We Three Witches (Twilight)

Chapter 5 - Cowboy

January 21st, 2003

Jasper's POV

The human heartbeats swirled around me as we walked into the diner. I had stopped breathing before we'd gotten out of the car, but to be in the middle of so many heartbeats, and not be in the middle of a bloodbath was a sensation I still hadn't gotten used to, even in the last fifty years. But there was something about the heartbeats of witches that was another level of interesting.

It wasn't something humans would have noticed without a number of their machines, but their hearts beat at a slower pace—a full second slower. Just a slight difference, but with their different scents, it added to the level of intrigue.

I had met a few during my time with Maria, my creator. A few of the newborns from her army had gone after a coven of witches, unaware of the treaty and killed one of their youngest. The newborns had died, but the witches had been furious and unsatisfied. So they'd cursed Maria to always lose her battles. From there, after a near century of certain success, Maria never won another battle.

After a number of brutal losses that had almost wiped us out, rebellion had started to stir in her sisters. I had handled them, but from there Maria became increasingly paranoid—even beginning to doubt me. Eventually I convinced her to let me seek the witches out to try bargaining with them.

It had ended...interestingly, but they had been reasonable, even going so far as to show me the possibility of another life outside of Maria. And so it gave me hope now that no matter how enraged the Swan sisters were with my family, things could still end civilly.

Even if the sisters in question were looking at Esme and I know like we were the prey.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Cullen." Ever the gentleman, Charlie swan gave Esme his full attention. "How may I be of service to you and your son?"

While Charlie looked pleasantly surprised at the interruption to their meal, his daughters were not. Irritation swirled around Isabella and Rosalie, but around Alice was an air of dark delight that made me focus on her. Her sisters looked at us like flies hovering around their meal, but Alice looked at us like we were her meal.

Even as Esme began speaking and Alice's eyes flickered to her, I could tell her attention still rested on me and I had to bite down the urge to growl.

"Well actually, Chief Swan," Esme smiled at him, "I would like to speak with your daughters for a moment, if that's possible?"

He sat up straighter, a touch wary now. He knew and respected Esme from our time in the town, but the wariness of fatherhood had settled in his mind. "Can I ask what this is about?"

Worry spiked in Esme's mind and I took the second to calm it, smiling slightly when I felt her spike of gratitude. Even after all my time in this coven, I still hadn't gotten used to their gratitude whenever I used my abilities on them to keep the peace. Every time I had used my abilities for Maria, I had always felt the spikes of resentment in the newborns. But with my new family, there was only ever gratitude.

Esme began to answer Charlie, but Bella launched in, taking the chance to sow discord. "Oh, it's probably about Emmett—the other brother. He was a bit of a jerk the other day. I– I didn't want to say anything, or make a big deal out of it. I mean, everyone's been so nice to us lately that I didn't want to trouble anyone." She blushed a little, ducking her head. "And then Edward saved my life this morning."

I narrowed my eyes at the stark contrast between her external blushing naivety and the malicious delight bubbling inside her. Even so, I had to marvel at her acting abilities—to anyone else she truly looked like an innocent child trying to keep the peace. Only I could feel the derision rolling off her. I reached to replace it with a measure of calmness, when I felt similar spikes in her sisters.