Another Fate
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 3
The hallway was curiously empty as Jasper made his way to Aro’s office, dressed in full Volturi regalia as befitting his rank and station. The odd vampire he did encounter here and there, bowed deeply for their Prince Consort, as Jasper was well liked and respected, not only for his own character but also for the mellowing effect he’d had on their most volatile King throughout the years. “My Prince,” the last guard murmured as he bowed.
A quick incline of his head as he passed was his response, even as he stifled a sigh at the honorific. After all these years of hearing it, he was used to it, but it wasn’t something he particularly liked. Caius insisted though and what Caius wanted, he got, at least he did with everyone else. Jasper himself was another story. When it came to anything between the two of them, it was usually always Jasper who got what he wanted.
Usually…
A frown marred his brow as his thoughts drifted to the meeting he was about to attend. It was concerning the mission his mate and a handful of Elite Guards were about to depart for, and just thinking about it pissed him off. He wanted to go—wanted to be there to ensure Caius’s safety, but that wasn’t going to happen. He’d submitted and given his word, and now, he’d have to live with it.
Arriving at Aro’s door, he knocked lightly and entered when bid. “Ah, our Captain has arrived,” Aro stated, gesturing to a seat between Caius and Marcus. “Please, get comfortable and we will proceed.”
Wordlessly, he took the seat, stoically avoiding his mate’s gaze as he focused fully on Aro who folded his hands together atop the polished desk before beginning. “Caius, I assume you’ve read over the report Jane submitted?”
“No Aro, I used it to wipe my ass… Of course I read it. Now, perhaps we can skip any more unnecessary bullshit and expedite this little meeting? The full moon draws ever closer, after all.”
Aro sighed and gestured with a hand. “Ever the ray of sunshine, brother…” He glanced at Jasper. “How do you manage, young one?”
Jasper raised a brow and smirked. “I’m not sure you want me to answer that question…”
Caius growled and Marcus laid a hand on his blond brother’s arm. “Brief us on the contents, brother?” he said before Caius could erupt.
Caius relaxed back into his seat. “According to the report, there is a group of werewolves occupying the Provence region of France, very close to its border with Italy. At last estimate, they number ten to twelve, their numbers growing by one or two with each moon cycle.”
Aro nodded and looked to Jasper. “Captain, any opinions on who to send on this mission?”
Jasper’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “I’m assigning Jane, Alec, Felix, Santiago and Demetri.”
“No,” Caius disagreed, prompting Jasper to finally look his way. “Choose either Felix or Demetri, but one of them must stay here. They cannot both be assigned to this mission. To do so will leave you vulnerable here at home.”
Jasper turned his focus back to Aro who inclined his head. “Despite your expertise, Captain, I agree with my brother. You need someone with strength and experience at your side. Please choose someone to replace one of the two. If you need more time…”
Jasper raised a hand. “No need. I was expecting this objection and had prepared for it. I will keep Demetri here and send Afton in his stead.”
“Very well, but I must ask… Are you certain you should send both Jane and Alec? Perhaps…”
“No,” he snapped, cutting Aro off firmly with as much respect as he could afford. “I will not budge on that point, my King. If I cannot be there to stand and fight beside my mate, then both Jane and Alec will be going on this mission.”
Aro’s brows inched up and he cast a glance between Caius and Marcus who both nodded in concession. “Very well, Captain,” he agreed while making a quick note on a yellow legal pad, of all things. When he finished, he looked back at Caius. “When will you depart, brother?”
“As soon as possible,” he stated, not surprising Jasper at all. He knew his mate well and knew he wouldn’t want to put this off any longer than necessary. And considering the full moon was due in only four days time, they’d have just enough time to hunt and locate the entire pack as they gathered to await the moon.
If they didn’t leave now, they would have to wait another moon cycle while also chancing an increase in the pack’s numbers. It made perfect sense for them to leave as soon as possible, though Jasper and Caius both dreaded their coming separation.
Aro smiled tightly. “I guess that concludes our business, unless anyone has anything else they’d like to address?”
Caius was the first to stand. “I have nothing further, and no time to waste. I’ll see you again when the mission is complete.”
The remaining three stood and walked to the door with Caius, Aro clapping him firmly on the back as they paused. “May the Gods watch over you and see you home safely, brother.”
Caius smirked while clasping first Aro’s and then Marcus’s arms in the old tradition of warriors. “Experience and skill will see me home, brothers, but thank you for your blessings.”
With that, he left, his stride only picking up after Jasper fell in next to him. “Will you accompany me back to our rooms?” Caius asked with a glance at Jasper who shook his head.
“No, I have to see to assembling and briefing your Guard contingent. What hour do you require their presence?”
