Cauldrons, Ice and Old Lace

Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I would like to thank my most amazing beta, Thyme…  Huge hugs and sloppy kisses to my husband. Bless his heart, he endured  a lot letting me read this one to him… You will see why soon enough *Giggle*

Jasper POV 

Sitting in my pickup truck, I think about Bella's smile that crossed her face briefly when I handed her the basket of silly flower Faeries. The gasp that parted from her lips was the most beautiful sound I have heard in a long time, and it made my jeans feel tight. I wish I could have read her thoughts in that moment. By her emotions alone, I knew she was wondering if I had any idea what was really in the basket. I could not help but wink at her to confirm her suspicions. When I drove down this road earlier today I had no idea it would change my world forever.

Bella truly is a magnificent being, and as soon as I saw her standing in her doorway,  playfully closing her friend's mouth, I knew without a  shadow of a doubt that she was my Annabel. Her humor made my dead heart soar. I loved how she stumbled over her words, just like my Annabel used to do. It was a very enduring trait, and it took everything inside me not to claim her right then and there on her doorstep.

I glance over to the house one last time before I drive away, and I smirk to myself when I hear the girls giggling and talking about me in a sexual way.  I cannot help but laugh. I love that I can affect Bella that way. It was nice to see her banter with her friend who I could tell had a genuine soul, and her emotions are so pure. There was something about her friend I could not pinpoint. When she opened the door I could sense her spirit and energy. I did not recognize her face but I knew her spirit.  She’s not a witch, or a shifter, but her soul is very old. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I know she is just as important and involved in this spiritual puzzle we are all trying to piece together.

I am drawn out of my thoughts when I hear my cell phone ringing.  Answering the phone, I am instantly assaulted by Alice’s frantic tone.  “Jasper, I’m so sorry… I didn't know….I don’t know how… I did not know.”

I shake my head wondering what's got my sister’s panties in a twist. “What the fuck are you rambling about, Alice? Calm down and please explain it to me.”

I hear my sister take an unneeded breath. “It’s Edward. I don’t know how he found out about Ruby or why he's even in Forks.” She hesitates for  a moment. “Jasper, I know you're not going to like to hear this, but he’s not in a good place right now; he needs you. I see him at your special place in the forest. He’s lost it! He has knocked over so many trees in anger. It’s absolutely consuming him.”

Her words speak volumes to me because I know what it’s like to lose a mate, and I understand how much Edward is hurting right now, but my own anger at his betrayal makes my venom boil. It is hard for me to see past that. I take a deep unneeded breath and when I finally respond I hear the resentment rolling from my tongue. “You got to be fucking kidding me, Alice?  I know you must have seen a vision that Edward and Ruby have betrayed us all. How can I possibly be there for someone I can’t even trust.”

I hear her voice tremble like tinkling bells. “I only got the vision today, and trust me when I say, they had their reasons, Jasper.”

I clench my hand tightly against the steering wheel of my truck until I hear a crack. My jaw is full of tension when I roar out in anger. “I really don’t give a flying rat's ass if they had their reasons. I have my reasons too to stay the fuck away from that…that lying, betraying, piece of shit…I have spent too much time wondering why things turned out the way they did, nothing was adding up right. We were all left sitting in the dark. They had that missing piece, Alice.”

I hear Alice’s voice calm down a bit and she speaks to me soothingly. “Edward regrets so much from the past. He can’t take it back, but I guarantee if you go to him now, the pieces will start to add up.”

I feel my emotions welling up in my throat. “Where the fuck was he when I needed him, when I was lost? He’s the one who pulled away from me. I tried to bring him close because I needed him more than anything. He was so distant and broken at the time, and I understood it. I thought he was hurting because he lost Ruby, his mate. Come to find out he was holding secrets from me. I can’t forgive that, Alice.”

“He did not want to keep anything from you. In fact it killed him inside to hide anything from you. But don’t you see he had to. She was his mate, Jasper, she was the one he needed to be true to like you were to Annabel. I know it’s hard to understand why Ruby made him promise to hide secrets from you. She only had good intentions.”

I growl out in frustration. “I know you had the vision today. But now I wonder, did you ever  have one before today? Did you see the visions all those years ago too?” I cannot help but wonder if she had betrayed me as well.

Alice’s voice trembles ever so slightly. “No, I had no visions until today. It was like a veil of some sort had been lifted. It broke my heart as much as yours. I have not been shown everything, yet I knew you were going to ask that next. All I know is that Edward is the key to everything right now.  Something is preventing me from seeing it all. I wish I knew more. It's strange. I know that they had their reasons. I just don’t know what they are yet.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Alice. It would have killed me inside if you had known all these years and not told me.”

