Chapter One: A fateful encounter

"There are no bonds so strong as those which are formed by suffering together. "
-Harriet Ann Jacobs

They were arguing once again. Shouts echoing through the corridors and easily piercing the wall. Elise lay across her bed, in the dark, pretending she couldn't hear a thing. It was easier that way, cheerfully greeting her parents in the morning, smiling as if she were none the wiser. Her mother would be figuring out new ways to hide her bruises, and to avoid drawing suspicion, Elise did ask, easily being fooled by whatever excuse her mother came up with.

She knew that her father could've easily decided to walk upstairs and strike her too. He never had, but, that was partially the reason she decided to turn a blind eye, she was afraid that at any moment, he'd turn his anger on her. There was no one she could tell, if someone did believe her, then her foolish mother would only defend him. Her elder brother, Simeon had been through that song and dance before.

It was hard to look at her parents, the bond they once shared has dissipated. And their bonds with her were also strained. Since she was 17, they were hoping that she'd meet a boy, and quickly be married off, hopefully so they could divorce, without the pain of 'separating the family'. Honestly, that had been her plan. Either marry a guy, or beg Simeon to let her come stay with him and his wife for a while. They had a relatively strong bond.

Connections are what made Elise unique. Since early childhood, once coming into physical contact with someone, she could see if someone had grown attached to her, and if that person was close to her, she could see their attachments to another person. She described it as seeing a thin red line or string connecting the two people. Upon telling her parents, they began questioning her mental state, and the subject was quickly dropped. However, she continued to see it, and the thread made it difficult to form relationships. A lot of them were one sided.

Yelling still echoed from downstairs, it seemed her mother was actually winning the argument this time. A rare occurrence. Elise sat up on her bed, deciding she wasn't going to listen to their screams all night, and headed out to the balcony, which her room shared with the guest bedroom.

The night air was crisp, easily cutting through her thin, white gown. It was a bit too cold outside, but, Elise adored the evening hours. She loved gazing at the stars and the moon, wondering what may lay outside of their sky, and what secret's the darkness kept. It was nights like this, when her parents were arguing, that she'd slip out, wander the town, always heading to the newly built bridge, staring at the reflections of the night sky, in the rippled of water. It was relaxing, and often helped her get through tougher days. Plus, it was pretty close to her house, she never ran into anyone, the only people out this late were others clearing their minds, streetwalkers, and those seeking the service of a streetwalker. The latter usually hung out towards Main Street, away from Elise's location.

And, so, she climbed over the balustrade, and onto the trellis, easily making her way to the ground. The dew on the grass froze her bare feet, but, Elise persisted, the peace and quiet she'd have made the possibility of catching a cold worth it. The young girl decided to head around to the back of the house, avoiding the chance of being spotted in the front, before altering her course, heading towards town.

Meanwhile, two vampires stood atop the bank, stalking her, staring her down. They'd been prowling the town looking for a quick meal, and a potential recruit or two, when the eldest of the two, a petite, dark haired woman took notice of her scent. It was alluring, almost begging the woman to tear the poor girl to pieces. The second vampire didn't seem to understand the fascination the first held with Elise, she smelled like any ordinary human, possibly a bit sweeter with the added fragrance she wore, but, not nearly as mouth watering as the elder seemed to believe.

"Mmmm, I can almost taste her from here." The female vampire let out a scoff, trying to play off her sudden obsession with the girl. Her expression, the grin on her lips and the pure excitement emanating from her betrayed her false disgust. Elise's blood was singing for the strange woman, something she had yet to discover. Her throat burned with anticipation, and her desire was so strong, the ache transferred to her male friend. "Are you going to kill her?" He questioned, in a hushed tone, wishing she'd hurry with her decision, so he wouldn't be tormented by her lust. He was growing impatient, agitated even, ready to leap down and bleed the girl dry, himself.

"No." Her reply was calmer, due to his influence, manipulating her emotions, calming him, in turn. The woman turned to her friend, grabbing his collar, pulling him closer, her lips kissing his neck before whispering in his ear. "Jasper, I want her." He chuckled, feeling her forced breath on his neck. "Go and get her, no one is stopping you."

