"I don't believe in war, for war's sake. Bet you'd never have guessed that, not with my reputation? I don't have the time or patience for Prima Donnas either. Why were you tryin' to start a war just for the damned sake of it? You have your own little piece of the world right here, why rock the boat?" Jasper asked as he glanced around assessing the room,
"Why? Why not? We're vampires and as the superior supernatural species, we can do as we please" Lucky Jim replied, although he didn't sound too confident about his reason,
"Wrong, we were never the superior breed. But in our own arrogance, we created a stronger one. The Witch Vampires are actually now the top of the food chain, without a shadow of a doubt!" Jasper told him striding forward and smirking as all the other vampires stepped back.
"That's not possible! They were just humans that could do magic, what makes them better than us?" Lucky Jim demanded scathingly,
"Well, take my wife here for instance. She was a powerful witch, now she's a strong vampire who is still a powerful witch. You just saw your men bounce off her shield, saw her free your prisoners and remove your witches. I'd say that was superior, seein' as she didn't move a muscle to do any of it. Let me introduce you, Lucky Jim, meet Isabella Whitlock the leader of the American Witch Vampire Council!" Jasper said proudly as Bella smiled at him,
"Thank you, Jasper. I should be on my honeymoon you know, but alas! It seems the overzealous Caius Volturi and you don't want that. So here we are and I want nothing but to leave as soon as possible. You have a choice today, accept Major Whitlock as the leader of the American Vampires or die! It's really up to you, but please don't wait too long to decide, neither of us are patient people" Bella said quite tonelessly, before stepping back beside her husband.
They both saw the vampire out the corner of their eyes; he had been slowly edging around to get behind them. With Bella's shield up who knows what they thought he could do. Bella smiled and squeezed Jasper's hand before placing a ring of fire around the fool. As the others moved forward she did the same to them and then raised an eyebrow to Lucky Jim. He could see he was outclassed and outmanoeuvred and his shoulders slumped.
"It's not right, it took me years to build my empire and you want me to just hand it over to you?" Lucky Jim spat,
"I don't want your empire; I don't need your money! All I want is your allegiance, nothin' more. I'm tryin' to stop war breakin' out here in America, nothin' else" Jasper said with conviction,
"What! He said you'd take my life's work" Lucky Jim said confused,
"Who?" Jasper demanded now getting angry, his eyes turning black,
"That bastard! He's been ripping me off for three years. Told me a witch or two in my corner would keep all vampires away and to slowly start a war, one that witches couldn't win. I assumed he wanted control of the council and was using Chicago as the battleground. Then he called in a panic and said you were taking out all the major vampire players one by one. I'll kill him, the lying sack of shit!" Lucky Jim ranted,
"Who God damn it?" Jasper yelled at him,
"Gerard, bloody Gerard Peters, that's who! Travis' right-hand man, that backstabbing little weasel. He sent me my two witches and I paid him handsomely for them!" he yelled back.
"Romain? Did you hear all that?" Bella asked quietly knowing the earpiece would pick everything up,
"Yes. Curse the man, I'll deal with him" Romain sighed as he turned to Charlie and they headed back into the trading post where most of the witches were still milling about.
TCHBTE
The next several hours were passed by each leader discussing things with their own groups. Emmett sent the video link to Romain and Bella and each one showed their side what happened in the vampire lair and who was to blame. Romain outlawed using any kind of force on other species for a witches personal gain from that moment on. He then in front of all his people there and gave his apologies to the High Queen of the fairies, Ravshala and to Shaman Ateara on behalf of the shifter nation for the wrongdoings of those three witches.
They would be stripped of their powers, their memories wiped and sent into the human world as a family of three. They would never be allowed back into the witch community and their names greyed out in the archives as if they were dead. To the vampires, this seemed to easy a punishment, but to the others, it was the greatest of insults. Their family lines terminated and their names forever sullied in the worlds of the Wicche and Witch Vampire.
Even the shifters saw the significance, it was like being shunned and stripped of your tribe. They might not remember it, but they would feel it strongly. The loss of something important, something fundamental to their psyche. They would age normally now and be susceptible to human ailments, they would not live very long lives. They would slowly become depressed and despondent and grieve a loss they couldn't remember. Technically it was a prison and a life sentence, just one without walls or guards.
