First off, nothing Twilighty is mine...
Secondly, huge shout out to Gondolier for the amazing turn around on this one.
Lastly, I've seemed to have found my mojo, so the rest of this is going up as quick as I can get it written. It's all coming together now!
Chapter 25
Momentum
I might have gone further. I might have kept tracing my fingers over the planes and ridges of his body, through the thick black hair. I might have inspected every inch of his flavor with my tongue had the howling not erupted right over our heads and shaken me out of it. Vlad had no desire to stop reintroducing ourselves, but relented when I turned my head upward to the source of the sound. He uttered a soft growl, then grabbed my wrist.
I followed, because I honestly couldn't think of anything I'd rather do. This dark prince had me ensnared. This time, as my body weaved with his through the rows of stakes, I didn't even glance at the death. I hardly noticed the familiar scent of venom still rank in the air. Through the twisted hallway, over the spilled dirt and broken crates until I was stepping back on the stairs, I followed.
The howling continued, and I could hear the distinct timbre of two tones playing off each other, echoing through the blackness of the castle. Almost imperceptible beneath the roaring of the wolves was the low snarling of Vladimir's army, and as we went higher, I could hear more, sense more.
A fight. A battle. It was trembling in the air. Venom began coating my teeth in anticipation. I could feel it as soon as I stepped from the stairs. The receding pain easily gave over to the new rush of adrenaline, and I found my body crouching lower with each step and my hand tightening in Vlad's as I took the lead. I was suddenly desperate to further taint my bloody hands.
A dark, choking cloud of smoke hovered in front of us. I could feel the density pressing on my skin as I pulled us through the thick air. The castle was still burning, but must have been contained in the room with the blood pool somewhere on this floor.
My thoughts hadn't been so disjointed since I was a newborn. My mind whipped through things at an alarming rate. The bloodlust, the arousal, the wickedness, all battering me until I could do nothing more than react.
I placed a flat palm against the door leading to the library. Memories flashed through me as I remembered the shelf-lined walls, the dusty feel of ancient texts between my fingers while I perused stories long since forgotten. I'd been here many times before.
This time, when the door swung inward, the peaceful solitude of the room was shattered. I was assaulted by a chaotic swirl of movement, some of it too quick to really discern through the smoke. A fiery scent scalded me, burning when I inhaled and instinctually triggering the knowledge of what it was. So, even though I had never seen the beast in this life, I knew exactly what it was before I saw it lunge through the mist and clamp its massive jaws around the head of one of the zombies.
What I didn't know was how easily the werewolf's rows of sharp teeth ripped through the undead flesh using much less effort than I had exerted decapitating one of them myself. I grinned a bit at its quick and devastating movements. It was built for this.
When I caught Vlad's face, my smile slid away and I admonished myself for cheering the wrong side. Vlad was glowering, sparks flying from his narrowed eyes. I had a second to graze my eyes over them before he turned and was charging the huge beast in front of us.
All hell officially broke loose.
From the side, a zombie rammed me, causing me to stumble sideways. My head hit the doorframe with a sickening crack, the wood splintered against my skull. I was still staring at Vlad as he lunged over the wolf and sprinted into the billowing smoke before I realized there were five other zombies milling around me, forming a tight wall and making me lean back into the door. The power of their stench overwhelmed my senses and I choked before holding my breath to keep it out.
Between the legs of the sudden guard, I could see two other pairs of feet running at us. One pair was naked and small as they charged forward, and both were covered in dry mud and bits of grass. Another howl echoed in the room and a sleek silver beast was suddenly on top of the guards, digging claws and teeth into the cracked flesh of the two zombies right in front. The sound of tearing flesh intersected the stumbling of the guards who were offset by the force of the werewolf's attack. The fallen guards' bodies slammed against the ground and the wolf began to tuck in with vicious enthusiasm.
The rest of my unexpected guard began to push together, sealing the gap, but I could still see as the other sets of feet hesitated. There was half a second when everything seemed to suspend. No one moved, spoke, and the screaming of the mauled zombies ceased. I took the chance and inhaled the thick smoky air deeply as the breath I'd been holding staled in my lungs.