"I want her as part of our army. There has to be a reason she smells so appetizing to me." The woman clarified, almost pouting at the fact that he hadn't caught on to what she was asking. "You have great restraint, but, if her blood is so appealing to you, could you actually handle yourself?" What she wanted was impossible, it was unheard of for a vampire to successfully turn a singer. There were rumors, yet, no one had ever provided any evidence towards those accusations.

As Jasper glanced down at his small partner, she gave him a sly grin, making him feel a little uneasy. "Actually…"

"Maria… I can't." He pleaded, finally putting together her plan.

"I have faith in you, Jasper.. And, if you need a little incentive, I'll be more than willing to reward you when you return." With that, she retracted slightly, lips connecting to his own, hungrily seeking his attention, he could feel her yearning for him and Jasper did enjoy his rewards. His hands wrapped around her waist, as he returned her kisses. "If I do this, I may be a little demanding with my prize." Maria let out a giggle. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'm guessing you have a plan, since you've been staring in her direction for quite some time?" A smirk played across his lips, mind focused on everything he wanted to do to Maria. "Same plan as always." Maria chimed, taking a step away, breaking his hold on her. "Lead her away, turn her, and force the opium in her system before she can break the paralysis of your venom. With the opium and your power, it should be easy to keep her in check. If you can manage to do that, without killing her, there's an abandoned house, a few miles outside of the city, surrounded by wilted crops, keep her there until she changes, give her a little training and bring her back to me."

"You're not staying?"

"If I can already smell that girl's blood, I don't want to imagine the frenzy she'd send me into if I were around while she bleed. Besides, I have a few more area's I wanted to scout out."

Maria made it sound as if such a task would be easy for him. Jasper never fathomed being able to have the self control that she had to change someone. And he was already thirsty… there was no way she'd survive. Seeing him distraught, Maria spoke up, "You'll do fine. Once she's paralyzed, you should have a few minutes to find another meal."

Reluctantly, he agreed to the task, making sure not to promise that he wouldn't kill her. This made Maria happy, and she decided to use her tactic of seduction once more. "I only wish I could tell you what I'd do to you if you brought back someone who could give the other newborns a run for their money. Make her strong for me, okay?"

"If that's the case, I'll see you soon." He responded, pulling her to him, a hand gripping her chin. Quite a bold move. "And I'll bring you the best newborn you've ever seen." Jasper leaned in for one more kiss, only to have Maria pull away, leaving him confused. "Second to you, of course." She replied, before allowing him the kiss, slipping two vials of the drug into his coat pocket.

The two split up, Maria headed South-West, and Jasper headed North, leaping across the river, just a few yards away from her, before re-emerging on the opposite side of the bridge, blocking her route home.

Elise stood on the center of the bridge, leaning against the railing, mindlessly staring out at the water. It always amazed Jasper how clumsy humans were, he was so close to her, and could've killed her multiple times by now, yet, she hadn't noticed his presence. His plan was to lead her into a false sense of security, which was easy with his ability, then, he'd lead her to somewhere private, before doing the deed.

Finally, she noticed the gentleman, striding ever so nearer. Naturally, her heart began to pound, not wanting to deal with the consequences of being caught out so late, especially with the way she was dressed. Elise's parents would never stop lecturing her.

And suddenly, she felt comforted, as if her fears had never even existed in the first place. Something was telling the girl to run, that this man was dangerous. The closer he approached, the more at ease she felt. From what she could see, he was devilishly handsome, honey-blond hair, accompanied with dark eyes. His youthful appearance alarmed her even more. Everything about his arrival was uncanny, yet, despite her minds panicked state, she was calm. Even her mental stress had started to soothe away.

"Evenin' ma'am." Jasper called out, bowing his head. "Good evening, sir.." Elise returned the gesture, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Pardon the intrusion, but, you seem troubled. May I ask what's bothering you?" He was nice enough, if he'd approached her in the daytime, she'd feel more comfortable around him. Yet, the fact was he approached her during the night, from the side of town she lived on, and, he didn't look like any of her neighbors. "I only stepped out for a few minutes. Actually, I should be heading back, least I worry my parents." She faced him, with the hope that he'd just step aside and allow her to pass. Jasper stayed firmly in place, gaze bore into her own. "Please, let me through." Elise requested, subconsciously taking a step backwards, showing her fear. As if he needed validation, when he could feel just how scared she was.

It wasn't going exactly as he planned, but, the bridge was pretty secluded during the late hours, and would have to suffice. He only needed to engage her, get close enough to silence her screams as he bit into her throat. And so, he stepped aside, giving her the false hope of freedom, allowing her to pass.

