CHAPTER 25

Once Bitten

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Lottie screeched at me as she paced back and forth.

"YOU! You are the problem!" I shrieked. "And you could have hurt me with your hockey stick!" I pointed to the stick sticking out of the tree, my head whipped back around.

"Really?" Lottie stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "So you weren't paying attention, you let in goals when clearly you were able to keep the fucking ball out. I mean, it's not hard to miss is it? We only scrape that back and then you don't even wait to shake hands with the other team; it's just damn rude!"

"Oh, and you don't think it's embarrassing for you to grab my helmet and rail me out in front of everyone!"

"Yeah, it's embarrassing but I've had it done to me a few times, and you learn pretty quickly after that to pay attention, but clearly it takes a few lessons for you to learn that. And I know you deliberately shot that ball at me Ness, it got me right in the kidney; I could be pissing blood for a week cos of you!"

"Good, you fucking deserved it!" I jabbed my finger at her. "I'm glad it hurt."

Lottie snorted. "It's not just the fact that I pulled you in front of everyone, it something else isn't it, you would never do that normally. Unless its psycho time of the month."

I snarled at her, causing her to take a step back when I bared my teeth. "Well, ultimately it is your fault I am in this mess. You know I ran into Jacob yesterday."

"And I told you to switch off-" Lottie interrupted.

"And there it is; you telling me. I am not going to take orders from you, I do recollect that you feel the same way, you keep saying it often enough," I retorted.

"This is different, this is game and I am your Captain, you will do as you are told, like everyone else has to; I had to do that when I played back in Britain."

"But you won't do what Jacob or Keith tells you but you expect me to follow orders from you, you are meant to lead by example so maybe I don't want you to be my Captain."

"And what do you mean by that?" Lottie gesticulated.

I took a breath, looking down at the grass. "I quit."

"You quit?" Lottie looked at me blankly.

"Yes, I quit," I looked back up at her hard green eyes.

"So you are going to abandon your team because you don't want to take a telling when you have fucked up, cos you don't want to be told what to do? That is pathetic!"

"Says you who rushed off to New York cos your fiancé told you otherwise, dragging me with you! I am not pathetic Lottie, but this whole situation, the reason why our imprints want nothing to do with us is down to you."

Lottie eyes widened. "I did not drag you with me. You came to New York on your own accord."

"Because you guilt tripped me into it!"

"I told you I would go on my own!"

"Yeah, like I was going to let that happen. You ran into a vampire for fucks sake!" I shouted.

"Yeah I did and you saved my life, I don't know what has gotten into you!" Lottie raised her hands and I took a step back, a little fearful. "Oh grow up Ness I am not going to hurt you, I am in full control of it now," her eyes narrowed at me.

"Well sometimes you need taking down a peg or two. I can't even talk to my Father without feeling angry, I can't even talk to Jacob as he wants nothing to do with me-"

"I am in the same boat as you; Keith doesn't want to talk to me either."

"Well at least Jacob will talk to me, I heard Embry say to Mom that Keith doesn't even want you anymore," I lied and now I couldn't stop myself. "And that Jacob wants you to leave!" I was just making this up now.

"You're lying!" Lottie accused, jabbing her pointed finger at me, but I heard a breath leave from her as if she had been punched in the chest.

"Am I? Why do you think I was distracted?" I smirked. I was hurting her and I couldn't stop myself.

Lottie struggled to take a breath. "You are just being horrible!"

"Am. I?" I folded my arms, sticking my left hip out.

"Why are you being like this?!" I could see a tears fill her eyes. "I am sorry this has happened Renesmee, but I am taking my punishment, I didn't think you would get punished too, you saved my life-"

"And maybe I shouldn't have," the words were out before I could stop them, the only thing that I took in was her and me, I drowned out the sounds of the crowds filtering out into the car park as they cheered, I ignored the rustling of the trees and the singing from the birds.

"What?" Lottie took a step back as if she had been stung. "You don't mean that," she shook her head.

