a few seconds for her to recognize me, but when she did she smiled. "Far better than I was that's for sure; and hungry."

I chuckled, "I bet you are. Come on, let's get you something to eat and then we will see to getting you cleaned up. There are a few things that need to be dealt with here, but we don't have a lot of time to piss around. There are things on the surface world that need our immediate attention." I walked around to the side of the bed as she slid to the edge. I put a hand on either side of her on the mattress and leaned down to her level.

As I leaned forward towards her, she leaned back until she fell on her back. I climbed on top of her and planted a searing kiss on her lips. She moaned into it and slid her fingers into my hair pulling me closer. I will have to bring it to her attention that she is stronger than she thinks she is. Not strong enough to hurt me by any means, but possibly strong enough to pull out my hair if she is not careful. I can do that later though. I licked her bottom lip and when she opened her mouth I wasted no time plunging my tongue into the moist cavern. I really should have been a little more careful about it though because I caught myself on her brand new sharp as fuck fangs. When she started to suck on my tongue I knew two things at that point; one was I cut myself enough to draw blood and the other was if we didn't stop now, we would never get anywhere.

I tried to pull back but she was having none of that. She sat up meeting me inch for inch that I pulled away from her. I chuckled as I put my hand in her sternum keeping her where she was as I continued to pull back. When that was accomplished I grabbed her wrists and pulled her fingers from my hair and grinned at her. I ran a finger over the side of my tongue and found that I did in fact have a bleeding cut there. I cupped her cheek with my hand and used my thumb to lift her lip up. Looking back at me was a short sharp fang and a twin on the other side. She batted my hand away with a giggle, "What are you doing?"

I shook my head and blew a puff of air out my nose, "For some reason, it didn't cross my mind that when you woke up you were going to have a set of fangs all your own." Her smile was so bright that it lit up her whole face, and so wide that I got a great look at them. She jumped off the bed and ran to the mirror to get a look for herself. I laughed at the reflection I saw; her eyes were wide and jaw slack. "You'll get used to the speed soon enough, I promise. Your eyesight, sense of smell and hearing will improve as well. It should be a gentle transition as your new demon blood settles. At least I think it will. I don't know for sure though so don't get mad at me if I'm wrong. I was born like this so I don't know what happens with those that are made."

She saw just staring at her reflection, a haunted look in her eyes. She reached up and touched her face, fingers running along the scar that still ran the length of it, down to the ones on her chest and stomach. Her brows drew together and her eyes glossed over. Oh, fuck no. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I put my chin on her shoulder and just waited for her to speak. It only took a moment but she finally did. "I thought that… I thought."

I nuzzled the mark on her neck that would become a defined picture of my mark when her blood settled. I kept my voice quiet hoping that that would keep the tears from falling. "You thought what?"

She looked away from her reflection, "I thought that after all was said and done that they wouldn't be there any more, that the scars would go away. Isn't your venom like a vampires?" I nodded once. "Then shouldn't it have gotten rid of them?"

I kissed her neck and stood up. "Look at your wrist. The bite mark from James is still there, only faded, just like the other scars. Plus, things are not all said and done. The main part of this is over for you Bella, but your new blood needs time to settle, however there is nothing that can be done about them due to the venom that was introduced into the fresh wounds. " I turned her face back to the mirror and she closed her eyes making me roll mine. "Bella, open your eyes and tell me what you see."

The stubborn little bitch kept her eyes closed. "I don't have to look to tell you that a scarred and ugly face is going to be looking back at me. Your mother was right, I don't know what I was thinking, thinking that I was going to be beautiful enough to be your mate."

I huffed. I am going to kill my mother for this and kick Bella's ass while I'm at it. "Well, I AM looking and do you know what I see?" She opened her eyes and looked at mine in the glass. Keeping my eyes on hers, I kissed behind her ear and whispered, "I see the woman that has graced my dreams my whole life." I kissed below her ear and continued to whisper, "I see the woman that has a beauty that none can match." Kissing lower on her neck, "I see the woman that has the strength to be pushed down by life and laugh her ass off in her death." Kissing above my mark, "I see the woman that has been through hell more times that Satan himself and kept on kickin'." Kissing my mark, "When I look at you I see nothing but absolute perfection." I stood back up and turned her to face me and lifted her head so I could see her eyes, "Do not take what my mother said to heart little one. You are mine; my life, my bride, my mate; all mine." I bent down and kissed her softly. Pulling back enough to talk but with my lip still against hers I whispered, "And when we have more time, I intend to reinforce my claim on select body parts."

That got a giggle out of her. She pulled back and smiled at me, "God you're such a pervert."

I rolled my eyes, "As I said before, that may very well be, but you love it." I tugged on the necklace on her neck, "Your emotions are much stronger than I thought they were going to be. Being this close to both you and the mating pendent, it feels kinda like an echo."

She looked down at it, "Really? Is that bad?"

I shook my head, "Not at all. It is just going to take a little getting used to on my part. It feels like there are two of you standing right in front of me"

"That would be because your empathy allows you to feel her personally…" my head snapped to the door and I saw my father leaning on the door frame. "…and the pendent makes you feel her emotions like they are inside you. Not like your own however. Your body will know whose is whose, though that is only meant to be worn when you are not in each other's immediate presence; not when you are standing less than six inches from each other."

I nodded my understanding to him first before I cocked my head to the side, "Father, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. Your mother came to me and said I had to have a talk with my son. She only says that when you piss her off. She didn't tell me the particulars, but now that I see a demon Miss. Swan, I think I have some sort of idea."

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of my mother and Bella hissed though I doubt she meant to, making my father chuckle at her shocked face. "She was out of line. I simply defended my mate."

He rubbed his chin, "Oh, I have no doubt about that my son. She does tend to take things to heart that have absolutely nothing to do with her." His brows drew together and a look of confusion crossed his face. He was looking over my shoulder at Bella. "My dear, are you well?"

I looked over my shoulder at her. Her face was scrunched up and she was rolling her shoulders and turning her upper body a little. It looking like she was trying to stretch out her back muscles. I felt her pain through the pendent, but it was there since she started moving. I had thought it was residual from her change. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She looked at me, her face showing her growing pain and discomfort. "I don't know. My…" and she never finished that sentence. Instead, she dropped to her knees with a, earth shaking scream.

I knelt down next to her and put my hand on her back and grabbed her bicep to keep her from face planting on the floor. I could feel the muscles of her back rippling and outright ripping under my hand. I looked at my father with a frantic look, "What the fuck is going on?"

He was next to me in the next second with the same bewildered look I'm sure I was sporting. "I don't know. This didn't happen with your mother."

Bella's screams grew louder and more pained; tears were streaming down her face and there was nothing I could do about it because I had no idea what was going on. I rubbed her back and spoke in low tones to her while racking my brain trying to figure out what was happening. I ran my hand over her shoulder blade and the bone pushed up against my hand making a light bulb go off in my head. Holy mother of fuck, it's not possible; she can't be doing what I think she is. I looked over at my father wide eyed, "Move."

He looked at me for a split second before we both heard her diamond hard skin start to crack and her scream of pure anguish. Her back arched up when two black wings broke free sending blood and skin fragments everywhere and knocking me and my father across the room.

My father landed on his back and head then bounced where as I landed on my shoulder, popping it out of socket; the side of my head cracking the floor from the impact making my vision blur and go fuzzy before sliding to a stop. Shaking my head, I pushed myself up to a half sitting, half lying position and looked over just in time to see her eyes close and her fall to the floor. She managed to catch herself with a hand and forearm before she landed in a puddle of her blood. Her head hung low, forehead resting on the ground, her breathing hard and labored. I couldn't move, I wanted to, I wanted to be with her, holding her, but I couldn't move. I was in absolute shock at what I was seeing. My eyes moved to my father when I saw him sit and rub the back of his head. I licked my lips and blinked a few times. After a few try and fails to speak I was able to find my voice, "What the fuck?" and that was the best that could do?

Father looked at Bella and he looked as lost as I was. It was only due to my hearing that I heard him whisper, "It's not possible."

"Well apparently it is." A second longer and I was finally able to get over my shock and get to her, but my head was still spinning from bouncing off the floor. I reached out to touch her back, but pulled my hand back slightly when I saw what it looked like. The skin all across her shoulders and almost half way down her back and up to her neck was shredded; well perhaps shattered would be a more accurate description. The bones of both shoulder blades were visible and blood was pooling in the actual hole in her back. Can nothing be even the slightest fucking bit easy for the poor girl?

The wings themselves were dripping blood and had bits and chunks of skin dangling in places. She will have about a little longer than an eight foot wing span when they are fully stretched out. They look exactly like mine in appearance, so they will extend a few inches above her head and stop a little lower than mid-calf when pulled back. For those of you that haven't figured it out yet, our wings go above our head so that they have the length needed to fold around our shoulders. On a different note though, they were fucking hot. If she was not in so much pain, I would have continued what was started before the issue in front of the mirror.

I lightly cleared my throat, "Bella, Darlin' are you alright?"

Her mouth was hanging open, she was breathing hard; her eyes were squeezed shut and she was shacking. "What happened?"

I drew my bottom lip between my teeth and looked over at my father who was sitting there still trying to regroup his bearings. Even from where I was sitting, I could see his eyes keep going out of focus. I sighed and lifted her head with the side of my finger. "Um, Bella, you uh, well…"

It was then that my father joined the conversation, "You my dear, sprouted a set of wings. That was the pain you felt."

She looked over at him out of the corner of her eye, "But why did it hurt so bad?"

He looked at her through his lashes. "That is because our skin is not supposed to split." He looked at her back from the angle he could without standing, "Hence the reason yours shattered."

Her eyes went wide, "Shhhattttered?"

He nodded. "You hung around vampires, you have lain with my son; surely you have noticed the difference between them. Humans have very soft skin, easy to cut through. Vampires are harder, comparable to granite but still easy to cut through if you have right tools for the job. Demons however, our skin is harder than diamond, completely indestructible; or so I thought until now. There is no nice way to say this my dear, but you have a gaping hole in your back from your new skin shattering to accommodate your wings; which I am not even sure how you obtained if you want the truth of the matter." Thanks dad.

Bella's head whipped around to the side and she screamed loud enough to have both me and my father wincing from the octave. I turned her head back towards me, but her eyes stayed on her back for as long as she could keep them there. When she finally looked at me, she gave me the more helpless look I have ever seen in my life, "Jazz…"

I gave her a soft smile, "Bella, it is going to be fine. Your skin is already regenerating at a rapid rate. It won't be but a moment and you'll be good as new." She dropped down to sit on her heels, but the movement pulled at her wings that were sticking to the ground by the quickly drying blood making her cry out and snap her mouth closed. Looks like the wings themselves are sensitive, not just where they broke free from. Her eyes were watering when she looked back at me. I completely understood the pain she was feeling at the moment. Well, not from her back exploding, but the sensitivity of her wings. I remember how badly mine hurt when I was little and it fucking sucked; and that was when I didn't react to pain as harshly. I would liken this pain understanding difference to a man getting a circumcision after infancy. When they are an infant a dropper of Tylenol; when they are older, they get heavy duty pain killers. BIG difference.

Anyways, after telling her not to move, I got up and went to the bathroom to get some warm water so I could free her from the ground. When I came back from that, her back was almost completely healed. Kneeling behind her, as gently as I could, I washed the blood off her back so I could get a better idea as to the damage done. It still wasn't fully healed yet, but I thought considering the fact that five minutes ago she was missing a huge chunk, it was doing quite well.

She looked over her shoulder at me. "So, how bad is it?"

I lifted my eyes to hers. "Almost done; shouldn't be more than a minute. After I get the blood off your back, I'll get your wings, but I am going to warn you, if yours are like mine were when I was little, it is going to fucking hurt."

She sighed and turned her head back around. "Story of my life, Jasper; story of my fucking life."

I didn't say anything to that. There was nothing I could say. It was true, the poor thing really hasn't known much more than pain in the last 25 years. So, since I could SAY anything to make her feel better, I decided to DO something to make her feel better. We might have things to do on the surface, but I never said she had to be a SOBER participant. I looked over at my father and even though I did still have some unfinished business with him, I needed him at the moment, so putting off my hostility towards him for the comfort of my mate, I called him over. "Father, do me a favor and go over to my desk. The right side is actually a fridge. Get her a drink for me. I'm done here, but I don't want to touch her wings until she feels a little better." He lifted a brow at me, but did as I asked. His surprise at the array of choices had me chuckling internally. I might not be here that often, but as I never know when or how long I might be home, I leave instructions to keep it ready for me.

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk on his face, "I never had to deal with wing issues, but I am going to assume that beer is not a strong enough sedative."

I snorted, "Fuck no. There should be whisky in there. Make it a double and bring the bottle." Doing what I asked, he handed her the glass first, which she downed like the champ I knew she was. When he went to refill the glass, her hand shot out grabbing the bottle, and then she just started chugging. Giving the booze a moment to kick in, "Alright Bella, ready?" she looked back at me with a silly smile and unfocused eyes.

"Do your worst devil man." My head shot up, my father choked, and Bella all but pointed and laughed. "What? If I understood what I read, Jasper took a mate so that means that he's the new devil right?"

My father cleared his throat, "Well, yes, but…"

She looked over at him and the look on her face had me biting my finger to keep from laughing. It was the same look she had right after she had me turn on the sprinkler system and soak Peter. It was a look of extreme falsehood. She is going to be a fantastic ruler after we deal with Victoria. I could feel my father's apprehension to her when her eyes softened and smile crossed her face. When she spoke I damn near fell over laughing. "Don't look so glum there chief. You had a good run." She reached out and pinched his cheek, and puckered her face and lips, her voice raising a few octaves, "Yes you did."

My father's eyes went wide and I held my breath so I didn't pull at the wing I was currently wiping off and unsticking from the floor. He looked at me and I couldn't make eyes contact if I tried. "Jasper, your uh, mate is quite the bold one isn't she?"

I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. "That is the mildest you could fraise that, I think."

He took a full step back away from her. "Well, if there is nothing else, I think I shall take my leave to preserve what is left of my dignity. Jasper, we will speak later yes?"

I nodded, "You can count on it. We have things that need our attention, but we do need to return soon for her induction."

As he was turning to leave, "Yes, so looking forward to the hell that little one is sure to bestow on my kingdom."

She snorted and jetted a thumb at me, "You mean his kingdom."

At the door Father looked over his shoulder at her. "It is mine until such a time as his mate is inducted and accepted. If I were you young lady, I would remember that until that time you are still nothing more than my son's mate. Anyone can fuck a prince, but it takes something more to run an empire."

I growled, "Watch it Father, she might be unable to deal with the insult, I however am and we both know how that would end."

He looked at me before leaving without another word. Yes, it takes something more to rule, but I am well aware of the fact that Bella can rise to any challenge. All you need to do is look at her past and see that she survived to know that there is absolutely nothing that she cannot handle. Court might be an issue, but I know that she can handle anyone that fucks with her, and those she cannot, well, I CAN. It is my job now to ensure that nothing happens to her, and I take that responsibility ridiculously seriously.

 

Chapter 21

 

JPOV

Five hours. That is how long I have been waiting for Peter to show the fuck up. He was supposed to be here already and low and behold, I have been waiting on his ass for five fucking hours. After I got Bella free from the floor, I spent a few minutes explaining how to move her wings in place. I just had her fold them around her shoulders and figured that we could work on the rest as the sensitivity ebbs a bit. She wanted me to help her learn to fly and I shot that shit down. Flying on new wings is just asking for trouble. Our wings are controlled by our back muscles and until you know how to work them right, there is just too many issues to worry about. She is drunk and that is never a good mindset for her to be in if you are having an argument with her. She said she can't actually die if she falls, but I informed her that even though that might be true, she can pull something and THAT is bad; or there is the risk of hitting something and ripping a wing off. I did that when I was five and it was the worst pain I have ever felt, EVER in my life. They do grow back, but it takes forever and that is just as painful.

I then had to go on to tell her that her wings were not yet strong enough to hold her weight. She has to work those out, just like a baby working out their legs to walk. There is a process to follow, but she should be able to get the strength to fly in a few weeks. That seemed to pacify her enough to drop the subject; for now.

I felt him before I saw him, as it always goes with his kind. I turned my head and saw Michael perched on the railing to the balcony outside the library Bella and I were currently lounging in. We were working on her opening her wings and closing them back around when she started looking around the room, her nose flaring at the invading scent. When her eyes landed on him, her eyes lightened and sparked, but not in a good way. It is ingrained in us to not like angels and to do what we can to eliminate them. Weather she likes him or not, her instincts are telling her that he had to go. When she made a move to pounce, I wrapped an arm around her waist and held her back. I looked at him with a smirk, "You're going to have to bare with her for the time being, Michael. She is still a bit new at suppressing her instincts to kill your kind. We were working with her wings. It slipped my mind that there might have been something a little more important than that to focus on."

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I bet." He looked at her and smiled, bowing his head. "Well look at you. Calling you My Lady has a whole new meaning now." Bella just growled at him. "Now don't be like that, I thought we were friends." the growling grew. He stuck out his bottom lip out, "Well, guess we will have to work on that then." He looked back at me. "Jasper, we are out of time. Where is your vampire?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea. We are waiting on him right now. I sent him out on an errand, and he is late returning."

"My apologies Sire, but what you asked was harder to do than you might think. Even with my extra ability, it took me way longer to locate them than it should have."

Looking to the door Peter and Charlotte were standing there looking worse for the wears. "What the fuck happened to you?"

He looked at me with a grave face but looking deeper into his emotions I found anger, shock and hesitance. "There has been a development that I am not sure how you are going to react."

Letting go of Bella, I turned to face him fully. Michael came inside and bravely took up post next to Bella, though she seemed to be fully focused on Peter. She looked at Michael and her lip curled, but she didn't do anything. Her eyes then landed on me, "Jazz, what's going on?"

I grunted, "I have no idea. I asked him to locate our favorite coven and tell me where they are and this is how he returns. Late too I might add." She stared at me a moment before looking back at him. I could tell she was not happy, but there was nothing she could do about it. I call the shots and she is going to have to learn at some point that one, I always get my way; and two, my word is law. That is not the talking of a spoiled brat that is just fact. Even if I wasn't who I was, the male is the dominant partner in the matting. You can compare us to vampires in that respect, only, we are far worse when it comes to dominance. We don't beat our mates or anything like vampires are known to do to keep the female in line; we have a much more effective way to handle out of line mates. But there will be more on that later, for now, I want to know what the fuck happened to Peter.

I raised a brow to show him I was waiting. He looked down and cleared his throat, "Well, I was able to find them."

I huffed, "You said that, what you have yet to say is where and how."

He scratched his eyebrow and looked everywhere but me, "Um, well, they are not all that for from here actually."

I crossed my arms, "Captain, your stalling. Just spit it the fuck out and we will deal with it."

He gulped, "The leader and his mate, from what I gathered anyways, had just met back up with the pixy and mind reader; who are currently mated."

Bella and I looked at each other, "And you found them… where?"

He closed his eyes, "About a day south of here."

My head snapped back to him, teeth barred, a growl ripping free, "You're fucking shitting me!" He took a step back and shook his head.

Bella and Michael looked at each other before looking back at us. It was Michael that spoke, "What is so bad about that? From what I found out about them is that is a relatively peaceful coven. Them being close couldn't be that bad, even if you do share a… difficult history with them."

I pulled a very confused Bella to me, putting her back to my chest and wrapped my arms and wings around her. "It is not the coven so to speak that is of concern." Putting my chin on the top of her head, I informed them of the last call I got from Garrett. "It has been brought to my attention that Victoria and her little band of fuck ups are currently a day south of here." Bella stiffened in my arms and I kissed her temple, whispering quiet words of hopefully comfort in her ear. I looked at Michael out of the corner of my eye, "Looks like you were right about being out of time."

Michael rubbed his chin, "Well, it would appear that I have some work to do." He looked at Bella who was still looking a little shaken in my arms. Giving her a smile, "Remember what I said My Lady, it is my honor. Are you ready?"

She looked at him with narrowed eyes and even if you were not an empath, you could still read the emotion in them. It happens sometimes with a transformation, but there is a possibility that things didn't transfer from one plane of thought to another. There is a chance that she has no idea what he is talking about, but there is a flip to that. She could very well remember what he is talking about, but just doesn't want to because the advice came from our enemy even though it was given when she was human. Finally she blinked and smiled; not what I was expecting at all. "Sorry, I was just picturing what you would look like when I rip out your tongue and break your face for calling me a bitch."

It surprised me when he laughed. "I look forward to the battles that are sure to come between us, My Lady; but for now, are you ready for this?"

She cocked her head to the side, which where she was standing put it on my arm. The light contact had me nuzzling her neck with a light smile on my face. It wasn't like she had a choice but to lay her head on me, but still, the mating bond is growing between us and I am finding it hard to not hold and nuzzle and kiss and be out of character affectionate with her. Some would say that would make me a pussy; I say fuck you. She was looking at Michael, but her emotions were showing a growing lust for me. Before we head out, I think I might capitalize on that.

Anyways, out of my mind and back to the current conversation that I have been absent from, and from the looks I was getting, I think they knew it. Michael snorted and his cheeks were a little pink. God, that fucker needs to get laid. "So, Jasper, I will gather my recruits and see how the new ones are faring and find out if they are ready for action."

I still had my face buried in Bella's neck, not really caring about anything but getting everyone the fuck outta here, until the word action once again brought me back to the task at hand. I lifted my eyes because I was quite comfortable right where I was. "You do that and I will see to the rest of mine. I do not want to involve hell's army until we have no other choice, but I was assured that they are ready on my call. I have a few of my babies babysitting the encampment, so I will know when they are on the move."

Michael's eyes went wide. "You have hounds on the human plane? Are you nuts?"

I shrugged, "I have been called that a time or two. Look, they are fully camouflaged and hidden. You didn't even know they were there until now and they have been following the bitch since Garrett told me where I could find her. My pets are very well trained; do not question me on how I choose to protect my mate. If I want to have all the souls of hell walk the earth and keep an eye on a person of interest, I will do just that."

Michael put his hands up, "Alright, gosh, I was just saying."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. You go do what you have to and I will the same." He nodded and was gone. I moved my eyes to Peter, "I need you to meet up with Garrett and stay with him. Bella and I are going to involve some people that should have been informed by now, but were left out of the loop for obvious reasons. Now that those reasons are irrelevant, it is time to do so." He nodded and both he and his mate turned and left the way they came.

As soon as I could no longer feel them, my face went back into Bella's neck, only this time I didn't resist the temptation to nip at it. I spun her around to face me and captured her lips. She melted into me and moaned. Nipping her lip as I pulled away, I stared into her icy blue eyes knowing that mine looked the same. Putting my forehead on hers, "how's your back feeling Darlin'?" She rolled her shoulders but was hard pressed to hide the wince that came with it. Looks like she is still in pain. Hmm, well where there is a will there is a way and I know PLENTY of ways for her back to not be in contact with anything; like her being on top for starters.

An evil smirk came to my face as I started to walk her back toward the chase, pulling her clothes off on my way. When her knees hit the seat, I pushed her down, but not on her back. I refuse to be the one to cause her any amount of pain. I reached to unzip my jeans, but she batted my hands out of the way, taking the task upon herself to remove them.

When that was done, she stood up and turned us to that I was facing her, but my back was to the lounge. She put her hands on my chest, stood on her tippy toes and kissed me. That was the first time she kissed my lips first and I felt my heart jump at the contact. She tittered when she heard it too. Brat.

She kissed down my jaw, neck, chest, lower and lower until she was on her knees in front of me. She ran her hands back up and pushed so that I would sit. With a raised brow I did as she wanted. I could feel the uncertainty in her emotions as she stared at me, but she didn't let that stop her. She tilted her head to the side, inspecting my manhood with a curious, confused and determined look on her face. It was cute. She lifted her eyes to look in mine when that tongue of hers poked out of her lips and tentatively let it lick the tip. My eyes closed and a soft grunt came out. She seemed to take it as a good sign, because she did it again a little harder, letting her tongue explore a little more. It felt glorious.

Her tongue swirled the tip before she licked her lips and opened her mouth, sucking the head in her mouth. My eyes closed and the head on my shoulders dropped back when she lightly scraped her teeth across the skin. Her name fell from my lips and my fingers laced into her hair. I was going to let her do this one on her own, but just like her obsession with my hair, I have one with hers.

Every time she pulled back, she took a little more in, every time either scraping her teeth, though mindful of her fangs, or pressed her tongue to the shaft. When she reached to point that she couldn't fit anymore in her mouth, she took one hand and grabbed the rest. It was when she did that that I was reminded to tell her about her new found strength.

With my teeth clenched together, "Bella, baby, you're stronger than you think you are."

She let go and pulled all the way back, me falling out of her mouth in the action. She looked at me wide eyed and scared. "Oh god, I'm sorry! I'm new at this and I didn't know." She then gently cupped my dick and open mouthed kissed and licked it from tip to base, making my eyes roll in the back of my head. Now THAT is an apology. I felt her look up at me but she never stopped, so my eyes didn't feel the need to look at her; I wanted to but, fuck that shit felt good. When she started sucking on the side of it, I was reminded about the porn thought I had the first time we ever did anything. There is no way someone could know how to do that and have never seen it done or done it themselves. Since I know the latter is not true, I must assume, again, the wolves introduced her to porn.

I felt myself getting closer to completion, but I refused to blow anywhere but inside her. I grabbed her under the arms and pulled her to my lap. She pressed herself closer to me, effectively cramming my painfully hard piece between our stomachs. Cannot have that; so as I kissed her, I lifted her up again, holding her so she hovered over me. Lowering her slowly, I took possession of her lips in a brutal crushing kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck and surrendered to me fully. I wanted to just slam her down, but I heard that the buildup is better, but I don't see it. The actual reason is this is a new body for her and though she is not a virgin anymore, she is as tight as one and will be for the rest of eternity, there is stretching needed. I lowered her two inches, lifted her one and so on till I was buried to the hilt. I pulled back from the kiss and Bella dropped her head on my shoulder, squeezes my waist between her thighs and rolled her hips making both of us groan.

I leaned back on the heels of my hands and Bella put her hands on my chest as she continued to roll her hips. She leaned down and using her bent knees as leverage, lifted herself up and just dropped like a bomb. She cried out and I moaned as my head dropped back again. Then, she went to town, bouncing, twisting, turning, rolling her hips, between pent up excitement and her emotions from contact and the pendant, I didn't stand a chance, but there was zero chance that was going to happen before her. She was close, but I could tell was just not getting the right angle she was looking for. Sitting up, I grabbed her hips and twisted; turning her around to face away from me. In a quick movement, I had her on her hands and knees on the lounge with me standing behind her. She was disoriented by the speed for a moment before she got back into the swing of things and pushed back at me to meet me thrust for thrust.

Bending my knees a bit to change direction, I found her spot. She screamed out and her movements faltered a bit as she dropped to her elbows. I put my hand on her back to keep her there and sped up, going deeper from the change of position and harder for the hell of it. She started to clench around me so leaving my hand on her back I used the other to reach around her and used my thumb on her clit to finish her off. When she reached her peak, she squeezed me so hard and so tight that was it for me. My fangs grew and with two more thrusts I was shooting my seed deep in her and my fangs were once again buried in her neck where my mark was located, however being careful not to put weight on her upper back just yet. She cried out as she was sent back over. Since we are mated, I will never have a venomous bite with her again. My fangs can't hurt her as long as I bite the same place. However, just because there is no venom, does not mean that being bitten by three inch long teeth that are harder than steel will not cause pain if I bite her somewhere else.

Opening my mouth when my fangs receded, I licked the blood off her neck and nuzzled it when I was done. Looking at it for a moment, I was able to better make out the details. When our bond is cemented it will look like a tattoo of my personal crest. It takes three bites after the change for that to happen, but two of them must be done publicly because of my status. There is one, so because of the demon laws that is the last time we can do anything that would prompt me to bite her; and since anything of that nature will ALWAYS result in a bite, well, sex is out of the question until the ceremony and induction are done. Damn.

I kissed her still healing back and pulled out of her getting rewarded with a sexy little groan. I tried to take a step back and almost fell on my ass. Looking down I rolled my eyes at myself. I never took my pants off all the way and damn near tripped on them. Real romantic there Jazz.

I pulled them up and leaned over Bella's limp form. Nuzzling my nose on her cheek and giving it a kiss, I turned to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and she was on the verge of sleep. I butted my nose on hers and she cracked open an eye and smiled at me forcing me to smile back. "I'm sorry mate, but we have to be on our way. There is something that I have put off far too long and it must be seen to and I refuse to let you out of my sight. I do recall telling you that." She pouted and I kissed the tip of her nose. "Sorry love, but we have to go."

Her eyes grew hard at that. "Never call me that again."

It took a moment to figure out why that pissed her off, but when it hit me I gave her an indulgent smile, "Your wish is my command My Lady, but we still have some place to be right now." I grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Queen or not, you still have responsibilities to see to and this would be one of them. Think of it this way, the sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can deal with Victoria and the sooner we can finish the mating and start our eternity. But in order to accomplish any of that, you need to get up."

She gave me a pitiful excuse for puppy dog eyes because you could see the brightness in them. I pushed her out the door, down the hall to her room and shoved her towards the dresser as I leaned a shoulder on the door frame. "Get dressed and we shall be on our way."

