CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

(BPOV)

My body trembled and my scream was cut off as the wind blew out every candle Sue had lit, it's furious gust extinguishing the fire along with them. The bitter cold swept over each of us. Terror overwhelmed me and the darkness enshrouded me when I felt the breath leave my lungs, as Billy's baritone cut through the eery silence like a sharp razor.

"I know you're here. I can feel you. My skin is crawling."

Sue grabbed me then, her arms gathering me to her in a motherly protective way that made me suddenly miss Renee.

"Sue...-"

"Shh..." She whispered. "Don't move, Bella."

I held back the sob that threatened to spill from me when Doris huddled herself closer to us.

"I demand you show yourself!" Billy yelled, his tone as lethal as I had ever heard it to be.

Out of the looming shadows a figure moved all too quickly. My breath hitched and I clung tightly to Doris and Sue as the shrilling sound of an angry hiss filled the room. Sue's door then slammed shut and before I could blink, a cold firm hand took hold of me by the throat. He came out of seemingly nowhere. The only prior announcement of his arrival was a drop in the airs temperature, the descent of absolute silence and the unsettling feeling that overtook me just moments before Sue's door was flung open.

I was lifted off my feet and forcefully ripped from Sue's arms so fast that it made my vision blur and my head spin.

The voice that surrounded me then was barely recognizable and yet still somehow hauntingly familiar. I stared into Damien's bright red eyes, seeing the thirst in them and knowing that smell had already taken over his primary sense. He looked me over as if I was the single thing which he hated and desired all at the same time. He no longer cared what I looked like, right now, it was my aroma that really counted. The lure he had for the taste of my blood on his tongue ruled him in every way. His eyes were crazed and it shook me to my core, as he hauled me to him and ran his nose along the side of my neck. I took in his face, seeing how pale and translucent his new skin was. It was paler than the moon, utterly white and smooth, and his features even more flawless than before. I knew all too well of his abilities now, of the power he possessed and it made me hate him all the more for it. He was vile already. Full of greed and ill placed power. He was a man who took great pleasure in getting off on control and his ability to make anyone around him feel small. Now, it made me sick to know that he could smell the fear and vulnerability on someone from across the street. That he could detect the sugar levels of some unsuspecting person's blood and define the subtle flavour hues still unknown to all the science and medical minds out there. Some innocent person who happened to be an uncontrolled diabetic was now like walking candy to him. He would undoubtedly charm his sadistic and charismatic way into their head by telling them how sweet they were, while he led them to the nearest place where he could have his feast and go unnoticed.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Billy shouted, daring to provoke him. I shot him a pleading look in the hopes that he would be silent and not anger him any further.

Damien didn't reply, instead he threw me to the floor, the force of it so jarring that I felt my teeth rattle. Doris moved to help me but I held my hand up to her so she wouldn't come any closer.

"It's Billy, right?" Damien seethed, turning away from me long enough for me to make eye contact with Sue. She looked terrified of him but held her ground.

"That's right." Billy confirmed, staring at Damien without an ounce of fear on his face or in his fixed gaze. I marveled at his ability to keep his composure and tried to force myself to get back up. My body felt as if I had been in a car crash. Every muscle ached as I lifted myself up off the cold wood floor.

"We finally meet." Damien callously snickered.

"To my disappointment... yes." Billy replied. "You can't be here. You're on forbidden land."

"You have something that belongs to me and I intend to get it back. One way or the other. My ability to control the elements has worked greatly to my advantage wouldn't you say? The control I have is limitless now. Who would have thought that such a life could exist to anyone."

"Bella will never belong to you."

"Tell me, Billy... How would you like to have no use of your arms to match your legs?" Damien hissed his way.

His threat was not idle and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to carry out his word if provoked.

"Nothing you could ever do to me would matter." Billy calmly stated to him in return.

"Cocky aren't we, old man?"

"You have no place here."

Sue took a bold step forward and I cringed when Damien snapped his head in her direction. "You're the mother to some of the pups you refer to as wolves around here."

Sue barely nodded to him in reply while reaching her hand down to me. Before our fingers grazed, Damien shoved her backward, sending her into the table behind her. I gasped at the sight of the splintered wood laying around her in a heap. She didn't move at first and my fear was rapidly replaced with fury,

"You're here for me, right. You did all this to get to me. That's what you came here looking for. So leave them alone!"

Damien tilted his head back and laughed. The sound truly chilling to hear.

"Still haven't learned your manors, I see. I would have thought by now you would have been able to follow the rules a little better."

Before I could even take another breath in, he was in my face. His mere closeness making me flinch away from him as he hissed.

"Leave her alone!" Billy yelled.

"I can smell him on you." Damien seethed, his breath ghosting my face as I tried to look away from him. "He's on your skin. Like a bad cologne. Every inch of you smells like him."

I heard the heated anger in his voice but my mind went to a much different place in that moment. It went to a place where there was only warmth and safety. My mind filled with Jacob, consuming my every thought and it was enough to make me raise my head and look Damien square in the eye. It was enough to make me square my shoulders and it was enough to erase my fear of him if only for a few seconds.

"That's because I am his."

Damien jerked back at this, as if my words had the ability to harm his new granite flesh, and I took great satisfaction in watching the disgust cross his porcelain face.

"I'll kill him."

"You're no match." I boldly stated. "Never will be."

The hit from him came suddenly and I felt the blood trickle down my cheek when the force of his granite hand split open my skin. Black dots began to form around my vision and I struggled against the heavy pull of unconsciousness. He hauled me up like a rag doll and dragged me toward the door.

"No!" Doris yelled, running for him.

Damien smiled wickedly and knocked her down with one blow. I screamed, turning myself around to try and reach for her. My fight against him was weak and futile but I continued to struggle against him anyway.

"So this was your plan?" Billy shouted. "Control the storm around us and leave the pack blind so you can take Bella with you!?"

"You catch on quick old man."

"You're controlled. You've been a cold one for longer than we thought." Billy stated in observation.

"Who bothers to count meaningless days or weeks anymore when someone such as myself has an eternity to look forward to."

"My son will find you and he will destroy you."

"Not if I sink my teeth into him first." Damien threatened, suddenly yanking my head forcefully back by my hair, his sharp intake of air that he no longer needed causing me to hold my own breath in fear that he would kill me right here.

"Don't!" Billy yelled, wheeling himself forward, his chest heaving as he looked at me.

"There are more of my kind. You already know this. I've created dozens. You would be wise not to provoke me."

"You don't know who you're dealing with."

"I know all about the pack and I know they don't stand a chance against the army that's coming. They'll all feast on this town and move on to the next. Your wolves won't last the night."

I couldn't stop the cry that left me when he said this, his iron grip on me painful as he forced me to look at him. I shook like a leaf now at the sight of his fury and at the thought of what was coming for Jacob and the others.

"You underestimate them." Billy stated, as Damien whirled me around and ran his icy fingertips along my jaw line.

"You underestimate me and that was your first mistake."

My world went black in an instant then and the sound of my own screaming was all I could hear ringing in my ears, as a burning fire spread through my veins.

A/N: There will be another update very soon. Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave me your thoughts in a review.