Emmett landed on the ground with a harsh thud, Aimee winced as he shot back up. "Again!" He shouted, advancing towards Jasper, who would be training them all.
They all turned at the sound of a car approaching, Edward and Bella jumping out and walking towards the group of vampires.
Aimee stood beside Rose and watched as they came to a stop. She smiled a bit at Bella before turning to Jasper and walking into his arms.
Then, they all looked towards the forest to see the werewolves arrive, Jasper gripped his mate tighter and she rubbed his chest slightly.
"They don't trust us enough in their human forms." Edward muttered to Carlisle, Aimee's eyes watching the wolves carefully.
"They came. That's what matters. Will you translate?" Carlisle asked, walking forward.
Edward nodded.
"Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns," Carlisle pointed to Jasper, "He'll teach us how to defeat them." Carlisle explained to the wolves, his face serious.
"They want to know how the newborns differ from us." Edward translated.
"They're a great deal stronger than us, because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of life." Carlisle ended there and stepped back for Jasper to take the lead.
He nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Aimee, but didn't walk too far away. He was still on edge after she was almost killed by the very werewolves that were opposite him in that moment.
Rose stood beside Aimee as they listened to him. "Carlisle's right. That's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands, like a human army. But no human army could defeat them." Jasper explained seriously, he then turned to look at his family before turning back to the wolves.
"Now the two most important things to remember are, first:" he continued, "never let them get their arms around you, they'll crush you instantly. And second: never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that... and you will lose."
Was that supposed to not sound hot? Edward looked at Aimee in disgust. Shut up, Edwardo.
"Emmett." Jasper ordered, walking into the clearing and looking at Emmett in amusement.
"Don't hold back." He jeered, crouching into position. Aimee practically drooled, and Jasper hadn't even done much yet.
"Not in my nature." Emmett replied, grinning like a cat. He then charged towards Jasper, tackling him around the middle. Jasper's legs kicked up the dirt as he pushed Emmett back, who flung him up in the air.
Jasper landed but immediately charged at Emmett, ducking as he threw a punch. Jasper then grabbed his neck and threw him down on the ground, smirking at him.
Aimee cheered and Jasper grinned at his wife before looking down at Emmett, "Never lose focus."
"You just looked at Aimee." Emmett complained, getting up.
"Shut up, Em." Aimee glared playfully, watching Jasper slap Emmett around the head.
"Edward, Carlisle, you're both up." Jasper said, standing next to Aimee and the two vampires crouched and charged at each other.
Both were equally matched until Edward pushed Carlisle on the ground, he looked proud until Jasper said, "One more thing," Carlisle flipped Edward onto his back, "never turn your back on your enemy." Jasper rolled his eyes and Aimee laughed, watching the two vampires stand up.
Jasper fought with Esme, Rose and Alice, all keeping up with him. Alice could see all of his movements and moved just in time, and it was clear Jasper kept getting frustrated.
Alice walked back to the group and Jasper turned to his mate, beckoning her forward with two fingers, but he looked tense.
"My turn." Aimee sang happily, walking into the clearing and facing him. Jasper looked a little uneasy.
"Just go for it. I'm not gonna get special treatment in the battle, am I?" She said, crouching down. Jasper's brows furrowed in thought before he looked up.
He nodded and threw his arm towards her, Aimee dodged but barely, almost hitting her. He then span to grab her neck but she ducked, moving away from him.
He charged towards her but Aimee used her power and vanished in front of him, ending up behind him. He span in bewilderment before he brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Getting tired?" She teased, walking towards him slowly. He smirked and flung his arm out, but Aimee span out of his reach. He grabbed her hips and pulled his mate closer, his smirk still on his face.
He grabbed her chin and leaned in but Aimee vanished, watching his reaction. He stumbled forward as he frowned.
She became invisible. She found out that she can decide how long she can vanish for until she can appear again.
He turned around and searched for his mate, his eyes perplexed. Worry began to settle in his mind.
Aimee jumped up and landed on his back, appearing again. He smiled at her in wonder, and Aimee leaned down to press a soft kiss to his lips.
"Miss me?" She asked in a whisper, kissing his neck once.
"I always do when you're not around." He murmured as she jumped off his back, she giggled and skipped over to Alice and Rose.