Elise remained suspicious, attempting to proceed as quickly as possible, moving around the vampire, only to have his hand reach out and grab her arm, gripping tightly as Elise let out a cry, both from the shock and pain. She wasn't paying attention to how frozen his hand was, believing it was just due to the weather.

"Let me go!" She insisted, raising her voice, and pulling against his force. Her resistance was futile, Jasper barely had hold of her, even she could tell that he wasn't using full strength. "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"Be quiet. No one is coming to save you, and even if they were, it's not like they could." The truth stung. Nobody knew she was out here, and nobody was close enough to hear her screams regardless.

"Who are you!?"
"That's not important."

"Why are you doing this!?"
"It's in my nature."

"What do you want from me!?"
"A talented, obedient soldier."

The two bickered back and forth, Jasper effortlessly held onto her, amused by her struggles. He grew bored of their game, pulling her to him and clamping his opposite hand over her mouth, to keep her from screaming, while pinning her to the railing, planting his knee between her legs, assuring there was no room for escape. She was nervous, terrified and angry. Blood flowing faster through her veins, taunting him. His throat was dry. It was moronic to ask such a task of him. He'd make Elise's death up to Maria, later. Right now, he planned on quenching his thirst, she was just too appeasing.

What made it hard was she kept trying to resist, which was normal for a victim, however, the negative emotions she felt were strong. Sorrow joined, mingling in with the others, as did guilt, her parents would never know what happened to her. More of a strain would be put on their marriage, and it was her fault.

Jasper's own expression was pained, he hadn't felt so much from a victim in a long time. "I'm sorry…" He half mumbled, before exposing her neck and sinking his teeth in, tearing a chunk of her flesh away, biting once again, this time sucking up all the blood spilling from her wound. Of course she was screaming, at least, she was trying to. An intense sting rang from her collarbone, through her shoulder, it was fractured, pierced by Jasper's teeth.

Seeing that her arm was no longer able to move, without her going through agonizing discomfort, his grip on her wrist was released, and his arm quickly wrapped around her waist. Moving her opposite arm even hurt. Still, she tried to push him away, though failing, her strength wasn't enough to even draw his attention. Finally, Elise gave up, her hand just clenching the fabric of his jacket.

His venom began to paralyze her, and though she could still feel the overwhelming amounts of pain, it was somehow relaxing. But, maybe that was Jasper's work. Either way, she appreciated it.

When he first bit, all she could feel was the tearing of her flesh, and then her heart rate increased, which was already beating like crazy. Next, sweat started to gather, dripping from her uncontrollably, despite the fact that Jasper's cool body was pinned to her. A migraine formed, dazing her, and almost making her lose consciousness. Her vision started fading in and out, and all sound was replaced by a loud ringing. The muffled screaming came to a halt, and she was silent.

At least, until the unfathomable burning hit her wound, reaching down her chest, heading towards her heart. She was hot, the essence of lava snaking through her veins, causing her eyes to shoot open once again. Jasper wasn't taking her blood fast enough, and the venom was already starting to turn her.

This time, as she thrashed about, she managed to pry Jasper's hand away from her mouth, only to have him grip the back of her head, pushing her face into his jacket. Elise took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together, as she felt her body growing weaker and weaker. That sudden burst of strength was zapped away along with whatever blood remained in her system.

Elise was dying, and she knew it.

That's when it happened, a vision shot to her brain, red lace intertwining herself and the mysterious man, currently killing her. This was foreign to her, why did she and this stranger have a bond?

"Jasper, I want her."

"I can't."

These words echoed through her brain, she immediately recognized the male's voice, though, not having a clue as to who the female was.

Now she knew his name. Maybe, she could convince him to let her go. With what was left of her strength, she used her injured arm to reach up, clenching his shirt, muttering the words: "Jasper… p-please.. Stop!" That was enough to draw his attention, releasing his grip on her throat. He'd numbed himself to her emotions, and his victims always begged him to stop, but, never,… never had one of his victims spoke his name.

Jasper backed off, Elise dropped to the ground, unable to keep herself upright. "You're still alive?" He questioned aloud, not believing what he saw. He'd taken a large portion of her blood, she should've died by now. Maybe, she could still turn?

