Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all.
Rated M for a reason.
Chpt 23 Losin' It
PPOV
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. On top of the fright of my mate bein' missin' I have to deal with the buttock clenchin' terror of The Major finally losin' his shit. Don't get me wrong, I know he's a scary motherfucker, but I have never, ever, really seen him angry. J gettin' angry is unpleasant enough.
Fuck, fuck, fuckety fuck. If I were a human I'd a wasted my underpants by now. Poor Davis already has, Harry has taken him upstairs to get him changed an' calm him down. Gus an' I weren't entirely sure The Major wasn't gonna chow down on him. For a minute there I saw a wild, uncontrolled fire in those black eyes an' I thought it was gonna destroy everything it touched before he banked it down.
The towerin' rage comin' off him is so thick you could cut it with a blunt knife. But what amazes me is that he can still think, an' he can still plan. An' that's the truly frightenin' thing, because anyone can get angry, yet after that initial roar, which they probably heard on a mid Atlantic cruise liner, he's been containin' it with an act of will that is frankly awe inspirin'.
"Report!" He orders with icy calm.
"One of the scents belongs to Vladimir." Gus informs him.
"Humph." Is the only response.
"Nine, in total." I explain smartly. "Five lit out south of here towards the interstate. Four milled around for a while an' then took off back towards the city."
"Vladimir was with the group heading back into the city." Gus confirms.
"The five were likely chasin' our group." The Major growls.
Gus an' I nod in agreement.
"We will go after them."
We nod again.
"Matthew!"
"Sir!"
"You will take Harry and the human to a motel as far south from here as you can get in one hour. We will call you when we have news. You will wait for us."
"Sir!" With a smart salute at The Major he disappears upstairs barking orders at Harry.
"Can I trust him?" The Major asks Gus quietly.
"Yes." He is assured. "In a situation like this he is completely trustworthy. He will be at his most comfortable with sensible orders to follow."
"Humph."
I watch him warily as he struggles not to start tappin' his foot in impatience.
Thankfully Matthew, Harry an' Davis reappear in the hallway very quickly.
"Make sure you are not followed." The Major commands.
"Yes sir!" Matthew salutes him again.
"Bring my children back." Harry murmurs to Gus before haulin' a shell shocked Davis onto her back an' followin' Matthew out the door."
Without another word The Major turns an' sets off at a dead run followin' the scent trail across the back lawn, Gus an' I hot on his heels.
BPOV
It is immediately clear that these five are nothin' like Rutilio's goons.
As we charged I made straight for the one I had correctly judged to be the leader, an enormous brute with a round face like a cheese, an' despite being momentarily knocked flying he was more than ready when I leapt for him.
He easily dodged my attack, gripping my wrist as I sailed past him an' hurlin' me across the lot. Thankful I can't get gravel rash I whip back to my feet an' this time decide to wait for him to come to me.
As he does, inevitably, I can see Char grappling with her opponent, Carla dancin' lightly around hers an' Jonathan about to sink his teeth into his.
One missing.
The air whooshes out my lungs as a hard shove from behind me sends me hurtlin' back to the asphalt, face first this time.
Ah, there he is.
Before he can land on my back I flick on my shield. A sudden inhuman shriek informs me that some unfortunate soul had at least one body part inside it. The shield shudders as a charging Cheese Face bounces off it.
I leap to my feet, the vamp who attacked me from behind is still shrieking like a banshee, his arm sliced cleanly through just above the elbow.
"Bella!" Char screams.
My head snaps round, the snarling vamp she was fighting has a tight hold around her neck.
Distracted by her shout Carla has lost concentration an' now she too is firmly grasped in a choke hold. Reluctantly Jonathan stops tearing at his victim an' steps away.
Nobody speaks but Cheese Face steps past me an' backhands Mr Shrieks who promptly shuts up. An ominous silence descends, broken only by the sound of the occasional car speeding past on the road.
"You will come with me." Cheese Face informs me in an expressionless voice with a heavy accent, Romanian?
"An' how's that goin' to work?" I snarl. "You can't touch me."
"We can kill your companions."
"You can. But once they are dead you won't be able to keep hold of me so you will gain nothin' except to piss me off."
He shrugs making a 'Meh' sound an' flicks his hand at the vamp holding Char, the intention clear.
"Okay! Stop! I'll come with you."
"Good." He makes an incongruously courtly bow an' gestures towards the lot entrance.
As I turn to follow his direction Carla is released, rushing to Jonathan's side. Her attacker flits to the vamp Jonathan was working over helping him to his feet an' across to join Cheese Face an' I. Mr Shrieks joins us too, holding his arm in place an' giving me a baleful glare.
"Release her." I snarl.
"Do I look that naïve?" Cheese Face responds with a snort.
It doesn't take a genius to realise that as soon as she's free I might shield us all creating an impasse of sorts. I could try to work my shield in between Char an' her vamp but I know I don't have enough strength or enough time left to do it, I desperately need to feed, my throat is in flames.
"There are a few hours till daybreak." Cheese Face informs me flatly. "I can wait if you can?"
"What does Vladimir want with me?" I hedge, looking for time.
"My Lord Vladimir merely wishes to speak with someone from your coven regarding the disappearance of his brother."
