Author's Note: Gah! I've finally updated! I'd just like to thank you so very much for your feedback. It was great reading every one of your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Hopefully, this chapter will be as good as the last. Happy reading!

Tempting the Lion

"Battle Wounds"

Paralyzed, all I could muster was a strangled cry as the beast Edward had fought to keep at bay emerged from the shadows of his eyes.

My breath was shallow. I could barely hear my heart thrashing against my fragile ribs. One touch, one touch from Edward could break every single bone in my body. I froze on the couch, my limbs as stiff as the floorboards under my feet. My throat ached to scream, but I could not find the courage to do so. I was the gazelle caught in the lion's gaze. My hands had begun to shake from sheer terror from the sight of blood – my blood, slathered on my thumb. Edward was eyeing me ravenously.

And then I realized – the venom in Edward's bite – how far had it spread? A cold sweat trickled anxiously down my back. A dull pain began to throb at the base of my neck where he'd bitten me. I swallowed hard. The calm before the storm. But…wasn't that what I wanted? I'd excluded the part where Edward was thirsty for my blood, and the great possibility that I could be sucked dry in two minutes flat. My hands instinctively went up to cover my bleeding throat, all the while glaring back at Edward. It's dangerous to look wild animals straight in the eye, but I could not turn away. I was trapped like a bug under a microscope in his unearthly gaze.

He reached for me. I jerked back against the cushions, swinging my legs over the side of the couch as adrenaline surged through my veins. Escaping was the only thing on my mind; I had to get away from the starving creature that was once my boyfriend. I didn't mean to provoke him; running was the absolute worst move to make. But when that gazelle in the hot, dusty field, is staring into the eyes of its killer, it's probably thinking about running too. Earn some minutes to its rapidly deteriorating existence.

I barely made it to the front door when I felt myself colliding with the wall opposite me. I swore I heard bones cracking somewhere in my elbows as my arms shot out to protect myself from extreme damage. My nose jammed against the hard surface, and I felt a rush of warmth flooding out of my nostrils. I coughed and tasted the bitterness of iron on my tongue. My head whirled uncontrollably as I was wrenched backwards, and flung onto the floor. So that's what getting hit by a truck felt like. Firm hands gripped my wrists, restraining me from any movement whatsoever.

"Edward," I choked as the blood dripping from my nose flooded my mouth. I blinked, struggled to break away from the iron grasp Edward had on me. He snarled.

"Please, please…" I could not break through the haze that had clouded my vision, nor could I regain my train of thought. I made my voice sound as even and calm as possible, though my limbs were shaking terribly and every swallow I took tasted of blood. "You swore to me, remember? You swore in the meadow you wouldn't hurt me," I reminded him weakly.

I could hear Edward's breathing on my neck. I shut my eyes, gritting my teeth against the miserable pain that would soon devour me. Three…two…one… Edward spoke, but his words were all in a jumble. His hold around my wrists loosened, but did not let go entirely.

He repeated in a soft rumble. "I intend to keep my promise." Relief surged through my bones and I let tears fall freely down my cheeks. He did love me; he did know how to control himself. "Now, leave, or else I will kill you." And then, I was up on my feet, brain smacking against my skull. Edward's hand was on my arm, and he was squeezing it as though he was trying to wring juice out of a lemon. I whimpered as he guided me to the front door and wrenched it open.

The venom – the venom, oh, God, I had forgotten. I spun around to face Edward; his expression was one of fury, horrible and intense. I touched the cut on my neck, the ragged flesh oozing my identity. I winced at the sudden pain and stumbled over my words.

"Edward, Edward, you bit me. What am I supposed to do?" I cried frantically. But he wouldn't answer. He wasn't quite the same person I'd met earlier. He crushed my arm in his fingers and shoved me out the door into the rain. I tripped down the slick steps and collapsed onto the thick expanse of grass. My hands sunk into the damp earth as raindrops caught on my eyelashes and hair. I lifted my head, smelling the cool scent of the wet forest, letting the water wash away the blood spurting from my nose.

