This chapter is rated 'M' for more naughty words, murder, and very dark themes. You've been warned.
Previously:
Riley took a slow step forward and offered Jasper his hand. Jasper took it right away. They both kept contact as they introduced themselves. "Riley Biers, and you are?"
Bella's P.O.V. (3094 words):
"Even in a crowd, laughing out loud, I'm lonely." ~Just Another Lonely Night by The Temptations
"Major J. Whitlock. It's a pleasure to meet Swan's second." Jasper replied calmly. Riley's eyes widened, and they released each other's hands. Riley turned to me as if waiting for me to say it was a joke.
"Danger Magnet, remember?" I commented with a shrug. Riley shook his head. "It turns out I've known him for a long time, but I knew him under another name back then."
"From what you've told me of that coven that you were with before..." Riley said, looking Jasper up and down. "He must be the Hale."
"Yeah, yeah." I brushed him off, and I turned to address Jasper. "You ready to do this?"
"It's been a long time. I might be a bit rusty." Jasper replied with a smirk.
"That may be for the best in this situation." I said with a hardy laugh. "Jean!" I snapped my fingers once and turned my back on them, pulling Riley with me to stand a good distance away. "It's your call, Major. If you could avoid removing her limbs, I'd appreciate it."
"Your future scout is in good hands, Boss Swan." He said, using the name that only those below me normally ushered. I felt Riley looking at me again in what appeared to be awe.
"Thanks, Ares." I replied, calling him by the name of the Greek God of War, a name that was used for him in much the same way. He smiled at me before focusing and entering a crouch. Jean sunk down as well, a determined look in her eyes. I was glad she didn't know the stories of the vampire she was going up against, unlike the rest of the newborns at our camp. "Riley, please say you did that exercise with her last week while I was scouting Nathaniel's territory."
"Of course I did." Riley replied as Jean and Jasper began to circle one another, and then he dropped his voice so that they wouldn't hear it. "Not that there's much she can do against the God of War anyway. Even your ingenious flourish move can't save her. I just want to know how the only human second-in-command in the history of the South gets an alliance with the most feared vampire of all time. You know his first name, and you probably have a deep understanding of his gift as well. I'm still in shock."
"I am too. How was I supposed to expect the quiet Hale brother that wanted to drain me on my birthday to be the Major of the South? With how much I've been testing his patients, I'm surprised I'm alive and on good terms with him." I said before speaking at a normal volume again. "It was the coven I used to chill with in Washington that found me in the alley after my 'punishment'. The leader's a doctor, as you know, so I'm sure he checked me over already. Speaking of 'punishment', you'd think that Vic would appreciate me more by now. Without me, the Volturi would have gotten her a long time ago. Hell, I'm about to expand her playground all the way to Fort Worth and Dallas! Maria's territory will be the only one left to go for."
"With how well your new training ideas are working, we'll be pushing it South within the year." Riley confided, just as Jean and Jasper collided. I couldn't see everything. Their movements were too fast, but I could see enough. Jasper pulled a defensive move I'd never seen before.
"Remember that one." I muttered, my eyes darting as I attempted to keep up with the vampire speed.
"The way he fights, boss... it's beautiful. God, I wish you could really see it." Riley whispered, his pupils wide and his mouth set into a small 'O'.
"He's about to take the upper-hand." I said in a voice too low for anyone but Riley to hear.
"How do you know?" Riley asked, just as Jasper pinned Jean to the dirt floor, creating a cloud around the two.
"He was fighting with his right side. The Major is left-handed. The moment he shifted, I knew he was planning to end the spar." I replied, walking forward just as Jasper stood and offered a hand to Jean. She took it and stood, facing me submissively, and waited for evaluation. I looked at Jean for a second before I turned to Jasper. "Rundown, Major."
