Chapter 27
I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR CHARACTERS
The deer had covered a fair amount of ground for being so grievously wounded, though it did leave an obvious trail of crushed vegetation and blood behind. Considering she had covered nearly a mile in her wounded state, it was quite an impressive feat.
It was nowhere near enough.
Bella flew out of the trees and hit the doe like an SUV, ripping into its emptying veins with a sickening fury, mindlessly drinking away whatever life the creature had left to give. Thankfully, its death was quick and almost merciful, as the doe had no hope of surviving its extremely painful wounds anyway.
High above in the trees, there came a low, impressed whistle.
"Damn, someone was hungry," Victoria laughed, eyeing the spectacle in amused surprise. She perched on a narrow branch, crouched down and watching with a familiar gleam in her eye as Bella fed below, oblivious in her hunger.
"Disgusting. She feeds like the filthy hybrid she is," Jane muttered next to her. She leaned lazily against the thick trunk of the tree, arms crossed.
"These backwoods vampires have no table manners," a man scoffed from the tree next to them. "Tell me again why we all had to be here to take on this pathetic wretch, sister?" the man said to Jane.
"Because she's unpredictable. And you know we don't deal in chance," Jane replied.
"I want to eat too! I want to feed. Please please please, can I Alec?" a high pitched voice pleaded with the man loudly, and down below Bella finally seemed to realize she had company. With a hiss, she jumped back and whipped her eyes upward, seeing a little girl sitting on a branch high above her head, her legs dangling childishly.
The little girl was unnervingly beautiful and attractive for a child, despite the fact that she was completely bald and had blood red eyes. She couldn't have been more than five years old, but two dainty fangs sticking out from her upper lip suggested otherwise.
Jane sighed. "So much for the element of surprise… What did I tell you, Omi?"
"Oh hush. The poor girl's probably starving, and it's not like we needed to surprise the little bitch anyway. Hello, kitten! Did you enjoy your gift? Bloodlust suits you well," Victoria called down, waggling her fingers at Bella, who hissed again, brown eyes wide in bewilderment and fright, blood coating her face and clothes.
Victoria's grin was salacious and malicious all at the same time.
"Would you like to play now kitten?" Victoria giggled.
Bella snarled animalistically and Victoria cackled.
"Yes, I think she would," Victoria smirked, and as if they'd planned it, each member of the Volturi leaped from the trees at the same time and thudded to the ground, startling a crazed Bella back a good five feet.
"We're not here to play with her, Victoria. I'm not in the mood for your lewd games," Alec huffed.
"Oh, you're no fun Alec. You and Jane are both such prudes," Victoria sighed.
"He's right. This isn't one of your games. We're making this one quick, as per Aro's orders, and before the rest of those idiot Cullens show up," Jane said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Victoria scowled and waved them off.
"Fine, fine. Sorry kitten, but it's time to end our game. Once and for all," Victoria smiled toothily, showing off her fangs. Bella stared back, her chest rumbling as she crouched low to the ground, defensively, like a cat.
"Can I eat her after?" Omi inquired eagerly. "Please? I'm so hungry."
"No. We don't know what her blood could do to you," Jane snapped.
"But I-"
"No."
Omi flinched away from Jane's gaze, and then pouted. Jane ignored her and turned back to Bella.
"Alright. Let's end this," Jane murmured, her blood red eyes flashing.
And before Bella could react, they attacked.
Pain.
Bella hit her knees as pain exploded into her very soul, ripping her out of her bloodlust, electrifying her cells, lighting the marrow in her bones on fire, stripping the skin from her flesh. It brought her out of the storm in her mind like a slap in the face from the devil himself; she screamed, a high pitched thing she'd never believed she could be capable of producing, but before it could fill the air, a hand clapped across her mouth with bruising force.
Another hand wrenched her head back by her hair, and her vision filled with the sight of a sneering Victoria.
"God, that's so hot," Victoria purred, her hand squeezing Bella's face so tightly it felt like her jaw would break as the pain radiated through her so viciously that she couldn't breathe.
"Hurry brother. The longer this takes, the more likely the rest of them will show up," Jane ushered Alec.
Victoria kept her hand locked on Bella's mouth as Bella fought not to black out from the pain, struggling to find its source, bewildered and terrified, but rapidly being filled with that unbridled sense of fury her instincts promised. As Alec walked over, Bella's eyes flickered to Jane's, and dimly, she saw her own pain reflected in those unforgiving blood colored orbs, and that was how she knew it was the tiny blond doing this to her.
