A/N: It all started with a Tweet from happyghost on 1/11/2014: "Ya'll know what I want? A short, smutty story: setting in a pool at night. Jasper vamp/Bella human. That is all. ") Would he sparkle?"

The challenge was accepted by some phenomenal authors: Caystar, happyghost, and Geezerwench. However, because I hate playing by the rules (I just can't resist a obscure, AU story line), Bella won't be human…but Hell, it'll follow most of the challenge, involving Jasper, Bella, sex, and H2O of some variety…oh, and Peter.

Up already!

Geezerwench- 10093226/1/Prelude-to-a-Sunset

Caystar- 10078698/1/All-I-Need

Happyghost- 10104674/1/Late-Night-Swim

This is a way off the charts AU (pre-Twilight) short smutty story. (About two or three chapters) How 'bout we just throw Stephanie Meyer's canon realm out the window, because I've altered practically everything in her universe, including the vampire parameters, characters, and back-stories.

So, just sit back and enjoy this OOC, AU, smutty story.


We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.
Orson Welles


*Twilight is the sole property of SM and publishing company.*

Covet Thy Enemy Betray Thy Master

Chapter 2- Under a Full Moon

Bella


The subject of mates had always been a contentious one in my family. For the past millennia and a half, my father had waged a constant war within his heart. I had been told the loss of one's mate was the pinnacle of agony, and as such, his inner demon demanded retribution for his beloved's death, making him a bloodthirsty demon that rivaled the most sadistic of his species—a trait that Master Aro enjoyed thoroughly. According to Master Marcus, that was a feat, in and of itself, considering he had always been a pretentious, manipulative asshole with little love for his fellow-man, or vampire, as it were.

While my grisly birth was an agonizing point in his life, he was cordial, to an extent. However, he was a malevolent creature who fought his true nature on a daily basis. His psyche demanded revenge for the death his mate, albeit accidental and entirely avoidable had they refrained from a physical relationship before her change. Marcus had advised me many years later that he could not bear to dwell in my presence, as I so closely resembled his mate and late mother with her icy-blue eyes and corn-silk hair, making it all the more painful.

To the outside word, Caius Volturi was the ever-dutiful father, touting the rumors of his love for me across the seven continents. Yet, deep inside, he was anything but an ardent parent as Lady Didyme and Master Marcus had become over the centuries. The two of them would've been fine parents as opposed to surrogates. They have always been kind and compassionate souls, traits that my father and his co-ruler, Aro, lacked.

The insufferable hatred within his soul was a constant contradiction to his efforts, something he was unable to hide from me, even though he tried desperately. Like Aro's unique ability, no one was immune to my power. The inner foundation of any one vampire's soul was as transparent as a clear mountain stream. The gossamer ribbons that tethered one to their true nature spoke to me as plainly as words that flowed from their tongue. I knew a man's heart inside and out, a useful tool in determining the worthiness of a potential ally, the wholesomeness of a pure heart, or the blackened ropes of a potential enemy.

At a very early gestation, I was aware of the spirits who surrounded me. In the womb, my mother and I had almost a telepathic link, allowing her to sample my ability for herself, and her eyes were opened to my father's true intentions: the child that grew rapidly in her belly was in danger. He adored her and would have done anything to spare her any amount of agony. Yet, what he hadn't realized, at the time, was if he had done as his soul demanded of him, it would've destroyed every ounce of kindness that resided within her heart, making her nothing more than a shell of her former self.

If not for Lady Didyme's fervent promise to my mother and an around the clock security detail at her side, I had little doubt that my father would've terminated the abomination that inadvertently stripped him of his beloved. Even now, fifteen centuries after my birth, I still feared for my life. Vampires tended to be steadfast in their intentions, revenge specifically.

Growing up in the largest, most powerful coven in the world had been a frightening affair. Volterra wasn't a safe place for a young hybrid child to reside. By the physical age of seven, I had matured into a young woman—a trait that, after much research, was the unique product of my physiology. Half immortal children simply grew at an astounding rate. My accelerated maturity had been both a blessing and a curse, in many ways, yet it also garnered me unwanted attention among the unmated men. Fortunately, Lady Didyme was unwavering in her promise, and assigned me my own guards, allocating Felix, Santiago, and Afton to the task. The three hulking figures, I quickly ascertained, were nothing but big teddy bears, yet fierce protectors when necessary, which was consistently demonstrated once I branched out on my own.

