Chapter Twenty Five

Renee

Chasing after the monster had been a mistake, possibly the worst mistake I had ever made. Grandpa and I drove to the city and hunted him, one man in thousands who might or might not still be here. I had no name, no idea where he was staying or if he lived here. All I had was that single glimpse in the crowd, but I had to try. I had to face my attacker, and I had to make him pay for what he had done to me. What he might have done to Bella too although it didn't sound like the same creature.

As Grandpa drove I closed my eyes and conjured him up once more but the picture I remembered. The cold hard body, the face twisted in excitement, the rain dripping from his hair and the moon making his face glow white wasn't what I had seen on the TV screen. That man had been calm and collected, unaware that anyone knew what he really was among all those humans. I wondered if he were stalking a new victim. Was some other poor girl about to find herself assaulted by a fiend in the dark? Not if I could prevent it although I doubted a threat to tell his secret to his own kind alone would work.

"We have to have something to threaten him with Grandpa. I need to write everything down and if anything happens to me it can be forwarded to the rulers of his kind, if not then he could just kill me."

"It's not that easy Honey, remember, for all we know he could be one of the rulers. Jasper only told me that there were three, Aro, Caius, and Marcus and there were others high up in the command structure who could be responsible. If it were one of those would they be scared by such a threat? They might be too valuable to be accused and tried. For all, we know you could be going to confront Aro Volturi himself. After all, you can't describe your attacker very well now can you?"

I shook my head, although I had tried to fix his face in my mind self-preservation had blurred the edges, at least until I saw his face once again.

"I don't care, Grandpa, I have to confront him for the monster he is. I'll go alone, that would be best. You can contact Jasper if I don't come back, tell him what I did. He can take Bella and run if there is any danger, you too."

"Do you really think I would leave you to go alone to face this man?"

"You have to, it's the only way, besides I'm the one he hurt. I'm the one whose life he ruined...no, not ruined, I had Bella and I would never wish her unborn but I have to see him, tell him, stop him if I can."

"We should contact Peter at least. Tell him what we are doing, that way he can watch out for Bella if not us."

"No, it would put Peter and his wife in danger too if you are right about him being Volturi and I won't put them in danger, this is between me and my attacker."

"Us."

His voice was rock steady and I knew there was no point in arguing.

"OK, us. Thanks, Grandpa but you aren't doing this out of guilt are you? Because I never blamed you for what happened, you looked out for me all my life and Bella too."

"Oh, my guilt goes back further than that Honey. I blame myself for what happened to your mom, she was my little girl, my responsibility."

"She was eighteen Grandpa. You weren't responsible."

He smiled at me a little sadly,

"Bella's a year older, but I bet you still feel responsible for her don't you?"

That question stopped me dead, he was right of course, I would always feel responsible for her, even when she finally left home for her new life with Jasper, it's what parents do.

After walking the streets of the city for hours, my feet were sore and I was hungry and dispirited. Grandpa walked beside me quietly, watching every man we passed and waiting for me to make some sign of recognition, but I knew it was a hopeless task. He could have been traveling through, he could be home watching TV, or he could be in a hotel room, he could even be out hunting for another victim. How in the world was I supposed to find him among these crowds?

"Let's get something to eat and drink then find a hotel for the night. You should ring Bella, let her know you are OK."

"Yes to the first but I'm not contacting Bella. She's going to want to know where I am and what I'm doing and I don't want her involved. I promise you if we don't find him by tomorrow evening we'll go home."

He smiled at me and pulled me into the nearest restaurant moving towards a table at the back, but I wanted a window seat. It was just possible the creature might pass as we ate, I wasn't going to miss any chance of seeing him, no matter how small.

Were the Gods smiling on me that evening? I couldn't say if they were or if the very devil himself were leading me on but as I finished my coffee I turned to gaze out of the window again and there he was, walking by. The cup fell from my hand and clattered noisily on the table, Grandpa jerking round at the sound. He took in my strained white face and trembling fingers and understood at once. Throwing down a handful of bills to pay for the meal and grabbing my hand. We almost ran from the restaurant, some patrons gazing after us curiously and once outside he turned to me,

"Which way did he go?"

I pointed a shaking finger in the direction I had seen my attacker walking and we hurried after him moving in and out of the pools of yellow created by the street lights.

I thought we were too late, that he had gone, but then up ahead I saw a still figure watching two hookers on a street corner before moving off again as a young woman hurried past him, coat pulled close around her against the icy wind. I tugged on Grandpa's sleeve and whispered in his ear,

"He's looking for a new victim, I think he's going to attack that girl. We have to stop him."

Grandpa nodded looking up and down the street,

"Come on then and pray he stops long enough to listen to us."

We followed the creature into an alley where the young woman had disappeared and saw he was close behind her but he stopped looking back, he had obviously heard us. The girl was framed for a second in the light at the far end of the dark alley and then she was gone, safe at least for now, but I could see the creature was about to follow her so in desperation I spoke, knowing from Charlotte how acute a vampire's hearing was,

"I know what you are."

He froze, then turned very slowly and walked back towards us and deciding we might be safer we backed out into the main road, under the lights with people passing all the time.

He came to a halt a few feet from us and waited, so I spoke again,

"I know what you are and what you were going to do to that girl."

He smiled, a cold smile with no mirth,

"Oh really? And what is it you think I am?"

"You are a creature of nightmares, a fiend who preys on innocent women, a vampire."

The last word was no more than a whisper, not because I was afraid of him, he'd already done his worst to me, but because I didn't want any passersby to hear, to stop and stare.

"A what?"

He turned his gaze on Grandpa,

"I think you should take your companion home, she's obviously been drinking."

Grandpa shook his head,

"I wish she had, it would be preferable to knowing that your kind really exist, but we know they do. You attacked my granddaughter here years ago but she never forgot your face and we are here to tell you that if you attack any more we will report your activities to your masters."

He laughed then, a throaty chuckle which sliced through me like a knife.

"This is the only warning you'll get. You ruined my life, but I won't let you ruin any others. I will tell the Volturi about you if you don't agree to stop your sick activities."

The laughter died and one eyebrow rose,

"The Volturi? You have done your homework, or, at least, someone has been telling tales, but you don't know the Volturi if you did you would know how futile that would be."

"I'm prepared to risk that...the question is, are you?"