***I don't own Jasper, Maria, Nettie, or Lucy***

"No, that's not correct!" I shouted, approaching my vampire troops. "If you do it like that, you're going to get torn to shreds!" I took the young vampire through the battle plans once again. "You want to circle around here and catch them from behind. They won't be expecting that."

It had been three months since my life had been altered forever. Since then, I had been training constantly, trying to become a brilliant vampire commander for my beloved Maria. Of course, the rewards were always amazing too. If I did well, she would sometimes bring entire human families to me for mealtime. I began to enjoy the hunt as they would try to escape. Of course, Maria was always there to help me finish them off.

We hadn't been to battle yet, but I was getting more than my fair share of fighting experience whenever Maria would bring other newborns into the mix. Several of them had attacked me, knowing that I was the strongest fighter, but I had made quick work of all of them. I was so experienced that I was quickly promoted within our coven and was given the task of training all of the newborns in preparation for battle. We hadn't fought any other vampires yet, but I was hoping it would be similar enough to all of the fights I had already been in, that I could teach them something of relevance.

As soon as I took over the training, a change had come over us. Suddenly we all started working together as one. Feelings were calm and relatively peaceful, even while we were having mock battles. It seemed to me that even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were getting along better.. I assumed it was due to my abilities to train the troops, thus improving their chances at getting their lands back.

"How are they coming along, Major?" I turned to see Maria approaching. I couldn't stop the smile that crossed my face as I saw her gliding towards me, clad in a long white skirt and yellow blouse. She now wore my Confederacy coat and sash and it filled me with pride to see her in my clothes. She was quickly becoming everything in my new life, and I continually tried so hard to please her. She stopped next to me, surveying the field of newborns as they sparred with each other. There were now twenty of them, including me, and they were quickly becoming as trained and organized as any human army.

"Brilliantly," I answered, hoping for a word of praise. When nothing came, I tried frantically to impress her. "I think we're ready for a real battle."

She beamed at me, her dimples showing. If I had a heart, it would have started racing as she laid a petite hand on my arm. "Really?"

"I think so. I doubt that any other army will be as well trained as ours."

She nodded in agreement. "Come, we will need to prepare."

I called an end to the mock fighting, as it tended to go poorly if I wasn't there observing, and followed Maria into our barn. It was starting to become a little ramshackle due to the amount of bodies that flew through the walls, but it still suited our purposes. We had set up maps in one of the stalls a couple of weeks ago at my suggestion, and Maria and I studied them together, trying to decide where to attack first. "My lands were here," she said, gesturing around the Monterrey area. "Do you see any issues if we start there?"

I shook my head, already imagining a plan of attack. "What does the land look like? We should send a scout to figure out what and who we're dealing with first."

"Okay, you choose the man and he will –" she broke off at my refusal. "What's wrong?"

"It can't be one of them," I explained, gesturing with my thumb to the troops outside. "It has to be someone who has a little more control. We don't want them going crazy and getting themselves killed. I think either Nettie or Lucy should go. A female might be less likely to be destroyed outright, as well." And I didn't want to risk my Maria's life by sending her.

Maria pursed her lips. "You're right. I will tell them to go ahead and scout out the region to let us know who is there." She smiled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much!"

My chest lifted as she said this. I craved any attention from her I could get. I knew she got irritated with me every time she would have to replace any newborns I killed, but when they came after me for no reason, I didn't have much choice but to defend myself. I began to remember the second fight I had been in as a vampire.

The first couple of weeks of my new life had been a bit of a blur for me as the pattern had continued in pretty much the same way. We would lay relatively low during the day, so as not to draw attention to ourselves, but at night, we practiced fighting in the field. Maria brought us four more newborn males within a couple of days and we included them in our training sessions.

Three weeks into my new life, I was once again attacked by one of our own. I hadn't done anything to provoke the assault, just as before. I was merely drawing pictures in the dirt with the spur on my boot when out of nowhere, one of the newer recruits, a sandy haired young man named Ronald, grabbed a loose beam from the rafters of the barn. He swung it around with his newborn strength and smacked me in the back of the head. With a resounding crack, the beam snapped in two. While I didn't feel any pain, rage coursed through me and I jumped to my feet, lunging at Ronald.

