A/N- Hi, I just wanted to thank you for your reviews they are great. I really hope I can please everyone with Lethiferous- Injurious Devastating I really do enjoy writing and it has taken me a while to work up the confidence to do so. I will apologize in advance for any spelling & punctuation mistakes as I don't have a beta and don't know how to get one. I will also apologise now to my mother who absolutely hates when I don't remember to capitalize my i's... love ya ma xxx

Oh yeah I forgot Stephanie M owns it all. Damn her!

Also in case anyone was wandering about the title Lethiferous means - Injurious devastating.

Lethiferous

Chapter 2

Majors' pov

I hated Dr Cullen's' hands on my mate, fuckin' loathed that Isabella had another man's hands on her without her permission or her knowing but me and Jasper knew it was important to find out if there was any damage other than what we could see. The doctor was just doing his job and I could tell by what he was feeling that he was being very professional. It hurt me to think of what my girl has been through, I know how the Jasper part of us hates his scars and he feels ugly because of them. I hope our Isabella doesn't feel that way, we will make sure she feels like the goddess that she is. I am proud of all my battle scars, where we came from it was kill or be killed. I'd rather be feared and kill than have some fucker dance on my ashes. I am proud of our Isabella so is Jasper but he is in shock and hurtin' for her, we both are but Isabella needs us to be strong for her so she can keep being strong.

"Major"

"Yes Dr Cullen"

"I am unable to detect any damage internally but as you are aware it is highly possible that she was sexually assaulted and as it is obvious that vampires are responsible for her injuries the risk of internal damage to her uterus and vaginal region is significantly higher it is very important that I examine her with the rape kit"

"I am aware of this Dr Cullen, as much as hate that it is necessary it must be done. Isabella's health and safety mean much more to us than the concern of you seeing and touching her. I feel your fear but you have no reason for it. I am keepin' her sedated so she will not wake during this process, she has suffered enough. Our only concern is Isabella's well-being be that mentally and physically. Please proceed"

"I will be inserting an intravenous drip in her hand for fluids and antibiotics and I will also need to set another in her other hand for blood. I believe the main cause for her to have lost consciousness is due to blood loss. Although she is not bleeding now she has many cuts and stab wounds. I believe it was their intent to cause as much pain and weaken her through blood loss than seal the wounds they may have been bleeding her to drink".

I didn't want to think about this, I had low constant growls in my chest and I concentrated on Isabella's face runnin' my hand gently on her forehead while Dr Cullen was performin' the internal examination on her, his hiss and low rumblin' in his chest was my confirmation that indeed some fucker will die, that males scent is etched in my brain and I'll fuckin' find that atrocious nefarious creature. I won't be killin' him straight away maybe not for a long time but he will pray for his end to come, he will suffer a fate far worse than death. I will seek retribution from those responsible.

Carlisle's POV

I am man enough to admit that I was afraid for my life. The Major did put my mind at ease telling me that his main concern was for Bella's well-being. I was somewhat shocked as it is our instincts that usually make us attack any male that is in close proximity to our mates when they are hurt, we see it as our duty to protect, provide and heal our mated partner. For the Major to even allow me in the same room was astounding, but here I was starting the internal examination. Livid at the sight before me I lost control of my emotions and the rumbling in my chest alerted the Major, it was all the conformation he needed. Bella had been sexually assaulted. I finished the examination with super speed. The Major was losing control of his own emotions and my own wouldn't be helping either and I am sure the rest of the families affected him also. He was projecting his rage, he was murderous he wanted to seek and destroy those whose hands were responsible for this. His body was vibrating and the growls getting deeper and louder. I had to think quickly, we needed to get out of the house so he wouldn't have to deal with our emotion on top of his own. His priority will be Bella... Okay.