I hear her  voice crack slightly. “I would never  have done that to you, and believe me when I tell you Edward is dealing with his part in  all this. He does not want you to hate him.”

I begin to feel my hostility and anger towards Edward dissolve a little. “How the hell do you do that?” 

“Do what?” she asks innocently.

“Make me care. Fuck, I want to be so mad at him right now.”

“Jasper, it’s okay to be pissed off. But right now you’re the strong one. Edward was not able to be strong for you because I think he was frightened by what he knew, and he cares so much, he knows he would have told you something he should not. He could not betray his mate. I do understand if you're not able to be there for him. I will tell you this. If you're not there for him, or if you can’t bring him through this, we will lose him forever.”

Fear ripples through me. “What do you mean by that?” My voice sounds shaky to my own ears.

“What do you think I mean?” She sighs in exasperation. “Jasper, when you lost Annabel you held some sort of hope she would come back to you and she has.” I hear Alice giggle slightly. “She’s amazing. I love Bella already and I have not met her in her new body yet.”

I feel the smile spread across my lips. “She is amazing, isn’t she?”

“Well, of course she is, silly! She is your Annabel after all!”

I smile for a moment when I think of my love, and just as swiftly I feel my heart tighten for just a moment in grief, when I think about Edward. “Do you think Edward will do something stupid if I don’t go to him?”

“Yes.” Alice is very silent for a few moments and then I hear her gasp out in pain. “Oh God, Jasper, if you don’t do something he’s going to make a fire and walk into it, and everything, I mean everything, those twins fought for will be lost. Do you hear me? If you  have one ounce left of love for him, please save him, save my brother. We have lost so much as a family already. Please try and put everything aside and go to him if not for anything else than to find out the truth.” She pauses for a moment and I feel my own emotions crumbling. “You still love him, don’t you?”

Clenching my jaw tightly, I let my emotions overtake me, and as much as I want to hate him I can’t. “Would I be this angry if I did not love him?” Screaming out in frustration, I realize how much he truly means to me in that statement alone. “Fuck! I got to go find him, Alice.”

She’s silent for a few moments and then I hear her gasp like she does when she has an unexpected vision. “Good!”

“Alice, what did you see just now?”

“What, and take away all the fun?! I love you, brother, and play nice.” I hear her chuckle mischievously before she hangs up.

I look at the phone for just a moment in confusion. Everything was so intense and just now she acted like she saw the most amusing thing ever. Turning off the phone, I shake my  head. “Silly, meddlesome, vampire pixie!”

******

Driving up to the old home, I park and then jump out of my truck and start to run. I know exactly where Edward is.  I'm still mad at him, and part of me wants to rip him to pieces for betraying me. But I love him. I always have, always will, and knowing he just lost his mate, I could not let him cope with this by himself, no matter how much I put up a fuss. I know what it’s like to lose a mate and how destroyed he feels. I have felt that for so long and for the first time in decades I feel  life coming back to me, just in that small moment I was able to talk with Bella.

Hastily I run through the forest weaving in and out of the trees. I can feel Edward's anguish and devastation before I even see him.  His grief is so overwhelming and powerful it stops me in my tracks. I lean against a tree focusing and pushing away his energy and emotion, and trying to project love and hope which is difficult to do since I am not completely feeling it myself.  I begin to walk forward through the trees and it feels like I'm moving against a current. The closer I get, the further away I feel. Edward's emotions are so heavy, and no matter how much hope I project to him, the less hope I feel. His pain bores into my own being.  I gasp in relief when I finally make it through the clearing, only to feel my heart break when I see him crumpled on the ground surrounded by fallen trees, sobbing uncontrollably. Without hesitation I draw back my thoughts locking them deep within my mind where Edward has no access. My dead heart reaches out to him. How much I know he needs that release. The night Annabel was killed I wished I could cry real tears like a human.  But there was no release from my dry sobbing, only more pain.

“Edward,” I whisper to him softly.

He gasps out in emotional distress . “Jasper, is that you?’ 

Laying down on the cool ground, I gather him close into my embrace, speaking softly into his ear. “Yes it’s me.” He clings onto me so tightly, molding our bodies together. Closing  my eyes firmly, I feel the vibration of his body against my own. His dry sobs rack through our bodies, colliding directly into my emotional core, affecting me more than I thought possible. It tears me apart to see him so broken. Tenderly I caress his  back with my fingertips, soothingly until I feel him relax into me 

Edward lets out a long unneeded breath then faintly whispers into my neck, “How did you do it?” 