She huffed and stomped her way across the room huffing, "Fine. Where are we going and how should I dress?"

I rubbed a temple, "The where is not important and whatever you want. It's not like anyone there will be stupid enough to speak ill of you."

She looked over her shoulder at me as she grabbed something without even looking. "Why don't you want to tell me where we're going?"

I snorted. Damn, I was hoping she would miss that. "We are going to Italy. There are some vampires there that I am sure would love to know about the army being built."

She was pulling her jeans on when she stopped and a look of concentration overcame her features. "I think I remember Edward saying something about royal vampires there, but the memory is a little fuzzy. I can clearly remember him telling me a story about Carlisle and a man named Aro, but not the details; and I can remember that he said they were bad, like evil bad. Satan's right hand type bad. That was not his phrasing, but the implication was there." She continued to pull her pants on.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Aro is actually not all that bad a guy. I will admit that he is not really my favorite vampire ever, but I wouldn't call him evil, misunderstood and a bit power hungry, but not evil." She was looking at her shirt trying to figure out how to put a shirt on with her wing showing. "Visualize your wings not being there. Since we are not in the palace there is no reason that you can't hide them."

She looked at me, "How do I do that?"

I shrugged. I have been doing it for so long that it just happens when I am not home. "All you have to do is think about them not being seen. When you do that they will disappear and not be a problem." She raised a brow at me but did it anyways. It took her a few tries but she soon got them to vanish. "Anyways, like I was saying, Aro and his brothers are really not that bad. They are the rulers of the vampire race. Vampires that break their only law answer to them."

"The law being that humans can't know they are real?"

I nodded. "That's part of it. The law is actually phrased 'Anyone that threatens the exposure of the vampire race will be sentenced to death'. Telling a human, hanging out with humans, dating a human, building an army; they are all seen as a risk of exposure and all fall under their jurisdiction."

She was looking in the mirror pulling her hair up and she looked at me through the glass, "But if they answer to you or your father shouldn't you be able to deal with it without involving them?"

"Sure, but we tend to try not to step on toes. You'll learn the way of things over time, but here is a crash course; we do not involve ourselves in other race issues. A vampire fucks up; the head vampires deal with it. Same with werewolves, trolls, fairies, pixies, the magic users, all of them. They all have their own ruling force and we leave issues to them. THIS is a different matter altogether. This was a direct attack on the demonic royal family, and what affects THAT family affects ALL 'evil' creatures."

She looked blankly at me before shaking her head. "I don't get it."

I smiled at her, "Don't worry, you will. It will take time, but you will." Looking her over head to toe, "Ready?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, but how are we going to get there?"

I held out a hand and when she took it, I pulled her close and kissed her soundly. I just can't seem to get enough of her. If this does not settle down after everything, I'm never going to get anything done because I don't want to do anything but fuck the girl's brains out. Pulling back I smiled at her, "We are going to go through Hell. From there we can go where ever we need to faster than any other mode of transportation, and time right now, is not looking to be on our side."

Chapter 22

 

JPOV

Walking through the halls of the Volturi palace will never get old I don't think. To see the looks on the faces of the vampires as they recognize me, the way the scurry out of the way always brings a smile to my face. Unlike when I go to the houses of the other rulers, I am feared for a whole different reason here. I made a name for myself within the vampire world from when I was fucking Maria and every last one of the fuckers bend over backwards to try and please me. So when I tell them not to inform Aro of my arrival, only that he has a guest waiting in the throne room, they listen. Bella walked gracefully next to, her head held high, face unreadable. She really will make a fantastic queen when all is said and done.

Even though I know the layout of this place by heart, the 'devil twins' Jane and Alec refused my dismissal saying something about manners or something or other. As they showed us to the main room you could actually see both of them shaking. I had to suppress a laugh. They only fear me because their gifts have no effect on me or any of my kind. When vampires were created they were designed to be subservient to demons so that there could be no revolt. So far, it's working.

They opened the doors and me being me waked in like I owed the fucking place, walked right up to Aro's chair on the dius and plopped down in my favorite position, leaning on one elbow on one arm and tossing my leg over the other. I grabbed Bella by the wrist and pulled her down to sit on my lap. With the way I was sitting she had to wiggle and bounce around to get comfortable, giving me a hard on in the process. Mother fucker; well at least she will cover it. In the end she ended up sitting on my thigh with one foot on the seat, her back to the arm of the chair my leg was over with her arm bend on her knee. I wrapped my arm around her waist and ran my fingers up and down her side. For extra effect, I told her to uncloak her wings and I did the same. She wrapped hers around her shoulders and I just let one of mine hang there while I wrapped my other one around my mate.

Aro and his brothers walked in and I smirked at the look of surprise on their faces. They blinked a few times before they got over it. Aro, being the son of a bitch I know him to be recovered first and put on that fake as shit act. "Ah, Prince Jasper. This is a wonderful surprise. When the guard told us we had a very important guest in the main chambers I was not expecting to be entertaining you my lord."

Bella looked over at me and raised a brow. Her emotions said what she was thinking; 'is this guy for fucking real'? I smiled ather, "I told you he wasn't that bad." Looking back out at the three vampires that were standing across from us I did the introductions. "Isabella, this is Aro. He is the head ruler of the vampire race. He also has the ability to read your every thought by the simple touch of his hand to your skin."

He bowed his head, "It is my pleasure My Lady."

"Moving along before he gets started and we can't get him to shut up; the next gentleman is Marcus. He has the gift of attachment. He is able to see the 'lines' of connection between one person and everyone they have ever been in contact with." That's the best way I could think to describe it. He bowed low at the waist. "Marcus doesn't talk much. And last but not least we have Caius. He has no active power that we are aware of, but he is a mean son of a bitch." Of the three of them, Caius has always been my favorite.

He did an old fashioned low bow. "My lady."

Looking at her, my face I am sure showing the affection that I feel for her, "And this gentlemen, is my mate, Isabella or Bella as she prefers to be called."

Doing what I instructed her too perfectly, she nodded her head low enough to be respectful, but not as deep as Aro did to her. Being of a higher station, she never bows lower to anyone than they bow to her. "I am honored to finally put faces to names gentlemen. I have heard quite a bit about you."

It was Caius that spoke, "It is our honor Princess, and whatever the prince has told you about us must be taken with a grain of salt. He likes to embellish a bit I'm afraid." And that is why I love that fucker. There is no sense of falsehood with him simply because I am his prince.

She smiled at him, "Oh that I know all too well. However, it was not him that told me of you three."

All three of them looked confused. Aro took a step forward, "Lady Isabella, if it was not the prince, than who told you of us, if I may be so bold as to ask."

She looked at him, smile still firmly in place. "Oh, of course you can. Please, such formalities are not necessary. This is not a so formal a meeting that titles need be used; Bella will be fine, if you don't mind."

He nodded, "Of course, Bella. If you could, tell us how you came to know about the three of us."

She looked at me and I nodded. Getting the history out of the way tends to make the rest of things so much faster. " , all up until three days ago I was human, but I have known about vampires being real for a little more than eight years."

It was Marcus that jumped in, "I am afraid I do not understand." He looked at me, his expression clearly showing his confusion. "We saw you not but four years ago and you had no ties to a mate or even a potential one. How is it that she knows of us if you didn't know her then?"

My brow raised; in all the time I have known him, that is the most I have ever heard him talk. That aside, I answered, "She became a potential mate a week ago and has been such for three days. However, I have known her the entire time she has had firsthand knowledge of the supernatural world."

He pursed his lips, "But she said you were not the one to inform her of our existence."

I nodded, "That is correct, I did not."

She jumped in at that point, "No one actually came out and said 'hey Bella, just for your information, vampires are real'. It was stupid mistakes, a friend of the family and a book on legends that that lead me to that. It was just confirmed by one of your kind."

All three of them raised a brow simultaneously making Bella giggle a little. Caius looked at her with a twinkle I knew all too well in his eye. "And, just who was it that confirmed your discovery?"

She smiled a wicked, evil sinister smile. "Edward Cullen of the Olympic coven." The silence was deafening so she took the opportunity to continue. "When I first moved to Forks Washington Edward was in one of my classes at school. He told me I should stay away from him, but I couldn't. I didn't know why, but I just couldn't. In class he was careful at first, not to act strange, to act human, but he was just too perfect. Everything he did was with superhuman perfection. He always knew the answer, even before the rest of us knew the question.

"Then there was an incident with a van. I was almost killed and he somehow got from one end of the parking lot to the other in less time than it took to blink, stopping the van from hitting me with his hand. He tried to convince me and everyone else that I hit my head, that I was confused. I didn't and I wasn't.

"After a rather uneventful talk with him in an attempt to get him to tell me how he did it, I was at the local reservation where a friend of my late father lived. I was friends with his son, who by the way was a shapeshifter I would later find out, and we were talking about old legends of his tribe. He started talking about one that involved the cold ones; that involved a coven of vampires that went by the surname Cullen. He was convinced that it was nothing but a scary story told to the kids to keep them out of the woods. After the van, I wasn't so sure.

"A few days later I was in a larger city with some girls from school looking at dresses for a school dance. I wasn't planning on going, but I wanted to go to a bookstore that I found online that had a book of old legends of my friend's tribe. After getting said book and I was walking back to meet up with the girls for dinner I was cornered by these four guys. I bet you could figure out what was on their minds." I growled when I heard that. This was something I was unaware of. She now had my attention as well as theirs. I wanted to know if there was anything else Edward didn't tell the rest of us. She patted my knee and continued with her Cliff's notes version of her time with Edward with no pause.

"Edward came out of the fucking wood work the second that he was needed. He drove me to the place I was meeting my friends. We had dinner, or I had dinner and I tried to get him to tell me what I was already pretty sure about, but he dodged my questions for the most part. He wouldn't tell me how he stopped the van, but he did tell me that he was following me that night,that he couldn't stay away from me either. That was also when he told me he could read minds, well everyone but mine anyhow.

"Later that night I was reading the book I was almost raped over and a few things caught my eye. I got back online and looked up all the different cultures version of the same thing. It was weird to find out that if you combined all the different culture's ideas on vampires you get the real thing. Well, besides the sunlight issue. That aside, the next day at school I confronted him and asked him basically flat out if what I read was true, if he was a vampire. His answer was asking me if I was scared then showing me all the reasons I should be. He demonstrated his speed; his strength, told me he wanted to drain me dry.

"After that he didn't hide what he was, none of them did." She paused for a second looking at me out of the corner of her eye, "Well the vampires didn't anyways.

"Edward and I started dating then. Since I knew what he was there was no reason for him to stay away and every reason for him to keep me close. I was at his house and he was showing me around when we found our way to Carlisle's office. On a well there was a painting of the three of you and him. It was then that Edward told me about you three and your guard. I cannot really remember the exact conversation being so long ago, but I do remember him telling me about the laws of your kind and the whole no telling thing. The death of the guilty party and the death or change of the human. I remember not being scared of that. I remember wanting that once, wanting to be changed so I could be with him forever. Well until he left me emotionally dead and broken on a forest floor a few months later, physically alive and kicking."

The three of them were quiet for a few moments going through everything she said. Caius still had that fucking twinkle in his eyes. He has never liked the Cullen coven and this finally gives him his excuse to do something about them, but it was Aro that spoke. "I never thought that Carlisle would allow a human to be brought into our world and let her life when it was time to move on." he then looked at her, "Well that was quite the tale My Lady. I am curious though, if this happened so long ago, how is it you were human until recently? I am sorry but they should have killed you if they were not going to turn you."

She shrugged, "That is something you will have to ask them, but I am alive basically due to divine intervention."

He raised his brow, "You will have to explain that one. I am afraid I do not understand what you mean by that."

She tilted her head to me and I took over. "It has only just now been brought to my attention that my mate was chosen for me by God at the time of her birth. She has lived a very hard life and that was made harder than necessary by the Cullen coven. As you are aware, vampires are the curveball thrown into the mix as a way to keep the human population to a level that the planet can support. Any supernatural that involves themselves with a human runs the risk of fucking everything up that fate has set forth for said human. That was the case here, and also our reasoning for being here as well.

"Before Edward abandoned her there was a baseball game. A baseball game that was interrupted by a small coven consisting of three vampires. One of them was a tracker with a mate. Well the tracker decided to make a game out of Bella and hunt her. She fled to the place she used to live in the south with me and another member of the coven that I was currently fucking. It was here that she was tricked and led to what would have been her death had Edward not gotten there when he did. She was bitten by the tracker before I ripped his fucking head off." I held up her arm so they could see the bite mark from James. "Edward sucked the venom out of her preventing her change. At the time I couldn't understand why he didn't just let her change, but now I am actually quite thankful he did.

"But that aside, we now have an issue and our reason for being here. I was assured at the time that the female was not a threat, that the bond between the tracker and the female vampire was not that strong. As it turned out, she was his mate. A mate that is in fact extremely pissed off at his death and holds my mate responsible. Nothing was done at the time because of his assurance on the matter.

"After Edward left things got much harder for my mate. She was tortured, both physically and mentally. She had to endure the death of everyone that she cared about at the hands of this revenge seeking vampire." I ran my finger down her face over the scar there, "This was done by her hand.

"Now, I could deal with the issue very easily if it was JUST her and a coven of six. That would be no problem for me whatsoever. However, it is not and even though I am still able to deal with the problem on my own, I would be unable to provide adequate protection for my Bella if I was to do so and also I would be killing a huge number of vampires in the process. It seems that this vengeance seeking vampire is currently teamed up with Maria. You remember her right? From the southern wars?" That twinkle in Caius's eyes got brighter, Aro looked like we going to piss himself with excitement and even Marcus looked like he was dying of anticipation. "Well gentlemen, if you remember her than you know where this is going. Victoria found a new mate in her right hand man and they are all gung-ho about biting people. I am here because I would like your help in disposing of the threat to my mate."

The three of them were salivating at the mouth by the time I got the request out and they jumped on it. Aro clapped his hands together and smiled the first real smile the fucker ever has, "I would be truly honored to do everything in my power to protect my queen." I nodded and looked at Marcus.

He looked at me with the closest thing I have ever seen to a smile on his face, but his eyes were alight. "I too would be honored and humbled to assist."

Already knowing what he was going to say I raised a brow to Caius. "I have been waiting for a reason to rid our race of those freaks." Thought so.

Bella looked at all of them with a fire in her eyes, "I thank you, but know this Edward is mine." They all nodded knowing all about scorned women. None of them wanted any part of pissing her off more than she already was. It went without saying on my part that the red headed bitch was mine and mine alone. She was the reason for all the pain Bella has known and it is my right to do whatever I want to the bitch that harmed my mate, even if was before we mated.

Rubbing his hands together in his excitement of a good fight Caius spoke. "So what is the plan then? Do you know how many, any gifts, age, any of that?"

I shook my head. "I have someone on that as we speak, but as of right now I do not have a definite number nor do I know if they have any abilities. They are not all kept together I assume so as not to alert you to their presence due to feeding. When we return I am hoping for that information and I will pass it along to you. I do know that there is a LOT of them. I have been speaking with Michael about it and as it stands the celestial army is also getting involved so you know from that how big this thing is."

His smile grew, sick fuck. "Are you involving hell's army as well then?"

I knew where he was going with that and smirked. "Not just yet. They are ready at a moment's notice, but considering this is not a war between angels and demons, I am trying to avoid that. It is bad enough the I am teaming up with them, I do not need hell's army and god's working together more than necessity calls for."

Marcus asked the question that I was waiting for. "Why is it that they are even involving themselves in this?"

I smiled at him and squeezed Bella's side. "The heir must have a mate Marcus. Bella was holy chosen to be that mate. Believe it or not, the holy ones have just as much, if not more to lose in this than anyone bar myself. I stand to lose my mate; they stand to lose everything if something happens to her. There is an understanding between heaven and hell than as long as the royal family is happy, everyone is happy. When the royal family is happy there is no war between us and there can be a fragile but there peace between us. If something were to happen to my mate I would never be happy again seeing as how demons mate for life. God wouldn't be able to just choose a different mate for me because my mating venom has already been used, nor could he force me to. I have the lady I am going to spend eternity with right here and no other will do."

Bella looked at me and I could feel love, true and honest love for me through her pendant. Still looking at me she spoke to the room, "Aro, I have never been out of the US. I would like to sightsee a bit before we depart. Would you tell me the most romantic place within your city to visit before we go?" He answered her but neither of us heard him as we were both lost in the other. She made to stand up but the hand I hand around her held her there.

I slid my hand up her side, over her shoulder, up her neck and then laced my fingers into her hair using it to pull her to me. Butting her nose with mine once I put my forehead on hers. I heard the door click closed and smiled at her. I licked my lips and breathed in her scent, my eyes slid closed from the full intoxication of my mate. "You know what you mean to me right? You do know that you are literally everything to me and I would do anything you ever asked of me?" I felt her nod. "I want you to understand that I am not doing this out of some fucked up sense of honor or responsibility. I am doing this because I want to. Fucking with vampires is one of my favorite things to do, always have been. That is not to say that you are not important enough to avenge, I was planning on doing this for you even before you became my mate, before I know that you were always meant to be. Even if you had not consented to becoming mine, I would still do this simply so you could have lived your life without the fear of living. But I need you to know that are now my life and I cannot live without you beside me for all time."

I pulled back so I could look in her eyes. It was time to tell her what she was going to have to look forward to when this was over with. "Bella, when this is over and we get back to the palace, because we do unfortunately have to go, there are going to be a few things that need to be done to finish our mating. It takes three bites to cement the bond and because of my status, two of them must be public and on two separate days in two different ceremonies. The first one is your induction and introduction to the court. That one is no big deal. All it is is introducing you to the demon court and I bite you in front of them to show both my claim on you and my desire to make you my mate. That one is usually the first one, but because of the fun earlier, it will have to be the second.

"The other one is done at our public ceremony, or you would know it as a wedding. You cannot be my mate without the souls of the damned knowing about it. It will be in front of all of them, all the leaders and rulers of the sub races, and a representative from Heaven. Probably Michael due to his family ties. It is only after that that you will be seen as and hold the title of both my mate and the queen to the kingdom. It is also at that point that I will claim my own birthright."

She shrugged. "All that sounds fine to me. I already died for you, marrying you hardly seems comparable to me."

I nodded, "True. Now this is the part that I am going to tell you, but I think I might die before then, so it could very well be irrelevant. I already told you that it takes three bites to finish our bond and two must be public and I already bit you once. This Is going to suck, but we cannot do ANYTHING that will result in a bite. So, there can be NO sexual things between us until after the mating is done, otherwise you are not able to be seen as the mate to the crown."

She bit her lip and a twinkle sparked in her eyes. "Jasper, you poor fucker. I just started having sex, I think I can hold off until then, but you are going to be taking a lot of cold showers or calling Thumbelina and her four friends to come out and play, huh?"

I snorted, "I have never heard that one before, and I do not believe that a lady should talk about such things."

She rolled her eyes, "I know I have told you before that just because I have tits, that does not make a fucking lady. When I was human I was a celebrated shitter, I could damn near fart on command and won my share of belching contests."

"And I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing any of that. I hope when I am old enough to sire a child, the poor bastard takes after me in that respect."

Both her eyebrows shot up and vanished in her hair. "Old enough to sire a child? What the fuck does that mean?"

"Uh, sire is another word for father. I thought you knew that."

"I did! It was the rest of that I don't understand. You're fucking ancient. How the hell are you not old enough to have a kid? Better question, if I am in all accounts dead, how the fuck am I supposed to carry one?"

I took her hand and put it on my chest. "Bella, what do you feel?"

"A heartbeat."

"Yes, a heartbeat. You cannot be dead if your heart still beats. You are alive, kinda. Your important organs work, brain and heart, breathing is optional there is enough oxygen in your blood to make everything work right due to the lack of it in our natural home. For demons of higher status, like us, reproductive organs still work, but only once and only one child can be born. The throne must have an heir Bella. However, I am not all that old in demon standard. 1500 might be old to you, but I am still considered an adolescent to my kind. Unlike humans, becoming sexually active does not mean we can just pop out babies. We don't reach adulthood until our 2000th year. I am still five hundred and change shy of reaching my maturate peak. It is at that point that I will stop ageing completely. If I ever do something that seems childish, it is because though I might LOOK like an adult, I am still a child when you are dealing with my race.

"You on the other hand, were changed. That means that you are forever how you are now. However, you were an adult in human terms so are seen as one in ours." She looked lost. "Yeah, it is confusing to someone that was not raised with it. All you need to know is you have no chance of getting pregnant for at least five hundred years."

She still just looked at me. Finally she said, "Well, good to know." I just kissed her.

Pulling back I smiled at her, "Well little one, we do not have the time to look around so are you ready to head back. We need to get together with Michael, Peter and Garrett and figure out what we are actually dealing with." With one last kiss and not waiting for an answer, I took us back.

Chapter 23

 

JPOV

Returning to Bella's was like going to a fucking madhouse. There were people every fucking where. I set her down and she looked around the front yard, her eyes wide, and her jaw on the ground blinking rapidly. She looked up at me, "What the fuck is this? I thought that we were only meeting up with Michael, Peter and Garrett. This is fucking nuts!"

She pushed her way through the crowd, growling at the different angles that got in her way. She was almost halfway to the house when she froze. Her emotions shifted to shock, longing and love. I looked over her head and smiled at what I saw. I put my hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward, "Go on. They are waiting for you."

She looked up at me with love shinning in her eyes and a huge smile on her face. She turned back and screamed, "GUYS!" and took off across the span of distance separating them.

The group of shifters turned to the sound of her scream and every one of their faces lit up and smiles crossed their faces. One of them bent down and caught her as she jumped into his arms, spinning her in circles. I crossed mine and smiled as she laughed, tears streaming down her face. I followed her at a more acceptable pace and stood a few feet away. This was my idea and all for her.

"Jake, oh my god, what are you doing here? You know what I don't even give a fuck! I missed you guys so fucking much!"

Jake set her down on the ground and Paul I think stole her next. Jack stuck a hand out and I grabbed it, shaking his hand. "It was your guy here that had the idea to involve us in this."

Bella looked over at me and the shock was clear. I shrugged as I crossed my arms again. "What? The bitch killed them. I thought they might have wanted a second chance to see this end the right way. You safe and happy and her dead."

Jack patted her on the head as Seth and Leah attacked her next. "We were protectors in life Bells. What did you think we would be in death?"

She looked up at him with stars in her eyes, "I… Jesus fuck, this is too much. Guys, I'm sorry about everything. This whole thing is my fault. If you wouldn't have tried to protect me, you would all still be alive."

Sam hugged her next, "You can't be serious. Bella, we have our families back. I have my Emily, my twins. Seth and Leah have their parents. Jake has his father. And now we can kick the ass of the ones responsible and not have to worry about dying. Things worked out this way so stop blaming yourself for things you couldn't control."

She laughed as the two young twins Collin and Brady knocked her to the ground tickling the shit out of her. "Yeah Sis. You take far too much blame on yourself."

I know it was an accident, but when she was distracted, her wings appeared and since she is still learning how to control them, they opened and knocked the little ones off her and a few feet from her. That sobered her up. She jumped up screaming, "Holy shit!" gaining the attention of every pair of eyes around her, but her eyes were locked on the boys. "God damn it." When she said that the angels around her gasped, her friends were laughing their collective asses off, and my face dropped into a hand as I shook my head. She ran over to them saying the best thing I think I have ever heard come out of a demon's mouth in the presence of angels in my life. "Jesus fucks Mary in a bar on Sunday, are you guys alright?" Jake, Paul, Jared, and Sam dropped like flies while Seth and Leah held on to each other to stay on their feet they were laughing so hard. I lost my control on my mirth and barked out a laugh while my face was still in my hand, and the angels; well they looked ready to die all over again.

The twins sat up and looked at her like she hung the fucking moon. "Dude, Bella, did you know you had wings? That is so fucking cool!"

She dropped back on her hunches and just as her little gang was setting down she just had to say, "Constipated Christ, you little bastards scared me." which set the shifters off again.

I looked around the masses and saw some of them trying not to laugh, whereas others, older or created, looked like they were going to throw up. I saw Michael up by the porch shaking his head. He locked eyes with me, and knowing what he wanted me to do, I smirked at him. This was Bella's home; I wasn't going to tell her to watch what she said. Gabriel rolled his eyes and started to walk over to do it and I glared at him, stopping him in his tracks. Smart man. The last thing that was needed here was an angel pissing off a demon and that is what would happen if he opened his mouth. Not because Bella really did need to be more careful with what she said, but because I just really don't like the guy and just his presence pisses me off.

Jake pushed himself up on his hands and still chuckling shook his head. "Just like our Bells. Surrounded by angels and calling out the lord's name in vain in the most creative way I think I have ever heard." He looked around, "What do you think guys, perfect ten?" they all nodded still chuckling.

Bella looked horrified. It was THEN that she took stalk of her surroundings and saw that everyone around her was in fact an angel. She looked at me with wide eyes mouthing, 'Jesus fuck, why didn't you say something?'

I snorted, "This is your house Mate, do whatever the fuck you want and let the prudish angels deal with it. You are a DEMON. We are kinda known for doing fucked up things in front of them. You should have been there the first time I had to attend a meeting in the Golden Kingdom. This is nothing in comparison."

Michael appeared beside me with a sour look on his face. "I remember that. It was not becoming of either a royal or gentleman."

I looked him with a raised brow, "Maybe not where you come from, but it is perfectly acceptable to say whatever I want about Catholic priests and young boys where I do. And if recent memory serves, I called that one perfectly."

He looked at me, "I still think you had something to do with that."

I snorted, "You know as well as I do that a demon cannot fuck with a man of the collar. Divine protection sees to that. They did that all their own. It is in our nature to protect the young as much as it is yours, so I did not and do not condone what happened to those boys. No matter what the men said, the devil didn't make them do it."

He raised his brow, "Then how did you know it was going to happen if you had nothing to do with it?"

I huffed, "Jesus Christ. Have you ever actually LOOKED at the fuckers? If they have a creepy factor that affects a demon, then they should set off warning bells in your kind. Your lord gave them the calling, you cannot pin that on us. Wiccans don't do that shit."

He looked ready with a rebuttal, but paused and thought about it. "Touché."

"Thought so fucker." Extending my gift to locate Peter and Garrett, I found them closing in. "My guys are almost here. How about only the important people going inside and we work this shit out."

He nodded and called out a command for the rest of them to return and await their orders. Bella looked heartbroken at the thought of her friends leaving so soon after reconnecting. She was currently dealing with the inspection of her wings by the group and looked at me with pure hope in her eyes. I elbowed Michael and pointed to her and her shifters. He looked at her and smiled, "They are here for you and your absolute protection. They are not going anywhere. This kind of talk is not really for a lady, so why don't you stay here with them while Jasper and I see to the plans?"

I really didn't like the thought of her being out of my sight, but the look she gave me, the hope and dedication to begging her emotions told me of had me sighing. "Alright, fine. But you stay close to the house. I am not a fan of you being out of my sight right now and you know that." I walked over to her and kissed her hard. "Call me if you need anything."

She squealed and threw her arms back around my neck. I wrapped her up in my arms and looked at the shifters over her head, "Keep my mate safe. Anything happens to her and you will have me to deal with. Believe me, that is the last thing you want." They nodded and with one last kiss to my mate and the arrival of Peter and Garrett, I let her go and went inside.

It was the hardest thing I ever remember doing in my life. Had I known then what was going to happen, I would have drug herass kicking and screaming in the house with me.

BPOV

As Jasper disappeared inside I felt like my chest was going to cave in. I didn't think that it would hurt so bad to be out of sight of him. I knew that I might have felt his absence somehow, but I didn't think it was going to be physically painful. It was hard to concentrate on the excited voices of my pack as they shot a million questions at me ranging from how I ran back in to jasper to how it felt to fly. The last one had me smiling. It being indescribable, I couldn't answer that.

We were sitting in a circle in the front yard when the pain started to ebb a bit and I could focus on something else besides Jasper not being right next to me.

"So, Bells, how does it feel to have lost your v-card?"

My head snapped to the side and I just stared at Collin. It took me a second to comprehend that a twelve year old just asked me about not being a virgin anymore. A playful glare on my face, I slowly turned my head to Paul, a fang poking out from behind my lip. He was looking everywhere but me and I knew I found the right one.

"Paul, what the holy hell have you been teaching my poor little tykes?"

He raised a brow, but still avoided eye contact. "Bella, now I know that they are your babies, but you have to remember, it has been seven years since you have seen them. Your babies grew up and someone had to tell them about the birds and the bees."

I crossed my arm, "And you took it upon yourself to corrupt the youths? You Paul need to be kept away from all children." He snorted while everyone else just laughed. I turned my head to look back at Colin. "Now, munchkin, do you really want to know about how the first time I had sex I was thoroughly fucked in a hot spring in hell or would you rather continue to think that I am still your pure sister?"

Everyone just stared at me and I smiled that innocent smile I was known for when I did something inappropriate. Leah recovered first, "Girl, I want details!" they guys looked sick and I laughed.

"Sorry, I don't tend to kiss and tell. That was me proving a point."

Jake put a hand on my shoulder, "You should be the one kept away from children. That shit is going to give me nightmares." He shuddered and I giggled. It was then that the wind shifted and a scent that I never smelled before crossed my nose. I jumped up and started looking around; eyes darting where the wind was coming from. Jake looked where I was confused. "What's up Bells?"