Caius stopped, turning to face his mate. “You’re not angry with me, are you, Tesorino?” he asked with the lightest of touches to Jasper’s cheek.
Jasper exhaled heavily while searching Caius’s eyes. “No, I’m not. I’m disappointed and worried more than anything, and as difficult as it is for me to accept, I understand your reasoning.”
Caius smiled. “Good. I would hate to leave with conflict between us, Dolcezza.”
“I would never send you off with things unresolved between us,” he said with his gaze cast down. “If something happened…”
“No,” Caius said firmly while threading a hand in the hair at Jasper’s nape and tugging him close. “Do not speak such words, Tesorino. This mission will be a success, and I will be home within days,”
“I hope you’re right, my Lord.”
Tipping Jasper’s head up, Caius kissed him softly, murmuring against his supple lips, “Of course I’m right. When have you known me to be wrong about such things?”
Jasper chuckled. He really couldn’t remember a time and so, despite the ego boost he knew Caius would get from it, he said so. “Never.”
Caius grinned. “Exactly so, and I don’t intend to start now,” he said as their heads rested together.
Nodding, Jasper backed away while holding Caius’s gaze. “I’m holding you to your word, my King.”
Caius placed a closed fist over his heart and bowed at the waist, his gaze locked with his mate’s. “I vow not to break it, my Prince. I will return to you.”
“When should I send your contingent to you?”
“Have them report to the south exit in half an hour.” He reached out and cupped Jasper’s cheek. “Will you accompany them to see me off?”
Jasper’s gaze cut away and he shook his head. “No, my Lord. Let this stand as our farewell.”
Caius’s hand dropped. “Very well, Tesorino,” he murmured. “You hold my heart.”
Jasper looked back at him and smiled wanly. “And you, mine, my Lord. Do not damage it.”
Again, Caius bowed, fist over heart. “I would not dare.”
With a curt nod, Jasper turned on his heel and strode away.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
****Near Island, Kodiak, AK, early 2000
“Hey Alice, we’re going out for a hunt. Would you like to join us?” Rose asked while tossing the magazine she’d been browsing while waiting for Emmett, onto the end table. Said male trotted down the stairs as Alice shook her head.
“Thanks, but no. I’m waiting on a call back about an order I’m expecting and if I miss it, god only know’s how long I’ll have to sit on hold again to get through to them. I’ll go later.”
Rose shrugged. “Suit yourself.” With that, she threaded her fingers with her mate’s and they headed for the front door.
Frowning, she glanced at her phone lying on the desk next to her laptop. She knew they’d be calling soon, but she was unable to pin-point the exact time and it had her frustrated. Such was the nature of her gift though. If someone involved, no matter how insignificant their part, changed their decision, then that vision—that future—changed, sometimes minutely, other times monumentally; something she could never hope to predict. It was all so frustrating…
Her phone began to vibrate, but just as she reached for it, a solid vision hit and she froze, gasping at what she was seeing as her hand hovered above the rattling phone. By the time she came back to herself and blinked, the phone lay still and quiet, but now she didn’t care.
If her heart had still been able, it would’ve been pounding in her chest. This was it! This was what she’d waited so long for, and now it was so close, she could almost reach out and grasp it.
With a shaking hand, she picked up the phone from the desk and pocketed it before darting from the house and into the nearby forest. She had to get far enough away from the house—far enough away from Edward’s gift—before making her call. A call that would change her life. A call that would complete her life. A call that she’d waited what felt like forever to make…
Reaching a safe distance, she leaned against a boulder and scrolled through her contacts before choosing the one and hitting send.
“Yes, Miss Brandon?” a familiar voice answered.
“It’s time,” she gushed, relishing in the ability to finally speak those words.
“It’s time? Are you certain?”
Alice bounced, stifling the urge to scream and squeal at the same time, as she could barely believe it herself. “Yes! The payment is finally due and payable! It’s time!”
The voice sighed. “Very well, do you have a location and date?”
“Um, yes. I’ll text you the details.”
“Fine, expect delivery very soon afterwards.”
The line went dead, but Alice didn’t care. She hopped away from the boulder and spun in a circle, the phone clutched to her chest as a squeal of pure excitement left her. After taking a few slow, deep breaths, she flipped open her phone and texted the pertinent information, pressing send before holding the phone to her forehead as she squeaked and stomped her feet, grinning the whole time.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, looking up, eyes wide with wonder while her head turned toward her home as she bit her lip. “…it’s finally happening.”
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Jasper growled, raising his hand to give the ‘come hither’ sign as he readied himself for another assault. Worry and trepidation flared in his opponent’s emotions and Jasper snarled. “Attack or I will,” he warned, “and I’m bringing everything, so defend yourself, damn it!”
“Yes, Captain.”
