Chapter ten

Dylan's POV:

Jordan stopped talking immediately, his senses, so much more sensitive than mine, alerted him to the form speeding towards us as soon as it broke from the cover of the forest. He turned in a lightning-quick movement, his whole body tensed, he set his feet apart, meeting it head on. The two collided with a crash and he slid backwards a few inches, driven by the momentum of the attacker, but stood firm, repelling the new comer back several feet with the force of a cannon.

I froze, my eyes flew to the figure Jordan had thrown back, I glimpsed white skin and bronze-colored hair, he turned his face to me, his amber eyes locked with mine. Oh no. He looked away from me and growled in the direction of my companion, leaping to his feet in a movement too fast to catch, his fists and jaws clenched.

Jordan let loose a menacing, guttural snarl, crouched down low in a predatory stance, his whole body began to shake uncontrollably, as if he were having a seizure. "Jordan stop!" I yelled, but he didn't even look at me. Thick, dark hair was spreading down his face and arms, his fingernails were elongating at a sickening rate, his body was lengthening. I seized his arm and wrenched it hard, trying to swing him away from the vampire. He glanced at me fleetingly, his pupils were dilating, he didn't seem to recognize me anymore. "Jordan, please!" For a second there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but then it vanished, replace with a sudden chilling hunger. I let go of him immediately, stepped back as quickly as I could, tripping over my own feet and falling down with a wince of pain as my tender shoulder struck the ground.

As I landed he lunged, his warped, clawed hands seizing my throat. I couldn't breathe, I felt the claws pierce my skin, felt the throb of pain in my arm and leg as his weight crushed my injuries against the ground. I raised my arms instinctively to try to unclench his grip on my neck, sobbing for air as he lowered his serrated teeth. My body jerked at the sudden crash against my side as Edward struck the wolf on top of me. Jordan roared, lifted his head a fraction and snapped at his enemy. I raised my clenched fist and struck as hard as I could at the glowing green eye above me. He snarled in pain as the hefty metal of my rings drew blood, the solid silver searing him and making him release his grip. Edward tore him away from me and I rolled onto my side, coughing as I tried to regain my breath and scrambling to my feet.

Another blurred white figure had come from the house and flew into the fray, striking the werewolf from behind as it battled with the first vampire. Jordan bellowed in savage rage, twisting to slash at the new opponent, who was much larger than the first, equal to his werewolf size and strength. Edward and his brother struggled with the wolf as he writhed and snarled, clenching his jaws on Edward's raised arm and making him scream with pain. The werewolf's baleful green gaze flew to me, his nostrils flared, with another ragged howl he released Edward's forearm and attempted to spring for me. The other two held him back and I stumbled away another few paces, towards the woods, my instincts telling me I had to make for the forest. In the past my best chance for escape had been to seek out running water, which werewolves could not cross. The panic was flooding my brain, extinguished logic, I didn't register that the house would be the safest place to run to, pure instinct and past experience directed me now.

I heard another chilling howl and twisted to look back behind me. Jordan had thrown Edward's brother several feet away, and was now making for me, only slightly hindered by the much smaller form of the vampire. With a snarl he smacked Edward hard across the head, a blow that would have crushed a normal person's skull, but Edward merely looked dazed and disoriented. In this moment of weakness the wolf broke his hold and with another massive clout sent him flying, he landed crumpled on the grass near his brother, and did not get up.

I felt faint with over exertion and fear, I didn't think I could move even if I wanted to. I knew I could not hope to outrun him in my current state, and I knew the rings would be of little use against him. He stalked toward me, his pace slowed now that his assailants were beaten. I wouldn't have believed he could overpower two full-grown vampires, but he always seemed to pull out another horrifying trick just when I thought I had him all figured out. Apparently he was stronger than I'd imagined.

I felt as if the air was quickly draining from my lungs, and I was incapable of refilling them. Perhaps I would suffocate to death before he reached me, that would be less painful surely. He had closed the distance between us, he circled, his snout raised, tasting the air, smelling the aroma of the fresh blood oozing from the cuts on my neck, the barely covered scent of my bandaged wounds. He moved in a little closer and I jerked back instinctively, the sudden movement made his growl, he bared his elongated teeth. I took another panicked step backwards, the muscles in my legs vying to run, but I couldn't. I knew it would come to nothing, I was weak and he was at his full strength, I'd be struck down in two seconds flat.

