45. LE VICOMTE DU TOULON
Demetri tapped lightly upon the door to their little room on the train. Bella could not help but smile. He could always be counted on to be courteous. "Bella?" he said, poking his head in. "Do you need more time?"
"No," she said, watching him step inside and shut the door. He sat down beside her, and for the first time since all had become known to her, it didn't seem strange. The distance was now gone, as was her fervent anger. Saying her goodbyes had put her in a melancholy mood, and here, at the end of her life, there seemed little point in staying mad at him.
She had wondered what she and Edward would have done if their places were reversed with Heidi and Demetri. Would they have been willing to do the things Demetri and Heidi had done? She didn't think so. They'd have sooner run away, fleeing to the ends of the earth; choosing instead to forever hide from the outstretched hand of the enemy than betray each other's love.
But, who was she to judge Demetri, after all? She had not known his life, his existence. She had not been a part of his experiences. How different would she have been if she had been changed by someone other than Edward? Would she have been nothing but a demon, out of control and wild? Her new family had kept her grounded, attached to her humanity and spirit. Could she now chastize Demetri and Heidi for having a less fortunate upbringing? They had loved each other so much, they were willing to do anything to be together. That, in the very least, meant something.
But, she was so unlike them; so different. The demon within terrified her. And now, as they moved ever closer to Paris and the Vicomte, she would have to test it all. Test her will, fortitude, and strength. She couldn't be sure if she had enough power to survive, much less return from the demon unscathed...
Demetri watched Bella in deep contemplation. He did not envy her, for he knew far better than she what she was soon to be up against. "Does Edward know of what we are to do?"
She nodded, yes. "I asked him to come to Paris...just in case I survive."
Demetri raised his eyebrows. "You don't honestly believe he would come all that way and not try to help you?"
"Don't you mean save me?"
"Yes," he admitted. "'Save' is a more appropriate word for Edward..."
Bella's brow furrowed. She should never underestimate Edward... "How long until we get to Paris?"
"Nearly an hour."
"And then, how long to the Vicomte's house?"
"From Paris to the Palais du Chaville...forty minutes by car."
The wheels in Bella's mind continued to turn. "And Warsaw to Paris?"
Demetri pondered over this for a minute. "Three and a half hours, if there's no delay..."
"Is that possible?"
Demetri blinked at her. "Pardon?"
"I don't know... Do you have those kind of connections?"
Still feeling as though he were missing part of the conversation, he asked, "You want to delay his flight to Paris?"
"Yeah. Can you do that?"
"Yes...but, are you sure you want to?"
At this, Bella looked resolute. "If it means preventing him from trying to rescue me...absolutely."
Demetri took out his phone, but did not appear to be in any great rush to get the deed done. "Bella, I'm not sure you know what you're asking of me. Think a moment. Maybe Edward is right. Maybe we should just wait for him."
"How do you know what he wants me to do?" she said, her eyes wary.
"Edward's motives concerning you are not difficult to discern, Bella. One would be a simpleton to not presume that he would do everything in his power to prevent you from doing what you're about to do. Whether it be him taking your place in the duel or..."
"Exactly," she said, nodding her head, interrupting. "You know the Vicomte. You, more than anyone, know what he's capable of."
"But, don't you think..."
But Bella was quick to cut him off again. "Are you telling me that Edward wouldn't be in any kind of danger? That the Vicomte wouldn't use Edward against me? Control his mind, or whatever, and torture him to get to me?"
This time, Bella had called his number. "I can't say for certain what Augustin will or won't do..."
"Exactly my point. Edward can't defeat him, you said so yourself. Decision made. If he can't help, he's only a danger. To himself, and to me." She turned away, staring out the window. It would cost her her life, but it was worth it. This was simply the price she would have to pay...
"Alright," he said at last, still sounding unconvinced. "It's your call." He flipped open the phone, pressing the speed dial. "Gianna, Demetri. I'd like to request all flights bound for Paris out of Warsaw be delayed no less than...two hours. Think you can manage it? Thanks, bye."
"Just like that? You don't need to give a reason?" Bella asked, watching him pocket his phone.
"They know who's in Poland, Bella..."
"Oh," she said, once again turning her gaze to the French countryside flying passed. She hoped she was doing the right thing. Repeating the thought that he would not be able to help her did little to ease the pain of not seeing him one last time. But in the end, she knew this was right. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but better to prevent something horrible from taking place than regretting it later.
