AU: Thank you again, dear! To answer your question: No my Mike is not Mike Newton. I just picked that name randomly, it's not supposed to be an indication of anything. All righty, this is the last flashback chapter. Sorry it's so short. Enjoy!
9
Maria, hungry as usual for more dominance and control over her expanding brood, had grown tired of her compatriots, Nettie and Lucy. "We need to narrow our focus," she said. So, with Jasper's help, she killed them. Jasper had become the resident expert on disposing of fellow vampires, no matter how old or strong they were, and the echo of Maria's sadistic glee spurred him on. It was never what one could call easy. The only way to destroy a vampire was to tear the body apart several times over and burn the pieces. Yes, vampires could burn. It just took a very long time.
It was a disaster.
Some of the followers in their army had preferred Nettie on account of her insatiable bloodlust; it was easy for the new ones to relate to her. Others just thought Maria was too harsh a leader, and sometimes Jasper agreed with them. So when Maria told them that she would be their one and only leader from now on, fully half of the army had responded with rampant violence. Maria hadn't counted on a revolt.
Jasper dove into the group and did what he could to stop the slaughter. He flung them off each other and projected patience and understanding with all his concentration, but he was so tired. The killing of the elder two had exhausted him.
Someone throttled Jasper from behind. He locked his hands around the wrists of whoever had hold of him, but he couldn't break the grip. Sharp teeth sank into his shoulder and he cried out, more from frustration than from pain. Maria should have known this would happen. She was horribly out of touch with the wants and needs of her unholy brood; Jasper sensed her selfishness every minute. Suddenly he was angry with her for making such a careless error in judgment, and at himself for failing to do anything to stop her. The uncontrollable fury of the battle rushed into him, filling his senses and blackening his mind. He let out a monstrous roar, spun around to face his attacker, and struck out, hard, with all the strength he possessed.
The attacker shot nearly a mile across the desert, leaving a trail of dust and sand in his wake. Jasper flew after him. He hauled up the traitor by the arm and bit deep into the shoulder, severing the limb at the joint. Then he went for the other. Then he put out the young vampire's eyes. He barely noticed the screaming. But it wasn't time for death yet. Jasper clutched the front of his prey's shirt and dragged him back to the main battle, this time projecting a single thought over and over: FEAR ME.
The fighting stilled and then stopped at Jasper's approach. His message was taking. He drank in their horror and heightened it, then fed it back to them again. Maria stood in the center of the group, small and shivering. Jasper dumped the traitor at her feet. "Let's give them something to think about," he said.
Maria stared at Jasper, wide-eyed and awestruck. Then she nodded. She stepped in front of him and raised her voice to the crowd. "Pay close attention, all of you!" she said. "You are my children now. Attempt to escape, or to thwart our efforts in any way, and this is the fate that will befall you." She glanced back at the mutilated vampire on the ground, and gave Jasper a short nod.
Jasper knelt down, and with hands and teeth opened the vampire's chest, and pulled out the cold, still heart beneath the ribs. He stood and held the heart high above his head for the crowd to see, like an unrefined hunk of garnet in the sunlight. Then he handed it to Maria. She took the organ in both hands and bit into it; it shattered in a thousand pieces of shimmering dust, like red sand.
No one crossed her again after that. Some tried to leave, but they were few. But something else changed that day. When Maria looked at Jasper, it was no longer with the patronizing smile he'd grown almost fond of. Her gaze was calculating and distant. She was afraid of him now.