Bella turned her tear filled gaze back to Victoria. She knew she was going to die. If the pain didn't kill her, she could see it in Victoria's eyes. Fear filled her, raw and uninhibited, a sickening thing, but somehow clarifying.
Anger blotted out the pain enough for Bella to react. She would not die here, not without some kind of fight, on her knees, pathetic and helpless. Her inner vampire surged. Enraged beyond sense by the obvious amusement in Victoria's eyes, Bella whipped out suddenly and slugged Victoria in the stomach hard, sending her staggering back a few feet where she doubled over with a yelp.
Bella leapt to her feet with a rugged growl. The unnatural pain stopped without warning and she actually stumbled at the sudden relief, dazed. Alec came up short, having been stalking purposefully towards her, but it was Jane that Bella looked to, bared her fangs at.
"Oh…?" Jane tilted her head as if studying a specimen under a microscope. "Seems like this one has more of a backbone than most. Omi, why don't you join me this time and we'll see how special she really is…"
The little girl named Omi squealed and clapped her hands, a smile lighting up her face. Bella was bewildered but before she could react, the pain came roaring back as both Omi and Jane's eyes locked onto her.
Agony.
Agony tore through her, multiplied by a hundredfold compared to the first time. Bella had thought it had been unbearable before.
Now it was absolutely un-fucking-real.
Again, she would have screamed, but Victoria leaped towards her and hit her so hard across the mouth that she saw twinkling stars and big black spots pop in her vision. Before she'd even hit the ground, Victoria's hand was back in her hair and her other hand was crushing Bella's mouth shut again, wrenching her back onto her knees.
"Little bitch," Victoria hissed, her smirk tempered with ire now. "Looks like the kitten grew some claws this time around. That really hurt, you fucking brat."
Bella couldn't even feel it through the mindless agony coursing through her veins, twisting her stomach inside out, ripping her muscles apart, over and over. Omi giggled wildly, apparently enjoying herself.
It was impossible, that such pain could exist. Bella was out of her mind.
As Alec approached her, Victoria's hand suddenly released her mouth and Bella gasped in a huge gulp of air. She didn't even make a sound, she couldn't. Her vocal chords were surely turning to ashes, melting down her throat under Jane and Omi's eyes. Alec sneered, held out his hands, and a moment later, black smoke began to pour out of them, rushing towards Bella who recoiled, horrified even in her state.
Oh my fucking God, she thought. Oh my God.
The Volturi's powers had not been exaggerated in the slightest. As the smoke roiled over Bella's body, the sensation of ceasing to exist filled her. It was an ungodly kind of fear, one primordial and written into the code of everything alive on the planet. She shrieked and tried to scramble back, but the pain still rushing through her kept her immobile, as did Victoria's hand in her hair, and before she could stop it, the smoke poured into her mouth, slid over her eyes, and blocked out the world.
The last thing she heard before the smoke filled her ears and deafened her entirely was Victoria whispering in her ear, "Time to die, kitten. It's been fun…"
Then blackness.
Utter and complete blackness.
Every single sense was blotted out by that awful black fog. Bella would have thought Alec had completely erased her from existence, would have thought she were already dead if not for the pain Jane and the little girl still pulled through her like a livewire.
This was it. Victoria was right; it was time to die. Bella almost welcomed being relinquished from this agony, this hell on earth.
This time Victoria had brought friends; this time, Bella knew, despite Alice's unnerving propensity to show up at the last second and save her, this was going to be too quick even for her. Once again, Bella was on her own, but this time Victoria was not going to send her to the brink of death, but straight into its arms.
A part of her begged for it to be over. Begged for this to end, because the pain was too much, too horrific. She wanted to curl into this black ball and disappear, if only it meant it would all stop.
And yet…
A spark ignited inside her. Instincts surged, fluctuated, and then roared.
But it was also different this time because Bella was no weak, helpless human anymore. She was something none of them had ever even seen before. This time, she could fight back.
And that's exactly what she was going to do.
No. Fucking. Way am I going to let this ginger bitch kill me!
NOT THIS TIME!
Like when Sam had come after her, a path seemed to open up in her mind. The storm inside her skull became calm, controlled, and Bella suddenly knew exactly what she had to do, and how to do it, to survive.
The world around Bella vibrated-
And then blew apart.