The door opened and Heidi, clad in her dark grey cloak, stepped in shutting the door behind her. "We're nearly there. Twenty minutes to go. Are you nervous?" she asked Bella, who looked even more pale than usual.
"A little," she admitted, wondering if all people sentenced to die felt the same eerie calm before the storm. She thought of the Vicomte's wife and children, the unlucky ones who had not been so fortunate to have been saved by Demetri, and instead met Madame Guillotine. Had they been afraid as they made the long, lonely climb up the stairs? The roar of the savage mob in their ears, the blood of fellow aristocrats at their feet, standing in the long, cold shadow of the knife?
It was now Bella's turn, and as the train at last pulled into Paris' Bercy station, she knew her time had at last run out. The train stopped with a grinding lurch, but the three vampires on board, now standing shrouded in their long cloaks, did not loose balance. They were at last in Paris, and had to be on their way.
They had received quite a few stares in Florence, but that was nothing compared to the outright ogling they earned now. Two passers by had even been bold enough to snap some pictures. Their faces were well concealed neath the thick hoods, but Bella knew they were looking more than a little conspicuous.
"Why is everyone staring? I mean, more than ususal?" Bella hissed to Demetri so quickly no human could have heard her.
"Vampires don't come out during the day in Paris," he explained, likewise in an ultra-fast whisper. "Too many sunny days. Here, they prefer the nightlife. More choices for dining..."
Bella gave an involuntary shudder. The merest thought of feeding satiated her mouth with venom. It was unfortunate that her nostrils were filled with the scent of hundreds of humans milling around them. But, like so many times before, Bella swallowed the venom, held onto her breath, and suppressed the demon. She was not needed. Not yet, in any case...
It was easy enough to rent a flashy, black Mercedes in Paris. And even though they raced through the streets toward impending violence and mayhem, all seemed relieved to feel the speed and freedom that a fast car could afford.
The windows down, and a warm August day in their grasp, Demetri expertly sped out of the city, out onto open highway.
Bella called out, "What's the plan for when he realizes he can't control my mind?"
"No plan," Demetri replied, racing around another car. "We'll just have to hope that he doesn't notice right away."
"But what if he does?" Bella countered, her anxiety increasing. There were simply too many unknown variables with the Vicomte. Too many things they couldn't plan for. He was a loose cannon.
"That's not his style," Demetri justified, turning the wheel around a hairpin curve in the road. "He wouldn't want to seem rude."
Bella shook her head in disbelief. Just who was this Vicomte, who ate children, but wouldn't want to seem rude to a guest come to assassinate him?
She hesitated. There was yet another question to ask. One that disturbed her more than anything else. "One last question... He controls minds, right?"
Demetri paused, confused. "That's your question?" He had supposed he had already answered that.
"No. What's to stop him from controlling everyone's mind there, including yours and Heidi's and attacking me during the duel?"
Strangely enough, Demetri laughed. "Obviously, you haven't spent much time around eighteenth century aristocrats... Not a possibility, Bella."
"How can you be so sure?" Bella asked, incredulous to his easy dismissal.
But Demetri merely shook his head. "That's not how a duel works. There are rules."
"So? He's a crazy, sadistic vampire who eats children for breakfast! What the hell is he going to care about rules to a duel when no one duels anymore?"
"Oh, people still do them... Vampires mostly. I can't make you understand, Bella. You are too young. You're not of the time, or at the least, and I hope you do not take offense to this, but...you're not European, Bella. Your Romeo and Juliet involves Leonardo DiCaprio wielding a handgun. Whereas when I picture Romeo, I see Raurcourt."
"Who?"
"My case in point," Demetri replied apathetically. "The rules of a duel are absolute. More so in a duel to the death. This is very much your 'two men enter, one man leave' scenario. Or...woman, in this case."
"But," Bella broke in, "that's crazy. I could fight him, be close to killing him, and no one will step in to save him?"
"To interfere in a duel is beyond dishonorable, Bella. He would never allow it. Now, should you kill him, his second might very well try to finish you off at his command."
"Whoa! Just how many people am I going to be killing, here? I thought it was just one! One vampire, you said!"
It was Demetri's turn to feel uncomfortable. "There is a slim chance..."
"Slim chance?" Bella repeated scornfully. "Great..."
