A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and for attempting to understand this insanity that flows
out of my mind. Keep in mind that this is a slow building story. I'm an impatient reader, so I understand it
can be frustrating, but I hope you'll stick with me.
Edited 4/11 by the fuck-awesome Jasper's Destiny. She's much more than just a pretty rack.
Caution: Violence, language, and sex…Oh my! So if you're not an adult, exit stage left.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
When we last left our heroes…
I started to run from under the tree, only to be jerked into hiding by Garrett.
For at that precise moment, as he pulled her away from the window, the sun's rays shot across the landscape.
FUCK!
I cradled my head in my hands as her screams began. Garrett could only hear her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest, her increased respiration, and the slight whimpering that escaped her covered mouth, but I could hear her screams. No matter the outcome of today, that sound would haunt my eternity.
Every minute it took till the sun set seemed everlasting. We tried to focus and use the time to come up with some sort of a plan, but damn if we were succeeding.
We could hear every vile word and torturing slide of his hands over her body as we stood invincible yet impotent under the tree.
I could hear her silent cries and pleas to a deity who had never been merciful to her before.
And oh, God…the screams.
Chapter 7: Peter's POV
Her screams, they're quieting. She's fighting back.
I stand as still and as silent as the Dogwood next to me, unable to move my gaze from her window. I'm aware of Garrett pacing around me at an inhuman speed accompanied by his inhuman growl. He resembles a panther in a cage - wild, untamed but trapped, ensnared by the same nature that, once freed, will bring hell to a vastly deserving human. Stillness comes more naturally to us than breathing. We occasionally have to remind ourselves to inhale or exhale, but in times of emotional turmoil or uncertainty, it's natural for us to revert to a frozen state, except for this pacing fucker.
Never in my undead existence (or before) had I ever felt so completely helpless. Helplessness is not a feeling I am accustomed to. Even when escaping the clutches of that whore in Mexico, we had choices, options. I am a supernaturally powerful being challenged adequately only by other supernatural beings. She was falling victim to an all too regular human crime and I was helplessly standing here unable to help her. I feel sick…physically sick.
Damn it.
If she can just hold on a little longer… She has to do that for me; for us. It seems cruel to ask so much of one person but I do. She will never again be a victim if she can just hold on until dark; if she can just survive.
After what seems an eternity spent in the shadows of these branches, we both turn to watch the sun trying to complete its descent. Garrett stops and I take a needed breath to try to talk around the hiss escaping me from listening to the human taunt her.
I will show him a pity fuck. I will break him and delight in his screams.
"Plan?" Garrett demands around his ever-present low rumbling.
"Don't know; don't care. We get her and I kill him. Other than that, it can all burn," I reply.
"Door?"
"No, Cameras," I answer.
"Window, it is then," he confirms.
For a second, however brief, I consider something outside of this moment. I was going to go in there and she was going to come out, consequences be damned. But did it follow that I had to damn my friend, one of only a handful I was lucky enough to be able to claim? This thought prompted the stupid to flow from my tongue.
"You don't have to do this. I can handle it. And this may garner some attention of the unwanted kind."
He lets loose his growl fully and it is fierce, his lips pulling back from his deadly, venomous teeth. I quickly hold up my hands and take a step back in submission. We have other things to do and, honestly, I'm not completely sure I can take him. Plus, I was in the wrong. Damn it, what isn'twrong with this situation?
His only response is to return to his pacing, mumbling something about 'finishing this later'. I don't like the sound of that, but I'd take what would come as long as it was after she was safe.
These past ten minutes had only confirmed what I already knew. She was ours. And this human was about to learn what happens to those who fuck with a Whitlock.
She was running full out toward a gigantic black void.
I wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but I was certain it was nothing good.
"Now!" The final rays were gone and darkness was a sweet relief. It was so sudden, as if even Mother Nature herself recognized the importance of the next few minutes.