"How would you know? Maybe I should have let him bite you, have it done with," I could hear Megan and Graham being congratulated by other school student; I hoped that we were too far in distance to be noticed.

Lottie's mouth opened. "After all we have gone through and you think that?" she whispered.

"Yeah, life would be easier for all of us if you weren't around," I said with venom and I knew deep down that I only said it to hurt her even though I knew I didn't mean it.

Lottie bit her bottom lip and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Ok, message received," she took a few steps back, not even looking at me when she jerked and her hand shot up to her neck. "What the?" she pulled out a small red dart from the left side of her neck and stared at it, rolling it between her thumb and finger. I ran over to her but I hit the invisible barrier as her hand shot up and I fell onto my ass, my head snapping up to the clouds which just covered the sun, I was up like a shot and I looked into the forest, inhaling the smells; there was someone there, but there was no downwind to tell who it was.

"Lottie, let me in!" I turned and banged on the barrier with my fists. Lottie shook her head once as she flicked the dart away, blinking then tried to force her eyes open. I pushed against her shield and I found I could bend into it and she staggered back. I located the small dart she discarded; my eyes widened, realising what it was; a tranquiliser. I looked back at her and she staggered. "LOTTIE, YOU'VE BEEN DRUGGED!"

I pushed into the barrier and it popped like a bubble as Lottie fell to the ground. "I can't feel my legs," she slurred. I finally reached her as fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, her eyes rolling. I put my hand under her neck, pulling her back up. "Get off me," she sluggishly tried to push me away.

"I'm sorry!" I cried. "I didn't mean it!"

"You did…" her eyes closed as she slumped in my arms, her head rolling back. What do I do? I started to panic. I checked her breathing, which was slow, but my senses were on high alert as I could hear someone rustling about the forest. "Who's there?!"

A big shadow moved within the trees, I set my friend down carefully and I shot up from the ground. I chased after the shadow; I ran through trees, vaulting over boulders and I picked up a scent. A familiar scent which made my stomach drop and my blood run cold. The scent rounded back to where I had left my friend and I found Felix standing over Lottie with a tranq gun in his hand. "Told you I'd be back," he winked at me, crouching over Lottie and he held up his hand which made me stop in my tracks. He was not in his Volturi get up, just a fitted black neoprene t-shirt which almost looked like a wet suit top which showed off every muscle he had as it strained against him and black joggers and trainers which were all damp; I thought that was odd. "Well, well, well. His dark red eyes pierced through me, his usually smart hair was messy. "I had wondered if this would work," he shook the tranq gun in his hand. "Funny, when you imploded on me Renesmee, you didn't filter out everything. I saw what happened in the forest, although I don't know why, all I know is that your wolf boy needed to use a tranq gun for you, so I wondered if this little beauty would work on my future mate. I think you need to work on that," he grinned, bearing his teeth. This wasn't just a smile, it was a warning.

I took a careful step forward and Felix quickly lifted his arm to fire the gun at me. I saw the light bounce off the needle and the fleck of red as it was coming for me and I bent forward, then back as I jumped and somersaulted backwards I could see it pass under me as somersaulted high from the ground, hearing the little thump as it hit a tree. I landed in a crouch at the same time Felix did, my left hand in front on the grass, my right behind me. "Stay away from her," I threatened. I hoped to god Alice had seen this. Why hadn't she seen Aro's plans?

"After what you said to her?" His face contorted in anger then softened as he glanced her prone body. "You just made her feel worthless, that no one wants her."

"I didn't mean any of that," I was scanning the area; the sun was still behind the clouds as Felix didn't shine. There was still people in the car park, I could see Emma hug her parents, Clynt and Steven holding hands whilst talking to Principle Greene and I knew I needed to move this into the forest.

"You still hurt her. I care about her. I want her."

"In your twisted, sick way."

"But she would be with me for the rest of her immortal life. She will want for nothing. She will love me."

"She will never love you! She has a family; a fiancé, her friends, if you cared for her that much, you would let it be her decision."