His opponent ran at him, and instead of slipping the attack, Jasper met him head-on, going hand to hand with him, exchanging and blocking punches and kicks at speeds faster than even enhanced vampire vision could follow. Finally spotting a flaw in his sparring partner’s technique, Jasper jabbed him in the throat and swept his legs, putting him on his back and pinning him before he could so much as cough.
“I yield!” Demetri rasped, eyes wide as Jasper barely stopped himself short of taking his head off.
“Shit,” Jasper growled, stalking across the room to grab a towel and take a seat in the corner he always meditated in. Wiping away some blood and venom, he slowed his breathing and looked at Demetri. “You’re dismissed. Get outta here. I’ll see you back tomorrow, same time.”
“Yes, Captain,” a very bedraggled Demetri said with a bow before turning on his heel and leaving.
“Damn it,” Jasper muttered, hanging his head between his arms that were propped on bent knees. He’d lost control out there on the training room floor; something that should’ve never happened, and he was disgusted with himself over it.
It had been two days since Caius had left to hunt the werewolf pack and he was missing him. He knew he was fine through their connection though, so that wasn’t his problem.
The problem was this lingering feeling of…wrongness that seemed to be strengthening with every passing hour. It felt insidious, creeping up, around and through him, slowly choking off his ability to even focus past it, and that pissed him off. With one last frustrated swipe of the towel over his face and neck, he tossed it in the bin and got into position, instinctively regulating his breathing as he turned his focus within. Meditation had always helped him calm and center himself and he was hoping it wouldn’t fail him now.
With a little more struggle than usual, he finally found his center and made the connection, basking in the feelings and shared emotions now flowing in a circuit between he and his mate, but today, he knew that’s all it would be. Caius felt…preoccupied, distant, and unable to join with him as he usually did here in their hazy space, but he was content with that. At least he had the assurance his mate was well.
With a renewed sense of peace, he sent his love through the link and slowly rose back to full consciousness, his eyes blinking open as a slight pang of loss skated over his emotions.
Reaching up, he rubbed his brow before leaning back against the wall. He felt restless, at loose ends, and he hated feeling that way. He needed a distraction, badly.
He needed a hunt…
Hopping up from the floor, he headed out of the training room and to his rooms to shower and change. He didn't bother maintaining a human pace today, as he had no companion to converse with; Jane was in France with Caius’s guard contingent, which meant he was also without a hunting partner.
‘Oh well. What Caius doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.’
When he made the last turn into his hallway, he slowed, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Demetri stationed by his door. “Demetri, what are you doing here?”
The tracker bowed. “I was assigned by Aro, my Prince. I am to watch over you and attend any needs you may have.”
Jasper growled lowly. “Is that so?”
Demetri eyed him warily. “Yes, my Prince.”
“Cut the Prince shit, will you? If you have to call me anything other than my name, address me as your Captain, because that’s the rank I’ve earned. As such, I’m dismissing you from these duties. Go watch some TV, read a book, get laid…something, anything besides skulk outside my door.
“Besides, as soon as I shower and change, I’m leaving the castle and won’t be back for a while.”
Demetri’s mouth opened to question and Jasper cut him off. “I’m going for a hunt, just as I usually do.”
“Yes, my Pr—Captain, but you always take Jane with you.”
“True, but she’s not here, is she? I’ll be fine alone.” He turned and grasped the door handle.
“I will go with you.”
He paused and looked back. “Not necessary, but thanks.” With that, he opened the door and slipped inside, quickly making his way to the bathroom to flip on the shower and strip.
Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in black from head to toe, but instead of dressy clothes, these were much more casual. Tucking his Volturi pendant down inside the neck of his t-shirt, he slung on the leather jacket, pocketed his phone and opened the door, nearly growling at the sight of Demetri who bowed again.
“I really must insist, Captain. Aro’s orders.”
With a heavy sigh, Jasper nodded. “All right then, Demetri. Let’s go.”
Sticking to the deepening shadows, Jasper wasted no time getting out of Volterra and setting up a moderate pace toward his destination, Demetri by his side. “Where are we going, If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Pisa,” Jasper answered with a hint of a smile. “It’s one of my favorite places to hunt.”
Demetri looked surprised. “I thought you’d pick a closer city.”
“Sometimes I do. Can’t visit the same place too often, now can I? But sometimes I need a little fun—more of a distraction than a simple hunt provides. That’s when I—well, Jane and I—visit Pisa.” He felt Demetri’s rising curiosity and smirked. “Jane and I challenge each other by choosing each other’s meals by very specific descriptions. If we cannot locate the target matching the description, we go home thirsty and have to settle for bagged blood.”