"I don't know anythin' about Stefan, I've never even met him. This is pointless."
"My Lord will decide for himself whether or not you know anything. Your opinion on the matter is of no consequence." Then he emits a surprisingly dainty laugh for a cheese. "You look thirsty, having trouble holding your shield?"
I growl, unfortunately yes, it never runs down slowly, it's like one of those stupid smart phones Char keeps foisting on me. One minute it's at full strength, the next its flat, a dead useless weight in my purse.
I meet Char's eyes, she is glaring at me meaningfully but I don't know if I can do what she wants. I don't think I can let them rip her head off just to give me the opportunity to bring us all under my shield. The Major would I'm sure, but I'm not, although it shocks me that I'm actually considering it just because it makes perfect tactical sense, after all it won't kill her. Appalled I realise that all that is really staying my hand from blasting out my shield an' making a fight of it again is the simple fact that it isn't going to last much longer anyway.
While I dither Cheese Face has obviously come to the same conclusion because a big slow smile splits his face as if the clerk at the store counter has sliced a wedge out of it for me to buy.
He flicks his wrist again an' Char's sudden shout is cut short.
Screaming with rage I throw myself at him an' the two of us crash to the ground. I manage to get my hands around his throat but it soon becomes clear that it's a meaningless gesture. My hands are tiny and his neck is almost as broad as his shoulders, unable to get a good grip I dig my fingers into it instead as his hands push my head back to keep my razor sharp teeth from joining in.
With a roar of pain he gets his legs up an' attempts to shove me away from him, unable to keep a hold on his throat I start to slide backwards and his roar changes to one of triumph as he shoves me harder.
As I sail backwards I see Carla engaged in a desperate struggle with Mr Shrieks, whose lower arm has detached again, and Jonathan being circled by his previous victim an' Char's attacker. The other member of their team is talking rapidly into a mobile phone, probably calling for re-enforcements.
Before I have time to worry about that further I land on my feet, springing forwards at Cheese Face again, teeth bared.
In a blur and with barely any conscious thought Cheese Face and I spin around each other, biting and tearing an' attempting to inflict a wound that will tip the balance. Although I am faster than him he is much stronger an' this fight is probably only going to end one way. Desperately I try to use my shield to injure him but I'm getting so weak its fluttering in and out uselessly, the blue tinge back making it visible to him and the tell-tale strain on my face giving away my attempts to use it.
Again I flick it out briefly, succeeding in pushing him away slightly but he's on me again in a moment, this time successfully wrestling me to the ground. Crushing me under his weight he closes his massive hands around my suddenly slender an' fragile feeling neck. Oh shit, this is gonna sting.
I look up into his eyes wishing fervently that I could shoot laser beams out of mine. Suddenly they widen in fear an' with a grinding screech, befittin' the opening lap of a demolition derby, his body is cleaved from left shoulder to right hip by a pair of powerful hands.
"Layin' down on the job darlin'?" A familiar face enquires.
"Major." I nod, massaging my throat. "Char?"
His eyes flick away an' then back. "She'll mend." He growls darkly. "I'll be back in a minute."
He steps out of my line of vision.
"MINE!" He roars, effectively ending the scuffles that have broken out around us.
I raise myself up onto my elbows to watch, feeling the backwash of The Major's gift as he wills everyone to stillness. Mr Shrieks goes down first, unbeating stone heart torn from his chest. Swiftly followed by the others, heads neatly separated from their necks by the strength of The Major's anger. The last one standing is the vamp who ripped Char's head off.
A long silence ensues. The Major standing with his chest heaving an' his fists flexing. "Peter." He offers quietly.
Pete gently lifts Char's healing body into Carla's waiting arms and rises to his feet. As he nears his target he nods at The Major who releases him from his gift.
The vamp tries to run but Pete is on him in a second, sending him crashing to the ground as his teeth sink into his shoulder. With a savage growl Pete pulls away a huge chunk of his flesh. We watch quietly as snarling and growling like an animal Pete shreds his victim in minutes. Eventually he stops, taking a deep breath he stands walking over to take Char again without speaking a word.
"Are we starting a fire?" Jonathan enquires after a moment.
"No. Find me a fuckin' broom an' some garbage bags." The Major snarls.
When Jonathan an' Carla return having raided one of the stores The Major swiftly sweeps up and bags the mess he and Pete made.
"What now?" Gus asks.
"Lost property should be returned to its owner." The Major growls, his dark eyes fixed on some invisible target in the distance.
"One of 'em was on the phone." I rasp out, my throat sore from its mangling by Cheese Face and the flames of thirst which are scouring it from the inside.
"If we are to meet with Vladimir." Gus sighs, his eyes fixed on The Major. "I suggest we do it in a place of our choosing and on our terms."
After a short internal struggle The Major nods stalking over to me an' pulling me easily to my feet.
"Call Matthew. Find out where he is. Tell him we are on our way." He commands.
Pulling me along behind him he makes his way over to the used car lot on the far side of the mall. After a moments inspection of the wares he selects an SUV that will fit all of us an' smashes the side window with a flick of his pinkie.
"In." He orders as the others join us flinging the garbage into the trunk.