Not stopping my search, "Don't you fuckers smell that?"

He took a whiff. "Smell what?"

"A putrid smell was on the last gust of wind. Jesus, can't you smell it?" I could feel a dose of calm over take my frayed nerves and I tried to fight it off. This seemed to me like a good time to freak out to me. I took a measured step back towards the house and closer to Jasper.

Jake and Sam came to stand on either side of me and the tried again to find the smell I was talking about. The both shook their heads. Sam spoke, "Bella, there is nothing there, and if there was it is gone now."

I saw something shift in the shadows and squinted my eyes to try and get a better look. It moved again and all I had time to do was take a breath before I was slammed into and felt the ground disappear from under my feet. I heard a howl, shouts from below as a desperate scream ripped from me.

"JASPER!"

JPOV

There was a debate going on about how to best handle this whole thing when I felt Bella start to get agitated outside. This was almost done so I just sent her a dose of calm to settle her until I could call for a break and see to the problem. She was with her friends that I knew wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, so I listened to what was being said, trying to think of a way to politely bow out for a moment.

I could hear the sound of paws hit the ground and my head snapped to the door. What the fuck were they doing here? It cannot be time for this yet. There is no way the bitch is stupid enough to attack us here. I heard one of them howl right before I heard a desperate, scared and blood chilling scream.

"JASPER!"

I was on my feet and out the door before my name was finished. Looking around, I saw a horde of dogs, both mine and the shifters, but my mate was missing. Locating Jacob I went right to him. "Where the fuck is she? You were supposed to be protecting her! This is why I don't let her out of my fucking sight!" I then pulled back and punched him the side of the muzzle as hard as I could sending him flying and making the rest of them growl. Well, I growled right the fuck back and mine is far scarier than theirs. Snapping my fingers one of my hounds came up to me. Bending down and scratching him behind the ears, "What happened?" In a series of barks, growls, whines and whimpers he told me that a vampire that they had never seen before cross over the line that they were stationed at. They followed by didn't engage, per their orders. They saw Bella looking around, freaked out and the rusty and black colored wolves telling her that there was nothing there and if it was then it was gone. Then the vampire ran out of the woods, grabbed my mate and ran like a bat out of hell. He had two other hounds follow but the fucker is fast, even for them.

The only vampire that would be able to outrun my pups that I knew was Edward, but they would have known him. Looking through narrowed eyes at the red fucker being helped up by a few of the other wolves I continued to speak to my hound. "Show me where he was at in the woods." With a yip he took off across the yard, me following. He went to the spot that Bella was last at. When I got there I took a deep breath, breathing in the lingering scent of my little one. With the scent of the Bella came the odd scent of smoke. I patted the hounds head and followed the scent to the edge of the woods, the heavily shadowed woods, but with my eyes, I could see just fine. Looking down, I saw footprints in the soil, the scent of smoke so strong it made my eyes burn. That brought me up short because vampires have a sweet scent, this smells like I was standing in the middle of a campfire.

Looking over my shoulder at the hound, who was bouncing all over the place, "You're sure it was vampire?" he whined. "Well, what did it look like?" Again through yips, whines and growls, I got the description. My eyes narrowed, "You're sure?" he nodded. I looked over at everyone.

The hounds were waiting for their orders; the wolves were looking confused, and Peter and Garrett looking at a complete loss. Peter elbowed Garrett, "He can understand them?"

Michael was looking at me with a hard look on his face, waiting to find out what the hound told me when he answered. "The hell hounds are Jasper's babies. He can understand them perfectly. Other dogs can to an extent, but for the most part, only Jasper and the other hounds can understand the complexity of their communication. The rest of us have to wait on an translation." He looked pointedly at me and I was at a loss figuring out how the fuck it was possible.

I shrugged, "I don't know how it is possible for this to have happened, but Bella is in serious trouble."

Chapter 24

 

BPOV

I can honestly say I never saw this coming. As I stared across my old bedroom, the smell of spilt blood heavy in the air. A little bit ashamed to say it made my mouth water; a lot. I stood looking at the vampire that I saw die so many years ago and I am literally struck dumb as to what to say. James stood five feet away from me with the same look he had the last time those red eyes were on me. The look that seems to see right through you, but yet sees everything in you; your soul, your life, you. It was odd, the last time I saw him I was scared shitless, and it would seem that this time would be no different. The difference between now and then, the look IN his eyes. The last time those eyes were on me it was my blood he was after. I cannot figure out what he could want this time seeing as how I am not a human; and he knows it.

He took a step forward; I stood my ground. I knew I was at a disadvantage, but he didn't need to know that. He knew I wasn't human anymore, but there is still the chance that he is unaware as to what I am. My wings were not out when I noticed him, maybe he didn't see them. Jasper's words about my new blood still needing time to settle rang loud in my ears. I didn't know how long that took so I didn't want to be stupid about this. However, I didn't want him to think that he had the upper hand. I might not have Jasper to protect me right now, but fuck; it's not like I can die.

He stopped six inches from me, the gagging smell from him stinging my nose. I know I should know what it is, but with everything else going on in my head, the crushing pain in my chest, the name eludes me. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, head tilting back. When he looked at me again, that vacant intruding look shook me to my core. "Quite the little pickle you found yourself in, is it not Bella. An army of vampires, all your friends are rendered useless due to being dead. I thought it would have been more difficult to get to you surrounded by the mutts, but being not of this world anymore their senses seem to be muted." He chuckled, "Or it could be the fact that I have no scent anymore." I snorted. He stunk to high fucking heaven, but I kept that to myself.

He reached out and grabbed a chunk of my hair and twirled it around his fingers. Great, that smell is never coming out. "I can make this whole thing just go away; put an end to this this very day."

I crossed my arms and raised a brow, "Oh yeah? How?"

He chuckled a breathy sound. If I was anyone else, it would have probably been a sexy sound. However that not being the case, it made me sick. "Simple. But the how is not really your concern, it is the 'what I want in return' that you should care more about."

God I hate vampire games. Giving him a condescending smile, "And that would be?"

He lifted my chin with his finger tip. He really needs to stop with the touching. "You."

I know that he saw the shock on my face from that. "Me?"

He nodded and started to play with my hair again. "I have already shown you that I can protect you, get you out of situations that I should be able to." He leaned in closer and I hoped to hell that I didn't turn green from my stomach turning. "You know that I can fight."

I snorted again, "Yeah, the last one worked out so well for you. If memory serves, you lost."

He smirked, "Yet here I am, alive as the last time you saw me."

"You think that makes you god or something? I know enough about vampires to know that if the fire goes out and your head is still intact that you can regenerate a body. Not impressed, more like disgusted."

Out of all the scenarios that I pictured as response to that, getting backhanded was not on that list. My head snapped to the side and knocked down a bit. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Passive aggressive just went out the fucking narrowed eyes, I growled as I slowly turned my head back to face him, but it was still down.

I guess he was not expecting that to piss me off considering he took a half step back. I was so pissed I couldn't see straight, a slight red leaking into my vision. The pain on my chest was lessening, but I didn't pay it any mind. I balled my hand into a fist, pulled back, and with everything I had blasted the fucker in the face. It didn't do shit. Well it might have stung since he grunted, but it looks like I'm still adapting to my new form. Mother fucker. On the plus side, the only plus, at least I didn't break my hand like I would have. I like to think of that as progress.

He rubbed his jaw and laughed. "That's the best you can do? God, no wonder everyone that tried to protect you ended up leaving or dead. You can't do anything. It's a fucking death wish to have anything at all to do with you. Goes to show that to the ones that you thought cared thought you were nothing but a toy, a pet. I mean look at you; scarred from head to toe. Hideous even by lowly human standards, and they don't have the eyesight of an immortal; to us, you're nauseating." That hurt; but there was no fucking way I was going to show it. There was also no fucking way I was going to take that shit lying down. The more he spoke the pissed off; the more hurt I became. I might not be fully adapted to my new form yet, but as I said, it is not like I can die.

Throwing caution to the wind, I launched myself at him, a god awful shriek ripping from me. Alright, perhaps I let it show a little, but whatever. I was surprised when I saw my fingernails grow longer and sharp; I felt my fangs growing and truth be told, I was freaked the fuck out but to pissed off to care at the moment.

I made solid contact and knocked him backwards. The way we were standing sent him through the door into the hall. We were both at this point trying to overpower the other, and he was leaning towards winning the contest, but this being my old house, I knew the layout better than he did. We were growing, snarling and snapping at each other. My teeth found him more times, but his found me in better spots and harder and all I could think about was how the fucker was the only person besides Jasper to bite me. As we were rolling around I was able to get him right where I wanted him to be. Shifting my weight the right way at the right time I sent us tumbling down the stairs, breaking them and the banister in our path. Half way down my teeth found perfect placement on his neck. I don't know what came over me, instinct probably, but when my jaw closed I opened my wings stopping my decent but not his. Other than where I was biting him I let go ripping what was in my mouth from his neck as he kept falling.

He hit hard breaking the floor where he landed. He was quick to his feet, but not as fast as he was before. I stood on the steps, wings as far spanned as they could be in the staircase; his flesh still in my mouth dripping his venom down my chin like a dog with a raw steak. Standing tall, looking him dead in the eyes as he crouched before me growling in my throat, him snarling in response, I turned my head to the side and spit his neck over the only part of the railing left. As I slowly turned back to him, eyes still locked on his, a slow smirk made its way to my face, my elongated fang poking out one side and for a moment in time, everything seemed to slow down, almost freezing with the adrenaline pumping through me. Bending my knees, I reared back on my heels slightly before I shot like a bullet from a gun and as he braced for impact, time sped back up. I plowed into him sending us both back, tumbling through the living room, through walls like they were made of paper into the kitchen.

The smell of blood was so strong in here that I was forced to look for the source. Lying there on the floor was the lady that bought the house, discarded like trash on the floor in a pool of crimson. My mouth watered again distracting me enough for James to get another bite off right before we crashed through the last wall separating us from the back yard.

Through all this, the pain in my chest drained down to nothing and I never noticed.

We came through the wall and if you were to ask how it happened I couldn't tell you. I twisted in a way that no body was made to twist and landed a kick with all my weight behind it on the under part of his chin sending him flying into a tree as I flipped in the air landing in a crouch on hands and the balls of my feet, me wings at full span. My teeth were barred, nostrils flaring and growling like a dog protecting their pups.

Rearing back again getting ready for another attack I was plowed into from the side scaring the shit out of me. Tumbling across the yard yet again I was still so keyed up that I didn't even try and find out who it was I was fighting with this time. Little did I know that is was Jasper that I just sunk my teeth in to.

JPOV

Arriving to where Bella was was a shock of epic proportions. Not because I was once again in Forks, but that the fucker was able to get here that fast. Only a newborn could get this far this fast carrying someone else. Knowing for a fact that this vampire was not one left me slightly confused. Not enough to really care, but more curious than anything. Hearing the crashes going on inside the house brought a smirk to my face. So, my little lady is a brawler huh? From the noise alone I knew that there was a fight, but I was not expecting the two of them to come barreling through the side of the house like a wrecking ball. However, when they did, I got an instant painful hard on at the sight. Bella's wings were uncloaked, her fangs elongated and the sounds that were coming from her had me stifling a moan. God, it was fucking hot.

She was able to find the perfect leverage, how I don't know, but she bent almost in half backwards, put her hands on the ground and with the momentum she had kicked up catching James in the chin sending him flying into a tree and had her doing a handspring looking thing so she landed on her hands and the balls of her feet; in perfect position for another attack. As much as I wanted to let her finish what she started we were out in the open and public present or not I couldn't chance anyone happening by.

As she readied herself I shot forward. I was still feeding off her emotions at this point and THAT was not a good thing. I hit her hard in the side sending us both across the yard. She was still keyed up from her encounter with James and I was still a little out of it from her being taken in the first place that I did nothing to settle her down. I was more concerned about getting her to stop her attack that I was her new point of interest. She proved this when her teeth found their way gum deep into my side. THAT was enough to bring me back to reality.

Digging my foot into the ground to stop us, I gently grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her off me. Her mouth was still closed causing her to rip out a chunk of my side. Growling, I got her on her back, straddled her waist and grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. She was still snapping her teeth at me so I pumped enough calm into her to knock out an elephant. "Bella, Darlin' you need to calm down."

Her eyes darkened almost immediately, coming and going out of focus under my influence. Her fangs shortened and claws retracted; wings lying limply at her sides, breathing hard. When she finally got her bearings, she just let the calm run through her, settling her even more. Finally she swallowed and licked her lips. "Ouch. What the fuck took you so long?"

I raised an eyebrow at her and snorted. "Darlin, I was only ten minutes behind you. I don't know how he is as fast as he is, but I do happen to be faster."

Her eyes were closed, "Seemed like much longer than that."

Looking her over and seeing bite marks and scratches I could understand that. I looked over at James who was stuck IN the tree he hit and Peter and Garrett finally deciding to join us, I got off her and pulled her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face into my chest. She was shaking and I knew if I pulled my power back she was going to be in some serious pain.

Rubbing circles on her back I nuzzled the top of her head breathing in her scent. Lowering my voice, "You do know that was the one and only time you will ever be out of my sight again right? That shit will NEVER happen again." I felt her nod and she tightened her grip, a gentle hiss breaking through her lips, a growl coming through mine. Looking up I saw Peter laughing his ass off at the position James was in and Garrett trying to figure out how to get him out.

Peter's glee was heard even from where we were. "You stupid son of a bitch. You do realize that you fucked up right? That was so the wrong lady to kidnap. Your ass is ashes you poor bastard." I rolled my eyes and Garrett smacked him upside the head.

"Perhaps if you are finished being an ass, you can help me figure out how to remove him from the tree."

I looked down at Bella's resigned eyes. "You're going to have to destroy everything, aren't you?" I nodded slightly and she smirked surprising the shit out of me. "Can't have a human shaped imprint in a tree now can we?"

I cocked my head to the side, "You're not upset about this?"

She shook her head. "My daddy's not here. This is nothing but a shell. His memory is with me." She pulled away from me, wrapped her arm around mine and walked over to the tree James was struggling to remove himself from. "You know, my father and I planted this tree when I was a little girl before my mom took me away from him. It was the spring right before we moved away. When I would come and visit we would sit under it and have a picnic, tell stories; just hang out feeling like everything was perfect in the world. I remember thinking that nothing bad could happen to me as long as I was in its shade and shadow." She looked up at me and I saw stars in her eyes. "You're my tree now Jazz. Nothing bad can ever happen to me as long as I am within your shadow." I bent down and kissed her. There was nothing I could say to her that could match the meaning of her words, so I settled on actions.

Putting my hand on her hip, I turned her to me and pulled her as close as our bodies would allow. As I licked her bottom lip, I heard Peter and Garrett starting to cuss up a storm. I tuned them out as soon as my tongue touched hers. Keeping the hand on her hip, I moved the other up her side, around her back and slid my fingers into her hair. She tilted her head to the side getting closer and allowing me to probe her mouth deeper.

I heard a throat clear but I ignored it. I was far more interested in my current attention to really give a damn about anything else; that is until I felt a burst of possessive aggression. I slowed the kiss down and barely pulled back from Bella's lips. "You are in enough trouble as it is vampire. If I were you, I would not covet the mate of a demon, most assuredly not in said demon's presence." I turned to look at him. Peter and Garrett were able to get him out of the tree, but he was doing his damnedest to fight against their hold on him. Taking in his haggard appearance I felt even more pride from my mate than I already did. He might have gotten a few good licks in on her, but she tore his ass up. Smirking I pulled her closer to me, "You might have survived your last encounter with me but I can promise you, it will not happen again. I will hold your burning head in my hands; laugh at your screams of agony and beggings of mercy. Bask in the helpless emotions of your red headed whore as she is made to watch you die a second time at my hands before she meets the icy cold fingers of death once again. Her days on this earth are numbered vampire, measures in hours. Your time is measured in mere moments." Pulling away from Bella I walked over to him, grabbing his hair and using it to lift his head to look at me. I chuckled at his attempt at a sneer. Getting nose to nose with him, "You shall rue the day you ever laid eyes on Isabella Swan."

He went to spit in my face, but knowing how anyone would act in his place, I was ready for it. Right before he did, I bitch smacked him, turning his head to the side. He growled a more pussy sound than even Edward. "You think your threats scare me?" Oh, I do love idiots.

"No, threats are a pointless gesture, a scare tactic meant to control a person out of misplaced fear of the unknown. I never saw and still do not see the point of threatening idiots. They don't scare as easy as they used to. You, I don't want you scared. I want you to think you are indestructible, untouchable. I want you to think that you will never die, think that you will survive anything done to you. It will make your falling, your defeat taste that much better, that much sweeter. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have a chance, but never let the hope die. Put all your hope, all your faith that the bitch will save you, that you can be saved. Find your god; believe with everything that he can help you, save you from the abyss you face when you meet your fate, your destruction, your end. Pissing off a demon is a bad idea vampire. In your unlife you are less than us, beneath us by many steps and rungs on the ladder of hierarchy. How much lower than my kind do you think you are when you end up in the place that only demons matter, where I am the ultimate? You will find your end my hands vampire. That is a fucking promise."

I was impressed when he made the attempt to stand his ground. "You will find that fear is not in my vocabulary."

"That might be, but it's in your eyes, in your scent." Taking a deep breath, a slow smirk came to my face. "Euphoric. Find your faith James for you are going to praying for death long before it finds you."

*X*

After seeing to the cover up at Bella's old house and finally getting her fed which was a sight to see; we were relaxing in her library again. She was stretched out on the lounge and I was perched on the top of a bookshelf in the corner. I felt her curiosity spike and looked down at her. She was staring at me with a look of wonder and curiosity on her face. I tilted my head to the side and raised a brow. "Something on your mind Darlin'?"

She drew her bottom lip in between her teeth and her brows drew together. "I have been wondering something since we got back. Well actually since your dialog with James."

I put my book down and looked at her fully. Crossing my arms and leaning back into the wall, "Alright. What has you so curious?"

She crossed her arms and looked down, her eyes darting back and forth as she thought about whatever was on her mind. I waited until she was ready, but I was so not ready for her question. "You sited from the commandments of God when you were talking about coveting right?"

My eyes narrowed on their own. Tensely I answered, "Yes. Why?"

"I was wondering if you were subject to them as well even though you're a demon." Perceptive little shit.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "To a certain degree, everyone and everything on the planet is subject to the word of god. This unfortunately includes demons and all subdivisions of what is considered evil. All choices and actions are derived from desire to do…" I waved my hand in a circle trying to think of the right word. None coming to mind I settled on "Something. This is where you choose between the right and the evil. The right choice is always following the laws of the almighty; the infallible laws of the almighty. From a human standpoint stepping off the path of right lands your ass in hell. It is a little messier from a demon's standpoint.

"There are two main types of creatures in hell. Of course there are demons like myself, but then there are fallen angels; the first of our kind. That is where my Father derives from. Like the bible depicts, he was an angel from the time of creation, a servant to the golden palace. Eons later he got tired of serving a God that loved humans more than his real children; angels. They were his first and in the eyes of those that were always there and loyal at his side, the better race.

"This was the introduction of the seven deadly sins; Envy. The others were fast to follow. The war between the rebels and the faithful for being made second to the lesser beings; wrath. Wanting power that was not giving to them that they saw the humans obtain; greed. Doing nothing to stop the growing hostile environment in heaven is known as sloth. Some feasted on more than their share of the bounty; gluttony is born from the fat bastards. Lust came from the celibacy rebellion." She raised a brow at me and I nodded, "Yes that is exactly what it sounds like. It is also where orgies originated. The last and arguably the worst of the bunch; pride. God gave the rebels a chance to repent, to ask forgiveness before being cast out of paradise. My father was the one to speak the famous words, 'Tis a far better thing to rule in hell than to serve in heaven'; his pride in himself for standing up and not backing down showering down for all to see. Some repented and asked on bended knees for forgiveness and second chances, others did not."

I looked at my nails, "The almighty, trying to show that he did still love his angels, granted clemency to the ones that asked while simultaneously casting out the ones that did not. God figured that putting them in a place the exact opposite of heaven would change their minds about their situation; would make them see that there are worse things than being second to humans. You have seen what hell looks like; dark, hot, fire and brimstone; pools of fire higher than a skyscraper. Truly the worst place in the known universe. My father, the twisted bastard, loved it. He rose to power quite easily. None of the others that were cast out had the drive, the want, the absolute NEED for freedom he felt. He took charge of the fallen, set them to task taking back what he felt was rightfully his by right of creation, Earth. All he needed was one fuck up; one foot hold to take back what he felt was stolen from him.

"It came in the form of an apple. A harmless piece of fruit that the human woman Eve consumed after she was told not to. Father told God that the humans could be corrupted, and he proved it. That was a blow that God couldn't swallow. He had two choices, and he didn't like either one. He had just cast out his angels that rebelled against him, so he could not simply forgive the discretion, it would prove to all that what my father said was true, that he loved the humans more than he did his angels. So with a heavy and angered heart, Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden, ever allowed to return lest God have another war on his hands from pissed off and scorned angels. It was with a triumphant and pride filled heart that my father realized that he could have it all, and there was nothing to stop him from taking back his paradise.

"Fast forward many centuries. With evil and the like at an all-time high, God decided that he would try and leash Lucifer like an unruly puppy. Bring into play the Ten Commandments. God figured that if he gave tangible evidence of his existence that the humans would knock it the fuck off and behave. That they would stop giving Lucifer power that God didn't want him to have. It had an unforeseen effect. You see, fallen or not, an angel is still an angel at its core. Still subject to God's decrees."

She interrupted, "If that's the case, why didn't he just tell your father to knock it the fuck off?"

I shrugged, "Simple that would have been an order, not a decree. When God cast out the fallen ones, he lost the firm hold he had on them. A faithful will blindly follow God's every command, their will stuck so far up his ass that there is no room for questions and wonder. When they were cast out, the fallen obtained their will to do almost damn well as they pleased; and my father did. Up until the Commandments were issued.

"Before they came about, there was blatant control of humans by the fallen and the newly created demons. Before you ask, a demon is the offspring of a fallen angel and a partner created during the carrying out of the deadly sin lust. I was born from the lust between my mother and father. Anyways, the commandments changed the way the humans thought and acted. So, that changed the way they could be controlled by us. This brought a kind of peace to the earth, but not a noticeable kind to anyone but us and our counter parts.

"It took a while, but my father being the stubborn prick he is, found a way to get around them. Subtle suggestion or manipulation as it is now known. It was the free will that father coveted most that gave him the power to once again win his battle against god and the control that God still somehow had over him.

"There are actually many things that demons are subject to following whether we like it or not. The age of innocents, the Ten Commandments, and men of the collar are the biggest of them. We are unable to do anything to anyone under god's direct protection. Humans under 18 and the ones that were called to tell of god's influence are out of our reach and we must adhere to the Commandments just like everyone else.

"We used to be able to kill humans by our own hands, now we can only have another human do it. There are exceptions to this however. Vampires for example are one of these. We bite a human and it does technically die, just doesn't stay dead. Anything of the supernatural world is alive at our transgression. They were created by evil so only an evil can destroy them. A human that is lucky enough to kill a vampire is considered an evil because of the hate and judgment in their heart. That hate and judgment gives our kind an opening to control their so called free will."

She looked at me a moment, thinking over everything I just told her. That was more of a history lesson than an answer to her question, but whatever.

"You said two main types of creatures; are there more?"

I nodded, "Oh yeah. There are vast amounts of subdivisions. The more powerful ones are born from the different 'hell sins' or deadly sins if you would rather, then there are other demons like yourself. You didn't actually die so you're not considered a burning soul nor do you have a fallen or demon parentage. You were, like me created with a deadly sin. Lust and greed were the two that bore you into our world. That might actually explain your wings, but that is simple speculation. Anyways, there are changelings like you then there are ghouls, goblins, gargoyles, angels that lost their wings, but are not fallen; the list is endless. Demon subdivisions, like all subdivisions get weaker the lower you go down the list. Truthfully changelings are actually one of the lower divisions. All they technically are is immortal humans. Take my mother for example. She only has human characteristics; no fangs no claws and no wings. I have been told she was made more out of necessity than actual want but that really has nothing to do with anything right now. I will get back to it. Anyways, so visibly human, just can't die. Not really that much stronger, faster or anything really better than she was as a human. My mother would have gotten her ass kicked in a fight with a vampire and I am not afraid to say it. Truth hurts and all that. My mother goes nowhere in the palace without at least Emerson and two others."

"Who is Emerson?"

I raised a brow, "Little off topic don't you think?" she shrugged and I snorted. "Alright. This again is a long ago story, but I'll gloss over the better part of it. Back when the fallen were first cast out of paradise and into the abyss, Hell was fucking nuts; chaotic to the point of madness. Father being who he is, set out to make a little sense of it, organize it a bit I guess. The reason he came up with that everyone was going mad was they had nothing to do. It didn't take everyone to take back the earth, but he knew that they were not going to be happy until they took back that which they were banned from; Heaven. It was out of vengeance that the dark army was created. Emerson back then was called Haures. He was the one appointed to head up the army, the Grand general of the elite. This is where the bible and biblical experts get it a little fucked up. My father never actually went into battle against the heavens after he fell. He was too busy doing other things to build his empire. Haures was the one to lead them against the celestial army on all occasions. The only part father had in it was the planning process. Father is a thinker not so much a doer, but out of fear of once again being banished, they followed him like blind cattle.

"These days, with the weak peace between heaven and hell, Haures is the guard to the queen. My mother was the one to start calling him Emerson many years ago, even before I was born. It was a name from when she was human and she felt it gave her a connection to them that she lost when she became my father's mate. It just kind of stuck after so long.

"Getting back on the original topic and back to the point I was going to make about the deadly sins playing a part in humans becoming demons. As I said, my mother was made out of a necessity. It was not until later that lust was introduced into the relationship. During her change from human to immortal, there was nothing. He bit her, slit his wrist and she drank. That was it."

She looked at me and I knew the question before she asked. "They didn't fuck beforehand?"

"Very lady like Bella. But no, they didn't. Remember what my mother said? Sex is not necessary in mating. They are two different things. This actually brings me to my theories about you. Like I said, you were born of lust and greed."

"I understand the lust part, but greed?"

I looked down at her from my perch and smirked. "Yes, greed. I wanted you all to myself. It was my greed for your attention and the lust I felt that drove me to sink my teeth into your pretty little neck. Every time I get near you, touch you I find myself hard pressed not to do it again. Hence the reason I am up here and you are down there. Now, stop interrupting me and keep your questions to yourself like a good little girl. I think it is because you were born like a demon, it gave you more demon than human characteristics. To have a naturally born demon like myself one or more of the deadly sins must be in the mix somewhere, at any level. The lustful feeling in the bedroom between my mother and father was mine and the lust and greed I felt for you were yours. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the demon. Offspring born without the sin present are the bottom of the totem pole."

"So because there were two when I was made, does that mean I can actually be stronger than you?"

I snorted. "Cute. No. You were changed from human to demon; I was actually born this way. That and I am a male. Males will always be stronger than a female. Shitty maybe for you, but it is simple genetics. That and who my father is works well in my favor. I actually outmatch him in most cases because I was born from a deadly sin and he was created by god. If you throw genetics in there, god is actually my grandfather. Michael is a cousin and not an uncle because he is a second generation angel, created after the time of banishment. He was created to fight the fallen ones when they attacked the gates." Her brows shot up and I shrugged, "I have a big family."

"No shit. Now I have a question. When everything's said and done, will I have to have the fanfare you mother does?"

I shook my head. "Nope. It won't be necessary considering the fact that you will never leave my side. I told you earlier that that was the one and only time you were ever going to be out of my sight and I fucking meant it. There is absolutely no reason for you to ever leave my side. Sorry if you don't like it, but that is just that way it is. I told you that before I ever bit you and you agreed to it. So you only have yourself to blame if you are now pissed off about that fact."

Her eyes went wide and she started shaking her head. "No no no. That was not why I was asking. I was just curious." Right and I am an idiot. She stood up and stretched her arms over her head and spanned her wings giving them a slight shake to get the blood flowing again. She is getting much better at controlling them. She looked up at me and gave me a smile that told me she wanted something.

I sighed knowing there was no way I was going to be able to deny her anything, "What is it?"

"I want to do something. Just sitting around waiting for this shit to hit the fan is going to drive me bat shit crazy."

I jumped down from the top of the book shelf and crossed my arms. "And just what do you want to do?" Her smile turned into a smirk and I wanted to groan.

"Well, I do own a bar that I have been neglecting for a while."

"Yes, and you also have a few differences that will be noticed by those that know you. Your bartenders are going to notice that you are different than you were the last time that they saw you."

She held up her cell and her smirk grew so big that a fang poked through. "Lucky for me I have a vampire that is willing to bend over backwards to make some shit up to me. I thought about the changes and decided the best way to cover them was a costume party. Peter has been in town for the last hour putting up flyers and spreading the word. This way I don't have to worry about keeping my wings hidden and it would explain everything else. Contacts explain the eyes and everyone will think the fangs are fake. It's perfect, please? I am so not opposed to begging if I have to."