In a space that seemed all too fast for comfort's sake, they were there. "That's Chaville up ahead," Demetri called out, as he turned off the highway, and down a country road bordered by sweeping green fields and immense copper beech trees.
Demetri turned off the main road once again, and there in the distance, a massive baroque chateau could be seen. There was no gate, which struck Bella as peculiar, but the sweeping lawns were expertly manicured with sprays of colourful flowers, and trimmed hedgerows. It was as stately as it was forbidding. It spoke of power, royalty, and the distant days of grandiose nobility.
"No gates?" Bella wondered aloud. "No security?"
She could not see Demetri's smirk, a fact which he was grateful for. "Oh, over the centuries, many humans have attempted to rob it, with grave results."
The building itself was made of white bricks with four circular turrets at each corner rising high into the air. Altogether, there were four floors, with substantial glass windows and a high, pitched roof, complete with 24 karat gold crosses at each gabled peak.
Bella sat gaping, awed by its magnificence, and daunted by a sudden feeling of insignificance compared to its regal grandeur. "I don't think I can do this," she said in a small voice.
Demetri stopped the car outside the palais' sweeping stone staircase, leading up to a solitary door, no less than sixteen feet tall. "You want to leave?" he asked pointedly. If she asked it of him, he would do it, even though it would cause nothing but trouble for everyone involved.
"No," Bella said, her eyes wide and she stared up at the palace walls which seemed to touch the very sky. "I'm just not sure I won't crumble at the sight of him."
Demetri turned around, the better to see her. His golden eyes brought strength. "Courage, Bella. We shall not leave you. One way or another. Do you understand? None of us will be free until this is done."
Bella stared at him, and then glanced at Heidi who sat motionless, forever staring ahead, as though not listening. If Bella were to change her mind, she knew Heidi would have great cause to object, but would not. She would follow Demetri's lead, wherever it may steer them.
But Bella knew she could not change her mind. Edward was delayed, but not forever. If she did not do this here, now, she would simply have to return at another time and battle another day. And worst of all, what would the Brethren say?
No. They were here, and she knew she must not let her hysterical fear get the better of her.
"Bella?" Demetri asked, as he turned to see the great door swing open.
"Let's get this over with," Bella said at last, slipping on Heidi's tan gloves, and opening her door. Madam Guillotine is waiting...
A lone gentleman vampire stood at the open doorway, dressed in pale khaki pants and a white t-shirt. He seemed to recognize Demetri, for he smiled when he saw him. "Tiens, Demetri! Ça fait longtemps!"
"Oui, bonjour, François! Comment allez-vous?" Demetri said, as they strode up the steps, and he shook François' hand. Bella could easily see the ruby red gleam in his eye.
"J'ai tellement le cafard!" François said, raising up his hands. "Et vous?"
Bella stared as the tête-à-tête ensued. She was utterly lost in the conversation, and her only guide that things were going well was the seemingly careless smile upon Demetri's face. He played cool very well, she concluded.
Demetri glanced at her, and then back to François. "Ça ne me dit pas grand-chose. Où est le maître de la maison?"
François thought a moment before replying. He glanced for the first time at Bella, and Heidi before once again smiling lightheartedly to Demetri. "Il est ici. Entrez." He turned, and strode into the palace while the others followed in his wake.
Never before had Bella been surrounded by such magnificence. It was most assuredly a palace, one fit for the Queen of England. The floors were made of solid marble, as was the sweeping staircase directly ahead of them, which curled to the left as it seemed to forever turn upwards toward the heavens. A large glass dome was in its centre, flooding the entranceway with light. It was a far cry from the dark, oppressive rooms of the Villa du Volturi. Here, ferns cascaded out of planters, and rich furnishings could be seen at every angle. They were surrounded by a sea of white, from the drapes to the floor beneath their feet. Instinctively, Bella was scared to touch anything.
François strode over to a small table at the foot of the stairs. He picked up the phone, and began talking to someone. A curious noise sounded to Bella's left. She turned her head sharply to see a small, black camera attached to the wall, focusing its gaze upon them. Unnerved by being watched, Bella turned away, ignoring the imposing glare.
Hanging up the phone, François said, "Le Vicomte vous verra maintenant. Suivez-moi."
