The Inauspicious Beginnings Of A Prince
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 24
Carlisle took in a deep breath as he sat perched atop a huge boulder, looking out over the vast forest surrounding Forks, WA. His heart was aching, the sorrow threatening to plunge him into the complete madness of a bereft vampire mate.
He shook his head in anger at himself, finally tilting it back to loose a soul chilling growl that cleared the area of wildlife for miles around. He would not let himself descend into madness. He could not. Not yet. There was far too much to accomplish before he could finally surrender to the pain that wanted to consume him and come hell or high water, he would see his recent goals met first.
Picking up a scent on the air, he shot up and turned to face the vampire that emerged from the dense copse of trees that had been at his back.
"Alice, what can I do for you?"
He noted the smug smirk on her face and kept a wary eye on her as she gingerly made her way up to him, sitting on the boulder while patting the space next to her.
"Have a seat Carlisle and talk to me. I really think that we can help each other out as, from what I've seen anyway, our objectives are very similar in nature."
He sat a good distance away, facing her. "Just what do you mean by that Alice?"
She tsk'ed at him. "Oh come, come Carlisle. Let's not waste time or words. I want Jasper dead and so do you, albeit for different reasons, but that little detail is inconsequential for the most part. Dead is dead, it really doesn't matter why. Are you interested in my help or not?"
He studied her for moments, his mind racing as he watched her eyes glaze before a bright smile settled on her face and she looked at him with a clear gaze.
"Excellent! Let's get started, shall we?" She rose then, gesturing back toward the forest. "Well? Let's go Carlisle." Her lip curled in distaste. "We have people to meet, if that's what you call them."
~o0o~
Bella glanced over at Garrett as the noises from upstairs filtered down to the living room. She was pretty sure that if she could hear it, then it was almost as if they were in the room doing what they were doing, to another vampire.
He looked at her as she studied him and raised a brow in question.
"I know that your hearing is many times better than mine." She pointed a finger toward the ceiling. "None of that bothers you?"
He smirked. "Well, outside of a bit of jealousy, no. Believe me, you get used to it. You have to if you want to be around others for any length of time. Vampires are very sexual creatures, well most of them are. They like engaging, everywhere and often and the walls of most structures may as well be made of rice paper for all the privacy they afford sound wise."
He shrugged. "The only place I have found that does provide some privacy structure wise is the castle in Volterra. Thick stone will do that for you but the doors and windows are still weak points. It's better than nothing though."
She nodded absently, thinking about Jasper and his station and the huge change that would be taking place at the end of this year. It was almost overwhelming if she let it be.
They both heard the door to the kitchen open then and Bella recognized the voice of Esme as she called out.
"Bella, I'm back inside from the garden…"
She trailed off as her eyes locked on Garrett who was staring at her just as intently, his eyes darkening rapidly as a low purr set up in his chest.
He moved to her quickly, taking her into his arms and nuzzling her neck, a low growl coming from him as he scented another male on her.
Pinning her to the wall, he began to rub and kiss where ever he could and Bella cleared her throat.
He snarled, his head whipping around toward her and she scowled at him.
"Oh quit your growly shit. I know that you still have some reasoning skills even now, so don't make me find that rolled up newspaper. Take your shit upstairs and find a room. You may not mind, but I do, and the walls work just fine for me, most times anyway. I'd prefer not to witness your tryst, thanks very much."
Esme giggled at the look of disbelief on Garret's face as he slowly shook his head, picked her up and raced up the stairs.
~o0o~
Nodding to herself, Bella turned back to the TV, turned up the volume, and wondered just when the hell her "mate", -she rolled her eyes again at the term- would get home. Sighing, she flipped through until she found some MMA. Nothing like an hour or two of watching guys beat the bloody hell out of each other to close out one hell of a long ass day.
A little while later, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Carlisle and Alice enter the house and make their way upstairs. She furrowed her brow. It was odd seeing them together, but she shrugged it off seeing as how she was still pretty new around here.
She was just becoming bored and restless when fear and panic so profound it took her breath away gripped her and she clutched at her chest, eyes wide and filling with tears.
Jasper.
She knew, without a doubt, that these feelings were tied with Jasper somehow and she did the only thing that a human could do with such powerful feelings striking all at once; she passed out, his name the last thing on her lips.
~o0o~
Jasper made his way back to the Cullen residence slowly, taking his time cutting through the dense forest. Aside from Bella and his twin, there was really no one there he wanted to see and he knew that Bella understood his need to have some alone time. She knew that he needed to decompress and feel only those emotions that were purely his for a time.