The blackness exploded into dizzying shards as Bella screamed, throwing her arms out wide, bringing the world back in like a rushing ocean tide. Heat flooded her bones like a balm, searing the pain out of existence in a sensation that was pure relief.
She gasped for air as her eyes snapped open, watched as Victoria, Alec, Jane, and Omi went flying through the air. Victoria slammed into a nearby tree and shattered it, sending the whole thing tilting over to the side where it hit the ground with an almighty crash. Omi and Jane sailed out of sight into the woods and Alec slammed into another tree, cracking it dangerously but not toppling it before he slumped to the ground, stunned.
Bella felt a brief moment of triumphant exhilaration.
And then she hurled.
Blood and saliva filled her mouth as she retched, her gut tugging violently. She coughed for air, and spit the mess in her mouth out, dizzy and experiencing a serious case of vertigo. The air tasted like raspberries and metal as she trembled on hands and knees.
Goddamn, Bella thought weakly as the sick sensation began to ebb slowly but surely, leaving nothing but the heaviest feeling of exhaustion in its wake. Gotta move… Gotta get up… Come on, Swan, get. Up! Please, get up, I have to run! I need to move!
Bella knew without a doubt that she would not be pulling her little trick again anytime soon. The first time had left her weakened; this time it felt like it'd nearly killed her. She couldn't believe the Volturi had acted this quickly, this ruthlessly. She could not even process the fact that this was all really happening. She was in no way prepared, and could never be prepared to fight these monsters.
Her brain was focused on one thing and that was survival.
Bella needed to run.
Bella staggered to her feet, gasping in air. Whatever she'd done with her mysterious powers had cleared her mind to an almost human state, but when she faintly heard Victoria muttering "What the actual fuck was that?" and stirring in the bushes near her, they streamed back without her permission.
"Bella? BELLA! Where are you baby? We're coming, hang on!"
It did not help when Alice's voice called to her from close by, attracted by the sound of the tree collapsing, with that lovely, lovely…
Traitorous voice.
Except it didn't matter that Bella had seen her and Jasper kiss. All that mattered at that moment was that help was coming, as Bella felt her knees quiver when Victoria stepped out of the trees to her right, shaking her voluminous fiery curls free of leaves and tree bark.
She was smirking still, but it looked strained now. There was a real rage gathering in her eyes.
"That was a cute trick, kitten. But I'll bet all the delicious blood I drank from your pathetic body that you can't do it again…" Victoria sneered, the corners of her lips curling up just slightly. "Even that deer we gave to you didn't shake that much. Tell me, did you enjoy drinking it dry? You must have. It was so easy to bait you here, with just a filthy animal's blood. But then again, you've always been easy…"
Bella's whole body tightened and she let loose a low, warning growl when Victoria took a step towards her with glittering eyes. Bella didn't think for a second she could take Victoria on and win right now. She wasn't even sure that blast did anything to vampires the way it did to the wolves, besides sending them sailing.
"Do you understand now why I couldn't resist tearing open your throat? Oh baby, but that was just a taste, just a taste… That was just a small taste of what it's like. Animals don't even come close to what it's like to drink the blood of a human. And honey, you were one of the best I've ever had, if it consoles you at all."
Bella felt the warming fire of hatred filling her. She really, really loathed this woman with every fiber of her being, for everything she did, for all she represented. An ancient call to battle begged her to eviscerate the evil woman for the pure sake of vengeance first, self preservation second, as irrational as it was.
It consumed her mind all over again, though she should have been running to Alice, getting away while she could, before Jane and Omi came back, before Alec managed to find his senses again as he stirred slowly on the ground.
"In fact, seeing as I can smell that blood runs through your peculiar veins again…" Victoria took another slow step forward, and Bella's muscles tightened as her Fight or Flight instinct kicked in a moment too late.
"I think I'll have another taste. And this time, I'll make sure you stay dead!"
Victoria burst into motion at the same time that two blurs came streaking out of the trees. Bella jolted, ready to defend herself, but before Victoria could get to her, one of those streaks slammed into the redhead like a rocket.
Blinking stupidly, Bella watched as the other streak took Alec off his feet again just as he managed to find them, and suddenly the clearing was filled with snarls the likes of which she'd never heard. Unlike the wolves, vampires snarled like large, wild cats, like warring lions and tigers.
Jasper and Alec disappeared into the trees in a blur, shattering the forest with the sound of crunching vegetation, but it was not them that Bella had eyes for.
