Ok, this is a little confusing, the beginning of this is in Edward's point of view, but he is reliving Jordan's memory, so it is also Jordan's point of view. It is Edward seeing things as Jordan remembers them, with Jordan's emotions, thoughts and actions, Edward is just tagging along as an observer, got it?

Chapter fourteen

Edward's POV:

I could hear the lapping of waves, smell the distinct tang of salt water and brine. There was a strong wind curling over the bushes and grass, twining around my still form, blowing the hair back from my face and plastering my frayed traveling clothes against my limbs. I turned my face skyward, looked up at the moon, almost totally obscured by clouds and fog. A light drizzle was pattering against the asphalt of the road I stood on, each tiny drop's impact slightly magnified in my sensitive ears. It was late, though precisely what time I couldn't tell with the sky so clouded, but I guessed it must be well after midnight, for there were no cars on this road.

I had followed the scent here, Dylan's scent, I knew automatically, though I hadn't really noticed it previously. Now, through Jordan's senses, it was all I could focus on, a ridiculously appealing, mouth-watering perfume like the nectar of honeysuckles mixed with the delicate fragrance of pomegranates. I knew I'd smelled it before, but I realized being around Bella for so long had numbed me to the appeal of other smells. I recognized now how addictive this new scent was. I couldn't blame Jordan for following it here.

I glanced around me once again. I could see the hunched outline of the city beyond the road, the spires and juts of bridges and buildings, close by, but indistinct and hazy in the fog and rain. I recognized the city, but I had no interest in it-she hadn't gone that way. She'd turned off the road, I knew, and had stumbled down through the patchy undergrowth to the beach, which was relatively sheltered from the road. Perhaps she was trying to throw me off with the strong smell of the ocean, but more likely she was too weak to keep going without a rest, and just didn't want to sit on the roadside out on the open.

This thought thrilled me, my predatory instincts squirmed in anticipation at the thought of my prey: weak, vulnerable, alone. I strode across the road to the scrubby bushes hugging the metal barrier. Swinging my leg silently over the low divider and stepping into the undergrowth I stooped low and felt about on the ground gently for a moment. I detected the minute indent in the dirt, the almost nonexistent print of her boots, and the ghost of her aroma hovering in the air above them, along with the metallic smell of fear.

I stood again and picked my way quietly through the bushes, I didn't wear any shoes, so my feet made almost no sound. The rain would cover any small rustlings I might make, so I sped up, my nostrils flared to the imposing smell of the sea and the delicious smell of my prey floating on the breeze. I was in my human form, but my senses and mind were still almost entirely that of my wolf self. Only a small corner of my brain still retained my humanness, so small and insignificant I paid it no heed.

I emerged onto the broad, flat expanse of the beach. There was very little sand, mostly round pebbles and gravel, and the iron water was lapping at the shore, the tide was coming in. chunks of pale drift wood and occasional pieces of litter or seaweed were scattered about on the ground, but there was no living thing in sight. I kept to the edge, near the bushes, bent low to the ground, my feet hardly shifting the gravel underfoot, my eyes wide against the gloom.

I could see a form ahead of me, crouched beside a piece of bleached white wood, carried up almost to the shrubs by past waves. There was a canvas backpack propped up against the log, it was open, she was extracting a bottle of water from inside. Opening it she took several deep, rushed sips, coughing as she swallowed too much. Again the hunger flared as I watched the water drip from the corner of that soft mouth, saw the muscles of her throat flex as she coughed, all in perfect detail with my night-sensitive eyes.

She unclenched her bent legs from their crouch and sat properly, stretching out her long legs and wincing a little at the residual cramps and aches. She took a few more gulps of the water and replaced it in her pack, closing it and leaning back a little against the driftwood, her hand rising to cover her face in exhaustion. The wind blew her hair away from her face and sent her scent spiraling toward me in an whirl of temptation. I licked my lips. I rose from my crouched position and stood straight, stepped forward with silent, steady steps, toward my prey, sitting oblivious.

"Hello Dylan," I said quietly, as I stopped right beside her, looking down at her thin, motionless form, her titled head and exposed throat. Her hand flew from her face and her eyes were wide in surprise and panic, a tiny gasp escaped her mouth. She scrambled to her feet more quickly than I had expected, but then she had always been quite fast for a human, it was part of what made the chase so enjoyable.

