Chapter 3
"Time?" Bella squeaked, fear now coursing through her body, heightening senses and causing sweat to prickle in various places. Was this it? Was this how she was going to die? Toyed with before being ripped apart by some nameless vampire. The woman leaned forward, two sets of incisors coming into view underneath a curled lip, the sight made Bella's stomach flip-flop in dreaded anticipation.
"Calm yourself, breathe deeply." The voice was hypnotic, soothing, like balm on her nerves. The fear began to immediately fade, breathing slowed, Bella felt at peace like nothing in this world could harm her at this moment. Every single muscle went slack, causing her to fall backward onto the soft duvet and head to loll to the side.
A hand caressed her cheek farther calming the girl before sliding lower to brush the mess of brown hair away revealing the four reddened puncture wounds. "I know you are weak, but I must take just a bit more if we are to make our journey safely." Bella heard the words but her mind for some reason didn't not ring any alarm bells. Her thoughts were too slow, comprehension of anything gone, so far out of it was the girl that she barely acknowledged the sudden weight pressing into her side nor the lowering of the woman's head or the prick of sharp teeth against her skin. She did, however, arch her back and gasp when those canines impaled themselves into her neck.
The woman drank leisurely, taking her time, making sure too much wasn't gone. For her part, Bella didn't feel any more pain just a draining sensation like the very energy from her body was being siphoned. She lethargically lifted an arm from the covering and pressed a hand on the back of the woman's head, urging her onward. The suction intensified, as mouthful upon mouthful of the intoxicating liquid was taken. Her strength was fading with each gulp, Bella was light, lighter than air, floating in a dream cloud of fluff. It was like smoking marijuana while chugging down a strong glass of liquor.
Bella's eyelids fluttered a bit, chocolate eyes rolling back into her head, the hand she had dug within black tresses slipped away hitting the bed with a light thump. The heated moisture left, letting cool air from the room to hit the damp area prompting a shiver from Bella, and those inhuman eyes peered deep within Bella's. "Oh no, little one you mustn't faint." A warm hand gently patted her cheek bringing Bella back from the abyss, she blinked rapidly, groaning when her head began throbbing painfully. Something cold yet soft pressed against her lips and a strong heady liquid hit her tongue bathing it in a mixture of flavors that were indescribable. "Drink." Unable to disobey Bella opened her mouth latching onto the limb, clumsily sucking on the offering like a newborn on their mother's teat.
"That's it. Drink. Grow stronger." The woman encouraged before a deep vibrating rumbled from deep within her chest and it took Bella's foggy mind a good minute or two to realize that she was purring.
Strength gradually returning, she sucked harder, greedily drinking in the life-giving substance. It was like a whole other drug, taking her to a height junkies could only ever dream of achieving. "Alright, that's enough little one." The demand went unheard instead Bella gulped in another mouthful.
"I said that is enough!" The bloody wrist was wretched back, its sudden absence making Bella whimper. At the pitiful sound, the woman's expression immediately softened. "Shh, shh," She gently hushed with fingers beginning to comb through unruly brown locks. "There will be more but we must make haste we have a lot of ground to cover." The weight lifted away from Bella leaving her alone and exposed to the cool air, she shivered, resisting the urge just to curl up beneath the covers. Letting out a ragged sigh she sat up, dark eyes scanning the room taking in the unfamiliar surroundings once more only to dart back to the woman who was currently riffling through a pile of clothes in a nearby dresser.
She held up a black lacy bra scanning over it curiously. "What do you call this?" Her head whipped around toward Bella.
"That's um that's a bra?" The woman tilted her head much like a puppy hearing a high pitched whistle. "It's for um women's uh breasts." Bella farther explained, face pinking by the second.
She turned back to the undergarment, staring for a moment more before understanding finally dawned in those soulless eyes."Ahh, I see." She rotated the item just inches away from her face. "Such strange clothing humans wear in these times." That regal head turned back to the girl. "Tell me, Isabella, do you wear these;" Her brow furrowed in thought. "undergarments?" If Bella's cheeks were pink before they were flaming now.