I pull back slightly looking directly into his amber eyes for a few moments, before I gently brush the back of my fingertips against his cheek.  He shudders under my touch as I speak to him ever so softly, “Do what?”

Regret oozes from him and for a split moment he hesitates before he asks, “Move on?”

My hand stills against his cheek and I feel my hand shake slightly with the stress that has been overwhelming me. “Who says I moved on?” I close my eyes not wanting him to see the venom pooling there. “Not until today was there any form of hope. Then I met Bella, and it seems that everything inside me changed.”

He lets out a gasp and holds me tighter.  I open my eyes again to look at him, and there is so much desperation and panic in his eyes. “You… You met Bella?”

Without even having to confront him he pretty much told me what I already knew. I struggle with wanting to comfort him or being angry to the point where it consumes me. I find my rage winning  out. I try desperately but with no success to hold back the growl that rumbles inside me. “How could you keep her from me, Edward?! She is my mate!”

He closes his eyes in understanding as regret pours from him. “If I had to do it over, I would have told you, but I made Ruby a promise.”

I nod my head. “You made a lot of those to Ruby to the point it destroyed what we once had - our friendship - or otherwise I can't believe I ever fucking felt sorry for you, giving you the benefit of the doubt when in actuality you were keeping secrets.”

He gasps out sharply. “How did you know?” 

Laughing bitterly I continue to block my thoughts from Edward as I swiftly crawl on top of him and hover over him in an intimidating manner. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Firmly I grasp his wrist and hold him to the ground. Edward looks up at me nervously as he struggles against me. As much as I want to comfort him I am so fucking angry with him. I lean down in his face with venom in my voice. “I know you're fucking hurting because you lost your mate. If anyone would know what that feels like it would be me, or have you forgotten that I held my love in my arms as she died. I needed someone. I was so alone. I needed you. I needed my fucking best friend, but where the fuck were you?”

A haunted look crosses over his face. I remember seeing that look only once before, and suddenly I am reminded of memories I had tucked away so long ago, not wanting to remember what really happened the day Annabel died. To this day I will never understand her actions. She was a driving force. The open meadow was so hazy with smoke. Mystical creatures where everywhere. My beloved and I fought side by side flawlessly. She was always in my eyesight, as I was hers. We danced the dance of immortal warriors and lovers. I had never seen a creature as fierce and terrifying as my sweet Annabel. She fought with every spiritual gift she had been given. The war finally died down and that is when I saw it, the dragoon flying overhead, almost in waiting. He did not come towards us; he only hovered watching Annabel intently. She looked at me with tears in her eyes as a gasp parted from her tender lips. She moved towards me slowly, each moment enhanced and haunting. She did not even seem real to me in that moment. When Annabel finally stood in front of me she gently touched her hand to my face, and whispered softly, “I love you so much, my handsome man, my immortal beloved.” Tears welled up in her eyes and I was so confused when she opened up all her emotions to me. Sadness, guilt, hesitation, fear, dread and most importantly love - a love so strong it could quench darkness.

She leaned up on her tiptoes then pressed her lips against mine passionately. A gasp flew from my own lips as she lightly licked me.  She wrapped her hand around the back of my neck bringing me in closer to kiss her deeper. I slid my tongue into her warm waiting mouth. Gently I put my hand on the back of her head as our kiss grew more fervent and our tongues danced together seductively. I wrapped my other arm firmly around her  waist, pressing our bodies tightly together. She let out a gasp when I thrust my hard cock against her center. I could feel her heat and smell the arousal. Her nearness always affected me in ways no one ever could understand. My true mate was the only one I ever wanted to be delicate with to fully make love to her. She knew my desires as I knew hers and that thought alone made my chest rumble as I purred ever so softly for my love. That was when I felt the most agonizing pain of my whole existence.  It felt as though her spirit was literally ripped apart from mine.

Annabel’s body trembled in my embrace as  our kiss ended. Softly I whispered her name, “Annabel?”

She gasped slightly and then  looked into my eyes. Her brown eyes were slowly turning white as though her life was draining from her. The ache in my chest was all consuming at the knowledge that everything inside her was drifting away from me. I have never been so fucking scared in my whole entire life.

She looked away from me and whispered so softly, “I’m so sorry, my love, I wish I could have been more. I wish my destiny had not already been planned. But to keep you safe...to keep you mine. I have no other choice.”

