I really, really love this chapter so I hope all of you do too! It's not the wedding or even the bachelor(ette) parties but I still love it. I get to introduce a bunch of characters I really love. They're almost entirely based on a certain coven from a certain show based in New Orleans. ;)
Thank you to the three people who reviewed last chapter, 25, Iyawolfwhite, EmilyGonzalez. I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
Amber held Jasper's hand, walking with him as they made their way to the restaurant Haven picked. She said she wanted authentic Louisiana food, finding one she liked in the middle of the French quarter.
Haven was looking around happily, loving the French Quarter. Alice was too but she kept looking at all the stores they passed.
Amber looked up at Jasper and squeezed his hand, smiling softly. "So, has Emmett finally made up his mind on what do for your bachelor party?"
Jasper chuckled as he looked down at her, "I think so. He's not telling me much but he's not exactly quiet."
Amber smirked as she peered into a local shop, continuing to walk as she could always shop later. God knows they will because of Alice. She then laughed as she remembered what Bella told her. "Did you really jump to Bella's window and almost drag Edward away?"
Jasper laughed then, remembering Edward's bachelor party. "Yes, actually. Emmett kept calling to him but he wouldn't leave. I was going to drag him before Bella sent him away. We really did just goof around and go hunting in Canada."
Amber saw the restaurant Haven showed her and smiled as they headed inside, "Are you guys going to wrestle some 'gators?"
Jasper pulled out a chair for her, smirking back at her. "Maybe." He drawled out his answer, making his accent thicker than normal.
Amber narrowed her eyes at him, his accent going straight through her. "Save it for the honeymoon, cowboy."
Alice snickered at them while Haven looked weirded out. Amber stuck her tongue out at them all before hiding her face behind a menu.
{X}
Haven ended up being dragged away by Alice because she couldn't wait any longer to go shopping. She also wanted to be alone with Haven for a little bit. That left Amber and Jasper all alone, which they didn't mind.
Amber and Jasper continued walking through the quarter, just enjoying the peace and gorgeous views. That was until Amber felt someone trying to reach her again. She paused on the sidewalk, squeezing Jasper's hand as she looked around. The witch who was trying to reach her was very persistent, she gave her that.
Though, Amber wasn't going to let it go this time. She was going to find them. She looked up at Jasper, seeing he was waiting patiently on her. "They tried to find me again. Earlier when I was trying to find them I got a vision of a cemetery, Lafayette Cemetery number one."
Jasper raised an eyebrow at her, "You're going to the cemetery where this witch or witches are?"
Amber patted his cheek, smiling placatingly at him. "You know I'm stronger than them, you worry wort. Besides, they're probably just curious."
Jasper sighed softly before hailing a cab for them both. "Alright. Let me just say I don't like this."
Amber patted his shoulder as they got into a cab, telling the driver where to go. "It's okay, Jasper. We've been through worse."
Jasper watched the streets go by, sighing again. "I know." He smiled softly at her, "I guess it was a bad idea to think going anywhere with you would be simple."
Amber grinned brightly at him, "Yeah, that was bad on your part." Her grin turned into a smile when Jasper laughed with her.
{X}
Inside the Lafayette cemetery, the New Orleans coven was gathered inside their own building. It was part of their ancestors' tombs, made for their descendants to use. Their magic would always be stronger closer to their ancestors consecrated remains. The leader of their coven was leaned over a table, mumbling in Latin. She had dark skin, black hair and brown eyes. There was a map of New Orleans on the table, soil spread out over the map in all directions. She would pour more magic into the spell, the locator spell starting to work before it would spread in all directions again.
She sighed as she gave up, brushing her braid back over her shoulder. "I'm not going to be able to trace her. She's too strong, I shouldn't have even bothered trying."
"It was worth a shot, Arletta."
Arletta turned to one of her coven sisters, sighing softly. "It was… I guess we'll need to fan out through the area to find her. Call one of us if you find her." She watched as the three women and one man nodded their heads. There were more witches and warlocks in Louisiana but they were older and didn't actively deal with the coven. Arletta's coven was mostly to help train the younger generations of witches and as a way to keep themselves, their families and their city safe.
