We sat in our bedroom one night, looking out to the dark sky as I vaguely listened to the conversations going on downstairs.

Maria leaned against my shoulder her arm wrapped around my waist. I glanced down at her, noting all the little things I'd seen everyday. Her eyes, her slender nose, her tiny soft lips. She looked angelic almost. Beneath the stars she looked so innocent, her expression so clild like, though I knew there was so much more beyond that facade. She looked up at me slowly, smiling lightly.

"Do you love me Jasper"? She whispered as her finger glided across my jaw.

I couldn't answer her, my voice had disappeared.

Love her? Did I love her? What could a vampire define as love? Devotion is one thing, I was very much devoted to her. But love? No. I don't think I love her, not in the way she wanted me to. Not as humans define love. I shook my head weakly, watching her expression soften.

"What I meant is, do you want to see me happy"? She tilted her head to the side as I nodded.

"Of course." I muttered as she grinned. "But are you not happy now? You have a territory that is all your own."

"Yes, that is all very well but," She trailed off as her eyes flickered out toward the horizon. "It isn't enough to survive. Others will come to take this place, they will try to kill us."

"They cannot succeed, we are too strong." I said leaning away from her, trying to understand her expression. It was fearful, for the first time in her life she was afraid. But she was trying desperately to hide it. Her expression hardened, and she became stern.

"We cannot become too comfortable, we must extend our reach and claim more territories." her hands fell on to the sides of my face as she stared into my eyes intently. "I want you to take several newborns out into the surrounding territories, I want you to claim them in my name." She smiled darkly, her lips brushing over mine as she often did to gain my trust.

"Alright." I said hesitantly, still not voicing my concerns. What could I say? This is what Maria wanted, and I had to give her what she wanted.

I rose to my feet, quickly ascending over the railing to gather the new borns and carry out her will.

Throwing open the front doors, I was greeted by Lucy and Nettie's dark glares. I had never seen them look at me this way, and for a second I shuttered. I could sense that they were talking about me not a moment before and I had stumbled in on the last part of their conversation. This saddened me. I thought they were my sisters, fighting with me side by side in combat, but here they were glaring at me.

I tried to ignore their glares as I called forward several of the stronger new borns; four of the younger males and one female. I glanced back at Nettie and Lucy as I turned away, their expression had not changed.

We disappeared out into the night, sprinting across state lines, claiming every territory we passed through. By nights end we had killed three small covens and conquered their lands. It was easy enough as no one was a match to us. When we returned home Maria had another task for us waiting.

The next three weeks we sought out and killed every coven near and far from us and claimed miles of land. Yet still Nettie and Lucy's animosity grew stronger.

The room was stifling every time they were in it. They glared from Maria to me, muttering to each other when our eyes were turned. Maria had sensed this as well but disregarded it. She said it was merely jealousies and if it came to it we would slay them. Part of me didn't want to do it, but all of me had to obey. I prayed that it wouldn't come to that, but then again, who knows.

It was early december when Maria's predictions about others seeking to destroy us had come true.

I was sitting on the railing, my arm draped over my knee as I looked over the scar on my wrist. It was faint now, yet not healed. It would never heal. I had gained several other scars in training the new born, and my skin was slowly becoming covered in them. My ribs, my neck, my arms and hands, they all have groups of tiny crescent scars covering them. One of the newborns actually bit my jaw, so now I had a scar extending from my cheek down to my jaw bone.

Is this what I would have to continuously put up with? Training new borns and getting wounded when they attacked or I killed them? What other life could be out there for me. This was my life.

No sooner had I thought this, my body was frozen with panic. I could feel everyone emotions swell with fear downstairs and I leaped to my feet. Clenching the pillar, I stared out over the high gates of our compound at seven foreign vampires. They were running toward the gates, and as they approached, more of them came out of the shadows. I could feel Maria's anticipation of fear and knew where I needed to be. Leaping over the railing, I landed at her side, embracing her hand the moment I hit the ground.

"Kill them all". She whispered through her teeth as I smirked.

"I know." I was ready, and when her emotions surrounded me I knew it. I was going to kill every one of them and her emotions would give me the strength to do it. I wouldn't feel any fear or hesitation, so long as she filled the air with her confidence.

The vampires broke over the top of the wall, and Maria unleashed the new borns upon them.