There was also the fact that he was pretty much covered in the blood of several of the finest scum bags that Seattle had to offer and he really wanted to find a body of water to at least rinse some of it off so he wouldn't scare the fuck out of his mate.
He wasn't sure how she would react, but he didn't feel like adding such a potential complication to their relationship at this point. Due to recent events, it was enough of a cluster fuck as it was without throwing in the horror show that he was certain he resembled at this moment.
With these thoughts in mind, he lifted his head high and faced into the slight breeze that he could detect, searching for the scent of water.
Taking in a deep breath, he froze and listened intently for any sounds that would go with the repulsive stench that he had just picked up. Sure enough, he could now hear the soft padding steps closing in on his location quickly. Problem was, he could now hear it from practically every direction he faced. They were systematically surrounding him, or at least, trying to.
There was one direction that was more open than any of the others and that was going back toward Seattle, so that's the way he faced as he took off cutting through the forest as fast as he could.
He could tell that they had heard his hurried flight as they were now flanking him on both sides and closing as fast as they could, some much faster than others. He counted two on each side, not insurmountable odds considering his skill, but add in a fifth and things would be very close. Any more than that, and he may just be screwed, a prospect he wasn't looking forward to.
He mentally rolled his eyes at his sarcastic thoughts. Jesus, what a time to get snarky with himself. Giving himself a mental slap, he refocused. Now certainly wasn't the time to lose focus. Just by their relentless pursuit, he could tell that these flea bags weren't fucking around. They were out for blood. His specifically.
The two to his left were closing faster than the two to his right and so he veered slightly right, trying to maintain an even distance and lead. He cursed when after a minute or so, it was obvious that his maneuver hadn't succeeded and they were still gaining. He was going to have to fight very soon. With that thought in mind, he began keeping an eye on his surroundings, looking for a good sized clearing in which to stop and defend himself.
When he finally found one, he slid to a stop, facing to his left where he knew they would emerge first.
They broke through the tree line at a walk and immediately began circling him, looking for an opportunity; any little mistake on his part. Jasper was too skilled for that though and he stayed relaxed but poised; ready for any move they may make. He never turned his body to watch them circle, but never let them out of his sight. He knew that they would eventually lose patience and he was right when just moments later they sprang at him from different directions, trying to catch him off guard, at least on one front.
Jasper however, was too highly trained for such tactics and he spun around where he stood as they flew at him through the air. All it took was contact with their throats as they came within range and they were finished, almost without sound. It was messy though and Jasper found himself drenched in fresh blood from the arterial spray of both mutts.
Almost as soon as he had finished with the first two, another set charged in from the opposite direction with identical results.
While he was busy with those two however, four more had arrived and were now circling him, charging in low to nip where they could before retreating.
It would seem that they had learned their lesson about the decided disadvantages of the bounding leap attack.
Two of the newcomers charged in low and Jasper still employed a spinning defense, this time breaking facial structures of the beasts with a powerful and lightning fast kick.
Jasper cursed lowly as three more joined the two remaining healthy mutts and they seemed to synchronize their movements as they circled him from a safe distance, growling and yipping.
This was going to be a much greater challenge to his fighting skills simply due to the numbers against him.
He didn't lose focus though. To do that now would be a fatal mistake, he knew. They were out to rip him apart.
In another part of his mind, he wondered at that. He knew that he wasn't on their land and yet it was almost as if they had sought him out. He was sure of it as a matter of fact. This group had undoubtedly been a hunting party.
B
ut why? No one could have known his diet of choice unless…..He cursed to himself. He would bet money that his daddy dearest had tattled, especially since Jasper had killed his lady love, Edward.
Oh, he had known about Carlisle's 'feelings' toward the mind reader, he just hadn't wanted to be the one to stir that shit storm. He had wanted to do his year in this crotch of a town as he had promised his twin, and then get the fuck outta dodge, but it didn't look like that was going to happen now.
His thoughts switched gears again as the mutts took turns charging in low by pairs. The problem for Jasper was when they figured out that a third charging in while he was occupied with the other two, was a definite way to inflict injury on him and he yelled out as the third wolf bit deeply into his side, shaking his head and tearing a huge gash before retreating.
Jasper growled loudly and crouched, trying desperately to protect his injured side, and was successful for the most part, but he was weakening rapidly and he knew, without help, he was sunk. It was a simple matter of waiting him out now and they all knew it. He curled his lip and snarled as they backed off, settling in to do just that.