He began to ascend the stairs, and Demetri motioned for them to follow. A faint sound of music could be heard echoing through the monumental hallways which Bella believed to be wider than Charlie's house back in Forks. She recognized the song as one of Renée's favourites during her French phase several years ago. Edith Piaf, Bella thought to herself, certain beyond a doubt. Non, je ne regrette rien... Had she not been so terrified, she was tempted to hum along. That phase of her life included eating nothing but French food, watching French black and white movies without subtitles in an attempt to learn the language, and a harebrained plot to move to Paris and so Renée could study fashion design. Those aspirations ruled both Renée and Bella's life for three weeks until Renée discovered Buddhism.
Upon the second floor gallery, they passed two vampires sitting leisurely in the sunlight reading the newspaper. They smiled as the four passed, and one had the boldness to wink at Bella! I know I'm in France now, she thought to herself as they walked onward down the never ending sea of windows on their left, and massive rows of centuries old portraits to their right. The music became louder as they approached, but it sounded scratchy, as though coming from an antique gramophone.
They turned the corner, and at the far end of an enormous reception room sat the Vicomte. Bella blinked, for at first, she thought she must be mistaken. Two female vampires stood on either side of him, looking blank-faced and beautiful in filmy white dresses.
As for the Vicomte, himself, Bella was forced to abandon her mental image of a powdered 18th century aristocrat, perfumed, and dolled up in a profusion of silk and lace. If that was how he once had been, he certainly had changed with the times. He now sat on his throne-like chair dressed entirely in white, his shirt sleeves rolled up just below his elbows. He was older than she had expected, appearing nearly forty in human years with cropped dirty blond hair, but was not unattractive. He rose upon seeing Demetri, and smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth.
"Demetri, mon ami! Il a eu trop longtemps! Comment allez-vous?" The Vicomte strode over to them, and upon reaching Demetri, they promptly hugged each other, and exchanged kisses on both cheeks.
"Bon, merci," Demetri replied, smiling. "Et vous?"
"Je ne peux pas me plaindre," replied the Vicomte, less pleased than Demetri. "Paris devient affreusement mas. Mais assez au sujet du moi..." His red eyes turned to Bella, and he smiled. "N'allez-vous pas me présenter?"
Bella blinked at him, and they both turned expectantly to Demetri. "Naturellement," Demetri said. "Augustin, may I present to you my mate, Heidi, and my friend, Bella. Heidi and Bella, Le Vicomte du Toulon."
"Augustin," the Vicomte corrected, ignoring Heidi altogether and taking Bella's hand. He rose it up to his lips, but suddenly appeared confused upon seeing the glove. He blinked at her a moment, before wryly turning her hand over, exposing her pale wrist. "Enchanté, Bel-la," he said, and kissed it. "Parlez-vous Français, Chérie?"
As Augustin stared at Bella hopefully, Demetri replied, "No, she doesn't. And you can forget Italian."
"Ah, zat is a pity," Augustin replied, his witty smile never leaving his face. "When in France, you must speak French, Bel-la! Is a beau name you 'ave," he said, taking her hand and carelessly linking their arms together. Instinctively she followed his lead as they made their way over to a sitting area of two white sofas facing each other. "Tell me, Bel-la. You are American, non?"
"Yes," Bella said, smiling weakly.
"Is zis your first time to France?"
"Yes," Bella replied, wishing very much that he would let go of her arm.
"Ah! Zen you 'ave much to see! Paris is a shit 'ole, if you will pardon my French. Not worth visiting. But 'ow nice you 'ave come to me! I like zis very much! Am I right in zinking you are still Volturi, Demetri?"
"Yes," Demetri replied, sitting beside Heidi as Bella and Augustin sat opposite them, their arms still clasped together. "Aro wishes you well."
"Bah!" Augustin retorted, his beautiful face turning sour. "Zee old fool wishes me dead, Demetri; you cannot deceive me."
"You are quite wrong, I assure you," Demetri replied with all seriousness. "It is Caius who wishes you dead, not Aro."
His eyebrows raised, Augustin turned to Demetri, and for one moment, Bella was unsure what the vampire sitting next to her was going to do. Astonishingly enough, he began to laugh, upon which everyone else joined in, including her. Even the two austere French vampires, still standing unmoved, cracked smiles. "Demetri!" Augustin said, waving a finger at his maker. "Zat is why I 'ave always liked you! You 'ave such a sense of 'umour! Ah, zut! But you must forgive me! It is long since I 'ave entertained! Adele," he said, turning to one of the ladies, "sonné pour des rafaîchissements."
