Edward was pissed as he could hear the chaos and agony of Alice's mind. He gritted his teeth since the thoughts he was reading ate away at him.
Selfless but dangerous Bella! Dear why are you risking your life, it's clearly a trap. James knew you would do anything for your mother and he prays on human emotions. Edward needs to get here soon since I don't see a way Jasper and I can take him down. Blood...so much blood and death! I'll come for you Bella just please try to hold out please! Alice thought.
Had she gotten closer to Bella in just one day Edward thought to himself. It might have been a mistake but he didn't want to think about this since if he wasn't quick, Bella would die or worse. He ran towards Alice and Jasper, who were waiting by the exits. His gold eyes were enraged and he hissed,
"Why didn't you go after her!"
You read and saw my thoughts. The two of us wouldn't weren't enough. She died.
I didn't even want to give Carlisle a chance for small talk as the five of us went to the garage to get in their car. Alice was the fastest driver out of all of us and we needed her to drive us to where Bella was going. At first, I was touched that she was apologizing to me even though me being with her caused all this. We got a med kit out of the Mercedes and stole a faster car to get to the dance studio. Alice gave me the letter Bella, she gave me and crumbled it into my pocket when I was done. I was selfish and yet she still loved me. However, another reading into Alice's mind and I saw the words that she had written to Alice. Words of confidence in her, how amazing she was, her love for her, and that she was one of the people she would risk her life for. I wasn't mentioned in that small group and that upset and enraged me as we all got into the car.
"Seems Bella neglected to include me as a person of interest in your letter Alice. How did you get that honor of being someone she would risk her life for?" Edward asked.
"Now's really not the time for this Edward!"
"Right, you stay put in the back. I'll drive to get us to Bella. I will save her!" he yelled.
When they all got in, Edward sped away quickly and they had little time to waste. Alice's mind actually saw something that surprised her in her visions.
Bella might have a chance.
"What?" Edward asked.
"Alice calmed down and really got a sense of what the vision is of." Carlisle told her.
Alice closed her eyes and she couldn't make out the outcome, but she did see James being stopped temporarily. While she couldn't see what was happening to James, Bella was clearer. She would be roughed up and Alice couldn't tell if James had bitten her. However, a female vampire was near her. At first Edward growled since he thought it was Alice comforting Bella instead of him; however, Alice soon was able to get a vision of the female vampire. Golden eyes, chocolate brunette hair, soft lips, a familiar face that looked like her own...this caused Alice to gasp.
"It can't be." Alice spoke.
Edward didn't know how to take this but continued driving at fast speeds to make it to his Bella.
Bella had made it to the studio and was listening for her mother's voice in the empty and abandoned studio. She heard her mother's voice coming from the back, only to have her heart drop when she saw it was just a video recording playing on a VCR. Bella's blood grew cold as she felt James coming from behind her. He shut off the T.V. and he chuckled at her.
"Sorry about that Bella, but isn't it better I didn't have to get your mother involved in this mess." James purred in delight.
"S-She was never here." Bella stammered.
She was still in Florida, James never took her, it was all a ploy to get her alone and for him to get his prize.
"Yes, it is better this way."
"You don't sound mad that I tricked you. You must be either brave or stupid, both can be the same for humans."
He cupped her face with his hand and dragged her out to the studio floor. James took in Bella's floral scent and he chuckled darkly.
"You do mean it? Will your mate come to avenge you?"
"No, I don't think so, Edward won't come. I told him as such not to come." Bella stated calmly.
"How romantic. You think he will honor it? Or are you hoping maybe someone else will come and save you?" James questioned.
"I hope he will honor it, but I don't know who you think will come and save me." Bella asked.
"It is a hope someone does since this was too easy. The hunt is what I live for and sadly, you fell for my plans too easily. With all those vampires in the clearing, I thought maybe I would get a scuffle with one of them; including another hunter like myself."
Bella was confused and James broke into hysterical laughter. When Bella grew more frightened, James shifted his focus into Bella's brown eyes.
"Edward is a hunter, like myself. Only unlike me, his tastes are very particular. I go after targets that have any sense of challenge, fun, or great aroma to them. He's a real catch and if things were different for him, he would be more dangerous than I, he might even be my rival. After all, he can have any human approach him to be his meal while I actually have to hunt for my meals to get a thrill and challenge. Yet he decided to 'fall in love' with you since you have something he can't understand but something he wants. I think it's just so he can have control over something weak and submissive, playing with his food until the beauty fades and he will have his meal."
Bella didn't want to hear this and James put his arms on Bella's waist. She struggled but James grinned.
"Let me play with you before I feat upon you." he growled.