The sound was deafening, the cracking of immortal bones and their painful screams.

I leaped into the fray, taking down two men as each of them hissed and tried to bite me. A woman attacked from behind, latching on my back and biting into my shoulder. I could feel Maria jerking her off, sending her flying through the air with a growl. I dismembered the men's bodies, piling them behind me as a new born readied the pyre.

It took less than an hour to kill our attackers, though two of them managed to escape. When everything was finally done, a pyre about ten feet high burned like a beacon in our field.

I winced slightly, touching my hand to the bite in my shoulder. Yet another scar it would become. Maria was beside me, her lips already brushing over my skin as she smiled up at me. I could feel her admiration yet I felt something else. Looking to the source I saw Nettie glaring at us.

Lucy was at her side another moment, both of them glaring at me as if they meant to throw me into the pyre as well. Why did they look at me in such a way? Why? Before I could muster the voice to ask them, they were gone, sprinting down the street into the city.

"Those two are going to be trouble." Maria said darkly as her hand weaved into my hair. "Seek them out and warn them, if they are looking for a fight, they will surely find one with me".

I looked down at Maria swiftly, appalled that she spoke such a way about our closest comrades. True vampires were not friendly with one another, but Lucy and Nettie were our companions from the very beginning. They fought with just as much ferocity as we did to protect what was ours, and she speaks of them as if they are our enemies. I watched her dark eyes flash with rage.

"Everyone is our enemies Jasper. Any one of these new borns could turn on us if they think it, Lucy and Nettie will bring us down if we do not put them in their place. Go now". She ordered softly as she turned back to the house.

I nodded weakly, suddenly feeling very unsure of myself. Lucy and Nettie were companions with Maria before me, who's to say she would not turn on me if given the opportunity? I shook the thought from my mind, instead focusing on going to speak with them myself. Breaking into a sprint, I leaped over the wall and into the streets in one bound.

I found them hunting in the town square, and when I approached they tensed.

"Well if it isn't Major Whitlock". Nettie hissed at me as I stopped a few feet from her. "What does the little witch need you to do for her"?

Lucy remained silent, staring at me with pity as well as anger.

"She wanted me to speak with you". I whispered as Nettie scoffed.

"Don't fool yourself Jasper, Maria does not waste her time with talking, there is another purpose for you coming here".

I fell silent, looking at my feet. "I wanted to speak with you."

"About what"? Lucy bit out, catching herself quickly. Her face became smooth and emotionless as she looked at me.

"You two are bothered obviously, why"?

Nettie shook her head, her arms folding. "We are going to die if we stay here". She snapped looking at me strongly. "Maria has attracted too much attention with her conquest for power. Others are going to come, in numbers far greater than you can imagine. They will slay every last one of us"! Nettie's anger was not as well concealed as Lucy's, she was outright furious the more she talked.

"We can hold them off, but you two must stay". I said as Lucy shook her head.

"She hasn't told you what happened before, about why we joined her did she"? Lucy said softly, her eyes softening. "Our covens were slain, desecrated by the Volturi because of leaders just like Maria"!

"We haven't done anything that would attract their attention. We-"

"Not yet. But how much longer do you think she will be satisfied with the few territories she posses? No much longer. She is power hungry, she won't stop until she controls everything her eyes fall on. She doesn't care about us, the new borns, not even you"! Nettie snapped as I shook my head.

"You are wrong". I stammered as she laughed wickedly, her blonde hair fluttering over her shoulders.

"Do you really believe she cares for you"? She hissed loudly. "She doesn't! Beautiful as you are, strong and kind as you may be, she doesn't care! You are used as a means of controlling her new borns and servicing her! When your usefulness wears out you will be slain by her hand."

I couldn't argue with her. I had lingering doubts that Maria's devotion to me was as strong as mine was to her, but never had I really entertained the idea that she would kill me. And Nettie spoke the truth, Maria needed me. "You two must stay". I finally said as Lucy glanced at me.

"You are young Jasper. In every sense of the word. You are naive. But I sincerely hope that you realize before the end that her lust for power will destroy you. And when you do, I hope you can escape her". She whispered as she walked past me, Nettie following closely behind. The two disappeared into the night, leaving me to muddle over their words until the sun began to rise in the sky.