Demetri chuckled. “I can just imagine some of Jane’s choice targets…”
Jasper smirked. “Yes, there have been times, but keep in mind, I choose her targets and can screw with her too, so it keeps things from getting too out of hand—most times.”
They ran in silence for a while until Jasper glanced at the tracker. “So, what do you say? You game?”
The tracker’s brows inched up. “For your hunting challenge?” Jasper nodded and Demetri shook his head. “Perhaps another time. Since this is my first time escorting you, I feel I should remain focused on my duties, my Prince.”
Jasper squashed the slight disappointment he felt and nodded. “Some other time, then.”
When they arrived in the city, they took a series of back alleys to a seedier area where a quick hunt was assured—an area where the humans wouldn’t question the disappearance of a couple of the more undesirables overmuch.
Jasper smirked as Demetri’s nose wrinkled at the overwhelming smell of piss and vomit that permeated the alley like a thick fog. “I’ll never get used to such a stench,” the tracker grumbled and Jasper had to agree, but he was thirsty and wasn’t in the mood to be picky at the moment.
Tucking themselves into deep shadows next to a reeking dumpster, they settled in to wait, both watching silently. Just as Jasper had hoped, it didn’t take long for two men to come stumbling their way out of the back door of a noisy bar, both obviously drunk as one lit a cigarette while the other relieved himself against the wall.
Jasper smirked at Demetri. “I get the smoker,” he muttered before moving in as Demetri curled his lip, muttering, “Wonderful” as he pounced on the guy with his dick in his hand.
It was just as Jasper was finishing up that the foreboding feeling from earlier crashed into him like a runaway train, causing his head to snap up, a hiss leaving his lips as blood trickled down his chin. He glanced at Demetri and they both sprang into action, fighting what was easily twenty vampires who had converged on them—seemingly from nowhere—during their feed.
They both held their own, although it was clear these were no novice fighters. All were highly trained and as the numbers began to overwhelm the two, real worry began to seep into Jasper’s thoughts and emotions.
Then he heard it—the sound of rending vampire flesh accompanied by Demetri’s pained shout. It distracted him just enough that his opponents overcame him, turning him toward the remaining action just in time for him to see Demetri’s demise as they lit his twitching remains.
He struggled against the many hands that held him, wondering in the back of his mind why he wasn’t sharing the Tracker’s fate. Then he heard a voice…one so familiar…one with such power over him, he froze in place as every negative emotion known to him seemed to flood his gift at once.
“Well, hello again, my Major. It’s been a very long time, has it not?”
His eyes went wide and he couldn’t seem to speak past the lump of fear in his throat as she smirked and sauntered toward him as he hung in the iron grasp of his foes.
A hand reached out—its nails long, manicured, and blood red—to caress his cheek, making his flesh crawl as he cringed away. She chuckled before slapping him none too gently on that same cheek. “Still so beautiful,” she commented with a toothy smile as pure malevolence sparkled in her red eyes. “It’s a shame I don’t have time to have you pleasure me as you used to.” His gaze darted to the ground as shame flooded him from the memories. “Do you remember, sweet Major?” She chuckled darkly, running the pointed tip of a blood red nail over his lip. “Of course you do. I can see it in your eyes. You never enjoyed our times together, did you?”
His eyes darted to hers and back down as she smirked. “Oh yes, I could tell. Before you, I had never had to use a Sire command to have sex, but with you, always…naughty, rebellious boy that you were. Tell me Jasper, are you still so very rebellious?”
A low growl was his response, despite his instinctual fear and submission, and she laughed, a throaty, sinister sound that made his whole being shudder. “That’s what I thought.”
She struck without warning, sinking her teeth into her old Sire mark as he cried out, his body refusing any sort of command from his brain that told it to fight, to struggle, to move…! The bite was deep, burning with vigor through his system even after she’d stepped back, wiping her mouth on a lace kerchief one of her many lackeys handed to her.
She smiled again and if Jasper could have wept, he would’ve. As the renewed mark of her absolute dominance wept venom and blood down the front of his shirt, there were no words for how violated he felt…utterly debased…completely worthless…and altogether powerless against her as she stood there, a triumphant smile on her face as she stared.
In that moment, he thought death would be a better option…
“Release him,” she ordered her lackeys, and they did, allowing him to drop to his knees in the filthy alley, his hair hiding his face as his head hung with the shame he felt.
“Are you ready to submit?”
His mind rebelled, but his instincts…they were another matter entirely and with no little despair at what he was about to do, he nodded, not daring to meet her eyes. “Yes, Mistress.”