We cleared the fence in less than a second with an easy leap. One more bound found us perched on the half inch lip of her windowsill. My God, it felt good to move again, power restored. We each grab a side of the bar grid secured to her window and free it quietly of its hold. As Garrett pulls the entire frame with the glass still embedded away from the building, I catch my first visual of what I'd known was happening. Knowing doesn't prepare me, though. We enter the room swiftly, letting loose fierce warning growls.
Taking in the scene before me, I feel my eyes darken and my venom pooling rapidly. I still because I'm losing control, and from the sound of my friend, he isn't faring any better. My inner demon is fighting to come out and I am fighting to prevent that, although I'm fairly certain it wouldn't hurt her because to have this reaction means he has a claim to her as well. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't scare the shit out of her, which was probably a lost cause at this point anyway.
The growl continues to vibrate through my chest as I try to keep a lock on my inner-bastard. Both heads turn to look at us, just noticing our presence. She opens her eyes and relief virtually oozes from her small frame. Her heart rate slows slightly as hisreaches new heights. I can smell his fear and it is sweet. I calm marginally, but only until I process my next thought.
The human is pinning her down and has his currently deflating dick in his hand. Apparently his fear isn't as big of a turn on as hers was proving to be. The fact that he is touching her at all warrants a death sentence. This, though…
This deserves something more.
Again, I struggle to maintain some semblance of control. My beast would have his needs met, and damn it, she would have her vengeance. We would have ours. Our warning is being heeded but nobody seems capable of moving, frozen as we are in various states of unbelief and anger. Of course, that is until the manic laughter cackles from her mouth.
The human turns his attention back to her wearily. Hell, we all do. You'd have to admit, she never does the expected. My life would never be boring again. Her following words only further prove this. Pumpkin looks the dick, holding hid pencil dick, in the eye, fixes a sneer on her beautiful face, and says in a remarkably steady voice, "Death awaits you, all nasty with big, pointy teeth."
After a second more of frozen silence, Garrett whispers at vamp level, "So worth it."
She'd won him over with one sentence, and Garrett is nothing if not loyal. He may have come in here for me, but everything following would be out of respect for her. He moves at a fast human pace to remove the scum from on top of her body as she closes her eyes. Pumpkin is apparently done with the drama from the day. I'd like to believe that this was a show of trust, but I know different. She was welcoming death with open arms since it was the lesser of the two evils she had faced in the last five minutes. I don't think I'd call it a death wish; more like accepting what she couldn't change.
As Garrett lifted the human by his neck, squeezing slightly to prevent any noise, the movement uncovered Pumpkin. We were shocked into stillness yet again. I broke quickly, though, to place her hospital gown back over her naked figure. I couldn't think about this now. We had too much to do, but with my infallible vampire memory, I'd be cursed with that image forever. Meeting Garrett's stare, I knew he was thinking much the same. What Hell had she already been through to mar her in such a way?
We turn our attention back to our prey with a new dose of righteous fury, and I snarl, showcasing my own pearly whites dripping with venom. I knew we had about twenty minutes left. It didn't seem sufficient to repay him for his crimes, but it would have to do.
"I've been waiting too long for this. Don't worry, we won't be interrupted. I want to hear how much you enjoy this," I purr menacingly in his ear. "Scream, bitch!"
Grasping his still exposed dick in my steel grip, I squeeze. Even with the crushing pressure on his esophagus, he emits a shrill scream of pain. I release my hold, vowing to bleach my hand later, and listen to the heartbeats of those standing right outside the door increase. Bingo. I give a quick nod to Garrett and he passes me the piece of shit with crushed, bleeding genitalia. Our bait was successful as…well, bait. Plus, I felt a little lighter.
In walk his boys, eyes widening as they behold the peacefully sleeping girl and their whimpering role-model. Garrett shuts the door behind them and we get to work. See, this is my reward for not giving into the demon and just slaughtering him. I get to take some time to smell his fear, and now his shit and urine, as he loses control of his faculties. Gross, but I have to admit it is very satisfying. My demon is even impressed by the macabre finished product of the bleeding, violated men. It has distinct artistic flare. I snap a couple of pictures on my cell for Char. I know my woman well enough to know she is not going to take this attack lightly. This might even keep her from coming back for everyone else. Such a Kodak moment.