"Major"

"Speak"

"I think it will be best if the rest of us leave you to bathe and tend to your Bella. I have finished my examinations. I believe she will be weak for some time but she is safe now. I will leave you to tend to her and we can discuss her medical needs once everyone has calmed down but she will be okay heath wise, just be careful not to disturb the iv's when bathing her and her ribs will need to be wrapped up there are a few brakes"

"Thank you Dr Cullen you may leave"

The rest of the family heard me and had exited the house. As soon as I hit the front door I took off with the others following. My mind replaying the sight of my daughter lying on that bed marred with scars and... God the fucking arse-holes...I have never wanted to murder someone so bad but I swear I will be right there with the Major when we find those ...fuck I can't even think of a word vile enough to deem them. I dropped to the ground on my knees head down, palms over my eyes trying to clear the images of our Bella. The father in me was distraught at seeing his baby like that, sobs started to break through me, I just wanted to scream, hit, roar, cry, fucking murder, hold my baby girl and promise her the world, turn back the fucking time so I can take her away before it happened, curse at god for letting her be hurt. A ferocious growl ripped through me as I cursed out my eldest son.

Screaming at him.

Fuck you Edward...Safe, her safety, was she fucking safe you coward bastard you got off easy...

I was cut off by arms wrapping tightly around my shoulders and my head being pushed to their shoulder as I sobbed with Peter murmuring reassurances that our Bella will get through this, next was Esme, Rose and Em, we were all in a group hug crying on the forest floor releasing our emotions and holding each other together.

It had been a very hard year to get through for all of us with the death of Charlotte then Bella and then Edward. The separation between Alice and Jasper, her leaving, dealing with Jasper in his Major mode now to find out that Bella is alive but what she has suffered and that she is the Majors' mate, which explains Jasper's reactions after leaving Bella. I just didn't connect the dots; I wonder if Jasper himself knew it didn't seem that he did. Maybe it took his animal side to recognise his mate, Jasper in forks was calm there was no need for the Major to come out to play. Thinking back trying to see if there was any signs, at the baseball field after James's snack comment Jasper had placed himself directly in front of Bella and at the ballet studio the blood hadn't affected him he went straight to James to destroy him. He had argued about leaving her in forks and that her only danger was being human and if she was changed she would be as safe as the rest of us. He was pissed at Alice for leaving her best friend, When the Major was out he was pissed at me for letting two stupid teenagers run our coven when I was the meant to be the leader, that was a fun day.

There have been subtle signs. I thought a lot of his behaviour was due to him feeling guilty for attacking her but know I am not so sure that he was attacking her, as he charged forward he was going straight at Edward not Bella. He didn't veer towards her at all, he went straight for Edward.

"Carlisle, is she okay...I mean she's not in any danger of dying is she?"

"No Esme she is very weak, she had lost a lot of blood and too much weight, she is dehydrated but she will physically survive this, I am just not sure if she will mentally"

"I think she'll surprise you there Carlisle, the angel I met in that alley tonight was a born fighter. She has the strength of a warrior; I think her mental state is a lot stronger than her physical. I wouldn't be surprised if she is pissed that her body is not as strong as her mind"

"Will you tell us what happened Peter? How you found her"

"Sure but I think it would be best if we discussed it with the Major at the same time and see if he has mellowed out yet"

"Will it be safe to go back, his emotions were horrible. I felt like a newborn again not sure whether to run or fight with those feeling flying around"

"Yeah Rose I think it will be somehow, there seems to be a balance between The Major and Jasper, by rights there should have been no way for me to walk away with my head intact after physically touching Bella but Bella is both The major and Jasper's main concern. With the balance he put aside his nature to make sure his mate was going to be okay. I think but I can't be sure that they may be becoming more of one personality rather than two separate sides. Most of us have our beast within caged, we don't need them most of the time and they are still us but our more primal side of us, the side of us that shows our natural instincts. The Major is Jaspers alter ego, Jasper is the calm, kind hearted and caring side but he can also be deadly when needed. The Major comes out when he is needed to take charge and control what Jasper is to kind hearted to deal with. He may have developed this hard shell during his time as the Major in the human war he was in, like a mask to deal with all the death around him and by him. He seems to be finding a balance and I think it has to do with the fact that both Jasper and the Major agree with each other and are both helping each other cope and becoming one with a balance of the both. Does that make sense?"

