Title: The Sword and his Shield
Author: Lovely Black Butterfly
Fandom: Twilight
Beta: Betsy de Vos
Banner and Manips: Heart for Twilight (Clo Rodeffer)
Rating: M for future updates.
Pairing Jasper/Bella
SUMMARY: Major Jasper Whitlock, The God of War, would never in a million years return to Maria and the Southern Vampire Wars. Yet, here was his second-in-command, Peter, telling him it was time to return. There could only be one reason The Major would even consider it; the threat of Maria taking and changing his Mate for her newborn army.
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material are copyrighted to Stephenie Meyer. Original creations, including but not limited to plot and characters, are copyrighted to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.
PROLOGUE
"It's time Major." My second-in-command said in his usual southern twang as he entered my tent. Peter told me we needed to leave over and over. This was one time I had to admit in my long military career I was scared. I am the fucking God of War, and I feared nothing. But the thought of leaving this hellish place scared me more than I loathed staying here.
I'd let Peter, my second-in-command, my friend, and the only other person I considered family, my brother, escape years ago with his newly found mate, Charlotte. I had taken all of that bitch's punishment for letting them escape. I didn't care. I felt an emotion emitting from both Peter and Charlotte that I had never encountered before since being turned into a vampire. Love. It had been so intense, so awe-inspiring, it knocked me off-kilter for a moment.
Charlotte was a strong fighter, so when her name came up on the cull roster, I have to say I was taken aback, but until that day, I had never gone against my Mistress' command. Peter became quite agitated when he read the roster, and that sent me for another loop. Peter, with all his jokes, all his know-it-all bullshit, followed my command without question. So, to say that he became agitated by my command was out of character for him was an understatement. Then I felt it. He looked at Charlotte, as their eyes met, the pure, unadulterated emotion that came from them both, caused me to freeze. Maria told me she loved me, but I knew we were not mates. Maria never allowed mates in her army. If she even thought a couple had a bond, she would have them destroyed. I never felt that kind of bond from any of the others she destroyed. I thought I knew what the emotion was. But I had never felt anything like this come from her. Later, I was able to suss out what the emotion I thought was love from Maria was. It was love, but not for me. No, what Maria loved was the power and hold she had over me. I was her little whipping boy, her fuck toy. It all became clear the day I let Peter and Charlotte run.
To say I was in hell before I let Peter and Charlotte run is like saying I got a 'boo-boo.' What that bitch put me through after they left was nearly unspeakable. Maria would allow her new fuck toy to tear me apart. She used her own venom to fuse me back together, only to tear me apart again. Being fused back with your own venom is painful enough, but add in a foreign venom, and you wish for death. Then she would starve me, for months on end, only to give me a thimble full of blood, then starve me again. When she would allow me the freedom to feed, my bloodlust was so intense, all I could see was red, and I would decimate entire villages.
Peter would sneak back into camp whenever the Mistress was away. He'd bring me, someone to drain, in the hopes, I would be strong enough to leave with him.
"Major, I can't leave you here. Please, you must come with us," Peter would say with venom tears stinging his eyes, as he held a human to my mouth. I was too weak to even feed. After the first few times of him feeding me like this, Maria would come back to find me well-fed, and her punishments became crueler. So, I started refusing Peter's offer to feed. At this point, I wished for death.
This time, Peter refused to take no for an answer. "It's time, Major," Peter drawled. "I will not leave you here to die at the hands of that sadistic bitch. There is another way to live Major. Charlotte and I have experienced it. Believe me, Major, there is more for you than this," Peter said. With that, my brother, my only friend in this godforsaken world, lifted me on his shoulder and ran me the hell out of that camp.
That was 75 years ago. And I have to say, Peter was right. We've had a good life. We own a horse ranch in Colorado, and we've made a good living from it. Sometimes I feel like the third wheel in this crazy little family.
There was a time, I got so depressed, I went out on my own for a while. I wandered the country as a nomad for a time. Met this little gal named Alice in Philadelphia one day. She told me I'd kept her waiting long enough. Said when she awoke as a vampire, I was the first face she saw. Now mind you, I'm a crazy son-of-a-bitch. But after being with Maria, and all her fucked up mind manipulations, there was no way I was letting this little Phillie take me for a ride. She told me she knew of another way to survive. Living off animal blood and all. And I admit, it was enough to take the edge off, and not feeling the emotions of my kills was a nice change, but I wasn't letting her haul me off to some pansy-ass, goody-two-shoes, so-called 'family' she kept speaking of. And I knew for certain, this little midget pixie was not my mate. I knew all about mates. I'd been with Peter and Charlotte for nearly ten years at this point. Their mating bond was so pure it almost glowed off them. After my first encounter with them as a mated couple, I began to study the emotions of mated pairs. I'd run across a few in my years after leaving Maria. I'd even run into the good doctor and his so-called family, Alice wanted to take me to.
