Apricity {Jasper CullenxMale OC}

Chapter 14

"You know I won't stop asking until you explain, right?" Bella finally burst out in a whisper.

Kova groaned quietly in both annoyance and embarrassment, trying to avoid drawing the attention of their teacher. He ran a hand through his hair tousling it and closing his eyes for a second.

"I'm telling you Bella, you really don't want to know," Kova hissed, his eyes back on the board.

"Come on Kova!" She whined, and the werewolf rolled his eyes.

She's wants to hear it? So be it.

"We have to have sex and bite each other," he said flatly, and Bella's face reddened instantly. "Told you, you didn't want to know."

"But vampire bites are venomous," she whispered back, after her shock had passed.

She rubbed her wrist self consciously, where she still sported the scar of her own vampire bite. But Kova wasn't aware of that yet. He shrugged, knowing she was right. There were a lot of unknowns here. And Kova hated not knowing.

"I know," the werewolf acknowledged wearily, "My pack's emissary is looking into it."

Bella frowned in confusion, "Emissary?" The word was unfamiliar to her.

The bell rang to signal the end of class, and they both rose from their seats. The rest of the students began to file from the room, and they followed suit, their discussion paused with so many listening ears. By the time they made it out of the classroom, both Edward and Jasper were waiting for them. Honestly, how did they make it to their door before they'd even gotten out of the room? They can't use their speed in front of the unsuspecting humans. But as the four of them turned down the hall, and the crowds parted, Kova realized. People moved out of their way. The humans must sense what they are.

"They do," Edward confirmed the werewolf's thought. "They sense the danger, but can't help being drawn in. Fascinated, mesmerized... and terrified."

Kova's eyes were drawn to Jasper next to him, who was simply watching him. The wolf's lips twitched at the hint of a grin. Bella must have understood what Edward was talking about, because she didn't comment or question it. She just looked at him with something unidentifiable in her gaze.

But it didn't last long, because a second later she was looking at Kova and the werewolf winced.

"Emissary?" She repeated her earlier question, and her cousin sighed.

"The dictionary description is like a diplomatic representative of sorts," Kova explained, "in the case of our pack, he's that, but he's also a Druid. He acts as a consultant and healer."

"So he's like a witch?" Bella asked, and Kova snorted.

"Yes," he chuckled. "He's a human trained in the Druidic arts. He can do magic, but it's learned."

Bella's eyes sparked with interest as she murmured, "All the legends and horror stories," under her breath. If the other three of them didn't have supernatural hearing, they wouldn't have heard it at all.

"His emissary is looking into the mating ritual when the wolf's mate is a vampire," Edward murmured for Jasper's benefit, quiet enough that no one else would hear it.

Kova realized then that Edward must have filled Jasper in on the details of the supposed ritual, and his blush was back in full force once more. It was like being with the pack again- no privacy- but worse. At least the pack could only scent emotions... Edward could literally read your every thought. It was unsettling and made Kova feel highly uncomfortable. He was sure he'd get used to it... but still- not every thought that passed through his mind was something he really meant. And more than half of them were certainly not meant to be heard.