Chapter 24
Disclaimer: - I own nothing except my own X-rated, perverted, twisted fantasies involving Jacob, the nearest available flat surface and me…ahem…uh…I mean, Bella. Sorry! I have absolutely no idea where that 'me' came from, I swear. I always meant to say Bella. LOL!
A/N: - So, I know it's been eons since my last update. I don't even have any excuses for the delay. I suck! That should about sum it up for you. I'm really sorry for leaving all of you hanging. I hope the update more than makes up for the delay.
Don't worry; I didn't waste all of my off time doing nothing. In fact, I put it to good use writing a J/B one-shot for the Choose Me contest on JBnP called Destiny. And it was declared a co-winner! :D It's a reimagining of the Tent scene in Eclipse and it's posted on my profile page. Go check it out – its lemonicious – and let me know what you think, alright? I mean it people, you better leave reviews or I'll refrain from posting for a long, long time! Grr…
Anyway, getting back to this chapter, as always, it is dedicated to Erin, Ashley, Wendy and Cheryl… some of the best friends I've made on FF!
And it is also dedicated to sweetdreams1 for her unfailing persistence and patience! Hope you can get off that cliff now! :P
Warning – Slightly dark themes. Blood. Gore. Violence. Not for the fainthearted. Read at your own risk. You have been warned.
BPOV
A couple of hours earlier Jake's apartment
Everything around me was bathed in a silvery blue haze.
I felt an intense sense of disorientation…almost as if I was walking underwater. Sounds came to me as if from a distance and my movements seemed to take place in slow motion.
A tiny part of me wondered about the absurdity of it all but for the most part I ignored it, too wrapped up in feeling to give any thought to the discrepancies.
Jake and I were spread out on his bed in a convoluted tangle of arms and legs… Our breaths came in heavy pants… our bodies glistened with sweat. My body was still tingling from the aftermath of one of our intense lovemaking sessions.
No words were said but a deep sense of contentment… of happiness and love lingered in the air around us.
His head rested on my stomach while his fingers trailed around my breast; flicking my nipple teasingly. I hummed deep in my throat with a sense of deep satisfaction. He placed tiny, smacking kisses on my chest while I ran my fingers through his soft hair lovingly.
"God, I love you Bella!" he murmured in a heartfelt whisper and my whole heart…my entire body seized up with joy at the words.
This was the first time, in six long years, that he'd said those words to me; of that I was certain, and yet, I couldn't shake the certainty that we'd been here… in this position a million times before. It was an oddly disconcerting feeling.
I shook it off to focus on the moment at hand.
"Oh Jake!" I exclaimed; my voice quivering with unshed tears, "I love you too…so, so much!"
He propped himself up on his elbows and looked into my eyes giving me his deep, melting grin. "I know you do, honey!"
He leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips but I was having none of that. I grabbed onto him with both arms and both legs, unbalancing him and quickly turned over so that he came down on the bed beneath me. "Oomph… Hey!" he protested laughingly.
I paid him no attention and concentrated on smothering him with kisses. "Alright, alright, I know you're hot for my body. But all you need to do is ask nicely. There's no need to attack me, woman!" he muttered half-heartedly, chuckling in amusement.
"Shut up Jake!" I retorted and kissed him deliberately and sensuously to reinforce my words.
He groaned deeply as I took his bottom lip between my lips and sucked on it. "God, you're insatiable!" he exclaimed huskily. "And I love it!"
As we stared lovingly into each other's eyes, I sensed a sudden and imperceptible shift in him.
Before I could comment on it, he leaned up as if to kiss me and just when I was distracted enough, tackled me and flipped me over.
The move knocked the breath out of my body and left me gasping in surprise. It was an unusually aggressive move for Jake to make.
Even before I could recover, his hand had moved to my naked breast; circling the nipple…slowly applying more and more pressure until he pinched it hard.
"Jake!" I gasped in surprise as I felt a slight twinge of pain shoot through me.
A strange expression crossed his face at my words. It was difficult to describe but, if I had to, I'd have described it as… calculating. Whatever it was, it left me feeling slightly uncomfortable.
His other hand wrapped itself in my loose hair, holding me in a tight, relentless grasp. It stung like hell. Tears of agony sprung to my eyes. "Stop it, Jake… that hurts!" I gasped out, my voice reflecting my confusion. His hand only tightened its grip further.
This was far beyond dominance. Something was wrong. Jake had never been this aggressive with me. Even earlier when he'd taken me against the living room wall; he'd been careful enough to ensure that he curbed his innate strength. This behavior was completely alien to him.
My heart began thudding painfully as I felt the first twinges of real fear course through me. "Jake, you're really hurting me! Please, stop it, please!" I gasped once again in an effort to snap him out it.
There was a scary gleam to his eyes as he took in my reactions. It was almost… almost like he was taking pleasure in my pain.
Blind terror seized me.
I struggled desperately in his grasp, trying to get free but it was an exercise in futility. Instead of letting go, he jerked me to him and tilted my head backwards, exposing my neck to his gaze. I whimpered in agony.
"Jake, stop! Please, think about what you're doing." I implored once again, hoping to reason with him but his attention was riveted to some point on my neck. There was a dazed look in his eyes… almost predatory. As if in slow motion, he leaned down and pressed his lips against my neck.
His hand reached down and caught hold of my nipple… digging his nails in; drawing blood. By this time, I was crying in earnest… tears that sprang in equal parts from fear, pain and heartbreak.