While I loved them all equally in my own way, I enjoyed Felix's company most of all. The large man had a jovial wit and a beautiful soul, despite our surroundings. He was fiercely loyal to me, and when I reached adulthood, I found those qualities to be desirable traits in a companion. Our relationship was effortless and full of passion, illuminating the darkness with his all-encompassing affection. Yet, Felix and I were realists. We were fully aware that we had predestined mates somewhere in the world and chose to enjoy life in every capacity.

If it hadn't been for my lover and friend, I would've drowned under the weight of my guilt. As a hybrid, I could consume both blood and human nourishment, though I found blood most palatable, a part of my physiology that was beyond my control. However, I lamented taking an innocent's life, hesitant to take someone from a possible loving environment, considering I had no such luxury in a castle of bloodthirsty fiends who cared not for whose lives they stole.

It wasn't until Carlisle Cullen and his brother, Edward, joined the coven that I learned of an alternative to my dietary dilemma. Carlisle's penchant for human life drove him to feast upon the blood of animals, an appropriate substitution for the necessary nature of our being. He had the most compassionate and brilliant soul, unrivaled among the members of the vampire race. My father thought his dogma was abominable, but Aro and Marcus found the fair-haired doctor's mind a fascinating enigma and Edward's telepathy even more so, essentially their saving grace when they amicably left their company.

The Cullen men were great scholars, drawn to the Volturi by a mixture of curiosity and loneliness. They found the three Kings much more educated and refined than those vampires who resided in London, the city of their birth, even though they didn't follow their strange diet. Carlisle had studied meticulously during the years following his rebirth, soaking up vast amounts of knowledge like a sponge, becoming a brilliant doctor, despite his undead status.

I found myself drawn to Carlisle on a purely intellectual level, and on occasion, a physical one, as well, much to his brother's dismay, as he fancied me. As a scientist, the fair-haired patriarch was fascinated by my unique physiology, and we often spoke into the wee hours of the morn about our combined interests, mostly travel. He and his brother were nomads, for the most part, and traveled the countryside, learning about different cultures and added the vast amounts of available knowledge to their ever-capable mind. He enjoyed regaling me with stories of the outside world, since I had never even set foot outside of Volterra. I always fell asleep following those stories, dreaming of the day when I, too, was free to pursue my own interests.

Edward, however, was a strange creature. He was rigid, standoffish, and dreadfully childlike for his advanced age, traits that were completely opposite of his brother. Yet, I liked him well enough, regardless of his many quirks. His redeeming feature was his love of music, and when I wasn't with Carlisle or Felix, you were liable to find me beside Edward whose long, nimble fingers roamed over the black and white keys with precision. The notes flowed around me like calm waters; filling my mind with the melodious harmony, the he was adept at providing me. The bronze-haired vampire encouraged me to remain in his company, as I mentally shielded him from the superficial thoughts of those around him—thoughts that were slowly driving him mad. I was happy to award any manner of reprieve upon Carlisle's brother, as a courtesy. However, he misconstrued my presence and my gift as evidence of a mated status. He was sorely mistaken. The boy was harmless in his pursuit of my affections, though, and I hadn't the heart to tell him that he aroused zero passion in my heart. I knew one day he'd find his own mate and, with any luck, forget about his infatuation with me.

After several decades, the two men became disillusioned with the coven after repeatedly thwarting the Kings attempts to convert their unique lifestyle. The fair-haired 'patron of the arts' was nothing if not steadfast in his beliefs. I greatly admired that characteristic. In a matter of days, the two men had gathered their things and fled Volterra, moving on to the New World, with my three guards and me in tow. I had decided after a very long existence on this earth that I no longer desired to stay among the Volturi, disenchanted by the rigid protocols and cruel mandates set by my father.

The New World was a wondrous place, full of new experiences and fresh faces. The six of us toured the continent, stopping in various burghs to allow the doctor to use his advanced skills to ease the ailments of the human population. We never stayed in any one place long, fearing exposure when the townsfolk suspected our differences. I quite enjoyed that part of my past.

I smiled brightly as I sauntered away from the beach, fondly recalling the moment in which I first met the Whitlock boys nearly eight months ago. Everything had changed that day, causing my predictable existence to topple on its axis. After a century and a half, I had never imagined that I would've been graced with a mate of my own, let alone two. I rode the fence between two separate and distinct species—predators and prey—creatures that weren't meant to coincide with one another. Yet, the supernatural fates were nothing if not unpredictable. My birth had been proof of that fact.

As penance for my abrupt departure of Italy, my guards and I had been mandated to keep the Southern covens in line. It seemed over the past several decades that certain vampires were creating armies of their own kind to commandeer more favorable hunting grounds, wreaking carnage and destruction in their wake. As per my directive, I was to watch each warlord and destroy any armies or vampires who threatened to reveal our secrets. On occasion, the threat was so large that the Volturi were forced to join us, simply because we were only a small force of four vampires—but that was a rarity.

