Hunter (Draft)

Chapter Ten

Jasper was sitting on the couch when I entered the living room.

He was sitting patiently, his hands clasped in his lap and he was staring towards the window. He was twisting the ring on his finger once more and he seemed to be chewing on the inside of his cheek. Or at least that's what he appeared to be doing from where I stood. I watched him from the doorway of the room, my arms crossed over my chest. A small smile appeared on my lips before it disappeared as he sat up straight and turned to face me.

"Aria..." he said quietly before he held out a hand to me. I bit my lip before I walked over and took his hand.

He held mine carefully, looking at my hand a moment before he looked up at me. His eyes found mine and he held my gaze. He gave my hand a tug and he pulled me closer. When I was near enough to him, he reached out with both hands and wrapped them around my waist. He sighed and rested his forehead against my stomach softly, holding me to him.

"Are...Are you alright, Jasper?" I asked him in a small voice, reaching up and placed a hand on his head gently.

He nodded his head once as he held me, his head remaining where it was on my stomach. His grip tightened slightly as I began playing with his hair and I looked down at him.

"Jasper?" I asked him softly and he pulled back slightly.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I...I didn't realise that biting you would make you so sick," he said as he shook his head.

"Neither of us knew it would, Jasper. I didn't know it would until my father told me when I got home," I said to him as I tried to reassuring him but he just shook his head.

"I...I don't want to hurt you any more, Aria..." he whispered as he held me.

"Then what are we going to do, Jasper? You clearly like the taste of my blood..." I began before I frowned as I remembered something he had said at the party.

"Jasper?" I asked as I looked down at him and he looked up at me.

"What is it?" he asked me carefully.

"Are the party...You said something like you had only known of one other person aside from me that had my scent. My...My blood. What...What did you mean by that?" I asked him carefully as I looked at him and he pulled back from me.

"I...Well...I'm not entirely sure how to explain it..." he said and I moved to sit beside him on the couch.

"Try, Jasper. Please? I want to know what you meant," I asked him as I took his hands gently in mine.

He bit down on his lip again, before he lifted my hands up to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I watched him carefully, blushing a little before I cleared my throat. He sighed before he looked down as he held onto my hands.

"Before we moved here...A good few decades ago, I came across a person. A man with the same scent as yours. It was only a brief moment, catching his scent, but it was enough to make me want to get to know him. There was a tug, a pull to his blood but it was nowhere near as strong as what I feel towards yours, Aria," he began explaining, looking up at me and I met his gaze.

"What happened?" I asked him in a soft voice, trying to coax him into telling me more.

"After...After we got to know one another, I eventually came around to telling him what I was. He was shocked at first but after we talked more, after I told him everything that I could and was allowed to tell him, he started to believe me more. Not as quickly as you did but he believed me. Unfortunately...Another vampire caught wind of what was happening and what was becoming of our friendship. He was a rogue vampire that had an axe to grind..." he said as he looked down at our hands and he gave them a squeeze.

"He...He caught up with my friend one night when we were apart and I was at my father's place and the vampire attacked him. He bit him and he bled him dry. It's the effect that drinking blood like yours has on us vampires. Once we have a taste of blood like yours, we won't want to stop...Until there's nothing left..." he said, his voice sounding worried and desperate. I frowned as he spoke and I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"Then...Why did you stop that night at the party?" I asked him, confused and he looked up at me carefully.

"I was just...I was trying to prove a point to you. To make sure that you understood and believed what I was telling you and what you had seen," he said as he looked at me and I pulled my hands back from his.

"That's not the only reason. Is it Jasper?" I asked him, my eyes never leaving his face as he started to fidget where he sat.

"Jasper? Jasper what is it?" I asked as I moved around to face him more and he got up and began to pace in front of me.

He looked at me before he looked away and continued pacing in front of the couch. I watched him, confused as to why he was so agitated by what we were talking about. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek again and twisting that ring around on his finger and he looked like he was about to chew through the skin on his cheek.

He stopped after a moment before he looked over at me again and he knelt down in front of me, taking my hands in his gently.

"Do you trust me, Aria?" he asked and I frowned at him.

"I barely know you, Jasper..." I began to say but he interrupted me.

"But you've let me into your house. You let me tend to your wounds so on some level or another you do trust me," he said to me as he squeezed my hands gently.

"I guess..." I said quietly as I looked down and then back up at him.

"I...I'll have to leave soon if I have any hope of getting you to trust me. And be able to tell you exactly what is going on..." he said quietly before he leaned in to me and rested his forehead against mine gently.

"Why can't you just tell me now?" I asked him in a small voice as I looked up at him.

"There...are people that I need to talk with first..." he said as he pulled away from me and reluctantly turned to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going, Jasper?" I called after him as I stood up and reached out, grabbing his arm. He slipped his arm out free from my grip before cupping my cheek gently.

"I'll be back, my Love. I promise," he said before he pressed his lips to mine.

When he pulled away, I was reluctant to let him go. But the look on his face told me that he would make good on his promise to return. He gently stroked my cheek before he kissed my forehead and left, leaving me feeling an odd mix of wanting and needing him to leave me alone.