𝘊𝘙𝘐𝘔𝘚𝘖𝘕 ° 𝘑𝘈𝘚𝘗𝘌𝘙 𝘏𝘈𝘓𝘌 ✓

52 | AWKWARD |

Maria smirked coyly at Jasper, "What have you been up to since we last saw each other, Major? It's been what, twenty, thirty years since we saw each other last?"

"Try 1944," Jasper said shortly. "You were in Germany."

"Oh, how time flies," Maria swiped at his shoulder playfully. Rory's eye twitched as she harshly pushed through a thick brush of thorns. Maria smiled, "You know human wars are the best time to go off on a blood frenzy. Drain as many bodies as you want, no one suspects any different."

"You left the humans to suffer," he regarded her coldly, remembering all the bodies found in the forests of war-torn Germany. It was then he knew he could no longer feed from humans, stealing from the blood banks for the next decade and a half until Alice found him.

"It wasn't my job to save them, Major," Maria rolled her eyes. "Always so sensitive."

Jasper didn't respond, walking further ahead of the group, his mind filled with dark memories of his past. Alice met Rory's eyes, the two trading incredulous looks at the audacity of the woman.

"I need a bite to eat," she announced as though expecting them to all stop in their tracks to listen to her. They continued walking until Maria huffed. "Rory, will you be a darling and come along so I don't get lost?"

Maria looked at her expectantly as they all stopped. Rory could tell she wasn't going to stop annoying them until someone listened to her. Jasper and Alice didn't look eager to volunteer either, and Rory wasn't fond of leaving Jasper alone with his manipulative ex. She really didn't trust Maria.

Seeing that the sky was already dark, and they were no closer to a hybrid than before, Rory had no excuse to refuse Maria's mealtime. "We're literally—ugh. Okay." Rory handed her backpack filled with newly bought clothes and maps to Jasper. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Alice gave her an apologetic look. "We'll stay in the same path."

Jasper turned to Rory and leaned down to kiss her firmly, twisting his fingers in her hair, pulling her close until they nearly melded together. Rory hoped the moonlight reflected the shine of her engagement ring, strategically shown in Maria's direction. Maybe it was a little too theatrical and extra of a kiss, but it was a pointed action.

Rory pulled back with a smirk. "Catch you later, Major," she grinned as she whirled around to run in the path of the nearest town.

The first ten minutes of the trip was silent given that they were running through the jungle until they stopped in the small town. When  it came down to waiting for the right person to feed on in the dark, sketchy allies, unsuspecting drug dealers, or homeless people, or a lost tourist even, that allowed for some unwanted conversation.

"You know," Maria drawled, causing Rory to automatically roll her eyes without the rest of her sentence being said. "I never thought Jasper would find another me, pero creo que estaba equivocado," she trailed off in a soft laugh. (But I think I was wrong.)

"Soy nada como usted," Rory hissed, her lips curling upwards in indignation. (I'm nothing like you.)

Maria crossed her arms as she sized Rory up and down. "You are pretty, I must admit, but you don't have the grit a man like Jasper needs."