Making to bolt for the bushes, she nearly stumbled over the driftwood, but caught herself, leaping over it. It was a good try, she would have made it over, and cleared it by several feet, I was impressed by the agility of the jump. I seized her arm before she hit the ground, jerking her back with such force I heard her elbow pop. She sprawled on the ground, her legs draped over the log she had tried to jump over, her arm still firmly in my grip. "I commend your effort," the monster in me purred, yanking her to her feet and pulling her closer.

"You've given quite a chase, I'll almost be sorry it's ending."

"Jordan, please don't do this-" The fear in her words was apparent, her voice shook, like the tinkling of a bell.

"Pleading will get you no where, Dylan, I am no longer a slave to my weaker half."

"You don't want to do this, fight it, Jordan, please!" she was close to tears now, the hysteria of impending death almost radiated from her skin it was mounting so quickly. I chuckled quietly, "you humans are so amusing when you're desperate, it's like watching a rat scrabbling in a maze." My laughter faded, "but the maze has to end sometime, that's the way it works."

"Please, you can fight it, you can go back to before-"

I laughed again, she'd always been funny too, I had forgotten that, it had been a while since I'd actually spoken to her. "Back? Back to my pathetic human self? Back to the limitations of the moon and my fickle emotions? I think not. I have embraced the power in me, Dylan, I will never go back to that existence."

"But you loved me then, don't you remember that, doesn't that mean anything?"

"Of course. You were a wonderful novelty. But the novelty has worn off I'm afraid, all fantasies must come to an end in due course."

"If you loved me you wouldn't do this, you swore you wouldn't, you told me your love would protect me from it." That was bold of her, and naïve, but after all, she was only a human, and young at that, I couldn't expect her to grasp the truth. I chuckled to myself.

"Sentiment," I shook my head in amusement, "a ghost of an infatuation, now purged-"

My words were cut off, something sharp and searing cold had pierced my hand, stinging like acid, sending a thousand tiny needles of pain shooting through my arm. I screamed and released my hold, staring at my fingers in horror. Warm blood was blossoming from a slash bellow my knuckles, the edges of the cut were tinged metallic grey. "Silver!" I hissed furiously, clenching my fist to dull the pain. "You little-"

She had seized her pack and leapt over the log, sprinting through the underbrush like a deer. I growled and ran after her, flitting through the darkness and vegetation with the speed of a hawk, my eyes fixed on her. She was looping around, trying to swerve back toward the beach and the road, her breathing shallow and erratic. I spun around and flew back the way I had come, meeting her head on as she rocketed toward the road. Fast as she was, her night vision was poor, she didn't see me until a second before she smacked right into me.

The force of the collision left her dazed for a second, but then she regained her balance, tried to run. I had her by the wrists, before she could blink, my grip unslackening as she twisted and struggled. I raised one of the hands to my face and gazed at what she had clenched in her fist. A small knife, no longer than my hand, the shiny blade smeared with my blood. "Silver, that was a sneaky trick." There were silver rings on her fingers as well, she'd been better prepared than I thought. "I never pegged you as the conniving type, Dylan, but that was well played." I extracted the knife from her fingers and hurled it into the bushes, "a pity it didn't work."

I dragged her out of the bushes and onto the beach, repeating her words with rage and amusement, "If you loved me you wouldn't do this, you swore you wouldn't… oho you're a clever human, I'll give you that, and manipulative. No wonder I liked you so much."

"Let go of me, stop it, you can't do this, let go!"

I twisted her wrist forcefully, she cried out in pain, "I'll not be tricked again, Dylan, we'll finish this now."

I inhaled deeply, letting her smell fill my lungs, my wolf instincts sang with eagerness. I wanted the taste of that blood, I wanted the power flowing through those veins like an electric current, I wanted the fluttering of that pulse and the trembling of those hands and the softness of that skin, I wanted to rend it apart and feel the heat of the life drain away as I devoured the source of that heavenly scent.

A deep, gravely growl rose in my throat, I felt my muscles vibrating and shuddering as they shifted and expanded, felt my teeth lengthening, my jaws widening. My body convulsed as the transformation reached its peak, but I still did not release my grip on my prize, I would have her tonight, I would finally feast. And suddenly the transformation was done, my body altered, my claws clenched around her frail wrists, my tongue lolling in anticipation. She was struggling like a madman now, putting all her pathetic strength into trying to break my hold, yelling for help with no one to hear, sobbing for mercy.