He watched them circle slowly, still yipping and growling and he started to sway with dizziness, shaking his head as his vision blurred and refocused. It was almost over for him and he began to try to make peace with that fact. He would miss Bella but he knew that his twin Pete, unmated as far as he knew, was another perfect match for her. Pete would take care of her, surely.
"I love you my Bella."
With this thought, a serene smile overtook his face and he stood straight and tall, arms held out to his side and head tilted back.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Come and get me fuckers."
They all converged as one.
~o0o~
Aro, Marcus and Caius took their time cutting leisurely through the forest on their way back from Seattle. They had gone to hunt this evening because they were planning on leaving the next day even though Caius was very unsettled by the prospect.
"It is still very unsettled in the coven Aro. I'm concerned for my son. Carlisle has been acting very strange, even for him." His lip curled in distaste at the mere thought of the veggie vamp.
Aro glanced askance at his brothers, taking note of how Marcus nodded his agreement with what Caius had just said. He sighed. "Yes, I see your point and I concede. Something is very wrong."
Marcus looked over at him then. "Have you touched any one of them lately Aro? Perhaps if you did, we may be able to sort this out before we leave? I think we would all feel better about leaving our young one if we knew exactly what was going on and why. I know the bonds that I see and, more surprisingly, the ones that I do not see and they do not match with the happy family that Carlisle has claimed to have all these years."
Aro furrowed his brow. "Is that so? This is very concerning indeed. Perhaps we should make haste in our return. It seems that there is quite a bit to address before taking our leave."
With that, they all picked up speed, that is until Caius snarled and skidded to a halt, scenting the air just ahead and slightly to the right of them. Aro and Marcus picked up a terrible stench and scowled, looking to their brother who was still scenting the air deeply.
"What is it Caius, aside from the stench of those local shifters?"
Caius spun to his right and took off, the answer filtering back to them from over his shoulder as he ran faster than they had ever seen him run before.
"It's the scent of those dogs, yes, but there's also the scent of my son's blood. I would know it anywhere."
With that, all three put their heads down and ran as fast as they could, hoping against all hope that they weren't too late.
Carlisle took in a deep breath as he sat perched atop a huge boulder, looking out over the vast forest surrounding Forks, WA. His heart was aching, the sorrow threatening to plunge him into the complete madness of a bereft vampire mate.
He shook his head in anger at himself, finally tilting it back to loose a soul chilling growl that cleared the area of wildlife for miles around. He would not let himself descend into madness. He could not. Not yet. There was far too much to accomplish before he could finally surrender to the pain that wanted to consume him and come hell or high water, he would see his recent goals met first.
Picking up a scent on the air, he shot up and turned to face the vampire that emerged from the dense copse of trees that had been at his back.
"Alice, what can I do for you?"
He noted the smug smirk on her face and kept a wary eye on her as she gingerly made her way up to him, sitting on the boulder while patting the space next to her.
"Have a seat Carlisle and talk to me. I really think that we can help each other out as, from what I've seen anyway, our objectives are very similar in nature."
He sat a good distance away, facing her. "Just what do you mean by that Alice?"
She tsk'ed at him. "Oh come, come Carlisle. Let's not waste time or words. I want Jasper dead and so do you, albeit for different reasons, but that little detail is inconsequential for the most part. Dead is dead, it really doesn't matter why. Are you interested in my help or not?"
He studied her for moments, his mind racing as he watched her eyes glaze before a bright smile settled on her face and she looked at him with a clear gaze.
"Excellent! Let's get started, shall we?" She rose then, gesturing back toward the forest. "Well? Let's go Carlisle." Her lip curled in distaste. "We have people to meet, if that's what you call them."
~o0o~
Bella glanced over at Garrett as the noises from upstairs filtered down to the living room. She was pretty sure that if she could hear it, then it was almost as if they were in the room doing what they were doing, to another vampire.
He looked at her as she studied him and raised a brow in question.
"I know that your hearing is many times better than mine." She pointed a finger toward the ceiling. "None of that bothers you?"
He smirked. "Well, outside of a bit of jealousy, no. Believe me, you get used to it. You have to if you want to be around others for any length of time. Vampires are very sexual creatures, well most of them are. They like engaging, everywhere and often and the walls of most structures may as well be made of rice paper for all the privacy they afford sound wise."