I made quick work of him, tearing him to pieces before anyone could blink. I promptly started a fire, using his remains as the kindling. The others in the barn stared wide-eyed at me as I calmly returned to my spot on the hay bale and continued my drawings, the rage temporarily subdued. Maria returned to us later that day and was definitely a little put out that she had to replace the vampire that I had killed. But in reward for my excellent battle skills, she pulled me out of the barn and led me to a small farmhouse a few miles away.

We crouched down next to the fenced in cattle, watching the house. I could see the candlelight seeping from the heavy curtains on the windows and could smell the humans inside. "How many?" I asked Maria.

"Four."

I turned to look at her. "I meant, how many do I get?"

She smiled her beautiful smile at me. "Four."

"Really?" I asked, astounded.

"I told you the rewards would be great. Just be sure no one gets out alive to spread stories about us," she warned. With that, she vanished into the night, leaving me to my own devices.

I stood up, noticing the cows shying away from me, as prey would shy away from any predator. I smelled their blood as well, but it didn't sway me from my original destination. It didn't smell particularly appetizing anyway. I calmly walked to the house and knocked on the door. A man answered, shocked to take in my disheveled hair and Confederate uniform. "Howdy," he greeted, assuming I was just a lost and tired soldier. "Can I help you?"

I shoved past him into the house, the warmth from the fire hitting my cold skin as I walked through the door. "What do you think you're doing!" the man shouted, grabbing my arm. I whirled around and using his surprise at my speed to my advantage, I sank my teeth into his neck. I still wasn't used to the amazing sensation of the warm liquid spurting from the human jugular and hitting my tongue, and my eyes closed as I enjoyed it yet again.

All too soon, the man was empty and I dropped him to the floor. I scanned the rest of the house, but saw nobody. Inhaling, the flames ripped through my throat, proving the existence of more humans there. I stood in the center of the small room and listened quietly. Thump thump, thump thump…the human heart could always be counted on to give them away. There were three distinct heartbeats, one adult and two children. I leaped to the edge of the loft above me and scanned the beds. The smell was very near now and I grabbed the closest mattress and picked it up. A woman crouched in fear there, as well as a young boy of maybe nine and a girl of about six years of age.

"Please," the woman pleaded, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Do what you want with me, just please don't hurt my children!" I considered for a moment leaving them, their pleas not falling on deaf ears. But at the worst possible moment, the young boy withdrew a dagger from his pocket to try and protect his family, accidentally pricking his finger in the process. As his blood began to leech from the tiny wound, I felt the last shreds of my humanity leave me and began feasting on the small family.

You want us to what?" I was snapped back to reality at Lucy's petulant voice as Maria gave her the order to scout out the area around Monterrey.

"I think it's necessary to find out who we're up against before we go running blindly into battle. Don't you think, Major?" Maria smiled sweetly up at me.

I nodded. "I think it would give us a serious advantage." The blonde woman's eyes narrowed as she looked at Maria and me. Nettie looked only slightly less annoyed, her small arms crossed in front of her. Her jaw was thrust out stubbornly and I was reminded of a small child who was denied her favorite toy. A strong feeling of irritation and hatred swept through me as I watched the interaction between the three women. Clenching my fists to contain my anger, I forced myself to calm.

Nettie suddenly relaxed and laid a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Come, sister," she coaxed. "We will find out what the Major needs to know about our enemies." Lucy acquiesced and together, they flitted out of the barn, veering south.

Surprised at their sudden change of heart, I frowned. "That was easy."

Maria sidled up to me, putting her arm around my waist. "You have a way with people." I grinned and looked down into her beautiful face. Her free hand reached up to wrap itself in my hair and she lightly pulled my head down to reach hers. My breath quickened as her lips touched mine softly. I turned towards her fully and she pressed her luscious body against mine as I deepened the kiss, growling as her fingernails dug into my scalp.

I pulled away from her lips and began kissing my way down her neck when we were suddenly interrupted by a loud squeal from outside. I was enveloped with rage and I swore as I pulled away from Maria. Cursing violently, my hand released her waist and I stormed outside to put a quick end to the two newborns who had interrupted my very pleasant moment with my beloved.

As I left the barn, I heard Maria whisper to me. "Later, Major. Come to my bedroom at dawn." She sped out of the barn, heading towards the small farmhouse that she shared with Nettie and Lucy. Smiling broadly, I broke up the fight between the newborns and settled them all in the barn for the day. Soon, I was racing towards Maria's bedroom and shortly found out just how interesting being a vampire could truly be.

So what did you find?" Maria asked Nettie and Lucy when they returned a few days later. We were out in the fields watching the newborns training when the two women arrived. Maria motioned them into the barn and pulled me behind her.

