The Quick n Dirty preview of TAoR chapter 9

Nope... I'm not dead. Kind of seems like it though with how quiet I've been right? Well, I promise I'm not. Here is a quick n dirty (ie short and unedited) teaser of The Art of Redemption chapter 9: Uninvited Houseguests.

***

Alice POV

“We’re going to New Mexico,” I announced to Carlisle and Esme as I walked into Carlisle’s study.
“And why are we going to New Mexico?” my father asked.

“To save our family; we leave the day after tomorrow when everyone else gets back,” I said, turning to walk out.

“All of it?” Esme asked hopefully, she had missed Bella terribly and even without my ex-husband’s gift, I could feel her longing. But I couldn’t give her a definitive answer; there were too many variables and too many different outcomes.

“I hope so.”

I quietly walked to my room. I could hear Esme and Carlisle discussing our upcoming holiday in New Mexico. Esme was ready to go in, scoop Bella up and never let go. But it wouldn’t be easy. Bella wouldn’t trust us and every vision I had of Thanksgiving showed Bella walking away from all of us, even Jasper. And I didn’t know how to stop it.

I couldn’t blame her though. Four years ago, we all walked away from her and seemingly never looked back. I checked on her from time to time to see how she was coping and was happy to see what a beautiful young woman she has transformed into. But it wasn’t easy for her to get there.

I knew it wasn’t going to be.

I had seen the results of us leaving before we had even left. Her father’s murder, her mother’s and stepfather’s murder… all of it. But most importantly, I saw that us leaving led her to Jasper which outweighed all the bad. Had we never left; they would have never ‘found’ each other and their destiny would have never been fulfilled.

Something big was coming. And it would be because of Jasper and Bella’s love that we would all survive. Without them, we would surely perish.

***

Tuesdays Teaser

Since it's Tuesday... y'all know what that mean; you get a sneak peek at chapter 7 of The Art of Redemption. Sorry it's coming so late in the evening though, we had some errands to run in the middle of a snow storm. We currently have about 4 inches and are expected to still get more. Oh boy.

Anywho... here's the Tuesday Teaser of chapter 7! As always, it's unedited so please excuse any mistakes.

***

In the blink of an eye, I had Peter pinned to the wall with one of my hands around his neck. I could feel Bella’s fear for Peter and reveled in it; her fear feeding the monster within.

“Jasper let him go!” Bella screamed and he roared again.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Touchin’ my mate?! Keep your hands off of what don’t belong to you! She is MINE!” I roared and Peter smirked. I could still feel Bella’s terror but it was masked by a shit storm of anger.

“Jasper Whitlock, let go of Peter or so help me…” Bella said authoritatively. I didn’t relent. This fucker would have to learn. He can’t go around kissin’ my girl and get away with that shit. “I said let him go. NOW!” she roared. I could feel her eyes glaring at me. My grip on Peter’s neck loosened as I let him go.
When I turned around, I was met with the beautiful site of Bella’s fury. She was glaring daggers at me and, if looks could kill, I would be nothing but a smoldering pile of ash at her feet. Her jaw clenched and unclenched as she continued to glare at me. Her eyes were getting darker and darker with each passing second.

“Thanks Kitten,” Peter said quietly to Bella. She looked at him and her expression softened as she smiled at him. Then it went right back to scowling when she looked back at me. She pinched the bridge of her nose – something she picked up from Edward – before speaking.

“You’re no different than Edward is. Well newsflash, I don’t fucking belong to anyone!”

“Isabella…” I started, but she cut me off.

“I don’t want to fucking hear it. I’m out of here… and don’t even fucking think about following me or you’re or I’ll make sure you see some shit you obviously don’t want to see,” she said, spinning on her heel and running towards the door.

Big fuckin’ mistake. You don’t run away from the Major. He didn’t like it. “Isabella!”

“Fuck you!”

I was in front of her in a heartbeat and had her up against a wall, with one hand on each side of her. Peter and Charlotte weren’t far behind me. “Where do you think you’re goin’ Little Girl?”

Her eyes narrowed. But she said nothing.

“You’d do well to answer me,” I said, nuzzling her neck. I could feel her resolve starting to waver.

“Fuck you.”

“That could be arranged.”

“Go to hell.”

“Isabella…” she was still angry, but lust was starting to take over. Then it went right back to anger.

“If you think you scare me, you’re more delusional than I thought,” she said calmly. I checked her emotions and there was anger, a ton of anger, and lust. But there wasn’t an ounce of fear to be felt. “Let me go Jasper. NOW!” I reluctantly took a step back and she scooted around me and out the door.

