Love in Cold Blood

Chapter 27: Don’t Leave

My hair whipped around me and the smell of the damp earth was overbearing. This sweet, damp and musky smell combined with the perfume of him. He was carrying me through this thick forest at a rate I couldn’t believe, not that I cared. The cold afternoon breeze froze my tears.
I begged for him to let me stand, just so my body wouldn’t completely fall asleep. He allowed it. He knew the people who wanted us dead weren’t that near. As soon as I was let go, my face crashed toward the ground. He caught me, but not before I felt the warm sticky liquid run down my face, again. The scab had re-opened.
His golden eyes were worried, my blue ones matched. I knew who’s his matched.
My family.
So much I didn’t know of them. I felt Jasper’s cold arms attach me to his back. I didn’t know where they were, I didn’t know what they were doing, I didn’t know if they were hurt. I didn’t know if they were dead. There was so much, so much I hadn’t known.

It was deceitful, that day. It was unusually warm for Forks, but the clouds covered most of the sun so I could be with them. My family. I knew I considered them that. How could I not if they loved me and I loved them? If we collectively loved so much that we all would risk our lives for one another?
We were happy, that day. The boys played football while Alice and I watched. All except Edward who had taken Bella to Seattle. A decision, I’m sure, he’ll never regret. Rosalie coached and Esme refereed. They were not on our mind. We couldn’t see them, No one could hear them. They were THERE. The first one to yell was from our side. I think it was Emmett. Either him or Carlisle. They ran from the woods and began to fight us. The battle for our lives ensued.
As soon as it begun, I was gone. Jasper had grabbed me and ran. Apparently that was their plan, if it started and there wasn’t any other plan. To take me and run.
The last thing I saw was Alice, with her little faerie face, smiling at me. I’ll never forget it. That and the ugly/handsome face of the large man that attacked her.

I let my breath come at the same steady rhythm that Jasper’s followed. I didn’t know any other. I didn’t know where we were going; somewhere far away I am sure. The forests all seemed the same now. All were the same monotonous green. The ground the same green on brown and damp. All held the same resin flavor. There were no olives, or emeralds, or hunters, or chartreuse. Green, it was green. The wind whipped my face, drying the mix of blood and tears. More of both were to be shed.

Jasper stopped suddenly, I was almost thrown off his back.
“Jazz?” I croaked. I couldn’t remember my voice.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” He whispered then cursed under his breath. “It’s too late.”
“Too late?” I whispered quivering
“They are here.”
He set me onto the ground and steadied me, I leaned against a tree.
Quiet steps could be heard through the forest. They were making themselves known.
“Who?” I whispered.
“They’ll show you soon enough.”
A monster flew from the forest and attacked him, I screamed, but was soon silenced by their hands.
“Fred!” Jasper growled and he bit off the arm of his attacker and swiped down to rip at his legs.
I struggled, I really did. I tried. It was too hard; their iron grasp was no where near comforting. I was scared.
I felt more tears run down my face as Jasper charged this man and was stopped by another. His golden hair flowed in the breeze as his deadly dance ensued. His golden eyes clashed with the other man’s scarlet. The bad man was bigger than my love, but I knew he was faster. I had seen Jasper run and play-fight with his brothers, our brothers. This wasn’t playing anymore. Anyone could tell. His eyes were flat and cold, no sparkle of humor, or good intention… or hope. I saw it as his body floated over the ground; his swift movements weren’t as beautiful anymore, just deadly.
Growls and yelps filled the air around me and the sickening smell of ripped vampire flesh clogged my nostrils. I wanted to fall down and cry. At least I wanted him to take me.
If this man would take me, there would be no meaning of the fight with Jasper. They had what they wanted, right? Jasper could go back and he could find his family, at least I knew Edward was alive.
“Take me.” I whispered into the cold man’s hand.
“What?” he growled as he released my mouth.
“Take me.” I repeated “Leave him. It’s me that you want.”
“Tsk. Tsk tsk.” He murmured in my ear. “It’s not just you that we want. It’s all of you. They are the ones who killed my brethren. But don’t worry, we’ll kill you too. Once we get that man of yours pinned down and almost dead we will kill you. He deserves to watch you die!”
A loud growl echoed aging, louder than the rest.
A shrill scream followed it as I saw a thin vampire’s head crash into a tree. His body went in the opposite direction.
“Jazz.” I whispered
The golden god came fierce and took this man by surprise and I was able to stagger away. Jasper slashed down at his legs but this vampire was better than his fellows.
“Why bother.” He growled. “We will get you. Once my group is done killing the pathetic family of yours, they will follow my scent. You’ll both die. And if one bothered to survive, oh! What would life be?” His red eyes mocked us.
“If I die.” Jasper made a quiet vow. “I’ll take you down with me, straight to the gates of Hell!” He growled out and lunged at the other predator.
The man laughed and artfully skipped away but lunged back and cut into Jaspers side, leaving a gash. I sobbed. A golden but clear liquid oozed from the wound along with some blood that didn’t belong to Jasper.
Jasper made another skillful pare and managed to rip off his attacker’s hand. He lunged again as the large man staggered back and I though it was over, that I was safe.
Will that never happen?
At the last moment of Jasper’s attack, the nameless man swooped and ripped a hole in Jaspers side reaching from his throat to his waistband. Jasper fell as the vampire’s head fell apart from his body. Jasper lay still.

“Jasper!!!” I screamed and rushed to his side and tears, never stopping, flowed down my face.
He laid there still. His eyes were closed and his face was twisted in pain, his golden hair was matted in a mixture of mud, blood and that vampire liquid. I saw his gash, I almost threw up. All his skin was separated from his bones; I saw his ribs that were shattered and his still heart.
“Jazz.” I cried
His eyes slowly opened and they were no longer their familiar color. They were red, a deep scarlet red.
“Jazz?”
“Go.” His angel’s voice grumbled “You need to go.”
“No, I will never leave you here.” I shook my head hard.
“GO!” he shouted
“No!” I yelled back
“If you don’t I’ll kill you.”
“If I leave; you die.”
“Neither are the best options.”
“I know one.” I said in a whisper as I began rolling up the sleeve of my thick sweater. I reached into my boot and pulled out the small knife I had stowed there.
His eyes grew even wider.
“No.” his whispered “No.”
“I’ll only change is your saliva touches the wound, this way you can heal and I don’t die.”
“I can’t”
“You must.”
“I won’t”
“You will.” I demanded as I began to slit my wrist. Red ruby jewels formed on the surface that deepened the color of his eyes.
“I don’t trust myself.”
“Did you forget?” I asked “I told you before, I trust you.” I squeezed my wrist and slowly the drops fell into his mouth. I squeezed harder so it would flow.
It was a dull pain. I knew this was the easiest way, even though I saw Jasper’s fingers dig into the ground as he did all he could to deny his instincts and not attack me.
His mouth filled, he swallowed. His mouth filled, he swallowed. I began to feel dizzy. It must have been my eyes, I claimed, that I saw what I saw. I didn’t know what to expect, to be truthful. All I knew from Carlisle is that fresh human blood could heal a vampire close to death. But his bones, bones! They began to grow and smooth together. His marble skin grew and reapplied itself to his newly formed muscle. He began to heal.
I was happy.