I walked over to her and cupped her cheek. "While I would love to see you on your knees, it is not necessary. If you want to go, we go." I looked over at the clock and saw it was a little after three. "Your bar opens at what time?"

Her eyes lit up. "Five. You mean it? We can go, no foolen?"

I laughed, "Bella, you're not being kept under lock and key. You're not banned from leaving the house, just from leaving my sight."

She squealed and jumped wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. "Thank you thank you thank you! This is going to be so much fun!" She kissed my cheek, hopped down and took off like the hounds of hell her on her ass out of the room. I shook my head and chuckled. This was going to be interesting.

*X*

We have been at the bar for five hours, sitting in the same booth as the last time we were here. Bella was sitting next to me, my arm around her shoulders as her drunk ass told Peter and Char about her fight with James. She was laughing and having a fucking ball and I was basking in her emotions. Peter and Char were taking great pleasure in hearing about how it was that James ended upside down in the tree.

All in all it was a great time. Bella was on her second bottle of jack with intervals of shots of jaeger, I was drinking beer and Peter and Char were sipping on mixed drinks of some sort. I was surprised when Bella turned out to be right about the costume party being the perfect cover for her new traits. She decided that this was going to be a once a month thing so she could still come and do her thing, have her face time and verbally abuse the bartenders.

Bella finished off the bottle and looked at us, "Hey, let's reenact the last time. Let's go back to my house and get down with some kings. The beer should have been restocked by now." We agreed and left.

We were not even started with the first game when there was a knock on the door. Bella looked at me confused knowing that most everyone that has been coming and going just kind of poof in and out. She got up and went to the door and I leaned to the side to keep an eye on her. I was not prepared for who was looking at her when she finally opened the door.

Esme was standing there looking both shocked yet hopeful. Bella squished that shit flat but hulling back and blasting her square in the nose. "You fucking cunt! How dare you think you could just show up at my house." She shot out the door and I was out of my seat and after her in the blink of an eye. I knew how the Cullen coven worked. They were never ones to travel alone. I was right. Carlisle, Emmett and Rose were standing by a car about a hundred years away too shocked at the display to move.

When I pulled an irate Bella off Esme that kicked their asses into gear and they come closer. Bella was having none of it. "You fuckers can stay right there. I'll fucking cut a bitch that helps that cunt off the ground." It was actually taking a great deal of effort to keep her from attacking Esme again.

Not giving a damn really if she killed them all but wanted information that they had, I clamped down of Bella's emotions only enough to get her to stop struggling. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Carlisle looked at Esme still on the ground at Bella's feet talked as calmly as he could. "We crossed Bella's scent in town and wanted to see if it was really her. We saw on the news that Isabella Swan died a few years ago, so we were curious as to the scent."

Bella's struggle started all over again. "You fucking bastard! You saw that shit and waited until NOW to find out if it was true!"

He looked at her and spoke in a condescending voice that almost had me letting her go, "Bella, we made a promise to Edward that we would never see you again and as a member of the family we owed it to him to keep that promise."

She stopped struggling and started to laugh, "Really? That a fact? Well I made a promise to myself many years ago. I promised myself that if I ever saw any of you again," she cocked her head to the side and an angelic serine expression settled there, "I would kill you. Burn your flesh and pick my teeth with the bones. Piss on your ashes and turn you into ashtrays. Shatter them into tiny little pieces, turn them into dust. Leave them in the woods for the local wildlife to use as a litter box." She Smiled and everyone one of them had a tremor run down their spines as they took a half step back. "And that was what I came up with for Emmett and I liked him. Can you just picture what I am going to do to Edward when I finally get my hands on him?"

Emmett stepped forward, "What happened to you Bells?"

She smiled at him, "You and your fucking cult happened to me you dumb fuck. Inviting a human into your home, your family. Made me fall in love with you all just to tear out my heart and leave me to bleed to death in the forest." Esme made to inch away and Bella stomped on her ankle, "No you don't. Be a good little whore and stay still." She looked back up at Emmett, "Need I say more or are you finally figuring out that you and yours are the sole reason that my life was what it was. Always running, always fighting to live, to breathe, to exist. If not for you none of it would have happened. If you would have listened to the one and only law you have and not involved a human into the supernatural world things might have gone a little different." Heavy dramatic sigh, "But alas, it was not meant to be was it. It was always meant to be like this. The scored scarred hero faces off with the ones that destroyed her."

Esme was dry sobbing on the ground. "Bella, it was never meant to be like this. We did what Edward said was best for you. We only left to keep you safe. Please, forgive us?"

Bella snorted, "Forgiveness is lost on you and your fuck ups." I had let her go but stood close enough to step in if it became necessary. She bent down and grabbed Esme by the hair yanking her head off the ground. Carlisle growled at her treatment causing Bella to look over and grin, flashing her fangs. Looking back down at Esme, Bella pulled her hair out of her face where the scar was still visible. Running her finger down face, "Does this show you I was safe, that this was best for me? You left me to fend for myself against a revenge seeking vampire you stupid whore. Bet Edward didn't tell you that part, did he? Or did he and you just didn't give a shit? THAT is what I think."

"Had we known we wouldn't have left, I swear to god Bella, we wouldn't have left."

She snorted, and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Swearing to god is a sin and carries no weight with Me." she shifted her eyes to the other Cullen's and spoke a little louder. "You are going to die today, make your peace with that and pray that whatever god decides to listen to your pathetic whining graces you with a hint of mercy because you will not find from me. You will watch your body burn, the bodies of your precious family that mean oh so much to you as the good mother you are. Then you will watch as Carlisle dies a slow death. I will set him on fire then put him out, over and over and over until he learns about all the pain his coven put me through. And you will be helpless to stop it, just as I was. Your family destroyed my life, now I will destroy your family. My parting gift to you is not being alive to see what I have planned for Edward and Alice. All you need to know it you are getting off easy in comparison."

Chapter 25

 

BPOV

I have never felt before like I do right now. Holding Esme's hair in my hand, staring down Rose telling them exactly what I was going to do to them. The feeling is truly indescribable. It was elating, freeing; my heart was pounding in my chest, blood pumping fast and furious through my veins. This is what I have been looking for, this moment in time where I was not the victim, not the one that was out of my league, not the one in fear of getting hurt. I was the one that was FEARED. I could see it in their eyes, smell it in the air, surrounding me like a warm blanket on Christmas morning. I have never wanted anything like this before, but after, I doubt I will ever want anything else.

Hair still firmly tangled in my fingers I looked up at Jasper. He was looking down at me like he was ready to rip my fucking clothes off. His eyes were smoldering, burning with a VERY unhidden desire. Our eyes locked and I saw unchecked passion and a level of love I never thought I would ever see directed at me. Esme was whimpering something about forgiveness, but all I heard was the peanuts teacher talking. One flex of my fingers and she shut up. I heard growls and snarls, but didn't even pay it any mind. I was fully lost in the depth of his eyes, the hypnotizing subtle flecks and specks of green that seemed to swirl and dance over the different shades of blue drew me in and held me like a vice, threatening to drown, pull me under and hold me there for the rest of time. I didn't even try to fight it. There was no point anymore. This was my unyielding destiny, the end of the long road I walked, the silver lining I never thought I was going to obtain. It was this; this look, this moment in time that everything finally fit together like a puzzle.

I saw Jasper's eyes shift the slightest bit as that popped into my mind. The green darkened as the sea of blues lightened only to be noticed from as close as I was to him. I could see in his eyes that this was the same for him, that I really was his everything and that no matter what it would always be that way.

Turning my attention back to squirming vamp in my grasp, I decided to have a bit of fun. Wrapping Esme's hair around my wrist a few times, I pulled her head up gaining me a scream from her. Interesting. Leaning close to her ear, "So, you can feel pain." Turning her head to face me I looked her in the eyes, "I am going to ask you a question and I want you to think long and hard about your answer, because Jasper is going to know if you lie to me. I have no issues going Devils Reject on your ass, so I would advise against that. Where are Edward and Alice and why are they not here with you?"

There was a chorus of growls, but I ignored them. This was beyond personal, and one way or another; I was going to find out. She whimpered and stammered out a heartfelt I don't know. Looking up at Jasper he rolled his eyes. "You used to be much better at hiding your lies from me. I am curious as to why, as your life hangs in the balance, that you cannot do it now."

I put my free hand on her back and pulled back with the one that had her hair hearing pops and snaps as her scalp was pulled away from the skull underneath. I giggled as her screams echoed off the trees. Keeping the tension but not pulling anymore I tried again. "Where are Edward and Alice?"

Her voice was crying the tears that she could not, "We have not seen them in months."

Already know that was not true, I started to slowly pull again; tearing more scalp from her head. This time was slower and longer than the last. I could hear the growls and snarls from the others. I was actually surprised that they did nothing to help her. Curious as to why this was I asked, "You see the pain and suffering that is being inflicted on one of yours, yet you do nothing to stop it. Is it fear of your own fate that you stand there watching, or do you really not care that your precious mother figure and mate of over a century is dying before your eyes? What is it that keeps you at bay?" No answers were forthcoming and they went silent making me chuckle. "You fucking pussies. This is completely un fucking believable. I am going to kill her and you do and say nothing. You really are the vilest creatures I have ever come across. You speak of peace and live by love, yet the one that you love most, that has been there for all of you screams and cries and you passive aggressive mother fuckers let her and allow me free reign over her fate; as bleak as it is anyways."

Looking back at Esme, "And you, you can stop all this pain and all your suffering by giving me the location of the ones that deserve it, yet you stay silent. Your family is going to let you die at my hands and you keep you silence and secrets. They all betray you; throw your love back in your face as they shit on all you stand for, love, family, all of it to your face. Why? Why protect those that refuse to protect you in your time of need? Why give them what they want, your silence, when they do not lift a finger to help you when you need it most? You beg me for forgiveness when you do nothing to earn it. Will you give it to them when you meet up again in hell? Will you die to protect those that will not give you the same thing? What are you dying for today Esme? For your children that are not here to save you, for the ones that are yet won't? For a mate that holds the life of a fuckwit over your own, that claims to love you with everything he has yet stands twenty feet from you and comes no closer? Tell me, why fight for those that will not fight for you?" Pulling hard on her hair gaining a blood curling scream from her "where are Edward and Alice?"

She whimpered and moved her eyes over to the three vampires that were just standing there, looking at her with pleading eyes; begging her to stay quiet. I shook my head and gave her a tug to remind her that we were talking and I was not a fan of being ignored. She grunted and looked back at me with harder eyes than I ever remember seeing on her. Her resolve was strong. The question was what was it for? She took a deep breath through her nose, "I don't know."

Giving it everything I had, I yanked and ripped her hair completely off her head, covering myself head to belly button in venom and surprisingly blood. The following scream made my ears ring, but the smirk on my face; you would never know it.

Tossing the top of her head aside I grabbed her ear and pulled her closer to me. I smiled at the fact that it looked like she was sweating. She was breathing hard and I know if she was human her ass would be in shock. I tilted my head to the side, "You hold the word of your golden child above everything else, the so called visions of the midget to the highest regard. Do you think they are watching this right now? Do you think that they are coming to save you all from the mess you swept under the rug seven years ago? Do you think that if you hold out long enough that they would show up and give me the beating of a lifetime for what I did and am going to do to you all?" I smiled at the three standing so close, yet so far away. "You all must think me stupid. You see I know for a fact that you were with them yesterday just south of here. I wonder who it was that actually came across my scent and how it was decided who was going to confront me, find out how I was, how my response to seeing you again was going to be, how it was I was even still alive. You must think me stupid to think that I have not yet figured out that you were banking on Victoria finishing me off so you didn't have to have blood on your hands."

Over their shoulders I saw seven figures standing there, arms crossed smirks on their faces. Gotta love downwind huh. Continuing on with no pause, "Tell me, how you all kept me a secret from the rulers of your kind? How did they not know that you invited a human to basically live at your house?"

Carlisle's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Did?"

I stood up next to Jasper and smiled, dipping my head slightly, "How good it is to see you again Aro. We were not expecting you so soon." I don't know how well the innocent look went for me covered in what I was, but hey whatever.

Every head whipped around, jaws dropping and eyes widening. Even without the enhanced hearing you could hear a pin drop and explode on the ground. This was proven by Peter, the silly fucker, when he pulled one out and dropped it. Jasper looked over at him and raised a brow, "What the fuck is wrong with you? Who carries a straight pin in their pocket?"

Peter shrugged, "Never know when it might be needed for an instant just like this."

ARO POV (because who doesn't love them some aro)

"Tell me, how did you keep me a secret from the rulers of your kind? How did they not know that you invited a human to basically live at your house?" I had a silent chuckle at that. That was the point that I knew that Lady Isabella knew we were there. I could see all the Cullen's present tense and freeze. When Carlisle spoke Caius snorted beside me, but still kept quiet enough not be too heard by the other vampires. I saw Jasper's eyes show his mirth so I knew he heard him. When Bella smiled at us, there was a collective shudder running down the spines of the Cullen's. "How good it is to see you again Aro. We were not expecting you so soon." Everyone turned to look and that little bastard Peter dropped a pin.

Smiling at the Princess I bowed my head lower than she did. "It is fully my honor to once again be in your presence My Lady. Do forgive us for coming by unannounced, but it was decided among us that waiting on a summons was a risk we were unwilling to take with your safety."

She giggled and grasped Jasper's elbow, "There is nothing to forgive Sir. You are welcome at my home anytime. I am sure Jasper is elated to have you here as well." Jasper looked down at her and gave her an indulgent smile. So much of one in fact that even a blind man would be able to see that even if that was not the case, he would entertain it simply because she said so.

"After what has occurred since our return from Italy, any extra bodies are welcome."

I cocked my head to the side, "Something occurred after you left? I do hope it was nothing serious."

Bella waved a dismissive hand in the air and Jasper rolled his eyes, love shining bright when he looked back at her. "Nothing but a little tiff. Hardly worth mentioning." Jasper snorted at that and I knew that I was going to have to ask him what happened with the princess. Looking over she curtsied, "Marcus, Caius welcome to you as well. I hope you travels were well."

They both bowed low and smiled at her. Caius spoke next. "It was well worth it to once again bask in your beauty My Lady." Jasper growled a warning, pulling Bella closer and slightly behind him gaining the attention that was on us to himself. Caius backtracked, bowing his head and baring his neck slightly, "I didn't mean to offend my prince. Forgive my crass words."

It was at that point that the Cullen coven joined in the conversation. It was the burly fucker Emmett that asked, "What the fuck is going on here?"

I looked at him and raised a brow, "You are not meaning to tell me that in all the time he was living with you, you had not a clue as to Jasper's title and origins."

They all looked confused; well all but Carlisle's mate. She was crying on the ground at Bella's feet. Carlisle was the next to speak, "All of that is irrelevant. My mate was attacked without just cause and I demand you to do something about it."

I smirked, "And what would you have me do? She is your mate, your responsibility to defend. If it was my mate being harmed at the hands of someone else I would not have stood there and allowed it to occur in the first place. That being said, I am not in the business of doing anything to THAT particular young lady. I like my head right where it is thank you."

Emmett was looking back and forth between Jasper and Bella slacked jawed taking in the possessive protective stance that Jasper was in. All the sudden his eyes lit up like the fourth of July. Before Carlisle could say anything back to me Emmett barked out a laugh that bounced off the trees and distant mountains. "Holy fucking shit! The Jazz man's banging Bells."

JPOV

If the fucker is good for nothing else, Emmett is always good for pointing out the obvious in the most direct and crass way possible. Bella hid her face behind my back, but I could feel her laughter. The shit eating grin on my face was enough conformation for him I guess. He was bent at the waist, his deep laugh echoing off everything. "Wow! This is fantastic."

Bella peeked out from around my shoulder with a smirk on her face. She shifted her eyes up to meet mine and winked. Oh god, that is never a good thing coming from her. She looked over at him and with the doe eyes that he would have remembered, "I wouldn't say that Em, it's more like he fucks the shit out of me." All three standing Cullen's jaw dropped, Peter would have pissed himself from laughing so hard, the Volturi's collectively snorted and me; I crossed my arms and grinned a fang flashing grin.

It didn't take him long to recover before he was back up and talking a mile a minute. ''Oh, this is just too perfect. Can you just imagine what Edward it going to say when he finds out that everything he did to keep you human you go all vampy anyways?"

Bella raised a brow, "I'm not a vampire."

I saw Aro shake his head and close his eyes. "Do you have the memory of an infant? I already said that Jasper was not a vampire, so why would his mate be one?"

Emmett looked over at him, and then back at me, "Then what the fuck are you?"

I have been wondering for decades how I would answer this question if it was ever asked by one of the Cullen's. Presented with it now, I still have no fucking clue how to do so. I looked down at Bella and she smiled at me before standing on her toes and whispering in my ear quite enough for only me to hear, "Show them all what you can really do." She pecked my cheek and took a step back, bedroom eyes boring into mine. That was not a look to be giving me right after saying something like that.

I raised a brow at her knowing that yes, she knew I was a demon, but she didn't KNOW it. This is what I wanted to talk with her about after the 'tiff' with James, but she just had to go to the bar and then all this shit happened. Reaching out I cupped her cheek and smiled at her. "Alright little one. Watch closely now, this is what you will have to look forward to in a few more days." Seeing her eyes light up at that little statement made me chuckle, "It's really not going to be all that impressive to you my little love. YOU'RE still going to be able to see me."

After pressing a light kiss to her lips, to the vampires present, I vanished. Bella can follow my speed, they however cannot. They can feel the wind I make and guess where I'm at, but never know for sure. So, because only my mate could see me, I decided to play around a bit. I launched myself into the air and when I reached the summit of my jump, I opened my wings and hovered there for a moment. Looking down I saw Bella and Peter looking up at me while the Cullen's were looking for me. Peter only knew where I was by following Bella and that fucking gift of his. Pain in my ass. Aro and his group were facing each other and form what I was hearing, even from where I was, the Cullen coven were about to hate their after lives. Oh well, not my problem.

Getting back to the task at hand, I flipped backwards and dove towards the ground behind where the Cullen's were standing. There was no way I was not going to take this golden opportunity that was placed at my feet. Having to tone down my abilities every time Emmett and I fought, I thought that this was a great time to show him that he really did only win because I let him. Landing only long enough to land a bitch kick in the center of his back to send him flying towards Bella, I shot over him, wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and, leaving Peter to his own devices, jumped again; getting out of Emmett's way a second before he would have hit her. Now I said it was a bitch kick not because I hit him from behind without him knowing I was there, but because I wasn't out to hurt him. I could tell from Bella's emotions from when she saw him again, that she did still care about what happened to him if no one else. She really did see him as a big brother, always has, and she loves him to pieces.

Shifting the way I was holding her from her dangling to bridal style, I landed lightly in the dust cloud that Emmett created when he landed. I bet it was a sight to see when the dust settled. Emmett sat up in his crater and put his head in the palm of his hands and rocked back and forth. It took him longer than I thought to come around from that. He shook his head and looked up at me with pure awe on his face, but you could see the curiosity in his eyes. I knew the second that he noticed my wings. Have you ever seen an anime? The way his eyes widened much like theirs do when they see something unbelievable. Bella giggled and shifted so I would put her down. I set her on her feet as Emmett stood up and jumped out of his hole. He was zeroed in on my wings and even someone without the empathy I have could tell he was beyond confused. "Just what the fuck are you?

I could feel the shock emanating from behind me and was almost dropped when the recognition hit my back. I folded my wings around me and looked at Carlisle over my shoulder raising a brow. I knew he knew what if not who I was now and the sheer and total fear and terror I saw in his eyes had me smirking. For sixty years I had to listen to him and his opinions of my kind and had kept my mouth closed, laughing on the inside knowing that if he knew that the prince of the race he hated with everything he had was living under his roof, he would have either kept his mouth closed or, like everyone else that knew me, would have fallen all over himself to get in my good graces. I don't begrudge him for his opinion, but that didn't mean that I wanted to hear about it every single fucking day.

He covered his mouth with his hand and his eyes went wide. "You're a…" is it really that hard to say?

"Demon. Yes I know."

Emmett didn't go back over to stand with them. He was looking at Bella who had also uncloaked her wings with longing and sorrow filled eyes. He crossed his arms and looked at the ground, kicking at the random mounds of dirt like a child that was being scolded. I looked down at Bella and she was looking at him with much the same look. She missed him and anyone could see it. I had wondered what was going to happen when she saw him standing alone again, if she would still want him to suffer the same fate that the rest were going to. Separating him from them seems like it was a better idea than I thought. With him standing with them, he was feeling like he had to BE with them and the same could be said for her. When he was with them, all she saw was the ones that hurt her, but now she is seeing her 'brother bear' and I highly doubt that she could do anything to him or allow anyone else to do so.

Finally he cleared his throat and gave her a smile, "You look good Belly Bean." Then he smirked, "I guess calling you hells bells has a whole new meaning now huh?"

She tried, I'll giver that. She tried to stay mad, tried to hold on to the pain and anger that she has been feeling towards him for so long, but when she saw his dimpled smile, that was all she wrote for her. She smiled back, the tip of a fang poking out of her lip. "Yeah, I guess it does."

I rolled my eyes at the tameness. This was not my mate and that was certainly not Emmett. "Oh for fucks sake you two." I put my hand on Bella's back and shoved her towards him without regard to how much force I was using. I knew that one, she wouldn't fall and two, if Em thought that she was going to hit the ground, he would stop it. I was right on both counts. He thought she was going to hit and went to catch her, but she used the momentum from the shove to launch into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he spun her around in a circle with that fucking cheesy smile of his.

When he put her back on the ground he didn't let go, but held her at arm's-length. "I have missed you so much Bells and it killed me when I thought you had died. I hunted down your grave and sat there for like a week, trying to come to grips that you were gone. Even with the proof staring me in the face, I didn't want to believe it. I thought about digging up the casket on more than one occasion just to see you again, but I never could." He shook his head and I knew that he would have been crying if he could.

Bella on the other hand, stood there listening but her face was passive. She wanted to believe him, you could tell she did, but there was a part of her that stood back and didn't take it too much to heart. She was still far to hurt over the past. Out of all of them, Emmett's leaving hurt her the worst and even though she wanted to forgive and forget with him, she felt she couldn't. She looked him in the eye and showed him how much she changed. "Look, that's all well and good, but you still did the same thing that they did. Pretty words mean less than shit to me and any actions will be all for not. I still love you like the brother I never had, but as of right now, I want nothing to do with you. It's great to see you again, but I think you should get the fuck out of here because I meant every word I said. I am going to destroy the Cullen coven and pretty words are not going to save a one of them. I suggest you change your last name chief because anyone carrying the Cullen surname will be ash before the sun sets." She pulled away from him and crossed her arms raising a brow, "That is unless you think you can stop me."

Chapter 26

 

JPOV

The look on Emmett's face as he stared at my mate was one I never thought I would ever see on him. It was strangely reminiscent of how a vampire looks at the loss of their mate. It was as if his heart was shattered in his chest and there was no way to put it back together. It unnerved me far greater than I thought it would. Bella, for her part, was basking in his pain, finding a pleasure in it that showed the world her new origins. She looked at him like he was a bug that she stepped on and ruined her new shoes. He looked at her like she shattered his world.

Taking a step away from her he swallowed hard, "I, uh, I'm sorry Bells."

She chuckled deep in her throat, "You disappoint me Emmett." She flashed from his view and grabbed Esme from the puddle of venom and blood she was still lying in, throwing her to rest at his feet. Bella was now between Esme and the last two Cullen's. "Do you not have it in you to beg as she did? Can you not find it in you to plead your case? You did the same as she did. I might be covered in it, but her blood is on your hands, just the same as mine is. You might have gone to my grave site, but what did you do to stop me from needing one? You blindly follow orders given, never speaking up, never questioning the utter stupidity of what you were told. You never think of the consequences of choices made by others. Being sorry after the fact does not change the outcome of the actions done."

"I stand before you a creature of your making, born from pain and suffering inflicted on me by your choice to be obedient and not question, not speaking out against what you knew to be the wrong choice. You stand before me a shell of your former self, dulled by time and oppression. You held the light of the sun once upon a time. You were dimmed and snuffed out by your blindness and eagerness to please everyone but yourself. You once held the strength of mind that you now hold in the strength of your body. What will you do as you face the world you so ruthlessly thrust me into? A world of nothing but pain and heartbreak. I knew nothing of that before you and yours came crashing into my life and brought the walls harshly down around me without care of anything other than yourselves."

She looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Rosalie, no care in her emotions or scent as to what her words were doing to anyone. Her eyes narrowed at the stunned expression plastered on her face, "You used to think me weak, nothing but a worthless human that got caught up in a world that I had no business being in, obtaining knowledge I had no right to. Is that how you see me still? Am I still nothing but a pest that needs exterminating? Tell me Ms. Hale; is my death still as sweet to you as it once was? Do you think that I suffered to your standards? Was it enough or do you believe I deserve more? I showed you nothing but kindness, cared not for what you are. My inability to judge you for something you had no control over was repaid with horrid looks and stabbing words. You believed that the world owed you something you did nothing to earn. You think that because you didn't ask for or want the life you have you can do as you please and no one will give a flying fuck. Do you still believe yourself better than those you come in contact with? Do you still envy humanity for the ability to birth a child when you have the tools to be a mother by protecting those that are unable to protect themselves? Who gives a shit if they are from your own womb or not? There are thousands of children in this world that need the love and protection you have in spades, but you hold out on them. You think yourself a monster and I know from experience that that is a wonderful description." Rosalie looked like she was stabbed in the heart and when Emmett went to console her he was stopped in his tracks by a feral snarl and a snap of Bella's teeth. I was actually stunned by the emotions coming off my mate. She had locked all this up inside her and when the dam burst, there was no stopping the flood that followed.

Her now ice blue eyes slid over to the leader of the coven, the man she once saw as a father figure. Her lip pulled back from her fangs and a growl came out so vicious that he actually took a step away from her. "You claimed me as a daughter, claimed to love me as if I was created by your own fucking loins. When given the opportunity to prove it, to show the world you fell flat on your fucking face. You think that you are better than others of your kind because you do not take the lives of humans to continue living your own. I can speak from experience that you are far worse than even the most evil of them. You destroy more lives a year then even the most blood thirsty newborn could ever imagine. By killing a doe you sentence her fawn to death. By killing that same doe an entire family starves to death. What is it, I wonder, that makes you any better than them?"

"You cling to humanity so strongly that simplistic logic eludes your understanding. I used to think that you and your cult were gods in your own right, defenders of the weak and all that fucked up shit you read about in children's stories. Now I see that I couldn't have been more wrong. You look down your nose at those that live as they should. You condemn them for what comes as naturally as breathing for a human. You think because you save lives in a hospital that you are forgiven for the lives you take in the most gruesome and inhumane ways. You tried to starve yourself, you know how that feels. Now think of it from a human's point of view. A human can feel the hunger pains, can feel themselves slowly dying. They can feel their hearts slowly give up from lack of food and die with the knowledge that they were unable to prevent their baby's cries as they waste away to nothing before their eyes. You pass judgment on others so freely but you never stop to think how your actions affect others because you can't see past the end of your nose." Looking fully chastised, he averted his gaze, unable to look her in the eyes. He knew she was right in everything she said.

Finally, she turned her sights on Esme who had gone still at some point during her venting. "And you mother dearest, are the worst of them all. You, who wanted to make up for the loss of your own child took in and cared for a naive little girl that knew nothing of the horrors of the world. You showered her with the love she craved that was denied to her from her own mother and showed her that she didn't always have to be as strong as she tried to be. You gave her a false sense of security, a false reason to drop the wall around her heart that she put in place for a really good fucking reason. She let it down and you nestled yourself comfortably in a special place reserved for the love of a mother. When she would doubt, you were quicker than any other to reassure the stupid twit that all was well and she was loved beyond reason. I suppose that can't all be blamed on you. The retarded bitch fell head over heels for your lies and held them close to her heart until the very end."

"Tell me, did you even fight for her? Did you stand up for the one that could not stand up for herself? Perhaps this is how it went; Fuckward said jump and you asked how high." Esme started to whimper and dry sob during Bella's evaluation of her and Bella's face darkened to a mask of pure malice, her eyes shining with all the fires of hell. "You can stop with the bullshit noises any fucking time. Any REAL mother would shed REAL tears until they ran out. You beg forgiveness from me and I will grant it the day a real tear of salt and water escapes your lying eyes."

Her eyes slid up to meet Emmett's and the sheer hate in them had me almost salivating as a smirk came to rest across my lips. Her teeth were now completely bared and her fangs had elongated at some point. Her hands were balled into fists and I could smell her blood from the gashes her claws had cut into her palms. There was a distinct aura about her; my mate was out for blood and I don't think she cared who the hell went first. "So you see brother bear there is no forgiveness in me for you or anyone else. You all had a part to play and none of you had the fortitude to overlook your own wants and think about how your actions affect those around you." She walked over to Esme, put her foot square in between her shoulder blades, reached down, and without giving anyone time to react, grabbed her by the wrists and ripped her arms completely off her body; flinging them away from her with a look of complete contempt on her face. Esme's screams of pain rang throughout the valley, Bella's smoking ice blue eyes locked on Emmett's the entire time.