As we entered the barn, I was once again filled with an inexplicable feeling of hatred. Tamping it down immediately, I frowned, shaking my head in confusion. For some unusual reason, I continually felt hatred around these two. I couldn't figure out why.

"Well," Lucy said imperiously, "there are two mature vampires named Francisco and Elena. They have an army of nine, but they're not trained like ours." I felt Maria watching me proudly. "They're living in a villa just east of the city."

I nodded in understanding. "We should be able to confuse them easily then. What kind of landscape is around there?"

"Not much," Maria admitted. "Mostly scrub brush."

I pursed my lips, studying the map. "That does make it a little tougher. So here's what we're going to do." I described an elaborate battle plan in which half of us would approach from the north, while the other half would loop around Monterrey and come in from the south.

"We'll surround them," Maria finished, an evil grin touching her lips.

"That's the plan," I confirmed.

Maria was suddenly all business. "Okay then. The Major and I will lead the troops from the north, while Nettie and Lucy, you two can go south and come back around."

"Actually," I interrupted, "I think I should lead the southern troops with Lucy, and Maria and Nettie should lead the north." I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want Nettie and Lucy to be leading the troops together. Something just didn't feel right about that. I decided that separating them was a much better idea.

Maria shrugged. "Whatever, that works for me."

"Okay, we'll split up as soon as we're across the river and Maria and Nettie, you will have to wait a few hours for Lucy and me to swing around the south. As soon as we figure out the day and time, we'll attack." I smiled. "It will be easy."

"The city will be ours," Maria hissed in agreement. "We leave tonight."

I gathered all of our troops and explained the battle plans in vague detail. They all listened intently, completely lathered up at the idea of a real fight. We started out the minute darkness fell that night, stopping at several different ranches and small towns to feed before we reached the Rio Grande. We swam across it with ease, and were soon in Mexico. It took us only a few hours to run the rest of the way to Monterrey and we stopped just north of the villa. We were downwind of the sprawl and could smell the enemy clearly. The ranch was silent at the moment, it being nearly noon.

"Okay," I told Maria and Nettie, " Lucy and I will take half and meet you in the middle. We'll attack at nightfall. Wait for my signal." At their nods, I divided the troops, making sure I didn't take all of the best fighters. There were several stand outs during our training and I divvied them fairly.

"Mount up!" I shouted, using the same terminology I used as a human. I heard a few chuckles and smiled. Some human aspects never seemed to go away. I shot a look at Maria, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I saw her beautiful face, and turned around to sprint off around the villa. Lucy stayed by my side as we ran around the huge ranch, making sure we didn't get close enough for them to smell or hear us.

Soon, we were around the back of the villa and I signaled our troops to be silent. They stayed as quiet as I could expect, growling and snarling the only thing coming from them. I was having a difficult time concentrating as well, as I just wanted to get in there and destroy these enemies. I forced myself to stay calm, and Lucy and I crept up behind a fence and scanned the area. We could hear the others in the house, letting off such a ruckus as to make us think there were more than the nine that Nettie and Lucy had seen before.

We sat quietly for a few hours, waiting for the enemy to come out of their home for the night to feed. Around midnight, I finally heard a door creak open and one by one, they filed out of the house. With a furious roar to alert Maria and Nettie that we were on the move, I leaped to my feet and charged the unsuspecting foe.

Chaos reigned as we charged them. We severely outnumbered them, twenty-three newborns to their nine. It was decided before the fight that Maria, Nettie, and Lucy would merely lead the troops, not join them in the battle. I wouldn't allow the women to fight, as they were—well, they were women! They weren't supposed to fight! They stood on the outskirts, ready with fire to burn the remnants of our opponents.

I flew at the nearest newborn, a young man of about my physical age. He was a strongly built Mexican, but he was no match for me. I tore him apart the minute I reached him. Before I could turn around, another man jumped onto my back and dug his teeth into my shoulder. I hissed in pain and grabbed his hair, launching him into the wall of their house, blasting a vampire shaped hole through the wooden structure. He jumped back out of the hole and rushed me again. I growled and crouched, waiting for him. As soon as he was close enough, I launched myself into the air and shoved against him, knocking him to the ground. He was demolished in seconds.

I could hear squeals of pain and fright as the battle went on around me. I looked around for the older vampires, as I wanted to take them on to test my abilities. These newborns were too easy.