Bridgette was the youngest sister. She was sixteen with dark skin, brown hair and green eyes. She also had the most trouble with her magic. She had the talent but she couldn't focus. She had a bit of a temper that didn't allow her to be calm. Everyone thought it was funny that her two elements were fire and water. She had a lose control over fire but water was a mess for her. She couldn't keep it together for long.
Dior was the middle sister of the coven. She was named Dior because of her golden hair and light brown eyes. She had very fair skin, her family joking that she burned as soon as she went outside. She was the quiet and peaceful one. Her elements were air and earth.
Klara was the oldest sister, besides Arletta. She had fair skin, black hair and blue eyes. She was sarcastic but very bright. She was the book smart one of the sisters, preferring to read tomes. Her elements were earth and fire.
Damas was twenty-two and the only male in the coven. He had very dark skin, black hair and dark eyes. He usually kept his hair shaved on the sides with it being a bit longer on top. The girls teased him about being moody sometimes. He could be calm and happy until someone pushes him. Then he's very mean and a bit sadistic. That's partially why Arletta had taken him under her wing. He needed to control his powers when his temper flared. It wasn't a surprise to any of them that his first element was fire but his second was a lesser gifted element. He had power over storms, including electricity.
Arletta turned and ran her hand over the amulet over her neck, the crystal that had been passed down through the witches in her family line. "We really need her help…" She closed her eyes, praying to their ancestors. "Please…"
{X}
Amber eyed the gate above her, knowing it was the same one from her vision. "They're in here somewhere."
Jasper looked around before back down at his mate, "Well, do you want to start searching?"
Amber nodded as she stepped under the gate, feeling a wave of magic hitting her. She could feel lots of magic in the cemetery, it calling to her. There had to be lots of consecrated witches buried in this cemetery. That's probably why the witch who was calling her was here.
Jasper went to follow her before he walked into a barrier. He frowned as he rubbed his face, looking to his mate. "Did you put up a barrier?"
Amber shook her head no, turning back to him. "They're blocking you because they know what you are…"
Jasper looked around, not seeing anyone. "Who is?"
Amber reached forward and held his hand, feeling the barrier hitting the middle of her arm. "The ancestors are blocking you. You'll have to wait here, I'm sorry Jasper."
Jasper nodded slowly before squeezing her hand, "You get out of there if you're in any danger, okay? I mean it."
Amber nodded, kissing his hand. "I'll be fine, Jasper. You be careful. If there's a barrier against vampires then someone knows vampires are in the city. You should tell Haven to put up a protection barrier on our home and the guests' home. Also, you should call Peter to tell him to keep everyone from hunting humans near here."
Jasper got his phone out, nodding at Amber. "Got it. I'll take care of it, go on."
Amber sighed before she turned, walking down the path. The cemetery was very large, it was the size of two normal blocks. She would have had to wander aimlessly if she hadn't seen a woman beckoning her forward. The woman was very tall with dark, almost black skin. Her hair was wrapped in a printed scarf. Her dress seemed a bit dated, including the shawl she wore over her shoulders.
"Hello?"
The woman beckoned her again, turning and walking down the path to the left.
Amber quickly followed her, watching her at the end of the pathway, by the wall around the entire cemetery. Amber came to stand in front of her, feeling like she knew who the woman was. "Do you need help, ma'am?"
The woman shook her head, her voice having a ghostly ring to it when she spoke. "I do not but my descendants do. As Supreme, you need to help them, please."
Amber felt herself gasp when the woman began to fade away in front of her, "Who are you?" She sighed when the woman faded away before she could ask anything else.
"Who are you?"
Amber turned to see a man stepping out behind a grave. He was just at her height with dark skin. He was watching her carefully and seemed wary of her. She could feel the magic building from him. He was really going to attack her? "I'm Amber. You are?"
The man frowned at her, "Dumas… Why was she talking to you?"
Amber's eyes lit up, "You know her? I feel like I should… I just can't place her."
Dumas rubbed his chin, noticing she didn't try to lie to him. She wasn't bothered by a ghost appearing to her? She had to be a witch. "Yes… she's one of my ancestors."
Amber smiled softly, "Good. One of you guys tried to locate me earlier. I have too strong of a protection spell on myself for that. She was trying to get me to help the coven here. Are you a part of it?"
