Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight. I wrote this as a pure embodiment of my love for the series. This is entirely for non-profit.


Chapter SIX

Creatures who belong to the Night

"Alec, we need to talk."

My whispered words still rang down the dark street Alec decided to walk with me. I knew I was supposed to be scared. Instincts had been telling me all along to get away from Alec in the night; he was a different person then, a different being.

I didn't like desolate streets enclosed in darkness either. But I was feeling safe merely from Alec's proximity and it terrified me to think of him in any way other than a sadistic and dangerous psychopath who made serial killers from horror movies look like a joke.

I wasn't such a delusional and naive little girl. Alec was far more lethal than anyone or anything I could encounter at this time of the night and it was reckless just as obtuse to think he could protect me. Because no matter how I put it - he was the one I need to be shielded from.

They say knowledge is power and the more I know about my, hmm, enemy the better. However, I had made a decision. It would place me a step closer to my destruction or salvation - only time will show which one.

I intended to find out Alec's secret even if it meant I'd have to use the taboo - my second wish. First, I had to make sure there was no way that he would voluntarily reveal his secret. Not only would it be extremely stupid to use this one thing that's more precious than anything I ever possessed (and possibly the key to my freedom) but it would be very unpleasant to live with myself when I knew I didn't do everything within my power to try and draw out the truth from him.

So, I forced myself to return Alec's gaze and noticed his eyes were wary. He was quiet, waiting for me to continue.

"I don't like hearing lies, Alec. I have no doubt that you're better at telling them than I am at detecting, but for the sake of our relationship in the future try to be as honest as possible. Can you promise me that?" I gulped and looked sheepishly at Alec through my eyelashes, copying his technique.

He watched me curiously and slowly nodded his head. His dark eyes bored into mine with silent question.

"I can only promise that I'll try. I've lied to people all my life, but I never looked at it as something bad or felt ashamed because of my insincerity. With you... it's different. But I'll keep my right to remain silent if you ask something I cannot provide a sincere answer to."

I nodded my head in agreement. I didn't expect of Alec to play along at all and I was delighted to know there was still a chance of finding out the truth without any need to employ drastic measures. But the real question was where to start? There were bunch of things piled up in my head I wanted to ask him. With which one should I start with if my aim was to thaw out Alec enough so he would spill out all of his dark secrets to me?

I was browsing my head for possible questions when a rush of cold wind ruffled up my hair, effectively distracting my thoughts. Alec and I had wandered into a completely dark street. It must had been past midnight because there were no pedestrians around us. A lone car would occasionally pass by, but that was all. I recalled the text I've read in newspaper a few days ago. According to the recent statistics, Seattle was one of the most dangerous cities to be in after the sunset - death toll was constantly increasing and no one could trace the ones doing it. The police suspected it was mafia's doing.

Suddenly, Alec stopped walking and I turned to him. His eyes were closed shut and he looked focused. His nose wrinkled and he slowly opened his dark eyes. I was just about to ask him what was wrong when he quickly moved to stand in front of me as his eyes scrutinized the darkness of the street before us. I strained my eyes to see what I supposed Alec was seeing but it didn't help. I sighed in frustration and threw a second glance over the impossibly murky street.

And then I saw the dark outlines and everything clicked into place. We weren't alone.

They were as white and radiant as the moon above us. The way they moved, completely synchronized and soundless, reminded me of predators stalking their prey. I gasped when I saw their faces illuminated by the moonlight and for some reason it reminded me of the first night I met Alec. Because faces of those teenagers could be compared to Alec's, perfectly impeccable like cherubs' with their sharp eyes gleaming shockingly red.

There were three boys and one small girl behind them. One of them was even taller than Alec and had terrifying muscles that made him look rather huge. For me, it was easy to be frightened by him, but Alec's steel composure didn't let any of it show. He looked unimpressed by them, and maybe a little disappointed.

I gaped as realization struck me. They weren't like me. They were so different and the hunger in their crimson eyes made me cringe and squirm.

"Whoa there, what do we have here?" The tallest one with short, black hair spoke first. The deep bass of his voice shot through me and I wondered how could it be so pleasant to hear and so threatening at the same time. He leered at Alec with unhidden hostility. "An intruder..." His demonic eyes fixated upon me and I froze. "...and a snack."

"Alec, what th-" I started off but Alec roughly interrupted me. "Bree, stay back," he said evenly and placed himself between me and the red-eyed beings in two determined steps. It was a gesture showing he was ready to protect me if necessary.