I looked at Pete and Char, not sure what to do. Peter looked over at Charlotte and nodded his head in the direction of the door.

“Wait for me Sug!” she yelled before running to catch up with Bella.

“I fucked that up didn’t I?” I asked Peter, turning to look at him.

“Yup.”

Tuesday...erm... Wednesday Teaser

This was honestly supposed to be up yesterday. Unfortunately, I've been without power and internet for over thirty hours now thanks to some badass windstorm that killed eleven power poles. Now I'm rentin' me a nice humongous generator and it is as loud as loud can be. Anyway without any more delay, the teaser for chapter 6 of The Art of Redemption.

PPOV

Jasper was a fuckin’ moron. A moron who didn’t know what the hell he had, even if it was starin’ him right in the face. How could he not see how perfect Kitten was for him? How could he not see that she was his true mate? In all my years, I ain’t ever seen the Major take to a human like he had Bella Swan. Hell, I ain’t ever seen him take to a human… unless he was eatin’ ‘em.

But Kitten was different. She would be his rock and not take any of his shit. She would help him reclaim who he was while lettin’ the Major shine through. She was just like him too… except she had a pussy. And I knew he could feel the pull to her, he just wouldn’t acknowledge it.

Char and I had known all along that Alice wasn’t his mate. The Major’s mate would have to be strong and be able to put up with his shit without takin’ any of it. Not turn him into some overeager Bambi-munchin’ lapdog that would do as he was told, when he was told to do it.

So here I was keys in hand and ready to go talk some sense into him. Just as I was about to open the door, my gorgeous wife wrapped her arms around my body. “Where do ya think you’re goin’ Sug?” she purred seductively.

He’s gonna fuckin’ owe me.

God help me, I really didn’t want to say this. “The Major needs me Char.”

I heard her sigh before she pulled away and I turned to face her. “Make him understand Peter. He’s finally found her… don’t let him fuck it up and lose her,” she said with a smile. She didn’t have to say it, but I knew Char was excited to meet her new sister. Even without meeting her, she was attached to her and it was going to be hard to keep her away for much longer. If I was bein’ honest, I was pretty sure she already had Kitten’s room done.

After a less than chaste kiss with the wifey, I jumped in the Tahoe and was on the way to Kitten’s apartment building to straighten out the mess the Major had caused. Or, at least, preventin’ said mess from happening.
It didn’t take long to get to her apartment building. From what I could tell, she lived in a nice area. It wasn’t cheap building but it suit her just fine. I parked the Tahoe next to a new black Camaro. When I got out of the truck, I could smell both Jasper and Kitten near the car. I could only assume it was hers.

She’s got taste. I’ll give her that.

Something told me to go to the back of the building. So that’s where I went. My ‘gift’ had never steered me wrong before so I sure as fuck wasn’t gonna question it now. I had always been, even when I was human, able to see what others couldn’t. Now, I couldn’t see the future like the pocket pixie but most of the time… I just knew shit. And it’s because of that that I was currently standing below Kitten’s balcony trying to sort out this mess and make the Major see the truth.

I leapt up and landed on the balcony that Jasper had been frequenting every night for the last week or so. Inside, I could hear Kitten’s steady breathin’ and heartbeat indicating that she was fast asleep.
“What the fuck do you want?” Jasper hissed from inside the apartment.

“To talk,” I said as I jiggled the handle to the French door. The door was unlocked so it opened easily and I stepped through the sheer green curtain and into her room. Her room was clean with just enough disarray to make it have a homey feel to it with pictures on every free surface.

Bella’s delicate, slightly tropical scent permeated the air. But instead of wanting to drain her dry, I wanted to protect her. Protect her from the evils of the world… protect her from heartache. Jasper snorted.

“That happens a lot around her. That sudden urge to protect her,” he said quietly as he looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. He had his right arm around her body while she was snuggled against his body, her arms clinging to him for dear life. She fit against him perfectly. I smiled.

“What’s so amusin’?”

“You.”

“What the fuck you talkin’ ‘bout?”

“It’s just…fuck man, I’ve never seen you this comfy with a human. You’re either ignoring ‘em or eatin’ ‘em. Not snugglin’ up with ‘em.”

“I ain’t snugglin’. And Bella’s… different.”

“No shit she’s different. Jesus, can’t you see what’s right in front of you?” I walked over and sat down on the end of the bed. When I put my hand on her covered foot, Jasper growled in warning.

“Don’t touch her,” he hissed and it was pretty fuckin’ clear that the Major was protectin’ his little lady.