He shrugged. "The only place I have found that does provide some privacy structure wise is the castle in Volterra. Thick stone will do that for you but the doors and windows are still weak points. It's better than nothing though."
She nodded absently, thinking about Jasper and his station and the huge change that would be taking place at the end of this year. It was almost overwhelming if she let it be.
They both heard the door to the kitchen open then and Bella recognized the voice of Esme as she called out.
"Bella, I'm back inside from the garden…"
She trailed off as her eyes locked on Garrett who was staring at her just as intently, his eyes darkening rapidly as a low purr set up in his chest.
He moved to her quickly, taking her into his arms and nuzzling her neck, a low growl coming from him as he scented another male on her.
Pinning her to the wall, he began to rub and kiss where ever he could and Bella cleared her throat.
He snarled, his head whipping around toward her and she scowled at him.
"Oh quit your growly shit. I know that you still have some reasoning skills even now, so don't make me find that rolled up newspaper. Take your shit upstairs and find a room. You may not mind, but I do, and the walls work just fine for me, most times anyway. I'd prefer not to witness your tryst, thanks very much."
Esme giggled at the look of disbelief on Garret's face as he slowly shook his head, picked her up and raced up the stairs.
~o0o~
Nodding to herself, Bella turned back to the TV, turned up the volume, and wondered just when the hell her "mate", -she rolled her eyes again at the term- would get home. Sighing, she flipped through until she found some MMA. Nothing like an hour or two of watching guys beat the bloody hell out of each other to close out one hell of a long ass day.
A little while later, she saw out of the corner of her eye, Carlisle and Alice enter the house and make their way upstairs. She furrowed her brow. It was odd seeing them together, but she shrugged it off seeing as how she was still pretty new around here.
She was just becoming bored and restless when fear and panic so profound it took her breath away gripped her and she clutched at her chest, eyes wide and filling with tears.
Jasper.
She knew, without a doubt, that these feelings were tied with Jasper somehow and she did the only thing that a human could do with such powerful feelings striking all at once; she passed out, his name the last thing on her lips.
~o0o~
Jasper made his way back to the Cullen residence slowly, taking his time cutting through the dense forest. Aside from Bella and his twin, there was really no one there he wanted to see and he knew that Bella understood his need to have some alone time. She knew that he needed to decompress and feel only those emotions that were purely his for a time.
There was also the fact that he was pretty much covered in the blood of several of the finest scum bags that Seattle had to offer and he really wanted to find a body of water to at least rinse some of it off so he wouldn't scare the fuck out of his mate.
He wasn't sure how she would react, but he didn't feel like adding such a potential complication to their relationship at this point. Due to recent events, it was enough of a cluster fuck as it was without throwing in the horror show that he was certain he resembled at this moment.
With these thoughts in mind, he lifted his head high and faced into the slight breeze that he could detect, searching for the scent of water.
Taking in a deep breath, he froze and listened intently for any sounds that would go with the repulsive stench that he had just picked up. Sure enough, he could now hear the soft padding steps closing in on his location quickly. Problem was, he could now hear it from practically every direction he faced. They were systematically surrounding him, or at least, trying to.
There was one direction that was more open than any of the others and that was going back toward Seattle, so that's the way he faced as he took off cutting through the forest as fast as he could.
He could tell that they had heard his hurried flight as they were now flanking him on both sides and closing as fast as they could, some much faster than others. He counted two on each side, not insurmountable odds considering his skill, but add in a fifth and things would be very close. Any more than that, and he may just be screwed, a prospect he wasn't looking forward to.
He mentally rolled his eyes at his sarcastic thoughts. Jesus, what a time to get snarky with himself. Giving himself a mental slap, he refocused. Now certainly wasn't the time to lose focus. Just by their relentless pursuit, he could tell that these flea bags weren't fucking around. They were out for blood. His specifically.
The two to his left were closing faster than the two to his right and so he veered slightly right, trying to maintain an even distance and lead. He cursed when after a minute or so, it was obvious that his maneuver hadn't succeeded and they were still gaining. He was going to have to fight very soon. With that thought in mind, he began keeping an eye on his surroundings, looking for a good sized clearing in which to stop and defend himself.
When he finally found one, he slid to a stop, facing to his left where he knew they would emerge first.
They broke through the tree line at a walk and immediately began circling him, looking for an opportunity; any little mistake on his part. Jasper was too skilled for that though and he stayed relaxed but poised; ready for any move they may make. He never turned his body to watch them circle, but never let them out of his sight. He knew that they would eventually lose patience and he was right when just moments later they sprang at him from different directions, trying to catch him off guard, at least on one front.