"Fiancé? I no longer see a ring on her finger," he jerked his head at Lottie.

"Technicality."

"And you said her fiancé doesn't want her," he stated. "Is it that easy to break the weird, freaky imprint thing the dogs have on you?"

"I lied!"

"The decision has been made, we will take her. Today." The joking Felix that we encountered in the past, was gone. He was being deadly serious.

"We?"

"Let that slip did I?" Felix smiled showing me his weapons.

"Who else is with you?" I demanded. My eyes flickered over to the forest.

"Caius made a decision to come here and retrieve Charlotte. Jane is here too." I narrowed my eyes. "When I say 'here', I mean on a certain beach where your dogs have been for most of the afternoon. Water is an amazing thing, hiding our scents…" he trailed off.

Suddenly I felt pain. I clutched my stomach as if I had been kicked, but Felix was still standing by Lottie who was sprawled on the grass. I don't know what had happened but something was wrong with Jacob, I thought this was a one way thing! I thought he could only sense when I was in danger, I tried to shout for him inside my head but it wasn't working. Why was I feeling his pain? "Aro sent you?" I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh he doesn't know we are here, just a three team mission," he stood up straight, cocky.

"You, Jane and Caius? Oh!" I fell to the side and my vision went a little hazy. I had to focus quickly as Felix stared.

"Oh yes, and judging by the state of you, they are getting the beating, we had wondered if it worked the other way around, I knew he could feel when you were in great danger but could you feel him?"

"No! Why!" ignoring what he was saying.

"Caius wants you to understand that although you might be untouchable…your loved ones are not."

"But Aro!"

"This is Caius's decision; Aro will only realise that we left last night."

"And you flew here?"

"Swam. Not our first time," he grinned.

Felix turned to check on Lottie, I righted myself and with one foot in front of the other, I launched myself at Felix. He turned his head, but not in time as I barrelled into him. Although it felt like I hit a wall and I felt the pain, the wall was not stable as I brought him down. We rolled away from Lottie and I was up in an instant and he was a second later, hissing; he clawed at me first, I jumped back but I felt his hard, clawed fingers rake across my stomach. I could smell the blood as I staggered back, clutching my stomach and another pain ripped through me. I heard a howl from the forest and I hoped to god that help was on the way to them. I saw the blood on my hands, distracted and two large cold hand pushed me hard. I flew back into the forest and I collided into a tree with my right side, snapping it in half, feeling a small break in one of my ribs and the tree groaning as it slowly tumbled back. I used the momentum to push myself off; I rushed back to Felix, he swung a right hook, which I dodged and I brought my knee up hard, connecting with his stomach, I felt the pain in my knee but it made him bend over in pain. I did a reverse spin kick on my right leg, kicking with my left, the sound of thunder echoing through the school from the contact and it was his turn for him to careen into the forest. I heard him crash into a boulder and I turned quickly to pick Lottie up in my arms but I felt a cold hand surround my throat, causing me to drop her and I was up in the air, I saw my feet as his momentum changed, slamming me into the ground, I could feel the ground beneath me crumble and separate as my breath left me. Felix's face was inches from me, venom in his mouth, his teeth bared as he was in fight mode; he was a true monster, his eyes bored into me as I dared to fight back. I struggled beneath his iron grip but his pale skin on his bulging arms was exposed. I grabbed onto his arm with both hands as he strangled me and I imploded everything. His free hand grabbed his head and he yelled in pain. I kept on going, just blinding him in pain as pain erupted in me from Jacob but I used it as fuel to keep on going. I was able to bend the fingers on the hand that was still around my throat, releasing his hand from my neck but I still kept a hold of him. I could feel bruising there already. I let go and I kicked him hard in the head, his neck to snapping back. I grabbed my friend roughly and threw her across my shoulders and I made a break for it into the forest. The wounds on my stomach had already healed so I ran flat out. But he was already on my tail but I was fast. I had to try something as I found Lottie's flopping hand and I felt for her power…..and nothing. She was completely knocked out from whatever was in the tranq gun.

