Chapter 30
Duel
Reese makes the first charge, and Jasper easily dodges out of the way. "I thought you were here to fight, not dance! You're not a leech, you're a tick – a little bitty bloodsucker." He taunts and Jasper grins.
"Come on cub, my grand niece could take you, and she's only two!" Jasper adds his own taunt. "Don't feel bad though, she's pretty fierce." Reese growls and charges again. This time he tries to slice Jasper with his weapon, but he easily parries.
Jasper laughs. "I think Sarah would be too much for you. Maybe you should fight my brother Emmett. He's been dead for two years, but I think you'd be evenly matched." Reese snarls and charges, forgetting about his weapon. Jasper not only dodges, but smacks him with the flat of his sword.
Reese's face turns a mottled red, and he charges Jasper again. Over and over he tries to hit Jasper, but he can't land a single blow. Jasper smiles through his whole attack, and even sticks his tongue out when he misses hitting his face. Then Jasper moves so fast Reese is unprepared when he's booted in the rear.
Jasper dances out of his reach and looks up at Aro. "Come down here and fight me, old man! The kid can't handle it, and he's going to get hurt." Reese's snarl is louder, and he throws his weapon at Jasper, who easily deflects it. We all hear the shredding of clothing, and Aro smiles.
The change is terrifying, and Yanna takes my hand, and I take Carlisle's. Jasper is paying close attention to Reese, now that he's facing a supernatural grizzly bear probably weighing over a thousand pounds I imagine he would be worried, but a look at his face shows he's smiling! In fact I feel a sense of accomplishment coming from him.
The bear charges, and Jasper runs to meet him. The cutlass moves lightening fast, in an arc to open up the bear's chest. But we can all see it's completely ineffective. Jasper leaps out of the way, as the bear wheels around to face him. He tries again to slice at the bear, but the sword does little more than part fur. Jasper should have had the upper hand with his fighting skill. He drops the useless weapon in frustration.
Carlisle raises his voice. "You need to stop the fight, Aro! The bear could kill Jasper, but he can't injure it."
Aro turns his palms up and shrugs. "There are other methods of fighting if not the sword."
"Come on Aro! You're dooming Reese to a death sentence. If Jasper bites him the venom will kill him!" The bear swats at Jasper, and barely catches him in a glancing blow. Jasper is knocked several feet, into a column.
"It looks like Jasper's the one who should worry about dying. The fight looks fair to me." Neither Jasper nor the bear are paying attention to Aro. Jasper struggles to his feet and makes it out of the way as the bear charges. He rushes the bear's flank and claws a furrow along it's side. It moves so fast, and takes a swipe at Jasper before he can move away.
Alice screams as the bears claws slice down his face and neck. He manages to scrabble away before it can tear into him with the other paw, then he ducks behind a column to collect himself. The bear's charging again when Jasper emerges. He runs at the animal, and with both hands he tears into it's side again, exposing deep bloody wounds.
The bear swats him and knocks him off his feet. The grizzly charges and crushes him with it's weight, then it grabs Jasper's torso in it's massive jaws. The claws tear at him as it picks him up and shakes him in it's mouth. A human would have died. Even your average vampire would have been in peril. But Jasper is a supreme predator among vampires. He's not guarding his emotions, and I can feel the hunger and blood lust radiating from him.
Reese is bleeding heavily, and Jasper pries his jaws apart, and in seconds he's free. The bear backs away warily, even though Jasper is clearly hurt. It's frightening to watch Jasper stalking the bear; clearly only a facsimile of human. His feral eyes hungrily observe a much more wary Reese. He approaches with deceptive slowness, backing the bear into a corner.
He leaps, landing atop the bear, and clinging like a wildcat on a deer. His fingers furrow deep into the bear's neck, and Jasper looks as if he's only moment's from biting him.
"Jasper!"
"Enough!"
Carlisle and Aro both shout at the same time. It's just enough to make Jasper pause and keep from killing Reese.
"You want to fight me – fine!" Aro leaves the dais and strides toward the center of the room. Jasper leaps from the back of the bear and lands lightly in a crouch. His wounds are oozing darkly. Aro holds a long spear, and he spins it twice. The bear lumbers away from the two, clearly very hurt.
"This isn't how it works, Aro!" Carlisle lets go of my hand and leaps the barrier. "You don't get to come in fresh and fight an injured man." Carlisle stands protectively in front of Jasper. "Jasper defeated your second, let's see if you can defeat his."
I gasp. In fact I hear the whole room suck in air. Aro stands perfectly still, and Jasper stands behind Carlisle. So many emotions cross Aro's face. It could easily be missed, but I swear I see him look hurt, before resignation takes it's place.
"You want to fight me, old friend? Pick up the sword."
"I'm not going to attack you, Aro. That's not who I am."
"You think I'll let you sacrifice yourself for your son? Pick up the sword!" He looks truly angry.