We were good at our jobs.

For the past thirty years, Afton, Santiago, Felix, and I had ruled over the southern covens with an iron fist, earning a name for myself that rivaled many of the major warlords, Maria in particular. Her encampment was always a flurry of activity and there was talk among the nomads that she had several advantages—two brothers, to be exact—up her sleeve and someday hoped to use that weapon to eradicate me.

At first, I dismissed the rumors of the two vampires who had the ability to bring entire armies to their knees. I laughed it off as mere propaganda touted amongst the throngs of vampires who roamed these lands. As my visits never coincided with the stories, I chalked the stories up as false information, until twenty-seven years ago when I sent Santiago into Maria's encampment as a mole—a deserter from my own guard—who conformed the rumor of a ruthless soldier and his brother that effortlessly commanded armies. The guard's intel was vital to our mission and was a useful tool in planting false misinformation in the mind of the evil bitch, eventually leading to liberation of epic proportions.

I taunted her to bring her threat to my door, as I was ready for attack, especially several years after we settled in an area that bred shape shifters—true vampire killers. We discovered quite quickly that Felix had a gift—the ability to lord over animals and bend them to his will—garnering us a deadly, unknown advantage.

Eight month ago, on a routine trek, I glimpsed my mates for the first time, witnessing the rumors for myself. Their names were Jasper and Peter, aptly nicknamed 'The Major' and 'The Captain' for their military background and prowess in battle. Their souls, while haggard and tinged with blood, had retained an air of goodness under the layers of suffering. My two destinies.

After discovering my two mates, Afton and I made regular trips to Maria's encampment. The nature of Afton's gift allowed us the luxury of remained physically inconspicuous to those around us, and we often stayed for days cloaked under his shield, since I had trouble leaving them in her clutches. Even though it pained me to leave them, I knew they weren't ready to be liberated from their sire, the Major specifically, who, to my dismay, was enamored with the bitch.

Someday I planned to rip her heart from her chest for inflicting such malevolent acts against the soldiers.

I smiled as I strode away from the beach, lighter than I'd been in decades. Lost in thought, I ghosted through the tightly packed trees, lost in thought. Before I was even cognizant of my surroundings, I found myself on the steps of Carlisle's large manor. I often visited him when I was alone.

The patriarch swung the door open as I strode up the stairs, clearly hearing my heartbeat as I drew near. "Good evening, Princess. And what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Carlisle," I acknowledged pleasantly, nodding my head in reverence to his words. "I've released my security detail, and mandated Felix to a task. My feet led me here as I was lost in thought, unconsciously lonely, I suspect…and I needed a place to sleep."

He chuckled at my addendum to my tale and pulled me into his arms for a fierce embrace. "You know you are always welcome in my home." I thanked him with a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Ephraim stopped by tonight."

My eyebrows rose in surprise, and I pulled away to look into his eyes. "And what juicy details did the Chief regale you with this time? You two gossip like women folk."

"Aye, we might do that on occasion. Anyway, back to our gossip. Ephraim informed me of a several rogue vampires who had inadvertently stumbled into the village. He said he was flummoxed when Felix commanded the pack not to kill them. I have to say that once I heard the news, I was frightened for your safety. I'm happy to see that my concerns were superfluous."

I was touched by his concern but he knew I was fully capable of defending myself against several lone vampires. Of course, these weren't just any vampires. "The two men came to me from Maria's encampment. The men I told you about many years ago."

His eyes widened in surprise. "So, they have finally found you? That's a wonderful surprise. However, I am sure it's more of a surprise to me than it was to you. Santiago is very good at relaying crucial information."

I smiled brightly. "That it is, my friend. I'm happy that they're finally free of Maria's clutches. Though, I'd be remiss if I thought she'd leave them in my hands without a fight. But, I'll deal with that another day."

Our conversation was promptly interrupted by the lilting tone of Edward Cullen. Carlisle quickly released me, hoping to keep our earlier relationship a secret. As if, his brother hadn't known of our past escapades. Impossible. "Princess."

"Edward," I retorted rather tersely. I skirted around him and quickly made my way toward the grand staircase, pausing at the top to address him directly. "And what, if anything did you glean from my two soldier's minds?"

To my dismay, he followed me. "Their thoughts were predictable, as always, Mistress. Both men were in awe of your beauty, which happens quite often. Yet, their thoughts were of a vile nature, objectifying you as though you were merely an acquisition. Do you think it wise to associate yourself with such miscreants?" he said crossly, grasping my tricep to keep me from walking away.