Emmett volunteered to get beaten by Jasper again. "Bets on who will win this time?" Aimee asked, watching as the two collided like boulders.
"Jasper." Both of them said at the same time, Aimee laughed as Emmett turned around and shook his head.
"Do you really not be-"
Jasper slammed Emmett down on the ground again, "Have you not learnt from the first time?" He said with a smirk.
Emmett growled but got up, determined to beat Jasper once. Aimee turned to see Bella talking to a brown wolf, she had an idea that it was Jacob.
"It's gonna be a hundred times worse than this, right?" Bella asked him.
"It will, but we'll do the best that we can." Aimee said, Bella can be annoying but she could understand where Bella's concerns were coming from.
Aimee was scared as hell. She'd never been in conflict like this, but they would keep training and hopefully she could help out.
*
Soon they were done for the day, Jasper and Aimee were walking hand-in-hand past the Jeep, which Bella was sat on.
"Jasper?" Bella rasped, he turned and looked at Bella. "Are you sure there's nothing that I can do to help?" She asked, Jasper pulled his mate closer and rubbed her knuckles.
"Your presence alone, your scent, will distract the newborns. Their hunting instinct will take over and drive 'em crazy." He said.
Good lord, what that accent did to Aimee.
It was clear that Jasper felt a change of her emotion because he looked down at her with a smirk.
"Good. I'm glad." Bella's voice broke through her thoughts. Jasper nodded and turned to walk away, his hand tugging Aimee away.
"Hey, how do you know so much about this?" Bella called after the couple, Aimee glanced up at his face and saw it tense.
"I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adoptive siblings." Jasper pulled up his sleeves and showed Bella the scars on his arms. Aimee's cold heart clenched with emotion.
Bella hopped down and stood closer to Jasper, comparing scars. Aimee uncontrollably glared at their closeness, Jasper glanced at his mate and stepped away from Bella, nodding at her.
Aimee calmed down and saw as Bella watched them. "Those bites are like mine." She told Jasper.
"Battle scars." He replied, one side of his mouth curving upwards.
"All the training in the Confederate Army gave me, was useless against the newborns. But still... I never lost a fight." He explained, Aimee squeezed his arm.
He then interlocked their hands and pulled Aimee away, until Bella caught up with them again.
"This all happened during the Civil War?" She asked in awe.
"I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry. All without having seen any real battle." His accent has thickened and Aimee adored it.
"Until...?" Bella wanted him to continue.
Jasper stopped smiling, "Until I met a certain immortal, Maria." His eyes had become vacant, as if remembering. "I was riding back to Galveston after evacuating a colony of women and children. When I saw them, I immediately offered them my aid. Maria was the one who turned me."
"Maria was creating an army?" Bella asked, sitting down. Aimee stood by Jasper's side, laying her head on his chest as his arms came around her waist.
"They were very common in the South. There were constant brutal battles for territory, Maria won 'em all. She was smart, careful and she had me." Jasper's voice hardened and Aimee rubbed his chest softly.
"I was her second in command," he continued "my ability to control emotions served her well. I trained her newborns, an endless occupation since she never let them live behind their first year. It was my job to dispose of them."
His voice had grown weak.
"I could feel everything they felt." His eyes had grown teary.
Bella looked down and her face was full of sympathy.
"I thought that what Maria and I had was love. But I was her puppet. She pulled the strings. I didn't know there was another way, till I found Alice. She'd seen me coming, of course, and told me that I would find happiness." He held his mate closer and Aimee looked up at him.
"I think I kept you waiting long enough." She smiled, and Jasper's eyes softened. He rasped out a laugh and gazed at his wife.
"You certainly did, ma'am." He smirked, "I don't know what I would have become without her."
Bella looked up awkwardly.
"You never have to be that again." Aimee whispered, Jasper smiled slightly.
He looked at her until he claimed her lips, slow and gentle. They heard a quiet chuckle from Bella and Aimee pulled away, knowing they were making her uncomfortable.
Jasper frowned at the loss of contact, pulling Aimee back in for another kiss, and she just let it happen, loving the closeness.
Bella walked away at some point, leaving to find Edward, but neither of them didn't really notice. Jasper pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, and they smiled at each other lovingly.