âIf this is what it takes to protect them, then it is what I will do. Without hesitation, and without reservation.â
Jasper collided hard with the tree, feeling the wood crack and splinter under the force of the impact. The arbor fell as he pushed away from it, and there was no time to mourn the fact that he was slowly helping these people destroy the grounds his mother had loved so dearly. There was only the attempt to fight this man in front of him, who seemed absolutely invulnerable to everything he was capable of. His gravatic control seemed to work on everything but Fenrir, who moved as he always had even when the von Nacht heir pushed down with all the force he could muster. The wolfish smile remained in place, and the man was stronger and faster than even any pureblood had the right to be.
At least Jasper still healed fast enough to keep up⊠for now.
âGlorious, isnât it?â Fenrir asked, appearing behind Jasper and placing him in an armlock, strong enough to disable most of the other vampireâs movement. âItâs called the Aegis Effect, and itâs all thanks to that little assistant of yours. I must admit, I really donât understand how you stopped yourself from indulging for so many years. She was right there, Jasper, and smelling like that? Youâre a saint.â the way he said it made the word saint sound like an insult more than anything else, but Jasper was more concerned about the fact that Fenrir was implying that heâd consumed Avaâs blood.
âI am no saint,â he replied, danger thinly-veiled beneath contempt in his tone. âI only respect her for the fact that she is a person, and not something to be consumed.â Ava⊠this is what he had striven so hard to protect her against. There was always a risk, working for someone like him, that she would be made a target. Recent events had made that obvious, but some part of him had never thought⊠to see her like this, now, so obviously not herself and a victim of this manâs selfishness⊠it snapped something in him long held dormant. With a snarl, he grabbed the arm holding him in place and pulled, flipping Fenrir over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground. The force was enough to create a crater, but the other vampire only smiled, clearly unhurt. Was this truly the power of Avaâs blood?
âHumans, not to be consumed?â The man echoed, almost with disbelief. âYou do have some truly strange notions. Not to worry; you will be disabused of them soon enough. She was made for this, Jasper, engineered from before her birth to become what she is now. Sheâs beautiful like this, isnât she?â Fenrir regained his feet, and cut a sideways glance at where Ava was engaged with Vincent, throwing a quick flurry of blows at his friendâs middle.
âWhat have you done?â Jasperâs tone was more aghast than anything, as pieces of information slowly clicked together in his mind. They did not make a pretty picture, and he began to wonder if any part of his life had ever been untainted by ill intent.
âOh, not I,â he said, clearly relishing in being the one to deliver this news, âYour poor deluded father.â Jasper growled something unintelligible, though whether it was at the news, or the fact that he could smell almost all of his friends and family bleeding, he did not know. Perhaps it was both. âThat girl was just an experiment, once. But now, she is the Aegis, the divine shield, and she is mine.â
There was no time to respond to that, however, for it was at this moment that several new presences appeared in the area. Three total, one he knew, one he just barely recognized, and one that was entirely new to him. The only one that mattered, however, was his grandfather, and Jasper zeroed in on him with slitted eyes, intent on at least striking him down. But Theodor put up a hand, and ended the notions by waving back those who had attacked the ones he loved. They went willingly, even Fenrir, though he looked less than pleased with the fact that Ava was unconscious and in the arms of Vincent.
âObserve the state of your alliance,â Theodor drawled, a superior smirk fixed firmly on his face. Jasper had little choice but to do just that, and it was not good news. Erys was perhaps the most wounded, but Yuki was unconscious, Nikki wasnât far from it, Morgan was bleeding profusely, and even Vincent looked like heâd been running for days. Ava was in no shape to help anyone⊠if she ever would be again. His heart broke for them, and for what it meant.
âWhat do you want?â he asked, his tone resigned, and Theodorâs black eyes lit with approval, and some sick, twisted kind of affection for his grandson.
âYou always did catch on quickly, Jasper. The answer is quite simple: you.â He smiled, and glanced to one of the women flanking him. Her scent was dimly familiar to Jasper, and he recognized her as a colleague of his fatherâs from some centuries ago. She was lovely in every sense, from the dewy skin to the large, emerald-green eyes to the short, fawn-colored hair. Her expression was as carefully-neutral as his, but the reason he noticed her at all was the syringe she withdrew from the pocket of a lab coat. âThe terms are thus: you come with me and do as I ask, and your friends all get to live. Iâll even give the girl her memories, though I cannot and will not restore her humanity.â
Jazz scowled, allowing his displeasure to be clear. The other girl, her hair a strange silver blue and her eyes the same color, shifted slightly, but otherwise, nobody moved. âShe goes with them.â Fenrir stiffened and his lips pulled back from his teeth, but Theodorâs amusement only seemed to grow.
