Virgin Blood

Chapter 12

.

2 Days Ago

.

It was the middle of the day, but somewhat dark due to all the fog. It was unusually warm for October, and the air was wet with a light drizzle. On a hill outside the castle, two men trudged through the wet grass and mud. One had a limp girl thrown over his shoulder.

"Here's close enough," the one carrying a length of rope said nervously to his companion, though trying to hide that emotion. The other man glanced up toward the ominous castle on the hill. They were supposed to deliver her to the front door, but really, they were already very close.

"Yeah, suspect you're right," he agreed.

"We can tie her to this tree," his friend suggested. The one carrying the girl dropped her down to her feet. She had a gag in her mouth and her arms were tied behind her back. She had been fighting and kicking at first, but about halfway there, she had settled down. No sooner had he set her down, though, than she abruptly turned and kneed him in the groin.

She was surprisingly strong for one so small, and the man hunched over and groaned, grabbing his balls. The girl took off in a run down the hill. "Hey," the other man shouted after her. The girl was fast but exhausted, and her hands were tied behind her back, her legs much shorter than the man chasing her. He easily caught her in seconds.

He carried her kicking back to the tree, and when she wouldn't settle down, he backhanded her across the cheek.

"Little bitch, that one," the man who recovered from the blow to his groin laughed. "Wish I could teach her a lesson."

"Careful, she's a witch," his companion said as he wrapped the rope around the tree. He pushed the girl up to it and wrapped it around her stomach. He pulled the rope tight, hurting her soft skin, tying it in a sturdy knot.

"Yeah, then why ain't she escaped?" his friend asked.

The other man shrugged. "Don't know how them witches work. She's vampire food now, anyway."

The one who had been carrying her walked over to her and glared meanly down at her. She stared up at him with hard eyes. He slapped her across the cheek. "That's for kickin' me," he said cruelly. He grabbed the neckline of the thin dress she was wearing and tore it right down the middle. The girl cried out through her gag. The tear in her dress stopped at the rope, but the man kept tearing, pushing the fabric out of the way until her small breasts and cunt were exposed.

"What are you doing man?" his friend asked, "You knows she's gotta be a virgin for the vampire."

The other man grinned. "Just making her a bit more appetizing," he said as he looked her directly in the eyes. She refused to look away, though she knew she was helpless.

"Let's get out of here." The two men left her there, and walked down the hill.

...

1 Day Ago

.

Edward held Bella's sleeping form. He could almost feel the exhaustion of her small body as he held her close. He had forgotten how wonderful lovemaking could be . . . or had it ever been that good before?

Edward caressed the soft skin of Bella's back. When she had started crying, all he wanted to do was hold her close and comfort her. He knew she was in pain. She had been so tight, and he knew his dick was harder than a normal man's. The pain would subside, though, he comforted her silently.

Edward could feel the sun rise, but he didn't move to immediately release Bella and go to his den. He was protected from it's killing rays here in his basement. He held the sleeping girl for a while longer, stroking her hair, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead and cheeks. Bella didn't wake.

Soon, though, Edward knew that he needed rest. His body was tired. He gently released Bella from his arms and got up from the bed, making sure to cover her with a blanket before slipping out of the room.

Edward walked quietly into his sitting room, shutting the door behind a sleeping Bella. He was surprised to see Jasper there, holding a glass of scotch in his hand.

Jasper was looking at his face before Edward could take notice of his presence, and he was surprised by what he found. It was an expression that Jasper had never seen Edward wear before, and it was utterly puzzling.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Edward demanded.

Jasper looked at Edward carefully. Though he was hundreds of years old, Edward could still act like a petulant child. It was one of the things that most annoyed Jasper, while also being one of the things that he liked most about the vampire. It somehow made him more human.

"You were in there so long, I started to think you might be spending the day there," Jasper suggested casually.

Edward regarded his companion carefully. "No, I will be going to my den as usual."

Jasper watched Edward calmly walk toward the far end of the room, toward the secret door that led even deeper into the ground. Had something happened last night? Jasper wondered.

"She's different to you, isn't she?" Jasper asked after Edward's retreating back.

"She's like all the others," Edward growled as he stalked to his secret resting place.

Jasper barked out a laugh. "I've never seen you be so...attentive with any other girls before." Jasper said truthfully. Edward was spending more time with Bella than he had with anyone else. No other girl had been allowed to explore the castle unattended.