TCHBTE
Bella's meeting was less tense, they were keen to move forward and be a recognised species. She explained from now on they didn't answer to vampires or witches, but they would answer to each other and finally her. She wanted them to vote for their own council, as she would expect from every other city. Those leaders along with her would make up the American council.
"What about Europe, will the Volturi accept us?" someone asked and Bella laughed,
"The Volturi are all but over, Marcus is one of us and already free from Volterra. I see him being my counterpart over there. Caius is in chains and Aro is beset from all sides" she explained to the gathering,
"How can you be sure? We're only getting spotty information from over there" another voice asked,
"Ah, Ladies and Gentlemen please meet my right-hand man, Captain Peter Whitlock," she said smiling and signalling Peter closer to her side,
"He's a vampire! A warrior" the first voice said now,
"He was, yes, once upon a time. In his own words Peter 'Just knows shit', but the index says he has the cognitive power of the Oracle" Bella said smiling at them all and Peter watched their expressions change from fear to shock and then respect,
This was all new to Peter, normally people didn't see him, he had been Jasper's shadow for years or the comic relief and then just a nomad along with Charlotte. But these people were looking at him with awe, yet most of them had magic he didn't. He wasn't aware witches held seers, true seers in the highest regard. The ones like Alice were ten a penny and really unreliable for the delicate nature of magic. But true sight is quite rare in their world; therefore seers were sought far and wide.
TCHBTE
Jasper and Charlotte were having a quite easy time, once all the stupidity was out of the way and Lucky Jim understood what was really happening. As much as Jasper loved Charlotte he was missing Peter by his side, he might act the fool but his brother was the most reliable person he'd ever known. But on the other hand, who better to be at Bella's side at this time, he wouldn't have been able to leave her otherwise. Yeah, he knew she could protect herself and him too.
However he was old-fashioned enough to believe it was his job as her mate and husband, but also his honour to look out for her. Because she was his life now and if anything happened to her, God he could barely think about it. All this stuff happening to them now was nothing in the face of his love for her. He once scoffed at the notion someone would burn the world down for love, but he knew now that he would and laugh while he did it, all she need do is ask him.
"You are distracted Major, I think your mind is elsewhere. With your beautiful young mate perchance?" Lucky Jim said smiling, but an air of wistfulness was there too.
"Your right, of course, it's hard to be apart from her this soon and if you don't mind I might go and find her," Jasper said rising,
"Thank you, Major. I wish I'd never listened to that snake in the grass, but thank God, you were not the savage of a man he said you were" Lucky Jim said shaking Jasper's hand and bowing over Charlotte's in a long-forgotten show of courtliness.
TCHBTE
A murmur went through the crowd and a couple of growls of appreciation. Bella didn't need to turn around to know who was standing in the distance. Giving their meeting the respect it deserved, Jasper had arrived and her whole body hummed in response.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Do you know a vampire dressed as a cowboy?" a young girl asked, her eyes never leaving Jasper,
"Is he about this tall, dressed all in black and walks like a panther stalking his prey?" Bella quizzed her and Peter sniggered,
"Yes, ma'am. He's yes, holy shit!" she answered flustered as waves of desire started to hit them all,
"Damn, meetin's over folks, just grab the person you love and run or hang the hell on!" Peter gasped out before spinning on his heel and rushing towards Charlotte,
"Darlin', I want you now, no, I need you now! Teleport us the hell out of here before I give these folks a show they'll never forget and undeniable proof who you belong too" growled the voice she loved deeply,
It was not Jasper, but the Major and his eyes were black as Bella turned and jumped into his waiting arms. Unknown to her some of the crowd were being a little more than interested in her and Jasper got the full brunt of it as he and Charlotte arrived.
"I'll speak to you all soon, but if you'll excuse us, my husband appears to need my undivided attention" Bella laughed loudly,
Before returning them to Edwards's house and straight into one of the bedrooms. She had scooped up Peter and Charlotte at the same time and they too ended up in a bedroom.
"I hope this isn't Edward's childhood bedroom, cause we're gonna defile it darlin'" he growled at her and she shivered in anticipation,
This was not going to be gentle or lovemaking, this was going to be claiming and fucking. But Bella knew no matter how he did it Jasper would never hurt her. She knew it had to be hard for him to feel other people's desire for her, she doubted she would be able to cope, them looking was bad enough. So she just relaxed and allowed him to get it out of his system.
