09 | BAD IDEA |

AS IT WAS MENTIONED once before, Rory Aden liked to make bad decisions.

Drugs, drinking, sex—all the pretty 'bad' things teenagers were known to experiment with—Rory was no stranger to. Her old friend group in Texas were just those sort of people. Something about the dark side enticed her, it intrigued her. She wasn't the definition of a danger magnet, but she followed danger willingly.

Now, when she was warned to stay away from the forest that engulfed Forks because of a few freak animal attacks, Rory was inclined to do exactly as she promised not to. She didn't believe she was in any danger. Especially now that she had Orion to keep her company.

So with her worn tan leather combat boots and yellow canvas backpack full of art supplies, Rory decided to explore the dense woods behind her new home in search for inspiration as well as ruminate upon the hour long phone call she had with the enigma that was Jasper Hale.

Her headphones blasted some Arctic Monkey song as she stumbled amongst the uneven ground, Orion running freely around her. She was about a good forty-five minute hike (Rory had the tendency zone out) into the dense woods when she felt the uncanny sense she was being watched.

Rory froze.

Then, she detected the faintest sound of a leaf crunching.

Orion stopped chasing squirrels and began growling at something unseen.

Slowly and cautiously, Rory slid her hand into her coat where a pocket knife had been tucked into just in case.

"Are you going to come out or should I just continue exploring and pretend you aren't following me?" She called out, her voice echoing in the trees. Only the sound of the wind and distant wildlife were heard.

She pulled the pocketknife out and held it defensively in front of her. "I'm not afraid to use my knife." Nothing. Her heart pounded harder. Something was still watching her. She shakily began opening the pocketknife but it was hard to open from a lack of use.

"You're going to cut yourself."

At the unexpected cold voice, Rory did just that. The blade swung open, slicing her thumb slightly.

"Ah, fuck."

As Rory automatically stuck her thumb in her mouth, she was suddenly thrown against the nearest tree by a blur. "What the fu—!"

Pining her to the wide tree was a creature with ice cold white skin and black eyes that had squeezed shut tight in pain.

This was a really bad decision.

Rory's shocked eyes trailed from the familiar features to the honey blond waves that hung in his face. Rory couldn't help but inhale the intoxicating scent of leather and cinnamon that belonged to Jasper Hale.

She was downright confused. "Jasper?"

He had his hands blocking her between his arms as he panted heavily. Orion barked angrily at him and tried to put herself between Rory and Jasper to no avail.

"Jasper?" Rory asked again in a smaller voice.

His head jerked up at a frightening speed. His bone white teeth were bared at her. He looked barely human in that moment, his face twisted in a multitude of emotions—fury, pain, and...something else.

"Do. Not. Move," Jasper seethed out in a low, husky tone. His pitch black eyes were trained on her bleeding thumb. His left hand caught the wrist of the hand that bled. He stared hard at the descending drop of crimson.

Her back was sore from being shoved so harshly against the tree and her thumb stung badly. Rory wanted to push him off, but knew it would be no use. She tried not to notice the decimation of the bark beneath Jasper's fist that still blocked her in.

For a few long seconds, Jasper seemed content with keeping her pinned to the tree. He didn't move a muscle.

"Normally when teenage boys pin me against a hard surface, they're at least doing something with their mouths," Rory mentioned nonchalantly. Then she realized it probably wasn't the right time for innuendos.

However, it was both the stupidest and smartest thing she did because it snapped Jasper Hale out of whatever weird ass funk he was in. The deadly look in his eyes faded the slightest bit, but it was enough for him to calm down a little.

Rory acted as though she was having a casual conversation with him about the weather. Like it was any other normal guy pinning her against a mossy tree. He noticed his ironclad grip on her wrist and loosened it, but not enough to completely free her. Instead, he kept her blocked in between his muscular arms.

Jasper's brows furrowed together as he searched Rory's resolute expression. He took in her normal breathing and dilated brown eyes. The pitter-patter of her heart. Strong and consistent.

"You aren't afraid."

Rory averted her eyes from his.

"I've been through worse."

Jasper was thrown off—both emotionally, mentally and physically. Well, he more like jumped away from Rory's warm body. She was free. He grabbed the trunk of the nearest tree to plant himself from succumbing to the very strong urge to take Rory's bleeding crimson thumb in his own mouth and sucking every last drop.

His predatory instincts were begging to be unleashed to satisfy the beast but something kept his last shred of humanity in tact.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The somehow therapeutic beat of Aurora Aden's heart was like his own personal symphony.

Jasper wasn't keen on stopping the music that made him feel human.

"You could've just said hey, you know, like a normal person," Rory drawled, walking past Jasper's wound up body to pick up her discarded backpack. "If my things are broken, you're buying me new ones."

She crouched and unzipped it to make sure her materials were unharmed by Jasper's abrupt semi-attack. Orion had moved to her side and licked Rory's arm while still growling at Jasper.

Rory glanced back to the handsome blond's pained expression where his eyes were glued to her bleeding thumb. She had to go back and forth a few times to understand what was making him so uncomfortable and unhinged. Nothing made sense but Rory's instincts were automatic.