I didn’t move my hand. Instead, I just smiled. “See, that shit right there, that’s what I’m talkin’ about. You’re protectin’ her for a reason Major.” His jaw was clenched and his eyes were fixated on the hand I had on Bella’s foot. He growled again and I removed my hand. I really didn’t want to lose it, that shit hurts.

“Why?”

“It’s simple. She belongs to you just as much as you belong to her. Major, she’s your mate. And whether you realize it or not, you already love her, just like she already loves you.”

I could see that he was warring with himself. A part of him was happy that he had finally found her. The other part was confused as all get out. He furrowed his brows and slowly shook his head no. “She can’t be my mate Peter. I tried to attack her four years ago. It’s not possible.”

The Art of Redemption Teaser: Chapter 5

Hello readers!

Here is the teaser for chapter 5 of The Art of Redemption...you do know what that means right? It means that the new chapter will be up in a few days!

Also, don't forget to follow me on twitter to know when teasers and updates are available: @cowgirl_amber


***

They didn’t come out for another twenty minutes but man was the wait worth it. Bella was in a pair of tight, dark was jeans with a pair of black strappy heels. Her top was blood red and hugged her curves in all the right places.

“Oh! I forgot my contacts!” she exclaimed while whipping around and running to her room. The shirt was draped low in the back and had a panel in the mid back to keep it closed. But what caught my eye the most was the tattoo on her right shoulder blade.

La vendetta è un atto di passione; la vendetta di giustizia. Le ferite sono revenged; i crimini sono vendicati*. Under the elegant script was a heart with the names of her parents and, presumably, the date they were killed by Victoria.

BPOV

I knew that Drew loved me and was just looking out for me but I swear, he was getting on my last nerve! He didn’t know about both of my failed relationships and, to be honest, I didn’t know if I ever wanted him to.

Did I want love? Yes, of course I did. What girl doesn’t? But after having my heart ripped out not once but twice, I was terrified of love. Sure, one night stands with random strangers and nights with the trusty rabbit were physically satisfying, they were emotionally draining. Did I want to tell Drew that I had feelings for Jasper? Yes. But for some reason, and it could quite possibly be the fact that he could hear me, I didn’t.

Once I reached the bathroom, I put in my crimson contacts and took in my final appearance. My eye makeup was smoky and gray and paired with some fuckhot red lips. I had straightened my hair and just a few wisps were turned out. I sighed. I couldn’t wait for my hair to grow back. Drew had suggested that I cut it short so I did. Big mistake; there were only so many things I could do with it.

I miss my long hair.

After my contacts were in and I was relatively satisfied with my looks, I went back out to the living room.

Drew and Kevin were already waiting by the front door. “I’m starting to think I should get a pair of those, everyone else is. I don’t get it B, vampires don’t even exist!”

“And how do you know that?” I countered. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jasper smirk.
“Well have you ever seen one?”

“Have you?” I said with a raised eyebrow.

“Well…no. But they don’t exist!”

I looked at Jasper and shook my head, trying my damndest to not chuckle. I turned my attention back to Drew, “and how could you be so sure? What do you think Jasper?”

He smirked again. “Couldn’t tell ya.”

We walked down to the parking lot and Drew turned towards his car. “I’m taking my car tonight B, I’m going back to Kevin’s after work,” he said and smiled apologetically.

I shrugged my shoulders. “No problem. That just means I get to take mine, I don’t get to taker her out to often anymore,” I said with a sigh. I missed driving my car. “Hey Drew?”

“Yea B?”

“I’ll race ya.”

“You’re on little girl.”

I grabbed Jasper’s hand and pulled him towards the car, “come on, I’m not losing!”

***

There ya have it folks, the unedited teaser for chapter 5. See ya in a few days for the new chapter!

Amber

The Art of Redemption: Chapter 4 teaser

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story over on fanfiction.net! Your support means more to me than you will ever know! Here is a small teaser of the chapter to come.


There was a soft knock at the door, successfully breaking me from my mental tirade. “Just a second!” I called while turning on the DVD player and popping in the DVD. I stood up and strode over to the door, tripping on the corner of the area rug Drew insisted we have. “Stupid fucking rug,” I mumbled under my breath.

I made it to the door unscathed, barely, and opened the door to reveal a smiling Jasper. He looked fucking amazing in a pair of low hung dark wash jeans, a black fitted t-shirt that hugged his delicious muscular body, and a pair of square toe cowboy boots. “Was the rug giving you a hard time there Darlin’?” Of course he had heard me.

“It has a personal vendetta against me and tries to trip me every chance it gets,” I joked. I really didn’t like that thing. “Come in,” I said, opening the door further to allow him entry.

“I come with a peace offering,” he said with a smirk, holding out a cup of Starbucks coffee. I smiled brightly at him. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I hope its okay,” he said.