With the three mutilated corpses posed in a very compromising position, I scrub my hands in the bathroom and watch the blood flow down the drain unbothered. I then retrieve the still passed out Pumpkin from her bed where not a drop had touched. Red splattered the ceiling, covered the walls, and pooled on the floor, but none trespassed her temporary sanctuary. I wrap her in her white standard hospital blanket and carry her toward the window. Leaping out lithely and then clearing the fence, I turn to watch as Garrett replaces the window frame (thank fuck for shatter proof glass) and presses the metal guard back into place. Even if they discovered the entry point, they would never figure out the truth. But why make it easy for them?
We quickly and cautiously make our way to our home on foot. I know Garrett doesn't relax at all until we cross the threshold, though he frequently casts glances at the young woman still passed out in my arms. Other than my assuring him she's alright and that she would awake when ready, we had been silent since leaving the facility. Both of our senses were on high alert and both of our minds were overloaded - both by-products of the day's festivities.
I place her in the guest room, which is her room now, and go to clean up. Now the question was 'What now?' I'm pretty sure we should get the hell out of Dodge at this point, but after that…I just didn't know. And I sure as fuck don't like not knowing.
After checking to make sure Bella is still resting, I head out to find Garrett. I don't have to go far. He's standing in front of the house and staring at her window. I didn't know what was going on in his head, so I figured I'd just wait till he was ready to talk. I'd rather not leave until she awoke anyway. I didn't have to wait long.
The right hook that catches me square in the jaw takes me down to the ground. I don't even attempt to block the follow-up left because I deserve it. When he notices I'm not fighting back, he sits down next to me and sighs.
"I apologize if I offended your sensitive feelings," I mutter dryly.
"You are an ass. But I have your back and, if I did not, I am man enough that I would let you know," he says rather amiably for a guy that was trying to shove my teeth down my throat a second before. It is his way. When things are taken care of, they are done.
"We good?" I just wanted to make sure before trying to get up. For an old guy, he packed quite a punch.
Garrett just smiled wryly. I'll take what I can get. After a few more minutes of listening to the sounds of life actually inside my house, he begins.
"Peter, I cannot get the image of her naked out of my mind," he admits in an ashamed voice, but there is no need for shame. I know exactly what he means. As soon as I was alone, it had come back to me as well. There was nothing sexual associated with it. For the first time ever, a naked attractive female had done nothing for me. I was experiencing a lot of firsts since Pumpkin had entered my world.
"In truth, I simply do not know what to think," he continues.
"You don't have to think anything."
"You said she had a few scars. I know you did not know the extent, but…shit! What causes that?" He was rubbing his face, trying to dispel the image, and as he asks, the image floats back to the front of my brain. There she lies, flat on the hospital bed with her hands still stretched above her head. Her hair is fanned out, tousled around her head, a bruise forming above a bump on her forehead. I am once again reminded of a fallen angel, her peaceful expression directly contradicting everything else about her. It seems too innocent on her damaged body.
She is beautiful even if entirely too thin; almost skin over bone thin. When looking at her body, though, the only thing you really see are the scars. Starting shallow at the base of her neck, just above her collar bone, are three claw marks that travel the valley between her breasts, graze the sides of them before extending below her navel, getting deeper and rougher in appearance. A fourth and fifth mark shadow the outside of her breasts before becoming deeper at her abdomen, meeting the others. The marks are so deep and wide that you naturally wonder what that did internally to her and how she is even alive. On her right arm there are four horizontal marks that look like scratches in comparison. The bottom one I had noticed on her arm the day I saw the bite mark. Then, of course, there was the bite mark.
After contemplating everything I knew about her, which didn't amount to much, I realize he is still waiting for a response. "I don't know. And as much as I wish otherwise, I get the feeling she's not gonna be throwin' that ball of knowledge our way anytime soon."
A moment later, he nods in understanding. "Is she really unwell? In the head, I mean. She has obviously been through …stuff," he finishes lamely.