Once he regained his composure, he scooped Elise into his arms, quickly making his way back to the rooftops, scanning the horizon for the wilted crops, surrounding the house that would be their sanctuary for the next week. As soon as he spotted it, he leaped back to the ground, running through the town, leaping into the middle of the field, to avoid leaving a trail for humans to follow. The lock was easy to break, since only the knob was latched, he didn't worry about re-locking the door, if anyone wandered in, they'd be walking to their death, with a thirsty newborn on the way. He took Elise down to the basement, where neither of them would have to worry about the sun, it would be dark, and mostly quiet.

Elise wasn't screaming anymore, though she still let out quite a few pained grunts, and twitches, her hand, again, clenched his shirt. She was only vaguely aware that they'd changed location, her eyes squeezed shut, trying to somehow regulate the scorch that had now spread through her entire being, threatening to incinerate her from the inside out. A dull ache revealed itself, in the base of her throat, a warning, yet somehow, it was far easier to deal with.

She was taken to the back of the basement, and laid on the floor, where the opium would be introduced to her system. Since he was giving it to her after she started turning, the effect would be as efficient, but, should give him just enough time to slip out, and find someone to drink. It was risky, but, if he had to, he'd hunt her down and drag her back.

"Are you still conscious?" Jasper asked, holding her head up, kneeling next to her. "Maybe.." Her voice was weak, hoarse. She wasn't sure if you could call her state of mind consciousness. "That's good. I need your cooperation momentarily." Elise slowly opened her eyes, staring at him, the room was dark, but, she could still see his defining feature, his blackened eyes. She didn't speak another word, just watching his movements, as he took the vial from his pocket, "Drink this for me." His voice was soothing, calming. He wanted her to trust him. Taking a deep breath, she responded, "Yeah… Okay." Elise drank both bottles, quickly slipping into an unconscious state. Jasper stayed with her until he was sure she couldn't move.

"If you wake up before I return, stay here. You don't want me to hunt you down. It won't be very pleasant." With that, he gently laid her head down, and turned, heading back towards the stairs.

Jasper's has hunted for a little over 30 years, he wouldn't take too long, not wanting to leave a newborn alone, only a few miles away from a city. That spelled disaster. If she escaped, he'd most likely have to kill her to keep her from trying to hunt down every human she could find. Yet another fatal flaw in Maria's plan. Not only was having Jasper turn her a mistake, but, keeping her so close to blood, warmth she'd no doubt feel. There'd been cases of newborns going into a frenzy from the lingering scent of their own blood, after all. And that was blood that had days to dry.

Only minutes passed whenever he reached the border of town, easily picking up the scent of a streetwalker, and her dissatisfied customer. They'd been in a rather heated argument, resulting in the man striking her, drawing blood. A grin lined Jasper's face as the scent reached him, instincts taking over as he moved into a crouched position, before sprinting through the city, over the buildings and into the alley, hidden in the darkness, watching the scene unfold. The woman was on the ground, tearful, and the man prepared to hit her again, closing his fist, reeling it back. Jasper was faster, clotheslining the man, his skull cracking against the pavement, letting his blood gush out, as he fell unconscious. The woman was still crying, fearful, he'd moved to fast to be a normal human, she knew this. Jasper turned, a smile still on his face, as he forcefully pulled the girl to her feet, slamming her against the building, she screamed once, before his teeth cut through her skin. As soon as the blood started flowing, he adjusted his grip, less violent than he was with Elise, taking in as much blood as he could.

This wasn't going to be a peaceful outing, he caught the scent of another vampire in the area, closing in on his location. The scent was unrecognizable, which meant only one thing: They would die. A vampire was lucky to survive trespassing through territory that wasn't their own. This vampire was rather unlucky, running into Jasper.

The woman was drained, nothing but an empty husk now. Jasper let her drop, stepping to the side, just in time for a fist to collide with the concrete. It only took a second to analyze the man, dark hair, equally as dark eyes, he hadn't fed in quite some time and was after Jasper's own meal. He let out a growl, letting the outsider know that he wasn't going to win, before kneeing him in his gut, knocking him back.