Adele strode away, and Bella saw Demetri's face stiffen, and then relax. She knew she had missed something in the conversation.
"Now, tell me, Bel-la," Augustin continued, once again turning his amorous eyes on her. "Are you also with zee Volturi?"
How to reply? Bella wondered. She caught the slightest nod to Demetri's head, and so quickly said, "Yes."
"And 'ow long 'ave you been with zem?" Augustin asked, stroking her arm as though it were a cat.
"Uh...about a year now," she replied, fighting the urge to move her arm away from his encroaching touch.
"And 'ow do you like living in such a dark, dreary, cave-like 'ole?"
Bella smiled, choosing her words carefully. "It takes a bit of getting used to..."
"Oui!" Augustin exclaimed, at last releasing her arm. "Absolument! Zat, I could never do! N'est-ce pas, Demetri? 'E knows it is so. Zee Frères live in Middle Ages! Me?" he said demurely, once again turning his wooing gleam Bella's way. "I enjoy life...light...zee pleasures of zis world. I do not shut myself away like a bat! 'Ere, we are free to live 'ow we shoose. You would like it 'ere much better, I zink. Will you not stay a while, and zink about it?"
Just then, Adele strode in, her dainty hand clamped firmly on the scruff of a young, human boy's neck. He did not look any older than nine, and his chest heaved as he appeared on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Ah, Adele!" Augustin spouted. "Bel-la, surely you must be t'irsty after your voyage. Please," he said, gesturing his hand towards the boy. "Bon apatite."
Bella turned, and stared at the frightened boy whose knees were beginning to shake. Turning back to Augustin, Bella smiled and said, "No, thank you."
That had not been the reply Augustin was expecting. He blinked curiously at Bella, and then smiled once again. "I insist, Bel-la. You really must try 'im. The children of this region of France are particularly délicieux."
"I'm not thirsty," was her reply, which caused Augustin's eyes to narrow. She knew that look. She had seen it so often before when others with abilities struggled futilely to use their powers against her. He was trying to control her mind and kill the boy; she was sure of it. Never before had she been so grateful of her inability to be controlled in her entire existence.
He looked peculiarly at her, as though trying to solve a pyridoxal riddle that was her. "Zair is somezing about you... Je ne sais quoi..." And then at last, having stared into her eyes to discern the hidden mystery, he pounced upon it. "Les yeux! Your eyes, Chérie. Are you wearing contacts?"
"No," Bella said. "We, Demetri, Heidi, and myself, do not feed off of humans anymore."
"C'est quoi?! Pas, c'est impossible! 'Ow on earth do you survive?"
"We feed on animals," Bella said, growing more nervous with each passing second.
At this, Augustin laughed as though he had been told a rather good joke. "Non! Surely you jest, Chérie Bel-la!"
"Nonetheless," Demetri piped up steadfastly, "for Bella and myself it has been nearly a year."
"Non!" Augustin said in astonished disbelief. "A year of eating what?"
His eyes bore into Bella's, and she knew he expected and answer from her. "In Volterra, mainly goats."
"Goats?!" Augustin repeated incredulously, bursting into uproarious laughter. "Bel-la, c'est ridicule! 'Umans are animals, I assure you! La! What do they call baby goats, I ask of you?"
Bella's smile now gone, her stomach could not help but tighten in anxiety. "Kids."
"Oui, kids!" he exclaimed, still staring at her with the same confused air. "One 'kid' is like another. Taste, and you will see!"
Bella looked away, to the floor, unsure of what to do or say. She knew at some point she would have to be removing her glove, but when? How?
Seemingly instinctively, Augustin looked down and her gloved hands, and then back over to Demetri. All humour now evaporated, he said, "Alors, if she will not 'ave 'im, Demetri, I insist you do so."
Demetri's face had seemed far from stressed, as he was masterfully controlling his emotions, but suddenly, his face cleared, and became like stone. Heidi grasped his arm in a desperate attempt to show reason, but either he chose not to heed her, or was completely unaware of her motion at all. He rose, and reached the child within four strides. Bella sat horrified as in one swift motion, the boy was in his arms, his lifeblood being drained away by Demetri's powerful jaws.
Bella's felt utterly sick. And yet, she suddenly thanked herself that her gut instinct to exclude Edward from this meeting had been the right one. If Augustin could make Demetri do something as heinous as this against his will, what else could he do?