He leaned back momentarily as if to study my reaction, clinically taking in my tears and my pleas. His eyes were devoid of all emotion. "You have to go through the pain in order to gain an eternity of happiness, Isabella." He crooned.
Something about the way he said my name was intensely familiar. And not in a good way. My body had an almost visceral reaction to it and I shuddered in terror.
"Oohh… fear! I've always found it intoxicating!" He leaned down and sniffed my neck appreciatively. "Yours is… exhilarating!" His tongue snaked a moist, wet path all the way from my pulse point to my ear.
What the hell was going on here? Something was very wrong… very, very wrong.
And then, right before my eyes, Jake's face morphed into Vladimir's cruel visage. His eyes were blood red, his features distorted beyond imagination and his fangs were glistening in the moonlight. "Isabella…" he crooned in a mockery of the passion Jake's voice had held. "You belong to ME!"
His razor-sharp fangs drove into the soft skin of my neck.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" I screamed in terror.
The pain was unimaginable; worse than anything I'd ever experienced before. I could feel my heart pounding all my blood into his mouth as I grew weaker by the second.
"No, please, don't do this." I begged, with the last bit of my strength; hoping that he had some humanity left in him to appeal to. "I don't want to die…"
"Oh, but you have to, my sweet. How else will you fulfill your destiny…? Our destiny…?"
And that's when I knew that there was nothing I could do. I was going to die.
I stopped struggling; coming to terms with my impending death.
Before I had even fully begun to grasp my fate, the pain stopped. Vladimir withdrew his fangs from my neck and backed off. Just like that, my ordeal was over… or so it seemed.
The relief was so overwhelming that I burst into loud, noisy sobs.
"Sh, shh, shhh…" Vladimir crooned. "Don't cry, my sweet."
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to stop the tears. "Why are you doing this? Why are you toying with me like this?" I sobbed. "You clearly want me dead. So why don't you just kill me? Why put me through this torture?"
What the fuck was I doing? Why was I actually asking him to kill me? What the hell was wrong with me? Clearly I was on the verge of hysteria.
He looked back at me coldly, completely unaffected by my outburst. "Because it isn't time for your transformation yet. You're not ready. I'm not ready! But in the meantime, I can't let you forget your destiny. You need to know who you belong to. I can't let you get too cozy with the dog. He's just a pawn. He'll be dealt with accordingly. But you, my love…? I can't have you sullied! I won't!" Dark, cold fury emanated from him as if in waves. "Stay away from him! Stay away from all of them!" He thundered.
All the glass in the room shattered spontaneously at his outburst.
I trembled fearfully. "If you think I'll give in to your sick, obsessive demands then you're sadly mistaken." I spoke with false bravado. "I'm not giving them up! I'm not giving Jake up!"
His eyes gleamed with frenzied fury. "Fine… then, suffer the consequences! I will destroy them… I will destroy them all. I will peel the skin off their bodies and bathe in their blood! I will tear their hearts out and eat them! I will harvest their organs; one at a time and make a feast of them! And I'll make you watch it all…"
At those words, the scene in front of my eyes morphed into one of my parents both lying side by side in a pool of their own blood, their bodies twisted beyond repair; their eyes staring blankly, lifelessly, accusingly back at me. They had puncture marks all over their broken bodies as Vladimir's minions fed off them.
"Nooooooooooooooooo!" I screamed, running mindlessly towards them.
Before I could reach them, the entire scene disintegrated right before my eyes.
The next thing I knew I was standing at the edge of a clearing, watching down in revulsion as vampire Dylan and vampire Lisa tore into a crowd of helpless, innocent victims.
" Dylan!" I called out in horrified disbelief; not taking the time to think my actions through. The moment he heard me, he turned his predatory eyes towards me. "My, my Bella; so nice of you to join us. We've missed our little darling, haven't we, Lisa…?" Before I could even blink, they were standing right in front of me, grinning unholy grins at me. I felt sick at the sight of the crimson red trails of blood flowing down their chins. "Come, we have some gifts for you…"
They dragged me by the arms and led me down into the clearing where I could see all the members of the pack – Jacob's friends; my friends – lying broken and bloodied. I couldn't make myself turn away from the sight of the massacre even though I desperately wanted to. Most of the guys were still in wolf form, all of them missing various body parts… limbs, ears, eyes… Some of them had gaping holes where their stomach had been and their guts had been torn out of their bodies only to lie next to them in a bloody, discarded pile.
"See…?" Dylan rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Isn't this the best gift ever?"
The sight… his reaction… was so gruesome that I fell to my knees, puking my guts out.
"Stop! Please stop!" I screamed desperately.
The scene froze all around me as if someone had hit the pause button.
But I knew that my ordeal was far from over yet. I braced myself for whatever came next.
But nothing could've prepared me for the next image.
It was me; well, vampire me; with my fangs and my claws and my blood red eyes and my inhuman beauty… and I had Jacob's chest trapped between my thighs while I slowly… torturously squeezed the life out of him. He was obviously screaming in agony but I couldn't hear any actual noises…which actually made the whole spectacle worse. And then, right before my very own eyes, vampire me, reached into Jacob's chest and ripped out his still beating heart out.
"Oh God, JAKE!" I sobbed; collapsing to the ground; dry retching heavily; the images too gory to bear.
His blood coated every part of me…her… it covered her hands and dribbled down her chin. I could almost… smell it.
Blood gurgled out of his mouth as his life slowly drained out of him. The look on his face during the last few moments of his life would forever be etched on my brain. It was a look filled with agony and utter disgust and hurt and betrayal. I would never forget it as long as I lived.
