Jasper POV
I urged my horse onwards, desperate to make it back to Galveston before sunrise. I had to stay in Houston longer than I'd originally planned; one of the children had decided to run away from the scary soldiers with the muskets. It had taken me an hour to find the little girl, and when I did, she was cowering behind some shipping crates by the docks.
I glanced to my left as I rode, aware that I was no longer alone on this dusty country highway. I didn't know how to explain it, but I could feel someone's eyes on me. I was instantly alert, my soldier's instincts kicking in. Friend or foe? I couldn't be sure.
That's when I saw them... three lone women meandering along the road. I pulled my horse to a stop immediately – these women looked lost, and in need of aid. What kind of gentleman would I be if I did not try to assist them?
I dismounted as the three walked slowly towards me, keeping one hand on the horse's flank to keep him calm; for some reason, he was balking, twitching nervously, desperate to get away.
"Easy boy," I soothed, and he seemed slightly mollified.
The three women continued fluidly towards me, two tall and one small, tiny in fact. I took a few steps in their direction, sure that I was within hearing distance of them now.
"Excuse me, ladies?" I called. "Are you lost?"
They stopped a few short feet from me, saying nothing, merely staring at me in mild surprise. One of the taller ones, with hair so blonde it was white and a curious expression whispered something to the smallest of the three. She nodded slightly, so fast I almost missed the movement.
But none of these things registered in my brain more than dimly, as the moonlight made their features visible to me. I gasped in shock.
They were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful, fantastical creatures I had ever laid eyes on. Their skin was so pale, whiter than bone, and I marvelled as it glimmered slightly by the moonlight. The tallest was stick thin, with toasty golden hair that was wildly curly and the biggest eyes I had ever seen, framed with thick lashes. Her irises were pitch-dark, so black they blended with the pupils, and it stood in extreme contrast to her snowy skin.
The second was shorter, platinum blonde, and just as lovely. She, too, had inky black eyes. The third was odd – she was by far the most beautiful of the three demi-goddesses that stood before me, so stunning that I felt the urge to blink, but she was clearly Mexican, her features Hispanic, along with her hair color. But her skin was as white as her companions.
The gorgeous young women were not stray members of our party as I had assumed. I would have recognized these faces anywhere.
The tallest one gave an enchanting laugh. "He's speechless." Her voice sounded like a wind chime.
The second blonde leant towards me, inhaling deeply and fluttering her long eyelashes. "Mmm," she murmured, as if my smell was intoxicating to her. "Lovely."
The miniscule brunette placed a hand on her arm in what appeared to be restraint. Her voice was too smooth and soft to be a bark, but I believed that was her intent as she said, "Concentrate, Nettie."
Those two words told me that the little Mexican girl was in charge. How curious.
"He looks right," the small one deliberated, chewing her lip with gleaming white teeth. "Young, strong, an officer... and there's something more, do you sense it?" She turned to her companions, furrowing her brow, trying to put a name to what the something I apparently had was.
"He's... compelling," she decided.
"Oh, yes." Nettie leaned eagerly towards me again, nodding her agreement.
"Patience," the brunette cautioned. "I want to keep this one."
Nettie sighed and stepped back, a scowl on her face. The tallest turned to her leader. "You'd better do it, Maria. If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them."
The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I shivered involuntarily. I hadn't a clue what they meant, but the taller one spoke of killing. Though I couldn't quite get over my transfixed awe, I knew that I should be afraid. But I was a soldier; I was taught to protect women, not fear them. Particularly angels like these.
"Yes, I'll do it. I really do like this one. Take Nettie away will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus."
"Let's hunt!" Nettie suggested enthusiastically, and she seized the tall girl's hand, made an about-face and fled in the direction she had just come, taking her companion with her. They moved so speedily and so gracefully that I could've sworn they were flying. I stared until they were out of sight.
Maria was staring at me curiously. "What is your name, soldier?"
I wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't a ghost, or some other kind of ghoul, but I had never been rude to a lady in my life and I didn't intend on starting now. "Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am."
She smiled, and it stopped my breath. She was so beautiful!
"I truly hope you survive, Jasper. I have a good feeling about you." She stepped close to me, and her sweet, intoxicating scent was overwhelming. Placing one hand on either shoulder – I shivered at her icy touch – she inclined her head towards me as though she were leaning in to kiss me. I was rooted to the ground, unable to move, unable to think.