Jasper didn't give him the chance to regain his composure, before lunging forward, intent on planting his own fist in the mans face. He barely managed to block, nudging Jasper back, continuing to try and strike him, none of his hits landed, sending him into a rage. This kid was definitely newborn. He recklessly struck, without purpose, letting this violent nature take over him. The outsider leaped up, trying a kick this time, again, Jasper blocked him, shoving him away. He didn't care about Jasper, all he wanted was the blood, he could just use his enhanced strength against him. Sure, Jasper was skilled, but, he was strong, and went for a tackle, Jasper caught him, purposely falling back, throwing the kid off of him, returning to his crouched position and charging the kid himself, catching his throat, slamming him to the ground, and then dropping a knee on the kid's throat, pinning him under his weight, while his thumb dug into his eye socket, and slowly, ripped the newborn's skull apart. Earning his own damage as the only resistance the newborn mustered was to dig his fingers into Jasper's ribs.

He'd have time to deal with his remains later, right now, his meal was currently bleeding out through his head wound, so still in his hunched form, he scrambled over to the corpse, biting into him, draining what remained of his blood. When finished, he properly disposed of the newborns corpse, setting it ablaze, throwing the human corpses on the fire as well. Now, he could return to Elise, give her the proper training she needed, in the right state of mind.

Speaking of, the little newborn managed to shake off the effects of the opium, and now waited, hunched up in the corner, knees pulled to her chest. Her body was still on fire, the wound on her shoulder no longer existed, and little by little, she developed stronger night vision, able to see thing's a human couldn't. Each dust particle floating in the air, being one, individual grains of dirt, in a crack of cement, being another. What she was mainly interested in was the thread connecting her and Jasper. He was gone, but the ribbon still lingered, wrapped around her hand. Exactly what had he done to her? It seemed like an improvement…

Elise's gaze shot up, catching the thick, irony sweet smell of blood. It wasn't fresh, but it made her remember the searing pain in her throat. She darted across the room, hiding behind the wall separating the two halves of the basement. One doorway was closer to the stairs, the one where she lay in wait, was further away. Jasper had instructed her not to leave, but, if this delectable scent came to her, she could kill it, right? If her mind wasn't focused on the hunt, perhaps she would have questioned her sudden change of mentality, and desire to kill another being, yet, her judgment was clouded, personality receding. Footsteps echoed, lightly tapping against the wooden floors, making their way towards the basement door, heading down the stairs, she didn't wait to see a face before pouncing, slamming the male's shoulder into the wall, only for her technique to be immediately reversed, her back hitting the stone. Elise didn't falter, biting into the man's left shoulder, he let out a grunt of pain, before grabbing her jaw, forcing her off of him and throwing her to the ground. Again, she bolted up, driven by the desire for blood, this time, he was more prepared, grabbing her, tossing her to the ground, this time pinning her to the floor, a leg on one shoulder, an arm on the other, and his hand grasping her throat. The only thing she could move was her legs.

"Calm down." He demanded, only to have her continually trying to lash out. "If you don't stop, I will hurt you!" A wave of tranquility, hit her, bringing her back to her senses. Elise noticed his eyes, the same dark eyes, she gazed into earlier, now seeming a little brighter, the realization hit, it was just Jasper, blood soaking his jacket, and trailing from his lips, down his chin, definitely not a meal.

She surrendered, no longer trying to resist, guilt surfacing, regret showing in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry." Elise repeated his apology from earlier, earning a chuckle, as he moved off of her, offering his hand to help her up. "Sorry? You barely grazed me." She took his hand, absent-mindedly showing off her strength, pulling a little harshly as she made her way to her feet. "I bit into your shoulder!" She persisted, showing genuine concern. "And I did the same to you, we're even." His fingers traced the mark, it was coincidental, also on the left shoulder.

Taking her hand, he lead her back to the far corner of the basement. Only a little over two hours passed since she started turning, her eyes still held their emerald sheen, she was nowhere near through with her transformation, though already showing promise. "You're not going to want to be on your feet, once your heart stops, why don't you lay back down?" Elise was confused, her heart was going to stop? She was just going to die, after recovering as much as she had? Hadn't her heart already stopped, and started again? Why would it stop a second time? Feeling her confusion, Jasper figured she'd need a bit of an explanation, and pulled her close to him. "Hey!" She shrieked out, pushing against him. "Quiet, just place your ear to my chest, and listen." Elise was hesitant, but, did what he asked. There wasn't sound, no heartbeat, no breathing. "See, you'll be fine. Trust me."

"That's why you were so cold…."