"I've never used a sword. I don't need it to beat you. Try me." Yanna clutches my hand tight, and Jasper leans against the barrier near Alice. He isn't yet up to jumping over it.
Aro looks frustrated. He carefully walks to Carlisle and makes a half-hearted stab at him with the spear. Carlisle easily knocks it aside. "Is that the best you can do? I guess what I've heard about the Legionnaires being fierce warriors was mistaken."
Aro spins the spear, and then swings it at Carlisle's head so fast it blurs. He ducks and it passes over his head. He doesn't slow, and from there it's a stab, a downward stroke, a sweep at his feet, and two more hard pokes. Carlisle neatly dodges each move. Aro speeds up his attacks, and I don't know how Carlisle is doing it. Each fast attack, designed to injure, incapacitate, or kill, misses Carlisle. I watch Aro's movements, and even though he can't hit him, he's backing him slowly toward a column.
When Carlisle comes up against this obstacle, I worry that he won't be able to defend against the next attack. But I'm stunned when he dodges aside, rolls across the floor, then leaps to his feet to come at Aro unexpectedly. He sweeps his foot through the air, connecting with the spear shaft hard enough to flip it from Aro's hands, and into his.
"I love you, Esme." I whisper, as Carlisle's tactics change dramatically. He tosses the spear out of the way, and when Aro comes at him, he grabs him and uses his own momentum to throw him. It's martial arts! He had to have learned it to please his wife. I'm in awe of him as he moves like Kwai Chang Caine, from the old TV series Kung Fu. My dad used to watch it in reruns. There's no posturing, just the calm, careful movements of a master.
Aro looks upset, but I can see from his face he's calculating his next moves. He's not going to make the mistake Reese made and let his anger get the best of him. Jasper finally makes it over the barricade, and he stands beside Alice, who fusses over his healing injuries.
Jasper's whisper doesn't carry far. "He's everyone's worst nightmare – a vampire ninja. It's a good thing he's on our side." Aro charges again, and Carlisle flips him impressively high. He collapses in a heap next to the dais. Carlisle closes the distance.
"Are you ready to call it yet, Aro? No one has to get hurt here. Let Jasper apologize to Arianna and..." Aro leaps at him from his prone position, slicing at him with Jasper's cutlass. I watch it cut through his shirt, and chest with ease. The screams hurt my ears, and it takes a second to realize it's me. Aro follows with three more quick strokes, scoring with two, before Carlisle can spring out of the way.
I want to hide my face, but I can't look away. He's hurt. I stand by, helpless once more as the man I love is attacked. I'm about to leap the barrier myself, when Jasper grabs my arm – hard. "Let him handle this sug." His soft calm voice reassures me as much as his gift. "He knows what he's doing, and if you interrupt, the matter won't be resolved."
Even as I watch, Carlisle does several back handsprings away from Aro, who advances on him, eager to exploit his weakness. Aro swings. The cutlass whistles, and Carlisle is gone. Again and again, just like when he held the spear, he can't hit him.
"Give up Carlisle. If you won't attack me, I've beaten you!" Carlisle stands still, several yards away from Aro.
"Just what do you hope to win, Aro?" He drops his defenses, and he takes a couple slow steps toward the Volturi leader. "Are you hoping to justify your seduction of a troubled young woman?" He steps closer. "Are you hoping to avenge your daughter's honor? I suggest there are better ways to deal with her issues." Two more steps puts him within reach of Aro. "Or are you trying to salvage your own position here?" He steps into Aro's personal space. "Do you hope you can drive me and my family away from here? Are you hoping to go back to the old ways, and create a Volterra where you rule supreme?" They face each other eye to eye.
"You have no idea what I want." Aro's voice is cold.
"Maybe you're right. But you're not going to get anywhere this way." Carlisle is the image of peace and pacifism. I can feel the watching crowd sway his way. Aro raises his chin – he can feel it too.
"Let's just see about that." Fast. The cutlass snaps up. Aro drives forward. The sword tears into Carlisle's stomach, driving up toward his heart. The tip of the sword comes out his back.
Three women scream with me. Aro twists the blade as he pulls it free, and Carlisle slumps to the floor. Aro still holds the sword, and he sneers our way as he raises it over his head. I scream 'NO," and watch my world come to an end in slow motion.
The sword is dripping with dark fluid as he brings it down again in a deadly arc. It doesn't seem possible, and I watch it slice into his blond hair, cutting an inch from it's length. The golden bits fall lightly onto his collar and the floor.
I stare. It's all wrong. My husband's eyes are blank and lifeless. His head tips at an angle that isn't possible. It's not possible! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! Aro stands over him, triumphant. A motion of his hand sets me back two years, and I'm seconds from watching Edward go up in flames. The thermite disk in the center of the room is about to steal my last hope.
