You and Jasper have been together for decades, not that long by vampire standards. But you know for sure that this will continue, since you are a true couple. You have an almost perfect relationship. You match each other in character, ideals and very rarely quarrel. To people who don't know him, he may seem cold and distant, but the truth is that he is very kind, polite, gallant and just a good person. With you he is even more open, a true southern gentleman.

But there were times when he went a little overboard with his guardianship. He respected your opinion and often made concessions, but in moments where your safety was discussed, this was more difficult. Letting you take risks would be a stupid decision and he wasn’t going to agree so easily. You are his mate, for vampires there is nothing more important than their true selves. If something had happened to you, he would not have survived. And since you are no less stubborn than him, this could sometimes result in conflicts. This was probably the most common topic of your infrequent quarrels. And in one of them, right now, you slapped him in the face.

One of the most dangerous vampires. The one whose dominant feature in appearance was not vampire sweetness, but battle scars. It was hard to look away from his mangled neck and jaw, hard to believe that even a vampire could survive so many bites piercing his throat. Any vampire who saw Jasper instinctively prepared to defend himself. The scars looked like an illuminated billboard that said “Danger!”. How many vampires tried to kill Jasper? Hundreds? Thousands? The same number that died in the attempt. And you hit him. It's hard to say what motivated you. Resentment, stupidity, or the knowledge that he will never do the same in return. But you did it.

But even crazier was his reaction. He didn’t even try to stop you, although knowing his capabilities it would have been easy. He just let you do it and didn't even seem angry. There was only surprise in his eyes, perhaps even a little admiration.

"Wow"