Just want to say thanks to Tonya Reneesme Cullen for the reviews and EmeraldEyed God too. I really appreciate people taking the time to tell me what they think of the story. Thanks too to the people who have added it as a favourite; I am so pleased people are enjoying this! It's nearly the end, only a couple more chapters to go so if you've read and enjoyed, please send me a review :)

CHAPTER 28

"Bella!" Jacob grabbed me as soon as I got out of the car, his arms wrapping round me tightly. I returned his embrace, as Edward closed the car door, then leaned against it with his arms folded across his chest.

"Jake," I whispered, feeling tears rise unbidden to my eyes. He leaned back and kissed my brow tenderly.

"We will be just outside. I will not let that blood sucker kill you," he said, hotly.

"He won't hurt me," I said, softly, but I wasn't sure I believed that anymore. I fought the anxiety that threatened to come to the surface and stepped from his embrace. "It is time."

Edward pushed himself from the car and stepped towards us, but Jacob grabbed me again, planting a kiss on my cheek.

"I love you, Bells," he said. I cuddled him quickly.

"I love you too, Jake," I replied. Jacob nodded to Edward and then loped away, to rejoin his pack. Edward watched him go and then turned to me.

"You are sure about this?" he said, his eyes filled with anxiety and sorrow.

"No," I said, with a dark chuckle. "But I have to do this. And if I can make that bastard feel a fraction of what he made me feel when I was human, I will at least die happy if he kills me."

"Don't say that, my love," said Edward, his eyes widening. I looked up at him and forced some determination into my gaze.

"He won't kill me, Edward. I have a lot more ammo than he has with everything he put me through and I have you."

"Be careful, Bella," he said, softly, as he enfolded me in his strong arms.

"You be careful too," I said, clasping him tightly around the waist. Edward lowered his mouth to mine and gave me a heated kiss. The others I knew were nearby, but they didn't come forwards. We had said our goodbyes at the house; they would remain hidden for now.

"I love you," he said. I nodded and swallowed hard.

"I love you too, Edward, more than you could ever know."

The door opened smoothly, no squeak. It was dark inside, darker still with the shades I wore over my eyes. I pulled my baseball cap down a little so that I could remove the sunglasses, but keep my eyes hidden from him.

"Well, well," said a voice from the shadows. I looked across the room, feeling the old stirrings of terror at his voice, so close. Before I could react, he was behind me, his arm encircling my neck, as his lips grazed my throat. "Ah, your scent! I have missed your scent, Isabella."

"What do you want, James?" I asked, keeping my voice as steady as I could.

"Yes, James, what do you want with her?" The red headed woman suddenly appeared, lounging across the manager's booth, her feet up on the table. She looked across at me contemptuously.

"Isabella knows what I want," he replied, quietly. I tried to step out of his arms, but he held me fast, so that I had to resist the urge to use my newfound strength to remove him. He hadn't yet realised I was no longer human.

"No, I don't. Please, James, let go," I said. He laughed against my ear.

"Ah Isabella, keep begging me. I have missed that. Three years it has been, my pet. Three years! You should never have left me. Look at the trouble you caused. I didn't want to kill any of those people, Isabella. Their deaths are on your conscience."

"No..."

"Yes!" he said, his voice suddenly hard. "The taxi driver, the take away boy, your father and not to mention that lovely girl you worked with..."

My heart had it been beating would have stopped. A chill ran through me.

"You killed Lottie?" I managed to squeak. James laughed, a sinister sound and let go of me, turning me so that he could see my face. I immediaely bowed my head so that he couldn't see my eyes.

"I took great pleasure in killing her; it was her fault that your father came that day and her fault you left me. Her death was slow and painful. Do you remember what used to happen when you were bad?" He placed a hand on my stomach and I flinched. He looked up and his lips curved into a smile. "I did that to her, but she wasn't as strong as you, Isabella. Only a few bites; her stomach, her throat, her wrists and she was gone."

Tears sprang to my eyes; grief raging through me. He laughed again at the sight of my despair.

"Oh Isabella, did you not wonder at the fact that that ridiculous interfering girl disappeared out of your life after your father died? I couldn't have her asking you questions, making you feel any worse than you already did. I was not heartless, Isabella. The death of your father was an unfortunate necessity; he had been trying to track me. And he had taken you from me. I couldn't let him get away with that; I did not want you to be in so much pain..."

"Then why hurt me? Why kill my friends and my dad? You're sick!"

James' eyes narrowed to slits and then he brought his hand back and struck me with so much force that had I been human, my head would have come off. As it was, I landed on the floor, my hand to my cheek. Victoria laughed out loud, jumping up on the table, clapping her hands.

"Oh good, the entertainment!" she cried. James snarled at her and crouched down beside me, as I moved away from him. His hand came out and grabbed my arm, dragging me to my feet.

"You will not speak to me like that, Isabella," he warned. "It seems you have forgotten who is in charge in this relationship..."

"We haven't got a relationship! The day you killed my father any kind of relationship between us was definitely over!" I screamed.

"Hit her again, James!" said Victoria. He grabbed me by my ponytail and looked across at her.

"Shut up, Victoria!" he snapped. "And you had better get control of your mouth, my pet."

"I am not your pet!" I fought the growl that was rising in my throat. Unbelievably he still thought I was human and I didn't want to disillusion him. He pulled my head back, baring my throat to him and leaned down.

"You are my pet and you always will be, or at least until I decide to drain you completely."

"I'd like to see you try," I replied, grabbing his hands and pushing as hard as I could. Oh dear, maybe a little too hard. James landed awkwardly on the floor several feet away.

"Shit, James, that little bitty girl knocked you down!" cried Victoria, giggling. James got to his feet with a furious growl and launched himself at me. His fist struck my face and then before I could react, he looked me dead in the eye and pounded my stomach, over and over again until I screamed. Eventually, he stopped and took a couple of steps back, breathing in deeply.

"Obviously you need a few lessons in how to behave around me again, my pet," he said, looking down at me. The pain left me fairly quickly and I rose fluidly to my feet, slowly removing my baseball cap and tugging the band on my hair so that it fell around my face. My eyes narrowed and I pulled my lips back, revealing my sharp teeth.

"I think, James, it is you that needs a lesson," I said and then launched myself at him.