Her clothes were the first thing to go and he licked and nipped every inch of her skin as it was exposed to him. No words were spoken at first just growls and purring. Then as he relieved himself of his own clothes and she could hear his grunted 'mine' over and over. Bella stroked his hair and down his back to his perfect ass, telling him repeatedly she loved only him, wanted only him.
She didn't remember being quite this flexible as a human witch, but she thanked the gods above, for it now. She knew she was now scented inside and out, literally, his tongue had wormed its way into every orifice on her body and she was beyond turned on. It was the most erotic thing to have your body worshipped to this degree. As he threw her legs over his shoulders she just hung on and enjoyed the ride as he pounded into her with enough force to break the bed.
Jasper didn't stop; he was a man on a mission. He barely noticed the bed collapse and just growled loudly not stopping for a second. The nearer to his climax he got the more intense his need for her felt, he had her bend almost double and was whispering his love, his devotion, his need for her in her ear. He had totally lost control of his emotions and they beat down on Bella in waves of endless desire and love.
The roar of both their release rattled the windows and in the near distance, they heard Peter and Charlotte echo their sentiment. Jasper collapsed on top of Bella and was silent at first as she held him tightly. Then she heard it a broken muffled sob, she lifted his head and looked into his desperate eyes. Holding him tightly she reassured him that she was his, that she would never leave him.
She knew instinctively that the whole emotions of the day had overwhelmed him and he'd succumbed to his own fears, that he wasn't good enough for her and someone would steal her away from him. Rolling him over onto his back Bella straddled his hips and slowly started to grind down on him until she felt him once more stiffen below her. Raising up slowly she sunk back down on his erection and set a slow and gentle pace.
She stroked his body, then his face and hair before turning to his scars. She kissed and licked every single one she could reach without breaking her slow loving pace. She was showing him her devotion, her love and commitment with her body. As they locked eyes and both moaned deeply she pulled him up so they were chest to chest. Jasper wrapped his arms around her and let her carry on her slow loving pace.
As they were about to reach their climaxes, Bella kissed him passionately before bending her head into his neck and sunk her teeth into him. She pumped as much venom as she could into him, as proof she was marking him as hers and hers alone. The shuddering sigh he released was proof that he understood what she was doing. They sat for a couple of hours locked in each other's embrace, passing their emotions back and forward.
"Thank you darlin', I kinda lost myself there for a moment. I love you, so damned much it scares me to death!" Jasper whispered as they heard the front door open and Charlie and Romain returned.
They stayed two more days, sorting out any problems the three factions had and eventually happy that peace was once more restored to Chicago and the humans were none the wiser. Unlike the others, vampires didn't do councils and discussions. It was better for one overall vampire to be in charge and then they would answer to Jasper. So Lucky Jim was still the leader and happy to bend the knee to the Major when necessary.
Old habits are hard to change for the vampires, more so than the witches and the witch vampires were similar but determined to try. They wanted to be like neither of the other two factions, but there are only so many ways to run a community. So Bella asked them as the first city to find something they wanted and were comfortable with and if it worked out the rest of America would follow their lead.
TCHBTE
"He's good! Not many could have prevented all-out war in a nation. Have you decided yet Felix? Because Aro's getting a little crazy since the twins left" Demetri asked his commander,
"The Major is good, yes, but they have a good foundation between the three groups. Gather the rest of the elite guard and let's see who's on my side first. I can't have you watching my back forever and I need to speak to the wives. I'm worried about Chelsea, but I could order her away. Marcus says she's a Witch Vampire so by rights she shouldn't be here and neither should Afton" Felix replied rising to his feet and slapping his friend on the shoulder.
Things went very smoothly considering the chaos they were in. Chelsea requested to be allowed to leave with Afton, saying that Aro had become very demanding and wanted her to bind every vampire in the citadel to him. Whereas she actually had started releasing them since Caius' rampage. Felix knew that he would only be ruling Europe now and that suited him fine, but unlike America, they had one other group who needed to be spoken to the Werewolves!
He knew they were being shielded by the Romanian brothers and they would be his hardest sell. He wondered if offering them the chance to see Aro and Caius burn might placate them all for a while. So with that in mind, he now approached the wives. He had a feeling Dora would be quite happy about her husbands soon to be demise. After all, she'd been Felix's lover for more years than he could remember, he was sure now that Chelsea had removed her thrall they might even be mates.
