Intrigue
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 14
Two days…
That’s how long it’d been since she’d walked out of his apartment. Certainly not a long time for one of his kind, but to him, it sure as hell felt like it.
He growled lowly from his perch atop a building, his eyes fixed on the goings-on in a distant, trash-strewn alley. It brought back many less-than-pleasant memories, but the question plaguing him now was, what the hell are they doing here and who created them?”
His eyes went dark as pitch at the sight of one vicious newborn tearing into another over its kill, and he hissed when a female rushed in to break them up.
Her hair was a riotous, fire-red and, sure as shit, he knew her.
“God damn it…” he muttered. He knew they should’a taken care of her after killing her mate, but did they listen?
Hell no.
And now it seemed she was making newborns…
Right here, on the outskirts of Seattle. Didn’t take a genius to figure this shit out… “Jesus…”
Something familiar niggled at his senses and a second later, he spun, grabbing the interloper by the throat.
“Christ almighty, Major,” Peter wheezed, his eyes wide and feet dangling.
Charlotte sauntered up to lean against a massive air-conditioning unit, a smirk on her face. “I told ya not to try to sneak up on him.”
“Not a good time for ‘I told ya so’, sugar,” Pete squeaked, shooting her a glare.
With a slow shake of his head, Jasper dropped his oldest friend and crossed his arms. “What brings you two around?”
Pete shrugged. “Somethin’ to do. Was getting down right boring back home, so thought we’d come and help out.”
“Help out with what?”
“Oh you know, your girl, the Brady Bunch, the fight that’s brewin’, take your pick.”
The screeching sound of rending vampire flesh made them all cringe and they turned to watch as one more of the red demon’s hoard went into the smoking dumpster.
Jasper glanced at Pete and jerked a thumb at the mess in the alley. “That the fight you’re talkin’ about?”
“Yep. You got a plan?”
Jasper smirked. “Yeah, it’s called ‘finish it before it starts’. You comin’ or you just gonna stand there, lookin’ stupid?”
With that, he jumped off the rooftop and took off.
“Shit, Major…” Pete cursed before taking off after him with Charlotte just two steps behind.
Together, the three converged on the startled red-head and her four remaining newborns.
“Riley!” the red demon shrieked as Peter grabbed a male, deftly removing his right arm on the first pass. He had to duck the head of Jasper’s first kill as it flew past and into the dumpster.
“You! I remember you! You’re one of them!” Red spat as she crouched, her gaze now pinned on a grinning Jasper who tossed a newborn’s leg in the dumpster before circling her.
“If you say so, Red,” he drawled, his lithe body relaxed but ready as he toyed with her.
“You killed my James!” she screeched.
Jasper shrugged and gave a nod. “I did. Don’t see why you’re so pissed over it though. Boy was a right pussy, if ya ask me. Couldn’t fight his own kind, so he had to go beatin’ on a little human girl.”
“You’re gonna pay for killing him!”
Jasper chuckled and it was dark and low, nearly putting a shiver down Pete and Charlotte’s spines, even as they tore apart the last newborn. They’d heard that chuckle many times before, and it never meant anything good.
“Yeah? Who’s gonna make me pay, Red?”
“Me!”
Jasper’s grin went wide and wolfish and he crouched, beckoning her forward with a raised hand and a hellish look in his eyes. “I suggest ya get to it then. I’m fixin’ to get bored.”
With an unholy screech, she ran at him, one clawed hand poised to scratch out his eyes. He dodged and planted a boot in the middle of her back, sending her sprawling.
Springing to her feet, she hissed like a cat and came at him again, this time aiming a mouthful of razor sharp teeth at his shoulder.
Jasper growled, grabbing her arm and giving it a tug and a twist. She screamed as it came off at the shoulder. “I don’t appreciate ya trying to bite me, Red. That wasn’t nice at all,” he chided while tossing her arm in the dumpster. “Matter of fact,” he continued as she hopped to her feet, her chest heaving with angered breaths, “it damn well pisses me off.”
“Why?” she snarled. “Why would you kill your own kind over a pathetic little human?”
He shrugged. “Back then? I liked her. Now? She’s important to me and because of that, you can’t be allowed to live.”
“You’re disgusting,” she spat.
He huffed a laugh. “Been called worse, Red, by those much better than you.”
With that, he moved so fast, she didn’t know what hit her, and the next second, her head—wide eyed and framed by a riot of red curls—flew into the smoldering dumpster, quickly followed by the rest of her.
With easy steps, Jasper walked up, lit a whole book of matches and tossed it in to reignite the fire.
“Whiskey?” he asked, tossing a look over his shoulder at Pete and Char.
“You got the good shit?”
Jasper smirked. “Nothing but the best.”
Pete gestured while slinging an arm over Char’s shoulder. “Lead on, Major.”