âVery well, but there is one more thingâŠâ Jasper was unsurprised. An additional demand from him yielded an additional demand from his grandfather. âYou end your farcical engagement to the pathetic thin-blood.â
His jaw tightened at the disrespect, and one of his hands curled into a fist at his side, but if he was not careful with his words, he knew they could all die, and he would be unable to stop it alone. âTakahashiâs blood claim?â
Theodor snorted. âWonât come back to haunt her, I assure you. And really, you have nothing but my assurances right now.â The point was clear: he wasnât really in any position to be making demands, and they both knew it. Jasper swallowed thickly, casting a glance back at his family. They were in a sorry state, and he was the one who had brought them to it. Perhaps this was simply the punishment that crime deserved. Either way, this was the only thing he could do to protect them. His eyes lingered on Nikki last of all, and when he spoke, it was to her.
âThen I, by binding word, do so annul my betrothal contract to Nikki Alistair, and renounce my blood claim.â He forced himself to look at her when he said it, because it hurt more that way. He hoped she understood that this, he was doing for her sake, as Nikki. He couldnât imagine it hurt her as much as him; she hadn't asked for this in the first place. But he could no longer deny that it did hurt him. But he had to protect them, no matter the cost to himself.
âExcellent,â Theodor said, brushing his hands together as though clearing them of dirt. âFreya, the girl, if you will.â Despite his phrasing, there was evidently no choice in the matter for the older of the two women, who moved forward with a liquid grace until she crouched near Vincent and Ava. She looked at him for a moment, and it seemed almost that she was staring right through him. Her smile was minute, but present all the same.
âI wonât hurt her, Lord Kuragari. I only wish to give her back to you.â So saying, she poked the syringe in Avaâs arm an depressed the plunger. The red liquid within drained into the girlâs system. âShe will wake hungry,â Freya warned, âBut hospital blood bags should be able to take care of that, and then the pills will work just fine. Sheâs a pureblood more than anythingâŠâ Freya hesitated, withdrawing the syringe, then spoke in a voice low enough that only Vincent could hear.
âThe Aegis Effect is powerful, but her blood may well be addictive. Keep her safe, or she will not survive for long.â It was all she could do to help. The woman stood then, tucking the syringe away, and returned to Theodorâs side. After a momentâs hesitation, Jasper joined them, and the rest as well, disappearing into the mansion and slamming the door shut behind them, leaving the battered friends to make it back to Cross Academy on their own.
At least Jasper still healed fast enough to keep up⊠for now.
âGlorious, isnât it?â Fenrir asked, appearing behind Jasper and placing him in an armlock, strong enough to disable most of the other vampireâs movement. âItâs called the Aegis Effect, and itâs all thanks to that little assistant of yours. I must admit, I really donât understand how you stopped yourself from indulging for so many years. She was right there, Jasper, and smelling like that? Youâre a saint.â the way he said it made the word saint sound like an insult more than anything else, but Jasper was more concerned about the fact that Fenrir was implying that heâd consumed Avaâs blood.
âI am no saint,â he replied, danger thinly-veiled beneath contempt in his tone. âI only respect her for the fact that she is a person, and not something to be consumed.â Ava⊠this is what he had striven so hard to protect her against. There was always a risk, working for someone like him, that she would be made a target. Recent events had made that obvious, but some part of him had never thought⊠to see her like this, now, so obviously not herself and a victim of this manâs selfishness⊠it snapped something in him long held dormant. With a snarl, he grabbed the arm holding him in place and pulled, flipping Fenrir over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground. The force was enough to create a crater, but the other vampire only smiled, clearly unhurt. Was this truly the power of Avaâs blood?
âHumans, not to be consumed?â The man echoed, almost with disbelief. âYou do have some truly strange notions. Not to worry; you will be disabused of them soon enough. She was made for this, Jasper, engineered from before her birth to become what she is now. Sheâs beautiful like this, isnât she?â Fenrir regained his feet, and cut a sideways glance at where Ava was engaged with Vincent, throwing a quick flurry of blows at his friendâs middle.
âWhat have you done?â Jasperâs tone was more aghast than anything, as pieces of information slowly clicked together in his mind. They did not make a pretty picture, and he began to wonder if any part of his life had ever been untainted by ill intent.