He had attacked me. I had made him the monster he feared becoming…and where was I now? Bloody, bruised, and poisoned. The dull ache had grown fiercer; an invisible knife kept plunging into my neck and I could not stop the hand that held the weapon. I bent forward in the grass, repressing a screech from escaping my lips. The pain was too much; the fire was licking my neck, my arms, my face. I wiped the hair from my eyes, and scrambled to get to my feet. My car, I needed my car. Needed to get somewhere safe. I could hear a commotion in the house – there were inhumane roars and the clashing of furniture against walls. I froze, listening as Edward began rampaging his home.

He would be searching for blood soon. Anything he could get his hands on. I bolted through the rain, disregarding my throbbing nose and body. My beloved truck sat at the edge of the forest and I couldn't help but smile. I clambered inside groggily, dragging the door shut behind me. I curled up on the seat cushions as the rain increased in ferocity and pounded on the windshield. I struggled to sort out all that had just occurred five minutes ago. Edward bit me and I was certain he hadn't planned it; I was already beginning to feel immense pain – how would I explain this to Charlie? I wasn't ready, even though I'd insisted I was. I sat up slowly, and cringed at the ache in my elbows.

"Please, please, start," I prayed as I stuck the key in the ignition. The truck resisted at first, but finally roared to life. I sat back, laughing feebly despite the fire scorching every limb of my body. I looked up once more at the Cullen house, drowning with regret, when I spotted the watery outline of Edward against the front door.

My hands gripped the steering wheel as my foot jammed on the gas pedal, and my rusty, old automobile catapulted through the trees.

I half-expected him to follow me, to rip open my door and kill me right there, but he didn't. I locked the door anyway, just to ease my overanxious nerves. After a few miles of driving through endless forest, I made it to the main road. By that time, I was debilitated by pain. It throbbed through me, churned my stomach, and distorted my vision. The windshield wipers swept back and forth across the glass, back and forth. There was a car on the opposite side of the road, approaching at breakneck speed.

Emmett…I recognized it immediately as Emmett's Jeep. I breathed in sharply. My lungs flared, causing me to choke wildly for air. I bit my tongue, straining against the seat as spasms of pain rippled from my collarbone all the way down to my toes. I couldn't breathe – it felt as though someone were sticking my throat with a pin. A horn blared in my ears – I heard someone shrieking. I realized it was myself. I felt the car skidding, but I couldn't prevent it. A rush of green sprang up to meet me and my foot searched for the brakes before…

I crashed. My body surged against the seatbelt; the intense misery I was suffering dissipated temporarily before returning with an awful vengeance. I tried to resist the pain, but that made it worse. I heard the ripping of metal – my blurry vision caught sight of three pairs of golden orbs staring intently at me.

"Bella," a voice echoed throughout my brain. My head slumped. The world spun as I stumbled out of the car; two arms enveloped me, keeping me upright. I pushed away half-heartedly; the eyes were still on me, growing closer. I fell to my knees and gagged. My body heaved with every dry sob and my throat felt like it was being torn apart. I couldn't stop.

"Bella, Bella. Oh, God, get Carlisle." The rain suffocated me; it came down so hard, I didn't know if I'd be able to get up. Someone was above me, shielding me from the onslaught of water. They were small and had spiky hair – Alice.

"A – Alice," I sobbed. Somewhere in the fog, Esme arrived too. She looked sad, judging by the way her mouth was pinched at the corners.

I was frightened.

I knew what this family was capable of now, in their feeding mode to be exact, and I wanted nothing to do with them anymore. I protested, fought against them blindly, writhed in the pain that swelled in my chest. "Leave me alone! Stay away!" I cried, attempting to crawl to my car, but the intense stinging in my neck thwarted my plans of escape.