"As I've already said, she's not special," Edward growled out. "The hall study was looking particularly filthy lately. When was the last time you cleaned it?" Edward glared over his shoulder at the blonde man.

Jasper sighed at the evasion. "I'll clean it today then," he said, knowing when he was dismissed. He walked heavily up the stairs, allowing Edward to retreat to his bed. Jasper thought about Edward and his puzzling expression as he left the sleeping girl.

Even though Jasper knew Edward was trying to deny his feelings, Jasper had a feeling that this girl would be special to him. Edward had always been alone, he was alone before Jasper came to him, and even after he came, Edward was always careful to keep a distance between them. Jasper could feel him struggling to do so, to keep himself from caring. It was why he never let go of the idea of Jasper as his servant.

Could this girl change that? Jasper wondered. Though Edward was unwilling to admit it, Bella was different to him. Perhaps if Edward would just stop fighting it, and let the girl in, he might finally be able to truly be happy. It was what Jasper really wanted for his friend. For the man that was the closest thing to a father that Jasper had ever known.

Jasper's mind wondered back to when he had first met Edward. He had only been nine or ten years old, a beggar child. He had been living on the streets of London for as long as he could remember, having no recollection of his parents or where he even came from.

Jasper stayed alive by begging and stealing. He had had to grow up fast and smart to just make it from day to day. The night he met Edward, it was dark but warm, and Jasper was sitting in the shadows of the opera house, watching the coaches approach and drop of fancily dressed men and women.

They were like a display of riches and finery. Prime for picking. Jasper sat and waited for his chance, for an opportunity. He knew he had to be patient.

A finely dressed man wandered a little further from the throng of laughing people, walking up toward the building, closer to Jasper. Taking his chance, Jasper deftly reached out from the shadows toward the lone man and pulled the pocket watch and billfold right out of the man's pocket.

The man didn't even notice as he turned and continued his path up toward the building. Upon inspecting his loot, Jasper realized he had hit the jackpot. The pocket watch was gold and looked terribly expensive. The man also had more money in his wallet than most men, even those of the highest class, carried.

Not wanting to risk losing his treasures, Jasper had decided to stop picking for the night. He had bought a rich meal from a local tavern where he often ate, stuffing his small frame as full as it would go. With a full belly, he had quickly retreated to his secret hiding spot, where he knew he would be safe for the night.

"So you think you can steal from a vampire, do you boy?" the deep, rich words instantly woke Jasper from his sleep. He stared in shock and amazement up at the finely dressed figure whose money he had stolen just hours before.

The man looked quite young, but still threatening, and then he bared his fangs, and Jasper quickly realized that the man before him wasn't human.

"I'll drain you dry for your impertinence," Edward had threatened

Jasper stood up stoically, thinking fast. "Got to be something you want mister," he said, trying to save his life, "I'll do it for you, anything, if you let me live." It was a long shot, but Jasper gave it a try.

Edward had retracted his fangs and peered curiously down at the boy.

"You are brave for one so young," he had commented. Then after a pause added, "Very well. You'll come work for me, work off your debt." Edward had demanded.

Jasper's mind flew to what that had meant over the next sixteen years. He had of course agreed, and soon found himself working for a vampire. Edward had taken him all over the country, all over Europe. Jasper mostly did the things a normal servant would do, plus everything that needed to be done in the day, when Edward couldn't go out.

Though Edward had worked hard to keep Jasper in his place as indentured servant, their relationship had grown over time. Jasper had grown into a man, physically older than Edward. Still Edward had been the only father figure Jasper had known growing up. His only family. He couldn't help but think of the vampire as some sort of father in a dysfunctional way.

Jasper walked into the study. It had been a while since he had cleaned the room, it hardly ever being in use. He started to get to work.

Jasper stood up from where he was kneeling in front a bookcase, wiping up the thick dust that had accumulated there. He had managed to clean up most of the heavy dust that had covered the room by now, only stopping at midday to make himself and Bella a quick lunch.

His mind wandered to the girl. She hadn't come out of her room, like she usually did, confirming his suspicions that something had happened between her and Edward last night. In a strange sort of way, Jasper had found that he missed her presence in the kitchen as they cooked together, and that wasn't good. Jasper had learned a long time ago, don't become attached to the women Edward brings here.

He threw the rag down beside him and stretched out his back. He glanced around the room. He decided to just go beat out the rug and be done with it. He would then go make dinner for himself and the girl.

