𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍:
His touch is warm and intoxicating
(1866)

TW: Murder and Death

FEED.

Train.

Feed.

War.

Feed.

A continuous routine that Eloise has gotten used to for the past 53 years, and for the last 3 years, Jasper has also gotten used to the routine.

But he still has his humanity with him.

For the last three years, the transition has been hard for him and still is. Eloise feels guilty, still, for the last three years.

The threat that the enemy coven had been attempting to initiate was quickly eliminated.

The fighting was intense.

Many began to worry that they would truly attract the attention of the Volturi.

Seeing Jasper in pain, her soulmate just worsens the guilt and pain that she is feeling for Jasper.

And Jasper has been feeling her emotions since he changed.

After a few months of Jasper's transition, it was made known to them that Jasper has the gift of Pathnokinesis.

He has the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of those around him.

And Maria is ecstatic. Having two vampires with abilities helps her coven gain more power.

Of course, Eloise helped him. She always helped him.

Eloise and Maria's deal is that Jasper is the one who oversees ending the old newborns.

As third-in-command, he obeyed every Maria's rule and order when Eloise begged him to.

He felt every emotion of the newborns he killed.

Mostly, he feels death reeking through the barn afterward.

And he didn't want to do it again, to feel the pain, agony, and anguish.

He grieved for the vampires he killed that night.

Eloise didn't know what to do. But she did find one solution, to have a head start with killing the vampires, making the numbers low for Jasper to eliminate.

Jasper noticed that the second year he killed the vampires, only a few were left.

Eloise reasoned that many perished in battle.

And he believed her.

Maria made Eloise train in a new way.

She knew how to fight physically, and so Maria made her train emotionally.

With the help of Jasper, she mastered it.

That's how Jasper believed her so easily with her lies, and that lasted for the next year and will continue to do so.

If Jasper stays in the army, which he will, no one can escape Maria.

Eloise and Jasper's bond didn't blossom the way Eloise wanted it to be.

If only things were different, it would have been.

But being in a time of war, where time is valuable, they didn't get the opportunity to have a deep conversation, to get to know each other the way they wanted to.

Yes. They do know the basic information one has to know about: when did Eloise change? His human life?

But other than that, they truly didn't know each other; they were acquaintances.

And they both want something more-something more profound.

Jasper has been developing these emotions towards Eloise for a few months since he joined the army; forbidden feelings.

Since Eloise told him the rules, one rule stuck with him; soulmates are unwelcome in the army, and killed.

He lost hope. But Eloise didn't. She would find a way for Jasper to leave the army.

She needed time and help for her plan to work.

It might take years, decades, or maybe even a century, but she will succeed.

And Maria doesn't need to know her motivation, which is that her devotion to her is eroding. But is it really so?

Will it be love? Or is it what she is feeling towards Jasper because of the soulmate bond they have that will permanently remove her loyalty and gratitude towards Maria and fade so easily?

For Nettie and Lucy, their loyalty towards Maria faded.

Her power threatened the two.

They planned to kill Eloise first, wanting to leave Maria vulnerable.

And Jasper felt their emotions shift in an instant from gratitude to fear and malice.

He alerted Eloise, who told Maria in an instant.

It was another fight they easily won.

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

ELOISE AND JASPER HAVE BEEN TRAINING THE NEWBORNS FOR THE WHOLE DAY.

And Eloise decided to reward themselves. They might not get tired physically, but the army is draining them mentally.

As they walked towards the new town, well-fed, they'd just arrived in a new city they'd successfully conquered.

They saw an abandoned mansion, still well preserved that must have been left a few days ago.

So, they decided to explore it. It was beautiful, the ivory walls and fleur-de-lis textured wallpaper that Eloise remembered from her old home.

Some furniture was left, but whoever occupied it left abruptly, not caring for the belongings they owned.

While Jasper explored the other parts of the mansion, she headed to the bedroom that felt like a woman's bedroom, and she was right; every detail of the bedroom radiated a woman of class.

She walks towards the dresser and sees a jewelry box, still filled with extravagant jewelry.

She grins.

It has been a while since she owned accessories.

The only jewelry she had was her ring and necklace, given by her parents, and she kept it safe after all these years.