Two days…
That’s how long it’d been since she’d walked out of his apartment. Certainly not a long time for one of his kind, but to him, it sure as hell felt like it.
He growled lowly from his perch atop a building, his eyes fixed on the goings-on in a distant, trash-strewn alley. It brought back many less-than-pleasant memories, but the question plaguing him now was, what the hell are they doing here and who created them?”
His eyes went dark as pitch at the sight of one vicious newborn tearing into another over its kill, and he hissed when a female rushed in to break them up.
Her hair was a riotous, fire-red and, sure as shit, he knew her.
“God damn it…” he muttered. He knew they should’a taken care of her after killing her mate, but did they listen?
Hell no.
And now it seemed she was making newborns…
Right here, on the outskirts of Seattle. Didn’t take a genius to figure this shit out… “Jesus…”
Something familiar niggled at his senses and a second later, he spun, grabbing the interloper by the throat.
“Christ almighty, Major,” Peter wheezed, his eyes wide and feet dangling.
Charlotte sauntered up to lean against a massive air-conditioning unit, a smirk on her face. “I told ya not to try to sneak up on him.”
“Not a good time for ‘I told ya so’, sugar,” Pete squeaked, shooting her a glare.
With a slow shake of his head, Jasper dropped his oldest friend and crossed his arms. “What brings you two around?”
Pete shrugged. “Somethin’ to do. Was getting down right boring back home, so thought we’d come and help out.”
“Help out with what?”
“Oh you know, your girl, the Brady Bunch, the fight that’s brewin’, take your pick.”
The screeching sound of rending vampire flesh made them all cringe and they turned to watch as one more of the red demon’s hoard went into the smoking dumpster.
Jasper glanced at Pete and jerked a thumb at the mess in the alley. “That the fight you’re talkin’ about?”
“Yep. You got a plan?”
Jasper smirked. “Yeah, it’s called ‘finish it before it starts’. You comin’ or you just gonna stand there, lookin’ stupid?”
With that, he jumped off the rooftop and took off.
“Shit, Major…” Pete cursed before taking off after him with Charlotte just two steps behind.
Together, the three converged on the startled red-head and her four remaining newborns.
“Riley!” the red demon shrieked as Peter grabbed a male, deftly removing his right arm on the first pass. He had to duck the head of Jasper’s first kill as it flew past and into the dumpster.
“You! I remember you! You’re one of them!” Red spat as she crouched, her gaze now pinned on a grinning Jasper who tossed a newborn’s leg in the dumpster before circling her.
“If you say so, Red,” he drawled, his lithe body relaxed but ready as he toyed with her.
“You killed my James!” she screeched.
Jasper shrugged and gave a nod. “I did. Don’t see why you’re so pissed over it though. Boy was a right pussy, if ya ask me. Couldn’t fight his own kind, so he had to go beatin’ on a little human girl.”
“You’re gonna pay for killing him!”
Jasper chuckled and it was dark and low, nearly putting a shiver down Pete and Charlotte’s spines, even as they tore apart the last newborn. They’d heard that chuckle many times before, and it never meant anything good.
“Yeah? Who’s gonna make me pay, Red?”
“Me!”
Jasper’s grin went wide and wolfish and he crouched, beckoning her forward with a raised hand and a hellish look in his eyes. “I suggest ya get to it then. I’m fixin’ to get bored.”
With an unholy screech, she ran at him, one clawed hand poised to scratch out his eyes. He dodged and planted a boot in the middle of her back, sending her sprawling.
Springing to her feet, she hissed like a cat and came at him again, this time aiming a mouthful of razor sharp teeth at his shoulder.
Jasper growled, grabbing her arm and giving it a tug and a twist. She screamed as it came off at the shoulder. “I don’t appreciate ya trying to bite me, Red. That wasn’t nice at all,” he chided while tossing her arm in the dumpster. “Matter of fact,” he continued as she hopped to her feet, her chest heaving with angered breaths, “it damn well pisses me off.”
“Why?” she snarled. “Why would you kill your own kind over a pathetic little human?”
He shrugged. “Back then? I liked her. Now? She’s important to me and because of that, you can’t be allowed to live.”
“You’re disgusting,” she spat.
He huffed a laugh. “Been called worse, Red, by those much better than you.”
With that, he moved so fast, she didn’t know what hit her, and the next second, her head—wide eyed and framed by a riot of red curls—flew into the smoldering dumpster, quickly followed by the rest of her.
With easy steps, Jasper walked up, lit a whole book of matches and tossed it in to reignite the fire.
“Whiskey?” he asked, tossing a look over his shoulder at Pete and Char.
“You got the good shit?”
Jasper smirked. “Nothing but the best.”
Pete gestured while slinging an arm over Char’s shoulder. “Lead on, Major.”
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.