“Excellent,” she drawled. “Rise then, Major and follow me. We have a plane to catch.” As Jasper complied, his head still hanging, rain began to fall and he couldn’t help but think, ‘How fitting…even the sky knows enough to weep…’
The hallway was curiously empty as Jasper made his way to Aro’s office, dressed in full Volturi regalia as befitting his rank and station. The odd vampire he did encounter here and there, bowed deeply for their Prince Consort, as Jasper was well liked and respected, not only for his own character but also for the mellowing effect he’d had on their most volatile King throughout the years. “My Prince,” the last guard murmured as he bowed.
A quick incline of his head as he passed was his response, even as he stifled a sigh at the honorific. After all these years of hearing it, he was used to it, but it wasn’t something he particularly liked. Caius insisted though and what Caius wanted, he got, at least he did with everyone else. Jasper himself was another story. When it came to anything between the two of them, it was usually always Jasper who got what he wanted.
Usually…
A frown marred his brow as his thoughts drifted to the meeting he was about to attend. It was concerning the mission his mate and a handful of Elite Guards were about to depart for, and just thinking about it pissed him off. He wanted to go—wanted to be there to ensure Caius’s safety, but that wasn’t going to happen. He’d submitted and given his word, and now, he’d have to live with it.
Arriving at Aro’s door, he knocked lightly and entered when bid. “Ah, our Captain has arrived,” Aro stated, gesturing to a seat between Caius and Marcus. “Please, get comfortable and we will proceed.”
Wordlessly, he took the seat, stoically avoiding his mate’s gaze as he focused fully on Aro who folded his hands together atop the polished desk before beginning. “Caius, I assume you’ve read over the report Jane submitted?”
“No Aro, I used it to wipe my ass… Of course I read it. Now, perhaps we can skip any more unnecessary bullshit and expedite this little meeting? The full moon draws ever closer, after all.”
Aro sighed and gestured with a hand. “Ever the ray of sunshine, brother…” He glanced at Jasper. “How do you manage, young one?”
Jasper raised a brow and smirked. “I’m not sure you want me to answer that question…”
Caius growled and Marcus laid a hand on his blond brother’s arm. “Brief us on the contents, brother?” he said before Caius could erupt.
Caius relaxed back into his seat. “According to the report, there is a group of werewolves occupying the Provence region of France, very close to its border with Italy. At last estimate, they number ten to twelve, their numbers growing by one or two with each moon cycle.”
Aro nodded and looked to Jasper. “Captain, any opinions on who to send on this mission?”
Jasper’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “I’m assigning Jane, Alec, Felix, Santiago and Demetri.”
“No,” Caius disagreed, prompting Jasper to finally look his way. “Choose either Felix or Demetri, but one of them must stay here. They cannot both be assigned to this mission. To do so will leave you vulnerable here at home.”
Jasper turned his focus back to Aro who inclined his head. “Despite your expertise, Captain, I agree with my brother. You need someone with strength and experience at your side. Please choose someone to replace one of the two. If you need more time…”
Jasper raised a hand. “No need. I was expecting this objection and had prepared for it. I will keep Demetri here and send Afton in his stead.”
“Very well, but I must ask… Are you certain you should send both Jane and Alec? Perhaps…”
“No,” he snapped, cutting Aro off firmly with as much respect as he could afford. “I will not budge on that point, my King. If I cannot be there to stand and fight beside my mate, then both Jane and Alec will be going on this mission.”
Aro’s brows inched up and he cast a glance between Caius and Marcus who both nodded in concession. “Very well, Captain,” he agreed while making a quick note on a yellow legal pad, of all things. When he finished, he looked back at Caius. “When will you depart, brother?”
“As soon as possible,” he stated, not surprising Jasper at all. He knew his mate well and knew he wouldn’t want to put this off any longer than necessary. And considering the full moon was due in only four days time, they’d have just enough time to hunt and locate the entire pack as they gathered to await the moon.
If they didn’t leave now, they would have to wait another moon cycle while also chancing an increase in the pack’s numbers. It made perfect sense for them to leave as soon as possible, though Jasper and Caius both dreaded their coming separation.
Aro smiled tightly. “I guess that concludes our business, unless anyone has anything else they’d like to address?”
Caius was the first to stand. “I have nothing further, and no time to waste. I’ll see you again when the mission is complete.”
The remaining three stood and walked to the door with Caius, Aro clapping him firmly on the back as they paused. “May the Gods watch over you and see you home safely, brother.”
Caius smirked while clasping first Aro’s and then Marcus’s arms in the old tradition of warriors. “Experience and skill will see me home, brothers, but thank you for your blessings.”
With that, he left, his stride only picking up after Jasper fell in next to him. “Will you accompany me back to our rooms?” Caius asked with a glance at Jasper who shook his head.
“No, I have to see to assembling and briefing your Guard contingent. What hour do you require their presence?”
Caius stopped, turning to face his mate. “You’re not angry with me, are you, Tesorino?” he asked with the lightest of touches to Jasper’s cheek.