“Thank you that’s very…sweet,” I said honestly, taking the cup of coffee from him. Our fingers touched from the briefest of moments and I found some comfort in the contrast of our temperatures. “I was just about to watch a movie. Care to join me?”

“Well it depends…it’s not some sort of chick flick is it?”

“I wouldn’t make you sit through that torture. Besides, that’s what I have Drew for. If you don’t particularly like chick flicks, I should warn you now…don’t come over on Monday nights.”

“What’s Monday?”

“McConaughey Monday. On nights there is nothing decent on TV, we watch our chick flicks, Monday’s are dedicated to the hotness that is Matthew McConaughey,” I explained. “But right now, I was planning on Gods and Generals, unless you want to watch something else…”

“I haven’t seen it since it came out. The Civil War wasn’t exactly Alice’s favorite topic,” he chuckled lightly.

“Well, I’m not Alice and the Civil War happens to be my favorite topic. So, take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Mi casa es su casa,” I said with a small smile. Jasper returned my smile with one of his own, which made me smile more. I was starting to think I would do anything just to see him smile. Jasper sat on one side of the couch and I sat at the other, curling my legs up underneath myself.

Watching the movie with Jasper was a completely new experience. He was just like me, only in male form. Both of us were cheering after the first battle of Manassas as we watched Union soldier after Union soldier fall under the hands of the South. Throughout the movie, predominantly throughout the boring dialogue, Jasper kept explaining what it was like in the Confederate camps in detail and I couldn’t help but wonder how he knew all of this.

At the end of the movie, a tear ran down my cheek as I watched Stephan Lang take Stonewall’s dying breath and utter his last words, “Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of trees.” I could feel the sorrow and respect coming from Jasper as he bowed his head.
“It’s just so sad,” I said quietly as the credit rolled. “I mean, he gets his arm amputated and then fucking dies from pneumonia!” I chuckled.

“Disease was very common back then and the doctors didn’t have the knowledge that they do now. Pneumonia was one that struck often and was mostly fatal. The conditions in which we lived in camps weren’t exactly…sanitary and disease spread fast. Soldiers had less to fear from bullets than they did disease.” The use of ‘we’ did not go unnoticed.

“We?” I asked with a raised brow. Was he implying that…Oh. My. God.

Jasper smirked. “Bella, what did Edward tell you about my past?”

“Just that it was yours to tell,” I said, smiling softly. I wanted to know; I wanted to know everything about Jasper Whitlock.

“It was 1861 when I joined the Confederate States Army,” he started with a smirk. “I was always a really charismatic person so it didn’t take long for me to move up the ranks and become the youngest Major in the Civil war. I was the Major of the 1st regiment of the Texas cavalry,” he explained. I felt his pride and I’m sure he could feel my surprise. It’s not as if I was hiding it as I was currently sitting completely slack-jawed.

Jasper continued to tell me stories and about his experience in the Civil war. By the time he was done, I hadn’t even realized that I moved closer to him, completely enthralled by his stories. “I…I had no idea…” I stammered out, not quite knowing what to say.

Real intelligent Bella. I mentally chastised myself…what the hell, I mentally rolled my eyes too.
“So what about you? Why are you so interested in the Civil war?”

“It’s in my blood,” I said proudly. I looked Jasper who raised his eyebrow and looked at me skeptically. “Okay, bad choice of words,” I laughed. “But seriously though, it is. My great-great-great-however many greats ago grandfather is, believe it or not, General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson.” Now it was Jasper’s turn to look at me in shock.

JPOV

I was shocked and I knew she could not only see it, she could feel it. She was the descendant of one of the most influential General’s in America’s history. If it weren’t for Jackson’s leadership skills, Lee wouldn’t have been able to keep the larger Union armies at bay for as long as he did.

“I found out when I was really young. When I was younger, Charlie always made sure to let me know where I came from. It’s because of him that I have such a deep rooted love for the Civil War,” she said sadly but with a small smile. Throughout the few times we’ve spent together, every time Charlie or her mother were brought up, her emotions would immediately shift to sadness and despair; the kind that could only come from mourning the loss of a loved one.

“Bella, what happened to Charlie?”

Bella took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “Can we talk about this after lunch?” she asked. Her voice was unsure and her emotions were all over the damn place.

***

There ya have it folks...the update should be up in a few days.

Amber

The Art of Redemption: Chapter 3 teaser

Hello my lovely readers!

I know...long time no post. Things have been a little crazy lately and I am slowly getting back on track. I don't know when the next chapter for LG will come, but I am working on it; it has been, yet again, reworked. Future events are changing and I have a million and one ideas running through that crazy thing I call a mind and it's just a matter of getting them out. Thank you all for being so patient...I hope that, in the meantime, you are all enjoying my new story!