He got up close to Bella's neck and took in her scent. The aroma filled his head and caused his mouth to water. He grazed a bit of Bella's chest and he raised an eyebrow. He examined her body, eyes, hair, and looked at her ass and seemed rather confused at what he saw.
"I don't see the appeal of your looks; it has to be your blood Edward wants. Your weakness I get makes you attractive to him. Now one of the ones who got away from me however, I can see why she would love a girl like you. Never thought when I found her in the asylum, she would be such a fashionable little thing when I saw her in the clearing. But it's clear...I can get my revenge on her by having you."
"A-Alice." Bella managed to speak.
"Yes. She and my other lost target, her sister no less, had the most delicious blood I've ever smelled. I never got to taste them since their blood were sirens to me. Funny how the two that got away were from the same family, same bloodline, but it was that bloodline that maybe drew me to them both. Both of them were saved by older vampires; Alice in the 1920s who told the vampire about her death and her sister, Cynthia I think, in the 1930s, turned by a vampire who wanted to start his own coven and rob me of my meal. Both were murdered for their interference." James rambled.
Bella was just stunned that James had a hand in both Alice's and Cynthia's histories and it then occurred to Bella what she had heard.
"A-Alice's sister is a vampire?"
James gritted his teeth and threw her against a mirror wall. Bella's head hit the glass with such force that she had a lot of trauma. James sped towards her and stomped on Bella's leg so she couldn't escape. He pressed down on her leg multiple times, cracking it in many places as Bella screamed in agony.
"Though their blood did smell better than yours, you will make a nice meal. A floral taste but you will do. Shame Edward's not here to take you away...be honest in your last moments. Who do you wish would come to save you, Edward or that pixie little dyke..."
"Don't you dare call Alice that!" Bella growled at him.
James chuckled as he stoked Bella's cheek. It wasn't a friend way in her defiance, it was a way a lover would defend their other half. He had been wrong about Edward; he was dangerous to a point of impacting how Bella felt about him. Their love was an illusion and Edward hadn't chained her heart tight enough yet, but he will.
"Ah so that's it. Edward not being here is allowing you to be honest with yourself. He does have powers aside from mind reading, the sly little bastard. He's going to have to fix you when he gets here. I wonder how he would feel if I drained you clean, knowing that deep down...you're a filthy lesbian who wanted his sister more than him."
Bella's ears hung on the word lesbian since she did have some attraction to men, including her boyfriend, Edward. Yet even in her final moments, she was thinking about Alice and how she couldn't make her vision come true. James kicked Bella several times before flipping her body over. He tore a bit of Bella's clothes to expose her lace pink bra covered chest. Her heart was beating fast and it was driving James wild.
"Game, set match Bella. You're mine for the tasting." James smirked.
He bore his fangs out when in a flash, someone grabbed James and pinned him to the wall. Bella thought it might have been Edward but she was in too much pain to move. James looked to be stunned by who had made it to him. He only heard his opponent's name when the vampire who robbed his second Brandon sister told him to take her for himself.
"Well, well, if it isn't the bastard of the vampire who stole one of my meals." James taunted.
"That's Julian Flynt to you bud. I'm going to enjoy sparring and killing you. I'm going to show you why they called me 'The Reaper' in my human days and sometimes even in my vampire life." Julian hissed, showing his fangs.
"Are you here to steal my meal or make Bella one of yours in your growing coven? You seem like the type who wants a harem of vampire girls." James scoffed.
Julian punched James in the face and knee kicked him in the groin. He had waited decades for this moment and now he was going to suffer like he made Hamish suffer before his destruction.
"I'm here to get revenge for Hamish and the Brandon sisters' asshole."
Julian head butted James swiftly got behind him to twist his arm. James for some reason couldn't escape Julian's grasps.
"I've waited decades for this match, you better not disappoint." Julian scoffed as he threw James to the wall.
"You're going to die today and join Hamish in hell."
"Not if I send you there so he and all your victims can get revenge. You're not getting out of this alive." Julian hissed.
James lunged at Julian and punched him in the gut. Julian took it well and slammed James down to the studio floor. Bella looked to see James getting destroyed, but she could tell from the build of the other vampire and the hair that it wasn't her Edward.
"Bella?" she heard an angelic voice call.
Bella was dizzy and a bit nauseous when she looked at a golden eyed woman with brown hair and a familiar looking face.
"A-Alice?" Bella called.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you dear Bella. It appears I was wrong about when our first meeting will be, but blame a stubborn vampire I don't know to impact what I see."
Bella looked closer and saw that it wasn't Alice. Her hair was too long as was her stature being at least 5'9. Though it wasn't Alice, Bella still felt safe. It was then she remembered what Alice and James told her, and her eyes softened despite the pain she was in.