 I just stared at her not understanding what she was saying or why she was saying it. “Annabel, I don't understand what you're saying. Don’t you understand you’re my everything? I don’t need anything more. I only need you. I don’t know why you're feeling the way you are. We just won  this battle; we should be celebrating.”

She shook her head and there was so much sadness in her eyes. “No, we did not win. This was never our battle to win. This goes far beyond anything you can imagine, and I am so sorry I kept you in the dark. I will hate myself for all eternity for  not being the woman you truly deserve.” She kissed me chastely one last time and then started running. I  started to chase after her when I heard a demonic roar burst from the sky. I watched in horror as the green and black dragoon swooped down low. He was angry, and maliciousness flowed through him.

I screamed out to my beloved, “Annabel! Nooo!” Just as I almost reached her, I felt strong  arms wrap around me tightly trying to stop me from going after her. I was too caught up in my own emotion to even feel the person behind me. And then I heard Edward whisper harshly with so much emotion. “You need to let her do this, Jasper. You need to let her go.”

I turned and looked at him with anger fueling me. “The fuck I don’t, asshole! Let me go.” I pulled out of his hold and continued to run after my beloved. I could see Annabel a short distance ahead, and I knew if I ran just a little faster I could make it to her. Then suddenly there was an electrical current in the air that stopped me in my tracks. I could not get past her shield. Annabel had never used her gift against me before and I was fucking furious. I roared out in devastation. All I could do was watch in terror as she lifted her arms above her head and dark red reptilian scales begin to appear over her hands, arms and whole body. Her clothes where torn away by the shift. Her reptilian tail swayed frantically as she continued to run. Dark red and black tattered wings grew from her back. I heard her cry out but this time is was different than her cry of spiritual release. This was of complete torment and turmoil. I looked on in horror as she lifted into the air. She was the fiercest of Dragoons I had ever seen.

The black dragoon roared out in fury letting her know he was ready to battle. His body twisted and turned in flight. They watched each other's movements. He moved in one direction as she moved in the other. It was a dance of sizing up the opponent before combat. They both lunged at each other at the same time. Clawing and ripping at each other's scales. They both cried out in pain.

Her fear and agony collided into me and it broke me to the core. I stood there stunned in silence. I briefly looked around and everyone who fought in battle with us stood in silence. As an eerie cloud of gloom fell upon us, I wondered why no one was doing anything. Why all of her guardians were standing in watch. I heard a whisper on the wind. “We were ordered to stand down. This is her destiny , this is what is to happen.” I looked around wondering who said that.  My dead heart clinched in pain as I watched my whole world fall apart.

Annabel swiped her clawlike hand against the black dragoon's face, and that is when everything seemed to go into slow motion. He whipped his tail sharply. It sounded like a loud crash when it hit her directly in the middle of her  back. She screamed out in agony, her body arching back. He let go of my love and her body fell from the sky at a rapid pace. She screeched in agony as she instantly shifted back into her human form as her body crumpled to the ground causing her shield to instantly evaporate. Her pain crushed into my very being. I ran to her as fast as I could.  When I got near I scrambled to the ground and cradled her bleeding body in my arms. “Oh God, what have you done? Why? Oh fuck, why?” My thoughts and words were incoherent to my own ears, dry sobs ripping through me. I held her blood soaked body tightly to me, rocking her back and forth. I looked down into her fading eyes.

She gasped for breath and gently reached her hand to my cheek. She whispered ever so softly in a harsh rasp, “I‘ll find my way back to you.”

My hand trembled as I gently caressed her lips, projecting as much love to her as I possibly could, trying to ease her pain by bringing it into my own physical being. I had never felt anything so excruciating in my whole existence. My voice tremored slightly when I tried to soothe her. “Shhh, baby! You don’t need to talk. I got you, I got you.” She looked at me with her hollow white eyes. She gasped for breath, her body convulsed and blood seeped from her mouth. My dead heart broke when suddenly her whole body went limp in my arms.  Her whole life force drained in a moment's time. I screamed up to the heavens, cursing God, Goddess and any other deity that may exist.

*****

I am drawn out of my tormented memories when I hear Edward crying out my name in desperation. “Jasper, stop you're hurting me.” I look down at him, and I have never been more livid in my entire existence. I don’t give a fuck if I’m hurting him right now. I feel so betrayed by everyone. He is the only one here I can take it out on. It’s not  natural for a vampire to be able to lock away memories, but somehow I did, and I wonder briefly if the lack of memory is due to an act of magic. I roar out in devastation when I realize that even my beloved had kept secrets from me. But I can’t be angry with her, I just can’t.  I feel the tension building in my jaw. I grit my teeth together and squeeze Edward's wrist even tighter, until I could see the pain creasing his brow.