I lunged for her throat but she twisted away desperately, my teeth instead latching onto her shoulder. I sank them deep into the soft flesh and felt her scream in my ear, a scream of pure pain and terror, but I barely heard it. Sweet, hot blood was flooding my mouth, more delicious than I remembered, more incredible than I had fantasized. I ripped deeper into the tissue and muscle, feeling my power increase ten fold with every gush of her blood that entered my mouth, so much raw power, so much undiluted magic, I felt I might go mad with the thrill of it. She was still screaming, crying, struggling, but these things seemed distant and insignificant. I released her wrists and instead latched my claws onto her shoulders, the better to hold her still.

She tried to yank herself away and I snarled, hitting her hard across the face, leaving a long, jagged cut on her cheek. This began to bleed in abundance and I was distracted from her shoulder for the briefest instant, the frenzy of the kill taking hold of my senses, the immediately fresh blood drawing my attention. I turned to tear at the soft skin of her cheek and she lashed out at my face, the burning silver of the cursed rings making me yowl with annoyance and pain.

She broke away for a moment, made a reckless bolt for the bushes, I leapt after her like a cat after a fluttering bird, caught hold of her knee and brought her down, she smacked against the ground with a scream. She scrabbled against the stones and gravel desperately, trying to pull herself away, trying to get to her feet. I lunged madly forward, snarling, and sank my teeth into her leg, the pulsing veins tearing as easily as flimsy silk, the sinews and muscles shuddering like frantic fish thrown onto land, and the rich, warm blood spurting forth in a red fountain.

She kicked, kicked again with more force than I had believed she possessed, her foot cracking against my skull like a javelin, jarring my teeth, making me loosen my grip. She lashed out again blindly, missing my eyes by inches. I growled low in my throat, the tantalizing blood seeping through the fabric of her pants and flowering over her calf like a splash of scarlet paint, that precious stuff going to waste. She was on her feet and stumbling, running, limping with feverish speed toward the water. I jumped up from the ground and rushed after her, the scent and lingering taste of her flesh driving me berserk, extinguishing all logic or reserve.

I was a hand's breath away from seizing her backpack and wrenching her back into my grasp when I stumbled into the water. With a screech of pain and rage I hopped back, shaking my paw frantically to dislodge the poisonous liquid. Water is death to Lycans, we cannot tolerate it, especially moving water, the sting and coldness of it was almost as painful as silver, and ravenous as I was for the human, I could not pursue her into the dreaded ocean.

She stumbled in deeper, wading and floundering like a wounded bird, until she was up to her waste, then she stopped, hunching over and gripping her thighs with trembling hands, gasping for breath. She turned and looked back at me, blood still pouring down her face and her shoulder, and staining the water around her darker as her torn leg continued to flow without pause. I roared in rage, pacing up and down the shore with twitching, furious movements, glaring at her, my prize, pulled from my grasp at the last moment.

In my fury and ravenous craving it did not occur to me that were I to revert back to my human form, I could wade in after her. But then I would have to drag her back out, and we would both be soaked with the hateful substance, I could not transform if I was drenched, so I would have to hold onto her until we both dried off.

I stared hungrily after her as she retreated further into the icy water, the floral scent of her blood fading in the overpowering reek of the ocean. I snarled again, gritted my teeth, then turned away in disgust and anger, shot off into the bushes and into the road, prowling along the empty highway in a deadly temper, looking for a passing car containing a victim with which I could attempt to satisfy my hunger. I knew she would have to emerge from the water eventually, but it would not be here, and it would not be tonight. She would travel as far as she could along this coast, keeping close to the water she knew I feared, but she would have to stray toward land sooner or later, and I would follow at a distance until then, my hunger even more potent than before.

Listen up people, I am working day and night (literally, it is like 11:45 PM right now as I am finishing this), and I don't mean to be needy, but please please please! If you read this, REVIEW! It doesn't matter what you have to say; if you hate it, tell me so, if you think I need to get a life, say so, if you love it and want more, I'd love the encouragement. I ain't kidding, at least four reviews if you want the next chapter, you hear?