My stomach rolled and I heaved some more.
Then, to my complete horror, I… she; brought Jake's heart to her mouth and tore into it hungrily. Then, she closed her eyes in ecstasy.
I couldn't watch anymore… I just couldn't. "Stoooop! Stooooooooop!" I yelled till my voice went hoarse. "Stop this, please! I don't want to see anymore. "
Vladimir materialized in front of me and stalked over to where I was rolled up in a ball on the floor. He crouched over me… close enough that I could smell the… death lingering around him.
"Wake up, Isabella." He whispered; his ice cold breath tickling the shell of my ear. "I think it's high time we met, don't you?"
And just like that; as if a switch had been thrown; I was wide awake; bathed in a cold sweat and gasping desperately for breath. "JAKE!"
My horror-struck gaze immediately flew to my hands where I half expected to see a still beating human heart covered in blood and gore. The lack of light in the room, of course, prevented me from getting a good look; but I could see and feel enough that I knew that there wasn't a human organ in my hand.
Through the blind panic overwhelming my senses, the only conscious thought on my mind was the need to be held by Jake…to be protected by him... to be soothed by him.
The thought of him somehow managed to break through the almost cloying fear.
Jake… Jake... I was in Jake's bed; in his apartment. And everything else had been a dream… just a dream. It hadn't been real.
I was somewhat relieved.
With my stomach rolling around crazily and relying solely on instinct, I blindly groped around for the light switch. Thankfully, I found it before I passed out from an impending panic attack. Blinking owlishly from the sudden illumination in the room, I waited for the last vestiges of the nightmare to fade away.
Unfortunately, every time I closed my eyes, the images from the nightmare threatened to take over my mind. Feeling sick to my stomach, I ran towards the bathroom; praying all the while that I'd reach there in time to avoid emptying all the contents of my stomach onto Jake's snazzy imported carpet. As soon as I reached my destination, I fell down to my knees on the floor; shoved my head into the toilet bowl and puked my guts out.
Once I was reasonably sure that my stomach would behave, I walked up to the sink and splashed ice cold water on my face. Switching on the light in the bathroom, I carefully scrutinized my face in the full size mirror for any remnants of vampire-like qualities. Thankfully, what stared back at me was just plain old me.
I was relieved and horrified all at the same time. What in the hell had prompted my subconscious to dream up something so awful?
And how could something so appalling be just a dream? Was that all it had been…? Because, God, it'd felt so real! And why was this happening to me…? Why was I having these insanely weird dreams again and again about this – for the lack of a better word – entity…? Was I losing my mind?
Just thinking back over the whole thing made me tremble uncontrollably. My heart was still pounding a mile a minute. The fear that had pervaded the dream was still there with me; seeping its way through every vein, every pore of my body… choking me.
Feeling cold all over, I hurried back into the room; wrapping the sheet from the bed around my naked body. Then I went from room to room switching on each and every light in the house… even the ones in the closets.
With the house blazingly lit up, I felt slightly better. The fear receded to the background; allowing room for other thoughts.
Like…where the hell was Jake?
"Jake…?" I called out scratchily.
No answer.
Where could he have gone?
The last thing I remembered was falling asleep on him. But now, the cold sheets on his side of the bed were a clear, glaring indication that he hadn't been there for a long, long time. In fact, if my estimate was accurate, he must've left the bed as soon as I fell asleep.
But that didn't necessarily mean anything, did it…? He must've had a pretty good reason for it, right…? And he must be in some other room, right…? But then, why hadn't I come across him during my mad dash around the house?
The pessimistic side of my nature insisted on pointing out that it was the middle of the night and that there was no logical reason why he'd be out of bed at this hour but I tried to squish it into oblivion.
"Jacob…?" I called out more loudly. Still nothing.
"Jacob…? Are you here?"
Not that I had actually expected an answer but I couldn't help going through the motions. A part of me… some kind of a sixth sense where Jake was concerned was telling me that he wasn't here. Mostly by rote, I checked out the rest of the house once again. The outcome wasn't any different than the last time.
And that was when the realization that Jake wasn't here finally sank in. And not just was he not in the room but he was not in the house at all…
But, where the hell could he have gone so late in the night? And why? And most importantly, why hadn't he told me he was leaving?
He'd left me alone, in his apartment in the middle of the night and he hadn't even felt the need to wake me up or leave a note for that matter.
Okay so, true, we'd had an awful fight earlier in the day but after the wild, insane way we'd fucked each other, I'd thought that we'd reached an understanding. I'd thought that we were at the beginning of something new…something good, great even. I'd thought that he'd forgiven me. I'd thought that after all these years and all the heartache, we'd finally found our way back to each other.
Clearly, I'd been wrong.
My nerves, still raw from the nightmare, chafed a little more at the feeling of helplessness and abandonment that came from his absence.
Tears sprang to my eyes. God, I was such a fool! And a masochist to boot! Always falling in love with men who didn't love me back…a surefire way to abandonment and a broken heart!
I furiously wiped at my cheeks, willing the tears to miraculously disappear. I loved Jake and clearly he didn't love me.
That was that. End of story. Time to get a grip and move on. I wasn't going to fall apart over this… I wasn't!
Trying to overcome the sadness; I walked back into the living room and picked up my haphazardly discarded clothes. Oh God, the images of how they'd ended up that way were clear in my mind; tormenting me with their vividness.
