Big thanks for the lovely reviews I got for the last chapter. I'm so glad people are enjoying this.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Before I could react, Jonathan yanked the phone out of my hand and without so much as glancing at it, crushed it to dust in his hand and then blew the powdered remains in my face. I coughed and looked away, terrified. How could he be so strong?

"You just don't learn, do you, darling?" he said. He leaned forwards, grabbing my face and forcing me to meet his eyes. "Hmm, seems I picked the wrong hurtful memory." This he muttered almost to himself. "Did you know, darling that these blue eyes of mine see so much more than your physical features? I see your memories sitting there just below the surface, simmering away. And one I particularly like. Can you guess which one it is?"

He leaned in close, his breath whispering against my cheek, making me shiver. I shook my head, biting my lip hard to keep from sobbing aloud.

"Oh come on, Bella, play nice. I want you to guess. Which memory causes you pain to think of it? What time in your delightful love life causes you to panic just a little?"

"Please," I whispered.

"Please? Oh Bella, you say that so much! You beg and you act all contrite and sorry all the time, but then you go ahead and do silly things like using a mobile phone to contact that sorry excuse of an ex..."

"He isn't an ex!" I said, before covering my mouth with my hand. Why couldn't I just stay quiet? Jonathan laughed softly and then leaned very close to me, whispering into my ear.

"Strip, Bella," he said. My eyes widened and I shook my head, tears pooling in my eyes. Jonathan leaned towards me and kissed my cheek. "Do as I say, Bella."

"Jonathan, please," I begged. "Please, I'm so sorry..." He looked me dead in the eye and then moved his hands down to his belt, an evil smile on his lips.

"Isabella, strip," he ordered. "Or I will rip every stitch of clothing from you with my bare hands."

Shakily I brought my hands to the hem of my t-shirt and lifted it over my head and then pushed my jeans down. When I stood in just my underwear, I drew my arms around myself, sobbing now pitifully.

"Everything, Isabella," said Jonathan, breathily, as he removed his belt. My eyes fixed on the leather as he drummed it against the palm of his hand.

"P... p... please..."

"Now!" he suddenly bellowed, so loud that I gave a startled shriek and then brought trembling fingers to the clasp at the back of my bra. As I slid it down my arms, I stared down at the floor; perhaps if I did not look at him I would be able to keep my nerve, stop myself from plunging into the pit that was opening beneath me. Once I was completely naked, Jonathan started to circle me, drawing the leather across my flesh, making me whimper.

"Please, Jonathan," I tried once more, but he stopped me, pressing the belt against my lips. Tears streamed down my face now.

"Do you know, Bella, I do this as a favour to you, really. If your lover does indeed come for you, as you think he will, no doubt he will be a little more likely to correct you in the proper manner. As he wishes to. Edward Cullen is a violent man by nature, my darling. The sooner you get used to this sort of treatment the better. You are an inferior vampire, Bella, sad as it is to say and as such an inferior mate, whether to me or to Edward. Now, I am going to punish you properly for your disobedience and when I have finished I am going to lock you in the cell. You will only come out when I can fully supervise you, because you have taken advantage of my attraction to you. I have had enough of it, Bella. More than enough." He spoke almost sadly, as if he regretted it. And I did what I used to do in the past; I retreated into myself, shutting out his voice, taking myself to a blank void where I could try to pretend I would not get hurt.

But then he grabbed my arm, forcing me back into the present. I yelped as my body hit the bed frame and he pinned me down with one hand. I held my breath and then screamed as the belt struck me between my shoulder blades. He didn't speak, as he brought the belt down over and over again across my back, my bottom and the backs of my legs. Pain burnt through me and my throat ached from crying out. Finally I stopped struggling and lay exhausted, unable to move as he continued thrashing me. I didn't even realise he had stopped until he dragged me back to my feet and brought me stumbling down the stairs to the tiled cell, throwing me inside as I was, naked and badly bruised.

I curled up on the icy floor in a foetal position, too drained and hurt to weep anymore. Instead, I just lay there, inert, wishing only to die there and then.

XXX

My whole body throbbed with agony from the beating he had given me and I shivered with cold. It was freezing in the cell and I knew that had I been human, I would have been dead by now. Time no longer had any meaning; healing was a slow process because I had not fed perhaps in days. My eyes had no light to adjust to the pitch blackness and every noise made me start violently. No one came for me though. I had thought perhaps Jacob might come and help me, but he didn't. Part of me even wondered if Elizabeth might come to my aid; seeing me in such a sorry state might have caused some sympathy in another, but again there was nothing. And Jonathan it seemed had washed his hands of me. I was giving up. Each day, I prayed for death; prayed that my immortal body would give up, but it seemed my curse made me almost human but not enough to actually die. Just enough to be in agony, both of the body and the soul.

Jonathan had not held back when he whipped me; it seemed that all of his frustration that I could not love him had flowed through the leather of the belt and into my flesh, leaving welts and bruises standing out on my skin. I could feel them if I could not see them. The darkness no longer bothered me and I was almost thankful I could not see myself. It was not too far a cry from the truth to imagine that my flesh must be like white marble by now, my eyes black from hunger and my back lined with marks from that belt.

He did not seem to wish to see what he had done to me though. I had expected that he would come to me; gloat at what he had done, but he did not. If anything he seemed to wish to keep away from me and away from what he had done. Perhaps he was ashamed. Or perhaps he simply did not care anymore and was content to leave me to waste away in this frozen cell.

My ears pricked up. I could hear voices outside the door, raised in anger. There was no hope left in me though; nothing to help me believe that this situation could change. A sliver of light crept across the floor and I blinked, flinching away from it, covering my face with my arms. I heard an angry cry behind me and pulled myself further into the corner of the room, keeping my face covered, trying to hide myself away, but I could not hide from him. I waited to be roughly dragged to my feet, but instead gentle hands touched my shoulders, avoiding the welts there. I was drawn against a familiar, muscular chest and held in toned arms. Loving words were murmured into my ear, but I barely heard them; I could not register what was happening. It was a dream; another dream. There had been plenty of them since I was left in this room. Hope would flare only to be brutally extinguished as the reality of the darkness was the only thing left when I opened my eyes.

"Where the fuck has that bastard gone?" A familiar, angry, female voice.

"Rose, not helping!" An efficient female voice, but wracked with grief.

"There's no sign of him or that bitch. Jacob is gone too. Sam says he can't hear him. That's not normal." That deep voice laced with concern.

No, no, no. Don't believe it, Bella. It is a dream, just a dream. These voices have haunted you for so long. You want to hear them so badly you are imagining them.

"Bella, my love, please, look at me." The voice was so gentle; too gentle. I shook my head, burying my face against his shoulder. A gentle hand came to my face, forcing me to look up. "Isabella." This time my name was growled and I brought my gaze upwards, slowly, reluctantly. I would wake up before I saw him, just as I always did and I didn't want to wake up. I wanted to stay in this dream where I was safe in his arms forever. Where I heard the voices of the people I loved the most in my ears and felt their concern wash over me like a soothing balm.

But when I opened my eyes, he was still there. That messy tousle of bronze hair fell into golden brown eyes that looked down at me; pools of love that I sank into.

"Edward!" I gasped, breathlessly. "Edward." I collapsed against him and he pulled me close again, holding me tenderly against him.