“Jasper,” he pleads weakly.

I look down at my hand clasping tightly around his marble-like wrist that is cracking under my tight grasp. Hovering over him, I feel his grief and pain penetrate directly into my cold dead heart.

Edward's marbled flesh crackles and I hear him gasp out, “Jasper, don’t you think I have hurt enough? Lost enough?!  My mate just died. I just lost my whole world.” I feel him shaking underneath me with dry sobs. “I lost you so many years ago because I was a damn fool. Now it all means nothing. She's gone and you wish I was dead and I can’t blame you for that.”  I could see the venom pooling into his eyes. “I can’t take it anymore. Please, please, just ... If you're going to hurt me, please just kill me and do it fast.” His words and the pain and anguish flowing from him burn a whole in my chest. He gasped out, “Just burn me so I can be with my Ruby again.”

Slowly I loosen my grasp as a dry sob rips through my throat when I notice what I have done. We look into each other's eyes, so many emotions passing between us. Regret, remorse, grief and even love. “I’m so sorry… I could never truly hurt you. Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I plead.

I see his chest quivering as he tries to hold back his sobbing underneath me. Without hesitation I lean over and lick the wound on his left wrist, healing it with my venom. The taste of him on my tongue is so familiar to me, and I realize how much I have missed our animalistic connection. Edward gasps out. I felt a tinge of lust spike from him.  I look up into his eyes. “I never meant to hurt you. I was so angry and I still am. I should never have hurt you. I just remember the day Annabel was killed.” I looked down at him pointedly, and there is still a hint of rage in my voice. “You knew what was going to happen. You held me down. If you had let me go she would have never died.”

He shakes his head and I can hear and feel the sincerity of his words. “I swear I did not know until that moment. As Annabel was running, she opened her thoughts to me and showed me what would happen to you to everyone, if she did not go. She did it for you, for us.” He gulps heavily. “I could not lose you.”

Tenderly I caress his face with my fingertips. “But you did.”

There is a look that passes between us that is so familiar yet frightening. His remorse shakes me to my core.

“That is something I will regret always,” he says ever so softly with a hiss of physical pain. I look down at his right wrist and notice the cracks where his venom has oozed. Leaning forward I lick this wound, swirling my tongue against his skin longer than needed. He moans raggedly. The lust that radiates from him is stronger than just moments before. It is betraying everything I am trying to feel for him. My anger begins to melt and for a moment it feels like I am transported back in time. To a place where Edward and I had no issues. It was just him and I against this wicked existence, until we found our mates. We were each other's comfort and support, lovers and best friends.

I am taken off guard when Edward grabs me by the shoulder flipping us swiftly so I am laying on the ground underneath him. I look up at him and  smirk when I see his demon is beginning to consume him. His eyes are pitch black. Lust flows through him. He is so fucking sexy when his demon overtakes him. A savage moan seeps through my lips, and my cock hardens instantly. Edward slides his hands over my marbled arms, guiding my hands above my head. The power of his touch is seductive and animalistic. When he holds both of my wrists tightly, I writhe underneath him, letting the pleasurable pain course through my wrist. A deep moan rumbles through my chest as I feel my own demon coming out.

Edward roars in triumph as a smirk spreads across his lips. He leans down capturing my lips with his in an unadulterated dance of dominance. Our tongues slide against each other, our cool breath mingling together in unmistakable desire. Swiftly I wrap my legs around his waist locking my legs tightly around his ass. Hastily I thrust my hips upward, grinding my hard, cloth covered cock against his. Edward lets out a low growl as we continue moving against each other in pure animalistic need and lust. I had forgotten how much I miss his touch. Edward lets out a roar that makes me even harder. In that split moment I rock my hips and flip us over, taking control back from Edward. He lets loose of my wrist just long enough that I can pin him underneath me once again. Swiftly I grab a hold of his wrists holding them firmly to the ground.

I smirk down at him. “You think you're so clever?!” Leaning forward I nip his chin then lick up the side of his face and nibble on his ear while I breathe heavily against it. Edward writhes underneath me moaning  my name over and over incoherently. The only emotion coming from him is pure unadulterated lust. His demons have completely taken him over. I am relieved he has a moment of no emotional pain. Slowly I glide my tongue down his jaw and neck sucking forcefully. Edward arches up into me grinding his hardness against mine. “More,” he moans out desperately. “Let me forget.”