She watched in awe, stupefied as Alice and Victoria went to war.
Hissing and snarling like hellcats, she watched as they clashed again and again. If it weren't for her new eyes, Bella wouldn't have even been able to keep up with their movements. Victoria was fast and utterly vicious, swinging her hands out with her claws aimed to rip Alice apart but she couldn't find purchase as Alice ducked and weaved, her black eyes alight with a fiery intensity Bella only ever saw when Alice was fighting to protect her.
It was a hard, glacial look, the one she so rarely wore that was such a contrast to her usual open, bubbly face. It promised utter retribution and Bella could not help but liken Alice to an infuriated, avenging angel.
Except this time, there was something wild and uncontrolled in Alice's eyes, whereas normally in the heat of battle she seemed to find her center. It was raw, icy hatred.
It stunned Bella. It was a beautiful feeling at the same time that it was terrifying, the intensity of Alice's wrath for her. A huge part of her wanted to help, but she was frightened, she didn't even know how to fight, didn't want to get in Alice's way and make it worse-
Her worry was for nothing.
Suddenly, Alice's eyes flashed and as Victoria swung at her face, she swerved back and twisted gracefully away from the redhead's extended arm at the same time that she backhanded her with so much force that Victoria skidded to the ground.
"That's the last time you ever fucking touch her!" Alice snarled. As Victoria rolled to her feet again, all traces of her smirk gone after that absolute bitch slap, Alice was on her.
The pixie kicked out and clipped Victoria's chin, sending it whipping upwards as she stumbled backwards, struggling to regain herself, but Alice was relentless, leaping for her like a woman possessed.
Bella had a split second flashback of Alice on Jasper's back, about to wrench his head from his shoulders. It was that expression Alice wore but magnified with hate instead of fear, and it was absolutely brutal as she slid down low only to drive her heel upward, right into Victoria's exposed throat.
Victoria flipped end over end through the air, right past a still gobsmacked Bella and landed high up in the trees, catching herself somehow on a branch and swinging around until she perched there, mouth hanging open in pained fury as she hissed like a vicious cobra.
Bella whipped around and watched as Victoria closed her mouth and rolled her head slowly on her shoulders, standing upright and massaging her neck where a series of small cracks splattered across it like broken marble. Even as Bella watched, her heart pounding, they seemed to seal up.
Dumbstruck awe and pride in Alice gave way to icy dread at the look on the redhead's face.
Victoria's face was set in that grim, expressionless mien that seemed to express her fury better than any grimace or scowl ever could.
"Oh, Alice, Alice, Alice…" she murmured, cocking her head and staring down at them both. Bella started when Alice suddenly yanked her back behind herself protectively, glaring Victoria down.
"What's the matter, little girl? You don't like when someone else touches your precious Bella, huh? But I've already done that, remember? When I drank her bloodless and left her to die."
Every word Victoria ever spoke was designed to be a low blow, to hit where it hurt the most, to agitate and infuriate. She was good at it. It must have been all the practice she had with it.
Alice's growl rolled out threateningly, but Victoria just raised one eyebrow, not even bothering to sneer at them, which was how Bella knew she was really mad. Her flaming hair fluttered around her shoulders like a reverse, demonic halo as she crouched down on the branch, placing one hand on it and the other on her knee.
"And you couldn't stop me. It's pathetic the way you try to save her all the time, and yet I still always get to her. And you know what? I'm going to do it again, and you're not going to be able to stop me, again. I'm going to drink the blood from her pretty little neck one more time, and this time when I do it, I'm going to make you watch as the light leaves her eyes, for good. Who knows? Maybe I'll even make you watch me fuck her as I do it. God knows she's been begging for it since the day we met."
Alice's snarl was unbearably loud in the forest, a sound Bella still couldn't believe a girl like Alice could make.
Without warning, Victoria shot off the branch like a bullet.
Bella was too slow to react as Alice leapt off the ground to meet her.
Unfortunately, Alice misjudged Victoria's intended trajectory as the redhead jumped to the nearest tree and out of her way, sprang off of it, and wrapped her arms around Alice in mid air, bull dozing her into another tree trunk.
Once again it was timber as they smashed through it and the poor thing keeled over…
Straight towards Bella.
It was only Bella's instincts that saved her as she finally found the sense to do something. She jumped out of the way as the tree slammed into the ground and made it shake. Bella hissed, her heart pounding in her chest with every beat as she fell into a crouch, searching desperately for her mate.