Jasper's dark gaze zeroed in on her hand as she stuck her thumb back in her mouth to clean away the excess blood while her other hand dug into her backpack. A moment later, she retrieved a bandaid and promptly bandaged up her bleeding thumb. She looked up at Jasper, whose pained expression had visibly lessened, while his body remained taut. She stood to her full height, which was still considerably less than his, but she regained her confidence as she walked closer to him.

"How are you not paralyzed with fear right now?" His voice was tight and controlled. He looked down at her like she was an unsolvable puzzle. He was disgusted at himself.

Rory stepped closer to him. One corner of her lips curved upwards as she tucked a honey wave behind his ice-like ear like it was natural for her. She met his gaze firmly. "If you wanted to hurt me, you wouldn't have saved me from being squished like a bug by Tyler's van."

"I already have," Jasper cautiously reached his hand around her to trace along her lower back where her spine met her tailbone, soothing the soreness from when he blocked her into the tree. His hand promptly stopped before it got to where she wanted.

His freezing touch made her shiver, but not from the cold.

"I'm tougher than you think," Rory smirked and stepped away, unbothered from their close proximity. "Should I bother asking for an explanation with what just happened...?"

The dark, tortured look on his face made her laugh half-heartedly. "Of course, not."

"It's—I can't—" Jasper stammered, his body still frozen like a statue, one hand braced on the tree to keep him from doing something he'd regret.

"Shush now," Rory sighed. "I spent way too long these past few weeks trying to find some answers. I came out here to have a good time, and I was honestly just attacked just now—by you—so I'd appreciate if you didn't try to spout some half-assed lie, Hale."

He looked at her blankly.

"Oh, come on now," Rory rolled her eyes, "I've basically forgiven you for almost ruining my afternoon." And probably ending her life. "The least you could do is not look at me like I murdered your pet cat or something."

"I...apologize greatly. I regret this more than you could ever know," Jasper began, resembling the oddly gentlemanlike and formal asshole she knows more than the cold, killing machine beast from a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, yeah," Rory brushed it off. She abruptly sat crisscrossed on the damp dirt and laid her travel watercolors and sketchbook around her. Orion sat next to her loyally.

Jasper eyed her curiously, but made no move to get closer, not quite trusting his control entirely. "What...are you doing?"

"Well if you're not holding back your weirdness anymore, why should I?" Rory answered with a shrug. She heard an exasperated groan come from the blond who had braced himself against the tree with his hands dug into the bark to keep him in place.

"You're insane."

Rory looked up at him with a raised brow. "Don't move too much or my painting will be ruined. And if my painting is ruined, you will regret it," she now threatened him as she began sketching out his beautiful profile.

Jasper let out a bark of hateful laughter. "I almost just killed you, but now you are threatening me."

"Well, I'm trying not to think to much on that last bit," Rory said looking up at him with a sigh. "You should really answer some of my questions."

"You should really be running away in fear," Jasper growled back. His expression was still twisted in pain.

"There'd be no point in that," Rory snorted, "You'd only just catch me."

His self-hating smirk answered that unsaid question.

"So," Rory raised one eyebrow, "What exactly are you? Me and Bella have our theories, but I don't think radioactive spiders did that to you." She gestured to his barely contained grip on the tree that was slowly being cut in half by Jasper's might.

"I'm no superhero, Rory," Jasper choked out. "If you were smart—"

"I am smart," Rory glared. "And I'm not staying away from you now. You need help."

"I need—I almost killed you and you don't even care!"

"But you didn't," Rory pointed out with finger guns. "That's what makes you redeemable, my friend."

"You are nothing like—"

"—other girls?" Rory's face scrunched up in annoyance. "What's wrong with other girls? I hate that line. Most girls are fantastic people and I didn't think you would be so misogynistic It makes me like you a little bit less—"

"—other humans," Jasper trailed off. A peculiar look hit his face as her spiel registered with him, his eyes filling with curiosity. "You like me?"

Her accidental confession seemed to melt his cold exterior. He stepped away from the tree and glided towards her.

Rory froze. Oh shit. That's one way to profess her feelings for the blonde.

She met his dark gaze that had softened as he sat in front of her, no longer bearing to be so far from her. He didn't care how the damp ground and dirt seeped into his designer jeans. Rory was all he could see, all that mattered to him in that moment.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"Why did you say 'other humans' like you're not one yourself?" Rory questioned, changing the subject as she laid her sketchbook down on her lap and looked up at the blond god-like being inquisitively.

"They're going to be furious," Jasper muttered under his breath. He crossed his muscular arms, "I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

"I've been trying to get you to this entire time!"

His pointed look shut her up.

"As I was saying," Jasper said, his voice becoming tense once more, "the truth is that my family and I—we're different."

"Yeah, not many small town families are comprised with several aloof and adopted teens not related to another but all sharing the same bizarrely beautiful features," Rory interrupted with a roll of her eyes.

"We are different," Jasper continued after glaring at Rory, "because we are not human."

Rory tried to stifle her snort. Jasper, for all his good looks and grace, definitely did not do this often. It sounded so cheesy, but at least he was trying. Poor Bella had been struggling with Edward for a few weeks longer than Rory had with Jasper. She offered him an encouraging look.

Jasper closed his eyes as the next words flowed from his mouth.

"My family and I are vampires."