Anxiety was chewing at me from the inside. I knew for certain Alec was very strong but what chances did he have against those... creatures, in the lack of a better word. I gulped and prayed it didn't come to a fight. It was very clear on whose side I was, and I didn't like the disadvantage. They didn't seem human, but on the other hand... neither did Alec.

I pushed that thought aside when I heard a barely audible dark snicker. It came from a younger boy, standing near the huge one. He looked similar to Alec but he had curly light brown hair. Like all the others, he was breathtakingly beautiful and I stared openly as the one in lead - the tallest boy - drawled again, glaring at Alec.

"Well, Mr. Stranger, it appears we have a problem. I haven't seen you around, have I?" he said harshly and folded his arms. Alec didn't respond, he just kept glaring at them with a completely expressionless face.

The one who was stranding beside him, turned to another red-eyed boy. This one looked younger than the two and he uncomfortably shifted his weight to other leg.

"Is this the one, Logan?" the brown haired boy asked him and then pointed towards Alec. I peered at them, both fear and curiosity mixing inside me. The younger one - Logan, frowned.

"Yes. His scent was scattered all around town. He isn't one of us, either-" he spoke in soft and melodic voice, but he was interrupted by their leader.

"He is not in our group, and yet...", he lolled his head and stepped closed to us. I winced and made an unconscious step back. "... he's in our town. Hunting blood that belongs to us."

At that moment I seriously considered turning around and running away. Those guys... those demons, terrified me to the core. Words like hunting and blood were familiar to me, but I couldn't place them in any context that made any logical sense then. The leader said they owned this town and called us intruders... no, he called me a snack. Gory pictures of cannibals and their meals flooded my mind and my pulse quicken its pace. I felt a sudden urge to run away and take Alec with me, as the unexpected wave of protectiveness towards Alec clouded my survival instincts.

"Not anymore. Let's take them out, Raoul," another boy said with an ample amount of snarl in his voice. His eyes narrowed and I could see his tensed muscles, ready to launch at us at any moment.

Raoul seemed entertained by his eagerness to destroy us. "Patience, Kevin. Of course we will, but first... I want to know where he came from. " And then he raised his upper lip, showing his razor-sharp white teeth. It wasn't a smile in any form, it was a threat. And it was so obvious even I had noticed it.

And then Alec openly laughed at Raoul's demand. It was distorted and there wasn't even a notion of jubilance in it. It scared me even more than the hungry-eyed demons and their threats because I had never seen that side of Alec.

"What does it matter to you when you won't live long enough to tell your creator about it?" Alec asked icily and casually put his hands in pockets. I couldn't see his face but I was willing to bet he was smirking.

A demon named Kevin seemed slightly taken aback by Alec's words and attitude. Clearly he wasn't used to being opposed. Not much, in any case.

"He has guts, for sure," and then he glanced expectantly at his leader. Raoul snorted and a dark chuckle escaped him.

"You know, stranger boy, I'm really planning to enjoy myself this time. First, we'll force you to watch as I drink the life out of that human- " his eyes froze on my neck and I lowered my head because I couldn't bear to look into his thirsty eyes. " - what was her name, again? Ah, Bree."

For the first time, Alec had some kind of emotional reaction. A low growl erupted from his throat and he bared his teeth at Raoul. I didn't give much thought about growling as I was too shell-shocked by Alec's demeanor. He stood in front of me, completely shielding me from them with his body. It all happened so fast, and I didn't have any time to process what was going on when I heard Raoul's deep voice again. All I wanted to do was get Alec and then get the hell out of there!

"And when I'm done with her, I'll pull you apart very slowly and then set your remains on fire until there's nothing left of you but ashes. Now, how does that sound?"

"Sounds like my line. I guess it doesn't matter if I kill you now or if I let you live a couple more months just to die in excruciating agony that will make you wish you were going through the change again... by my sister's hands. Although there's no denying that the first option would be much more satisfying," Alec said darkly and I wanted nothing more than to punch him for being so cocky. Seriously, what good could provoking them into killing us do? I hoped he knew what he was doing or we were done for. I bit my lower lip and peered from behind Alec.

As expected, Raoul was outraged. He was glaring at Alec and hissing. My attention was caught by the small girl from behind him who looked just as unsure of herself as I felt. She had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and she shook her head as she glanced over me. She looked like she was in pain, and her eyes were noticeably darker than Raoul's or Kevin's.

When she spoke her voice was melodic soprano. "Count me out, Raoul. I'm leaving." She literally disappeared within the same second and the younger boy, Logan, looked into the direction she must have fled.