"She avoided my arms very effectively with a swishing type move that I am unfamiliar with. That will keep other newborns from crushing her. She's a bit weak in her approach, but she makes up for it with her ability to read her opponent. For her stage, her skill was unexpected. Only a second-in-command would have a hope of beating her in one-on-one combat." Jasper replied, smiling at me slightly. "The flourish move was your idea, wasn't it?"
"Copyrights go to the Swan." I affirmed with a slight smirk, beginning to walk around Jean in a circle. I went around her once and stopped in front of her. I was silent for only a moment before I made my decision. "Riley, come and meet my new left flank."
"Boss, you know that most second-in-commands, such as yourself, don't have thirds." He replied, standing on my right flank the moment I spoke his name.
"And you know that not many are aware of my true position or even the fact that I am involved in the wars. You need a second to keep up appearances anyway, and I want to keep her for more than a year." I said to Riley, and I took a step closer to Jean. Our bodies were nearly touching. I saw her eyes darken out of thirst, but I did not back down. "Don't make me regret this, Jean."
"You won't regret it, ma'am." She said strongly. I nodded and took a large step back.
"Take Jean back to camp, Riley. It's nearly four in the morning and will be getting light soon. I'm picking out her reward personally. I'm just going to go to Freeport. They haven't had a murder all year, so no one will suspect anything."
"Whatever you say, boss." He said, running off with Jean on his right flank. I waited until I knew Jasper and I were alone. "You wanna come, Whitlock?"
"Alright." He shrugged, and he lifted me up bridal style and carried me into town before setting me down next to him in an alleyway. "Are you really going to pick out one of your own kind for Jean to kill?"
"Yep. You know how it is. The only prize better than a meal is one picked out personally by the second-in-command of the army." I replied, smiling slightly as I watched the humans walk the streets, oblivious to our watching eyes.
"That should bother you." Jasper whispered, shaking his head so slightly I almost couldn't see it.
"Probably." I agreed, spotting a Hispanic boy of about nineteen, smoking and laughing with his friends near the closed Sonic. "Bingo. See the one in the red wife-beater? I'll just bring him back here when I get him to leave his friends."
"I'll take you both to the camp. I can hear them from here." He replied, his head tilted slightly to the right. I nodded and walked confidently over to the group. I could hear them all asking each other if they knew me. I put a smile on my face as I come close to them.
"Hey, boys. I'm Chloe Johnson. Who might you be?" I asked in a sweet voice, my thumbs hanging in my belt-loops.
"The name's William Moore." One of them introduced, giving me one of those stupid head nods as greeting.
"I'm Robert Smith." The one in the red wife-beater said, and my smile widened. I didn't wait for the others to speak.
"Well, Robert, it's a pleasure to meet you." I purred, walking closer and taking his hand. "I'll just cut to the chase. I want us to get to know each other a little better. William, do you mind if I borrow your friend for a couple hours?"
"Not at all, pretty lady." William replied with a laugh. He hit Robert on the shoulder. "You have fun, man."
As I pulled Robert across the street to where Jasper was waiting, I could hear one of his other friends scream. "Why does Robert always get so lucky?" I smiled to myself. This Robert Smith was far from lucky.
"Why the hell are we going over here?" Robert asked as we entered the shadow of the alley.
"Shut up." I ordered him, dropping my act.
"Excuse me, bitch?" He said, and I punched him across the face.
"I told you to shut up." I spat, and I saw Jasper leaning against the wall, watching calmly. "Ready to go to camp, Major?"
"Wh-" Robert started to speak again before Jasper picked us both up and took off along the river. Robert was trying to scream, but Jasper had his mouth against his shoulder to keep him from opening it. Jasper jumped the river and came to a halt near the rundown and broken farmhouse that was used to house the newborns, letting me drop to the floor right away. Riley and Jean must have heard our approach, for they were flanking me in the next second.