Bella's fear of making it worse and being unable to help her mate disappeared. Her instincts won out as always. Shaken out of her stupor at seeing Alice's ability to fight, her mind zeroed in on one thing.
Killing the shit out of Victoria.
Bella's ears pricked, attune to the sounds of fighting going on all around her. Before she could pinpoint it, however, Alice and Victoria rocketed back into the clearing.
Bella hissed in a breath as Alice came in on her heels, now on the defensive as opposed to before. Like lightning, she twisted, dodged, ducked and whirled away from Victoria's swings, but Victoria was absolutely ferocious. Her arrogance was gone, replaced by a feral snarl. Without it blinding her, Victoria was an incredibly good fighter and once, twice, three times she connected with Alice, cracking marble skin as Alice grimaced in pain.
On the last blow, Alice yelped, having been caught in the temple, and tripped back.
Bella's stomach dropped fearfully, but before she could do a thing, Victoria ran the space between them, leapt two feet off the ground and punched Alice with crippling force across the jaw.
Alice crumpled to the dirt, unmoving, and lightning lanced through Bella's skull, down her spine, flitting through the rest of her nerves.
Victoria had barely landed lightly on her toes when Bella drove into her side like a linebacker, bellowing like a rhinoceros.
Not-My-Alice! Her brain screamed, muddled. I will fucking MURDER you!
The world became a tangle of limbs and gut wrenching snarls as she lashed out blindly in her rage.
Victoria had done a lot of terrible things to Bella. She'd molested her, come damn close to outright raping her, had changed her into whatever the hell she was now, but the worst thing she had ever done was to hurt Alice, and Bella was going to make her pay for it.
She could barely see, but she felt the impact of her knuckles on cold hard skin, felt the pain of Victoria striking her back, and it hurt, but the pain didn't matter.
All that mattered was ending this bitch, for daring to ever, ever touch her Alice.
A foot kicked out and caught Bella in the ankle, sending her to one knee on the dirt before Victoria slapped fire across her cheek, sending her sprawling before she came back up, hissing furiously.
All her fury would mean nothing in the face of Victoria's raw experience and skill.
Bella couldn't possibly know that in her state of mind.
"What's the matter, kitten?" Victoria panted, the sneer back on her face. "You think you can keep up with me now? You think anything's changed?"
Bella lunged for her, but Victoria darted out of the way and sent her staggering with a punch to the back of the skull that made her dizzy as she spun back around, infuriated, blinded by it.
"You're no vampire, Isabella. Nobody knows what the hell you are, but whatever it is, you think it's enough to keep up with me? No, sweetheart, no, it's not. You're still that worthless-" Victoria's foot caught her high in the ribs on that word.
"Helpless."
A fist to the nose, sending pain spraying along her face.
"Pathetic."
A hand around her throat, lifting her off the ground as Bella struggled wildly.
"Little bitch you've always been," Victoria hissed, and choke slammed her to the ground, blowing all the air out of her windpipe and her lungs simultaneously.
"You're all bark and no bite, remember?" Victoria whispered to her ear as Bella lay there gasping like a fish out of water, her eyes on Alice still lying limply on the ground nearby, her fingers digging into the earth, eyes screwed shut. Alice's arms shook, as if she were trying to move, but couldn't.
Alice's eyes parted weakly and met Bella's across the clearing, filled with raw fear and desperation at the sight of her at Victoria's mercy; of which, of course, there was none.
Alice, my Alice…
How did we get here?
It was peculiar, odd almost, how when things were at their absolute worst, that Bella's frazzled mind seemed to relax, seemed to enter the eye of a storm, seemed to always clear a path to exactly what she needed to do to survive.
It was almost like a power she possessed, and she thought vaguely in the back of her mind that it might even be more useful than blasting people through the air, because as Victoria's mouth opened wide and her fangs extended, preparing to rip out her throat for the second time, it was the only thing that saved her life.
Not this time, you bitch.
Bella's hand shot up and slammed into the underside of Victoria's jaw, forcing her face away as Bella rocked her hips and twisted them, jolting the redhead off of her. Victoria hissed in surprise but Bella followed the mental path, the voice telling her what to do and rolled right on top of her. Like a whip, she flung out her elbow and cracked it across Victoria's mouth and pinned her hips to the redhead's tightly, locking her thighs powerfully so that the vampire couldn't buck her off.
Victoria bared her fangs at her, but Bella caught both of her wrists when they came up and crashed them into the ground hard enough to break them, growling guttural.