She had a sneer on her face and a mocking tone to her voice as Emmett looked on in absolute horror of her actions. My smirk turned into a fangy grin as I cocked my head to the side as the show continued. "What will you do now as you stare the consequences of your selfishness in the face, Cullen?"

Before he had the chance to respond, my head snapped to the side at the really pissed off vampire coming in to try and save his mate. In a move I never would have expected in a million fucking years, Bella grabbed Esme's legs and used her body as a bat. Esme collided with Carlisle, sending him into a tree a few dozen yards away with a growl from my beyond furious mate. Her eyes were wild, her teeth snapping together as she snarled, "WAIT YOUR GOD DAMN TURN!" as Esme landed without care on the unforgiving terrain, sliding to a stop at Emmett's feet. He looked down at her, wide eyed and slack jawed before he once again looked back at Bella.

I took this moment to look around at the audience that we had. Peter was doing his best not to laugh at Bella's attempt at vampire baseball. Rosalie was looking at her with nothing but fear and a sense of respect that I would have never thought I would see her have in THIS particular situation. The brothers and their guard were looking at her with an approving air around them. Caius had a look in his eyes that I was all too familiar with making me growl at him yet again. Friend or not, I have no issues tearing him apart for a few centuries. Bella, however, was completely oblivious to all this. Her eyes were locked on Emmett with a calculating gleam in them, debating on her next move as she waited to see what his was going to be. I, myself, was ready to take her right where we were standing and to hell with the rules about mating. ANY one of the advisers would understand if they were present to see this.

I slid my eyes to Emmett, trying to figure out what he was going to do with the barrage of emotions flowing through him at the moment. Vampires are creatures of habit, but they are also unpredictable. My fangs were set on edge as determination flooded him. Readying myself to protect my mate if need be, I waited for him to do whatever pea-brained thing he had decided.

Looking Bella square in the eye, "My name is Emmett McCarty and my mate and I will be leaving now." Without a moment's hesitation, he took off, giving Bella a wide birth, grabbing Rosalie, throwing her over his shoulder and running as fast as his legs could go.

To everyone's shock, she let them go with a snort and raised eyebrow, "Fucking pussy." There was a groan that caught her attention making her look over as Carlisle pushed off the tree that landed on top of him. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh, "Well, that was anticlimactic. How the disappointment in this coven mounts." She looked over at me and raised a brow, "How the hell did you stand it for so long?"

I snorted and shrugged, "It was not without its difficulty little one."

She rolled her shoulder and cracked her neck, "I bet." She stretched her arms over her head and spanned out her wings until there was an audible pop. With a sigh of contentment she flashed me a bright smile and giggled, "Well, I feel better than I have in a long time."

I crossed my arms, dropped my chin to my chest, shook my head and chuckled. "I would certainly hope so my love." Looking up at her, I beckoned her to me and she came without thought. Wrapping my arms and wings around her, I nuzzled my nose to hers gaining me a giggle. "You my little one, are nothing short of bipolar."

She giggled again, "I blame my fucked up emotions on you chief."

I raised a brow at her, "And why do you think this is my doing?"

"Simple, you told me it was, in a roundabout way, due to my new blood still settling. In a few days I'm sure I will go back to being just a regular bitch and not a raging one." She looked down as Esme and then slid her eyes over to Carlisle, cocking her head to the side. She hummed to herself before looking back up at me. "What do you think we should do with them? If they die right now I know that the two I really want won't have a reason to come. There is no doubt in my mind that Alice saw this, but I also know that Edward, the closet pussy, will tell her something along the lines of 'there is no helping them now', or 'Carlisle would want us to survive'." She looked over at Carlisle who was just staring at his whimpering mate with many different emotions swirling in his now black eyes.

He looked at Bella and she smiled and gave him a little salute. He snarled back at her gaining a growl from me. His eyes were locked on my mate and he was not a happy fucker right now. "What did my family really do to you to deserve something like this?"

She snorted, "You didn't really just ask me that did you? Are you deaf as well as stupid?" She pulled herself out of my arms and slowly advanced on him, her head down and cocked to the side, her hands behind her back. "I told you all before any venom was spilled that all I wanted was Edward and Alice. The rest of you could have just walked away, never to cross paths with me again. You were the one that stayed that bitch's tongue. I am not the one to blame here Carlisle. You only have yourself to blame for the pain your mate is in currently and the pain and suffering that she will continue to feel. I meant every fucking word I have said today Dr. Cullen." He growled at her and as I went to go to her side she put her hand up asking me to wait. I growled to show her I didn't like it, but then she looked over her shoulder and winked at me. Taking in her emotions she was giddy telling me she as up to something. I leaned against a tree and waved my hand giving her the go ahead. She turned back to him and smiled at him.

He growled at her again, but his eyes were on me. I gave him the finger. "We took you into our home, treated you like family and this is how you repay our kindness?"

I shrugged, "I never swore a loyalty to you or your coven. The chick I was fucking at the time wanted to be a part of your little group, and I am nothing if not a gentleman. The lady's wants would come before my own, so whether I WANTED to be there or not was completely irrelevant. I would have rather been pretty much anywhere else to tell the truth. After I left the South I never actually wanted to live among vampires again for a long time. You fuckers are nuts and one of my father's less than stellar creations. I always thought you were a bad idea, but I was a little young at the time for my opinion to really matter. That and God, for some reason, thought Father was right about your purpose."

He seemed to shrink into himself a bit, understanding and recognition coloring his face and emotions making me smile. The stupid fucker finally figured it out huh? "Your father…" I raised my brow at him. I am not finishing his thought this time. "You're…" His eyes slid to Bella and widened. "That makes you…"

She looked at him, arms crossed, chin in one hand and her shoulders shaking from her chuckling. "Ready to tell me what I want to know now? As far as I'm concerned, you are free to go as soon as I find out where dumb and dumber are. I know they were with you yesterday, so, where are they today?"

His eyes narrowed, "I don't know. They came across your scent in town and asked us to check it out, find out if it was real."

"That didn't seem strange to you at all? If they crossed my scent, they crossed Jasper's, too. They sent you because they knew what was going to happen. They knew you were not going to make it out alive. Whatever they have planned doesn't involve you, ya dumb fuck. You were a scapegoat, holding us up so they could flee to wherever they are. I am going to go out on limb here and say they said something to the effect of 'we'll find you in a few days. Don't worry, everything will be fine'. Sound about right?" He growled and she growled right back, snapping her teeth in the process, "Don't take that tone with me. I didn't do shit to you that you didn't deserve. Everything I did was completely justified, you just can't see it you narcissistic fuck wad."

He growled at her one last time, "Name calling and violence are not going to change the fact that I don't know where they are now. We left them at a cabin a half a day's run from here, told them after we spoke with you we would be back and let them know if it was a good idea for them to approach you or not."

She shrugged and turned her back to him and walked back to my side saying, "They knew the answer to that seven years ago when they left me to die at the hands of someone that was not a threat."

He got to his feet and looked at his mate before addressing mine, "I answered your question."

She looked over her shoulder with wide eyes, "Huh?"

He pursed his lips and growled a huff. If he growls at my mate one more fucking time I am going to rip his throat out personally. "You said if I told you what I knew about Edward and Alice my mate and I were free to go."

She looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging, "I said my peace." She turned back to me but still spoke to him, "However, what I said was as far as I was concerned you were free to go, but I never really was the one you should have been worried about."

I never thought I would see the day, but Carlisle Cullen finally lost his legendary control, "What the fuck does that mean?"

She turned to the side and smiled a shit eating grin to rival Peter's. "It means you stupid fuck, that I was not the one to worry about."

APOV

I was standing back with my brothers and guards watching the spectacle going on in front of us. I have never actually seen a vampire body used in the way the princess used Esme, but I have to say, it was entertaining. I also never thought that Carlisle was as dense as he was acting at the moment, but anger and frustration do tend to make a vampire's brain go on the fritz periodically. Seems to be the case here.

I was waiting for her to explain to him what was going on but it didn't seem to me she was so inclined. I took the opportunity she gave me. She turned to the side and smiled a shit eating grin to rival Peter's. "It means you stupid fuck, that I was not the one to worry about."

"That would be me." Carlisle whipped around and looked at me with astonishment clear in his eyes. I think he forgot we were here.

"You cannot be serious. We have been friends for centuries Aro, on top of the fact that we are of the same species. How can you possibly side with a demon over your own kind?"

I rolled my eyes up and sighed, "You cannot be this stupid." He scoffed and I smirked, "Then again, you did think to hide your fuck up from me. You broke the only law we have Carlisle and even you are not above punishment."

His eyes narrowed at me but I could smell his fear. "She is not human any longer so…"

Caius snorted, "Nor is she a vampire as she should be. Seven years ago when your follower decided he was finished playing house with her he should have changed her or killed her. She lived with the knowledge of vampires for seven years before the prince found her still breathing. Though from the story we heard, that was a miracle in and of itself. There is no ground for you to stand on here, no trump card for you to play. You fucked up. Be a man about it for fuck sake. As the leader of this abomination of a coven it was your responsibility to see to it that your underlings followed the rules and you allowed everything to transpire as it did. You didn't even ensure her safety before you vanished."

He balked, "How are you going to put this all on my shoulders when Jasper did the same thing as my family did?"

The prince snorted drawing all our attention to him and his mate. Isabella was wrapped up in his arms and wings with her face buried in his chest in an attempt to muffle her laughter. "Don't drag me into this. I don't answer to vampires ya fucking prick; you answer to me. As it stands now though, even if I was one of your inferior race, Isabella was bitten by me, therefore dissolving my part in your epic fuck up. You are accountable for letting her live in the first place. By your laws since I changed her, I followed the rules and am therefore not subject to punishment." Carlisle just stared at him as a smug smile settled on his features. Isabella stood on her toes and whispered something in his ear, drawing his full attention back to him as he chuckled and responded in hushed tones. I had to smile at the sight they made together.

I turned away from the sight and focused my attention on the guard members I had with me. With a simple rising of my brow they jumped to action and I watched as the vampire that was against his own race died for his crimes followed by his mate.

Chapter 27

 

JPOV

Two days passed since the altercation in Bella's front yard. The Volturi were staying at a near-by hotel seeing as Bella was not so inclined to invite them to stay at her house. She was not a fan of vampires no matter how you sliced it and didn't want any more than were already there, there. Aro understood this but still wouldn't leave without finding out what happened between her and James. The stupid fucker was locked up in the basement so after thirty seconds and a death threat, Aro and his guard left leaving just me and Bella to our own devises. I had plans for James and I would allow no one to fuck it up. James, like Victoria, is mine to kill. It was because of him that whole thing started and it would come to an end with his death followed swiftly by hers. The wrench in this whole thing is the new mate she took. I know perfectly well that she is only playing the part for the extra protection that Maria offers. I can't wait to see the look on Maria's face when she sees that by aligning herself with the bitch, she signed her own death warrant as well.

I do not personally have anything against Maria. I think that she is perhaps a bit misguided in a lot of things she does, but she has always been loyal to her cause and did her job well. I will bet just about anything she is only involved in this to palisade her right hand. Actually, I don't even have any proof she is involved at all that is merely a guess on my part. The bitch loves war. Perhaps a little more than necessary, but that is beside the point. If there is an army, there is more chance than not that she is involved in some capacity. I doubt very much that she would allow her new pet all that much leach without being there to make him heel if need be. She is smart and would not want him to do anything to draw Aro's attention but I highly doubt that she has enough Intel in this situation to plan properly. If she did, I know for a fucking FACT she would not be involved and would not allow him to be either, fuck buddy or not. The last thing she would want is to go toe to toe with me. She is one of the very few that know who I am, that has some idea as to what I am actually capable of. There is no one alive that knows for certain what I can do on a battlefield. I don't count Angels because they are not actually alive.

But I digress. See as I have no proof of her involvement and will not know one way or another until such time as the war ensues, I will leave it for now. Maria is as expendable as any other vampire and not worth my time worrying over.

Drawing myself out of my thoughts when I heard my phone ring, I turned to my mate as she danced around her kitchen, grabbing things from here and there to whip herself something to eat singing off key to the most annoying song ever written. She was smiling, laughing, and her eyes were brighter than the sun itself. It was a sight that no one could not smile at.

Pulling my phone out, I had to bite back a growl. "Yes?"

"We talked about you and that attitude Jasper."

"Did you need something?"

"Yes, I was calling to tell you that the advisers want you and your mate formally mated before this situation escalates."

I dropped my head with a growl. "The reason behind it?"

This time he growled. Daddy is one pissed off demon. "If it was not good enough for me, I doubt it would be good enough for you. However, that aside, her introduction is set for sunset tonight and the actual ceremony is tomorrow."

I lifted my eyes and just watched her continue to bounce around the room, completely oblivious to the phone call, or if not, she hit it well. "You know Father, this whole being told what to think is going to get someone killed. That was the whole reason I left in the first fucking place."

He sighed, "I am aware of that Jasper, but you being the crowned prince and all takes quite a few of your choices away from you. It is just something you are going to have to deal with and get over. Once the ceremony is completed, you will have the power to say no, but until then, you still have to listen to them. Just do it."

I growled a little too loud drawing Bella's attention. She cocked her head to the side and pointed to the phone. If she paid attention, she could listen in, but she chose not to. She was always about privacy. I smiled at her. It was not that I was against this, but I didn't want this to happen with a threat to her still out there. I shook my head and went back to my call. "Again I ask, what is the reason for the hurry? You have made it clear that we have no say in the matter, but that hardly answers the question. I wanted to wait until the vampire problem was taken care of."

"I know that, however, it is the vampire problem that is speeding things up for the two of you. Apparently, the completed mating and the power that comes to the two of you with it are imperative for you."

I am going to kill that fucking angel. "Let me guess, Michael told you this?"

There was a hard sigh on the other end of the line, "No, it was actually Gabriel." That is even better. "Anyways, you have three hours to inform her, return and get prepared for this evening."

I closed my phone without saying anything else and placed my forehead on the fist that held my phone. Bella came over and ran her fingers through my hair. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye and raised a brow. The look of worry and concern in her eyes brought a smile to my face. Eternity really will not be long enough to love this girl. She bit her bottom lip, "Everything alright Jazz? You look upset about something."

I sat up and pulled her stand my legs, holding her by the hips. "No Darlin'. Everything is fine, perfect even."

She tilted her head a little to the side and put her little hands on my chest, "Then why do you look like you want to kill someone?"

I smiled at her and butted my nose against hers, "I ALWAYS want to kill someone Darlin'. It is part of my ever so wonderful personality." I sighed, "That was my father. Your introduction to the court is tonight and our actually mating ceremony is tomorrow."

She pursed her lips, "So soon? I thought that we were going to wait until everything was taken care of."

I nodded, "We were, but as my father so dutifully pointed out, as the crowned prince, my choices are limited to little more than none. While I hold that title, I do actually have to listen to the court advisors and they want us fully mated before this vampire issue escalates even more."

She narrowed her eyes a little, "What are you not telling me?"

I pinched the bridge on my nose. Nothing gets passed her. "I have to listen to the advisors, and when Gabriel talked to one of them, he informed them that this was necessary. They told my father, and he told me."

She growled, "I am going to fuck that angel up. I would have thought that of any of them, Michael would have been the one to do something like that."

I snorted, "I thought the same thing." I looked at the clock on the wall, "Go get a shower little one, we will have to leave soon." She nodded and went to pull away from me, but I caught her by the chin and kissed her. It was soft and quick, but I was rewarded with a beaming smile as she pulled away from me. I still had her chin in my grasp and I locked my eyes with hers and just stared. After a moment, I smiled at her, "Under fucked up circumstances or not, I can't wait for tomorrow Little One. I love you Darlin'."

The response was instant. Her eyes lit up, she smiled so wide that dimples appeared on her face and threw her arms around her neck, squeezing so hard that if I was a human, I would not be able to breathe and giggled like a little kid. When she pulled back after a minute, she kissed me hard. "I love you too, my prince." And then she ran upstairs to get a shower, giggles escaping her every few steps. I just chuckled and shook my head.

When I heard the shower start I pulled out my phone and called my cousin. He picked up before it even rang on my end and didn't let me get in a word before he explained himself. "Look Jasper, I know you don't like it, but it is imperative that you have your father's title before this happens. There will be enough time to complete the mating ceremony before the vampire makes her move, how much more than that I don't know, but you have to be able to tell your father to stay out of it. If he still has the power to get involved, there will be more issues than you want to face. The biggest one though is the threat to your mate. If your father is still in power he can tell hell's army to stay out of it. We might need them."

"Father already told me they were at my disposal."

"You father is not being kept in the loop here Jasper, you know that. He is under the impression that with the death of the ringleader that everyone else will just walk away. You know as well as I do that will not be the case. The celestial army is here to help you in any way we can but you know there is only so much we can do. Your mates shifters are ready to go, but the angel's hands will be tied to a certain degree."

I growled, "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not at the moment. I will see you tomorrow at the ceremony."

"One more thing, why did you send that fuck up to talk to the advisors and not just do it your damn self?"

He chuckled, "I didn't want to give you another reason to break my nose." With that he hung up. Little did he know, I really didn't need another reason to do that.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I called Peter to tell him about the mating and then Aro to inform him and enlist the aid of his tracker to babysit the vampire in the basement for the next three days. He couldn't get out, but extra precaution is never a bad thing when he is the catalyst for this entre fuckary. I knew that Father would take care of informing everyone else that needed to know about tomorrow.

Dropping my head on the counter waiting for Bella to finish up I closed my eyes and tried to clear my fucking head. There was just too much going on right now; my mating, a war, taking over my father's position. I might by over a thousand years old, but in demon terms, I'm still a fucking teenager and this shit SUCKS. Not my mating, that really can't happen soon enough for me, but everything else; fucking Christ I need a nap. A nice long nap with no interruptions and my mate cuddled in my arms. I banged my head on the counter top with a growl. Nothing can be that easy though, and I know that, but one can always hope for it to happen eventually. I say eventually because even after this shit with the vampires is taken care of, there will be something else. There is always something else. There is always someone causing trouble and if called upon to handle it, I will no longer be in a position to say no anymore. As long as my father held the power, it was up to him to handle the stupid shitand after tomorrow, that responsibility will be mine. That was why I wanted to wait a little while to finish our mating so we could just relax for a while and actually get to know the other. There is so much so does not know about me, and vice versa.

Banging my head a little harder and growling a little louder, my thoughts turned a little darker. What will she actually think of me when she finds out some of the things I have done in my life? I took evil to a whole new level when I was a child, the 'black death' hardly worth bringing up in comparison to some of the other things I have done. I could take the bitch way out and not tell her any of it, but that hardly seems fair. Her life is open to me as any other's is. Her life's file that is in my desk back home holds every last thing she has ever done. There is no such file on me. Hell, my time with Maria's arm made that pelage look like the child's play it was. 1/3 of the English population is small numbers in comparison to that shit. She hates vampires; that is a well-known fact, but I didn't really torture vampires. I fucked with them yes, but the human race took the brunt of my always held human life close to her heart and I played with them in some really fucked up ways, and enjoyed it immensely.

Hitting my head harder still and growling loud enough to vibrate my stool, I continued to stew in my morose thoughts. There was no way that she will understand some of the things I have done. She might understand that it is in my nature, but there is no way she will be able to accept that as a valid reason, and I don't have any other one to give her. There is no justifying 99%of what I have done in my life. I never really cared about it or given it a whole lot of thought before. I am what I am, there is no changing it. It is that simple, but at the same time, she was a human a week ago; could she really be expected to just let it go? I don't think so. She is entitled to her opinions on the matter. It won't change my past nor will it change me as a person and that is the fucked up part of this entire line of thinking. She could think that I am the worst person ever born and it wouldn't change a thing. I will still be a demon with a taste for human death and bloodshed tomorrow, just as I am today. No one, not even my mate could change that. If anything, she will be the reason for a whole hell of a lot more death and destruction in the time to come.

This is the point in time that I would normally go to my mother and talk to her but after the performance during Bella's change I would sooner kill her than talk to her. With a snarl, I pushed myself away from the counter before I broke it and spun the stool around so the counter was to my back. I leaned against it and crossed my arms, glaring at the floor, a growl still going in my chest. I never said I had the easiest temper to control. The truth of the matter is I have a very short fuse and anything can light it. In this situation, it is the thought that my mate could possibly see me in a negative light. I didn't want that. I wanted her to see me as I saw her. She used to be very forgiving, but after the show with the Cullen coven, I knew that was not the case. In truth, we were technically already mated. This crap coming up is all for show, which makes it all the worse. I would have told her all this already. Before I bit her the first time, she should have been told everything and been allowed to walk away if she wanted to. I am not one for forcing something on a lady that she doesn't want, and if there is even a part of her that I used to know still in there somewhere, a cold blooded murderer would fall on the top of that list.

God damn it. I scrubbed my face with my hands and turned my head to stare out the window with narrowed eyes. The shit is going to hit the fan, I know it. I also know there is nothing I can do about it which pisses me off even more. I was raised with a certain set of morals, as warped as they were, that I actually tried to follow, I really did, but who can actually picture a demon with a set of moral values? I was raised to respect women and to always give them a choice, to cherish them as the treasure they are and I fell flat as fuck when it came to my own fucking mate. Never mind me killing my mother; she is going to beat the shit out of me for this.

"Jazz, are you alright?"

My head snapped back to the living room where the lady in question was standing with her backpack slung over her shoulder looking at me like a deer before the lion. The moment I laid eyes on her, all my anger melted away and I was left dazed at the effect she had on me. I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck, "I'm fine Darlin'. Ready?"

She took her bag off and dropped it on the ground and walked slowly over to me. "You don't look fine Jasper. A moment ago I was worried about the safety of my kitchen. What's wrong?" She put her hands lightly on my knees that I just noticed were bouncing.

I looked into her worry filled eyes. I sighed and placed my forehead against hers with my eyes closed, taking comfort from her scent. "You right as always Darlin'. There are a few things I should have told you, wanted to tell you before this happened."

She ran her fingers through my hair and chuckled quietly, "Let me ask you something." I nodded to tell her to go on. "Would your telling me change anything?"

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but love in hers. I sighed with a shrug, "Probably not."

She put her hand on my cheek and smiled at me, "Then what would the point be? If my knowledge of it wouldn't change it, fix it or prevent it, than what do I need to know for?" She raised a brow at me in a silent challenge. Again I shrugged making her giggle. I raised my brow at her and her giggles grew in volume, "You are just too damn cute when you get like this. You told me that in demon terms you were like a teenager right?" I narrowed my eyes and nodded wondering where she was going with that. "How old are in human terms?"

If demons could blush, I think this is the first time in my life I would have done it. Looking away from her laughing eyes, "um, eighteen and a half give or take. It is eighty demon years for every one human and I am 1461."

Her eyes went wide, "Wow, I knew you were old, but 1461?"

I gave her a deadpanned look. "Do the math Bella. I was born in 549. It is 2010. Yes, I am the equivalent of a human teenager, laugh it up."

She covered her mouth, "I'm sorry Jasper, I don't mean to laugh, really I don't, but you just seem to be, I don't know, above the teenage angst I guess."

I growled at her, but there was a smile on my face, "No one is above being attacked by the mentality of age Little One. I told you that there will be times that I will act my real age." I cocked my head to the side, "I never really got the chance to do so as a kid. Since the day I was born I was trained to take over for my father, so a normal childhood was out of the question for me. That played a big part in my leaving all those years ago. I never really wanted the responsibility. But like I told you the first time I took you to the palace, my reasons don't really seem all the relevant anymore." I looked over at the clock. "Well, the history lesson will have to wait. We really need to be on our way.

*X*

The court was just like I remember it; a bunch of fucking retards that thought that the title of advisor put them on equal footing with my blood line. Laughable; truly a dense group of fuck ups. Richard was as the front of the line to evaluate my chosen and the look in his eyes was not one I liked. From Bella's emotions, she didn't either. She elbowed me in the side hard enough to get my attention. I look over at her and she stood up on her tiptoes and whispered, "five minutes alone in a room with no windows. That's all I'm asking."

I snorted a little loud drawing attention to us. I raised a brow at them, "What?"

My father simply shook his head and chuckled, probably thinking about the last time he saw her. That was still fresh in my mind as well and hers in a foggy haze I'm sure, but the memory is there none the less.

This particular event is actually very informal. There is no standing on ceremony, no long winded speeches or anything extravagant. That is tomorrow. All this is is me presenting her to the court and sinking my teeth into her neck. Two minutes and we're done. The only big thing that happens is my mating mark darkens and is better visible to others. There is no pain for her and a snack for me. A quick win all around for everyone. The thing that sucks is she is to be placed in the protection of a guard until tomorrow. Rules are the same for us as they are for humans, only we actually adhere to it. No seeing the bride for twenty-four hours before the mating ceremony. I handed her over to Charlotte, her being the only person I really trust with her safety until she is given back.

Before doing that though, I pulled her off to the side for a moment alone with her. I had my back to the wall and her pulled into my chest, my nose buried in her hair. She thought this was funny, me, not so much. Lifting her head by her chin I looked in her eyes, "Be safe."

She smiled at me, "I will. If I run into any trouble, I will call you and fuck the rules. Deal?"

I pursed my lips and sighed, "You really have no idea how hard this is for me, do you?"

She shrugged, "Probably not, but there is nothing we can do about it. Go out with Peter tonight, get retarded drunk and pass the fuck out. That's what I'm going to do. Inebriation is the greatest way to pass the time. Next thing you know, we are both back here for the huge production tomorrow night. Everything will be fine, I WILL BE FINE, I promise. The rules say we can't see each other, no one said we couldn't TALK to each other."

I dropped my head back on the wall and whined, yes whined. "Where are you going to be just so I feel a little better about this?"

She giggled and kissed my cheek as she pulled away, "We will be at my bar for the night, and then Char got us a room at the hotel in town. She didn't think it was a good idea for me to be in the same house as James without you there." She crossed her arms and raised a brow at me, "Which guard of yours should I expect to see?"

I pushed myself off the wall and smirked, "You make it sound like there will only be one." Kissing the tip of her nose, I pushed her towards Char who was waiting surprisingly quietly at the end of the hall, "I will see you tomorrow night in the main chambers."

She waited until I moved my hand before she whirled back around and jumped, wrapping her arms around my neck and legs around my waist, kissing me with all the passion in her little body. As quick as she started, she stopped and jumped back down and ran down the hall to Charlotte calling over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow my prince!" and with them both giggling, they disappeared around the corner.

I was left there just staring after her until Peter came up and clapped me on the shoulder. With a chuckle, "Ready Jazz? I have a feeling that it is going to be a long night for you. She will be fine with Char, you know that. She is only a phone call away, so let's go get your ass drunk as fuck."

BPOV

Charlotte and I were having a great time at the bar. We played pool with some of my regulars, I kicked her ass in darts, and I whooped it at quarters like I always do. All in all, it was not all that bad of a night.

We were sitting in a booth just bullshitting passing the last little amount of time until last call when we would be heading to the hotel. She was in the middle of telling me a story about Jasper from decades ago when I smelt it, a sweet scent that turned my stomach and one that I had become familiar with. I looked over to the door and sure the fuck enough, there stood Rosalie Hale. She was looking over the crowd, ignoring the stares she was getting. Bitch looked to be on a mission.

I looked over at Char and her eyes were black when she looked back at me, "Do you want me to call the boys?"

I shook my head, "Nope. Something tells me she ain't here for Jasper." I looked out of the corner of my eye and found myself locking eyes with her. Damn it. I watched as she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in a regal way. I rolled my eyes and huffed, "Stupid blondes." Char kicked me under the table making me grin at her, "Sorry. Present company excluded of course."

She smirked at me, "Apology accepted, My Lady."

I kicked her back for that, "Knock it off bitch. None of that crap, I am warning you." I was fully aware that Rosalie was standing right next to me, but I had every intention on ignoring her. She came to me, she can start. So I continued to piss around with Char. "I am still just the 'chosen' until tomorrow."

Char, catching on to what I was doing snorted, "Yeah, and if anyone heard me not give you the proper respect the night before the mating of all time, I would face death for sure. And Jasper gets creative with that shit when it comes to someone he likes getting upset by someone else. Can you imagine what he would do to someone if they fucked with his MATE and it got back to him?" She lost the covertness I was going for and looked right at the bitch, "I pity the fool."

I barked out a laugh. Huh, drunker than I thought, "Alright Mr. T. that is enough of that."

Rose cleared her throat to get my attention and I sighed, before looking over at her with a bored face, "Yes? You are crashing my bachelorette party."

She started to fidget a little and I smirked at her as Char snickered across from us. It took a sec, but she finally found her voice. "I wanted to talk to you."

I raised a brow, "I remember saying everything I had to say to you. I cannot think of a single thing we have to talk about."

She looked down and sighed, "I just wanted to tell you you were right, about everything. We didn't think about what our actions caused and I wanted to apologize for my part in it."

I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms; "Do you now?" she nodded. I looked at Char and she shook her head, her shoulders shaking from her quiet laughter. "Well Miss. Hale, I will tell you the same thing I told your mother before she died, I will forgive you when I see actual tears for your crimes. Words are just that, words. It was your actions that caused this fucked up shit and it is through actions that it will be laid to rest. I didn't let you and Emmett go so you could hunt me back down and speak useless words to me. I let you go so Emmett could prove to me he was actually sorry for everything his choices caused. You are only still on this planet because you are his mate and I couldn't hurt him, no matter how much I hate him."