Dumas felt his jaw drop. He was going to attack the fucking Supreme. Gods, he was stupid. "Y-yes." He cleared his throat, bowing his head slightly to her. "I'm so glad to have found you." He then motioned to the right, where the woman had been waiting earlier. "My coven leader is this way."
Amber walked beside him down the pathway, looking around curiously. "This cemetery is gorgeous… but it's not as haunted as I would expect."
Dumas nodded softly, "Our presence here placates them. We've helped quite a few ghosts pass over, especially Arletta's generation."
Amber paused when Dumas walked up to a big mausoleum. He opened the stained-glass doors, holding one open for her. "Is it okay to enter this? I'm not part of this family."
Dumas chuckled under his breath, "You're the Supreme. Our ancestors can see that. You're allowed safe passage."
Amber looked up at the name before bowing her head, walking inside the mausoleum. There were two marble coffins laid out against the walls but there were concrete steps leading down into the earth. She glanced back to see Dumas shut the doors, waiting on her. Amber just hoped Jasper wouldn't be getting too antsy without her.
She created a small ball of fire in her hand, using it to light the way as she descended the steps. The small spiral staircase emptied out into a large room underneath the mausoleum. Two witches turned to her when she walked in, standing by the staircase. Another woman, older than all of them was leaning over a pedestal. She had a large tome on the pedestal and had been reading it. There were tables full of magical ingredients, scrolls and books. There was a cauldron on the far right that wasn't lit now. She could see another room in the far back that seemed to house more buried, probably the consecrated witches, their ancestors.
The older woman looked up at them and her dark eyes got ridiculously wide. Her curly hair bounced with how fast her head moved. "You're her… How did you find her, Dumas?"
Dumas motioned to Amber as he moved to stand by his coven sisters. "I was heading out when I saw her talking to Marie."
Amber paused, swiveling her head from the leader to Dumas. "Marie? Marie Lavaeu? I was talking to…" She pinched her nose, "I should have been more respectful and recognized her at least."
The leader waved her hand in the air, "She would have let you know if you disrespected her. She doesn't take any crap from anyone, alive or dead." She then raised an eyebrow at her, "Why was she talking to you though?"
Amber looked over everyone before back at the leader. "She asked for my help, for your coven." Amber then frowned, moving closer to the leader. "What do you need my help with? Are you guys in danger?"
The witch with black hair and blue eyes spoke up, her eyes on the scars on Amber's neck. "Our city's been overrun with the monsters that gave you those scars."
Amber turned to her, her hands twitching at the thought of someone calling her family monsters. She had to keep calm though, a lot of vampires were monsters. They might not know that some vampires were vegetarians or could be good. "When did they arrive?"
The leader turned to her, "Some of them arrived two days ago, a bunch more arrived today."
The blonde witch spoke up, watching Amber curiously, "There haven't been any missing person reports or bodies found in the area, though."
Dumas scoffed, crossing his arms. "It's only a matter of time."
Amber sighed softly, rubbing her neck, over her scars. "That's because of me. They're all here because of me."
"We need to help her then, Arletta."
Arletta motioned for the girl to be quiet, looking at Amber. "What do you mean they're here because of you?" Her tone was short, not liking that the vampires were in her city because of her.
Amber felt like something was going wrong here, something felt very wrong to her. Not to her but to Jasper… Was he alright? Was he just so worried somehow that she could feel it? What if one of the other witches attacked him?
Amber turned to Arletta, holding up her left hand to show off her engagement ring. "My fiancé's a vampire. He and his entire family are vegetarian vampires who only drink animal blood. Their eyes are golden because of this. I also have more vampire friends coming for my wedding in two days. They drink human blood but I've told them not to hunt near here. I wouldn't do that."
Amber then turned and looked up at the staircase, hearing someone open the door. "If someone hurt him…"
Arletta felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest at everything she just learned. Bridgette was still out there somewhere. She had a violent temper and didn't know about vegetarian vampires. If she had attacked the Supreme's mate, they would all be in trouble. Especially Bridgette. None of them could defend against the Supreme's power. "We didn't know. This is all a big mess."
"Arletta! Look what I found!"
A young, African-American came down the stairs, dragging Jasper behind her. He was okay but he was glaring at the young witch who was dragging him with her powers.