Jasper exhaled heavily while searching Caius’s eyes. “No, I’m not. I’m disappointed and worried more than anything, and as difficult as it is for me to accept, I understand your reasoning.”
Caius smiled. “Good. I would hate to leave with conflict between us, Dolcezza.”
“I would never send you off with things unresolved between us,” he said with his gaze cast down. “If something happened…”
“No,” Caius said firmly while threading a hand in the hair at Jasper’s nape and tugging him close. “Do not speak such words, Tesorino. This mission will be a success, and I will be home within days,”
“I hope you’re right, my Lord.”
Tipping Jasper’s head up, Caius kissed him softly, murmuring against his supple lips, “Of course I’m right. When have you known me to be wrong about such things?”
Jasper chuckled. He really couldn’t remember a time and so, despite the ego boost he knew Caius would get from it, he said so. “Never.”
Caius grinned. “Exactly so, and I don’t intend to start now,” he said as their heads rested together.
Nodding, Jasper backed away while holding Caius’s gaze. “I’m holding you to your word, my King.”
Caius placed a closed fist over his heart and bowed at the waist, his gaze locked with his mate’s. “I vow not to break it, my Prince. I will return to you.”
“When should I send your contingent to you?”
“Have them report to the south exit in half an hour.” He reached out and cupped Jasper’s cheek. “Will you accompany them to see me off?”
Jasper’s gaze cut away and he shook his head. “No, my Lord. Let this stand as our farewell.”
Caius’s hand dropped. “Very well, Tesorino,” he murmured. “You hold my heart.”
Jasper looked back at him and smiled wanly. “And you, mine, my Lord. Do not damage it.”
Again, Caius bowed, fist over heart. “I would not dare.”
With a curt nod, Jasper turned on his heel and strode away.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
****Near Island, Kodiak, AK, early 2000
“Hey Alice, we’re going out for a hunt. Would you like to join us?” Rose asked while tossing the magazine she’d been browsing while waiting for Emmett, onto the end table. Said male trotted down the stairs as Alice shook her head.
“Thanks, but no. I’m waiting on a call back about an order I’m expecting and if I miss it, god only know’s how long I’ll have to sit on hold again to get through to them. I’ll go later.”
Rose shrugged. “Suit yourself.” With that, she threaded her fingers with her mate’s and they headed for the front door.
Frowning, she glanced at her phone lying on the desk next to her laptop. She knew they’d be calling soon, but she was unable to pin-point the exact time and it had her frustrated. Such was the nature of her gift though. If someone involved, no matter how insignificant their part, changed their decision, then that vision—that future—changed, sometimes minutely, other times monumentally; something she could never hope to predict. It was all so frustrating…
Her phone began to vibrate, but just as she reached for it, a solid vision hit and she froze, gasping at what she was seeing as her hand hovered above the rattling phone. By the time she came back to herself and blinked, the phone lay still and quiet, but now she didn’t care.
If her heart had still been able, it would’ve been pounding in her chest. This was it! This was what she’d waited so long for, and now it was so close, she could almost reach out and grasp it.
With a shaking hand, she picked up the phone from the desk and pocketed it before darting from the house and into the nearby forest. She had to get far enough away from the house—far enough away from Edward’s gift—before making her call. A call that would change her life. A call that would complete her life. A call that she’d waited what felt like forever to make…
Reaching a safe distance, she leaned against a boulder and scrolled through her contacts before choosing the one and hitting send.
“Yes, Miss Brandon?” a familiar voice answered.
“It’s time,” she gushed, relishing in the ability to finally speak those words.
“It’s time? Are you certain?”
Alice bounced, stifling the urge to scream and squeal at the same time, as she could barely believe it herself. “Yes! The payment is finally due and payable! It’s time!”
The voice sighed. “Very well, do you have a location and date?”
“Um, yes. I’ll text you the details.”
“Fine, expect delivery very soon afterwards.”
The line went dead, but Alice didn’t care. She hopped away from the boulder and spun in a circle, the phone clutched to her chest as a squeal of pure excitement left her. After taking a few slow, deep breaths, she flipped open her phone and texted the pertinent information, pressing send before holding the phone to her forehead as she squeaked and stomped her feet, grinning the whole time.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, looking up, eyes wide with wonder while her head turned toward her home as she bit her lip. “…it’s finally happening.”
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Jasper growled, raising his hand to give the ‘come hither’ sign as he readied himself for another assault. Worry and trepidation flared in his opponent’s emotions and Jasper snarled. “Attack or I will,” he warned, “and I’m bringing everything, so defend yourself, damn it!”
“Yes, Captain.”