I pulled out of his grasp and growled at petulant child who stood before me. For all his gifts, he understood nothing at all about the art of polite conversation, or the act of vampire mating. Neither the Major nor his Captain's characters were up for scrutiny, especially by this boy. Edward's ability was superficial in nature, allowing him access to only a small portion of a man's thoughts, whereas I knew the worth of a man's very essence, identified his character and felt the tenor of his heart. A person's nature was based on more than their thoughts alone. My mate's thoughts, no doubt, were of a sexual nature, poisoning his poor little virgin mind with a myriad of lovely illustrations— images of beautiful and sinful acts of pleasure that we would soon share.

Soon, I cooed gently at my inner demon, stroking her like a tense lioness.

You can claim them, soon.

If I knew anything about men, it was that their manhood and their brain took turns running the cognizant portions of their brains, their thoughts and mouth running on entirely different planes. My two mates were no different from any other male, in that respect. Sex was indeed a universal language.

I had rather enjoyed the Whitlock boy's scrutiny of my body, taking the utmost pleasure from their burgeoning arousal. Their eyes hungrily staked their claim over my nakedness as I had ran my hands rather coquettishly over my body, willing them to kneel in supplication at my feet. Like the strings on a fiddle, I strummed their psyches and their libidos in the most delicious of ways, making those soldier boys sing for me like proud nightingales that preened in my presence. It made me feel powerful, oh so fucking powerful.

"Edward," I scolded, reeling back and striking him in anger, surprised at my uncharacteristic behavior. His eyes were wide with shock. I was angry with my friend, angry with myself, but my action was needless.

"You forget your place. While we no longer reside in Volterra, Edward, I am still your Princess, and as such, I expect you to choose your words carefully when I seek your council. Speak ill of my mates again, and I will burn an appendage that you haven't had a chance to use, yet."

After I spoke my peace, I, once again, skirted around his larger frame and angrily trudged toward my room. I spared a look over my shoulder, glaring daggers at him as I slammed the door behind me with a flourish. I stalked across the room and looked out the window. It held my attention for a moment, but I found myself pacing the floor anxiously minutes later, rubbing the ache in my chest absent-mindedly. My breathing came in short, labored pulls, burning my lungs from the inside out. My fury was almost painful.

The door to my room swung open and I was fully encapsulated within familiar arms, the owner's cadence soothing my anger almost immediately.

"Isabella, he cooed, running his fingers reverently through my hair. "While I thoroughly enjoyed hearing you give my brother a good tongue lashing, this ferocity is so unlike you—the calm, collected woman I met at court who shared my bed, my dogma, and my life for a short time. Where is the woman who reached into the darkest reassesses of my soul and showed me that the lowliest of monsters can be redeemed, knowledge that I could not garner from any book. Why deny yourself the comfort of a mate? You need them desperately, need to be vulnerable, cherished, and revered by your predestined partners without the threat of your father."

I pulled back and gazed into the ocher warmth of my friend, and occasional lover's eyes. "Carlisle, they don't even know. I've been rather bold and forceful in my sexuality, very unladylike. What if, like Edward said, they only view me as an acquisition?"

He barked out a laugh that rumbled deep in his chest. "Princess, you're acting irrationally. You knew what they were to you the moment you glimpsed you. Do you doubt your gift?" I shook my head. "Then, your worry is superfluous. A vampire cannot deny his or her own mate. While they might not know the depth of your connection, they feel the bond just as strongly. A triad is a rarity in our world, I'm told, a bond so complex that it rivals any other bond. You have waited for over millennia. Go and don't look back for an instant. Neither my house nor my brother will survive if you do not follow your instinct."

Spurned by his words, I flung myself free of his arms and hastily dressed in the first garment my fingers ghosted across, darting off into the darkness before my friend could draw another unnecessary breath. Sleep or no sleep, Carlisle was correct. I had waited centuries for my mate, or mates in my case, and I was a fool to have allowed them out of my sight. Another second of separation seemed a fate worse than death, driving me to unconscionable behavior, like decapitation and property damage.

Under the light of the full moon, my blood-red dress and fair-hair stood out prominently against the darkness. The hem of my garment billowed out behind me like dark crimson haze, my bare feet barely ghosting across the overly green fauna in my haste. My surroundings distorted around me, blurring the images on canvas like an impressionistic watercolor. I was nothing but a streak of lighting, a phantom of the night, easily navigating the forest with vampire precision.

Each quick stride took me closer to my destination and gently eased the uncomfortable ache in my chest, making it easier to breathe.

So much for suspense.


Well, what'd you think? Reviews are always appreciated.

FYI-juicy lemons next chapter!