The way he'd trapped me against the wall… driving me insane with need…
The way he'd imprisoned my hands using my bra… and taken charge completely…
The way he'd tormented me…first with his fingers then with his tongue…
The way he'd moved within me; his thrusts driving us both to the brink of insanity…
And then, after all that, the way he'd tenderly carried me back to his bed and put me to sleep only to wake me up later and repeat the process all over again…
God, I'd never forget any of it… not for as long as I lived.
After all, it was clear to me now that memories were all that I'd have to live by, right?
I got dressed; not even bothering to take a shower. I couldn't bear the thought of washing Jake's scent off me. I found myself wanting to smell like him; for as long as I could. This was probably the last time I'd be able to; anyway.
I closed my eyes in despair; resigning myself to a future without Jake.
What else could I do? It wasn't like I had anyone else to blame for my plight but myself.
My erratic, on and off behavior of six years ago had obviously caused more damage than I'd initially thought. He'd clearly moved on from me.
The thought made my already bruised heart break in two.
But then, I couldn't go on fooling myself. Not once in the days since I'd come back had Jacob ever hinted at love. Sure he wanted me. I had ample proof of that. But love…? No, there was nothing to indicate that particular emotion. In fact now that I was focused on this topic I couldn't help but think back to tonight. I'd told him I loved him… twice…but he hadn't said it back, even once… not even deep in the throes of passion.
This was it. I'd lost him. And I couldn't help feeling lost too.
But was it really so surprising that he didn't want me? Could I honestly blame him for it…?
He was Jacob Black – the alpha of a very powerful pack of werewolves. He was hot, drop dead gorgeous, caring, sexy, funny… in other words, perfection personified! He was beautiful; inside and out – the best person I'd ever known. And then there was me. Clumsy, stupid, plain old Bella who did nothing but hurt him over and over again! What could he ever see in me?
If I'd thought I was out of my depth with Edward, then I was more so with Jake. And yet, insane that I was, I had to go and fall in love with him; this magnificent creature that was completely out of my reach.
But… why hadn't he just… sent me away…? Why had he let me make such a complete fool of myself by declaring my feelings for him when he clearly didn't return them? Had I really hurt him so much in the past that now he just wanted to see me get hurt? Was this some kind of sick, twisted revenge…? That wasn't Jake… was it…?
God, I was so confused!
I needed to talk to someone about this… someone who wasn't as involved in this as I was… an outsider. Someone who'd be able to guide me on the inner workings of men's minds. Someone close to me; someone I trusted implicitly. And at the moment, there was only one person who fit that criterion – Dylan.
"Izzy…?" He answered groggily after a couple of rings. Uh oh. I hadn't stopped to consider what time it was. "So, I know that you must be dying to share your good news but, bloody hell, we can't all live on love honey." He teased mock grumpily. "The rest of us; lonely, loveless individuals actually need sleep to survive."
He actually thought I was calling him because I wanted to share the news that Jake and I were finally together.
I sighed despondently. God, this was such a disaster.
Even in the middle of the night; half asleep; he knew me well enough to recognize that something wasn't right. "Izzy, baby, what's wrong?" Dylan was suddenly wide awake and frantic. "Is everything alright? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine…" I hastened to reassure him. "I just… needed to talk to someone, I guess." I sighed once again. "No, that's not right. I just needed to talk to you."
"Okaaay… So then talk…"
"He doesn't love me." I stated bluntly.
"Who doesn't love you?" Now he sounded confused.
"Jake! Jake doesn't love me, you idiot!" I was irritated at his obliviousness. "Who else would I be talking about?"
"What're you talking about sweetie…?" He questioned. "Of course he does!" He sounded totally confident.
"No he doesn't. Trust me, I would know." I replied dejectedly. "I was too late. He's moved on."
"Bella, trust me, the guy is head over heels in love with you. Anyone with half a brain in his or her head can see that." Dylan explained patiently.
"No he doesn't! Or he wouldn't have left me alone in his bed in the middle of the night after I'd just declared my undying love for him!" I spoke gloomily. "Oh and, by the way, he didn't once tell me that he loved me too. What does that tell you, huh?" I questioned miserably. "I screwed up, Dylan! I shouldn't have listened to Edward. I should've trusted Jake more. And maybe that was the last straw, you know? Maybe he decided that I just wasn't worth it!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dylan interrupted my moment of self pity. "Let's back up just a bit, shall we…? Didn't you guys talk about all of that tonight?"
"Yes… of course we did! God, he was so mad at me… and he had every right to be!" I tunneled my hands through my hair. "He basically called me a selfish bitch!"
Dylan whistled. "He actually said that?"
"Well… not in so many words but his meaning was unmistakable. He… he was brutal. He didn't pull any punches Dylan… he was so angry. And so hurt. God, I am a bitch, aren't I? I just keep hurting him; over and over again. No wonder he doesn't love me… or want me…" I trailed off despondently.
"That's it; I'm coming over to pick you up right now!" Dylan stated emphatically. "Then, we're gonna go wake up Lisa, get some booze and you're gonna tell us everything that happened tonight. After that, we're gonna come up with brilliantly innovative ways to make him suffer. How's that sound, eh?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Dylan! I'm fine…" I tried to sound confident but it came out all wrong. God, I really needed to get a grip on myself if I had even a snowflake's chance in hell of getting him to believe me! "No, seriously, I'm fine!" I stated more emphatically. "Or at least I will be! So, Jake doesn't love me… so what? It's not the end of the world, right? I mean, you can't choose who you love and he doesn't love me. And just like, all those years ago, he couldn't make me fall for him and choose him over Edward; I can't make him love me either. So, I'm just going to have to live with it. Hey, at least I tried, right? Now I just have to pick up the pieces of my broken heart and move on."