âOh, not I,â he said, clearly relishing in being the one to deliver this news, âYour poor deluded father.â Jasper growled something unintelligible, though whether it was at the news, or the fact that he could smell almost all of his friends and family bleeding, he did not know. Perhaps it was both. âThat girl was just an experiment, once. But now, she is the Aegis, the divine shield, and she is mine.â
There was no time to respond to that, however, for it was at this moment that several new presences appeared in the area. Three total, one he knew, one he just barely recognized, and one that was entirely new to him. The only one that mattered, however, was his grandfather, and Jasper zeroed in on him with slitted eyes, intent on at least striking him down. But Theodor put up a hand, and ended the notions by waving back those who had attacked the ones he loved. They went willingly, even Fenrir, though he looked less than pleased with the fact that Ava was unconscious and in the arms of Vincent.
âObserve the state of your alliance,â Theodor drawled, a superior smirk fixed firmly on his face. Jasper had little choice but to do just that, and it was not good news. Erys was perhaps the most wounded, but Yuki was unconscious, Nikki wasnât far from it, Morgan was bleeding profusely, and even Vincent looked like heâd been running for days. Ava was in no shape to help anyone⊠if she ever would be again. His heart broke for them, and for what it meant.
âWhat do you want?â he asked, his tone resigned, and Theodorâs black eyes lit with approval, and some sick, twisted kind of affection for his grandson.
âYou always did catch on quickly, Jasper. The answer is quite simple: you.â He smiled, and glanced to one of the women flanking him. Her scent was dimly familiar to Jasper, and he recognized her as a colleague of his fatherâs from some centuries ago. She was lovely in every sense, from the dewy skin to the large, emerald-green eyes to the short, fawn-colored hair. Her expression was as carefully-neutral as his, but the reason he noticed her at all was the syringe she withdrew from the pocket of a lab coat. âThe terms are thus: you come with me and do as I ask, and your friends all get to live. Iâll even give the girl her memories, though I cannot and will not restore her humanity.â
Jazz scowled, allowing his displeasure to be clear. The other girl, her hair a strange silver blue and her eyes the same color, shifted slightly, but otherwise, nobody moved. âShe goes with them.â Fenrir stiffened and his lips pulled back from his teeth, but Theodorâs amusement only seemed to grow.
âVery well, but there is one more thingâŠâ Jasper was unsurprised. An additional demand from him yielded an additional demand from his grandfather. âYou end your farcical engagement to the pathetic thin-blood.â
His jaw tightened at the disrespect, and one of his hands curled into a fist at his side, but if he was not careful with his words, he knew they could all die, and he would be unable to stop it alone. âTakahashiâs blood claim?â
Theodor snorted. âWonât come back to haunt her, I assure you. And really, you have nothing but my assurances right now.â The point was clear: he wasnât really in any position to be making demands, and they both knew it. Jasper swallowed thickly, casting a glance back at his family. They were in a sorry state, and he was the one who had brought them to it. Perhaps this was simply the punishment that crime deserved. Either way, this was the only thing he could do to protect them. His eyes lingered on Nikki last of all, and when he spoke, it was to her.
âThen I, by binding word, do so annul my betrothal contract to Nikki Alistair, and renounce my blood claim.â He forced himself to look at her when he said it, because it hurt more that way. He hoped she understood that this, he was doing for her sake, as Nikki. He couldnât imagine it hurt her as much as him; she hadn't asked for this in the first place. But he could no longer deny that it did hurt him. But he had to protect them, no matter the cost to himself.
âExcellent,â Theodor said, brushing his hands together as though clearing them of dirt. âFreya, the girl, if you will.â Despite his phrasing, there was evidently no choice in the matter for the older of the two women, who moved forward with a liquid grace until she crouched near Vincent and Ava. She looked at him for a moment, and it seemed almost that she was staring right through him. Her smile was minute, but present all the same.
âI wonât hurt her, Lord Kuragari. I only wish to give her back to you.â So saying, she poked the syringe in Avaâs arm an depressed the plunger. The red liquid within drained into the girlâs system. âShe will wake hungry,â Freya warned, âBut hospital blood bags should be able to take care of that, and then the pills will work just fine. Sheâs a pureblood more than anythingâŠâ Freya hesitated, withdrawing the syringe, then spoke in a voice low enough that only Vincent could hear.
âThe Aegis Effect is powerful, but her blood may well be addictive. Keep her safe, or she will not survive for long.â It was all she could do to help. The woman stood then, tucking the syringe away, and returned to Theodorâs side. After a momentâs hesitation, Jasper joined them, and the rest as well, disappearing into the mansion and slamming the door shut behind them, leaving the battered friends to make it back to Cross Academy on their own.