Peter's pov

"I think I get what you are trying to say. The Major and Jasper have never agreed on things. To the Major, Jasper was push over he didn't like that Jasper liked to reason with people. To Jasper the Major was a harsh cruel bastard. Now they have found they one thing they both agree on and are finally finding a way to team up and work together essentially becoming the one personality but an equal mixture of both because they have found their mate. Coming from a similar background as the Major I understand because Char was the one thing The General and I could both agree with each other on. I think when we bond with our mate we bond more with the beast as well because we both want the same thing. I think it may be a little harder for you fur munches' to understand it because you diet has somewhat tamed the intensity of your base instincts, you're not as primal as those of us that feed from our natural source"

"Does diets really make that much of a difference?"

"I believe it does Em, tell me when you and rose have hunted together and get goin' at it, have you marked her?"

"What do you mean, marked?"

"Okay, how do I put this? When our kind find and recognise our mate we have the natural instinct to claim them which is done through the act of sexual intercourse, this is obviously something that your diet doesn't restrict. Now to mark our mate is done in a more primal, rougher manner the male tends to be more dominate during the act and then as the release of each mate is happening they bite each other letting as much venom as possible seep into the bite leaving their marks on each other . It is a way to show other vampire's that they are mated and the scent of each other's venom is mixed with their own and it smells much stronger than normal physical and sexual contact. This usually occurs after sharing a meal, the male providing and tending to his mate's needs. After the marking of mates the male will tenderly bathe and nurture the female"

"Wow... That's very...Ah cavemanish "

"It is very natural Rose and a beautiful experience for both mates not just the males, it is the instinct of both male and female"

"Sounds fun Rosie maybe..."

"Shut it Em"

We slowly made our way back home each stuck in our thoughts. Talkin' bout markin' bought back memories of my Char, God I miss that woman. She was a warrior and maybe that is why I felt so protective of Bella her strength reminds me of my Char and maybe I had an instant connection to Bella cause she is the Majors' mate and he is my sire, I honestly don't know the reason for it but that girl is precious and I love her already almost as much as I love my Char not romantically, fuck no I like my head where it is and my limbs attached. As much as there was an attraction to her and aroma was a scent from above, after learnin' what I have bout her and the Major and all aspect of the situation there is no chance I could view her as a companion in that way. It was a natural reaction I had to her beauty and her arousal, she is an enticin' woman beautiful even in her ill state and I am a man that hasn't had any lovin' in 18 months. As much as the idea of havin' sex is appealin' I really don't think I am ready to move on from Char, I don't know if I ever will be.

With Bella the connection is weird it's so close to a mated bond, I feel the need to protect her above all else the way I had with Char and I feel the need to take care of her and provide for her like a mate would do but any sort of romantic or sexual feelin' was gone the moment I realised who she was all that mattered now was her and that we couldn't lose her. I actually suspected that Bella Swan was Jaspers' mate by the way he would act and talk about her after they left her in forks. I was hopin' he'd realise it on his own and go to her; it was painful for me to watch my sire go through the pain of losin' her. He didn't understand why it hurt him so much. When he got back from forks after learnin' of her death he came to me lookin' like death, he had just gotten back from huntin' it was his first feed on human blood. He broke down and cried in my arms for hours just I had with him when I lost Char. Once he pulled himself together he kept askin' why it for hurt so much, that he barely knew the girl. He had hardly spoken to her but it hurt so bad.

I didn't know what to say to him. How could I have told him that I think it was a possibility that she was his mate when I wasn't sure myself and for him to hear that he lost his possible mate would have destroyed him more, it would have done more harm than good so I kept that suspicion to myself. As far as am aware we only get one true mate and Jasper was facin' the same existence as me since I had lost Char, sure we may have companions over time but not that all consumin' love nothin' could compare to the bond of a mate. It actually is painful, a constant ache in your chest when there away from you. With my Char gone I'll never be free from that pain.