God, if I said it often enough, maybe I'd believe it myself but I seriously doubted it. How I was ever going to move on without Jake was beyond me. He might as well have ripped my heart out and torn it to shreds. Because this… feeling…it didn't hurt any less than that would have. I'd thought that Edward's abandonment all those years ago had hurt… which was laughable really, because that was like child's play compared to this. After all, my feelings for Jacob weren't a result of teenage infatuation like my feelings for Edward had been. They were real. And it hurt like a bitch to know that they weren't reciprocated.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and went on. "And seriously, you and Lisa don't have to worry about me going all zombie girl on you this time. I mean, I've been there and done that already and I won't put any of you through that…ever again, I promise! I won't wallow in my despair and drag everyone down with me."
Oh, who was I trying to kid? I was devastated. I was broken. I was destroyed. It'd taken me six years to get over Edward's betrayal! This was Jake we were talking about here – my best friend in the whole world… the person I loved with my whole heart. There wasn't a chance in hell that I would be normal…not after this. It was going to take a long, long time for me to recover from this blow. But I went on stoically nonetheless, not wanting to alarm him with the real state of my feelings. "Yes, I'm having this one moment of weakness but once I leave this place I'm gonna be just fine, you'll see. In fact, this is the last time you'll ever see me crying over him. Once I leave here, I won't shed even one tear over him!"
"Okay I have no idea who you're trying to convince with this bullshit, but it sure as hell isn't me! I'm coming to get you and then you and I are going to look Jacob up and I'm going to kick his ass all the way to the end of the world! I don't care if he's a supernatural freak; he's in deep, deep shit! No one hurts my Izzy this way!" The love and caring in his voice soothed the hurt in my heart.
I appreciated his concern, I really did. But God, he didn't know the kind of shit I'd put Jake through in the past and I was in no mood to explain to him how I not only deserved this but much, much more. Maybe someday, I would. But right now, I had to get through this disaster first…somehow.
"Oh Dylan…" I sniffled. The magnanimity of my loss was just beginning to sink in. "How the hell am I going to go on without him?" I questioned him; feeling lost.
"Don't worry baby…" He reassured me tenderly. "It'll all work out, you'll see. I'm sure there's a perfectly sound, completely reasonable explanation for Jake's disappearing act. And when he comes home the first thing he'll do is drop to his knees and declare his everlasting love for you! And then, you'll kick his ass and I'll help; just for putting you through this…" I managed a slight chuckle at his words. "In fact, I'm sure he's on his way back to you right now honey… Just don't lose faith… I promise you Izzy, this guy really loves you. And if I can see that, then it must be true, right?"
So, okay, Dylan was Mr. Oblivious about most things so things had to be pretty darn obvious for him to notice them, but I just couldn't see how he could be right about this. Besides, I couldn't let myself continue to have false hope. It would end up destroying me. I had to move on.
Before I could even begin to put all of that into words, I was interrupted by the sound of the doorknob being jiggled.
Jake must've come back from wherever he'd gone. A flurry of butterflies too flight in my stomach.
"Oh wait, I think Jake's back."
"I knew it!" He crowed in delight. "I knew he couldn't stay away from you for too long, Izzy. Didn't I tell you he'd be back?" He questioned smugly. "That'll teach you to doubt me…"
The door was still jiggling. What was taking so long? Had Jake forgotten his keys…?
I suddenly realized that while Dylan had been busy gloating, my feet had taken me over towards the door without me having made a conscious decision to do so.
Idiot! I chastised myself. Even after he'd made it amply clear that he wasn't interested in a long term relationship my heart still skipped a beat at the thought of seeing Jake again. I was just a glutton for punishment wasn't I?
I took in the fact that Dylan was still going on about something or the other. Without giving it too much thought, I gave him an absentminded excuse for not paying attention and asked him to hold on.
"Where the hell have you been Jake?" I questioned impatiently as I began to open the lock. "I've been so…" I didn't have a chance to complete my statement before the door was kicked in with brutal force. It ricocheted into me; hitting my head hard.
"Oww!" My head nearly exploded with pain. I could feel something wet and gooey and sticky flow down my forehead. Great, perfect… now I was bleeding! I stumbled back and sank to the floor; lightheaded; clutching my forehead in a desperate attempt to staunch the blood flow.
"Izzy… Izzy…? Isabella! Are you okay?" I could faintly hear Dylan on the other end of the phone; calling me anxiously.
Before I could even think of replying back to him a strange voice drawled at me from the open doorway. "Well, well, well… what do we have here?"
I blinked till my vision stabilized before focusing my attention on the person standing in front of me.
He was a tall guy; heavy set. The first thing I noticed was that he was completely bald; his scalp was glistening in the moonlight. I couldn't make out his age but he couldn't have been over thirty. His clothing was somewhat formal…and slightly out of date. There was something vaguely… sinister about him. I don't know what it was, exactly but he was giving out a strangely threatening vibe. I was paralyzed with terror.
"Wh…who are you?" I rasped out; making an effort to overcome the fear as well as the blinding pain in my forehead.
"Oh, forgive me… my name is Dunkan." He declared with a smile. Something about that smile was just… off. It was… way too… false. Slimy. Phony. Menacing. He bowed formally yet; somehow; he seemed to be mocking me with his every move.