Victoria's eyes actually flashed with fear when Bella paused and looked down on her for a brief moment, before she flashed her own fangs.
Then she surged down and bit Victoria right on the neck.
"NO!" Victoria screamed, and then wailed as Bella's fangs plunged deep into her throat. She kicked out wildly, but the strength in her body seemed to drain too quickly to be real. Bella felt as if her fangs were freezing inside Victoria, but some instinct told her to stay there, to dig deeper, and she did, growling.
"No, no, no, you little whore, get off of me! Get off of me!" Victoria shrieked, and after a long moment, Bella reared back with a gasp and let go of her wrists.
When she looked down, she was stunned.
Victoria's previously pale skin was littered with freckles. Her flaming red hair was limp, lifeless, more of a carroty orange now, tangled instead of wild.
And her blood red eyes were now a bright green, filling with tears that spilled down her cheeks.
"How's that for all bark and no bite bitch?" Bella snapped, and Victoria howled.
The redhead swung out at Bella, but her punches were like butterflies on Bella's skin, useless, pathetic.
"You fucking cunt-What did you do to me? Change me back, NOW!" Victoria screamed in rage.
Bella moved off of the ex vampire, a vicious triumph filling her. Something spiteful and vengeful inside of her rejoiced as Victoria went to her knees and pulled at her hair, bellowing curses at her as she shook wildly, her chest heaving for air, suddenly needing it to breathe.
She could easily kill Victoria now, but watching her, Bella knew this would be so much more satisfying. Nothing could be worse to the redhead than being reduced to what she considered so weak and inferior.
Human.
"Bella," Alice gasped.
Bella started, and something warm and protective filled her chest as she looked over and saw Alice climbing to her feet, looking awestruck.
Alice, she thought desperately. She's okay… She's okay!
A grin spread across Alice's cracked face as she realized what Bella had done, and the sight of it seemed to drive Victoria over the edge. She screamed at them both, impotent but furious.
"Change me back, change me back! Don't you fucking leave me like this!" Victoria shrieked, but they only had eyes for each other.
Alice.
Bella had only the want to go to her mate, to slide her arms around her and keep her safe from any other harm, and had just taken the first step to do so as Alice reached out for her as well, when Jasper and Alec came tearing back into the clearing.
With company.
"Jazz!" Alice cried as Jasper came bolting in with Jane on his back, clawing at his neck, as he fought off Alec and Omi at the same time.
Bella recoiled, horrified at the sight of Omi's precious, childish face twisted into something so ferocious. She was latched onto his leg, biting him like a rabid dog as Jasper did his damnedest to fend off Alec and keep Jane from snapping his neck all at once.
Two parts of Bella's mind clashed in that instant. She remembered Jasper's lips on Alice's, and for the briefest moment, considered joining the Volturi in ripping him apart, then just as quickly let that thought go in disgusted horror.
No-I could never-Why would I even-?
Alice shared no such issues, and she leaped forward instantly, ripping Jane from Jasper's back to help him.
Jasper let out a cry and dropped, giving up on Alec as Omi's teeth sank deep into the marble of his hip.
What the hell was up with the creepy kid vampire?
Bella heard that cry and knew any of their relationship issues with Alice were completely trivial and irrelevant, that he was a Cullen, which meant family, and nobody was going to hurt her family.
As Alec hissed and moved to finish Jasper, Bella's arms wrapped around his neck from behind and cranked back.
"You!" Alec gasped, and then shook like a wild animal to throw her off, but he was weakened from fighting Jasper, and though Bella was weakened too, she held on tight, hooked a leg between his and yanked back, driving him to the ground.
Bite.
She did it without thinking, sank her teeth into his shoulder, instinctively wanting to cripple her enemy. Alec cried out fearfully as Bella's fangs went cold beneath his skin.
Kill.
Bella's arms flexed and she braced, snarling, ready to rip his head from his shoulders, when another cry stopped her.
This time, it was Alice's.
Bella's heart missed a beat as Alec whimpered and went limp in her arms, and she looked up to see Jane's arms wrap around her mate's neck, mirroring her own position with Alec. Omi's teeth were buried in Alice's throat, just below her jaw line, and her eyes were wide with fear and pain.
Jasper lay on the ground, clutching his leg and snarling. He tried to leap for them, but his legs did not seem to be working. Even as Bella watched, Jasper squirmed in the dirt, his growls dying out, before he finally lay still with one last hiss.