I let go of his wrist for a moment while I wrap his legs around me tightly. I grind my hard cock against his. Moans continue to roll from both of our  lips. I glide my hand up his chest and Edward arches his back. Then I rip off his shirt revealing his perfectly sculptured chest. A deep groan erupts from me as I  take in his masculinity. His pert nipples stand up. Leaning forward I swirl my tongue against one of them as it hardens even more. Edward lets out a deep throated growl.

Looking down at him I know I need him now. Swiftly I stand up and reach my hand out to him. He takes it without any hesitation. I push him up against a sturdy tree, attacking his lips with my own. I feel a cool breeze against my chest as he tears my shirt off and ghosts his hands down my chest. Quickly I undo the buttons on his jeans and pull them down. A gasp parts from his lips when I slide my hand over his well endowed cock. He thrusts into my hand longing for more and I squeeze him tighter. Our kiss is rough and demanding as I slide my tongue into his mouth. In haste I rip off his underwear and am pleasantly surprised when I feel his hand glide into my jeans, grasping my cock in his hand. He gently rubs his thumb over the head of my cock.  My breath hitches and I tilt my head back in pure bliss. He kisses my jaw and neck, slowly dragging his tongue up to my ear. His cool breath sends familiar lustful chills over me as he whispers, “Fuck me.”

Hurriedly I take off my jeans and turn him to face the tree. A harsh laugh parts from his lips. “Easy there, cowboy, no need killing any more trees tonight.”

Pressing my body against his I moan into his ear. “All I care about right now is fucking you.” Carefully I caress my fingers over his moist lips. “Suck my fingers, Edward.” He leans his back into my shoulder taking my fingers into his waiting mouth. My breaths become more rapid as he licks and twirls his tongue around my fingers. Slowly I slide my other hand over his hip and ass. Taking my fingers from his mouth, I growl out to him, “Lean up against the tree. Edward rests both of his arms on the bark nestling his head against them.

The sight of him is so fucking hot. I lick my way down his back as my dampened fingers find his entrance. Slowly I push in one finger and he feels so tight. Edward gasps out in pleasure. “Mmm, more.” I chuckle under my breath as I  penetrate him with another finger pumping into him steadfastly.

Swiftly I remove my fingers and he moans at the loss. Grabbing hold of my own cock, I pump it a few times before I line myself up against his entrance. Slowly I push my throbbing dick inside his tight ass. I gasp out in pleasure. “Oh fuck, you feel so good!”

Edward arches his back taking all of me in, as he rocks against my thrusts leaning the back of his head against my shoulder. Holding his hip firmly in one hand I ghost my other hand up his chest tweaking his nipple. Edward moans deeply as out bodies thrust against each other in lustful bliss. I continued to glide my hand up around his neck rubbing his throat and firmly squeezing with my fingertips. I know how much he loved when I did that in the past, and sure enough I am rewarded for my actions when  he bucks his ass against me even harder. All that can be heard around us are our throaty moans and hard flesh slapping together. I nibble and suck on the back of  his neck then seductively lick up his neck and jaw until I reach his ear. Nibbling on it provocatively, I whisper to him hoarsely. “Wrap your hand around your dick and make yourself come with me.” He nods his head as I pulled his hair roughly, guiding his head back into me.  He gasps in pleasurable pain.

Our thrusts become more frantic. I look over his shoulder to see his hand firmly pumping his cock and I lose it completely. Pushing his head forward I grasp tightly onto his shoulder as I feel my release approaching. I pump into him a few more times at a rapid pace. Then everything around me suddenly erupts into pure pleasurable bliss. I cry out my release, and I hear Edward gasping and groaning into his own release.

He falls limp against the tree. Slowly I pulled out of him, and he turns to face me. He looks at me with longing in his fading black eyes. He grasps the back of my neck with force, guiding me into one last satisfying kiss. When he draws back from the kiss I feel his energy shifting back to anguish. Looking into his eyes, I could see the hollowness, and his body begins to shake as he whimpers, “What did we do? She just, she just died, and I’m fucking my old lover?”

I'm starting to get pissed. I grab his shoulders and ram him against the tree forcefully. He looks up at me completely startled.