"Sara..." He murmured. He obviously wanted to go after her, but decided to stay when Raoul crouched and with a loud growl, lunged at Alec.

I couldn't fully comprehend what happened next. One moment, Alec was in front of me and the next second I heard a sound that reminded me of two stone chunks colliding. I blinked, and my eyes found Alec pinning down Raoul to the ground, whose right arm was ripped off and lying on the ground beside him. If I had enough air in my lungs I would had screamed but I couldn't make a move, I could only stand there and watch the scene before me with eyes wide open.

Alec growled loudly and put his mouth against Raoul's neck, sinking his teeth into the skin. There was the sound of metal tearing apart as he almost effortlessly ripped off Raoul's head. A scream was trapped in my throat and all that was getting out was a soundless whimper.

The monster named Logan decided to go against Alec and he approached him from behind, but I couldn't see the rest of the fight as I was lifted in air by a pair of strong arms. I found myself looking into glistening red eyes. They reflected death and annihilation. I closed my eyes, expecting death to come at any moment. I couldn't help but think what little contribution Bree Tanner did to the world. I waited for the pain.

The killer's hands released me unexpectedly, and I fell down on my back. My eyes opened and I saw Kevin lying on the ground as well, even though nobody was touching him. He was motionless and his eyes seemed empty, like he was completely unaware of his surroundings. I crawled away from him and when my vision started to blur I realized I was crying. I blinked and wiped my tears off.

I forced myself up to my feet and felt weakness. All I knew was I needed to get away from there. That was maybe the only chance I would ever get. I made a few clumsy steps and held the lamppost to keep myself from collapsing. Don't think about Alec - I repeated innately. Something inside my very own being was pained to know Alec was a monster. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.

"Bree?" I winced as I heard a familiar voice beside me. I couldn't move. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

If I didn't know any better I would've thought that demon beside me was worried for my well-being. All my fears and nightmares came true. Alec was a monster - he wasn't any better than those he destroyed.

He lifted me gently in his arms. He was trying to be exceptionally careful with me - futile effort, in my opinion. His hands were still as firm and cold as an iceberg. I lifted my glance and met his eyes. His contacts had dissolved and I could see the real color of his eyes shining through. That was my wake-up call.

"Let me down," I whispered. He didn't move an inch. I started struggling. "Now!" My voice was husky and weak but he understood what I wanted. Yet, I was still entrapped. "Alec, please..." I wanted to say to him to leave me alone, to go away and never see me again. But he slowly put me back on my feet, his hands sneaking around my waist, supporting me.

His burgundy eyes were slightly narrowed and I hated to see concern in them. Yeah, like he actually cared about me. He was almost as dead as those monsters who he killed. "Bree." I looked down, not wanting to met his eyes again. I wanted to believe it wasn't true but they kept things straight in my head. Alec lifted my chin so I would have to return his gaze. I hesitated.

How could I ever believe there was something more to Alec than obliteration and death? I meant nothing to him and I had to break out of that illusion.

"Look at me, Bree," he whispered somberly and held me like I was something precious. I obstinately shook my head and tried to free myself from his steel grasp.

"I don't want to. Now let me go," I muttered under my breath and snorted indignantly. Alec went motionless for a few moments and then he finally released me.

"I can explain this. Trust me, Bree. Let's go somewhere else..." Alec began with a hint of desperation under his tone. I laughed cheerlessly, still stunned. Did he really underestimate my intelligence that much he believed I would willingly come with him after everything I had seen that night?

"I'm not coming anywhere with you or near you, Alec! You can just forget our deal and I'll forget it all and this is the end. I'm leaving." I turned around and was ready to run away but the sudden pain in my left wrist caused me to halt. He was holding my hand with force I did not think was possible. A sob broke away from me as I felt my wrist breaking.

Alec was standing beside me with a ruthless expression on his alabaster face. An expression that plainly said that he was angry and I was in trouble. For real, this time.

And then I caught something odd in my peripheral vision. A clear mist quickly surrounded me, looking like a deadly vapor and I held my breath. As it touched my left hand I couldn't feel the pain anymore. Or, to be precise, I couldn't feel anything at all about my hand!
I sobbed again, probably out of fear, because I was loosing all of my senses gradually and I couldn't do a thing about it.

"You brought this upon yourself, Bree...", one icy voice whispered in my ear, but I couldn't see the one it belonged to because the mist caused blindness. And then it completely engulfed me, effectively locking away all of my sensation.