I almost stumbled as another pain ripped through my head. For a moment I thought Felix had gotten to me but I kept on running and I could feel Lottie twitch slightly in my grip. I heard a snarl as Felix erupted from the trees like an explosion to my right, he launched into me which made me drop Lottie hard and awkwardly; I felt the bone break in my left arm. "Argh!" I screamed, colliding with a boulder, head first and warm blood oozing out quickly, into my eyes

I could feel the cut heal already so I grabbed my arm, which was bent at a funny angle and pulled at my wrist, making me wince but I was not going to give him the satisfaction of a scream as I heard the bone crunch against bone, setting the bone back into place. Felix was standing and now I was, he crouched and circled me, no smile or charm on his face. "I am coming for her," he pointed at Lottie. "I will not leave without her."

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged, Caius will be pleased, and after all, I am here on his orders."

I hissed at him. "My family will be here," another howl erupted through the forest, followed by three more and I knew one of them was Seth."

Felix's smile turned cruel. "So without her, you fall back to your family. I don't think your wolves are fairing too well, do you?"

"They will be here, and you will die."

"And we know that your father isn't here, he would have been here by now, and we all know how Edward is fiercely protective of his family. You must have surely pissed him off."

"But there are others!" I shouted and I ran to him, he raised his huge arm to punch me but I ducked and kicked him hard under the ribs and to my satisfaction he bent a little but he recovered quickly and his hand was around my throat again and he threw me back into the forest. I flew fast through the trees that all I saw were blurs of blue, green, grey and brown until I collided with another boulder. My body wrapped itself around the boulder with force and I felt the right side of my ribs give way and crunch into each other, breaking through my skin, pain only hitting me slightly as adrenaline took over. I hit the ground hard and I had to suck in the air as I couldn't breathe. I struggled to catch another breath but I knew there was no way I would be able to set those without help. Another pain ripped through me but it suddenly stopped and I heard another howl, this howl was a triumphant howl and it was music to my ears. I got onto my knees, putting my left hand onto the ground and I moved my fingers down and I could feel the rough edges of bone and I could feel three ribs protrude from my chest; I coughed, splattering the bright green grass with flecks of red.

I was up again and ran back into the direction of Felix. Time seemed to move slowly as I passed tree after tree after boulder and I found Felix with Lottie sprawled out in his arms, her head cradled in the crook of his left arm; this made me stop in my tracks and I held my breath. He was delicately moving the hair away from her face, lifting it between his fingers, bringing it to his nose and he closed his eyes as he took in her scent and then stroked her face. He leaned down and I froze, but he kissed her on the forehead, then his head snapped up to meet my eyes. His face was impassive as his eyes bore into mine. "Time is up, I know the tide has turned back into your favour so I shall make this brief; I will be back," he grinned at me and set Lottie back down onto the grass. I took a step forward and he grabbed her right arm, bringing her wrist to his mouth, brushing her wrist with his teeth, blood pouring between his teeth and her skin. He licked the blood, closing his eyes in ecstasy but had to force himself to set her arm back down carefully, blood pooling from underneath, staining the green grass. He winked at me then bent down to kiss Lottie on the lips, smearing a small bit of blood onto them and this erupted something in me as her right hand started to twitch; she had been bitten! Despite the pain I was in, I launched myself off the ground and in the air, screaming as I went. I turned using both feet to kick him in the chest; he rose up to see me flying at him too late, I connected with his chest and disappeared into the forest, I turned in the air to land on the ground with a grunt and I could see Lottie's arm twitching - she was silent but sweat formed at her temples. What was I going to do? She was burning.

In my vampire mind, I managed to process my thoughts within a nanosecond, I remembered back to when I asked about how Dad met Mom; they were brutally honest about what had happened, what had happened with James, when he bit her; Dad showed me his memories. Instinctually, I brought her twitching hand up to my mouth, closing my lips around the wound which was oozing blood. I sucked at her wrist hard.