The doctor and his mate allowed me to study them and the other mated pair in their coven for a year, though, I didn't let on to Alice that I knew who she was referring to. Besides, that mindreading emo, the unmated one, creeped me the fuck out.
No, Alice was not my mate, as much and as many times as she tried to convince me. I was not following her; I was not marrying her. I gave her a roll in the sack for a few months, and I must admit, she was a pretty good lay. Even if she was reminiscent of a pre-pubescent boy. I like my women with curves, thank you very much. Give me a little something to hold on to.
Now, seventy-five years after leaving that sadistic bitch, Maria, Peter is trying to convince me we need to go back.
WHAT THE FUCK?
"Peter, you have got to be shittin' me! What on God's green earth, would you, could you say to ever convince me to leave the life we've built here?" I said to Peter, as I was long-lining our newest filly around the exercise yard. Peter's eyes became shifty, like he wanted to tell me, but was warrin' with himself whether he should or not. Suddenly, Char appeared from out of the barn.
"For heaven's sake, Peter, tell him. I swear to God if you don't tell him I will," Char said with a scowl on her face. The emotions I felt coming off Peter were trepidation and fear. Finally, Peter let out an unneeded breath he'd been holding.
"Major, if we don't leave now and go back down south, your mate will be captured by Maria." The fear rolled off Peter in waves as the words came out of his mouth.
"Say that again, Peter." I tied the little filly to a post that enclosed the exercise yard and began to stalk Peter as if he were my prey. I knew as a vampire, I had perfect hearing. I just wanted to make sure my ears were not deceiving me.
"Now, Major. You know how my knower works. It starts pingin' the moment it starts sensing danger. A—and—and it's usually cryptic as fuck. S—s—so—so I didn't want to say anythin' until I was for certain," Peter spat and sputtered, the whole time backing away from me, with his hands up in surrender. Just as I was about to grab the little fucker by his throat, my phone started ringing. It was a number I didn't recognize.
"Who the fuck is this?" I spat into the phone.
"Major Whitlock, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. My adopted daughter has run off, and our other daughter, Alice, has seen in her visions that she may have been captured by Maria of the south.
"Dr. Cullen, Maria usually doesn't capture vampires that stray into her territory. She will think her to be the enemy. If she has wandered where she shouldn't be, I'm afraid she's more than likely been destroyed," I told him, trying to convey as much sympathy as I could.
"Well, Major, that's just it, she's not a vampire, yet. She's still human," the doctor tells me, and I look at Peter and Charlotte, and they are nearly buzzing with anger. Peter gave me a single nod of the head.
"Ok, Dr. Cullen, we'll go, but may I ask, why did she leave?" Dr. Cullen let out a long, pained breath.
"Major Whitlock, it is rather a long and painful story. But do you remember my son Edward?" I rolled my eyes. Of course, I remembered him.
"Yes, Sir, I do," was my simple reply.
"Well, she was his mate. We've just recently lost our son, and I'm afraid Bella may be taking the blame of his death on herself. If you would like to come to our home, we could explain further." I could hear the pain in Dr. Cullen's voice.
"I'm very sorry for your loss, Dr. Cullen." I felt bad for my not-so-nice thoughts about Edward earlier. "As I've stated, I will go after her. But I don't want to take Charlotte back into the territory." Charlotte's mouth dropped open ready to protest, but I gave her a pointed look, and with a shake of the head from both Peter and I, she silently hung her head.
"We'll be glad to look after her while you're gone. Bella is very precious to our entire family. Whatever you are willing to do, we will be most grateful," Dr. Cullen told me. "I've already lost my son. I do not wish to lose my daughter as well," I could now hear the sobs coming from the man and those around him.
"Yes, I wish no one to have to come into this world as a newborn vampire the way I did. Send me your location, and we will be there in a day."
"Oh, thank you, Major. I do have to warn you though; you will not be allowed to feed in our area. This location is guarded by shape-shifting wolves, and we have a treaty with them. Because we don't kill humans is the only reason we are allowed here. If you stick to our natural food source, you will need to hunt outside our area," Dr. Cullen informed me.
"Not a problem, Dr. Cullen. I will see you tomorrow." Once the conversation ended I tapped the phone to end the call.
"So, Captain. Is this my mate, or are we going to save two instead of one?" I asked Peter. Peter only gave me an all-knowing smirk.
Cryptic fucker.