"Y-You're..."
Cynthia smiled and placed a finger on Bella's lips.
"Save your words for Alice. Now did he bite you. Please god tell me he's not bitten yet. It's not supposed to be now." Cynthia asked as she looked over Bella's body.
"Not now...so I do become a vampire?" Bella asked.
"Do you feel any venom, do you feel like you're on fire. This is important Bella; do you feel a burn?" Cynthia asked.
Bella shook her head and felt her vision growing darker.
"Bella!?" she heard a voice call out, a female voice.
Alice; Cynthia thought but they couldn't meet like this. She glanced at Julian who hardly looked like he broke a sweat while James looked battered. Just having Julian remain here would be dangerous as they could think he's a vampire wanting a meal.
"Julian, we need to leave! We're not alone anymore!" Cynthia yelled.
"I almost have him, Cyn! Let me tear his neck and crack his spine! You know how we need to be destroyed!" Julian yelled.
Cynthia sped over to him and told him,
"Don't you sense and smell we aren't alone."
Julian was able to smell past Bella's blood with much restraint and took in several vampire's scents, one of which was almost similar to Cynthia.
"I got it Cyn, I got her scent." Julian grinned.
Cynthia rolled her eyes but thankfully she was able to pick up Alice's scent too. With this, they would be able to find her if anything happens and maybe see her in visions more clearly. She looked at the battered James. He didn't look shocked but he did purr at her.
"Immortality doesn't suit you at all. You would have made a better meal and corpse." James spat.
Cynthia karate chopped his neck and it stunned him briefly.
"Jules, let's go. We don't want them to think we're here for Bella."
"I thought we were here for her?" Julian whispered.
"Not yet, but we did well, very well. Let's get out of here and let Alice's coven finish this."
Julian nodded and swiftly escaped through the backdoor to where his car was parked. Cynthia sped to Bella and stroked her hair. It had a deep head wound and blood poured out. The scent was almost too much to bare, but she needed to leave something with Bella.
"We will meet again Bella. We shall meet when you're ready to be yourself again. Let Alice get this...um...may I slip it in your bra?" Cynthia asked.
Bella managed to nod as she heard Alice and Edward calling out for her. She slid the note in one of the cups before making her way out before the scent would compel her to feed on Bella.
Alice ran to Bella and stroked her head, only to have Edward got to her and push Alice aside.
"Hey! What the hell!" Alice yelled.
Alice cut in and looked over a damaged Bella. She saw a small piece of paper in Bella's bra and carefully took it before Edward could see. Emmett saw a badly beaten James and grinned.
"Jasper, help me finish the bastard out!"
Jasper nodded and he twisted James' neck and tore apart his limbs with Emmett. Edward was confused why James was like this until he remembered Alice's vision of two vampires making it here before them. Alice opened the note and her eyes glanced over the elegant script.
Sorry I wasn't there to save you decades ago from the asylum. Sorry that I can't join you just yet with your coven as we should form our own. Bella will be a big part of our lives, especially yours. Know that I love you dear sister and we will meet again. Your sister, Cynthia.
Alice wondered why her sister would just leave without seeing her as she slid the letter in her pocket. Carlisle and Edward looked over Bella. She was injured pretty badly but no signs of a vampire bite. Edward's expression was neutral as he grabbed Bella's hand. He stared intensely into her eyes and placed his hand over Bella's chest. Carlisle stitched up Bella's head wound on the spot and saw that her wrist was twisted and had some broken ribs. Blood had been spilled but it didn't bother Carlisle at all. It did however make Edward a bit ravenous but he kept his cool.
"Bella, you'll be safe my love. I'm so sorry." Edward murmured in her ear.
"A-Alice..."
"She's here Bella but just focus on me. We are going to bring you back to a hospital. You'll be safe, just rest." Edward spoke softly.
Emmett and Jasper finished tearing James to shreds and focused on burning down his body and the studio. Edward took Bella in his arms and she cuddled close to his chest, falling asleep in his arms. Slowly she began to sleep and Edward glared at the girl in his arms. He was going to be sure Bella loved him and only him. However, he knew he needed to let Alice in Bella's life but he needed to tighten his grip on Bella's heart. He waited too long for Bella and he was going to make sure that no one would tear them apart, not even his own sister. Edward kissed Bella's forehead that had some minor blood on it and he smirked in delight. A small sample of his mate's blood, he wished James had bitten her so he could have tasted more while sucking out the venom. But Alice's sister and some other rogue interfered. No matter, he got a small sample and Bella will soon be entranced by him and whatever she may feel for Alice will be snuffed out.