Only two more chapters to go! I'll try to get one up tomorrow and then the last one up Monday or Tuesday depending on how things go. Read, enjoy, and REVIEW! Seriously I want to know what you think good or bad.

Oh, and tell me, do you want me to put my focus on a new Harry Potter fic or What Could Have Been (my other Twilight fanfic)?


Chapter Twenty-Eight

He nodded. "Come on."

At first glance the battle didn't appear to be going well. Vampires were scattered all across the clearing while my family continued to fight on. Bella had managed to get away from her opponents and was piling as much wood up as she could. Edward beheaded his opponent – a rather vicious redhead that reminded me somewhat of Rosalie – and helped her throw pieces on. Bella pulled a pack of matches out of her pocket and lit the fire. A sickly sweet smell filled the clearing and black smoke drifted towards the sky.

Despite the fire that was now consuming their comrades, the others continued to fight on. Adam and I nodded at each other and leapt into the fight.

I glanced around and spotted Esme. Her tiny form was being overwhelmed by two newborns that were almost as big as Emmett. Carlisle kept glancing towards her and was getting nearer and nearer with every second, but he was preoccupied with two of his own adversaries. I took a deep breath and launched myself onto the backs of one of them. Within seconds he lay on the ground in two parts and Bella was hurrying over to drag him away.

One by one the tide of the battle began to change. The newborns were so absorbed in the fight with their assigned targets that they forgot all about me and Adam, and we were able to dispatch them easily. I let Emmett and Jasper deal with the rest and paused in the shadow of a huge tree, looking around the battlefield. In the past hour the pile of wood and vampire had grown to be well over my head and Bella had to start another. I worried for a moment that the black smoke obscuring the sky would draw humans in, but pushed the thought out of my mind.

"Where's Leopold?" I asked Adam when he joined me in the woods.

"I saw him a few times during the fight, but he never got involved. I think he might have fled."

A growl grew deep in my throat. "I'm not going to let him get away." I turned and started to run, ignoring Adam's calls to come back.

I followed Leopold's scent with ease and didn't have to pause once. I ran faster as the scent grew stronger and fear mixed in with it. I knew I was getting close as I turned the corner and screeched to a stop. Leopold stood just a few feet away. His back was to me and yet, I knew that he knew that I was there.

"You escaped," was all he said.

"Yeah." I took a step forward and narrowed my eyes.

"And here I was thinking that the oath was foolproof. I guess you proved me wrong." He paused as if debating something. "What I'd like to know is: how?"

"I don't think you need to know." I took another step and my eyes focused on the back of his neck. Hatred boiled in my stomach. "You're finished, Leopold."

"Am I?" He didn't even turn around and his voice continued in the same arrogant, level tone.

"Yes. You are."

"Before you finish me, tell me: how did you escape the oath?"

"I'm not even sure."

"You must have some idea."

"No." I dropped into a hunting crouch. He turned around and his face shocked me more than anything. He was smiling. Here I was about to kill him after he lost an entire army because of me and he was smiling. If there was ever an insane vampire, he's it.

"Dear Bree, if you were really going to kill me, you would've done it by now. You wouldn't have stopped when you found me. You wouldn't have taken the time to have this nice little chat."

I knew he was right. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to kill you."

"But it does. You don't have the guts to kill me."

"Oh, don't I?" All the rage I'd been feeling burst out of its cage. All the confusion I'd been feeling over Adam, the rage I felt for Leopold trapping me into this, the guilt I had for ending the lives of so many people just because he told me to. I released it all in one loud growl and leaped. Leopold stepped aside easily, but I had none of that. I turned in midair and screeched to a stop, grass giving way beneath my feet.

I lunged several more times and each time Leopold stepped out of the way. My anger grew. Finally I took a few steps back and watched him.

"You can't kill me, Bree," he said calmly. "You're not good enough and next time, I'll be stronger."

I shook my head. "There won't be a next time." I lunged, aiming for his feet instead of his throat this time. He wasn't prepared for my assault and went crashing to the ground. Before he could react, before either of us could blink, I was at his throat.

The fire took seconds to build and him minutes to burn. I watched with cold satisfaction as the fire consumed every bit and the black smoke filled the sky. The fire was just starting to burn out when Adam appeared through the trees. He came silently at first and then ran over to wrap his arms around me when he realized I was still alive.

"You should've waited," he murmured. "I could've helped you. I thought you were dead."

"I know and I'm sorry. But this is all over now." He turned me around and kissed me, slow at first and then rougher. My hands wrapped around his neck in a tight grip that told him I never wanted him to let me go.