I want to say that when I smelled them, I understood immediately, but that wasn't what happened.
In an instant the others lunged forward. One took down two more guards with a strong swing and the other fluttered in and out of reach of the groping zombies. They seemed desperate to grab, yet unwilling to move. They weren't really behaving the same way as the zombies that had attacked Carlisle and me. They seemed to be positioning me inside a barrier of protection, rather than trying to eat me. It was then I rose slowly to my feet.
The room seemed to vibrate with growls and snarls and the zombie guard began to fall one by one, until I was finally facing one of the attackers. Mud and venom streaked her pale face, but the familiar golden eyes flashed and Alice's entire face lit up as she saw me. Then, he walked up next to her, and my knees went weak.
Jasper's eyes caught mine, giving me a look of guilt, of uncontained anguish. But I just stared at them both, mouth open a bit, unable to speak. Why couldn't I fucking talk? This was Jasper and Alice. These were my friends. My best friends.
The inner struggle warred inside me. I just couldn't see past that connection with Vlad. All I wanted to do was feel that for eternity. Nothing else seemed to matter, and really, my mind justified, if he didn't see use for these two, why would I? It wasn't like I'd forgotten everything. The supercapacity of my mind kept each memory engraved there. But I found myself really thinking about which way to go and decided there was really no choice. All that mattered was that bond.
They seemed to recognize my hesitation. Alice raised a delicate hand toward me, but I shot a glance over her shoulder, my eyes drawn to Vlad emerging from the smoke behind them. It swirled around his feet in angry motions, even after he stopped walking. His eyes blazed into mine, red, dark, thrilling. He was holding something in his arms.
I could see what he was going to do from the way his hair lifted at the ends, propelled upward by an invisible force. It was a force I knew well, and well I should. He was harnessing energy, wrapping the coils around himself, readying to let loose my shield.
I thought for an instant about warning Alice and Jasper, and instead fell to the ground, effectively dodging Alice's reaching fingers. They grasped at nothing and I threw my arms up just as I felt the shockwave whipping over the top of my head. It impacted the walls of the castle causing them to shiver with violent aftershocks. I felt Jasper and Alice fly over me before colliding into the stone with a resounding crash.
I pulled myself up as their bodies slid to the ground. Jasper groaned and called quietly for his wife, but I was staring at Vlad. He looked weakened, much paler than I'd ever seen him, shoulders slouched forward. He seemed to be breathing hard, looking at the floor as if he were about to collapse.
I moved forward two steps, then stopped abruptly. My eyes turned into slits as some fine strands of hair fell in front of them. A roll of angry pain hit me…from behind. And immediately I felt the tickling of my shield, back in place where my spine connected the base of my head.
It was like a light flicked on, the fog cleared, and I snarled loudly, eyes intent on Vladimir. It all made sense.
He'd been manipulating me, stealing the powers of my own friends to turn me against them.
Vlad's eyes snapped up when he heard me. I saw how drained he was. He'd fed me the venom from his veins, and as his strength surged through me, the power of my shield stripped everything he had left. He hadn't known the kind of energy it took to throw the shield with as much force as he had. I'd only done it once, and it nearly killed me along with the rest of the Volturi. Now, his eyes were stunned. Creases formed at the corners as he clenched them, closing them from my angry glare.
Like a shot, I charged. He didn't even flinch as I took the first hard swipe at him. But, instead of slicing through the marble skin I'd been caressing moments ago, my hand flew through empty air. Shocked, I turned my head and saw him standing perfectly still, eyes still shut, but the hint of smile playing on the corner of his mouth.
Again I struck out, throwing my strength at the end of my arm, but he dodged again with a little spin. Each time I struck out, he moved out of the way. Over and over, until my momentum pulsed and his flickered. He was using the absolute minimal power necessary to withdraw, and never striking back. He moved one step at a time, and kept me twirling in a frenzied dance around him while he stayed just out of my reach.
Frustrated, I dropped low, spinning my foot across the ground to knock him off the ever moving feet. I expected he would jump, and when he did, my fist swung upward, catching him hard between his legs. He crumbled to the ground in a pile. But there would be no reprieve from the violence.