She nodded her head and I was actually surprised by it, "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

I snorted, "That is not how it works Rose. That is something you will have to figure out for yourself, just like everyone else. You made my life hard to handle, not the best incentive for me to make yours any easier." I waved my hand hoping she would get the point, but again, the stupid blonde comment stood. I gave Her a deadpanned look, "And you argued about my previous statement. What the fuck do you really want Hale?"

"You to give Emmett another chance. He was crushed when you didn't accept his apology."

I looked at her and circled my face with my finger, "This is my 'I don't give a fuck' face. I gave him another chance. It is up to him how he uses it. Fuck, thanks to you, I am now sober. Go away Rose, before I change my mind about yours." I stood up to go to the bar and she grabbed my arm to halt my departure gaining a growl from me. This bitch is going to die. Right the fuck now.

CPOV

I heard Bella growl and saw her eyes lighten up and you don't spend as long as I have around a demon and not know what that means. Fuck. All we were supposed to do was get her drunk so the time she spent away from Jasper went by faster. I really do hate vampires. My brethren or not, I hate the fuckers. That also probably can be contributed to my hanging around Jasper for so long.

Speaking of, I looked over at her and saw the pendent hanging around her neck and just dropped my head down on the table. Mother fucker; well, there goes that tradition out the fucking window. With a growl I counted down in my head, timing it with the pain in my neck from Peter's mating mark subsiding as he drew closer. He had booked a room for him and Jasper in the same hotel Bella and I were staying in to bring Jasper a bit of peace. The plan was he would keep him at the bar in the hotel and I would walk past with Bella right before it closed so Jazz could catch a glimpse of her and smell her scent. Me and my mate never really did like following rules.

Three… now it seems as though all our planning and timing are nothing but a punch to the face.

Two… I don't know why, but I see myself getting blamed for this

One…again I say, mother fucker.

Right on cue, I sighed and banged my head on the table again as I heard a pissed off demon growling. I didn't need to look up to know that was Jasper. There is no one on the planet that can make a vampire want to piss themselves other than him.

I felt Peter sit down next to me and he rubbed my shoulders with one hand and wrapped the other around my bicep. "You really should have called Sugar." Fucking knew it.

I turned my head without picking it up off the table, "She told me not to. Do YOU want to go against a demon's wishes?" He shifted his eyes away from me. "Thought not." I looked out at the room and just noticed that there was no one else in here. "When the fuck did that happen?"

He looked confused, "What?"

"The bar was full right before you got here."

He shrugged, "It was almost empty when we came in." he looked at his watch and nodded, "Closing time."

There was someone yelling at us from behind the bar and I heard Bella grumble under her breath, "Now they fucking learn how to read a clock." Calling a little louder, "Just close down the register and go home. I'll take care of clean up." Then under her breath, "Or at least someone will."

I lifted my head and my eyes widened at the sight I saw. Bella was sitting on one of Jasper's shoulders with her arms and legs crossed glaring at Rosalie. Leaning closer to Peter, "What took you two so long to get here anyways? She was pissed off for the better part of twenty minutes before you showed up."

He nodded, "Yeah, but not murderous until right before we got here. After the first ten minutes Jasper just wanted to poke his head in and see what or who was bothering her, but when he was almost brought to his knees from her rage, he kicked up the speed a bit. He wanted to be here in case she lost control over her cloaking ability."

I bit my lip, "Why didn't he just calm her down through the pendent?"

He shrugged, "I don't know a lot about those things so I can't answer that, I just don't know." I nodded as he looked over at me, "You still should have told us that she showed up."

I growled at him. I was not in the mood for him to be a dick.

JPOV

I was actually able to enjoy the night out with Peter before I started to feel Bella's temper slip. Knowing she was drinking and it was probably just some drunk fuck pissing her off, I didn't see a need to calm her down. Something I learned about her is she is more than capable of taking care of herself, so I was just going to let it go. However, when it didn't lessen, I decided to just stop in and see for myself that she was alright. We were only a mile from the bar when I felt like I was punched in the gut. With a growl, I shot forward with everything I had, not slowing until I was right outside the bar. Slowing down to a fast human pace I ripped the door open and saw my mate locked in the grip of Rosalie Hale. It took more control than I wanted use not to just kill her where she stood.

As Bella was about to turn and blast her with too much strength, I ran over, ducked down and scooped her up on my shoulder and pulled her away right before her fist connected. She twisted in my grip and somehow got to a sitting position and crossed her legs. I looked up at her and raised a brow at her, but her eyes were locked on Rose.

The bartenders called to tell us we had to leave and Bella's temper flared again. This time I did calm her down and was rewarded with a growling huff. "Jerk."

I snorted, "Bella, Darlin' we really need to work on that temper of yours."

She looked at me with a scowl, but her eyes were bright, "I don't need to fix my temper Babe. Everyone just needs to stop pissing me the hell off and everything would be fine."

I shook my head and sighed before training my attention back on Rose. "What did you think you were going to accomplish by coming here tonight?"

She crossed her arms and tried to act brave, but she was scared damn near shitless. "I just wanted to talk to her, but she refused." I was not all that surprised by that.

Bella however was quite shocked, "You fucking liar. You asked me for a favor and I told you no. Don't you dare stand there and act all innocent and heartbroken. News flash you stupid bitch, you can't FORCE me to forgive Emmett. You can't FORCE me to give him another chance. I let him live, and I told you EXACTLY what he had to do to get back in my good graces. No matter how you TRY and bend the facts, I am not in the wrong or to blame. Get the hell off your high fucking horse and learn that you are not the center of the universe. I don't owe you shit, hell, I NEVER like you. I told you you were only still alive because you were Emmett's mate and no matter how much I hate him, I can't hurt him like that. However, that does not mean I will not tear you apart for him to reassemble if you EVER pull this shit with me again. Fuck you Rosalie." With that she kissed the top of my head, hopped down from my shoulder, grabbed Charlotte's hand and pulled her out the door without another word.

That just left Rose, Peter and I standing there.

To my utter surprise, Peter took a step forward and he was pissed. "You just can't stop fucking with her can you? Even after all these years, you can't just bow out gracefully and leave her the hell alone? What is it with you animal drinkers? You have to be the densest fuckers on the planet."

Rose looked down, "You don't understand. Emmett was crushed that she didn't forgive him. He missed her and he wants his sister back. I had to at least try to talk some sense into her."

I had always had a small soft spot for Rosalie, but she really was stupid sometimes. I crossed my arms and leaned a hip on one of the tables. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe she is not the one that needs to see some sense? You don't know half of what that girl has been through and you demanding that she forgive the one that hurt her the most is not the way to about this."

She gave me a defeated look, "Then what the fuck am I supposed to do Jazz?"

I raised a brow at her, "Jesus Rose, open you fucking ears and LISTEN to what you're told for once. She told you what to do and what Emmett needed to do. Words are not going to fix this, only actions will."

"Well I swallowed my pride and came here didn't I?"

I have never wanted to smack a girl upside the head before, but I could feel the itch in my fingers right now. I growled low in frustration. "God damn it Rose…" I don't know where it came from, but I just had the best idea. I tilted my head to the side, smirked big enough for my fang to show and the tip of my tongue ran a path from gum to tip a few times as I looked at her. She looked apprehensive, but I knew she would hear me out. "Are you really only here for Emmett, or are you here for yourself too?" the look she gave me was enough of an answer. "I see, and how far are you willing to go for forgiveness Rose?"

Her look was pleading, "Just tell me what to do Jasper, and I'll do it."

I slid my eyes to Peter and he gave me that fucking shit eating grin and nodded. Looking back at Rose, "You failed to protect her before, protect her now. I will contact you in a few days. Better brush up on those fighting skills I taught you. You're going to need them."

Peter and I turned to leave and right before we left she called out to me, "Congrats Jasper."

Looking over my shoulder at her I nodded my thanks before turning and walking away. Bella might get pissed off at me for this, but I can't think of a better way to gain them the forgiveness they seek than them showing up on the battlefield.

Chapter 28

 

BPOV

I was sleeping like a baby when all the sudden my blankets were ripped off and I was yanked out of bed with a yelp of shock. I actually fell when my feet hit the ground because I was SO not awake. I blinked as I looked up at a smirking Charlotte who was standing over me with her arms crossed. All my brain could form was a loud "What the fuck was that for? There had to be a million different ways to wake me up other than that."

She just shrugged, "Well, if you would have woke up any of the other fifty six times I tried, then you would not be on the floor right now." She then got a huge smile on her face as she pounced on me, laughing as she wrapped her arms around my neck, "You're getting married today!"

My entire body froze for a split second as those words caressed my brain before I started laughing in pure happiness, "Holy hell, I'm getting married!" I jumped up and started bouncing around. "Fucking Christ, there is so much to do." I looked at the clock on the wall and my eyes widened, "And no fucking time to do it!"

Char grabbed my shoulders and smiled at me, "Calm down, I have everything worked out. All you have to do is settle down and leave it all to me. The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and go get a shower. Jasper is already at the palace and his father is coming to get you in about an hour."

My brow drew together, "Why?"

She rolled her eyes, "Only the royal bloodline can come and go as they please and until you get your third bite, you can't yet. That was why he had to drop us off at the bar last night. Jasper got a smack to the back of the head for seeing you last night after he was blatantly told not to go near you. So Lucifer is your travel guide for today."

I frowned when she said that. I didn't mean to get him in trouble. That was why I told Char not to call him when the blonde bimbo showed up at the bar. That thought made me huff. He should have let me hit the bitch. It was not like she didn't have it coming, and on a much larger scale than I would have been allowed in the bar. That was fine though, she would get hers in the end, and I would make sure of it.

I was shoved into the bathroom and the door slammed behind me with Char's voice a little too loud for my ears to take, "GET YOUR ASS IN THE SHOWER!" It left my ears ringing. But I did as she said and turned it on as hot as it could go and got in.

As the water ran over my hair and down my back I thought about everything that I have gone through to get to this point and wondered at what point everything changed. My life was nothing but a smack to the face ever since I turned 18. My father died, my mother abandoned me when I needed her the most, all of my friends were murdered by a fucking cunt and I was near death too many times to count. Then Jasper, of all people, comes waltzing back into my life and everything turns around and now I am GETTING MARRIED!

I thought about all of my life and wondered what Jasper would think about me if he knew everything I have been through. He could read the file he showed me, but because I asked him not to, he hasn't yet.

I leaned against the shower wall and banged my head back with a growl. Could he be able to understand I tried everything I could not to fall apart, but did anyways? Would he understand that I was crushed when Edward left, but the pain of losing my father damn near drove me insane and I just stopped caring about anything? When my mother wanted nothing to do with me I cried for weeks. Would he understand why I would sit in front of the knife drawer, for hours at a time, and think about just finishing the job that Edward started? What would he think of me if he did find out? Would he still love me? Would he still care?

I banged my head back again harder, growling louder. Would he think of me any differently if he knew I wasn't as strong as I pretended to be? He has to know that it's all a front and that inside I am nothing but the scared 18 year old I was the last time he saw me. I can put on a great show, but inside, I am as broken as a toddler's favorite toy. I cry when no one is watching. I beat myself up when no one is around. I still blame myself for everything even though I know it's not my fault. I miss my mother even though I hate her with every fiber of my fucking being. I wish I was as strong as I pretended to be. I want him to see me the way I see him.

With a snarl I whirled around and put my hands on the wall, dropped my head and let the water flow down my back. Glaring at the shower floor like it was marked for death, a tear slid down my cheek. I was getting married today and I hated myself. This is the happiest day of my life and I fucking hate myself. This was supposed to by my daddy's proudest moment and he is not here with me, and I hate myself for it. He died, and I hate that I'm happy. Another tear slid down my face as I thought about him not being there to pass me over to Jasper and it's entirely my fault. If I wouldn't have gotten mixed up with vampires he would be here, teary red eyes and tight throat telling me I look beautiful. But he's not and I only have myself to blame. I hate myself.

Another tear broke free and they just kept coming. I closed my eyes as a sob rocked my frame. I fell to my knees and screamed, "GOD DAMN IT!"

The bathroom door flew open and Charlotte, fully dressed, jumped in the shower with me, pulled me into her arms and held my head to her chest. I held onto to her for dear life, crying without reservations and not even giving a shit. Broken sobs ripped through me and I couldn't find it in me to stop. She just held me and cooed in my ear, rubbed circles on my back and petted my hair. She never asked what was wrong, never told me to stop. She just held me like a mother consoling a child and I hated it, but I couldn't pull away, if anything, I pulled her closer.

Eventually, my tears slowed and my sobs quieted, but she just kept cooing to me until I was able to pull back. She took my chin in her hand, her eyes soft and full of understanding. She just looked in my eyes a moment before she smiled, kissed my forehead and left without a word about my breakdown. I stood and finished my shower, thankful that I didn't have to explain myself just yet. I knew there would be questions, but right now, I didn't want to answer them. I was getting married today. I could deal with everything else tomorrow.

I got out of the shower and put on the outfit that was lying on the counter and dried my hair before walking out of the bathroom. I gulped when I saw Jasper's father leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. He looked at me and his brow drew down when he saw my puffy eyes. "Are you alright little one?"

I scratched the back of my head and shrugged. I was saved when Charlotte spoke up, "Mating Day jitters my lord; very common amongst the female population."

He pursed his lips, clearly not believing her, but let it go looking slightly fearful that I might start crying again. "Well, shall we then ladies? There is very little time left before the ceremony."

With no more than I nod on our part, we were standing in the palace courtyard. I looked up at the towering building and closed my eyes as a sense of peace and comfort washed over me bringing a smile to my face. I might hate myself, but there is a guy that obviously disagrees with my current mindset.

Charlotte grabbed my wrist, "Come on princess, we still have to get you dressed." I smiled at her and let her pull me inside and through the halls to Jasper's wing and into the room I spent my first night in.

She shoved me in the seat in front of the vanity and set to work on curling my hair and doing my makeup. Let me tell ya, she is a wizard with a brush. She was able to cover all evidence of my fit with just a few passes of her magic wand.

When she was done with that she went over the closet and opened the doors. My jaw dropped when I saw my dress. It was two different pieces with the top a halter that the left side would stop right below my tit and slanted to the right to a point that would stop right under my ribs and laced up the back. It had black stitching in a tribal design. The skirt was a little weird looking. It had a thick belt waist line and the fabric went down to mid-thigh on the left and just like the top cut across my leg to the right in the front but had a train behind it. The waist was red and got darker as it went down making the train black. It was absolutely beautiful.

She helped me put it on and when I looked in the mirror at the finished product, I was shocked. I didn't look anything like myself. She cleared her throat and I turned to her and saw her holding a pair of heels that had long ribbons that would lace up my legs. The ribbons were long enough to tie off under the bottom of my skirt so you couldn't see the bows.

She smiled at me "You look good enough to eat Sugar, but there is something missing."

I looked in the mirror and cocked my head to the side. I couldn't figure out what the fuck she was talking about. I looked over my shoulder at her, "And what's that?"

She went over to the closet again and took out a pillow with a piece of silk over the top hiding whatever was on top of the pillow from my view. She walked back over to me and held the pillow out to me with one hand and pulled the cover off with the other. My eyes widened at what I saw. On the pillow was a tiara made of white gold and encrusted with ruby and onyx stones. I reached out and ran my fingers lightly over the tip and looked up at her and saw the biggest smile on her face. "Every princess needs her crown your highness." She set the pillow down on the vanity and picked it up, moving behind me. I had to bend my knees a little so she was tall enough to put it on my head. She lifted the half ponytail and pulled it through the opening and let it fall back down my back after she placed the tiara on my head. She looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled at me with glossy eyes. Her voice cracked a little when she spoke, "You look beautiful, My Lady."

"Beautiful does not begin to describe her." I whirled around, one hand using the vanity to keep my knees from giving out and the other covering my mouth and my eyes were wide. He was leaning on the door frame with his hands in his pocket, teary-eyed but with smile on his face. "You didn't think there was any way I would miss walking my daughter down the aisle, did you?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I swallowed hard and whispered, "Daddy. But Michael said…"

He held his hand up, "I don't answer to Michael honey."

I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck, laughing as he twirled me in a circle. Looking in my father's eyes, seeing the pride there, I didn't hate myself as much anymore.

JPOV

I was dressed to the nines in a pair of black dressed Dickeys, a black button up with the top three buttons undone and a red tie that was tied loosely around my neck with my crown cocked to the right on my head and my suit jacket unbuttoned and opened. Alright, maybe not to the nines, but damn it, this was my mating and I don't do dress up. I prefer comfort over anything else. Currently, I'm lounging in my father's, soon to be my, throne. I had a leg tossed over the arm, leaning heavy on one forearm, my chin in my palm with the other arm dangling over the side. I was swinging my leg around in circles watching everyone scurrying around putting up the final decorations and laying the black satin runner.

A smile graced my face as I felt her shock then overwhelming happiness and the loss of the self-loathing thing she had going on. Looks like Charlie arrived. I felt the breakdown she had before she got here and looks like I guessed right at the reason. They might not have showed the emotions very much when he was alive, but it was perfectly clear when she saw him last week that she was a daddy's girl and she was upset that he was not here. We needed a representative from heaven to oversee the mating. Who better than the father of the bride? Looks like God agreed with me for once.

My father appeared next to me doing one last check on the progress before looking down at me. He raised a brow at me, "Comfortable?"

I nodded, "Very."

He crossed his arms, "Excited?"

Again I nodded, "Extremely."

He snorted, "Are you going to show it?"

I shifted my eyes to look at him and smirked, "Would you prefer me to be bouncing around and gushing about this like the daughter you always wanted, father?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "God no. One blubbering mess is enough for me. Your mother is going to drive me nuts before this even gets started."

I snorted, "I bet." I looked at my watch and could feel the excitement build up in my gut. Ten more minutes and I get to see my beautiful mate once again. I looked back out over the room and saw everyone taking their places in preparation for her arrival. I shifted a bit and settled down farther into my seat. I was supposed to be seated when she came in, but no one ever said HOW I had to be seated. I was quite comfortable just the way I was. I closed my eyes and listened for the sound of her heels coming down the halls. She was just now leaving her room.

I followed her progress and knew the moment that Emerson and Peter met up with her. The butterflies in my stomach grew and my heart started to beat faster. I took a deep breath through my nose and held it a moment before letting it out slowly.

She was right outside the doors and her heart was beating just as fast as mine. I sent her a wave of calm through the pendant around her neck and she hit me with thanks and calmed me with her love.

I heard the door handles click open and opened my eyes. Emerson and Peter were standing in front of her, blocking her from my view, but when they moved, I thought my heart was going to stop. My throat closed, my lungs froze and my mouth went dry. Standing at the end of the runner was the definition of beautiful. This was the woman I had dreamed about my entire life. She stood there on her father's arm, her face split in half with her smile and eyes only for me.

I tried to swallow, but it got stuck in my throat when she started her walk to my side. I stood when she reached the halfway point and her eyes were brighter than the sun and bluer than the clear blue skies. Her father was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, pride and love radiating out his every pore.

I walked down the four steps with my hands behind my back, my eyes locked on hers. I held my hand out to her, and she turned to look at her father. He kissed her cheek and placed her hand in mine. The second her hand was in mine, it took my entire 1460 years of learned control not to pull her to me and kiss the shit out of her. She gave me a brilliant smile and her eyes sparked.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "There is no words for your beauty my little one."

She giggled and whispered back, "You don't look so bad yourself my prince."

When we got to the top the dais, I turned her to face the crowd and took my place behind her, lacing my fingers together with hers. Everyone was looking at me, but I only had eyes for her.

My father stood at the bottom of the steps, my mother on one side and Bella's father on the other. He looked at us with a small barely-there smile on his face. He might be the definition of evil, but he is my father after all. He was proud of me and I would like to say I didn't care, but I did. Name one guy that does not want his father to be proud of him and I will call you a fucking liar.

He nodded to us before turning to the crowd and addressed them for the last time as their ruler.

"Welcome to all who grace us with your presence and support today. Today is the day that my son takes his mate and his rightful place as your leader and King. Today is a day of happiness and wonder for those that live in the darkness that surrounds us. May the powers that be shine on my son as they have on me." Turning back to us, he smiled at Bella, "Isabella Swan, do you, in front of the subjects that stand before you, swear your heart and loyalty to no other than Jasper Whitlock? Do you, under the eye of those you are to rule over, swear to stand strong by his side, to never waver in your duties to him?"

She nodded, "This I swear."

Father nodded and turned his attention to me and smiled. "Jasper Whitlock, do you, in front of the subjects that stand before you, swear your heart and loyalty to no other than Isabella Swan? Do you, under the eye of those you are to rule over, swear to stand strong by her side, to always protect her and never waver in your duties to her?"

I nodded, my nose brushing against her hair, "This I swear."

"Then it is my greatest honor and privilege to announce to the underworld and all those connected to it, from now until the end of time, you are bound together as mates. Congratulations."

I wrapped one arm around her waist, pulled her hair away from my mark and she tilted her head to the side. I pressed a light kiss to the mark that was already there before I sank my fangs in it for the last time.

The second my fangs broke the skin there was a thunderous roar of applause and cheering. Over all the noise, my father's voice, full of respect and pride could be heard, "I give you the new Ruler of the Underworld and his mate, Lord Jasper and Lady Isabella!"

I pulled my fangs out of her neck and licked up the few drops of blood that lingered and nuzzled my nose on my completed mating mark then whispered in her ear, "I love you my mate."

She turned in my arms, wrapped hers around my neck and gave me that breathtaking smile. "As I love you." she stood on her tiptoes and I met her halfway, pressing my lips to hers.

Pulling away from her lips was harder than I wanted to admit. Smiling at her once more, I took her hand, laced our fingers together, and led her down the steps to introduce her to the different sub rulers and get the hell out of there as soon as fucking possible. We only had to stay through dinner, but I swear my father was dragging shit out on purpose.

Asshole.

Chapter 29

 

BPOV

Running straight into the thick of a battle is a rush that I just cannot describe. For so long when facing things like this, I was running the other way. But this time, I was heading straight for the asshole that destroyed my life and before this day is done, I will end his; just like I did his fucking mother's.

Jasper was on one side, Jake was on the other but I only had eyes for Edward. The second before my fist connected with his face, my entire life flashed before my eyes. I felt all the pain that I have felt since that September day all those years ago. I felt the abandonment, the heartache, the loneliness, the agony of everything that I went through because of him. All those emotions built and built and built until I was in that place again and as my eyes connected with his, it all morphed into a rage that I have never felt in my life. As my fist connected square with his nose and I watched him go flying backwards, the vindication that I felt was so life altering, I laughed as I launched myself at his body.

I pounced on him with such force and velocity that we went bouncing across the ground like a pair of wolves fighting over a mate. Bite for bite, fist for fist, we both knew that this was it; this was a fight to the death. Only one of us was going to walk away from this and we both knew it was not going to be the other. I didn't know what he was fighting for, but I was fighting for everyone that was now dead because of him. I might be a demon these days, but I was a human that was fucked over by a vampire and said vampire was going to feel the scorned woman personified.

Growls and snarls were ripping from both of us. Teeth were sinking into granite flesh, claws were ripping it apart. My blood and his venom were flowing from multiple cuts and gouges. I have never felt the kind of high I was at that moment before. I could feel chunks of his skin in my teeth and under my nails. My knuckles were sore and broken from hits to his face. I could feel different parts of my body that wanted to bruise but couldn't. I felt like I was on top of the world, that nothing could possibly make this moment, this event, this vindication any sweeter than the taste on my tongue. His venom was ambrosia to me. Nothing, ever in my life tasted even close to that. I was his singer in life, perhaps he became mine after I died? Whatever the reason, I could not get enough of it.

I got us flipped over so I was straddling his back, pinned his arms down and sank my fangs into the vein in his neck. His venom flowed over my tongue and down my throat like melted chocolate; so thick and oh, so sweet. I could feel it being absorbed into my body, flowing through my veins. My eyes slid closed as his struggles began to slow, the sound effects quieting. All the noise in the background faded away as I drained the bastard that wanted nothing more than to drain me. I didn't know the consequences of draining a vampire, but if the way I am feeling right now is any indication, it cannot be that bad.

As the last few drops were sucked out of him, I had the strangest desire to pout. However, the muted noise that faded during my impromptu meal started to come back into the forefront that was not really an option for me. There were literally hundreds of vampires fighting all around me, all with their own reasons for doing what they were. Most of them were created for just this moment, this fight. I don't know what the older ones want from this, but I knew in my gut that whatever it was, I could not allow to happen. Two days ago I probably would not have given a fuck, but now that is not the case. The weight of the tiara on my head reminded me that there were things that are more important than I. I got what I wanted. Edward was dead and never coming back. That fucker was yummy in my tummy. However, the feeling of responsibility that settled on my shoulders gave me a good indication of what I was fighting against. Vampires were not meant to be out of the shadows and someone was telling them that if they won the day, that was the prize. That was something that could not be allowed to happen. Humans, and I can speak from personal experience, cannot really handle that kind of knowledge. Yes, I got along with them, but I cannot say that I was fully comfortable with the thought of creatures that killed my kind.

The Cullen's were different. They didn't hurt humans. Yes, what they did was actually worse, and I have said that, but the run-ins I had with human drinkers were not the best. The pure fear that I felt when looking into red eyes was all-consuming. Your everyday run of the mill human would not understand, nor would they try. It would be open season on trying to find a way to destroy them and they are here for a reason. That was something that I never knew, but there are a few perks having my new title and random tidbits of bullshit are one of them. I know the reason that vampires were created and weather I agree or not, it is my prerogative to keep the secret.

As I was getting up to move on, just for the sheer fuck of it, I ripped Edward's fucking head off and drop kicked it as far as I could. Feeling someone coming up behind me, I jumped, flipped and landed behind her. Ah, Alice. This is going to be fun.

Or so I thought.

She stood there staring at the headless venomless body of Edward, NOT MOVING. I was confused. I mean, I knew that they were fucking and all, but I really didn't think that she was going to be that broken up about his death. I watched as she dropped to her knees and rested her head on his back and closed her eyes. Cocking my head to the side, I opened my mouth, but color me surprised when I found I had nothing to say to her. Ten minutes ago I would have had a million and half, but right now, I got nothing. Did I feel bad about killing Edward? Fuck no, I felt liberated. I turned to move on when something slipped from my lips that I put no thought in as I ran to help my pack.

"Bet you didn't see that, did ya bitch?"

Turning my back on her I ran straight into the thick of things when I again felt a strong presence coming up behind me. My focus was on Jake and Paul so when the presence came up to my side and paced me I was skeptical. But turning my head to the side to see who it was a slow smile came to my lips. I was expecting it to be Jasper, but I was happier than hell to see my big brother Emmett.

JPOV

This was an irritation. All I wanted to do for the next week and a half was fuck the shit out of my new mate. I told myself that there was sure to be nice and tender showing of love here and there during that time, but we all know that was a fucking lie. Before we finished our mating I told myself that the first time we did anything after that final bite would be me showing her how much I loved and cared about her. Well, that didn't happen. We were both drunk, her from a drinking contest with her father, and me from one with Peter. Not the greatest thing to do at a Wedding, but hey, it is what it is. The first sexual encounter we had as a fully mated couple was against the wall OUTSIDE my room IN THE HALLWAY. I couldn't even keep it in my pants long enough to open the goddamn door. Not that she was complaining mind you. She only protested when I pulled out. I smirked at the memory.

FLASHBACK

It was like seven hours after I bit her that we were finally able to leave. Bella had challenged her old man to a drinking contest and neither one of them would admit defeat to the other. It was a matter of pride to both of them. Charlie refused to lose to his daughter and Bella refused to lose to an angel. After the first bottle was down Peter came over and challenged me saying that my mate shouldn't have all the fun at our celebration. As it turned out, and it was not like I didn't know this already, but Jesus fuck could my mate drink. Before she had to worry about getting sick or alcohol poisoning, now, she pounds them back like water. She was getting drunk and even demons can drink too much, but like I said, it was a pride thing. In the end, she not only beat her father, but every one of us.

We got something to eat, but I was drunk and horny so as we were finishing dinner I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I can think of something else I would like to eat." Was it raunchy and crude, you bet it was, but it had the desired effect. She looked over at me, locked her eyes with mine and the smirk that came to her face was a clear 'come and get it' look and everyone in attendance knew it.

Nothing was said as we stood up from our places and simply walked out of the room. Three steps out of the room and she took off, me hot on her heels. I caught up to her in the hall of my wing before she made it to the door. I reached out, grabbed her wrist, twisted her around to face me and slammed her into the wall. I made sure I didn't hurt her, but I was rougher than I should have been.

Her back connected with the wall and my lips connected with hers. I had my hands on her hips and lifted her up so her legs could wrap around my waist. It was that moment that I fell even more in love with her skirt. The design of it made it so that it fell open perfectly. There would be no need to rip it off. Her thong on the other hand, that was in my way. I ripped it out of the way as she undid my belt and pants freeing my painfully hard and throbbing erection. She grabbed me in her little hand as my fingers found their way inside her folds and to the magic button.