His opponent ran at him, and instead of slipping the attack, Jasper met him head-on, going hand to hand with him, exchanging and blocking punches and kicks at speeds faster than even enhanced vampire vision could follow. Finally spotting a flaw in his sparring partner’s technique, Jasper jabbed him in the throat and swept his legs, putting him on his back and pinning him before he could so much as cough.
“I yield!” Demetri rasped, eyes wide as Jasper barely stopped himself short of taking his head off.
“Shit,” Jasper growled, stalking across the room to grab a towel and take a seat in the corner he always meditated in. Wiping away some blood and venom, he slowed his breathing and looked at Demetri. “You’re dismissed. Get outta here. I’ll see you back tomorrow, same time.”
“Yes, Captain,” a very bedraggled Demetri said with a bow before turning on his heel and leaving.
“Damn it,” Jasper muttered, hanging his head between his arms that were propped on bent knees. He’d lost control out there on the training room floor; something that should’ve never happened, and he was disgusted with himself over it.
It had been two days since Caius had left to hunt the werewolf pack and he was missing him. He knew he was fine through their connection though, so that wasn’t his problem.
The problem was this lingering feeling of…wrongness that seemed to be strengthening with every passing hour. It felt insidious, creeping up, around and through him, slowly choking off his ability to even focus past it, and that pissed him off. With one last frustrated swipe of the towel over his face and neck, he tossed it in the bin and got into position, instinctively regulating his breathing as he turned his focus within. Meditation had always helped him calm and center himself and he was hoping it wouldn’t fail him now.
With a little more struggle than usual, he finally found his center and made the connection, basking in the feelings and shared emotions now flowing in a circuit between he and his mate, but today, he knew that’s all it would be. Caius felt…preoccupied, distant, and unable to join with him as he usually did here in their hazy space, but he was content with that. At least he had the assurance his mate was well.
With a renewed sense of peace, he sent his love through the link and slowly rose back to full consciousness, his eyes blinking open as a slight pang of loss skated over his emotions.
Reaching up, he rubbed his brow before leaning back against the wall. He felt restless, at loose ends, and he hated feeling that way. He needed a distraction, badly.
He needed a hunt…
Hopping up from the floor, he headed out of the training room and to his rooms to shower and change. He didn't bother maintaining a human pace today, as he had no companion to converse with; Jane was in France with Caius’s guard contingent, which meant he was also without a hunting partner.
‘Oh well. What Caius doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.’
When he made the last turn into his hallway, he slowed, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Demetri stationed by his door. “Demetri, what are you doing here?”
The tracker bowed. “I was assigned by Aro, my Prince. I am to watch over you and attend any needs you may have.”
Jasper growled lowly. “Is that so?”
Demetri eyed him warily. “Yes, my Prince.”
“Cut the Prince shit, will you? If you have to call me anything other than my name, address me as your Captain, because that’s the rank I’ve earned. As such, I’m dismissing you from these duties. Go watch some TV, read a book, get laid…something, anything besides skulk outside my door.
“Besides, as soon as I shower and change, I’m leaving the castle and won’t be back for a while.”
Demetri’s mouth opened to question and Jasper cut him off. “I’m going for a hunt, just as I usually do.”
“Yes, my Pr—Captain, but you always take Jane with you.”
“True, but she’s not here, is she? I’ll be fine alone.” He turned and grasped the door handle.
“I will go with you.”
He paused and looked back. “Not necessary, but thanks.” With that, he opened the door and slipped inside, quickly making his way to the bathroom to flip on the shower and strip.
Twenty minutes later, he was dressed in black from head to toe, but instead of dressy clothes, these were much more casual. Tucking his Volturi pendant down inside the neck of his t-shirt, he slung on the leather jacket, pocketed his phone and opened the door, nearly growling at the sight of Demetri who bowed again.
“I really must insist, Captain. Aro’s orders.”
With a heavy sigh, Jasper nodded. “All right then, Demetri. Let’s go.”
Sticking to the deepening shadows, Jasper wasted no time getting out of Volterra and setting up a moderate pace toward his destination, Demetri by his side. “Where are we going, If you don’t mind my asking?”
“Pisa,” Jasper answered with a hint of a smile. “It’s one of my favorite places to hunt.”
Demetri looked surprised. “I thought you’d pick a closer city.”
“Sometimes I do. Can’t visit the same place too often, now can I? But sometimes I need a little fun—more of a distraction than a simple hunt provides. That’s when I—well, Jane and I—visit Pisa.” He felt Demetri’s rising curiosity and smirked. “Jane and I challenge each other by choosing each other’s meals by very specific descriptions. If we cannot locate the target matching the description, we go home thirsty and have to settle for bagged blood.”