Jasper's pov

Once Carlisle and the others left I was able to centre myself. It was a relief I didn't have to deal with the plethora of raw an excruciatin' emotion runnin' through the house, my own where painful enough. I was havin' a hard time tryin' to process what had happened to My Bella. I can't imagine why someone would what to harm her in any way let alone to the extent that they have. The Major recognised her as our mate and that alone was confusin' why didn't I realise this earlier? How could I not know?

I the water for the bath and organised the body wash, cloth and cleansin' stuff around the tub so I could reach everything easily along with a jug to rinse Bella's' hair after washin' it. I am keepin' her knocked out because I have to get in the tub with her for this it is the easiest way to hold her up and be careful of all the tubes comin' from her, I don't think she would feel comfortable wakin' up in a bath naked with me washin' her even if I have put shorts on. I may be aware that she is my mate but she still has no clue. Considerin' what she has been through I doubt she'll be all that welcomin' to a male for some time. I will be patient with her and as tender as can be, I know Rose went through a similar situation and it still affects her now to some degree. Sure her and Em have a healthy sex live but from she has told me in the beginnin' she would have panic attacks when bein' intimate and it took a lot of care and support from Em for her to feel comfortable with him. Although sex is the furthest from my mind at the moment these are things I'll need to be aware of in the future. Maybe Rose can talk with her about what she went through and help her to deal with what has happened and what to expect. It may benefit her talkin' to someone who has been through the same thing.

Placin' her in the bath and me sittin' behind her, I grab the wash cloth and soap it up and begin to gently wash her body startin' with her angelic face workin' my way down. Her skin id tattooed with scars much like my own but much worse I'd gladly take everyone for her, she is still gorgeous I just don't want her to feel less than the goddess she is because of them. The Major is correct we will be strong and proud of the marks we bare they are proof of what we survived warrior tattoo's in a way.

I start to wash her hair; it is longer than it was when I saw her last. I rinse with the jug and then apply conditioner and gather her hair on top of her head so I wash her neck and back when I notice she is branded with my Whitlock crest right under her hair line in the back of her neck. How the fuck did she get that? No one but Peter, Char and I have them and no one gets close enough to know the exact detailin' of the crest and this is done to perfection. This brandin' means she is under Whitlock protection and is a warnin' to others not to fuck with what the Major or Peter and Char protect. How the fuck did she get it? The mark has been sealed with venom and wasn't done today so Peter couldn't have branded her Char is dead I know I didn't do it and there are no other Whitlock's. Peter and I have the crest on our rings and Char had a locket with it but this has been sketched like a real tattoo with black ink and the silver linin' of the venom sealin' it. Whoever did this was flawless and did it with care, they didn't go too deep and they made sure it would heal well with the ink locked in too make it look beautiful. They didn't want this to be a harsh mark like the scars on the rest of her body. Whoever it was wanted her cared for and protected and knew my crest.

I got us both dried and dressed laid her in bed leavin' her with love comfort and security so she slept peacefully but was no longer sedated I went down stairs to meet with the family.

They were all sittin' quietly waitin' for me nervous probably not knowin' how they should approach me so I will do the honours.

"Okay well I really don't know where to start. I guess peter maybe you should go ahead and tell how you found her"

"Yeah well I was just walkin' back to the truck after my hunt and I heard this guy tellin' her to keep her mouth shut lean against the wall or head fuck her face up basically. Then she starts mouthin' back at him sayin' he wasn't man enough to fight like a man that he needed the gun to make up for what he was lackin'. Then he whacked her after callin' her a whore I took off ' to em hearin' the scuffle goin' on. When I get there she has the gun pulled on him aimin' cocked and ready. I was silent when I landed from the roof but she still knew I was there one quick glance my way she knew what I am. She was still focused on the guy she barely spared me any notice at all and she said in her exact words."