Demetri, having sucked the boy dry, broke free from his neck, and the cloud covering his eyes lifted. Disgusted is not a strong enough word to describe how he felt as such a moment. Nor disappointed. Was he so very weak, that after so long from being away from Augustin, he could be so easily manipulated and taken advantage of? All he could do was stare in horror at the pale corpse in his hands, now limp and lifeless caused by him.
Augustin, on the other hand, had been watching the scene unfold with a vigilant eye. He had noticed all, from Heidi's panicked motion, to Bella's gasp. He rose up, and strode over to Demetri, who still seemed wholly engrossed by the small boy. "Demetri, c'est quoi? Was 'e not fine? Do not tell me that 'e was less satisfying...than a goat?!" he said, laughing uproariously.
Bella's eyes met Demetri's and she had never felt so much pity for another of her kind. She could see the remorse on his face, and the all-too-clear loathing of having Augustin's words proven true. There was nothing like the taste of humans, as they all well knew. And there never would be. But this was what separated them from the rest, and returned them their humanity.
Unwilling to see him suffer any more, Bella rose, and staring at Augustin, began to pinch each finger on her right hand.
He turned to her, his smile slowly fading from his face. "Bel-la, what are you doing?"
With a gentle tug, the glove came off, and she held it outwards, dangling from her left hand.
"Bel-la, non!" Augustin warned, his face now serious. "Non, non, non!"
He took a step forward, but was too late. The glove was dropped and landed on the silken carpet at her feet. "Merde, Bel-la!" he exclaimed, striding toward her. "Why did you do zat?! Do you not know what zis means?! Now, I shall have to kill you, n'est-ce pas? Alors!" He began pacing about the room, in supposed contemplation, seemingly looking for a way out of the duel.
Demetri gently put the boy down upon a settee on the far wall, oblivious to the commotion and goings on. Bella turned to Heidi for guidance. "What do I do?" she whispered while Augustin mumbled incessantly to himself in French.
"You know what you've got to do," she hissed back as she strode passed, going over to embrace Demetri. Bella felt utterly alone. But, she always knew she would, in this case. She was the untouchable one. This was how it must be.
Augustin strode over to her, looking very much like a stern parent. "We must duel. I see no way around zat. But I need not kill you, Bel-la. C'est bien?"
"No," Bella replied. "To the death."
Augustin rolled his head, as though frustrated with the language barrier. "I do not want to kill you, understand?!" he bellowed, waving his arms about with every word. "We fight, and then stop. N'est-ce pas?!"
"I understand you," Bella said, her voice eerily calm, "and I reject your offer. I say once again, to the death."
His eyes glued to her unwavering face, Augustin stepped away. "You...do not jest with me?"
"No."
Understanding, as well as an evil grin, dawned upon his beautiful face. "Zat is why zay sent you. I knew zair was somezing about you..." he said, waving his tell-tale finger at her. He sighed, and sat down. "Are you certain I cannot shange your mind? Offer you somezing in return? I do like you, Bel-la...very much... It would be such a waste to kill somezing as lovely as yourself..."
"What I want," she said honestly, "you cannot give me."
"Non?" he said. "At least I tried. Zay must hate you a great deal to send you to me like zis."
"Au contraire," Bella replied, using one of her few known French phrases. "I am Aro's favourite."
"Zat, I would never believe. 'E would not send you to me if he loved you, Bel-la!"
"I never said he loved me," Bella retorted. "Now, shall we begin?"
A laugh escaped Augustin. "So anxious to kill me? Well, if it is what you wish, Chérie, I shall oblige." He rose up. "Follow me, if you please."
Augustin lead the way, while Bella, Demetri, Heidi, and the five vampires followed. Down the stairs they went, back to the first floor, and out to the other side of the house. "Is beautiful, no?" he said conversationally as they went, as though giving a house tour, and not walking her to her death. "Seventy-six t'ousand square feet in total, t'ree hundred and sixty-five windows, one for each day of zee year. Fifty-two fireplaces, one for each week of zee year. Twelve turrets, one for each month... But, zee real beauty is zis room!" he said, leading them into a massive ballroom. He casually flicked the switch, and two enormous crystal chandeliers lit up, which illuminated the ridiculously high ceiling painted with celestial heavens complete with flying cherubs. The four surrounding walls were hung with immense gilded mirrors, and the floor was cut in an array of fine parquet wood.