Heading towards the wardrobe, she opens it and smiles.

It was filled with tailored dresses, beautifully sewn and designed.

She takes the dress that catches her eye and smiles, but then a box at the bottom of a rack piques her interest.

She opens the lid, revealing flat silk shoes embroidered with white roses and embellished with gemstones.

Then she headed towards the bathroom to take a bath.

Bathing in a river isn't exactly ideal for her. She missed the life of prosperity.

Taking a quick bath and looking at the mirror, she frowns as she sees her old and new scars.

She sighs and dismisses the thought.

When she was the only one in charge of training the newborns, they were hard to control.

They were vicious, reckless, and uncooperative, so she had to act and, of course, use her charm.

But when Jasper joined them, with his ability, they soon began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before.

Putting on the corset that she oddly missed and the light blue dress patterned with a sequence of over-the-shoulder laces, she twirls around as she looks at herself in the mirror.

It reminded her of her human years. She missed feeling like a woman, being pampered, being spoiled, and owning every extravagant item luxury has to offer.

She heads down the stairs and sees Jasper by the fireplace, looking at the painting placed above it.

Then he hears her and turns around, and he's astonished by the sight before him.

Truly bewitching.

"What do you think?" Eloise asks, walking towards him slowly, then she stops just a few feet from him and twirls around with a laugh that Jasper adores.

"I think-" Jasper starts as he walks towards her, his eyes bearing into her, silently asking silent permission to ask her hand politely.

Eloise shyly nods as he takes her hand, twirls her around, and continues, "You look angelic,"

Eloise giggles, shaking her head, disagreeing, "I'm far from angelic,"

Jasper chuckles, his voice deep, placing a hand on her waist, tugging her towards him, and saying, "To me, you are, darling,"

Eloise's undead heart flutters. If she were human, her face would be red, with fire-flushed cheeks, from the endearment.

"You dance?" Eloise asks, covering her emotions quickly, as Jasper cocks his head to the side, feeling a slip of her emotions pass through him, and he feels hope that Eloise feels the same for him the way he feels for her.

"I may be a farm boy, but my mama taught me how to dance," Jasper tells her, with his eyebrows raised, his tone playful, with a warm smile on his charming features.

"Fine. But there's no music, " Eloise says, looking around, and Jasper digs from his pocket, revealing a music box, and Eloise lightly laughs, "Stealing?"

Jasper chuckles and says, "I'm not the only one who's stealing," looking at the rings in her hand and the diamond earrings, of course, the dress.

"Hey, I adore the dress and the expensive jewelry. It's been a while since I dressed up like a woman that my mother made sure I would be, but instead, I have been wearing a man's trousers and have messy hair. The horror she must be feeling! " Eloise defends herself with a playful tone, and Jasper raises both of his hands in surrender.

"Alright, but I do like you better in trousers," Jasper says as he opens the music box, and a tune plays out, a tune that they both recognize, Whispering Hope by Alice Hawthorne.

"Dance with me?" Jasper asks, putting his hand out for her to take.

She crosses both of her arms over her chest and pouts, "I will, if asked properly,"

Jasper chuckles and repeats his question with a charming smile and a polite tone, "Lady Eloise, will you give me the honor of dancing with me? It'll make me the happiest man in the world,"

"Exaggerated, but I like it, so yes," Eloise says as she curtsies, taking his hand as Jasper places his hand back on her waist.

And they danced for what felt like hours of peace and tranquility, just for the two of them.

She spun around before Jasper grabbed her and then held her firmly with her leg hooked around his as she fell backward into a dip.

In all her human life, and now, immortal.

She'd never been this close to a man, much less without an escort, to be touched by what they saw as inappropriate.

But Eloise didn't mind. His skin might have been cold, yet his touch was warm-intoxicating even.

For a moment, Eloise let Jasper lean in, his nose touching hers, and for a moment, she let him be this close, but she couldn't, not yet.

Connecting with him this early will only make her vulnerable around him.

Letting herself truly fall in love with him is risky and dangerous, but not yet.

So, she unfortunately and hesitantly pulls away from him, looking at him apologetically as Jasper purses his lips, disappointed.

Then, Eloise says, stepping back, "We should head back. Maria might be looking for us. I'll change back into my clothes,"