I couldn't see the elders on the battlefield, so I ran into the house, searching through the few rooms. As I was running out back to the barn, I was struck from behind by a heavy weight and knocked to the ground. I felt a sharp stabbing sensation as a pair of teeth latched onto my arm just above the elbow. Furious now, I heaved myself off the dirt, throwing my elbow back and hitting the attacker in the face. With a shriek of rage, the teeth released my arm. I whipped around and was face to face with a beautiful Spanish woman, clad in riding breeches and a long black duster.

Somewhere, my brain was protesting this attack, telling me that I shouldn't hurt this tiny woman. But the larger part of my brain, the newborn part, was telling me that I had to destroy everything and everyone in my path, regardless of their gender or size. That side triumphed almost immediately and I threw myself at the woman, my shoulder ramming into her chest. I could hear the cracks of her ribs as they were crushed under my weight and strength. She screamed as I landed on top of her, my thighs straddling her waist.

"We will still defeat you!" she screeched as I tore off her arms. Before she could say anything more, I had removed her head from her neck and dropped it nonchalantly in the grass.

"Beg your pardon, ma'am, but no you won't." I chuckled at my silly response to the corpse, and ran to rejoin the battle. As I rounded the corner of the house, I was astounded to see that the fighting had stopped. All of fifteen minutes had passed and Monterrey was ours! I did a quick count of my troops that had survived and counted eighteen-nineteen if you counted me. My soldiers had already begun rounding up the dismembered bodies and were piling them to start a fire.

I quickly retrieved Maria, Nettie, and Lucy and brought them to the scene of the battle. The smoke from the burning bodies created a large billowing plume which was difficult to see through. But I could tell by their faces that they were extraordinarily pleased with this victory. Maria turned big eyes to me. "You're injured," she stated matter-of-factly.

I reached a hand up to my neck to feel the new bite marks interlaced with the bite I received from my first night with Maria. I scratched it furiously for as soon as I thought of it, it began to itch severely. As did the one on my upper arm. "How many did we lose?" Nettie asked as she approached the tangy scented bonfire.

"Four." I smiled as I watched them light up in happiness. Even having been a vampire for only a few months, I knew that this was a victory such as none had ever seen.

Maria soon decided that we would stay on at the villa since the previous occupants had just been destroyed. She was so pleased with my battle performance, she even let me stay in the house with them, the rest of our army relegated to the barn again. I happily picked the bedroom nearest the entrance of the house, thinking that if we were attacked, I would be the first person they would see as they walked through the door.

As the sun rose the next morning, I chose to give our troops a day off. I felt that their performance from the previous night should be rewarded. I was sitting on the front porch reading one of the many novels that had been left in the house, when I heard the front door slam open. I looked up to see Nettie storm outside. "What are you doing?" she demanded, gesturing to the book.

"Reading," I answered slowly.

"I can see that," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Why aren't you training?"

I shrugged. "I gave them a day off. They did well last night."

Nettie bared her teeth and I felt anger rolling through me. "They don't need a day off, they need to work!"

I jumped to my feet and lunged at her, backing her up against the porch railing. "I gave them a day off," I spoke through my gritted teeth. She hissed in response and shoved her hand into my ribs.

"Back off," she ordered. As I stepped back, she ran around me and into the house. I could hear her yelling for Maria.

I settled back into my chair with the book, flipping it open to the page I had been reading. Soon the door opened again, slowly this time. "Major?" Maria's voice floated outside. She stepped out onto the porch and I was struck once again at her beauty. She had changed into a silky red dress that I had never seen. Probably from the vampiress who had lived here before. "Would you please come inside? We need your help."

Obligingly, I set the book aside and walked into the house with Maria. I was surprised to see our maps of Mexico and Texas spread out on the dining room table of the house. I hadn't realized anybody had thought to bring them. Nettie and Lucy were currently hovering over them, pointing out various places in South Texas and Northern Mexico. "What's going on?" I asked, my brow furrowed in suspicion. "I thought we were just going to take Monterrey?"

Nettie and Lucy laughed at me. "Are you serious?" they both asked. "With the army we have out there, we're not going to stop here!"

Maria turned to face me. "Trust me, Major, it will all be worth it."

I was completely baffled now. "But we were just getting your lands back."

Maria shook her head. "No, that was just the start."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to take Mexico."

***Sorry it took so long to update. Real life tends to intrude sometimes! :) Hope you enjoyed!***