"Yes." Bella all but squeaked. The woman chuckled amused to no end by the girl's modest behavior. "You are so easily shamed, child." She tossed the item at the girl who reached up and caught it on instinct before once again blushing. She tossed the item in slight disgust. Rising, the brunette cautiously walked over to the older woman, whom was once again peering out of the window. Curiosity getting the better of her Bella looked out as well and gasped. "Where are we?" She questioned scanning over the sandy beach and the crashing sea waves. The scene looked anything thing but tropical though, it was cold, depressing, causing an involuntary shiver. It reminded her of La Push's beach.
"I know naught, but I thought it would be safe for us to rest and feed." The last word made Bella flinch. Feed, this woman fed from her and visa versa. Her stomach rolled just thinking about it. She drank blood, real life-giving blood at least she thought it was. Did vampires even have blood or was it all venom?
"Why did you bring me to this place? Who are you?" The questions tumble out of her mouth in a constant stream but she knew if stopped, any little nerve left would be lost.
When the woman just stared at her, the brunette sighed. "Umm, uh can I at least know your name?" Bella inwardly grimaced out how stupid that just sounded. This woman kidnapped her, drank from her, not to mention she was all sorts of inhuman and now, she was asking her name like they were strangers at a local grocery store.
The raven-haired woman glanced away from the window, giving Bella her version of a warm smile. "Lilith. Now, come we must leave." She turned to exit.
"Wait! Charlie? uh, my Dad." When she received a puzzled expression, Bella groaned. "I mean father, is he okay?"
She shushed her. "Easy little one, your sire is safe. Now, come along."
When they exited the bedroom, it was the smell, a distant overpowering aroma of decay that Bella hit first. Oh, she'd smelled death before; her father being the outdoorsman that he is she'd smelled her fair share of dead animals but this was entirely different. Bile scorched the soft tissue of her throat bringing tears to chocolate eyes. Hastily, she clamped a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hold the vomit back.
However, it was all in vain when the source of the stench came into view. On the walls, floor, and furniture, blood coated every surface like a sickly paint, its color already black from the dry air. On the hardwood floor, human corpses littered the living area with their limbs stretched out in various angles and faces twisted in horror.
She couldn't hold it any longer her stomach rebelled wrenching its contents all.
Noticing that the young human wasn't following and hearing the wrenching from behind, Lilith turned looking at the woman with concern written across those regal features. "Are you well?"
"Ye..yes" Bella lied clearing her throat of the burn and wiping the moisture for her eyes.
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah, lets just..lets just go."
The two women walked in silence through the dense forest with the older woman just a step ahead of Bella, her dark eyes darting wildly the area with each and every step, she only aided the girl when absolutely necessary which to Bella's embarrassment was quite often. The younger woman reasoned though, that at least Lilith didn't treat her like she was helpless kitten like Edward would have.
Bella gasped for breaths, her lungs burning in protest, the journey was taking quite a toll on the girl whose only exercise before this was a walk around the high school's gym every now and then. Fatigue began to weigh heavily on her muscles, sapping the energy from them, hunger also began to sit in causing her stomach to growl embarrassing loud. Lilith halted in her tracks turning to Bella. "Stay, I shall find something for you to eat."
The brunette nodded in agreement, watching as the elder disappears within the inky darkness, she leaned her overheated body against a nearby tree, sighing in relief when the coolness of the bark seeped into her clothing. She closed her eyes inhaling deeply giving her brain a chance to think. That's when a thought came to mind, wait a minute, Lilith said she was going to get her something to eat. What did she mean? Meat? Oh God! or Blood? Was she a vampire now or something? So caught up in fretting was the girl that she failed to notice the footfalls approaching.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Eyelids popped open just in time to witness Victoria materialize from the shadows. Her full lips were tugged into a wicked smirk, red hair and eyes blazing against the night's inky darkness. She looked like a demon wrenched from the lowermost pits of hell come to devour souls for her own sick amusement. Bella's heart began to pound and she pressed farther into the tree behind, ignoring the rough bark biting at her skin, blown pupils stay glued to the predator before her.