Jasper rolled up the old oriental rug, throwing it over his strong shoulder and carrying it out the side door. It was a bit cold out today, but the fog and rain from yesterday had cleared up.

He struggled a bit to throw the awkwardly large rug over a low tree branch that he always used on such occasions before jogging back toward the house to get the rug beater. On his way, he spotted something unusual out of the corner of his eye.

At first he thought it was some sort of animal, but upon turning, it became clear that there was something tied to a tree just down the hill. Jasper felt a wave of apprehension wash over him, but he quickly pushed it aside and started to jog toward it.

It was only when he was almost in front of the tree that he realized the object was, in fact, a girl-an almost naked girl. He immediately realized why she was there: another gift for Edward.

Jasper felt anger and pity at the sight of her. Her head was lolled forward at an awkward angle, and her short hair blocked her features. For a terrible moment, Jasper thought she might be dead, but then he saw the rise and fall of her chest that indicated her breathing.

By the looks of her body, he surmised that she was quite young. Her breasts were very small, like they were only beginning to bud, and her limbs were twig thin. Her hips didn't hold the curves of a fully developed woman.

Jasper pushed away his tumultuous emotions at the sight of one so young, though. He forced himself to not feel any empathy. To not feel her pain, and fear, and humiliation. He was used to doing this with Edward's girls. If he didn't, the guilt would be too much. Instead, he clinically walked over and began to undo the knot that held her to the tree. It was tied tight, but Jasper managed to get it free in a couple of minutes.

It was odd for the villagers to leave another girl here so soon, without solicitation. Jasper knew that this wasn't a good sign. He remembered back to the last time this had happened. Edward had gone to investigate, and as it turned out, a young vampire had wandered unknowingly onto Edward's land and had drained a child. The villagers, thinking it was a sign of Edward's anger, had left two young virgins to appease him.

When the rope slackened, the girl would have fallen had Jasper not caught her slight body. Her hands were still tied behind her back, and seeing as she was passed out, Jasper saw no need for them. He removed those bonds too. Her wrists had angry red welts on them.

He moved her body so she was cradled against his chest. Her stomach had rope burns around it as well, attesting to the tightness of her bonds. Jasper easily lifted the limp girl up into his arms. The dress that hung torn around her body was damp. He was curious to look at her face, but he also didn't want to see it, it would make her too real, too human. Jasper had already grown attached enough to Bella.

He started to walk back up to the house. Jasper carried her to the East wing, placing her in a small, empty bedroom. As Jasper had not been expecting her, he hadn't prepared a room. This one was covered in as much dust, if not more, than the study. At least if was fully furnished, unlike a lot of the other bedrooms, so Jasper chose it.

He slipped off her ruined, damp dress before putting her on the bed. Jasper was used to naked women by now. He had seen countless female forms ever since he had joined Edward as a child. He simply laid her down and covered her with a blanket.

She hadn't woken up at all, which made Jasper wonder how long she had been out there? He would go make some dinner for her, figuring that she would be hungry when she woke, but first he needed to tell Edward. It was almost night, and he would be up soon.

Jasper waited in the basement sitting room when Edward emerged from his den.

"Still here?" Edward drolled when he saw Jasper sitting there waiting for him.

"The villagers have left you another virgin." Jasper spat out the news right away.

"What?" Edward asked surprised, though he had heard Jasper perfectly.

"They tied her to a tree outside. I'm not sure how long she was there before I found her. Have you been feeding from them?"

Edward waved his hand dismissively at the thought. "You know I haven't." Edward rolled his eyes. His mind started thinking about all the reasons they would have left him another girl so soon, remembering the last time. "A couple of sheep probably went missing or something. Superstitious fools." Though Edward knew it could be something else, perhaps even another vampire in the area.

"I'll go out tonight and try to find out what's going on." Edward glanced at the door Bella was in, but didn't hear her moving around. He thought briefly about checking on her quickly before he left, but Jasper was standing there watching him. He didn't want to confirm Jasper's suggestions that he cared for Bella. Because he didn't, he told himself. He quickly took his gaze away from the door.

"What did you do with the girl?" He asked Jasper of his new gift.

"I put her in an unused bedroom in the East wing. She's sleeping."

Edward thought about a young virgin with sweet virgin blood asleep upstairs, but the lure the idea would have once held for Edward wasn't there. He found that he was much more tempted to go to Bella's room just to check on her sleeping form. He thought he heard her breathing change, and his eyes fluttered to her doorway again. This time, Jasper didn't miss where his attention was.