Jasper however, was too highly trained for such tactics and he spun around where he stood as they flew at him through the air. All it took was contact with their throats as they came within range and they were finished, almost without sound. It was messy though and Jasper found himself drenched in fresh blood from the arterial spray of both mutts.
Almost as soon as he had finished with the first two, another set charged in from the opposite direction with identical results.
While he was busy with those two however, four more had arrived and were now circling him, charging in low to nip where they could before retreating.
It would seem that they had learned their lesson about the decided disadvantages of the bounding leap attack.
Two of the newcomers charged in low and Jasper still employed a spinning defense, this time breaking facial structures of the beasts with a powerful and lightning fast kick.
Jasper cursed lowly as three more joined the two remaining healthy mutts and they seemed to synchronize their movements as they circled him from a safe distance, growling and yipping.
This was going to be a much greater challenge to his fighting skills simply due to the numbers against him.
He didn't lose focus though. To do that now would be a fatal mistake, he knew. They were out to rip him apart.
In another part of his mind, he wondered at that. He knew that he wasn't on their land and yet it was almost as if they had sought him out. He was sure of it as a matter of fact. This group had undoubtedly been a hunting party.
B
ut why? No one could have known his diet of choice unless…..He cursed to himself. He would bet money that his daddy dearest had tattled, especially since Jasper had killed his lady love, Edward.
Oh, he had known about Carlisle's 'feelings' toward the mind reader, he just hadn't wanted to be the one to stir that shit storm. He had wanted to do his year in this crotch of a town as he had promised his twin, and then get the fuck outta dodge, but it didn't look like that was going to happen now.
His thoughts switched gears again as the mutts took turns charging in low by pairs. The problem for Jasper was when they figured out that a third charging in while he was occupied with the other two, was a definite way to inflict injury on him and he yelled out as the third wolf bit deeply into his side, shaking his head and tearing a huge gash before retreating.
Jasper growled loudly and crouched, trying desperately to protect his injured side, and was successful for the most part, but he was weakening rapidly and he knew, without help, he was sunk. It was a simple matter of waiting him out now and they all knew it. He curled his lip and snarled as they backed off, settling in to do just that.
He watched them circle slowly, still yipping and growling and he started to sway with dizziness, shaking his head as his vision blurred and refocused. It was almost over for him and he began to try to make peace with that fact. He would miss Bella but he knew that his twin Pete, unmated as far as he knew, was another perfect match for her. Pete would take care of her, surely.
"I love you my Bella."
With this thought, a serene smile overtook his face and he stood straight and tall, arms held out to his side and head tilted back.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Come and get me fuckers."
They all converged as one.
~o0o~
Aro, Marcus and Caius took their time cutting leisurely through the forest on their way back from Seattle. They had gone to hunt this evening because they were planning on leaving the next day even though Caius was very unsettled by the prospect.
"It is still very unsettled in the coven Aro. I'm concerned for my son. Carlisle has been acting very strange, even for him." His lip curled in distaste at the mere thought of the veggie vamp.
Aro glanced askance at his brothers, taking note of how Marcus nodded his agreement with what Caius had just said. He sighed. "Yes, I see your point and I concede. Something is very wrong."
Marcus looked over at him then. "Have you touched any one of them lately Aro? Perhaps if you did, we may be able to sort this out before we leave? I think we would all feel better about leaving our young one if we knew exactly what was going on and why. I know the bonds that I see and, more surprisingly, the ones that I do not see and they do not match with the happy family that Carlisle has claimed to have all these years."
Aro furrowed his brow. "Is that so? This is very concerning indeed. Perhaps we should make haste in our return. It seems that there is quite a bit to address before taking our leave."
With that, they all picked up speed, that is until Caius snarled and skidded to a halt, scenting the air just ahead and slightly to the right of them. Aro and Marcus picked up a terrible stench and scowled, looking to their brother who was still scenting the air deeply.
"What is it Caius, aside from the stench of those local shifters?"
Caius spun to his right and took off, the answer filtering back to them from over his shoulder as he ran faster than they had ever seen him run before.
"It's the scent of those dogs, yes, but there's also the scent of my son's blood. I would know it anywhere."
With that, all three put their heads down and ran as fast as they could, hoping against all hope that they weren't too late.
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.