Cool fingers pressed the sides of my face; I heard another car screeching to a halt on the road. A tinge of relief broke through the burning and I sighed long and heavy. Jasper had arrived.

"Is she all right? What the hell happened?" a deep voice was asking.

"…Edward," I struggled to say. "H – He bit…me." There was a horrified gasp in the background, followed by a string of curses.

"Bella, Bella, look at me." I gazed at the figure above me. It was Alice. Water dripped from her black spikes onto my forehead. I sniffled; my nose was clogged, probably from the dried blood. "You're going to be all right. You're just scared."

"Damnit, I told him to come with us! But he doesn't listen," Jasper grumbled. "I've got to find him now. Wait until Carlisle hears about this."

"A – Alice," I breathed harshly. "The venom – I – I…"

"Edward's going to kill us if we let this go through," Alice said, but not to me. Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie were overhead. Though I was focused on remedying the pain, I could not help but wonder what Rosalie was doing there. "I mean, she wanted this…"

"Not now, Alice. I'm not sure she's ready," Esme answered calmly. "It was a bad accident."

"Well, we have to get to him. We could ask…" Alice began.

"Ask Edward? His judgment is shot right now. He's in no state to make a rational decision," Emmett growled. "Look at what he's done to Bella so far."

"I knew this would happen sooner or later," Rosalie sighed dramatically. If I hadn't been doubled over in pain right then, I would have slapped her.

"Rosalie, hush," Esme chided. "We must stop this before Edward discovers what has happened." Alice fell back on her haunches, rubbing her temple.

"Edward's already coming. And he knows. He's so hungry. He doesn't care if he kills her or not," she stammered. Her voice was shaking with urgency. She got up, dusting off her jeans. "There's no time. We have to leave now."

"W – What? No, we have to…" I faltered, stiffening at the contraction stemming from my neck. My head felt so hollow.

"Alice, will you do it?" Emmett whispered quietly.

"As soon as we get to Bella's house – yes," Alice replied hesitantly. "Now, we have to go."

"I'll take Bella. It'll be much faster running than driving," Emmett said, and before I knew it, I was far up in Emmett's muscular arms, drifting in and out of consciousness. He smiled a gentle smile at me, and I clung to his shirt as a buffer of the continuous muscle spasms.

"What are you doing, Emmett?" Rosalie retorted. I could feel her eyes glaring at me ferociously.

"I'm helping a friend," he responded simply.

"Ow, ow, ow," I moaned, shutting my eyes. I pressed into Emmett's broad chest, trying to expel the paralyzing ache.

"Rosalie…go get Carlisle. Tell him it's an emergency. Alice and Emmett, go to Bella's house. Jasper, come with me. We need to find Edward. Alice, you know what to do, yes?" Esme ordered.

"Yes," I heard Alice reply quietly.

"Good, all is in order." I felt a cold, wet hand pat my cheek softly. "Bella, everything will be fine. I promise we will keep you safe."

I wanted to thank Esme, but the words were trapped inside my throat. Edward had promised me that once. I swallowed gently, so as to not aggravate my bleeding neck. Two cars revving up simultaneously shattered the monotonous dripping of the rain.

"Hold on, Bella. We'll be there soon," Emmett whispered to me.

"What – a – about my car?" I managed to blurt. Emmett chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be taken care of. Are you ready, Alice?"

"Let's go," the other replied. I clenched my fists around Emmett's shoulders. My stomach dropped dangerously as we rushed forward. I'd never get used to that feeling of racing at the speed of light. The rain lessened to all but a light mist as we ran, faster and faster away from danger.

But even then, I could not shake the feeling that Edward would somehow catch up to us. If he did, I wouldn't escape again. The gazelle can only cheat death so many times before the lion catches it.

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Good, bad, ugly? It's the same length as the last chapter. I hope you liked it. Give me some time on the next chapter. I'll update when I can. :)