"Let's shake him up for you, Jean." I said, nodding to Jasper. The Major dropped Robert to the ground, and Robert got to his feet as quickly as he could. He was looking at all of us with fearful eyes, but he wasn't nearly afraid enough. The more fear, the sweeter they tasted, Riley had told me. I walked up to him and forced his finger to bend an unnatural way using all my strength. I heard the bone snap, and he screamed.
"Where am I? What are you?" Robert asked, his voice cracking. I ignored him purposefully.
"Riley, go make sure the newborns stay in the farmhouse. How'd I do, Jean?" I questioned as Riley disappeared. She didn't respond. She simply watched Robert with blackening eyes. "Well, that's my answer. Could you do me one more favor, Major?"
"What would that be?" Jasper said, not taking his eyes off of Jean.
"Take Jean and Robert here a good ways away and make him as fearful as possible for her, if you could." I requested, and Jasper shook his head slightly in what I recognized as disbelief.
"No problem, Swan." He said, dragging Robert away by an arm. I began walking slowly toward the farmhouse.
"Chloe! Please, help me!" I heard Robert scream before I heard what I knew to be a hunting snarl.
Jasper was right. This should bother me, but I'd numbed myself to guilt and pain the moment Edward had left me alone in the woods. I was a monster now. I was a Southern second-in-command. I fought for another's selfish gain. Did I care? Of course I did! I didn't want to do the things I did, but what choice did I really have? Victoria kept me human to use me as a scout that could roam in the sunlight and to keep me weak. Plus, I was good at it and had Riley here with me.
I had just reached the front door of the house when Jasper appeared next to me and Jean took her place on my left flank.
"Riley." I called quietly, knowing he'd hear. He was suddenly in the doorway. "Is Vic here?"
"Yeah. She's down in the map room." He replied, looking at me worriedly.
"You and Jean are coming down there with me. I have to introduce Jean to her as my third." I told him before tilting my head to look at Jasper. "You want to meet her as my ally, or do you want to get out of here? If she finds out who you are, the whole South will hear about your return."
"Hasn't she already heard you address me?" Jasper asked, his eyebrows coming together.
"No. She sound-proofed the map room both ways. You can't hear anything happening from the outside or the inside." I said, waiting for his reaction. He seemed to be thinking about it. "This is your chance out of our truce. This is your chance to keep the peaceful life with your mate."
"Actually, Alice is not my mate. She and Edward found out they were mates the night of your birthday party. That's why they made everyone leave." Jasper said, watching for what he expected to be an explosive reaction, I'm sure. He wasn't disappointed.
My vision blurred from the force of my anger. All this time, I had thought that Edward had left me for my safety, to try and keep me away from this world. I had laughed at the irony of it for the last eighteen months, and now I come to find that he told me only the truth that night. My mind went back to that moment in the forest and replayed his words in my head, most of which held a very different meaning now.
"But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change."
"You're not good for me, Bella."
"Bella, I don't want you to come with me."
"Well, I won't forget. But my kind… we're very easily distracted."
Easily distracted... yeah. He'd be distracted fucking the girl I'd seen as my best friend! These words were bad enough, but then my mind took me back to the day of my party. Edward had just taken me home from the Cullen house. We'd been in my room talking...
"Don't try to take any of this on yourself, Bella. It will only make me more disgusted with myself."
At least the bastard had felt bad about it. He should have just told me the truth! Yes, I would have been upset, but it would have spared me the abandonment and the life Victoria had thrust upon me when they left me unprotected.
I could feel myself shaking with the level of my loathing. Each exhale that came through my clenched teeth was a hiss. I could barely see the newborns watching me with caution over Riley's shoulder from inside the house.
"Swan!" A voice snapped, and an artificial calm smothered my rage enough for me to think. I embraced the false emotion, using it to center myself. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"I apologize, Major. I have never lost my control like that." I said just above a whisper.
"Never, in all my years, have I witnessed such overwhelming emotion in a human, so don't apologize. It is unnecessary." Jasper replied. I nodded and took another breath through my nose before reopening my eyes. I was met with the scene of the restless newborns watching me carefully.