Between the massive amount of liquor and her tight and hot hand, I knew I was not long for this round. But for the same reason, neither was she. We both very quickly brought the other to completion and as she was still recovering, I slipped inside her, bringing her back to the brink of sanity. I wanted this one to last a little longer so I used my gift to keep her from falling and pounded into her core without restraint.

Her hands were in my hair, pulling and tugging. Her legs squeezes my hips tightly keeping me close to her body so I didn't pull out farther than she wanted. My lips devoured hers, my tongue mapped out the entire inside of her mouth, memorizing every ridge, bump and every one of her teeth. I nipped her tongue with a fang, bringing it to my mouth to suck her blood from the cut I made eliciting a moan from her.

My orgasm damn near came without warning. I had just enough presence of mind left to lift my emotional barrier from her so she could finish as well. Feeling far more territorial than I ever have before, I heard my voice come out as a growl, "Scream my name. Let all those people hear you. Tell them who you belong to."

She ripped her mouth from mine, through her head back and screamed out my name loud enough that I knew there was no way that all the people that were in the throne room couldn't hear her. That's my girl. With a possessive "MINE" I sunk my teeth deep in her neck, dead center of my mating mark sending her over one last time and ripping my name from her throat again.

It took me a few minutes longer than normal to get my shit together and I figured it was due to where we were and all the additional people in the palace. After a few long deep breaths I pulled my teeth out of her neck and licked the extra blood away and soothing the slight burn the depth gave her. I had never bit her that deep before, but there was no actual pain from it, just a small discomfort and a minimal burning. Demon possessiveness can actually be quite dangerous and can turn fatal for someone. Never the female though. We are actually quite caring and loving to our mates. However, if a demon's protective instincts kick in it never ends well. I killed many vampires because of Alice and she was not my mate. Can you just imagine to what lengths I will go to for Bella?

END FLASHBACK

I was pulled from my reminiscing by Peter, once again being a retard. He was standing next to me humming the tune to 'Final Countdown'. Everyone turned to look at him and I raised a brow at him before shaking my head. "You know Peter, sometimes I really worry about you." He just shrugged and continued his impromptu musical.

I rolled my eyes and looked over to my other side and down at my mate. She was beautiful. She was wearing an ensemble much like her wedding dress only this one was all black with my crest stitched in blue and purple on her left breast. She was not wearing her necklace, but she was wearing her tiara with her hair pulled up in a ponytail so my mark was fully visible. She was informed earlier that it was never to covered; at all. Not by her hair or a shirt. I leaned down and nuzzled my nose across it making her giggle.

"Now Major, focus. We have all of time to play, but right now we have things to do."

With a reprimanding nip to her mark and one more quick pass with my nose I pulled back. I knew there were other things to deal with, but I was trying to solidify our mating bond and this shit with the vampires got in the way of that. It was instinct to mate with her as much as she was physically able to for 72 hours after the third bite and that was an instinct I was hard pressed to suppress. Mostly because I didn't fucking want to. I wanted to be back in my chambers fucking her hoarse in the hot spring. But instead I was standing across a field from an army of stupid ass vampires. I was one pissed off demon right now.

I scanned the front lines and saw Edward, Victoria, her new fuck buddy, Alice and I was mildly surprised to see Maria as well. I was almost positive that she would have stayed out of this. Either she didn't know the point of this fight, didn't care, or she was not fully informed. My guess is the latter because she was in a mild state of panic looking back at me and the Volturi. She was well aware of the fate of anyone that went up against the Italian coven, but she knew better than most if not all on the field what fate lay for those that faced me.

I decided to just leave her alone. I didn't have a personal problem with her. She was an all-around good vampire. She did what she was made to do and kept the human population in the southern U.S.A. and northern Mexico at a more Earthly manageable level. However, there were others on my side of the field that wanted her head on a pike. I would not deny their retribution just like they are not going to deny me mine. This was a very personal fight between me and Victoria and the higher the number of vampires that stood with her, the more personal it got. I was the leader of Hell now, the king that ruled over all supernatural, and this bitch was fucking up my shit. I am all about control and she was questioning that in my mind. And that was enough reason to destroy her.

However, that was not the reason I was standing here. I was standing here because of her part in the pain and torment of my mate. In supernatural law, there is no statute of limitations on fucking with someone's mate. In our laws Isabella could have been dead and gone, buried for decades, hell even centuries and I would still have every right to kill her for what she did to my mate if I would have found out and had the proof to back it up. Never mind my title; the law would still be on my side. Victoria's vendetta against Isabella for the death of James is so far past invalid and that has nothing to do with the fact that he is still actually alive. The way 'mate for a mate' works is the same sex has to die. Since James was the one that was supposedly killed it would actually be Edward's neck on the line, not my Isabella's. Yes, that is an actual law in our world. Mates are a sacred thing and held in a very high regard by all creatures. However, law aside her vendetta is also blasphemy because: 1) she was not even Edward's mate and, 2) he didn't even have a hand in James' death. That was me and Em. It just goes to show what kind of bitch she is. She picked the one person that was in the room that would not have been able to defend herself in a fight. It was pathetic. I was raised not to hit females, but I was going to enjoy this.

With a quick look over my shoulder to make sure that my special surprise was ready for her, I looked back over the expanse and smirked. It has been a very long time since I was in an actual battle and I was looking forward to it, but I would not make the first move nor would I allow any on my side to either. This was Victoria's picnic; we were just here to fuck it up.

When they made their move it was exactly what I thought it was, a full rush. With a peck to my Isabella's lips and a "Be careful Mate" we met them head on. I felt Bella's emotions as she looked at Edward and decided to just let her take that one all on her lonesome. That was something that she wanted and we all know I cannot deny her anything, but as I was squaring off with Victoria's dude, I did keep an eye on her. Jake, Paul and Michael were there to keep anyone from interfering so I focused on my fight.

I was sorely disappointed with him. I truly expected more out of Maria's second, but he was a fucking cake walk. I knew that Victoria didn't care about what would happen to him and right before I pulled his head from his shoulders, I think he knew it to. I pitied him, but I didn't feel too horrible about it. With a quick glance at Bella to make sure she was still where I could see her, I focused on the next stupid fucker.

They were dropping like flies, all of them. It didn't matter how old they were. They might have had us in numbers, but they could not hope to match us in experience. No one touched Victoria, but no one let her leave either. They all knew what I had planned for her and everyone wanted to see it.

I felt a feeling of sheer euphoria coming from my mate and looking her direction I found out why. Oh Darlin', you are a naughty girl. There is nothing really bad, per se, about drinking vampire venom. I mean it won't hurt her or anything, but fuck it all, now I have to fucking bite her again to get rid of the god damn scent. Venom tastes really good, I won't lie, but our bodies absorb it and along with it, the scent of who it belonged to. Vampire venom to a demon is like chocolate to a P. human female. It is fantastic and, truly, there is nothing like it. The only downside it the scent issue.

I saw Alice head her way but again, just let her handle it. She was doing fine. You could actually knock me over with a feather when Alice didn't do anything but drop to Edward's side. Apparently Bella was the same way, but my hellcat would not be her if she didn't say something before walking away.

When she was joined by Emmett on her way to Jake and Paul, I turned back to the task at hand. I knew with him there nothing was going to happen to her.

Chapter 30

 

EPOV (Before I killed his ass *giggles*)

Through narrowed eyes I watched Jasper run his nose along MY Isabella's neck. My eyes were locked on her and I had to say, even though she was acting and looking like a whore, she was still as beautiful as I remember her. What I couldn't understand however, was how she was alive, well, at lease still here. Victoria assured me years ago that she had taken care of her and Isabella Swan was dead and gone. I even went to her grave site and saw the tombstone with my own eyes. Alice, who has stood by my side since that fucked up day in September, had not seen her in a vision for over five years. At least not until the day we came across her scent in the middle of nowhere.

We were going out for a night on the town when that happened. The term shocked speechless was not strong enough to describe how I felt smelling that mouth water scent. When the scent hit Alice's nose, she was sucked into a vision that I didn't think was ever going to end. Looking into her mind I saw MY Isabella and that piece of shit Jasper getting cozy together in ways that would make any self-respecting person vomit. That was something I could not allow to happen.

Knowing that I needed to get her away from him and knowing that the rest of my family was near and would do whatever I asked, I called Carlisle and told him that I found Bella and she needed our help. He was shocked and happy when I told him his daughter was still alive and when I told him where to find her scent, he promised to follow it and bring her back to me. I didn't actually want her, but I would be damned if Jasper was going to have something that belonged to me. I would not allow that monster to disgrace, defile and taint her perfect scent. As soon as Carlisle brought her to me, I would punish her for touching that monster; then I would drain her dry.

The plan was perfect. Jasper would suffer for all his wrongs and I would get the blood that belonged to nobody but me. Alice and I were not far from the action when everything went down. The more we saw, the higher my own anger rose. I watched as Bella ripped my mother apart, as she destroyed my family with her words. I knew when I finally got my hands on her, that I would not make it a pleasant death. The only thing that stopped me that day was Alice telling me that if we stepped in now, it would be our own heads that would roll. She assured me that I would get my chance to kill and drain her, I just had to wait.

That was not a full week ago, mere days have passed and the only thing that occurred was my anger had time to boil and stew. I have never been this pissed off in all my 117 years and I was going to have my revenge. On Bella for killing my family and Jasper for touching what was mine.

Alice stood next to me with a smile on her face. She looked up at me and winked, "This is your chance Edward. Jasper is going to be so focused on Victoria; there will be no one to protect Bella from you."

I smiled as I looked across the field and took in the sight of her. The smile faded when Peter's thoughts invaded my own mind. I saw everything that we missed. My eyes widened with every word I heard.

I have to meet the fucker that actually wanted to piss off the Prince of Hell.

Major, there is something that you need to know about the owner of this bar.

She said she wouldn't stop till I was dead.

I still blame those fuckers.

My Izzy is your Bella?

Don't Izzy me fucker! This is so far passed fucked up.

Izzy, Jasper is not who or what you think he is.

It could hurt a lot actually.

Me, have a future?

She's not the same girl you knew?

Night and day Peter.

I like this version better, I think.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

She hardly has any personal touches in here.

I have enough vampires after me.

Victoria brings her as close to death as possible.

But you're a demon.

Yea, I'm a demon.

My priority is keeping that human safe.

Forgive me my lord; I didn't know it was you.

Be that as it may vampire, he IS going to war.

Jasper knows her from a few years back.

You seem under the impression that I was unaware of that.

This human, this Isabella Swan was chosen by the fates.

Yes, God himself chose her for my son.

If that fucking mind reader would have left her the fuck alone like we told him to, then none of this shit would have happened.

The poor thing doesn't stand a chance of making it out alive.

Exactly.

Prince Jasper.

She's not dead! Why is she not dead?

Isabella, this is my father, you know him as Lucifer.

You turned her into a demon?

Of course I did.

You turned her into your mate too? Congrats my lord, doesn't that mean…

Yes, since I took a mate, the crown is mine.

Your ass is ashes you poor bastard.

You shall rue the day you ever laid eyes in Isabella Swan.

How dare you think you can just show up at my house!

Bella, we made a promise to Edward that we would never see you again and as a member of the family, we owed that to him.

Forgiveness is lost on you and your fuck ups.

You left me to fend for myself against a revenge seeking vampire you stupid whore. Bet Edward didn't tell you that did he? Or did he and you just didn't give a shit. THAT is what I think.

Swearing to God is a sin and carries no weight with me.

Who carries a straight pin in their pocket?

I am not in the business of doing anything to THAT particular young lady. I like my head right where it is.

I wouldn't say that Em, it is more like he fucks the shit out of me.

I'm not a vampire.

Then what are you?

Demon. Yes, I know.

They knew the answer to that seven years ago when they left me to die at the hands of someone that wasn't a threat.

You just can't stop fucking with her, can you?

That was when his thoughts shifted and started to be nothing but brief flashes of different scenes and situations.

Peter and some other guy meeting her in a long hallway.

Bella in a red and black dress looking thing with a tiara on her head.

Leading her to a set of tall, wide and heavy looking doors

Watching her walked down a black satin runner with Charlie beside her.

Bella taking Jasper's hand.

Jasper wearing a crown on his head.

Bella standing in front of Jasper with a huge crowd in front of them.

Jasper sinking his teeth in a tattoo looking mark on the side of her neck.

A loud cheer and a barely noticeable voice over the sound.

"I give you the new ruler of the underworld and his mate, Lord Jasper and Lady Isabella."

I felt like I was suffocating, that there was something heavy sitting on my chest so I couldn't breathe. My Bella, my beautiful Bella is nothing but a soulless, horrid monster. She was turned into the worst of the worst by none other than the fuck all himself.

My vision started to cloud with red as I sorted everything out and watched Jasper put his hands on my Bella. I could have forgiven her trespasses for losing her innocence and being taken as a mate because I didn't want her, but she gave her blood to someone it didn't belong to. Her blood was mine, it was always mine. She had no right, no say in who would enjoy the banquet that was running through her veins, and for that single trespass, I will rip her head from her shoulders and laugh at Jasper as he watches her bleed to death and revel in the pain he will feel that he couldn't save her.

I look at her and the growl grew as I watched her interact with Jasper, or him with her rather. He should know better than to mess with a female that was claimed in any capacity, yet here he was, nuzzling and rubbing all over her. It reached the point that I just couldn't take it. I was boiling in my skin and wanted nothing more than to get the vindication I was owed for him taking what was mine.

It reached the point that I simply could not take it, and following my lead, everyone rushed forward, too. The last straw was the kiss and that was the point that I knew that nothing was going to stop me from killing that son of a bitch. Nothing.

So you could have colored me surprised when the fist from Bella connected with my face. I was going for Jasper, and Bella got between me and my prize. That was all I could take with her. I was just going to kill Jasper and call it even, but if she thinks that she is on par with me, I will show her that no matter what, I will always be better than her. That there is absolutely no way that she will ever be anything other than a woman and will, therefore, learn her place. If I have to physically put her there, I have no problems with that. This fight for her was over before it started.

I hit the ground from her punch and sprung to my feet and saw her coming right at me. I braced for it, but was once again surprised by her. It has to be the fact that she is a demon now. There is no good reason that she should have lasted as long as she has against me.

I heard someone screaming in my head; telling me to be careful. I turned my head to see what was going on and felt something sharp and painful sink into in my neck. I twisted and turned, rolled and flipped, but I could not get her off me. Everything around me started to dim and quiet, becoming less colorful and alive.

With Bella's teeth in my neck I could finally read her mind, the physical connection of my venom in her body, things that I over looked and didn't pay attention to hit me in that face and could not be ignored anymore. With her as distracted as she was, I was able to see everything that she has gone through in the past seven years. All the pain, all the hurt, everything was laid out bare for me to see; and as I felt my life coming to an end, I experienced everything that I was responsible for and actually felt that I really did get what I deserved.

If I had the energy to apologize, I still wouldn't. I was still cheated out of what was mine. With the last remaining bit of life I had in me I made myself a promise. When I see this bitch in hell, I will end her with my own fucking hands.

APOV (the crazy little elf)

Edward, my sweet Edward. How did this happen? How could this happen? How did I not see this? I did everything I could to avoid this outcome. She was supposed to be dead! She was supposed be dead and gone and buried for years now. This was not supposed to happen. When I convinced him to leave her to Victoria seven years ago, this outcome changed, it was gone. This was only supposed to happen if he stayed with her. He was only going to die if she was still in his life. Seven years I worked my ass off to fix everything she fucked up, all that she destroyed with her presence in our lives. Everything was going according to plan, everything was perfect. I was even able to get rid of the coven, all the baggage that he carried; I got rid of it all.

Then he got greedy. He found out that she was still alive and decided that he wanted her blood, that he was entitled to it because she was his singer, that it was a waste to let her keep it. So I worked it all out, fixed it for him so that he could have it. I never saw this; never saw how much everything changed, that everything was different.

Now he's gone and I have nothing, no family, no mate, nothing. It is all gone and it is all her fault. Everything is her fault. She killed my family, she killed my Edward, and she killed everything I worked so hard for.

Looking at the body of the love of my life that I literally killed for, I felt anger and hate like I never have bubble up inside me. Her fault, her fault, she did this, and she will pay. By god will that fucking whore pay for this. Pay for everything she took from me in blood.

I will get my pound of flesh, and it will be from her rotting corpse.

BPOV

It was interesting, fighting alongside basically two angels and a vampire that a week ago I would rather see dead, and having a laugh. This was fun, a blast actually. Feeling skin shred beneath my claws, break between my teeth; it was liberating. I could feel the energy from Edward's venom flow though me and just that thought had me wishing that eating him took just a few seconds longer.

Out of no fucking where, I felt something slam into me, knocking me off balance and on my fucking face. I felt something akin to fire erupt in my back and a scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. I am not saying it hurt really, but it sure as fuck burned. It took me a moment, but I was able to get on my back and restrain the hands of the pissed off little imp clawing the shit out of my back.

I snarled and bared my teeth, flipping us back over so I was straddling her hips and held her hands above her head. Snapping my teeth a breath from her nose; "What the fuck!"

She screamed in my face like a fucking banshee, "You killed him! You took away my Edward you fucking whore! Was taking my family not enough you had to take him too?"

I smirked at her so wide, a fang showed. I ran my tongue over my top lip and bit into my bottom, moaning like I was getting off, "And he tasted fucktastic, too."

She twisted like a contortionist and flipped us. I was taken off guard and she got a hand free and backhanded me across the face. I shouldn't have been shocked but I was and ended up getting knocked off her and hitting the ground hard. So hard in fact that I heard something pop making me scream again.

The fight between Alice and I turned into an all-out street brawl. We were not fighting so much as scrapping. With the blind-siding at the start of this and the dislocating of my arm, I could tell that this was not going to end well on my part. I was slow and sloppy. I can honestly say I would fare better in this fight if I was still a human. I was still new in this body, still getting used to the upgrades. Everything was starting to blend together and starting to get fuzzy around the edges. What I needed was to get her off her feet for a moment so I could get a breather and regroup, but I couldn't seem to do it. This was not the same kind of fight I was having with everyone else. This was a fight against someone that had nothing to lose. I just needed a second wind and I couldn't even get a first. I was tired, I was weak, I was going to lose this fight and there was nothing I could do about it.

I saw her tiny little fist coming at my face and I closed my eyes. I didn't have reflexes to block or energy to move. I didn't want to bitch out and give up, but because I was up against a bitch that didn't have the balls to come at me head on and attacked a distracted opponent from behind, it was all I could do to even stay on my feet.

JPOV

I was making my way through the throngs of newborns and other vampires that stood between me and my ultimate target when I heard the one sound that could freeze the blood in my veins. I heard the gut wrenching sound of my mate's scream of pain.

I whirled around, my eyes darting all over the field looking for her. What I saw when I finally found her was enough to get my frozen blood boiling. Her back was to me and I saw the skin that was still tender and still healing from her wings tore back open, blood running down her back. Even from the distance I could see it trying to heal, but it would not be done before she passed out from blood loss. She can't die from it, but there is a plethora of other issues that could come from it.

I tore off across the distance separating us, ripping through anything and everything that got in my way without thought or care as to which side they were on. The only thing that mattered right not was my mate and I could give a flying fuck if I was killing friend or foe. In my mind, if they were in my way, they were no friend of mine and therefore deserved to die.

The closer I got to Bella the better I could pick out her feelings, but at the same time, her emotions were beginning to get muddy and unfocused. She was doing everything she could to stay up, but it was only a matter of time before hers was up. All I kept telling myself was she can't die, that it was impossible for that to happen, but even though I KNEW that, I was having a fuck of a hard time believing it. She was determined to see this through to the end, to not give in. I could feel the pride I had for her swell in my gut, but the fear for her and the anger at her being hurt in the first damn place hazed my vision, clouded my thoughts. The only thing I could see was her; the only thing I could think about was her safety. The only thing I could comprehend was it was taking way too fucking long to get to her side.

After the eternity that was less than one minute, I was there. My brain was not working right, there was a misfire somewhere, because I could not believe that it was Alice that I just punched in the face with everything I had. I didn't even hit her to get her away; I hit her so she went down. The hellbound sprite didn't even see me coming. I spared her a half a glace before I turned my attention to my hurt mate and barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

I let my eyes sweep the immediate area and was quite proud with what I saw. Bella gave a lot of people hell before she was taken out. As horrible as it sounds, she lasted longer than I thought. She was still getting used to everything and she was never taught to fight since her change. I don't even know how well she could before I changed her, but I do know that outside a sadistic vengeance she had that was fueled by anger, she was really still the child that I knew all those years ago. She grew up yes, but she was forced to do so overnight just to survive. This was the first real fight she ever had a chance in and, after the damage she sustained with Edward, this proved to be just a bit too much for her.

I was holding my mate in my arms and looking at her face when I heard the growl coming from the crater I planted Alice in. I was actually quite proud at the moment, because it shouldn't have taken her that long to come back to herself so that meant that Bella really did some damage to the fucked up deranged munchkin. However, at the same time, I was further convinced that she was not allowed out of my sight because every time I turn my back, she gets hurt. I can really only blame myself for this because the last time I left her in the care of Jacob and Paul, she was kidnapped so I should have known better on that mark. I was really hoping with the addition of Emmett she would have been safe, but looking around, I didn't even see the huge fucker. He better either have a damn good excuse or be dead; if not I just might kill him myself.

I looked at the hole out of the corner of my eye when I heard a noise, my fangs bared and a deep nasty growl rising from my throat the higher she pulled herself out. The more of her I could see, the louder I became and the farther I pulled my lips back from my glistening fangs. I was nothing but a dog really, a hell hound in human form with the way my instincts were in such an uproar. My fangs actually hurt from the desire to tear her apart, my fingers twitched in the anticipation of ripping her to shreds. I snarled as I heard the miniscule whimper that only a demon could hear come from my mate.

I gently, like she was made of glass, laid Bella on the ground and I was crouched over her. Even a freshly awoken vampire could identify it as what it was, a blatant show of protection and possession. This was me showing every last mother fucker on this field that I protect what's mine. It might not have been the time or the place, but there was really no reasoning with me at that point. I was not in the mindset to understand any real complex thoughts or ideas. I couldn't understand there was a point to this. I couldn't see there was two sides to this fight. The only thing I could see and understand was my mate was hurt and there were far too many people close to her.

My sight was tunneled, vision crystal clear. I could see every last molecule in the charged air around me, between me and my main target. Everything but the black haired bitch and my ailing mate was whipped away; nothing else existed but the three of us. I could see what I was doing and it was beautiful, but I could not tell you what it was. There were no thoughts in my head as I tore through the creature before me. As I decimated it, my mate never left my sights, never could not be seen. Every single sound she made from pain and regeneration spurred my movements and actions. Every sound my enemy made was balm to my soul, something that my limited working mind told me was a comfort to my fallen love.

Anyone that got too close suffered the same fate. I didn't move for an immeasurable amount of time, but I killed a fuck of a lot of things. I didn't know who they were, which side they were on, but when the blood lust settled, when I was able to think again, see again, there was a lot of body parts. When my mate came to and was able to move again, I settled and was able to think again. I won't lie and say that I was all better or even slightly more sane, but I was able to do more than snarl and growl. If there was ever a misunderstanding how much a male demon is tied to the welfare of their mate, there it is. When it comes to her, our entire life, our entire mindset revolves around them. We are rendered completely and totally feral, shoved into our most basic instincts to protect and defend if they are hurt or in danger of being so.

Squeezing my eyes shut and a taking a deep breath, I looked back down at my mate that I was once again crouched over. I watched her face pinch and a tear break free from her eye. There was madness and mayhem going on around me, but nothing close enough to set me off again. Even in the midst of hell on earth, there was a deep thrum in my chest designed to sooth and comfort my mate as I leaned in close and nuzzled my mark on her neck. I pulled back when there was a quiet whine from her throat as her eyes fluttered open, the ice blue telling the tale of her pain, hunger and fatigue. She was whipped of energy but she was healed. The gashes on back were closed but sore. It was taking a lot out of her to stay awake. That was just not going to work.

Looking away from her, but keeping physical contact, I located a random female newborn vampire that was close enough to feed her with. I would see to a proper meal as soon as it was feasible, but this would work for the time being. Now that I had use of my mind my task was once again clear as day. I would deal with her slight change of scent for now knowing that as she continues to regenerate the lost blood her own scent would come back. I really didn't have a fucking choice.

Throwing the drained and rotting body away, I waited a minute to see if she needed any more right this second. When Bella seemed to come back to herself, I grabbed her face in my hands and pulled her to me in a hard bruising kiss hoping to convey everything I felt at the moment. The fear, the pain but mostly all the love and pride I had right them.

I pulled back and looked in her eyes for a long moment before I spoke. "Are you alright?"

She took a breath and gave a hesitant nod, "I think so."

After a hard sigh of relief, I felt some of the tension melt away from my shoulders and pulled her to her feet. Giving her a second to catch her balance, I looked around and took a quick stock of the situation. It was going well I thought.

Locating the red head that I still had a present for I turned back to Bella and locked very serious eyes with her tired ones. With her face still in my hands, "Do not leave my side, understand? I know you're tired and I will fix that as soon as I can, but for right now, you are not to be farther than two feet from me. If something else were to happen to you… I don't know what will happen. Please, baby, do me this one thing. Two feet." She nodded and I pecked the tip of her nose, "I love you Izzy. Shall we finish this?" She gave me a blinding smile, nodded again and was right on my heels as I pivoted and took off towards the elusive treasure that was the death and destruction of the red headed bitch Victoria.

Chapter 31

 

JPOV

Bella was to my right and slightly behind me panting from tiredness and pain. I could feel it and I hated it, but for the time being, I was not able to help her in the way that I wanted to. She was refusing to give up though and a slight smile came to my face. She was growling and snarling between hard pants, slashing at anyone that got too close. I turned my head to the side and took in her flushed face, the sweat beading and rolling down her cheeks and neck. It took me a moment to notice this but when I did I wanted to smack myself. I knew one thing that might help her right now so I called out, "uncloak your wings Darlin'! It takes energy you don't really have to spare to hide them. It might hurt your back for a moment, but it will help in the long run, I promise." When we cloak our wings, it is like we don't have them at all. It doesn't take a lot of energy to cloak them, but when you are as hurt as she is, every little bit helps.

She looked over at me with eyes full of pain and the fear of more but did as I said and uncovered them. Her stride never faltered, but she did. Her face scrunched up in even more pain and her eyes clouded with tears. She screwed her eyes shut, a tear broke free and she whimpered but after a few deep breaths and a roll of her shoulders, she looked relieved. After a tight smile in my direction, she turned her attention back to the task at hand; clearing the path to Victoria.

I felt something coming up behind us, but before I had the chance to turn around, I heard a 'swoosh' and felt the air around me displace for a moment. Chancing a glance over my other shoulder, I saw Michael violently ripping his sword out of the now split skull of a HUGE fucker, brain matter flying every which way. He was splattered with venom and old congealed black blood from the new vamps; bits of flesh and other matter in the feathers of his wings and hanging off his armor. His normally perfect hair was in disarray. All this was normal in a fight for him, I have seen it myself once when I was a kid, but the wide smile and bright eyes were new.

I didn't say a word, stuck in my shock as I was. I simply cocked a brow at him making him laugh a jolly fucking sound as he fell in step beside my mate to the left of me. "Are we having fun yet, Cousin?" I looked at him like he was out of his fucking mind making him laugh even harder. "What? I might be an angel Jazz, but you forget, this was the shit I was made for." He looked over at Bella with a softer expression on his face, "You doing alright, My Dark Lady?"

She didn't say anything as she twisted and landed a solid punch to the face of some vampire giving him the perfect view of her injured back. I saw him wince at the sight but he kept his mouth shut. He always was a smart fucker. I was still keyed up enough not to give a shit about who I killed and he knew it. He also knew that when it came to her, all bets were off, I would actually kill him.

We were fifty yards from Victoria and closing. From here I could see her looking for a way out. I knew she had a self-preservation gift, being able to get out of impossible situations was what she did. Live to fight another day was her motto. Not this time, this ended here, now...today. She was being held off by three angels that I didn't recognize, Sam, Leah and Seth. She looked haggard, but they knew that this was mine, that if she fell to one of them, her death fell on them, it became my honor to kill them in her stead and none of them wanted that.

There were barely audible whimpers and quiet whines coming from my mate, each one tearing at me, ripping me apart in a way that no other could. She wasn't going to last much longer out here and I knew it. Her energy was depleting rapidly and, though she will recover from this, the longer she strains herself, the longer it will take her to heal.

As much as it pained me to do so, I knew that I had to go with plan 'b' here or my mate is going to suffer far more than I knew I could take. Knowing her she is going to tell me that she's fine, she can keep going. I know better. This is not my first rodeo; I know how bad vampire bites hurt and how much they take out of you. I know how blood loss affects us and I have never lost as much as she has in the past few days. I don't even think she was completely up to par from what she lost when she sprouted her wings. She would never complain, but like I said, I HAVE been there, not to the degree, but the mindset cannot be that different and knowing her it was pride that kept her going right now. She was injured by Alice, by a Cullen, and she refused to go down to one of them. I could understand that.

I growled an irritated noise and felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and looked into the understanding eyes of my cousin. His eyes slid to my mate and he nodded. Looking back at me, his eyes said what he couldn't say out loud, "You're doing the right thing, Jazz. Her life is mine until you come for her."

Mine said, "I don't like this. She needs me."