"No," Jasper whispered faintly as the demolished clearing became still and silent, a standoff.
She remembered vaguely a conversation with Carlisle; that vampire venom against another vampire had the effect of paralysis after a certain amount of time, if they were bitten so many times or in certain areas.
Bella was frozen, practically choking a now human Alec. It was incredible how fast her bite did its work. He was trembling in her arms, and she and Jane locked eyes.
Raw fear, worse than ever before filled Bella. She could see the rage in a usually apathetic Jane's eyes, but deeper than that, she saw a fear that mirrored her own.
Not Alice. Please, God, no. They can have me. Not her. Anyone but her.
"Don't," Bella breathed softly. "Please don't."
Jane flinched and licked her lips. Omi growled and Alice whimpered as the weird little girl bit into her harder. It made Bella furious, but there was nothing she could do.
"You've killed him. You killed my brother!" Jane shouted, but Bella shook her head quickly.
"No I-He's alive. I didn't kill him. He's not going to die!" Bella rushed to reassure her as Jane's arms tightened and Alice's neck began to tilt at an awkward angle.
Well, she didn't think he was going to die.
Jane hesitated. For a long moment there was silence, then somewhere in the distance, they all heard a twig break and voices calling out faintly. Jane's face filled with panic. She quickly turned back to Bella.
"Let him go," she demanded, but Bella's eyes narrowed.
"No. Not until you let Alice go," she said forcefully.
She didn't give a fuck about any of this, about the Volturi or Victoria or anything. All she wanted was for Alice to be safe. It was all she cared about, all she needed. It was making her sick, she needed it so much.
Please don't. Please don't hurt her. Not my Alice, she mentally pleaded. Not Alice.
It was a crippling sensation of helplessness, to be unable to protect her lover now.
The voice calling out was getting closer, louder.
"Hellooo? Alice? Jasper? Where the hell are all of you? Esme's making dinner for the mutt and the I-don't-know-what and she said it's time to come home. Which means it's time to stop having your heart-to-heart or whatever and get the hell back!"
"Guys, seriously, come on. Where are you?"
It was Rosalie and Emmett.
Jane hissed, and when she spoke again it was rushed and panicked.
"We trade," she barked. "Let Alec go, and we'll let Alice go and leave. If you hold us here until the rest of them come then I swear I'll break her neck and take her down with us."
"Deal."
Bella didn't even have to think about it. Alice's eyes were clouding over the longer Omi stayed latched onto her neck, filled with pain as her body became limper and limper.
It wasn't even a choice. She shoved Alec forward, who was completely silent in all of this. Jane paused, and for one terrifying moment she was afraid the blond was going to break Alice's neck anyway.
However, she didn't.
"Omi," Jane growled. "Omi, enough."
Omi didn't reply. She grumbled and bit down harder, making Alice whimper and Bella hiss, taking a step forward.
"I said enough!"
Omi jolted and then backed off with a cry. When she turned, Bella saw her face was ugly, brutal, filled with a hunger that she couldn't describe, as if it consumed her. It didn't matter, though. Jane pushed Alice away, and the pixie fell face forward into the dirt. Jane streaked across the clearing, folded Alec into her arms in a surprisingly tender move, and glared into Bella's face.
"This isn't over," Jane hissed, before turning away.
Bella's upper lip curled back.
No, it sure as hell isn't.
She brushed past Jane, flying to Alice's side, trembling, needing them to be gone, for this fight to be over officially. She put her hands on Alice's sides, a soft noise leaving her at her mate's prone form.
No, please… She has to be okay, she has to be…
"Omi, come," Jane ordered, storming towards the girl. "Now, you brat!" she yelled as Rosalie and Emmett's voices came closer, and the blond quickly grabbed the freaky bald girl by the back of the neck and hauled her away.
They disappeared into the trees, and it was only then that Bella realized Victoria had disappeared in the commotion as well.
Oh well.
She'd gotten Victoria, done worse to her than death would have been, at least in the redhead's mind. A dark part of her smiled grimly at the thought, but then she gently rolled Alice over with shaking hands.
Please be okay. Please, she thought desperately. Please tell me she's alright…
She would give anything to make it so. She would endure the pain of Jane's powers, the terror of Alec's all over again a hundred times if it meant Alice would be alright.
"Hey, Bells," Alice whispered up to her, wincing a little, and Bella sobbed in relief, the exhaustion finally catching up to her.