“Knock it off, Edward. Ruby would not have minded. You know how our girls were. They enjoyed the thought that we would fuck from time to time. In fact they often encouraged it. They understood that when we feed and quench our blood lust that sometimes our sexual lust takes over.” He laughs slightly. “So don’t you fucking dare bring me down from this high.”

He nods his head. “They would have loved to have seen that, huh?”

I am pleased to see the relief caressing his amber eyes. I nod my head and when I look at him there is this new feeling of reprise.

He whispers softly, “I wish I handled things differently back then. It would have been so much easier to get through everything with you by my side.”

Gently I cup his face in my hands. “I get it. I don’t like it but I get it, and she was your mate. Right at that moment I open my mind to him and let him see the letter Ruby had written me. “She will be back. I don’t know how or when, but she will be in your arms as Bella now will be in mine. We need to talk, and you will tell me everything you know. Is that understood?’

A gasp parts from his lips when he sees her letter in my mind, and then he kisses me tenderly. “Thank you for sharing this with me, you did not have to, not after everything.”

Gently I lean my head against his. “Please don’t, okay.” I pull back looking into his amber eyes. “I could never hate you, you're as close to a mate without being my mate that I could ever get. You’re half of my heart while Annabel, now Bella, is my soul and my forever and the other part of my heart. That’s why this has hurt so much.”

He nods his head in understanding. “You know I have always felt the same way. You're not my mate, but the connection we have is  pretty damn  close.”

Edward chastely kisses me once more, when suddenly a sense of complete deja vu  overcomes me. I gasp out at the familiarity of the situation. I feel like I am being pulled away, and instantly I know it is Bella’s spirit calling out to me - the same as Annabel had so many decades ago. Edward instantly reads my thoughts, and his emotions are the same as they were all those years ago. I start to back away when the  pull becomes stronger. I feel an ounce of fear. I don’t know how but I know my love is in danger. Edward reaches out to me, calling out my name, “ Jasper?” The relief that was in his eyes moments ago turns to grief.

The sound of tattered wings cascading against the wind makes my dead heart clinch in my chest. I look up to see a dragoon skimming over the trees searching for something. That is when I notice it’s the same dragoon, and I gasp in horror when I see he’s healing and his tail is growing back.

Without any hesitation I put on my pants quickly and I run in the direction I am being pulled. That’s when I hear the small childlike voices of the flower Faeries. Their voices are so muffled, as though they are under a blanket of some sort. “Hurry, Jasper. She’s in grave danger!”

As I draw closer I feel an overwhelming emotion of protection. I know instantly her archangel is with her, and I am so thankful for his presence. It is genuine; he really wants to keep her safe. From a distance I can see her shifting and it is one of the most breathingtaking things I have ever seen in my life. She stretches out her arms almost in flight. Black fur  prickles swiftly against her skin. Her hands and feet change shape and turn into paws. She cries out but I know it’s not from pain. Annabel once told me it was like a spiritual release. She felt so alive when she shifted.

I stay close but at a distance as I run behind her. I watch in wonder as Bella leaps into the air. An electrical energy shimmers all around her as she completely shifts. Her small paws hit the ground as she takes off running, weaving in and out of the trees. Her spirit and energy touch mine, and I am so glad she is aware and keeping all of her senses open. She looks around and it is strange. I know her physical body is not aware that I am close, but her spirit knows. 

I look up and I can still see and feel the dragoon soaring just above. I notice a small path where wildflowers bloom. I project a sense of urgency so Bella will run down it, to safety. I am in awe when I see Sasteia flying overhead gracefully. She looks down and winks at me. Then she takes off after the dragoon. I feel her determination.

Picking up speed I run side by side with Bella. She looks up noticing me for the first time, and she lets out a ferocious hiss. I cannot help but laugh; she is just delightful.

Swiftly I pick her up and speak to her softly. “I’ve got you, Bella. You're safe.” I instantly feel her relax as she curls her small fury catlike body into my chest. Having her in my arms, I feel like I have finally returned home after a long journey of emptiness. And I know this time I will never let her go, even if she asks me too. I will walk into flames to follow her this time, if I have to. Now that I have my beloved back in my arms I can’t believe I lived all these decades without her. I would not even call it living. I was barely existing.

I look up to the sky one last time to see a burst of flame coming from Sasteia's mouth as it strikes the black and green dragoon. He lets out a shriek of pain until his whole body bursts into flames. I smile to myself triumphantly, knowing Sasteia will make sure his body burns to a crisp.

I continue to run and gently I project all my love and all the calm I can. I feel Bella falling asleep in my arms, her small catlike body curled up against my bare skin. I felt my dead heart come to life when she starts to purr. I run fast to the house making sure no one is fallowing us.