Demetri chuckled. “I can just imagine some of Jane’s choice targets…”
Jasper smirked. “Yes, there have been times, but keep in mind, I choose her targets and can screw with her too, so it keeps things from getting too out of hand—most times.”
They ran in silence for a while until Jasper glanced at the tracker. “So, what do you say? You game?”
The tracker’s brows inched up. “For your hunting challenge?” Jasper nodded and Demetri shook his head. “Perhaps another time. Since this is my first time escorting you, I feel I should remain focused on my duties, my Prince.”
Jasper squashed the slight disappointment he felt and nodded. “Some other time, then.”
When they arrived in the city, they took a series of back alleys to a seedier area where a quick hunt was assured—an area where the humans wouldn’t question the disappearance of a couple of the more undesirables overmuch.
Jasper smirked as Demetri’s nose wrinkled at the overwhelming smell of piss and vomit that permeated the alley like a thick fog. “I’ll never get used to such a stench,” the tracker grumbled and Jasper had to agree, but he was thirsty and wasn’t in the mood to be picky at the moment.
Tucking themselves into deep shadows next to a reeking dumpster, they settled in to wait, both watching silently. Just as Jasper had hoped, it didn’t take long for two men to come stumbling their way out of the back door of a noisy bar, both obviously drunk as one lit a cigarette while the other relieved himself against the wall.
Jasper smirked at Demetri. “I get the smoker,” he muttered before moving in as Demetri curled his lip, muttering, “Wonderful” as he pounced on the guy with his dick in his hand.
It was just as Jasper was finishing up that the foreboding feeling from earlier crashed into him like a runaway train, causing his head to snap up, a hiss leaving his lips as blood trickled down his chin. He glanced at Demetri and they both sprang into action, fighting what was easily twenty vampires who had converged on them—seemingly from nowhere—during their feed.
They both held their own, although it was clear these were no novice fighters. All were highly trained and as the numbers began to overwhelm the two, real worry began to seep into Jasper’s thoughts and emotions.
Then he heard it—the sound of rending vampire flesh accompanied by Demetri’s pained shout. It distracted him just enough that his opponents overcame him, turning him toward the remaining action just in time for him to see Demetri’s demise as they lit his twitching remains.
He struggled against the many hands that held him, wondering in the back of his mind why he wasn’t sharing the Tracker’s fate. Then he heard a voice…one so familiar…one with such power over him, he froze in place as every negative emotion known to him seemed to flood his gift at once.
“Well, hello again, my Major. It’s been a very long time, has it not?”
His eyes went wide and he couldn’t seem to speak past the lump of fear in his throat as she smirked and sauntered toward him as he hung in the iron grasp of his foes.
A hand reached out—its nails long, manicured, and blood red—to caress his cheek, making his flesh crawl as he cringed away. She chuckled before slapping him none too gently on that same cheek. “Still so beautiful,” she commented with a toothy smile as pure malevolence sparkled in her red eyes. “It’s a shame I don’t have time to have you pleasure me as you used to.” His gaze darted to the ground as shame flooded him from the memories. “Do you remember, sweet Major?” She chuckled darkly, running the pointed tip of a blood red nail over his lip. “Of course you do. I can see it in your eyes. You never enjoyed our times together, did you?”
His eyes darted to hers and back down as she smirked. “Oh yes, I could tell. Before you, I had never had to use a Sire command to have sex, but with you, always…naughty, rebellious boy that you were. Tell me Jasper, are you still so very rebellious?”
A low growl was his response, despite his instinctual fear and submission, and she laughed, a throaty, sinister sound that made his whole being shudder. “That’s what I thought.”
She struck without warning, sinking her teeth into her old Sire mark as he cried out, his body refusing any sort of command from his brain that told it to fight, to struggle, to move…! The bite was deep, burning with vigor through his system even after she’d stepped back, wiping her mouth on a lace kerchief one of her many lackeys handed to her.
She smiled again and if Jasper could have wept, he would’ve. As the renewed mark of her absolute dominance wept venom and blood down the front of his shirt, there were no words for how violated he felt…utterly debased…completely worthless…and altogether powerless against her as she stood there, a triumphant smile on her face as she stared.
In that moment, he thought death would be a better option…
“Release him,” she ordered her lackeys, and they did, allowing him to drop to his knees in the filthy alley, his hair hiding his face as his head hung with the shame he felt.
“Are you ready to submit?”
His mind rebelled, but his instincts…they were another matter entirely and with no little despair at what he was about to do, he nodded, not daring to meet her eyes. “Yes, Mistress.”
“Excellent,” she drawled. “Rise then, Major and follow me. We have a plane to catch.” As Jasper complied, his head still hanging, rain began to fall and he couldn’t help but think, ‘How fitting…even the sky knows enough to weep…’
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.