Anyway, without further ado, the teaser for chapter 3 of TAoR!

***

I couldn’t help but agree with Peter though. Bella looked good tonight…Bella looked real good in them short Daisy Duke’s, tight tank top that was showin’ just the right amount of her pale skin and…fuck me, she was wearing cowboy boots. Her hair looked like she had just crawled out of my bed and ran her fingers through it.

Wait…what the fuck?

I continued to watch her, like I had done all week on the balcony outside her bedroom, and still couldn’t figure her out. She had completely changed from the girl I knew before. This Bella, the new Bella, had a quiet confidence that made her sexy as hell. But, she still had remnants of her old self. She still enjoyed reading classic novels, and her normal day-to-day attire hadn’t changed much.

“You do know your starin’ right?”

“Again, fuck off Peter.”

Bella continued to mix and serve drinks behind the bar until an older gentleman with graying hair approached her.

“I need ya on the floor tonight Bella.”

“The tips aren’t as good.”

“Molly wants to try her hand at tending bar.”

“She can do it on my nights off. You know that Drew and I are you’re best bartenders and were runnin’ on a full house.”

“I know but you know the rules, everyone gets an opportunity to tend bar if they want to. So, I need you out on that floor. End of discussion.”

Bella slammed down a shot glass, nearly breaking it, and walked out from around the bar, out into the crowd, glaring at a petite red-head on her way.

BPOV

The club was quickly reaching its Friday night potential and Drew and I were working non-stop behind the bar mixing drinks and slinging beers left and right. Aside from the occasional bar dance, that’s all I did. Friday night was country night here at Vamped so the sounds of country music were blaring through the speakers as people danced on the dance floor. Country night was always a crowd favorite among the above thirty crowd around here so tonight was filled mainly with thirty-something’s, always a plus for Drew and I as far as tips go.

I was in the middle of pouring a round of tequila for one table when my boss, Ray, approached me. Ray was older, mid fifties, with graying hair and a ‘bigger than the world’ attitude. But, Ray was also a fun and fair boss.

“I need ya on the floor tonight, Bella.” Well this was certainly different.

“The tips aren’t as good,” I stated matter-of-factly, still pouring tequila into the shot glasses.
“Molly wants to try her hand at tending bar.”

Molly was one of our new waitresses that Ray had hired. She was always overeager to be working the bar, my guess was to get closer to Drew because let’s face it; Drew is hot. But I didn’t really give a flying fuck what Molly wanted. “She can do it on my nights off. You know that Drew and I are your best bartenders and we’re runnin’ on a full house,” I said, trying to convince the man in front of me. He knew damn well that Drew and I were his best…we were the best because we worked so well together. We had a system…and it was motherfuckin’ golden.

“I know, but you know the rules, everyone gets the opportunity to tend bar if they want to. So, I need you out on that floor. End of discussion,” he said before walking off into the back office, passing Molly on his way. She had a smirk planted on her pretty little face. I slammed the shot glass that I was holding down onto the counter, nearly shattering it, while anger coursed through my veins. I walked the length of the bar, down to wear Molly was standing victoriously. I narrowed my eyes at her and her bout of victory seemed to falter slightly as I approached, “wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you,” I hissed at her as I walked by and out into the crowd.

I didn’t particularly like working the floor. The tips weren’t as good and people were grabby; way to fucking grabby. I walked through the crowd around the bar and made my way to the tables.

When I finally made my way to the back table, there he was, looking very much like the ‘hot cowboy’ that Drew pegged him as. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, showing off his muscular forearms. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him sitting there, smiling at me as I approached.

“You know we don’t serve O negative here, right?” I asked sarcastically, trying to keep the smile at bay.

“Oh, I’m sure someone here can help me,”

“Hands off the patrons,” I deadpanned and he laughed and I shortly joined him. “So what brings you here tonight?”

“Well, rumor has it that there’s a really pretty girl that I used to know that works here.”

“Oh really? You probably mean Sarah…unfortunately she doesn’t work Fridays.”

“Funny.”

“Seriously though, what are you doing here?” I asked again.

“I wanted to see you again,” he said with a sexy smirk. I used to accuse Edward of dazzling me…little boy had nothing on Jasper. All he had to do was give me that look and I was completely under his southern spell.

“Well, in that case, I’m off in two hours and we can catch up than. In the mean time, I have to ask, what can I get ya? And for the record, Bella blood is not on the menu.”
***

Well kiddos, that was it...a teaser. The chapter itself should be up in a few days.