As we approach the house I know instantly we are not alone, but we are safe. Walking inside, I see Edward standing in the corner  looking out the window. His emotions are still torn, and if it is possible his dead heart seems even more broken.

He looks over at me with solemn eyes full of worry. “Is she okay?” His concern hits me with a jolt, and I know he is being genuine.

I nod my head at him. “She will be fine. She’s strong.” Tenderly I pet the soft black fur on her ears and the side of her face.” In her sleep she nuzzles against my hand.

He nods his head. “She has always been strong. She made her way back to you. It was always meant to be this way. She was always supposed to come back to you today.”

I close my eyes trying to comprehend exactly what he is trying to tell me. It made no sense to me, but I know it would in time. I try to block out his emotions as well as my own. My dead heart clenches in my chest as I speak softly, “ Edward, I don’t know how or when, but your Ruby will come home to you too.”

His shoulder shakes in turmoil. “I know; it’s just been such a long and painful journey.”

I walk closer to him cradling Bella in one arm, and then gently cupping his shoulder with my other hand. I squeeze gently. “We will get through this, the whole family will. But you have to be honest about everything.”

He nods his head. “Yeah, I know, and I will. I know if I don’t there will be hell to pay. Now go take care of her.  I’ll be okay.” He kisses me on the cheek hastily then runs up to his old room. I hear classical music begin to play softly as I walk up to my old bedroom.  Gently I lay Bella down on the bed that looks to be freshly made. I project a mental thanks and gratitude to Edward, knowing he was the one who made the bed for us. For a split moment I feel his emotions and they are full of understanding and love. 

I look down at Bella’s small body curled up in a ball breathing slowly. For a split second I hesitate, but everything inside me is crying out to her.  Carefully I lay down on the bed  next to her; she naturally gravitates to me. Her warm furry body nuzzles into my chest. I let out a contented sigh as I gently pet her, speaking to her softly. “I have missed you so much, my love. I never thought I would be able to see you again. You’re my whole heart, my world, my mate, my forever. She stirs slightly underneath my touch, and my breath is taken away as she slowly transforms before my eyes.

Her breathing is still restful as she sleeps now in her human form. There is so much joy consuming me to have her in my arms once again. I am absolutely terrified she will no longer want me. I look down at her beauty. It’s difficult for me to see that she is in a new body, because everything about her is my Annabel. Not just her spirit and soul but her body as well, and so familiar to my touch.

Slowly I ghost my fingertips along her shoulder and arm. Small goosebumps appear on her warm skin as she lets out a ragged breath. Suddenly I am hit by the scent of her arousal. It takes everything inside me to control myself and not to claim my mate right here and now. My hard cock throbs against my jeans as my eyes wander over her beauty. Softly I caress her long  brown hair with my fingertips. Bella lets out a soft moan as her eyes flutter open.

She looks at me in awe and wonder trying to focus her eyes. I am startled when she lifts her hand to my face and tenderly touches me. She whispers raggedly, “Are you a dream or a vision?”

I smile down at my pretty girl. “No.”

She nods her head then thinks for a moment. “Am I a dream then?”

I shake me head and mirror her touch  by gently caressing her face. “Now why would you think you’re a dream, Darlin'?”

She laughs slightly. “Because knights in shining armor rescuing a maiden in distress only exist in fairytales or dreams.”

“Well I can guarantee this is not a fairytale or a dream.”

“Who are you, what are you and why am I not afraid of you?” That is when I notice she is looking intensely at my scars, with so much love and concern in her eyes; it shocks me that she can’t remember us and our past. She traces my scars with so much affection with her fingerstips. “What happened to you?”

I still her hand with my own and I laugh. “So many questions. My name is Jasper Whitlock which you already know.” She nods her head in understanding. “As for the scars they are a reminder of a time in my existence I wish did not happen. I spent over a century fighting in the southern vampire wars.” A gasp parts from her lips as she looks at me in awe She nods her head towards me to continue. “In the end I am thankful because they led me to you. I would spend an eternity in hell just to have a moment with you.” When I realize everything I just revealed to her, I realize it is too late to take any of it back.

She brushes her fingertips against my lips. “Well now, that makes a hell of a lot of sense. But that does not explain why I am not scared of you.”

I gather her hands in my own and gently kiss her knuckles. “Because, my dear, we have met before.”

She shakes her head. “That’s what those silly flowers said. They told me we met once upon a dream.”

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