He moved in again, leaned toward me and sniffed at my bandaged leg hungrily, his red tongue extended out to lick his teeth. I stepped back, he snapped his jaws and reared back onto his two back legs, towering over me. "Please stop," I whispered, my voice small and hoarse, I couldn't think what else to say to him, I knew his mind no longer registered my words. "Jordan, please…"

There was no flicker of recognition in those malevolent green eyes. All traces of his humanity had fled, leaving only ravenous hunger and a disturbing cold intelligence, the intelligence that told him to not just hunt any passing creature, the manic, animal cunning that locked on to me alone.

With a sudden, blurred movement he batted me down into the dirt, striking a blow across my face that jarred my teeth. I went down with a thud and smacked my head hard against a stone, blood trickled down my face and soaked into the gauze of the bandage on my cheek. Through my paralyzing fear I vaguely wondered if I might die of blood loss before he had a chance to finish me off properly. At the rate it was seeping out of me this week I didn't think I had much left in my circulation.

I tried to get up and felt strong, thorny claws crushing my back, felt the hot breath on my ear as the creature leaned its jaws low toward my neck. My fingers scrabbled in the dirt desperately, they met the jagged edge of the rock I'd hit. Without thinking I gripped it and, with the frantic strength and speed born of pure terror, lifted it and smashed it as hard as I could against the side of his head.

He yowled in pain and shock and fell to the side, blood blooming from the gash above his eye, muddling his vision. I rushed to my feet and started running, ignoring the screaming pain in my calf and pouring every last drop of energy I had left into my sprint.

"Dylan!" involuntarily I skidded to a stop, caught off guard by the plaintive tone of the familiar human voice. I spun around and stared at the spot a few yards away where only moments before the ferocious six-foot tall werewolf had tried to tear me to shreds. Now there was a crumpled thin form, with shaggy dark hair, the remnants of clothing visible clinging to his pale limbs.

"Dylan," he called again, his voice rasping the way it always was after he transformed. He was looking at me, blood dripping down the side of his face, his eyes unfocused. He was always worn out and disoriented when he reverted back to his human shape, he didn't make a move to get up. "Dylan please don't go…" he said feebly, spitting the blood from his mouth.

I wanted to run back, guilt and concern twined around my legs like a stimulating vine, urging me to go to him. But I knew this could be a trap. He was smart, smarter than any normal wolf, he could easily be pretending to be sapped of his energy, when in reality he was ready to pounce on me in his canine form at any moment. I couldn't have hit him that hard, could I? He couldn't be too badly hurt, it wasn't worth the risk of go near him, after all he'd given me much worse in the past, and I'd managed to drag myself on. He'd survive.

"Dylan I'm sorry." He said wretchedly, his voice low, I could barely hear him… "please don't hate me-please don't leave again…" his eyes closed, he slumped back on the grass, his hand still covering his forehead, blood trickling between his fingers. I took a hesitant step toward him and felt a sudden jerk on my arm, without thinking I whipped my hand back and punched as hard as I could, trying to rip my arm free, then I stopped, realizing who it was.

"Ouch, silver." Jasper muttered, rubbing his unbruised ivory cheek. "What are you doing?" I said frantically, again uneasily aware of the fresh blood at my throat. "Helping you. We heard the noise inside, Emmett said he'd handle it, and Edward was taking Bella home-"

"He came back, he came from the woods."

"Yes, we saw him. That's why Emmett went to help. But apparently the two of them weren't enough to beat whatever attacked you."

"He didn't attack me!" I said somewhat shrilly, "they attacked each other."

"Of course, you were just a by-stander. That explains the cuts on your neck."

"He tried to-he didn't-I-" I couldn't find words, I felt as if I might break down in hysterics at any moment.

"Let's have Carlisle look at those," he gestured to my neck, "I'm fine." I said hastily, trying to regain some composure. "I sincerely doubt that. Come on, you're safe now, you can rest inside." Before I could protest he lifted me off the ground and flew to the house. I glimpsed Edward and Emmett approaching the still form of Jordan sprawled near the trees. Part of me wanted to scream to them to leave him alone, scream for him to run. I shut my eyes and grit my teeth in defiance, smothering the impulse, trying to shake the feeling of sorrow and guilt, feeling as if I'd betrayed him in some way I couldn't grasp.