Freedom & Restriction [2] | Jasper Hale

-13-

    Living in a household full of vampires while there's one human could be seen as controversial. Which, Joanna didn't give a dam about, even with Riley still getting used to his diet.

  So whenever Emmett had to haul him outside, that's when Joanna started to rethink her decisions. Guilt would cover her body as she watched Riley struggle around her, even with his eyes having amber swirls within his ruby-colored irises.

   Reading her thoughts, Edward came to stand by her side, an uneven frown covering his lips as he watched Riley be escorted outside.

  "There's nothing to become guilty about," he explained, quirking a brow when she sighed in response. "All of us had to face the same treatment. It takes time for us to become used to blood, Jasper is still getting used to it."

   "Isn't he used to me?" Joanna questioned, curious about the male Hale sibling.

  A small shake of his head was Edward's response. "Not entirely, no. Your blood makes him on edge, but he tries not to show it. He doesn't want to scare you away, even now when you've admitted your love for each other."

  Joanna had no clue of the Cullen's past, only some bits and pieces from Jasper. However, her mate had described that his family's past was horrifying. They all dealt with pain, as did Joanna, but their pain was different from her. Some of them faced more severe pain than her.

  In the past, she wondered all the time about the coven. How old they were. Why they came together to form a small family. Why did they feed on animals instead of humans. It plagued her mind still, yet acting polite, she never dared to ask.

  Though, Jasper would comment on her spark on curiousity when she would stare at him for too long.

  "He doesn't want to scare me?" Echoed Joanna, giving a look towards Edward. His eyes were strained ahead, focusing on Emmett as he discussed with Riley in a tone that only immortals could hear. "I know he's cautious around me, but I'm not afraid of him."

  Causally, Edward jerked his head towards the upstairs area. Mentally, he pointed towards Jasper's room. "He gets that, but he doesn't believe that. Jasper is fascinated by you and what you're appealed to. Then again, he thinks you're not appealed to his immortal factors. He tries to act more human around you."

   A loud, exhausting sigh fell from her. "I'm shitty for not noticing."

  "You're not."

  But she felt that she was. Her mind chose to place Edward's words in a locked chest. As much as she tolerated him, she acted like he wasn't standing beside her then and walked away.

  "I have to go to Bella's."

  Rolling his body around, EdwRd glared at her retreating form. His glare made her freeze, made her limbs become strict. "No you're not. You don't plan on to."

   Lowering her eyebrows, she breathed heavily. "I need a female to discuss my menstrual cycles with, okay? How do you even stand to be around her when blood is flowing freely from her vagina?"

  The front door closed with Edward's absolute traumatized face.

===

  For the second time that day, Bella was falling into a pit of giggles.

  "I cannot believe you said that," Bella breathed, going hysterical over the fact that Joanna had completely ruined Edward by bringing up such a topic. Of course, Bella and Joanna didn't mind discussing that topic as it was a common thing for them. Yet, they enjoyed teasing.

  So when Joanna arrived to tell her about it, Bella was laughing her ass off immediately.

  That was Bella Swan, the girl who could being crying from the silliest things.