Dorothea Caddel, is born into a wealthy family that can easily give her a plane or a planet to her wishes but what if something deep is hidden in the mask of a perfect family, a devil that she fears but soon learns to accept as love. That story chan...
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Jasper gave Bella a fleeting glance before looking straight ahead, his mind elsewhere. He was debating whether he should reveal his past to her, but a part of him hesitated. He wasn't sure if she was ready for the truth.
"I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted siblings," he said, his tone casual, but there was an edge to it that Bella picked up on immediately. Wishing to end the conversation, he began walking away toward the training grounds where Dorothea's snack had been left behind.
But Bella, persistent as always, followed after him. Jasper sighed heavily, his patience starting to wear thin. He stopped mid-stride, glancing back at the mortal with a mixture of irritation and resignation. He could read her easily — she wouldn't let it go until she got what she wanted.
Jasper lifted his sleeve slowly, exposing the pale, scarred skin of his forearm. At first, Bella couldn't make out anything in the dim, overcast light. But then, it became clear—hundreds of faint, half-moon-shaped scars covered his skin, each one a testament to a brutal past. Bella's breath caught in her throat. "Those... bites. They're like mine," she whispered, aghast.
"Battle scars," Jasper replied flatly, his voice low and tinged with a bitterness he couldn't hide. "All the training the Confederate Army gave me... it was useless against the newborns. Still, I never lost a fight."
"This happened during the Civil War?" Bella asked, her curiosity piqued, though her tone was laced with disbelief. Jasper nodded, his gaze hardening as memories of his past rose to the surface. "I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry. All without having seen any real battle."
"Until?" Bella pressed, sensing that the answer would be crucial to understanding the man before her.
"Until I met a certain immortal. Maria." Jasper's voice darkened as he spoke her name, a flicker of disgust flashing in his eyes. "I was riding back to Galveston, after evacuating a column of women and children, when I saw her..." His mind raced back to that day, the details as sharp and vivid as though it had happened just moments ago.
"I immediately offered her my aid."
Bella was silent, absorbing the weight of his words. She could almost see, how a young, idealistic soldier might have fallen for the mysterious woman who appeared before him.
The conversation he heard was playing in his mind. "Lovely. And an officer," Jasper could almost hear Maria's seductive tone as if she were right there, her presence drawing him in against his better judgment.
"You'd better do it, Maria. I can never stop once I've started."
"What's your name, soldier?" Maria had asked, her voice silky and cold.
"Major Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am."
"I hope you survive. You may be of great use to me."