"Hey sparkles are you up for a feed or should I just shoot this walkin' sack of...mm, what are you big boy, A positive O neg or are you one of those tasty rare steaks? Please say you're thirsty sparkles, it would me much cleaner if you're his reaper"

"I was fuckin' stunned, didn't know what to say or do but the guy hadn't noticed me till he went to step to her and I growled. I don't know why but I had this instant need to protect her nearly like the need to protect a mate but it's not the same close but not the same it's more like uuugh how do I explain this? The best I can possibly try is to say that she feels like mm a real sister, daughter and niece, Like her and Char would be ... I'd defend them both equally it'd kill me to loose either of em. The pain I felt thinkin' we'd lose Bella was so close to the pain I feel of loosen Char. It's not matin' I know that but there is a bond with Bella I can't explain any better than what I have."

"Anyway I ended the guy and it didn't even faze her to see it in fact I think it turned her on a little cause I smelt her arousal. Good luck with that one Jasper it is..."

"Peter shut the fuck up do not continue that thought."

"Jasper she is you mate and you need to be aware of how wonderfully potent her scent is cause strong and it calls to a male and it will call to you stronger than anyone else because she is your mate. You need to prepare for that so you don't go all primal on her."

"That won't happen with her, I will not allow myself to give into that and the Major is in agreement with me with Bella we are one team there is no conflict. Bella has endured too much and I am sure you're all aware that...she has been..."

"Yes jazz we are. It's okay we'll help her through this I sure Rose and mum will be great support man and I know I don't come across as one you can talk to about this stuff but from a guy's point of view Jazz I can give you some advice from what it was like with Rosie I can help you man any time you want to talk let me know"

"Thanks Em, actually Rose would you mind bein' there for her, let her know she's not alone, that she's not the only one please?"

"Jazz you don't even have to ask me. I do what I can."

"Thanks guys. Peter what happened after you finish with the guy?"

"Well I was cuppin' her cheek and she like the cold. We started talkin' she asked my name, I told her Peter and she told me Bella. I asked about a surname she said she hadn't thought of one yet and she didn't expect to last long enough to get used to one and that she didn't have the connections our kind does to obtain one . She didn't know what state she was in so I informed her that where in Texas. I couldn't understand how she had gotten here I mean it was obvious with all the bites and her over all condition that she'd been through hell. The first thing I thought when I first saw the scars was the southern wars and I wandered if she had travelled somehow from the Mexican border but if that where the case I don't see how she could have gotten away. She told me I was the first person she'd talked to in a week since she got away, other than the guy I just killed. After I took care of the body I really paid more attention to her and she looked so weak and pale. Anyway I offered to bring her home and I was goin' to get food on the way for her even though she didn't want any. She is way too thin and I thought it might give her energy or somethin' but she asked me if she didn't survive her injuries if I could do her a favour. I offered to take her to a hospital but she refused sayin' it's not safe and then she said she has to warn them that she is comin' and she has newborns with her. I asked who she wanted me to get the warnin' to and she said Cullen's a Major and his SIC. That's when she passed out and I got her in the truck and called you Jazz"

"Peter how would Victoria know bout you and me? And another thing who else knows bout the Whitlock crest well enough to brand a tattoo of it? Cause Bella has it on the back of her neck hidden under her hair and it is done to perfection with care, whoever it was wanted her safe and protected"

"Jasper the only person other than you and I is Charlotte and she's gone, there is no one else"

"If it wasn't you and I know it wasn't me, that only leaves Char are you positive it was her ashes?"

"You fuckin' think I don't know my mates scent Jasper?"

"I'm not sayin' that Peter...fuck I know you do I'm sorry man I am trying to figure this shit out "

Right at that moment I was hit with a massive wave of fear among a storm of other shit to go along with it and a gut wrenchin' scream from Bella we all raced to the room and I had her in my arms before I even though of what I was doin' .

A/N

Hi guys, so this was chapter two I really hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will have a Bella's pov and will explain a bit more please review and tell me what you thought and tell me what you'd like to see. Thanks for all your support and feedback it's been great.

Lauren xxx