A Little Wicked

18. Two Lions

"Come in Jasper..." Carlisle's soft voice sounded muffled behind his office door as the other vampire had his fist raised with the intention of knocking.

Jasper looked and listened to the surroundings, making sure no one was around. Shortly after the wolves left, Ron apparated to his home, while Edward drove with Harry by car; Esme had gone to her bedroom to finish her projects; Alice had turned to her sketches and Emmett with his video game and waiting for Rosalie.

This was the most opportune time for the Texan vampire to talk to the Cullen patriarch alone without the risk of being disturbed.

Entering the room and carefully closing the door behind him, Jasper had been greeted by Carlisle who was sat in his elegant brown leather swivel chair reading a thick compendium of surgical techniques. Seeing him, Carlisle had lowered the book, welcoming him with a reassuring smile and warm, affectionate golden eyes.

Jasper smiled.

After that stressful night, getting around Carlisle and his peaceful, placid emotions was relaxing. It was almost like reaching a safe harbor after facing a rough sea.

"Some problem?" he asked.

Jasper nodded, approaching and sitting in the chair facing Carlisle, joining his hands on the desk. Even though he was afraid to have this conversation, Carlisle was the only person Jasper could confide in about the thoughts that were forming in his mind and he, with his wisdom, certainly knew what to do.

"Carlisle..." Jasper muttered in a low, cautious tone.

"Yeah?" he frowned a bit, knowing that the conversation was serious.

"I want you to answer me honestly in the way you have always been, at all times..." the blonde said bluntly, watching his father be dismayed at the direction the conversation was being directed "Do you trust Harry and the other wizards?"

Carlisle shifted in his chair, visibly surprised by the question he had received.

"Jasper... Hm, sorry I didn't understand?"

"Do you trust or not?"

The older Cullen glanced sideways for a second and looked back at his adopted son.

"Well... There is no reason for me not to trust" he answered carefully, looking at the young man and continued "But... I think you have a reason to believe otherwise, don't you?"

Jasper paused for a brief moment, his scarred face turning serious.

"For the past few weeks an idea hasn't gone out of my head... A lingering sensation, if that's make sense"

"Which would be?"

"That we're increasingly wrapping ourselves with a rope that in the end will only hang us" Jasper looked seriously "These murders, black magic rituals, these attacks on us, the threat of wolves... All of this happening almost simultaneously since we met the wizards and they came into our lives."

Carlisle got serious.

"Jasper, what exactly do you mean? Do you suspect something? Did they give any clues?"

Jasper let out the air between his parted lips impatiently.

"For starters, they are hiding something from us from the beginning... Carlisle, we don't know anything about them." Jasper said urgently "We don't know the real reason why they came to Forks and why they are here, we don't know about their background in England, we don't know what they really are..."

"Jasper..." Carlisle said softly "You spent weeks in their company, it's not possible that in the meantime you don't ..."

"Edward can't read their minds..." he interrupted the other "...Alice can't see the future about them, I can't feel or influence their emotions. They always give evasive answers to certain questions... What we know of them is just a superficial layer. It's like they keep a glass wall between them and us... They see us and know us, but we only know what they decide to share, which isn't much, by the way."