"Wh…what do you want?" I demanded with false bravado.
"Hmm… what do I want…? Why, you, of course!" I could finally see his eyes. They were a cold, hard; unyielding grey. They were human eyes – kind of the first thing you tend to look for when you're a human stuck right in the middle of a supernatural world – but they might as well have been dead. There was absolutely no emotion in those eyes.
Unadulterated terror blazed through me; bringing a surge of adrenaline with it.
I scrambled to my feet; ignoring the dizziness as I evaluated all of my options. He was blocking the doorway, so going out was obviously out of the question. But I couldn't just stand here waiting to be assaulted. I had to do something! I needed to get into the house…and maybe find some sort of a weapon.
I turned around and ran blindly, hoping to get to the kitchen before he realized what was happening.
But Dunkan was too fast… too strong. His hand closed around my arm in a vise-like grip; holding me completely immobile. He manhandled me; throwing me face-first into the living room wall. Then, he placed both his arms on the wall around me, trapping me in.
I could hear a faint "Bella! Bella! Run!" in the background. Dylan was beginning to sound frantic which wasn't surprising considering he could hear everything that was going on at my end.
Before I could utter a single word, Dunkan snatched the phone out of my hand; crushing it with his bare hand. The last sound I heard was Dylan's panic stricken shouts and then there was nothing except the sound of the phone shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces.
I shuddered as tendrils of fear ran down my spine. I didn't know who this guy was, I didn't know why he was here, I didn't know what he wanted with me but I just wanted him gone.
His other hand fisted in my hair; pulling it back viciously towards him. I bit back a scream.
He leaned in close enough for me to smell his fetid breath.
I turned away in an instinctive effort to get as far away from him as possible.
What'd been an intuitive reaction quickly came back to bite me in the ass as his slimy, repulsive tongue ran up my exposed shoulder all the way to my ear. "Mmm…" His moist breath on the shell of my ear invoked more shudders of disgust. "No one told me how pretty you are…" The wandering tongue continued its journey up my cheek.
Oh God… oh god…oh god… this wasn't happening… not to me. Jake! Where the hell are you…?
I choked back a sob of desperation. The sense of helplessness was horrifying.
I knew it'd probably be futile but I tried pleading with him anyway. "Please don't do this… please! Leave me alone. Please, just walk away… No one has to know anything. I won't tell… I swear. Just please, don't hurt me!"
A chilling, utterly humorless laugh escaped his lips. And that was when I realized that bargaining wasn't going to get me anywhere!
I struggled hard to diffuse my mounting panic. I remembered reading somewhere once that most attackers got off on a victim's fear and desperation. Well, I wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction. And no matter how small that victory might seem in the long run, right now, it made me feel marginally in control of the situation.
I evaluated the merits of yelling my head off but quickly dismissed it realizing that at this time of the night, there'd hardly be anyone around to hear my cries. I decided to try a different approach. "Ja…Jake; my friend; will be home soon, you know. He's not someone you want to mess with…" I tried to ignore the wisps of desperation in my voice and prayed adroitly that he wouldn't notice them either.
"Don't worry about him. The Alpha's just a tad bit preoccupied right now." He declared. "And by the time he realizes something's wrong and comes back, we'll be long gone."
There was a moment of pin drop silence in which, I could've sworn my heart stopped beating altogether.
Then all hell broke loose.
I beat against his chest...begging, pleading, screaming… desperate for escape. "Let me go… Let me go!" I yelled; weeping copiously; all my carefully constructed plans about not panicking going right out the window.
He swore loudly before turning me around and backhanding me across my cheek. My head snapped back against the wall at the brute force of the blow. Stars exploded behind my closed eyelids.
"It'd be in your best interest to come with me quietly. I was told not to hurt you but if you continue this, you'll leave me with no choice!" he threatened in a low voice.
Something about his words nagged me... but I was too hysterical to pay much attention.
I renewed my struggle; pulling back and kneeing him in the groin.
He cupped himself; howling and his grip on me loosened.
I didn't waste a second; pushing him away and running full tilt into the apartment. In my haste to escape; I stumbled and crashed against the center table. It fell sideways and the glass top shattered. It made a loud commotion. I didn't even slow down to navigate my way through the minefield of glass shards. They made millions of tiny cuts in my bare feet and I could feel the blood oozing out. Thankfully, the adrenaline rush I was on made the pain seem almost negligible.
Finally, after what felt like ages, I reached the kitchen. I upended all of the drawers looking for some sort of a weapon to use against him. "Come on…come on… come on…" I sobbed frantically knowing I didn't have a lot of time till he recovered.
Just as I heard the shuffle of feet in the living room, I came across a mean looking butcher's knife. I'd barely managed to get a grip on it before his hand clamped down on my arm.
Overcome by fear, I swung around; thrusting the knife blindly. I must've nicked something because he roared in anger and pain. "You bitch!"
My moment of satisfaction was short-lived. His fist came out of nowhere, hitting me right in my stomach; winding me completely. My grip on the knife loosened as I doubled over in pain. He used my distraction to his advantage; twisting my hand painfully behind my back till it fell away completely.
As soon as it was on the ground, he kicked it away. I could only watch in powerlessly as it clattered over beneath a cabinet and completely out of reach.
Tears of helplessness and frustration seeped from my eyes.
"You're going to pay for that…" He snarled threateningly. One of his hands closed around my neck; squeezing; his grip on me tightening till it was impossible for me to breathe.