"You wish to duel here?" Bella asked dubiously.
"NON!" Augustin replied as though she were mad. "What if you damaged somezing! No, no, no! I have dueling room. Follow me."
Bella's heart sank. He had a dueling room. He knew what he was doing much more than she did. This would not end well for one of them, and with every step, she was more certain that it would be her. Another passage led to another set of stairs, this time, leading downwards to the cellar. The room in which they now congregated was free of unnecessary frippery and decoration. Small windows close to the ceiling let in some natural light, and to their left, a wall of mirrors. A row of dueling swords decorated the far wall, but Augustin did not reach for them. They would not be needed for two vampires. They themselves were the weapons.
Demetri strode up to Bella. As he spoke, she could not help but notice the newfound ruby gleam in his eyes. "Remember what we talked about? Your power lies in your mind. You must be fearless to let go. You have it in you, Bella. He is reluctant to kill you. Use that to your advantage. And above all else, let the demon loose."
Bella nodded her head, and tried with all her might to not appear as terrified as she was. She turned to see Augustin, now shirtless, stretching and warming up for the fight.
"Voici!" Augustin called. "Are you ready, Bel-la?"
"I'm ready," she said, though feeling as though her voice now held a different person. Tossing the lone glove to Heidi, she met Augustin in the centre, upon which they turned their backs to one another.
"Ten steps, oui?" he said, and began to call out. "Un...deux...trois..."
With every number he spoke, she stepped farther away from him, her eyes straight ahead, her petite hands trembling.
"...sept...huit...neuf...dix!"
They rounded on each other, both hunched forward prepared in the attack stance. Like a light switch, Bella could feel the demon awaken within her. But she had fought so hard against letting go of control, even now, she resisted the urge to let loose the beast completely.
Augustin winked, and attacked.
His impact hit her full on, and the crowd was forced to make way as Bella and Augustin collided with the back wall. The French vampires screamed in fiery bloodlust, as Demetri and Heidi watched anxiously from the sidelines.
Bella rose up her elbow in a fierce blow to Augustin's head which sent him reeling backward. His hand gingerly touched the spot oh his right cheek, as he looked at her surprised. "'Ow old are you, Bel-la?"
"A year," Bella replied, returning to her hunched stance, preparing for another assault.
"A newborn?!" he cried incredulously? "Ah, viens m'enculer!" With that he lunged again, his fists now ruthlessly aiming for her face and stomach. But with each oncoming blow, Bella was able to maneuver away, avoiding contact.
She was beginning to feel confident of the outcome until his left knee rose up, jarring her hip, throwing her off balance. She limped a moment, backing farther and farther away, trying to collect herself again.
Augustin, however, smiled at her and flexed his fingers outward. "Warm-up's over," he said wickedly.
He lunged again, this time, his hand caught her throat. As he slowly began to squeeze, she imagined him decapitating her with his bare hand. Her left arm struggled, flailing about in hopes of seizing hold of some piece of flesh that would save her life. In the end it was his hair that she grabbed hold of, and as she yanked it with furious might, taking nearly a fistful with her, he cried out, letting her go, spinning her hard against the wall.
"Fille du pute!" Augustin said, combing his hands through his hair as more fell out in his hands. His scalp was bleeding, leaving streaks of crimson down his forehead. "God damn conasse! Zat is enough! No more playing around!"
He hurtled himself toward her, his arms outstretched, reaching for her throat. Bella threw herself out of the way, but he caught her left arm and pulled her against him, his iron-like fingers grasping ever closer up her chest, inching closer to her collarbone.
She was losing, and she knew it. She would die, here, this day. Seeing his hand slowly rise up to take her life, she did the first thing that came into her mind. Whether it be the demon that thought of it, or if during the primordial struggles of a fight to the death her inner animal took hold, she simply did what came naturally.
She opened her mouth, and bit him.
He screamed in agonizing horror as his blood, the blood of his most recent kills, the blood of humans, flooded her mouth. In that taste, what was Bella gave completely away. She bit two fingers clean off, and spat them out as he let her go, cradling his mangled hand against his chest.
She now squatted on the floor, her eyes tainted with blood, thirsty for more. The demon had won.
The thirst to kill now equally in his eyes, he snapped his steel-like jaws at her, and once again lunged on his prey.