"My, my, Eddie Boy has gotten careless; leaving his mate out here in the dark." That redhead tilted her head ever so slowly to the side. "All alone." The way she drawled the last word out made the brunette shutter.
"Edward abandoned me months ago. He;" She swallowed against the lump rapidly forming in her throat. "He said I was just their pet."
A manic giggle burst from Victoria's lips. "Is that so?" She purred and much to Bella's horror began to walk forward. "You are a fool, human if you believe that." The vampiress was nearly two feet away from the brunette now and Bella was beginning to tremble, she pressed farther into the tree behind as if they bark would wrap protectively around her. Mentally pleading for Lilith to return.
The redheaded woman's muscles bunched, no doubt preparing to close the distance.
When there was a sudden whoosh between them, followed by a blast of air ruffling each woman's hair and in its wake stood the elder vampire, with plump crimson lips pulled back into a snarl. Her two sets of incisors gleaming in the moonlight, and eyes blazing with anger, the woman was an unnatural force formed into flesh who at the moment was very pissed off. Blinking rapidly to get over the shock, blood red met onyx in a challenging glare before a low growl rumpled, the beast within the redhead cowered, practically screaming at her, danger. The redhead broke the gaze, lowering her head she began backing away cautiously.
Not satisfied with the submissive display, the elder lunged forward, grabbed Victoria by the neck and whirled the younger woman around before hurling the nearly indestructible woman through the air like a rag doll. Bella lost sight of her but she can hear the snapping of young saplings and thick limbs like twigs until finally a boom echoed through the forest. Lilith blurred away after the redhead.
Just up ahead unseen by the brunette, wood splinters continue to rain down covering the forest floor below in a sheen of dust and debris. In the centre of the mess, feeling pain she didn't know was possible, Victoria groaned and attempted to pry herself from the massive oak but before she could even move a muscle the woman was upon her, pressing her now aching body deeper into the wood pulp. Mouth open wide the ancient vampire roared in Victoria's face. Silence fell over the land, crickets halted mid-chirp, whip o' wheels sprinted to their burrows, the creatures of the night that were closer could only sit on their perches and watch onward. Their queen had spoken, judgment was upon the unlucky one.
Victoria's long dead heart bottomed out, in all her years of being a vampire never before has something frightened her so. Involuntary, her head turns to the side, fully exposing the pale skin along her neck.
Lilith leaned forward sniffing the area much like how a feline would greet another. Seemingly satisfied by what was found she pulled back, aggressively staring deep within Victoria's eyes. "You've just fed." The sentence came out as a statement rather than a question. "So tell me, child, why is it you want to harm this girl?"
As if on cue, Bella arrived, with chest heaving and eyes wide she was the very definition of fright.
Victoria glanced over to the girl in question and snarled. "Her mate killed mine. It's only fair I kill her." Crimson eyes darted back to forth for a second before lowering once more when anger gave way to instinct. "A mate for a mate." She spat through gritted teeth.
The elder woman's face scrunched delicately in puzzlement reminding Bella of the confusion earlier. Bella's eyebrows drew together. Surely, Lilith knew what a mate was. Her answers comes in a form of a small question.
"A mate?"
"Yes." Came an agitated hiss.
A moment of silence passed, only to be shattered by a deep throaty chuckle that caused both girl and vampire to jump. "Mate?" The blood-curdling laughter continued only to stop suddenly. "We are creatures of the night, child." She hissed, facial expression darkening. "Demons." It was breathed, low and dark, sending chills up and down Bella's spine."We have no mates."
TBC...
AN: Apologizes for the delay, life and things get in the way sometimes. Alright now, I want to thank each and every one of you that has welcomed me into Twilight Fanfiction with open arms. I didn't receive any flames which I am eternally grateful for. Now, down to pairing, y'all keep asking me for Kate or Irina but come on people lets think outside the box here. I mean I would if y'all really wanted me to but still I would like someone different preferably not Leah(she just looks too much like Joseph from King of the Hill)