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Emmett is flung through the air, flailing in what seemed to be slow motion before he lands hard on his back; He immediately springs back up to face Jasper who had been the one to throw him. "Again!" Emmett demanded with an amused smirk on his face before he and Jasper rush each other again in a spar. Anna watched from the back of her and her sisters truck, her legs crossed as she held Jasper's jacket tight around her. It had been two days since Anna's encounter with Nadia and she still had no access to her magic which was frustrating as each day came closer to the battle ahead.

She had already spoken with Tyler about what had happened that night, to say that Tyler was shocked by the supernatural would be an understatement but once he accepted it, he swore not to tell anyone and pretend he knew nothing; And as far as his concerned, Anna was still his best friend. But it was obvious how concerned everyone was for Anna who was practically human without her magic and knowing that Riley was coming for her worried everyone including Bella who was worried about losing her sister.

Anna turns her head to see Edward and Bella pull up in Edwards Volvo, she turns away from the two as Sam and the other members of the pack approach the clearing. "They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," Edward informed the coven as Jasper helped Anna off of the truck, he had tried his best not to hover around Anna too much but thankfully for him, Anna had been pretty clingy in her sick state which was adorable to him. Anna walked towards Paul who stepped forward allowing her to rest her hand between his ears and stratch his head with a smile. "They came. That's what matters," Carlisle spoke with a nod.

"Jake..." Bella spoke up gaining Jacob's attention, the red-brown wolf attempted a smile but a sharp look from Sam forces Jacob back into a more focused position. "Will you translate?" Carlisle asked Edward who nodded before Carlisle stepped forward allowing Sam's focus to be on him. "Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them," Carlisle told Sam as Colton had already told them he would fight in the battle alongside the pack but wouldn't train them due to his own history with shifters. "They want to know how the 'newborns' is differ from us," Edward said to Carlisle on behalf of Sam.

"They're a great deal stronger than us because their own human blood lingers in their tissue. Our kind us never more physically powerful... than in our first several months of this life," Carlisle explained to the pack who were listening intently, Anna still stood by Paul's side knowing he was still uneased by her Mana Exhaustion. Carlisle nods to Jasper to take over but Anna took notice of Jasper's unease by the attention, she ruffled the top of Sam's head before moving towards Jasper and standing with him in hopes to ease him; she knew he was concerned about a side of him showing he spent years taming.

"Carlisle's right," Jasper began as he stood tall with his hands behind his back, "That's why they are created. A newborn army, doesn't need thousands like a human army. And no human army could stand against them." Anna admired the way Jasper held himself in the moment, she bit the inside of her cheek as she stood with Rosalie. "The two most important things to remember are, first... Never let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly," Jasper warned the wolves, "The second... Never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that. And you will lose." Jasper turned to Emmett with a smirk, "Emmett? Don't hold back."

"Not in my nature," Emmett replied to Jasper with his own smirk, it was obvious both males enjoyed these spars. Emmett charges Jasper with impossible speed, but Jasper is a virtual blur. Emmett lunges several times, his strong arms grasping at air due to Jasper's more agile manoeuvres. Jasper stops long enough to say, "Never lose focus. One more thing... Never turn your back on your enemy." They all watched as Emmett lunged again with similar results until he suddenly freezes ─ Jasper has him from behind, his teeth an inch from Emmett's throat. Jasper's focus turned to Anna who smiled at him, he noticed she was impressed.

The family take turns sparring with Jasper, Alice being successful and outshining him due to her ability to see his moves. Edward uses his telepathic ability to read Carlisle's thoughts during their spar managing to overpower his father and slam him into the ground. "Focus on speed, agility, keep your opponent off guard--" Jasper says as he watches Edward and Alice spar, their fight was incredible due to their abilities proving they were an equal match in battle, "--Use their momentum against them." Anna and Bella stood together as Jacob stepped up between the two, Bella leaned into his side running her fingers through his fur.

"All of this... because of me," Anna said with a blank expression, "Because of us." Bella and Anna shared a look before Anna focused back on Jasper, Bella turned to Jacob. "It's gonna be a hundred times worse than this, right?" Bella asked Jacob, it was silent for a moment before Jacob nuzzled into Bella. "We're done for the day," Edward spoke up before appearing beside Bella, his expression was calm but firm. Jacob eyed Edward and Bella before he rejoined the pack as they retreated into the forest. Anna nodded to Paul before he left, playfully pushing Jared as they disappeared into the distance. Anna made her way over to Jasper as Colton walked off, she frowned as he turned to her.