"She needs to be safe. This is not safe. Do what you need to; you KNOW she is safe with ME." I had a chance to talk to him for a little bit before this started and he informed me of a lot of things that I never knew about my Izzy's past that he got involved in, what he did to keep her as safe as he could until I found her. I knew there was a lot I still didn't know, but from what I did, I knew that other than me, Michael was her best protection. As ironic as it is, an angel is a demon's best line of defense.

A lot was brought to light during that short conversation. Michael had an invested interest in her continued safety, more so than a lot of others. He knew what I was capable of and what I would do when it came to her. He was right when he told God that if something were to have happened to her before I found out everything I did, I would not have hesitated for a second to bring down the gates of heaven and destroy everyone there. I don't have the ties that my father has. I am not a fallen angel, I am the son of two demons, and I don't give a shit one way or the other if heaven burned to the ground. On the other hand, I would destroy hell as well if I had to for my mate.

This was not something I wanted to do; it was something I had to do.

I nodded and actually spoke out loud, "I will kill you." I didn't say anything other than that, I didn't have to. Enemy or not, Michael knew me better than anyone and knew how to read between the lines.

He snorted and smiled, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

With no warning to her, he turned and ducked down, shooting forward to throw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Jumping up he spread his wings and flew away from the still raging battlefield. Her surprised yelp carried back to me as I watched him take her to the safety of higher ground. I hated myself at that moment. I wanted her by my side; I wanted to be the one to see to her needs.

My eyes narrowed as I turned back to the redhead. There was still far too much distance between me and her. My lips pulled back from my teeth, the light of the setting sun reflecting the saliva dripping from the knife-sharp points of my elongated canines. I could feel my eyes icing over, smoke rising from the tear ducts. My wings uncloaking of their own volition, opening to their full span. I knew what I would look like to anyone that laid eyes on me. I was no longer the Jasper that people knew, that they saw when I was mellow and calm. I was in full game face, I was a demon, and by god, that would be the last thing that the bitch ever saw.

I was done, finished with the games, the chase. I was done. I just sent my mate off to be protected by an angel, the lowest thing I could think of, all because of her and a stupid fucking vendetta that should NEVER have come to fruition. It never should have gone this far, never should have continued after the ballet studio. The past seven years of pain and loss and sheer fucking torment that my Isabella has suffered rushed through me. I didn't know all the details and I didn't have to, didn't WANT to.

The balance between good and evil must be kept. It wasn't; because I didn't know. I was kept in the dark about things that never should have been kept from me. SHE was kept from me. I looked for her a few times after her birthday but because Peter changed her name, I didn't know who I was looking for. He is just as accountable for this as the redhead. He knew for years and played the 'ignorance is bliss' card. Ignorance is not an excuse, not a copout that I use for anything. I should have been told a long time ago about this, about her. I should have been the first person told...not the last. I should have been there and I wasn't. True it was due to no fault of my own, but I don't believe that load of bullshit for a second. Everyone lied to me, kept things that I needed to know from me, and I was done. This ended now, right the FUCK NOW.

Anger and rage the likes I have never felt before flowed through me, flooded my mind and clouded my thoughts with a vengeance long overdue. My eyes shifted and scanned the field as I flew across it in a blur to every eye. No one even really knew what they were here for, didn't know the full story, the magnitude of this day. The only ally I had in this was my worst enemy, my cousin, a fucking angel. Funny how that did nothing but piss me off more.

I was a small push from shifting, to morphing from the human facade to the demon form that rested just under the surface, always right there, waiting to be called to the forefront to decimate my enemies, destroy all those in my path to the ultimate destination. I searched for any reason to hold it back, to keep it from happening, but the more I thought about the situation, the less I gave a shit about it. I didn't see a single creature worthy of not dying this day, not suffering, for one reason or another.

My eyes locked with the redhead not ten yards from me and I found it, the reason I needed to keep the precarious hold I had on my inner monster, the balance. This is not about the annihilation of a species; it was about her; about her death, her end. This was not about my personal feelings about those around me that did nothing to stop what happened. There was nothing most of them could do. The stupid fuckers that fought beside her would pay for their trespasses and sins. None more than her though, no, never more than her. She was the reason, the catalyst for this and everything that came before it. She was the reason that my mate suffered, the reason she still suffers. She is the driving force behind the purest hate the world has ever seen, the hate in my mate's heart. It was because of her actions that my Izzy, My Bella has gone through a living fucking hell.

I will have it out with the Almighty one of these days for his part, make no mistake about that. I wasn't lying when I said Bella would be perfect even if she lived the life of a bloody saint. I love my mate for who she is, not the life she was forced to live. The past might form us to be the person you see, but this was cruel, even by my standards, and those are not really all that high.

My lips pulled into a sinister smile when the crowd parted like the red sea before me, clearing the last of the path to my prey. Her death will not be an easy one, not by a long shot. I have plans for her and I will enjoy every fucking second of this. With a high pitched whistle, the forces that I had hiding, waiting for the signal for attack with the orders of no survivors came rushing out of nowhere, boxing and closing in; teaming up with those on our side still alive to bring this to an end.

I dove at the bitch, grabbing her by the flaming red hair on her head and launching myself and her high in the air, with her screaming and twisting to get away. The fall won't kill her, but it will hurt like bitch. Ignoring her completely, I headed to where I Had Aro and Demetri waiting for us with my little gift for her.

I was a good fifty stories up when I arrived. I hovered there for a moment, looking over my shoulder at the carnage going on behind me and smiled at it. There were flames shooting up from the ground, screams of pain floating on the breeze caressing my ears like a lullaby. I took a deep breath and moaned at the pure fear and terror in the air. This was the kind of shit I was born for, dreamed about when I was nothing but a little tyke. A human's nightmare was my favorite dream. I basked in it a moment longer, a shiver running the length of my spine as Victoria's whimpers of pain were added to the mix. I was officially one horny bastard.

Lifting her up by her hair so she was face to face with me, I smiled at her and just because I am a cheeky fucker I winked, "happy landing." And let her go. I continued to hover for a second longer before I dove to the ground. I flipped over and landed at the same time she did, but much softer. She hit with such a force that the ground didn't stand a chance against her and gave way to a crater.

I rolled my head on my shoulders and flapped my wings lessening the tension in my back and neck. I was actually twitching at this point I was so excited. Turning my head to face Aro I nodded at his bow. Caius and Marcus were having the time of their lives right now on the battlefield so the only ones here were me, Aro, Demetri, a few lesser guard members, Michael and Bella.

I looked over at her and she was sitting on the ground, Michael crouched in front of her with a carafe of blood to help her heal the rest of the way. He was talking to her in low tones with one hand on her shoulder, the other helping her drink. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing hard, pain radiating from her every pore. One of Aro's underlings wandered too close for Michael's taste I guess because faster than the vampire could comprehend, Michael let go of Bella, grabbed his sword that was lying on the ground by his side and pressed the tip to the guys Adam's apple. The face of the vampire would have made me laugh if for not the situation. The look on Michael's face however was anything but holy. It was dark, pissed off and completely serious. He was focused on the perceived threat to Bella, but never wavered in helping her hold the bottle. He knew I was there, but this was not a show for me. I knew that Michael actually did care about my mate, truly did like her. After five years of seeing to her safety, this was a habit that was going to take a while to break, if he ever did.

As much as I wanted to go to her, I had to finish this. I turned back to Aro, "Everything ready?"

The smile on his face was like a kid in a candy store as he nodded, "Yes my lord." He pointed to where there was a ring of vampires that I don't think I ever saw before but I didn't really think about it. It was what was in the middle of the ring that I was interested in.

James.

He was starved, injured and in the mood for a fight. Perfect. I knew enough about vampires to know that in the mindset he had, he will do whatever he was told to for the chance to feed. It was EXACTLY where I wanted him. I didn't lie when I told him that when this all came to a head, he was going to die, that I was going to take great pleasure in his screams and begging that I knew were coming. But since that day I came up with a better idea, a far greater punishment for the redhead. As much as I wanted to kill her myself, as much as it was owed to me to do so, I came to the conclusion that I would never really get the full satisfaction from the kill if it was done by my hands.

Victoria liked games, lived for them; so I came up with one of my own. I was not going to kill Vicky, no; James was. It seemed the perfect ending to this game to me. She tortured my mate because she blamed her for his death when he was not even fucking dead. She was going to learn a thing or two before the day was done, before her time was out. Then after it was all said and done, I would deal with James.

James' part in this, my vendetta against him is actually the same thing as Victoria's. His actions against my mate will not go unpunished. I meant every word I said to him. I was going to burn him. But I decided that instead of making Vicky watch it, he was. He was going to watch his body burn, turn to ash before his eyes before I crushed his skull with my bare hands.

This is the kind of shit I live for. Death, pain and destruction is my calling card, horror and gore are my party favors and decorations. This was me at my finest, my dreams and ideas becoming reality. This was everything I thought it was going to be and when it was done I would have proven to anyone that held doubts about me, about my right to hold my title and position, wrong. My core makeup was centered on this kind of thing, it was who I was, what I am. I am a demon, the evilest creature ever created, ever born. I never once tried to hide who I was, and I never will.

I am the devil and I will rain down hell fire and brimstone on my enemies.

I moved to crouch in front of James, grabbing his chin in my hand and roughly jerking his head up to look at me. His eyes sparked with hate and anger making me smirk at him. "Tell me vampire, where is your fight, your fire, your will to live beyond this moment? You were so adamant that you were going to get free, that you would get the last word, the last laugh. Where has that gone? Is it because you know you have no chance, not even a fucking prayer to survive? Is it because you are resigned to your fate, accepting things as they are? Or is it because you know I won?"

He growled at me making my smirk widen. "You haven't won anything. You hide behind others because you are not strong enough to beat me on your own."

I cocked a brow, "Is that right? Tell you what vampire I'll make you a deal. You beat any opponent I choose for you, and to be clear by beat I do mean kill, you will have your chance to prove that. What do you say?"

He leaned in close to my face, got nose to nose with me and snarled, "Bring it on."

I snapped my teeth at him making him snap back. My smirk morphed into a wide smile, "Perfect." I heard Victoria pulling herself out of her hole so I let him go. I stood and headed over to my mate, who was starting to feel a little better, calling over my shoulder, "Best of luck!"

*X*

The fight didn't take long, not that I thought it was going to, but the end result was not what I expected. It took Vicky a bit to figure out what was going on, but once she figured out that James was not happy to see her, was not going to sweep her up in his arms and skip merrily off into the sunset with her, she got pissed. I didn't actually think the chick could fight, but Jesus that girl is a scrapper. James got a few hits in but not enough. She beat the ever living shit out of him. The scorned woman myth strikes again it seems.

I was actually kinda shocked when she came out the victor, if you could call it that. She was the definition of broken as she dropped to her knees and gathered his ashes in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she tried to cry for him, the love that she was forced to kill so she could survive.

I cocked my head to the side and rubbed my chin, coming up with that I was going to do next. There were so many things, millions of options on how to handle this. They all ended in her death so the path I chose really didn't matter all that much. Well, I am nothing if not an asshole.

With my hands clasped behind my back, a smirk on my face I approached her, mirth brightly shining in my eyes. "I wonder how you feel right now. Lost because the whole reason that you did anything you did for the last seven years was for a man that just tried to kill you? Mournful because now you know for certain that he is in fact gone? In pain because you were the one to destroy him? I know, how about helpless because there was nothing you could do about it, couldn't stop it from happening. That about right? Don't feel bad Vicky, you did the only thing you could. It was him or you. If you didn't kill him he was going to kill you."

Her voice was hoarse, "You're a monster."

I chuckled, "Well, I don't like to brag." She screeched and lunged at me. I sighed and shook my head. Such a predictable lot, vampires. When she got close my hand shot out and grabbed her neck, her momentum kicking her feet up and I crouched down, slamming her back down on the ground, driving her a few inches in. Waving a finger back and forth in front of her face, "Ahahah you naughty girl. You brought this all on yourself. If you would have just left well enough alone this would not be your life right now. If you were not such a fucking moron you could have moved on, found a different man, hell woman, to be with and lived quite happily for what could have been eternity. But no, you just had to go after the one person on the planet that was off limits. If you would not have been a goddamn coward and not chosen the only human present that day, you might have lived to see another day. But alas, again not what happened. You picked the wrong the person to fuck with and now you have me to deal with. You have not been hunting and hurting Edward's mate all these years, you have been harming mine and I gotta say, I am not a fan."

Her eyes went wide as that settled in and I was having a little bit of a hard time understanding why. Edward was on her side in this. If Bella was his mate and she hated him so much that she was going to kill someone because of him, why would she team up with him? Something is not adding up here. I shrugged it off. Not really an issue if you think about it. In the next few moments, they will both be dead and everything will get sorted out eventually.

I was suddenly very tired. This whole thing has gotten way out of hand, and as much as I really wanted to drag out her death and make it as painful as possible, I didn't really think that I could do anything more to her than I already did, even for me there is no fun in killing someone as broken as she was.

I lifted my free hand up so she could see it again and let my claws grow, delighting in how her eyes went even wider. Okay, perhaps I was wrong in thinking that I was not going to enjoy this. With the tip of my forefinger claw, I cut onto her stone like flesh and drug it slowly across her face, my smile one of pure pleasure as I basked in her screams. After that was done, I moved on to her chest, and using all my fingers, I slashed hard and deep from shoulder to hip. I continued until she bore the same scars as she bestowed on my mate; smiling like a damn fool the whole time. When I was done I was covered with her venom and the blood from her last meal. Might have gone a bit too deep in some places I reckon.

Victoria's screams died down to whimpers and whines, sounding not unlike a puppy that was run over by a car. The euphoria that I felt then was only topped by the feeling of my mate's inner walls clamping around my dick in the height of her ecstasy squeezing and milking me of every drop of my essence. Christ I need to get laid.

Still holding her down, I looked over at my mate and was surprised by the pure desire in her eyes. I really shouldn't have been though. Her eyes, though still showing pain, burned bright with lust. She was just as turned on as I was and from the heat in her gaze, she was willing if I wanted to take her right here, right now. I did, but I wouldn't. There was something to take care of first. Business now, play later. Looking down at Victoria one last time I smirked. Crooking a finger at Bella, I beckoned her to me.

Michael helped her to her feet and with him a half step behind her in case her legs were still on the weak side, she slowly made her way over to me, pain clearly written on her face with every step she made. When she got to me, the shock and delight on her face at Victoria's appearance made me chuckle. The kill was mine, but I felt that it really should be hers. Locking my eyes on hers, I held my hand up and caught the Zippo that was tossed to me by someone. I held it out to her and she smiled at me, "Would you like to do the honors my love?"

She held out her hand and took the lighter from me. Looking down at the vampire in my grasp, a smirk came to her face. She Crouched down, both me with my free hand and Michael from behind her helping her not to fall completely, she put her lips right next to Victoria's ear. "Guess what bitch, the man you thought loved you, wanted you, he wanted ME. He came to ME when he was strong enough to move, when he was whole. You pined for a man that didn't even WANT you." She opened the lighter and with a flick, held the flame over her face, "Burn with that knowledge." I pulled my hand back and she dropped the lighter on the tip of her nose, the venom catching on contact. Michael grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the wall of flames that shot out of the hole. It wouldn't have harmed her, but she was in enough pain at the moment. He was going on better safe than sorry.

I peeled my shirt off and wiped my face and hands off and tossed it away before turning to my mate and opening my arms. "Come here Darlin'." She launched herself into my arms, well stumbled, and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped one arm around her waist and the other was tangled in her hair, my wings closing around her holding her to me. I buried my nose in her hair taking a deep relaxing breath, taking in her still slightly off scent.

Her shoulders started shaking and if not for my empathy I would have thought that she was crying. However, I knew better. She was elated, ecstatic on a level I have never felt from her. A giggle broke free, followed by a snort. Next thing I knew she was laughing so hard that there were tears streaming down her face. She threw her head back and just belted out her mirth, her happiness. "DING DONG THE BITCH IS DEAD!" She looked at me, her smile so wide that I would bet it hurt her cheeks, "Jazz, it's over, it's finally fucking over." She pulled back just enough to put her arms around my neck and jumped, wrapping her legs around my waist, wrapping herself around me, squeezing me in a hug that would have crushed the breastplate and every rib had I been a human, laughing in my ear repeating "it's over" over and over.

When she pulled back, I gave her a smirk, "Did you have any doubt?"

She narrowed her eyes, but couldn't drop the smile so the effect was lost. "Jerk."

I shrugged making her giggle again before I pulled her to me and took her lips with mine. She melted into me with a moan of pure happiness before giggling into my mouth as I spun her around in a circle.

Yes, the whole Victoria debacle was finally over. However there were so many things still to come our way and I knew it. Some good, some bad but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I could handle anything that came my way so long as I had my mate by my side, where she belongs.

Pulling back from her and looking at the love shining in her eyes, I was brought back to reality. I was pulled away from my mating night to deal with this bullshit. A predatory gleam sparked in my eyes at that thought and the only thing that I could think about at that moment was me, my mate and black silk sheets for an easy glide.

Chapter 32

 

JPOV

I had my arms around Bella's shoulders as we stood on the hilltop overlooking the end of the battle. The view was like something out of a wet dream. I am beginning to think I have issues. There has not been much in the past few hours that has not had me hard enough to carve a diamond with my cock.

This is what happens when you get between a demon and his mate on their mating night, a horny mother fucker.

I was taking stock of the losses on our side when something popped in my head. I put my chin on Bella's shoulder and turned to look at her, "Tell me Little One, what happened to Emmett?

She looked startled at the question, "Emmett?"

I nodded, "I saw him and two of the dogs with you right before Alice decided she wanted to die. Where did he go?"

She smirked, "It would seem that I was right all along. Rose is all bark and no bite. She got in a mess and as his mate, she is higher on his give a shit list. He went to help her. Not sure really what happened with Jake and Paul though."

I snorted; stupid mutts. I nuzzled my mark like the addict I am. "I am so proud of you Darlin'"

She pulled out of my arms and turned to face me, but she was looking at the ground. "Why the fuck would you be proud of me? I got my ass kicked."

I crossed my arms and cocked my brow at her. "You did?"

She nodded and kicked at the ground with her toe. "Michael had to take me out of the fight and had to help me drink because I couldn't even hold the bottle on my own. All I have been hearing lately is how much better demons are than vampires and I was taken out by one."

I sighed and shook my head, "You were blindsided Darlin'. I can tell that just from the damage to your back. You have to remember Luv, you are barely a week old CHANGELING. It takes time to get used to all the changes. On top of that you were still injured from fighting with Fuckward. I was the one that taught Alice to fight and I didn't have the time with you.

"Tell me little one, how many fights have you been in?" She shrugged. "How many were you not your best against a vampire?" She looked up at me at that. "Baby, I have no doubt that had you not gotten hurt against Edward and Alice didn't pull a bitch move and attack a distracted opponent, you would have kicked the ever livin' shit out of her. As it was though, you did a lot of damage to her. It took her longer to get back to her feet than normal."

She grinned a little, the tip of one of her fangs showing, "You're just saying that."

I snorted hard at that, "Iz, when the fuck have I ever cared about sparing someone's feelings? The truth is, my love, you kicked ass today." Then I smirked before lunging at her and pulling her into my arms. With my lips right by her ear I whispered low and husky, "and I am going to be spanking yours tonight."

She moaned and pressed her body closer to mine, "promises promises My Lord."

I chuckled, "Don't I ALWAYS keep my promises to you?"

She nodded and looked up at me, "Is it really over Jazz? A lot of people died today. We are not going to have to deal with this shit again are we?"

I shook my head, "No. It will be centuries before this happens again. We go through this crap every five or so. Remember what Michael said the day you met? It has happened before and it will again. The why is always different, but it always happens. First time Heaven and Hell teamed up though."

"That would be because we like the golden gates standing."

I turned my head and saw Michael standing there looking the part of warrior angel. He was still covered in all kinds of gross, but he had a smile on his face.

I smirked at him, "They will come down eventually Angel, and we both know it."

He smirked right back, "And I will be there to stop you just as I always have been." He turned to my mate and bowed his head, "As I have said from the beginning My Lady, it was an honor."

She looked at him for a moment before coming to a conclusion. She pulled away from me and walked up to him. He just stood there as she looked him in the eye, but he was a little more nervous now. She left him like that for a few beats before she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for everything, Mikey."

He smiled down at the top of her head before wrapping his arms around her, returning the embrace. He pulled back and held her at arm's-length and smirked, "Are we even now?"

Her eyes were as bright as her smile as she winked at him, "not by a long shot fucker."

Michael laughed out loud as he took a step back, "Then I guess I will see you on the other side." He jumped in the air and flew a fast circle around the battlefield, using his angel mojo to clean up and restore the Earth to its original splendor. He hovered there a moment with a smile on his face, "Till next time My Lord and Lady." And he shot up to the heavens, vanishing in a magnificent blast of light.

I looked over at Bella and she was just standing there looking at where he disappeared. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist and put my chin on her shoulder again. "You alright Doll?"

She looked over at me then back up to where Michael's light was still dimming and smiled. "I think for the first time in a long time, I just might be."

*X*

Leaning back on the wall of the hot spring with my mate swimming around the pool, I wondered what it was that I did to deserve her. I know the backstory to that, but something about it just does not sit well with me. Everything that she lived though over the past few years would kill a lesser person; would have killed her had it not been for Michael. He was willing to lose his wings for her. It was fucking hilarious in a fucked up ironic kind of way. He can say whatever he wanted about his reasons for doing so but I knew him too well to buy that shit. I am not saying that his reasons were not valid, but that cannot be all there was to it. There had to be more.

I lifted my head when she came over and placed her cute little ass in my lap. Raising a hand and running my fingers through her hair I smiled softly at her. "I have a question little one."

She turned her head and smiled at me, "Sure. What's up Jazz?"

I bit the corner of my lip and thought about how to phrase the question I wanted to ask. "Um, I was curious about something."

She giggled at me, "alright. What do you want to know?"

"How were we actually supposed to meet?" There short and to the point.

Her eyebrows shot up into her bangs, "That's it? That is what has you so twitchy? How I was meant to run into you?"

I rubbed the back of my neck and shrugged, "I know that the 'what could have been' is a touchy topic for you. I don't want you to get upset. I don't like it."

She turned so she was straddling my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck, "I was leaving work in the middle of the night while I was living in California after my father's accident. You saved me from being in a really bad situation. It was still early as far as bars go so you asked me if I wanted a drink after what happened. I said yes, we went to a bar and got nine kinds of drunk. After that we just kept running into each other and everything, then it got harder and harder to leave.

"I found out what you were by accident. I had a key to your place. You told me I could use it whenever I wanted. The pipes broke in my apartment so I went to yours. You were lounging around and I saw your wings and freaked the fuck out. You got me to wait long enough to explain a few things and after that, we got together."

She started to pepper kisses across my neck and throat. "It was kinda boring really. Though my real life sucked, I much preferred the way we actually got together over the make believe way."

My fingers slid into her hair and tugged her back, forcing her to look in my eyes. I just stared at her for a long moment before I pulled her back to me. "I love you."

This kiss was different than any other. It was just as passionate as all the others, but it was softer, slower. She pressed herself closer to me, crushing my dick between our stomachs. My hands moved to her hips, lifting her up so I could slide into the only heaven that matters; the only one I care to know.

She slid down my length with a gasp and moan. When she was settled, she twisted, ground, bounced and rolled her hips in a wonderful dance that only she heard the music for. Her tongue played with mine. This was not like our other times together. Those were hard, fast and always got carried away. This was slower, and meant more than anything we had ever done together. This was our first time making love. I was planning on taking my time with her. Savoring her in the most delicious of ways. I'm going to make her say my name over and over again. Tonight wasn't about dominance, it was about showing her the depth of my feelings for her.

I grabbed her hips and started to meet her rolling hips and felt the most amazing thing. Pure bliss. The feeling of her naked body on top of mine was the best feeling I had felt in my existence. She was moaning on top of me every time I rocked into her hot, wet center. I picked her up and slowly slid my rock hard cock into her hot, wet center slowly. We both groaned when I slid her all the way up and down until I was buried so deep inside her we couldn't see where I ended and she began. I was taking my time with her this time. I held her slightly above me as I slid in and out of her. She was leaning back with her hands on my thighs which gave me the perfect angle to hit her deep. Every time I hit the spot she would part hiss and part snarl. The sound went straight to my cock. I don't think I have ever heard her enjoy herself this much.

I pulled her close and started in on her perfect neck. I was licking, sucking and nibbling each and every inch of it. With each swipe of my tongue she would moan and groan then grind harder on me sending me deeper into her. Her moans were vibrating through my body then back into hers. With each moan she would shudder when it went back to her. And each shudder would make her pussy constrict around me. It felt amazing. I pushed out my gift to see how close she was and found her so close to the edge I was surprised that she hadn't fallen over yet. I pulled her as close to me as I could get. I wrapped my arms under her and grabbed her shoulders for leverage. I was as close as she was and wanted this slow and sensual so I went back to her neck. I nibbled up and down her jaw and licked my way up her neck. She flew over the edge when I licked my mating mark with a breathy moan.

"Jasper." She whispered as she flew. I came right behind her, harder than I had ever come, as I sank my teeth into my mark.

"Bella." Once we came down from our highs I picked her up as she wrapped her legs around me and I walked out of the hot spring and to our room. I sent her my love and satisfaction at our encounter but I was far from done with her. This was our wedding night, no matter what happened earlier today.

It was my intention to get to the bed, but it would appear that my little mate wasn't in the mood for something like that. She tightened her legs around me and squeezed her inner muscles as tight as she could ripping a hiss from me as my knees buckled. I was able to stay up, but only barely.

I locked eyes with her and saw love, devotion and desire swirling around in the icy depths. It was times like these that I do miss her brown eyes, but as her eyes started to get lighter and lighter, I found that I didn't miss the human. Humans are breakable; every one of them had an expiration date. My mate, even as a human was damn near indestructible, now though, she really was. I could literally do whatever the fuck I wanted to.

Hmm, a wayward thought entered my mind from the last time we were here in this position. I never did get to find out how flexible she is. A wicked smirk made its way to my lips and my eyes sparkled with an evil glint as I saw her gulp. My voice was rough, but not nearly as rough as I was about to be. "You, my little vixen, are about to find out that it is not wise to tease the devil."

Her eyes widened, but they were so full of heat that she would have set me on fire if it was possible to do so. Her gaze was so bright that it looked white, smoking just slightly as she leaned in close to my ear, nipping at it lightly, "Do your worst devil man."

I was closer to my desk than I was my bed, so I did what anyone would have done in my position, using one arm to support her I used the other to clear off the top with one sweep not giving a DAMN if anything broke. Sitting her down on my now bare desk, I pushed her on her back, and continuing to stand, I threw both her legs over one shoulder keeping her thighs together. She looking up at me with hooded eyes and squeezed her muscles again. I growled and pulled out just to slam back into her with so much force that had I not been holding her legs, she would have no longer been on the desk.

The scream of pleasure that ripped from her was nice, but I wanted to hear my name pouring out of her so I did it again, a smirk coming to my lips as my name bounced off the walls around us. Changing position quickly, I wrapped an arm around each of her thighs and leaned forward, effectively folding her in half, opening her chamber as far as it would go, giving me access to depths never before achieved, spots previously hidden from me being found. Driving into her with a new found enthusiasm, she was unable to do anything but throw her head back, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Her walls started to quiver but I was still far from done this time. Standing back up, I slowed a bit giving her time to calm before I quickened my pace and put more force behind my strokes. She pushed up and propped herself on her elbows, maneuvering her legs that were still over my shoulders so she could lock her ankles behind my head. I found out the answer to the flexibility question when she spread her legs wider and used her locked ankles to pull me forward again and taking my lips in a searing kiss and used her legs to keep me there. She was folded up into a tiny little ball and it didn't seem to bother her in the least.

I nipped at her lips and she opened them like the good girl she is. Our tongues swirled together as our hips continued to slam together, the skin smacking together with such force that the sound ricocheted around us. Her breathing was ragged. Harsh pants and choked moans were dancing in and out of my ears in a symphony of pleasure that made my toes curl.

This time her orgasm came without warning to either of us and with such a force that my ears rang with the volume of her scream and my roar of completion rattled the glass and shook the walls, my teeth sinking so far in her pretty little neck that I was actually afraid I might have bitten a chunk out of her.

I panted like a dog as I came down, spots peppering my vision, my body sagging from the draining of a massive amount of fluid.

Blinking rapidly as I tried to see straight, the first thing I saw was Bella looking about as out of it I was. I cleared my throat, but I knew I was going to growl no matter what I did. Taking a deep breath, "Are you alright Darlin'?"

She opened her eyes and a shit-eating grin overtook her face as she giggled like a fangirl. I cocked a brow at her and couldn't stop the same sinister smirk from taking over my lips when she answered, "Can we do that again?"

Slow and steady might work for some people, but for me and my mate, that shit is for the birds. Looking in her eyes and seeing the emotions she felt for me shining unashamed in them, I knew that even though as a saint she would still have been perfect, the demon was so much better and I could not wait to see where our eternity led us.

I would eventually be the Devil I was always meant to be, but for right now, there is nothing else I want to be other than the man my mate needs me to be.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.04.2023

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