There was a maniacal gleam to his eyes. There was no doubt in my mind that he meant to kill me at that instant.
I scratched and clawed at his hand… choking… gasping for air.
He had me pinned between the kitchen counter and his body and even if I tried with all my might I'd never be able to get free from him. I had to think of something else. And fast!
The lack of oxygen was getting to me. My vision was going dark. I was about to pass out.
My hands groped around behind me, looking for something…anything to use as a weapon against him.
A slow lethargy was beginning to overtake my limbs. My struggles were becoming feebler by the minute.
Oh God, if I didn't do something… he was going to kill me…or worse… rape me. I had to act… NOW!
The thought galvanized me into action. In a last desperate attempt to break free, I stretched my hands as far as they could go and came in contact with stainless steel.
The sink…of course! There had to be some unwashed utensils in the sink! Now if only I could get my hand on one…
Getting my second wind, I reached back; fumbling around till my hand closed around the handle of a heavy pan.
Oh thank God. I almost wept in relief.
Getting a good grip on the handle, I swung it with all my might; bringing it crashing down onto his head.
He appeared momentarily dazed. His grip slackened.
Gasping for breath, I dropped into a crouch and scurried as fast as I could towards Jake's bedroom; praying all the while that he wouldn't catch up to me before I reached my intended destination.
"Come back here, you filthy whore!" He roared.
Oh God… he was coming for me… he was coming…
Frantic gasps escaped my lips as I shut and locked the door behind me. Then I went into Jake's closet and shut that door too. I knew none of this would keep him out for too long but heck, it was better than nothing. And at least here, I was surrounded by Jake's scent. It enveloped me…giving me a sense of security; however false. I curled up in a corner behind his clothes and prayed desperately for a reprieve.
The silence was scattered by intermittent crashes. Every single one made my heart clench in fear. I don't know what he was doing out there but he wasn't going away, that was for sure.
The not knowing actually made it worse. My mind supplied me with ghastly images of him tearing down door and walls in his effort to get to me.
"Oh Bella…" He called in a sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever you are…"
Another crash sounded…this one much closer than the last one. My heart full of fear; I identified the sound for what it was… the sound of Jake's bedroom door being broken down.
Silent tears escaped my eyes. There was a growing knot of dread in my stomach that made it difficult to breathe.
"Bella… where are you…?" Oh God, his voice sounded so much closer now. "I'm gonna find you, you know. This is a small house. There are only so many places you can hide!" He appeared to have gained control of his temper all of a sudden. He sounded… almost… cheerful. It was almost like stalking me; had put him in a better mood. "I can almost smell your fear, you know? Come on Bella…" He cajoled. "… you wouldn't want to make me upset, would you…? Come on out… I promise not to hurt you anymore." He giggled maniacally.
Oh God… he was completely insane.
I clapped my hand on my mouth in an effort to smother my whimpers. He was so much bigger and stronger than me. I could never hope to overpower him… not without a weapon. And I was fresh out of those at the moment. So, basically, my only chance of survival was to stay hidden. I couldn't give myself away.
I could make out the sound of him turning the bedroom upside down. There was a loud tearing noise followed by the sound of several drawers in Jake's dresser being overturned. I flinched. Then there was the sound of breaking glass. All through this, he was swearing loudly.
I knew that he was getting closer. His footsteps were really loud now.
Suddenly, without any warning, the door to the closet was pulled right off its hinges. He reached inside; grabbed a handful of my hair and dragged me out.
I screamed.
"I warned you not to make me upset, didn't I?" He growled as I struggled. "But you didn't listen. Now, be prepared to suffer the consequences."
Pain exploded in my skull as he hit me with a large paperweight.
I passed out.
I woke up with a blinding headache and with absolutely no clue about where I was or why it hurt so badly to even breathe.
"Ugghh" I groaned, checking myself for injuries. As soon as my fingers came in contact with my head I became aware of a wet, sticky residue.
Wet. Sticky. Coppery smell. Ohgodohgodohgod… Blood. It was blood. MY blood!
I sat up quickly… too quickly as it turned out. My head spun and my stomach lurched queasily. I took a couple of deep breathes to keep the nausea at bay.
Once I was sure that I wouldn't throw up all over myself, I looked around to take stock of my situation. After being out of it for God knows how long, it took some time for my blurry vision to adjust. As it became clearer, I noticed that I wasn't surrounded by darkness…nor was it normal light. It was something in between… a greenish kind of illumination that made everything appear sickly.
As things came more and more in focus, I couldn't help but wish that I was still dreaming. It certainly seemed like something right out of a nightmare.
I was in a dark, dank place… some kind of a huge underground cavern, I think. There were multiple openings out of the cave…what appeared to be a maze of tunnels springing forth.
There were corpses…everywhere… human corpses… bloody, mangled and torn. They were lying in heaps all over the cave. Their dead, unseeing eyes were staring at me blankly. The sight alone was enough to make me gag.
Then, there were the cages… filled with people. They were packed together like sardines and most of them were screaming for help. Some of them wept brokenly…some of them just stared at me with deadened, desensitized eyes.
It was horrifying.
There was the overpowering stench of death and decay everywhere. The walls were covered with grime…and gore.
I took in the scene in front of me in mute horror.
My stomach turned. Oh God, I was going to be sick. I rolled over quickly hoping to avoid being sick on myself but the sudden movement caused my head to throb until I thought I would actually pass out once again from the pain.
"Careful, little girl." A chilling voice murmured from behind my shoulder as an ice cold hand brushed down my arm.