"Volver al trabajo." I ordered in the direction of the newborns. They got back to work right away, scattering faster than my eyes could comprehend. I sighed. "You coming to the map room with us, Major?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He replied, and Riley placed himself on my right flank. Jasper followed at the rear as I walked through the farmhouse. The newborns parted for me as I headed to the door that led down to the map room. I shouted my commands over my shoulder to the newborns.
"If a fire starts, for whatever reason, while I'm down with your creator, there will be hell to pay." I hissed, and Riley backed up my statement with a growl. I opened the door and began the decent. "Close it behind you, if you could." I requested.
"You know that you and Riley are the only ones allowed down here, my pet." Victoria scolded the moment I came to the bottom of the stairs. I suddenly saw her stiffen, and she spun on her heal to face us.
"Don't call me pet. You know that pisses me off. They are not here to attack you or threaten you in any way, Victoria." I assured, shifting and pointing to Jean. "This newborn is named Jean. I have made her my third, my left flank."
"As long as you do your job, I really don't care." Victoria interrupted, not even looking at Jean. "I want to know what a vampire from the Olympic coven is doing here."
"I'd like to handle this one, Swan." Jasper spoke up, and I shrugged before stepping aside.
"I am no longer a part of the Cullen clan, and I have allied myself with your second-in-command." Jasper informed her, and Victoria laughed.
"And who do you think you are, pendejo?" Victoria said, calling him an asshole, and I sighed. She ignored it and kept going. "A tame vampire such as yourself has no place in the South."
"I admit it's been a few decades, but reintegratin' myself back into the Southern wars shouldn't too hard. I did spend a good century down here." Jasper replied, not seeming fazed at all by her insults.
"You're trying to tell me that you lasted down here for a hundred years. Next you'll be trying to convince me that you used to own Mexico City!" Victoria shouted, rolling her eyes. Riley and I shared a look, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh.
"Actually, I helped my creator capture it. I hear she still has claim over that territory. I'm impressed she's been able to hold onto it without me for all these years, honestly." Jasper said with a slight laugh of his own. Victoria was looking at Jasper differently now. Her gaze was scrutinizing him in a way I'd never seen.
"What did you say your name was?" She asked, her voice almost too quiet for me to hear.
"I didn't." Jasper replied. "My name is Major J. Whitlock, Victoria."
"You stupid fucking human! I should have killed you when I had the chance, when that mind reader left you alone and dying of cold in the woods like garbage! You are a worthless, murdering bitch! You deserve to die, not take undeserved glory! How dare you ally yourself with the God of War!" Victoria spat, venom leaking from her teeth. I pushed passed Jasper roughly, bruising my own arm and walked to stand toe to toe with Victoria. I tilted my head and moved my hair to expose my neck for her.
"Do it. I dare you. You'd be nothing without me. Your mateless existence would end in less than a week because you can't control your own creations or defend your own land. Do it. Kill me. Kill your only chance at having an existence that is anything better than miserable." I said it in a dead, cold voice. She didn't move. She simply growled and glared at me. "No? Then shut up, and let me do my job like you told me to. I'll return at sunset. Tonight, we attack Nathaniel's army."
I turned my back on her and marched up the stairs, not caring if the others followed.
A.N.: I know I wasn't going to update for a few more days, but I couldn't help myself. I felt bad leaving you guys on such an awkward note last chapter and figured I'd make it up to you. Tada!
Y'all know who is mine and who belongs to Mrs. Meyer. This version of Riley is my own twist on his shallow cannon character. IDreamofEddie thought of the God of War and Peter's know-it-all meter (you can bet I'm using that). I think that is all I've got in ways of Disclaimers.
PLEASE... tell me what you think. Ask questions. Make jokes. I love all that shit. If I get some good reviews, I'll give you guys an angry Major and a sensitive one next chapter. How does that sound?