And then her teeth made contact with my jugular, tearing into the flesh. Agony ripped through my torso, and I fell to my knees in shock. She pulled back, spitting a mouthful of my blood onto the road, and running her tongue over her teeth. I cringed away from the sight... it was horrible, repulsive. A rising warmth was radiating through my body now, a heat that glowed and then burned and then seared. I blistered under its intensity, juddering, my shoulders convulsing.
"I'm really sorry," she whispered, kneeling beside me and stroking one hand across my face. "It is horrible to endure, I remember. You won't suffer long." Her tone was gentle, but my eyes were wide with fear. I felt like I couldn't breathe through the pain, and every second was much, much too long to suffer. I had considered myself a brave man before this, but it was unendurable. The fire ate at my bones.
Maria picked me up in her arms; so small in comparison that the gesture looked odd; and began to run with me, faster than I'd ever travelled in my life. It was as if she wasn't even touching the ground, but the pain was so intense I did not care.
I felt like I was burning for years. It was nothing but boundless, endless agony, each tongue of fire ripping through my body, but eventually, I managed to think around it a little. To be able to hear that there was still a world around me. I caught snippets of conversation, occasionally hearing Maria's voice, along with the two others I recognised. I began to smell the sweet, beautiful scents more clearly now, began to be able to separate each smell from the others. It was a long time until I became able to truly focus on a conversation though.
"Nettie!" Maria was hissing. "You should never have brought that... that human here!"
"I was hungry," Nettie didn't sound too fussed, whatever Maria was talking about. Her voice was further away. It sounded like Maria was right beside me.
"But now we have a body to get rid of! You should have disposed of him earlier!" Maria was furious; I could practically feel it washing over me.
"Well, I didn't." Nettie sounded obstinate. I could hear a rhythmic tugging noise, like someone brushing their hair.
"I can't go out! I have to stay here with Jasper." Maria said my name with evident affection. "Lucy, how could you let her bring the body back?"
Lucy... I assumed that this was the last of the three. The tallest.
"I don't know why I let her Maria. It was careless, I know. I apologise." Lucy sounded sincere.
I felt a light pressure on my forehead. "It won't be long now. Jasper is nearly finished with the transformation. Listen to his heart," Maria murmured, her fingers pushing my hair back from my brow. Her skin did not feel anywhere near as cold as it had the first time she touched me, and I wished it had. I could use some cool relief now.
"I hear," Lucy said simply.
And then I listened too, and I heard what they meant. My heart was speeding at a million miles an hour, thrumming as it bounced in my chest, making my back arch so much I thought it would break...
As quickly as it had sped, my heart stopped completely. I slumped back to whatever I was lying on, everything absolutely still around me. I didn't even dare to breathe. It was strange... but I didn't need to. The only difference between breathing and not breathing was that I could no longer smell Maria's scent close beside me.
A hand touched my cheek and I flipped, arced through the air to land ten feet from my original position with my frame tensed and my fists clenched, a snarl ripping from my chest. Not even half a second had passed.
"Jasper..." My eyes, sharper than I thought possible, fell onto Maria's face. I was almost knocked back a step by the absurdity of her beauty – she was so perfect that it hurt to look at her. And the two behind her were equally wonderful.
I relaxed my frame, inhaling sharply through my nose. I could taste the open fire in the air, the sweet, intoxicating scents of the three women before me, and a multitude of other things.
I realised that I was concerned, though I wasn't sure why.
"Jasper, do you remember what happened to you?" My eyes darted around the room once before coming to rest on Maria's earnest face again. I considered her question.
I knew what had happened to me, I sensed it, but did I remember it... I tried to recall something, and though I was dimly aware, it was like squinting through thick fog; I could faintly see Maria approaching me, leaning in...
I snarled again. "You bit me."
"Listen to me, Jasper," Maria soothed. "You must control your temper." I struggled to calm down for a moment, relaxing my defensive posture once more.
The three exchanged impressed looks.
"What is the matter with me?" I demanded, and noticed what my voice sounded like for the first time. It was a resounding bass tone, melodic and calming. I listened with wonder. My Texan accent was still there, but it was a thousand times more fluid and elegant.
"You've been transformed, Jasper." Maria's voice was very similar to mine, I realised. I glanced down at my balled up fists, and noted with shock that they were bone white, paler than Maria, paler than Lucy, nearly as pearly white as Nettie. I gasped, and once again tasted the air around me.
"Into what?" I narrowed my eyes, suspicious.
"Into a vampire." My eyes widened, and as they did I noticed that Maria's own eyes were a dull crimson color. My jaw dropped.
"A vampire?"