"Yeah. Stuff." I snort as he places a jab to my shoulder. Sobering up, I answer reluctantly."I don't know for sure. I know she shouldn't have been in there and I'm glad she's out. The rest will have to be seen after she wakes. Sane or not, I do know that she belongs here."
"She will fit right in," Garrett says, smirking.
"Damn skippy! And I think she'll be good for us, too," I reply, voicing my optimism.
"Well, three weeks in to this relationship and you have already broken a patient out of an asylum-"
"I didn't say a good influence on me, ya smarmy bastard. I meant she'll be good for us on the whole," I interrupt before he could really get going. "It wasn't even my first 'jail break'. That was Mexico City in the 20s."
"I believe I have heard tale about that one. But, tell me, how long did Char punish you for that particular daring escape?" I wince remembering those four months under Charlotte's wrath as he asks too cheerfully for my liking. I wince again realizing the call I have yet to make.
Garrett catches on quickly to my train of thought, flinching slightly at the thought of my mate pissed off. "We need to leave as soon as she's awake. In the meantime, let's pack up the truck. When we have time, I'll call Char." I was pleased that I could put it off. "Or you can?" I add as his mouth is forming the word 'pussy'. He quickly shakes his head and backs off. We were seasoned veterans. This is not a testament of our bravery but of how fierce my woman is; she has to be to keep us in our place, which she does mighty damn well.
Char and I live as nomads occasionally, but we enjoy having the finer things, like houses and shit. It still took less than an hour to cover the furniture and pack the few bags that we'd be taking. Now we just had to wait for our little human to wake up…which unfortunately meant I had time to make the call.
I have to liken my walk to retrieve my cell to an inmate heading to ride the lightenin'. I mean, I was hoping for a reprieve but there were just so many things that could fry me in this situation. Enough worrying! It was time to man the fuck up.
She answered on the second ring and I could hear laughter in the back ground."Hey!" She sounded so happy that I really hated to tell her. But we had no secrets.
"So, you found the emo bastard?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Of course. Was there any doubt? And guess what? He's coming back with me," Char adds, like that wasn't her plan to begin with.
"What's the damage?" I ask, truly curious and stalling still.
"Just a small flesh wound." I can hear the smile in her voice.
"Small, hell! My right arm!" I hear my brother shout from the background.
"Oh, he'll be fine. How are things there? Want me to pick you up some binoculars on my way home?"
The time has come. "No, that shouldn't be necessary," I answer pensively.
I hear her take a deep breath. I assume she's trying that counting backwards technique from that parenting magazine."Peter, why is it not necessary? You didn't leave her unattended there, did you?" she asks slowly.
"Honey, it's a girl!" I exclaim with false cheer.
"Peter," she warns in a quiet voice. So I tell her. I spill every detail of Pumpkin getting attacked and what we could hear. I choked a very manly sob back as I told her about being trapped by the sun. I continued with my word vomit till I was yet again overcome by emotion when I told her about us entering the room. Char gave a proud huff when I repeated the only words Pumpkin had spoken. I could tell by the growling in the background that my brother was listening to my account of our day. I gave an abridged version of her physical appearance and continued to assure them that we took care of the douche bags.
"I'll send you the picture I took of the finished product, which brings me to the purpose of this call. We need to leave as soon as she wakes up. I'm not worried about us, but they're going to be looking for her. Where do ya'll want to meet us?"
"Why don't we meet up at my cabin in Wyoming? It's in the shadows of the Rockies and has plenty of room and no neighbors." It was actually nice to hear that deep Southern drawl again.
"Thanks, brother. Garrett and I have everything ready. We'll head out in a few hours. I've never traveled with a human before, so I'm not sure how long it might take."
"Sugar, there is nothing I find hotter than a strong man comin' to the aid of a damsel in distress," Char purred seductively into the phone. Three weeks was too long to be separated from my mate. "You keep takin' care of her and I'll take care of you as soon as I'm home."
"Yes, ma'am," was all I could choke out as the venom fled from my brain into my other head. Damn, now I'll have to take care of this.
I hung up with my mate as I heard Pumpkin's breathing pick up. Garrett was standing with me outside her door in the next instant.
Well, here goes nothing…