The rest of the room swirled back into sudden focus, the cacophony of screaming and snarling as the zombies fought the wolves along with Jasper and Alice. Vlad had yet to twitch and they were on me, pulling and tugging at my arms and shoulders. They forcibly pulled at me, digging their claws into mine. Despite my kicking and thrashing, I couldn't wiggle out and in half a second, I was fifty feet from where Vlad had fallen.
Only he wasn't on the ground, now. He was standing and staring at me, eyes bright and wild. He was gaining strength back slowly. My shield tickled and faded. He was taking it back. But I knew he needed sustenance quickly to be able to replenish his body after exerting the force he used loosing my shield. I had to get to him, strike him down as I had his brother.
But the hands were like clamps around me, and my barely healed fingertips clawed the ground uselessly. I couldn't get away.
Tearing my eyes from Vlad's, I whipped my head around, desperate to catch sight of the others, but it was impossible to see anything in the chaos. There were zombies everywhere. I couldn't even count the numbers as they milled in and out of the black smoke billows. Their numbers seemed to have tripled from when we'd first entered the room and they all seemed to be stumbling around, intent on a purpose set by their master. They appeared unable to even change their course.
I caught sight of the first dark wolf again, as he plowed through a line of approaching zombies. He gnashed at them with snapping jaws, ripping pieces left and right. The army was trying to grasp at him, but he moved with elegant speed, dodging from their fingers. Suddenly, the silver wolf streaked in and attacked the ones that were chasing the other from behind. The sound of their teeth tearing apart the mindless things pounded in the dense atmosphere like a beacon.
Again, I had the undeniable urge to join in and tear apart these monsters. Then Alice appeared, kicking one of the zombies clutching my wrist. When her foot made contact with its skull, the zombie's hand slipped away. Suddenly, there was a deafening roar and I was completely free. I turned my head toward the sound and saw Jasper as I never had before.
His blonde hair was flying around his face as he tore into one, two, three zombies without batting an eye. He thrust his arm through empty chests, yanked limbs from their sockets, and smashed burned faces with his fists. Without pause, he ravaged the zombies around me. The fury was evident, but he focused it intently on the kill, losing himself to the darker side he fought so hard to control.
I found strength in the violent, experienced motions. He was a trained soldier.
And so was I.
I jumped to my feet, intending to run and aid my friend as he continued the massacre, but Alice was in front of me, her spiked hair practically tickling my nose at her closeness.
"You're okay!" she shouted, not bothering to hide the look that crossed her features.
"Disappointed?" I asked, picking up on what her eyes were telling me.
Then her arms were around me, her hair against my neck and she was crying. With eyes flashing everywhere at once, I lifted trepid hands and patted her back lightly. But I couldn't see Vlad. He was no longer staring me down.
I pushed off a bit, forcing Alice to back up.
"Where is he?" I muttered beneath my breath. Then, catching Alice's golden eyes again I let the uneasiness roll through me. I said it louder. "Where the fuck is Vlad?"
Alice's head began snapping around as quickly as mine. The wolves had joined Jasper, standing as guard over him as he finished the remaining zombies who'd been holding me. They snapped as other undead warriors tried to jump in. They all seemed to be aiming for Jasper now, trying to avoid the wolves' biting jaws.
Still, neither of us could spy Vlad in the madness, and Alice looked ready to burst into tears. I put my hands on her shoulders, sensing her panic rise. I stared at her until she could meet my eyes and I let them burn into her.
"Is Edward with you?" I demanded in a strong voice.
She shook her head slowly. I could see she was close to losing it but she would be no use to anyone if she crossed that threshold. I had to keep her grounded, and there was only way I could think of to do that.
Looking her straight in her eye, I told her, "Go to Jasper. You need to get him and get out."
Her eyes widened. "Are you crazy, Bella? Do you even understand what Vlad's doing to you?"
"Yes," I assured her. "That's even more reason for you to go. He's using your abilities against me. If you're not close enough for him to intercept them and manipulate them, I might have a chance to find Edward."
"Or you might end up with your pants around your ankles," she muttered.
I narrowed my eyes at little Alice. "He's using Jasper to make me feel things that aren't real," I snarled.