Amber held out her hand, moving the young witch to the side, forcefully. She ignored her protests as she waved her hand, breaking the young witch's magical hold over Jasper. She held his face in her hands, looking him over worriedly. "Did she hurt you?"
Jasper shook his head quickly, looking down at Amber. "I'm alright, Darlin'." He looked at all the witches around them, though he wasn't sure what to call the male glaring at him. "Are you?"
Amber sighed softly, laying her head on his chest. "Arletta, the leader of this coven, tried to contact me to deal with their vampire problem…"
Jasper looked over at the woman who seemed very worried. "My family and our friends wouldn't dare hurt any human in the area."
Bridgette sneered at them, "We're just supposed to take your word for that?"
Amber went to yell at her but Arletta beat her to it. Arletta held out her hand, silencing Bridgette even though her mouth was moving. "Do you not see their eyes, Bridgette? She's telling the truth. Do you also think she'd let them? She's The Supreme. Our ancestors are listening and haven't tried to harm them. They allowed her mate inside our sacred space."
The blonde, Dior, spoke up as she rubbed Bridgette's shoulder. "She did mention she was getting married. Surely, they wouldn't want to cause a scene while they're here. We're ruining her time here by being so rude."
Amber relaxed a little when Bridgette grumbled, going and heading into the back room. "She's rather spirited."
Jasper leaned down, stage-whispering to Amber. "She reminds me of you."
Amber smiled a little before turning to Arletta. "I'm so sorry that all this happened. I should have found your coven as soon as we landed."
Arletta rubbed her temples, "I apologize for Bridgette as well. She's always had a temper."
Amber squeezed Jasper's hand as she spoke, "It's alright. No one's been hurt." She then smiled at the others, "If you ever need my help again just send me a message. You know that spell, right?" She made a note appear in her hand, writing a message down with a pen she summoned. She then lit the note on fire, flicking her hand to get rid of the ashes. "Dumas, check your pocket."
Dumas frowned as he reached into his jeans. He pulled the note out of his back pocket, reading the message out loud. "If you ever really need help again, I'll be here."
Amber smirked a little. "Though I would prefer if I didn't have to leave my wedding or honeymoon early. I would like some peace in my life."
Jasper chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around Amber. "We would both like that."
Arletta smiled softly as she watched them, feeling a little strange as their Supreme was marrying into a large family of vampires. They seemed happy though. She was curious about those scars… but she would never mention it to her. That seemed to be a touchy thing for her. "You're always welcome here…" She then smiled bashfully, "We never even asked for your name."
Amber laughed softly, holding out her hand and shaking Arletta's. "It's quite alright. I'm Amber Swan. This is Jasper Whitlock."
Arletta smiled as she shook Amber's hand. "I'm Arletta, this is my coven. Dumas, Klara, Dior and Bridgette is the one who ran off."
Amber nodded her head at everyone when their name was called, except for Bridgette. "It was nice to meet you all." She then moved over to the altar she spotted on the way in, "Do you mind if I pay my respects before I leave?"
Amber's family wasn't buried in America, or at least any recent witches. They were all in their native country, Norway. But she would visit their cemetery one day and pay respects. She also knew she needed to appease the New Orleans Ancestors because a lot of shit had just happened.
Arlette shook her head, "Of course not. Marie came to you so I'd take that as a blessing."
Amber smiled before kneeling in front of the altar, lighting the candles with a flick of her hand. She summoned some magnolia seeds in her hand, using her magic to turn them into fully bloomed flowers. She picked Magnolias because they're native to Louisiana and thought that would be more fitting. She then laid the flowers on the table, sending a prayer to them quietly. She shuddered softly when she felt a cold chill come over her, feeling their presence in the room. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was almost as if they were wishing her goodbye and thanking her.
Amber stood up and held Jasper's hand, waving to the coven members. "Goodbye everyone."
Arletta and Dumas waved while saying goodbye. Dior was smiling softly as she said her goodbye, looking at a woman who looked like her, probably one of her ancestors. Klara waved goodbye to them before going to tell Bridgette they left.
Jasper nodded at everyone before following his mate up the staircase. Once they were outside the mausoleum he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't take you anywhere."
Amber laughed softly as she led him out of the cemetery, "Oh shush."