My breath froze instantly in my throat as a sensation of intense cold pervaded all of my senses.
I twisted around instinctively and came face to face with my worst nightmare.
There he was – the same unnaturally beautiful face, the same silvery blonde hair, the same stormy blue eyes…Vladimir!
"Oh!" I gasped, shaken at his sudden appearance.
"My darling… we meet at last!" He spoke hypnotically. "I'm sorry it was under such circumstances but your friends left me with no choice. I had just that brief window of opportunity and I took it. I hope you'll forgive me…"
My heart began thudding in my chest as I stood there frozen in fear. "This is a dream… just a dream." I murmured to myself.
"Oh no, Isabella, this is no dream. You woke up a long time ago." There was absolutely no discernible emotion in his voice or his eyes. He was cold and calculating…
"No, that's not true. You're just making me feel like this is really happening. You're just a figment of my imagination. This isn't real!" I countered all the while wondering if I'd totally lost my mind since I appeared to be arguing with my own self now.
"Oh, I'm very real, trust me! As is all of this! " He declared matter-of-factly. He was now close enough that he was invading my personal space.
"Not real. Not real…" I continued with my mantra studiously ignoring his words.
A humorless smile appeared on his lips. "You just keep believing that, little girl. You'll know soon enough what the truth is."
His fingers trailed up the line of my neck, to my cheek to the wound on my forehead. He traced the spot almost lovingly, smearing his fingers with my blood. "So enticing… so tempting…" he murmured huskily before bringing the fingers to his mouth and licking them.
I swear; his eyes literally rolled back in his head. "Mmm…!" God, it almost looked as if he was getting some kind of perverse sexual pleasure out of this. When he opened his eyes, they were completely black with hunger and lust. "Splendid! Intoxicating! You're the best I've ever tasted and trust me, I've tasted plenty."
Revulsion at his words and actions ran rampant through my body yet I was determined that I wouldn't flinch or back off. He might be terrorizing my nightmares but I'd be damned if I'd give him the satisfaction of letting him know how much he really scared me.
Suddenly his expression darkened. "But you shouldn't have been harmed. I gave explicit instructions about that…" He muttered, almost to himself. "Dunkan!" he thundered.
"Ye…yes Master. You called…?" A trembling voice questioned.
It was him. My intruder. My tormentor. My kidnapper.
Although, the way he was cowering here… he almost seemed like a different person. There was none of the swagger he'd displayed earlier while he was taunting and playing with me. Here, he was meek as a lamb.
"Did I, or did I not tell you to bring her here without hurting her?" Vladimir hissed at him.
"I'm so..sorry master… bu..but…" He whimpered.
"You disobeyed me…?" Vladimir's voice had gone chillingly soft.
Dunkan's pleas became more and more fervent. "I… didn't mean to, master! Sh… she put up a fight! I tr..tried not to hurt her… but it couldn't be helped!"
Before I could even blink, Vladimir had flashed to his side. "Well, then, neither can this!" He sneered malevolently as his hands crept up to Dunkan's face in a parody of a loving touch.
"No please master, please… forgive me!" Dunkan wept piteously. "I'll never disobey you again, master…"
"That's right, you won't." Vladimir declared before twisting his neck brutally. There was aloud snap as his spine was severed. Then, his body crumpled down in a heap at Vladimir's feet.
I felt woozy. Dark spots danced in front of my eyes. Just as I was about to hit the floor; ice cold hands wrapped themselves around me; breaking my fall.
The sensation felt wrong somehow… disgusting even.
I shuddered involuntarily. A sound of protest escaped my lips.
Then, everything went black.
A/N: - Once again, I sincerely apologize for the delay in posting this one. I think this is a right time to to reassure all of my readers that I'd never, ever abandon my story… EVER! I know how frustrating it is for readers to not know how a story ends and I'd never put any of you through the torture. So, even if there are any future delays in updates (because, let's face it; with the way RL can kick your ass sometimes; there might very well be future delays!); I request you to hang in there…as patiently as you can. Thank you for all of your love, support and patience.
So…? Tell me. Was that worth the wait…? I sure hope so. I'm a little nervous about this chapter cuz I'm not sure I handled all the action in it well enough. I'm not usually an action writer, you see. And seeing action and writing it are two totally different things, believe me! So, don't forget to let me know if I handled it well or not.
Now I know that the story didn't actually progress much in this one but at least now ya'll know what happened to Bella and who has her, right? So, that's a definite improvement, I should think. Next up, we'll see Jake's reaction to Bella's disappearance and the steps he takes to ensure her safe return. What will happen… dun, dun, dun…
It's completely up to you, how soon you come to know. Your reviews inspire me to write faster and hence it follows that the more you review, the faster the update will be. So, do your thing, people!
Now onto the important stuff… Thank you to my Soulmate-slash-beta-slash lemon consultant extraordinaire – Erin – for her enormous help with this one. Seriously, she's just totally brilliant… as all of you who follow her story, Coming Full Circle, already know. It was her vision and input that pulled off the attack scene, so if you liked it, don't forget to leave word for her in the review. I know I say it a lot, but I seriously mean it when I say that this chapter wouldn't have been even half of what it is without her input and guidance. So, thank you, thank you, thank you…from the bottom of my heart! You're the best beta and friend a girl can have!
Once again, a reminder to all of my readers – leave a review… not just for this one but for Destiny as well. What're you guys still doing here…? Go, Go, GO! Don't make me beg… or worse, YELL! LOL!