Alice was okay. Alice was okay, so Bella was okay, so everything was going to be okay.
"'S okay, Bells, don't cry… Please don't cry, everything's okay, everyone's okay, thanks to you…" Alice pleaded softly at the sound of Bella's sob, and Bella quivered slightly, the tears dripping off her nose to land on Alice's face anyway.
The cracks along Alice's gorgeous face were sealing up slowly but surely, and though she didn't move, she did smile weakly, beatifically.
It actually made Bella whimper to see that lovely smile. Even in the pain and tiredness catching up to her, the weakness in her bones, it made her stomach warm and fuzzy to see it.
"You… Are so amazing… Did you know that?" Alice murmured up to her. "You did so well…"
For a moment they just stared adoringly into each other's eyes (and Bella knew she had that stupid gooey look on her face despite everything).
"You know. For a weenie," Alice added as an afterthought, and the corners of her lips quirked up just slightly when Bella scoffed tearfully, staring down at her in disbelief.
I can't believe her. I can't believe her. Little minx!
At the familiar twinkle in Alice's eyes, Bella gave a short, sharp laugh that was more painful than anything and before she could stop herself she leaned in and kissed Alice on the lips. Her chest rattled at the electric warmth that spread from Alice's mouth to hers when the vampire kissed her back immediately, smoothly with the softest, sweetest of sighs.
"You are unbelievable," Bella muttered when they parted, soothed by even the simplest of Alice's kisses.
"Looks who's talking," Alice chuckled lightly, then winced, sending Bella's concern skyrocketing all over again. "Mind helping me up?"
"Hey! Rose, I think I heard them over here!" Emmett's voice echoed through the woods.
"Good! Tell them from me that they're a bunch of idiots!" Rosalie called back, annoyed.
Bella's hands were shaking as she slowly helped Alice to her feet. She went slowly for her own benefit as well, because when she actually made it to her feet, everything began to spin.
Whoa.
"Thank you," Alice breathed, still clutching her hands, which Bella realized were still shaking. "Are you alright?" Alice asked, her voice lowering with concern. Their eyes met, and Bella could only hum, because Alice was beginning to swim before her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry Bells… I'm so sorry this happened-I should have been here-"
Bella didn't really hear whatever Alice was saying.
She's so pretty, she thought, blinking to clear her senses. And she's alright. Thank God she's alright.
Alice cupped her face in one hand, brushing away a stray tear as she sighed, "Oh, Bells…"
As Alice always, always did, the motion seemed to wipe away most of Bella's inner aches and pains, physical and emotional. She was just about to lean and kiss her again when there was a groan from close by, and Alice turned immediately with a gasp.
"Jasper!" she cried, and moved away from Bella, running to his side as he began to come round again.
Bella swallowed at this, something hot and sick searing her throat as Alice crouched down next to Jasper worriedly. She remembered with a jolt the kiss she'd seen, that Alice allowed, and watching Alice bend over him, cup his cheek like she'd just cupped hers and peer down on him in concern instead of Bella made a different kind of ache well up inside her.
"Alice," she whispered, anguished as the buzzing in her body reached her brain. The world tilted sideways alarmingly.
Alice turned back to her just as Rosalie and Emmett entered the clearing.
"What the hell? What happened?" Rosalie demanded immediately at the sight of them and the destroyed forest.
"Holy shit, are you guys alright? Jazz man, are you okay?" Emmett said, rushing over as Jasper sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What happened?" Rosalie said again as Alice and Emmett helped Jasper to his feet with effort. "Whoa, watch it Bella!"
Bella had followed the tilt of her world as if to keep it in line, and as such had nearly collapsed to the ground, and would have had it not been for Rosalie catching her. The skin of her arms was cool, and it felt nice on Bella's, which felt too hot. Everything was spinning again, but all Bella could really see was Alice standing next to Jasper instead of her, so that she could never have been the one to catch her.
"Bella!" Alice exclaimed, and finally she came rushing back, reaching out for her, but Bella's words stopped her.
No. No, no, no! She doesn't get to do that. She doesn't get to break my heart and comfort me too!
"Don't!" she snarled, and it took the last of everything out of her, to yell at Alice, who halted, surprised and hurt.
"How could you?" Bella whispered, staring at Alice from the cradle of Rosalie's arms as her vision began to dim. "How could you?"
The confusion and then dawning realization on Alice's face was the last thing she saw before everything finally went black.