I thought about that inescapable pull that had led me to Vlad in the dungeon. Not only could Vlad steal our abilities, he could manipulate them, twist them into horror. How sure I'd been that it was Edward's heart I was chasing through the black castle, only to find Dracula waiting for me at the bottom. Worse, I had accepted it so thoroughly that I dined on the blood of innocence. I'd been lost to the powers he held over me.
And if my friends remained close, they were putting more risk into the situation. Vlad had taken Jasper's empathic abilities as soon as he felt them, and he used them to lure me to his side. I gave into the call, so dumbfounded that I didn't meet the end I'd expected. I thought, for however brief a moment, that it was truly Vladimir's heart that captured mine.
But it hadn't.
When I could feel my own thoughts and emotions again, the truth was blaringly apparent. And that truth had messy bronze hair and a crooked smile sent from heaven. Edward was the only one I would want for eternity.
"That's why you have to go." I concluded my inner ranting aloud for Alice's sake. She had to see that it was the only way.
"No," she responded immediately. The conviction of her denial was fierce in her eyes.
I shook her shoulders with a hard jerk. She had to understand before they unwittingly became the death of me.
I was shouting when I said, "Vlad can assume control over me in an instant with Jasper at hand. Your visions could be used with much deeper consequences. I can't allow him that much power. Mine alone is too much. We can't compact the inevitable by giving him what he wants. Even if that seems to be me. At least I can stay in control of my emotions when Jasper isn't around.
"It's our only chance."
She was shaking her head, even as realization dawned. She knew what I said was true, but she still didn't want to leave me alone.
"Look, I sent Alec and Felix down the mountain. Find Felix and Emmett, and if you can get them strong enough, send them back in. Vlad can't use anything from them. Otherwise, keep away."
She looked shocked by my conviction.
"Now get Jasper and get out before it's too late for you, too."
Finally, she acquiesced with a dull nod. "Okay," she whispered. "But find my brother and get out yourself out, too."
"I will," I lied, and turned around and began running.
I sprinted through the smoke and to the door back to the main hallway without looking to see if she would really listen. I hoped so.
I raced through the pitch blackness, holding my breath as I ran, trying to keep the foul burning scents from my mouth. The entire castle was now a thick blanket of smoke. It couldn't last much longer. It was smoldering away all around me.
I didn't even think about where Vlad might have gone, but I had the inkling he knew I'd figure this out. Where I'd find Edward, I'd also find Vlad. After all, he'd been twisting my love for him all along.
My instincts told me I was going to Edward when I raced to the dungeons earlier. And he'd actually been there when I thought I was feeling him. Vlad had fiendishly preyed on the connection that I knew belonged only to my Edward, using Jasper's abilities as soon as he and Alice were close enough to sense. And I fell for it. I believed the manipulation, not even thinking that Edward lay hidden close by, bearing witness to my atrocity.
And that was too much to take. I felt used and guilty, manipulated and ashamed.
I couldn't change what had happened. I had fallen into Vladimir's arms as if I belonged there. I had felt like it, too, but I'd be damned if I played the part of naïve vampire any more. I was determined to stay in control of my consciousness. I would not allow Vlad the power to make me second guess my heart. Never again.
I flew down the winding staircase, back to the pit, driven with intent and anger. Even if I had ruined my eternity with the unbearable weaknesses, I would find Edward and save him. No matter what it took, he would live.
I could no longer consider myself good enough to be a part of the Cullen family. I was a true monster. It was engraved in my soul from the past violence I'd committed and reared its head at the worst possible moment. And I couldn't change that, just as I couldn't give back those kisses bestowed on a murderer's lips or give back the young life I had stolen so viciously.
But I could save Edward. He was as perfect and faultless as I was broken and weak. I wasn't the one for him. I was completely vile, poisonous; and I refused to contaminate him ever again. He was the only man I'd ever want, but I wouldn't be selfish when it came to my love for him.
So as I wound my way back through the mess of broken crates and spilled earth, I made a vow to myself, chanting it over and over with the drum of my feet against the ground.
I would set him free.
A/N: I still respond to every review. Well, occasionally one or two slide through the cracks, but I love talking Twilight, twific, and Breaking Ties, so holla!