"I feel useless... there has to be something more that I can do?" Anna asked Jasper who understood how she felt. "Yours and Bellas scent alone will distract the newborns. Their hunting instinct will take over, drive them crazy," Jasper answered her as Bella leaned against the Volvo listening to the two as Edward spoke with Carlisle. "I just wish I was fighting by your side," Anna told him, Jasper smiled as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips. "Hey, how do you know so much about this?" Bella asked, her curiosity peaking. "I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted silbings," Jasper answered her before turning back to Anna.

Jasper was hoping to avoid his past but knew Bella wouldn't back down and he knew that Anna needed to know; Maria was still out there and could be a very real threat. Jasper turned to the twins and pulled up his sleeve, Anna knew about the bite marks from their more intimate nights but the sight was new to Bella who took a second to recognise the bites in his pale skin. "Those bites are like ours," Bella said as she looked from her own wrist to Anna's shoulder that was covered by the jacket she wore. "Battle scars," Jasper said as he covered the bites again, "All the training the Confederate Army gave me... was useless against the newborns. Still, I never lost a fight."

Anna looked up at Jasper with raised brows, "My boyfriend was in the Confederate Army? Yikes..." Jasper chuckled as he grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers, "I was a different man then, in a different time with a very controlling homestead. My mother and sisters safety was my priority and to protect them from my father's hand, I abided by his rule." Anna nodded at that, her heart aching for the scenarios that formed in her mind; she never expected Jasper to have grown in an abusive household. "This happened during the Civil War?" Bella asked knowing Jasper wouldn't want to delve into his childhood with her ─ that was something he could share with Anna privately.

The three began walking at a slow pace, "I was the youngest Major in the Texas Cavalry. All without having seen any real battle." Anna leaned into his side as he spoke, she noticed the slight pride in Jasper's words but she liked to think it was the accomplishment itself rather than the cause he fought for. "Until..." Bella questioned. "Until I met a certaun Immortal, Maria," Jasper answered though his eyes darkened at the mention of the woman. "I was riding back to Galveston after evacuating a column of women and children when I saw her," Jasper told them but it was clear he was off in the memories of those days.

"I immediately offered her my aid, but she had other intentions with my presence," Jasper said to the twins. "Maria was creating an army?" Anna inquired pulling Jasper from his memories. "They were very common in the South. There were constant brutal battles for territory," Jasper answered her before he continued, "Maria won them all. She was smart, careful, and she had me." Anna furrowed her brows at the sense of deja vu, she remembered the night of her attack almost a year ago but most of the memories of that night had become blurry and practically unattainable; Grandma Rose had claimed it was due to her creating bonds with the Coven.

"I was her second in command. My ability to control emotions served her well. I trained her newborns, an endless occupation since she never let them live beyond their first year," Jasper told the two who caught on to what he was saying causing Anna to squeeze his hand, she was angry with Maria and what the bitch put Jasper through. "It was my job to dispose of them. I could feel everything they felt," Jasper added as they stopped walking, "I thought what Maria and I had was love. But I was her puppet. She pulled the strings. I didn't know there was another way until I met Alice and Colton." Jasper smiled as he remembered the day he had meet his two closest friends.

"Now, she had seen me coming, of course. And told me that I had a promising future," Jasper said as he turned to Anna who smiled. "My apologies for making you wait, Major," Anna told him with a teasing grin, Jasper placed his fingers under her chin, "You're forgiven, Darling." Jasper leaned down and kissed Anna softly before pulling away. "I don't know what I'd become without you," Jasper told her, Anna placed her hand on the side of his face, "You never have to be that again." She gave him another kiss as Bella smiled, she was happy for her sister. It was at that moment that Bella truly realised that her sister was happy.

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Later that night, Bella had woken up from a nightmare that had alerted her of what her little sister had been saying all along. "It's Victoria. Anna was right," Bella told the family as they stood in the living room of the Cullen household, the blonde stood in the arms of Jasper with a frown. "It was Jasper's story that put the pieces together... Victoria is using Riley to create her army," Bella continued before making eye contact with Anna who nodded with a small reassuring smile. "We need to make a plan," Carlisle said as he looked towards Anna and Jasper. "Victoria wants me, she'll hunt me down or even Bella to get to me," Anna spoke up with a stressed sigh.

"We can organise with the pack to use their scent to cover the both of yours, move the battle away from the town to prevent any casualties," Carlisle told the twins, both girls sighed. "I'll tell dad that Bella and I are going camping with Jacob," Anna said, the others agreeing knowing that Charlie would trust Anna's words more than Bella's after everything that had happened. "For now we continue training. We need to be prepared," Colton spoke up from beside a worried Alice. "It's easy work, huh?" Anna teased easing the tension of the room. Truthfully, Anna was dreading the fight, she knew something was gonna happen; something bad.

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Rosemary Speaks

The battle of the Newborns is next.
Will everything go their way or will it all fall apart?

See you in the next chapter!