Sorry it's been so long since last update! I've been in a writing slump lately (and still am.) Review please it might help me write more! Also, this isn't the last chapter. According to my outline there will be five more.

Chapter Twenty-Five

My sentence was never meant to be finished. Because at that moment, someone cleared their throat behind us. Fear struck my heart, bringing me down from the clouds with an unpleasant crash. I turned around slowly and my eyes fell upon the last organism in the world I wanted to see: Leopold.

"Isn't this sweet," he said, but his harsh voice and black eyes suggested that he didn't think it was at all sweet. "I do so enjoy being right."

Right about what? The words slid to the tip of my tongue and I bit them back. I wasn't going to do anything that might make Leopold angry. Especially not now.

"You've forgotten your duty, Bree. Can you tell me what your duty is?"

I remained silent. Adam was just standing there, staring at the ground as if he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Bree." Leopold's growl was threatening and made me want to turn and run.

"To serve you," I whispered, voice cracking.

"That's right. Your duty isn't to sneak off with skinny little vamps that aren't worth more than the skin off a dog's back."

I bristled at the insult and my mouth opened to retort. But the words wouldn't come to my tongue no matter how hard I tried.

"I'm going to punish you," Leopold continued, "so you will know who's boss. Who do you listen to?"

"You," the words came without effort and I couldn't stop them.

"Correct. Did you listen to me?"

"No."

He paced up and down through the trees. "I'm trying to think of an appropriate punishment for you."

"You could exile me."

He threw me a glance. "That's what you want. This is about you. It's about me." He started to pace and it worried me. I just wanted him to give it over with. Then he grinned, which didn't make the scene any better. "I have the perfect idea."

I resisted the urge to say 'what?' which would probably have just made him angrier. Instead, I waited.

"This newborn-" he jerked his head at Adam "-has outlived his usefulness. Do you know what that means?"

"You're going to let him go?" My voice cracked. I already knew the answer, and that wasn't the one.

He laughed. "Clever, but no." His face was serious again. "You're going to destroy him."

I staggered backwards, all emotion draining out of me except for fear. It stayed, consuming my every muscle and thought. "No," I whispered.

"What was that?"

"No!" I shouted and listened to hear it echo through the trees.

Leopold wasn't smiling anymore. "You will do it. You've forgotten that you serve me, not yourself."

I glanced over at Adam. He was frozen with a blank expression and instinct told me he had no idea what was going on.

"Let him go," I said, glaring at Leopold. "I at least want it to be a fair fight."

"If that's what you want." He paused and Adam shook his head, coming to his senses. "I'll enjoy a good show. I won't wait long." He stepped back and my muscles pulled forward into a hunting crouch. My eyes focused of their own accord on Adam as he pressed his body against a tree.

I lunged and he stepped aside, allowing me to slam face-first into the tree. We began a dance of me lunging for him as he dodged. I knew he was trying to think of an alternative – any alternative – to one of us killing the other. But my brain had already ran through them all and it was impossible.

My heart ached as my hands found their mark and began to scrabble against his skin. My teeth tried to find his throat. Then a thought broke through Leopold's control and I swear my heart started to beat again, if only for a moment. I love you. My mouth formed the words, but no sound came out and Adam's head was too busy avoiding my attacks for him to see my lips. I love you. I released him and felt my muscles slowly loosen. It was like they were turning from steel into pudding.

I fell to the ground and turned towards Leopold, but he was gone. "Where did Leopold go?" I whispered.

"I don't know," Adam answered. "Get out of here. Find help."

"I can't leave you."

"Go!"

I nodded, already turning towards the trees. I meant to tell him my feelings, but there was no time. He was already gone. It killed me to leave Adam there, knowing that Leopold would realize sooner or later what had happened. Maybe he would find someone else to kill Adam or just do it himself.

I have to find the Cullens, I told myself, shifting into a flat-out run. They'll help me. And Adam.