"Oh Felix, how could he do that to us?" Dora said the minute he entered the tower,
He was right of course, they knew, deep down they'd always known and could do nothing about it. But love had made them lovers if now mates and more than that friends. She was the one who listened while he vented for hundreds of years and now she would be next to him as he took over the rule of European vampires. Pica was devastated that Aro would do that to them and even though she hated him for it, knew she would have to die with him.
Unlike Marcus, she would never survive without her mate, because he kept her weak and dependant on him for all these years. But in a fit of peak, she asked to go before him and that would be her punishment to him for the short time he had left.
"Don't tell me when Felix, just be fast please" she whispered and left the two lovers alone,
"I'll miss her, but she's right she would never survive," Dora said from within Felix's embrace.
TCHBTE
Marcus was surprised when Chelsea turned up and wary. But she told him she just wanted them to be recognised and then they were leaving to be alone together for the first time ever. They would see the world she said and she never wanted to use her gift again. He explained it was a power, like Afton's and that they could maybe one day in the distant future work on it to see what else it could have been. She nodded and they disappeared into the night.
Jane had at first been a reluctant guest, but as Marcus discussed everything with her and explained she should have been a healer, not a torturer she decided that she would stay. Like Chelsea, she wished no part in the running of things and spent much time alone. Alec said she was trying to find herself, to know who she should have been and it would be many years before she really liked herself, but she would also be the best vet that Europe had ever seen.
Jane knew she couldn't work with humans, but animals yes. They would fear her at first, but as she removed their pain, they'd accepted the strange red-eyed person who helped them. Because they unlike humans, had no preconceived notions about her. Because she looked so young she would be able to stay in one place for much longer than any of the others except her brother, her unpaid anaesthetist. He enjoyed the uncomplicated needs of the animals and when Marcus didn't need him, was always by his sister's side.
TCHBTE
The future was looking brighter in America, the triad as they were now known. Travelled from city to city, solving problems and occasionally laying down the law. While back at home in Forks, all the shifters were incorporated into the tribe. Some had been shifting so long that their own families were long gone. Paul Lahote had imprinted onto the young polar bear girl called Ankka.
She was born in captivity, so to speak and found the world a strange place but between her father, Paul and his grandmother Cah'mel they slowly eased her fears and as her body healed properly with Carlisle's help, so to did her mind. It would be a couple of years before they could marry, but Paul was happy to wait and they all wondered what their children would be like. Wolf, Polar Bear or a Mustang throwback who knew, maybe one of each he secretly hoped.
They knew it was now a possibility when Leah and Embry found they were to be parents, Old Quil and Cah'mel, with the help of Shelley Cope, had made a potion to stop her phasing temporarily while she was pregnant and they would do it for all the female shifters. Leah was never happier when they arrived and three were female just like her.
The other thing that started to happen was because Cah'mel was the shaman for everyone they started to hear each other as the weeks passed and were happily incorporated into the pack properly. This was now the strangest looking one of all time. But the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, having eyes in the sky was amazing as they could all see what they did. Also, the brute strength of the bears was helpful in many ways.
TCHBTE
The next big thing to happen was a request from Europe. The witches wanted impartial or at least unbiased representation to the burning of Caius and Aro Volturi. Marcus was happy to have them as he wished to talk with not only Bella but Romain as well. Felix agreed as he had long wanted to meet Jasper and now he would get the chance. So a date for two weeks hence was set and everyone was happy except Armand Milfoil. Who was being ignored by most witches now.
Within a few weeks, he found himself ousted from the World Council and it itself was disbanded until all the new councils were in place. As Felix thought, Danielle Thurston stepped up to the plate and cleared out her Council of any malcontents and troublemakers. Little by little other continents took up the torch and cleaned house too. Not just the Witches, but Vampires chose leaders and Witch Vampires now contacted Marcus for help in making their own councils.
Who's Who?
Old American Witch Council, Travis - Gerard - Thomas - Cathleen - Leon - 2 Unnamed
New American Witch Council, Romain - Charlie - Thomas - Cathleen - 3 Unpicked as yet
Vampire Leaders, Jasper (America) Juan Ricardo (New York) Lucky Jim (Chicago)