𝑅𝑂𝑆𝐸𝑀𝐴𝑅𝑌 | jasper hale [1]

XII. 𝑇𝑅𝑈𝑆𝑇

WC: 1,084

"Do you trust me?"

"More than I probably should, Mr. Hale."

       𝐼𝑁 𝐴 𝐹𝐿𝐴𝑆𝐻, Jasper had thrown me onto his back and leaped out the window- moving at an impressively inhuman speed. I buried my face into his neck as the trees went by in a blur. His grip on my thighs tightened before he came to an abrupt stop. He softly set me down and I let out the breath I unknowingly had been holding in. He walked away- his back facing me.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" I looked around and saw we in the shade on the edge of a clearing. There were wildflowers and overgrown grass throughout. I looked back at him shaking my head.

"No." He turned towards me and began undoing the buttons on his shirt, one by one.

"I need you to see what I look like in direct sunlight, Rose. I need you to see what you're getting yourself into."

"Alright.." He kept his gaze on me and backed up into the clearing, slowly. The rays hit his skin and I found myself holding my breath again, he was reflecting the light. He had a look of distain and guilt rested on his features when he finally spoke.

"This is what I am."

"It's like- diamonds. You're beautiful, Jass." He turned his gaze to the forest floor, grimacing.

"This- this is the skin of a killer, Rose." I followed his gaze.

"I know, Jass."

"No darlin', you don't- but you need to. You need to know everything. I don't ever want you to be afraid of me."

"Jasper. I've could never be afraid of you- I am more worried about you than anythin'." He gave me a half-smile as he re-buttoned his shirt, taking long strides towards me. He grasped my hands in his own, running his thumbs over my knuckles.

"I know- but I still need to tell you. I want you to know how I got this life." I realized how touchy of a subject this was for him, and how ashamed he was of his past. I know how his family lived now- but I'd be stupid to think they had always lived that way. I placed a kiss on his cheek and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm here Jasper, you can tell me what you need to." He led me over to a rock and sat me down, facing away from me. I fumbled with my fingers as I watched his shoulders rise with an unneeded breath.

"I didn't have quite the same upbringin' as my adopted siblings." He took another breath. "Mine was hostile and..militant." He pushed up his sleeves and faced me. There were bite marks littering his forearms. He allowed me to run my fingers over them as he gently did the same to mine. "Battle scars." He held a half-hearted grin on his face which I met with my own.

"All the trainin' the confederate army gave me was useless against the newborns. Still, I've never lost a fight."

"This was durin' the civil war?" He gave me a stiff nod and continued on, wrapping his fingers around my own.

"I was the youngest major in the Texas Cavalry. All without havin' seen a real battle." He looked down to the ground again. I could see clearly how much his past bothered him, and how much regret he had for the things he had done.

"Until.."

"Until.. I met a certain immortal...Maria. I was ridin' back to Galveston after evacuating a colony of women and children when I saw them. I immediately offered them my aid. She wanted me to assist her in creatin' an army of newborns."

"Maria was creatin' an army..?"

"They were verra' common in the south back then. Constant brutal battles for territory. Maria won 'em all. She was smart, careful- and she had me. I was her second in command, my ability to control emotions served her well. I trained her newborns, but in this occupation, since she never let them live beyond the first year, it was my job to dispose of them. I could feel everythin' they felt." His brows knitted together as he recalled his early life. I grasped his hand tighter, silently saying that it was okay.

"I thought what Maria and I had was love. But I was her puppet, she pulled the strings. I didn't know there was another way, till I found Alice. Now, she had seen me coming of course. We found our family, and we learned to live a different way- a more humane way. I was almost ready to leave them before she saw you comin' too." I lifted my gaze to him.

"She saw me comin'?" He shook his head at me, a soft smile on his features. 

"I remember it like it was yesterday."

______

flashback - December 11th, 1983

   The pixie-like girl stopped in her tracks, her eyes glazed over and her mouth ajar.

"Alice, what do you see?"

"Oh Jasper, I-I see her. I see your mate. She's beautiful."

______

I was dumbfounded. "What did she mean by 'mate'?"

"A mate to a vampire is like a soulmate to a human." His eyes bore into mine.

"Is that- Is that what we are?"

"Yes, but it's complicated. It's rare for vampires to have human mates. The bloodlust is too strong." He cupped my cheek in his hand. "It's different with you- there is no temptation of that kind."

"Is this why I feel the way I do for you?"

"Yes. It is. It's why I feel the same way about you, darlin'." I was slightly taken aback but for some unknown reason everything made sense. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"No, I wouldn't mind at all."

       His golden eyes flickered to my lips and soon I felt his cold ones press against mine. It was gentle and sweet. He pulled away too soon and I found myself missing the closeness. I leaned forward connecting the distance between us. My hands tangled in his curls and his found my waist, pulling me against him. He retreated once more, remembering the breathes I needed to take. Our foreheads rested against the other's.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you."

"I feel like I've been waiting just as long."