The blood trickled down my throat like warm nectar and I closed my eyes. I could taste the sweetness of the venom, knowing it would be ok in my stomach as venom would not affect me like that. I gripped onto her wrist and my teeth tore into her skin, blood coming from those fresh wounds poured into my mouth and I could taste the drugs that were keeping her asleep. I could feel them numb the pain in my ribs as I kept on drawing the venom laced blood. I could see Lottie become pale, her lips going from red to a pale pink as the blood was now only mixed with the drug and I had to find the will to pull away.

I had to close my eyes, thinking of Jacob, Mom, Dad and my family which helped me to literally force her wrist away from my mouth. This was the first time I had fed on a human, much different to what it tasted like when it came out from a blood bag. It felt strange and I actually didn't like it. I set her wrist down and it continued to bleed. I felt her power pulse through me, but this time I had control. This time I knew instinctively how to handle it.

Immediately I could sense the presence behind me before Felix hurled himself from the trees. I held my hand up and he froze in mid air. He stared at me in shock as I kept a hold of Lottie's bleeding wrist, the warm blood pooling in my hand, making my throat burn. "Lottie is coming around, which means her power, through my touch, is my power," I lied. I could feel the raw energy course through me and I felt empowered, but I also felt hazy from the drug that was used on her, but I fought it easily, for now. "I have taken out the venom," Felix showed his dismay. "If I knew how to destroy you, I would," his eyes widened. "You remember what happened a few months ago," his dark red eyes glowered at me. "You have violated her; you took her choice from her. This should have been her choice, not yours, regardless of your feelings," I took a breath and the pain in my ribs returned as the drugs faded. "Now, I don't know how to kill you with Lottie's power, and I don't want to know, but I am going to make sure you hit the ocean and you leave. You leave and you do not return because you have broken Aro's word-"

"Caius sent us on the mission-"

"And I am sure that Aro will be pleased to know that." A look of fear crossed his face but he masked it just as quick. "I am sure that this time you will be punished, and that little blond bastard!" I roared. I stood up shakily, keeping my hand on Lottie's arm, blood pouring down it leaving little red streams, lifting Felix in the process and I knew what way the ocean was, with all my borrowed power I threw him like a baseball into the air and out of sight.

I stumbled back down. This exertion had taken it out of me and Lottie's arm was still bleeding profusely. I had to fight the vampire part in me, my throat burning at the blood. The red blood was teasing me as it dripped from her arm into a little pool, the drip making a ripple through it. I broke away, bringing my other hand to my mouth to try and block out the sweet smell of blood, but it wasn't working, all I did was smear the blood already on my face. I thought of Jacob and his beautiful dark eyes, his warm, muscular body; he would not want me to do this, he would want me to let my human side win out. I finally took a breath and I had to take this in stages. I looked down at my shredded top and I found a long piece of blue material. I ripped at it. I let go of her wrist, blood oozing from her veins and I took the material and wrapped it around her wrist. I took another breath. I tightened the tourniquet carefully. I knew I didn't have long to get her back.

I wiped my hands on fresh grass and I looked down at the three ribs poking out through my chest. My own blood dripped slowly from them. I looked at the wounds on my stomach which were almost closed. I looked up and I could see the sun shine again, the sun made me feel good as it broke through the trees and down onto me.

I had to take another breath, looking at Lottie. I took her left arm which still had green bruising from the week before and I carefully picked her up, placing her gingerly over my left shoulder, so I had a free hand and to protect my side if need be. I closed my eyes. I imagined cling film covering my body and Lottie's. I made the cling film into plastic, layer by layer, like watching a spider go over and over its web until it became a wall. I then fortified it with more layers until I made it go clear and shimmery, like looking inside a shell.

I made a shield. I put one step in front of the other then stopped. Where would everyone be? I knew that Jacob would no longer be at the beach, my first thought was of him. Always of him and I knew he was hurt. Where would they have gone? Would they have gone to our-his house? No…they would have gone to the main Cullen house, where Carlisle would have his medical supplies….

AN - OMG! please review!