Warrior || Jasper Hale {1}

Chapter 7

Jasper wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist in an attempt to help her exit the school noting that she automatically curled into his side, not caring who or what he was at the moment. Jasper was just happy he had picked this day to drive her to school.

Alice flanked her other side as they made their way to the vehicles where Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett were already waiting.

"How bad is she?" Emmett asked, glancing the girl over.

"In pain, but alright for now. The worst hasn't started yet," Edward replied, taking the girl's answer from her thoughts. "She's not sure how much longer it will be, though, until the heavy pain starts."

"There won't be any blood will there?" Rosalie questioned for the sake of her family.

Edward shook his head, a frown etched deep on his face, "No, the mark burns itself onto her body from the inside out."

All conversation stopped for a moment, however, as Bella Swan walked to her truck watching the Cullens and Ellie. The small group kept their eyes on her every movement.

Unfortunately for the whole party, Tyler Crowley's van decided to spin on the ice at that moment. It's track? Bella Swan and her beat up red truck.

It all happened quite fast.

Alice said, "No!"

Edward had chosen to race toward her effectively saving her life and potentially giving away the secret they had worked so hard to keep.

Simultaneously, Eleanor crumpled to the ground, screams ripping from her throat as the marking process began. She had served as the perfect distraction for Edward, who ran at a normal human pace back to Eleanor and Jasper.

Jasper was in a clear state of panic.

He scooped Eleanor up and placed her in the car, screams still passing through her lips, and he immediately hopped into the vehicle, Alice behind him, peeling out of the parking lot toward the Cullen house, paying no mind to Mike Newton who had ran toward the girl as soon as the first scream had left her mouth.

By the time they reached the house fifteen minutes later, Eleanor had officially filled Jasper with more worry than he'd ever experienced in his entire existence. Her screams were never ending. Just when they thought she would surely pass out from the pain, another wave would hit her and another scream would rip from her throat.

Alice was the calmest of the group for once. She flitted ahead, opening the door for Jasper and Ellie, and informed Esme of the situation. Once Jasper had made it inside with the thrashing and screaming girl, she told him to place her on the couch.

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" he begged, needing to ease the girl he cared for.

"In the classroom, she said she felt like her skin was boiling. Do you think cold would help?" Alice reasoned, not really sure of the best process herself.

"It's worth a shot," he stated, pulling the girl's writhing body to his freezing body. Her thrashing eased slightly the longer he held her.

Ellie remained in his arms until Carlisle rushed in with the others behind him, insisting that he examine the still screaming girl. After having to persuade Jasper to let go of her, Carlisle promptly removed her brown leather jacket to check the progress of the process.

Her back was red from the heat emitting from her body, a black mark faintly glowing on her left shoulder blade. The occupants of the room exchanged curious glances with each other before allowing their eyes to rest on the mark that was taking shape on her back.

Three hours. It had been three hours of the most agonizing pain Ellie had ever experienced. The minutes felt like years until the screaming finally stopped, and she passed out from exhaustion.

She woke up on a couch in a house that she didn't recognize. That didn't bother her as much as feeling a pair of cold arms loosely wound about her. The feeling sent a shiver of fear up her spine before a melodic bass calmed her.

"It's just me," he spoke.

Ellie relaxed. This wasn't the musical tenor that she feared. This was Jasper. Kind, caring Jasper.

"Why are you holding me?" she asked.

"The cold seemed to ease your pain. I wanted to help you," he answered, not loosening his grip on her.

Ellie sighed, "Thank you for helping me, Jazz."

"I'd do anything for you, Ellie," he replied, a soft smile on his lips.

A sad smile found its way to Ellie's lips. She was almost certain she would have to leave to find her new pack, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she would miss the Cullen family. Even if they were a bunch of bloodsucking vampires.

She opted to push forward, however, and tried to free herself from Jasper's arms. If she could try to move on from Allison and David's deaths, she could move on from these people she had just met.

"I suppose I should get a look at it then," she whispered as he released her and led her to a mirror in the bathroom.

She watched him instead of looking at her new mark, "I'm sorry I caused so much trouble. I didn't break anything, did I?"

"You weren't any trouble, Ellie, and you didn't break anything," he smiled. "Why haven't you looked at it yet?"

She shifted her gaze around and hesitated before answering, "Part of me is afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid, Ellie," he lifted her chin to hold her gaze. "Everything is going to be alright."

She believed his words.

Steadying herself, she turned her head to see her new mark.

It was familiar. She had definitely seen it before, but it didn't look like any other pack symbol she had ever seen. The lion with its paws raised were really nothing similar to what a werewolf pack symbol would look like.

She furrowed her brows in confusion before turning back to Jasper, "It doesn't look anything like a typical werewolf pack symbol."

"Maybe it's not," he smiled.

He knew something. Ellie just knew it. She pushed past him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where everyone else was standing. That was the moment everything stopped.

She looked at all of the occupants of the room, and she froze.

The symbol was everywhere. Alice's choker. Edward's bracelet. The dots were connecting so fast that even Edward couldn't keep up with her thoughts until she reached her final conclusion.

The symbol that now rested upon her back was not the symbol of a werewolf pack, but instead it was the symbol of a vampire coven.

It was the Cullen crest etched upon her back.