He nodded, taking a step away. "You said my name earlier. Mind telling me how you know it?" He decided to finally ask, while she was still in a good enough condition, not writing in pain, clenching his shirt in her hand. Her gaze lowered to the floor. She hadn't talked about her gift in such a long time. "Well… I'm not sure how to explain it. I mean, I've always had it, but, never like this."

"This is something you're carrying over from your human life? Can you tell me more?" Jasper leaned against the wall, arms crossed, being careful not to take his eyes off the girl. His gift had also been something he carried over from life as a human, and Elise made him curious, he'd never been able to converse with another gifted.

"It's like the ability to see the connections between people, or something." Elise took a deep breath, stepping closer, slowly, not wanting to alarm her creator after their misunderstanding earlier that evening. "It isn't constant, I have to come in physical contact before I can see anything. When I was younger, I noticed it with my parents, a red ribbon, or light, whatever it is, was wrapped around them. Over time, it shrank and started to deteriorate, until I stopped seeing it. But, it isn't just the ability to see the bond of lovers, I also saw a bond between my brother and I, and most recently, me and you. But, it's strange, different than I'm used to. I've never been able to see a bond between two people who weren't in close proximity, yet, after I saw the ribbon around us, I was shown your strongest bond, the one you share with, Maria. In my mind, I could hear fragments of a conversation you two had, you both mentioned each others names. That's how I knew yours…"

"You know about Maria?" He was a bit perplexed, eyes narrowing. At least he knew Maria would most likely get along with their newest vampire. If her gift worked like she said it did, it could come in handy for hunting other covens down.

Elise held her hand out, palm open. Jasper placed his hand in her own, contemplating her objective. Would she be able to see more? Maybe she just wanted to confirm that for whatever reason, she felt bonded with him. She just stood quietly, staring at their hands, joined together. He still felt frozen, her skin still retaining its warmth. Her transformation was an awkward one. After a few minutes, he noticed her hand shaking, not due to his chilled body, the worry he felt resonating off her confirmed it. Elise was still in pain, trying to keep it suppressed. Her jaw clenched, eyes squeezing closed, while tightly grasping his hand.

Sighing, he knocked her feet from under her, forcing her to the ground, before sitting down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "This will prove to be an interesting week." He commented, only to hear an annoyed groan from Elise. "This is going to last a week?"

He chuckled. "No… Well, if you're severely unlucky, it might. Normally, transformations only last two, occasionally three days. I'm also going to be teaching you how to hunt and fight before taking you to Maria. You will be devoting your life to her."

"Uh, devoting my life?" Elise was uneased, she didn't care for the idea of working for some woman she never met. "You'll fight for her, until you are killed." He clarified, making her feel all the more anxious. "I don't think you chose the right girl… Do you realize how often my brother beat me up, as children?"

"You'll find that fighting for survival gives you a little more incentive to win."

She wondered about her parents. What would they do once they discovered her missing? There was no way she'd be able to see them again. Maybe, she could send them a message, tell them that she fell in love with a cute guy, and ran away to be with him, and that because of their recent behavior, she wouldn't be coming home. It would allow them to finally divorce, live the rest of their lives happily.

Jasper's coolness seemed to help take away some of the burn, she appreciated him being so willing to ease her pain. His kindness, uncanny. What did he get in return?
Looking at him, he did seem to be a little uncomfortable. Did he feel her pain? Was that his ability? Elise decided to ask, shifting her position, to get a better view. "Jasper… Can you… feel the pain I'm in?" He was uncomfortable that she'd managed to decipher that information so quickly. "You're getting pretty personal for someone who hasn't introduced herself." Elise frowned, rolling her eyes. "You need to know my name in order for me to ask you a question, yet, pressing your body to mine and biting into my throat was a normal action for a stranger to take?" He was almost offended by that remark. "Besides, you haven't even introduced yourself. Isn't that the gentlemanly thing to do?"

"You already know my name."

"I know your FIRST name. For what you did, I think I deserve to know your surname." She was catty, just like her mother. A bit of arguing was enjoyable.

Another sigh, he'd given up. "Major Jasper Whitlock." He rang off his old title, and introduction, he'd grown used to giving. "Major? At your age? That's kind of attractive."

"Don't change the subject, we had an agreement."

"I don't remember agreeing." She teased Jasper gave her a look, making her giggle. "Elise Alexandria Luttrell."

To be continued….