"I wonder if the villagers got wind of your recent pension for petite brunettes," Jasper teased Edward, letting the vampire know he hadn't missed his longing gaze.

Edward glared at him. "I'm going now. Take care of things here. I shouldn't be gone long."

"What about Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Keep her in her room. I'll deal with her when I get back," Edward said gruffly, speaking as uncaringly as he could to prove himself to Jasper. Edward left the castle at vampire speed, suddenly out of Jasper's sight.

Jasper sighed and looked over at Bella's door. She was probably asleep, but just in case, Jasper walked over and turned the key in the lock. He knew something had happened between her and Edward to have made her stay in her room all day. When he had seen her briefly, she hadn't seemed sick. She had even asked him to stay for lunch, which he was sure was a ploy to get information out of him.

Edward had said to keep her in her room, and he himself didn't want her wandering around. He didn't know what she would do if she found the other girl locked in the bedroom.

Plus, he hoped that she would sleep through the night and perhaps not even realize that he had locked her in. Jasper walked up the stairs and went into the kitchen to make dinner.

Tasting his food, he missed Bella's cooking. She always just seemed to know how to flavor the dishes and what spices to add and such. Still, the soup he made wasn't too bad. He wanted to make something that would be light on the girl's stomach.

He carried a dish up to her, along with a cup of tea. When he entered the wing that held the room he had placed the girl in, he could hear banging on the door. Jasper sighed and set the tray of food down. He guessed she was awake, and by the way she was banging, she wasn't going to listen to reason.

Jasper unlocked the door, already prepared for her onslaught. Small fists came waving out at him. Jasper grasped at flailing arms, easily maneuvering her until he held both her slight wrists in one of his hands.

"Let me go!" her indignant voice shouted at him. She had wrapped a blanket from the bed around her body like a toga, but with all the kicking and fighting, the whole thing slipped off her body into a puddle on the floor.

The fact that she was now naked didn't seem to make her hesitate at all, only made her kick and fight harder. It was hopeless really. The girl, in all her slightness, didn't seem to weight a tenth of the tall man who held her arms. Her screaming and screeching was fearsome, but her bark was much worse than her bite. Or so Jasper thought until she actually bit him.

She had managed to buck her head enough to reach his upper arm and sink her sharp little teeth into his flesh.

"Damn," Jasper cursed as he unconsciously dropped her arms and thrust her away from him to stop the pain of her bite. The girl, in a flurry, pushed herself free of the doorway in that brief moment that Jasper had dropped her and was running down the hall.

Jasper didn't have a chance to inspect the pain in his arm as he took off after the naked girl. It was ridiculously easy to catch her on her short legs, and he lifted her off her feet from behind. She screamed in protest, and this time Jasper was careful to keep her head away from his skin.

"Will you settle down?" Jasper grunted out as he carried her near weightless form back to the room she had been locked in.

"Let me go!" she demanded, keeping up her kicking. Jasper just held her against his chest easily until, finally, she realized the fruitless nature of her fighting and settled down.

"I'm going to put you down now," Jasper warned. "If you try to run again, I'll tie you to the bed. Understand?"

She didn't answer, but Jasper set her down anyway. She moved angrily away from him, snatching up the blanket that had dropped to the ground and covered her nakedness with it before glaring at him.

Jasper could see her face for the first time and realized that he was mistaken about her age. She appeared to be older than he had originally thought. Her pretty face suggested that she was at least sixteen or seventeen, maybe eighteen even. She was just small.

She pushed her short hair angrily out of her face as she glared up at him. Jasper's mind suddenly flashed him the image of a hissing, spitting kitten.

"Who are you? What are you going to do to me?" the girl growled out angrily.

"I brought you something to eat. You must be hungry. If you promise not to run again, I'll bring it in."

The girl refused to promise, but she did stalk over to the bed and plop down unhappily on it. Jasper retrieved the tray from right outside the door and brought it into the room, setting it down next to her. Without another word, he turned and left, locking the door behind him.

Jasper went to check on Bella right after, but she was sound asleep. He quietly left her and went to his own room, but it was a while before he was able to nod off himself.

...

.

(Okay trusty reviewers, your honest opinions now. What do you think of the way chapters 11 and 12 were organized? Was it confusing? Did you like it or would you have read better a different way? Tell me honestly.

Thanks for the comments. I loved hearing your guesses about what would happen next :)