Take me instead. My mind silently begs, as Aro drops the head and body of my beloved onto the disk. I know I'm about to die, as my life is passing before my eyes. I see the weeks past, and our efforts to help the Volturi, Aro's family, and Aro himself. I see the love bloom between Carlisle and me. And I see it all being for nothing. I shake in fear – and rage. Don't take me. Take this!
I don't have to picture Edward's death, as there's horror enough before me. I focus tightly on Aro's chest, and push it from me. He flies into the ancient stone wall, and I collapse into Jasper's arms. I struggle to stay conscious, but still blackness washes over me. I don't know how much time passes.
I wake up in chains.
I recognize this place, It's where Yanna was held after she attacked me. My hands and feet are in shackles, and I try to pull free, but they're somehow stronger than I am. I'm surrounded by the guard, and even though the faces are familiar, there's no one in the crowd I really know.
"Carlisle... where's Carlisle?"
"Nice to see you're back in the land of the living, Isabella." Aro steps from the crowd.
"Where's Carlisle?" I'm terrified of his answer, and yet I need to know.
"Your family has been securely locked away."
"Carlisle?"
"Carlisle can no longer come to your rescue."
"Is he still alive?" I lunge the length of the chains, needing to get some kind of answer from him.
"I didn't incinerate him. But whether he remains alive, is yet to be seen." He steps up as close as he can where I still can't reach him. It's then I notice what he's wearing – it's the old Volturi style of dress. He see's me looking at him. "Do you like it? I think it's high time I stopped trying to look like someone I'm not. I think this suits me."
"You look ridiculous!"
"You're just upset you couldn't kill me. Your attack is quite powerful, but most inconvenient when you can't even defend yourself against being arrested. Attempted murder of a council member is quite a serious offense. You left too many witnesses to even deny the charge."
"You can't be serious – you were going to murder him!"
"I was perfectly within my rights, as he challenged me under the code of chivalry." He pats my cheek. "But don't worry Isabella, I'm not going to have you destroyed for your crime. You yourself gave me the perfect plan." He raises his voice. "I claim the right of Bondage!"
I gasp. "You can't mean that!"
He steps into my space, with his face a breath from mine. "I am absolutely serious."
"Alice won't let you do this!"
"Alice is locked up even as we speak. Don't you remember? Your family is my insurance that you obey me. Now maybe I won't feed dear Alice to the flames, but I have no love for Jasper or Carlisle, and Yannadora is already living on borrowed time." He makes a show of taking off his gloves. He puts his hands on either side of my face, then draws me forward for a kiss. I remain completely impassive.
"I can see my pet is a little shy in these surroundings." He pretends it's a joke and some of the guard laughs along with him. "Ciprianna!" At his command, the young alternate from the council comes forward. "Be a dear, and give your endorsement to my claim."
"Absolutely. She's your slave now." He reaches up and takes hold of my left hand. Before I know what he's doing, he yanks off my wedding ring.
"Here you go, she won't be needing this anymore." She takes my ring and slides it onto her finger with a smile. He looks at the guard. "I want her hands and feet released, but I want an iron collar and a leash."
"Have you completely lost your mind? You're ruining everything we've been trying to do here. Don't you remember who it was who broke you free of Caius and saved you? Don't you care that my family has spent two years trying to help Volterra recover from the war?"
"No – I don't care!" He snarls into my face. "Again and again I've been diminished, torn down, set aside, and mocked. Volterra is mine! It's been mine for over a thousand years, and you think to change that in two years?"
"What about your children, Aro? How is this supposed to help them?" I feel the iron collar around my neck before I'm set free. He yanks the leash, and pulls me up against him.
"I'm giving them someone to mother them." He smiles at me. "You may not want me, but I know you'll care for my children regardless."
"If you have your way, they'll be living in a place where they're second class citizens."
"They'll be living in a place where their father reins supreme! I'm finished bowing and scraping to Cullens. For over three hundred years I've hoped to have him join us here. Yet at every turn he's rejected everything we stood for. Every time I encountered Carlisle Cullen, he opposed me. I finally saw the truth – that we will never be friends or contemporaries. He lied to me, which is criminal. But he tried to take Volterra from me, and that is unforgivable. I won't allow it! Instead, I'll take everything that matters to him. I have his family and his woman."
"You're wrong Aro. He's not your enemy; he only wants to help. He's trying to make it better for everyone."
"I've heard enough! You need to learn obedience, Isabella. You belong to me now, and I won't tolerate a quarrelsome woman. In fact, I want you to kiss me – now."
"Seriously? You know how I feel about Carlisle, are you hoping to force me to somehow fall in love with you? It's not going to happen." He steps on the slack of the chain, forcing me to my knees.
"You have no rights unless I grant them to you, Isabella. If I choose, I could make you follow me on your hands and knees. I could make you kiss my feet – lick my feet even." He yanks me up by the neck and wraps an iron arm around my waist. "Instead I want you to kiss me. Kiss me like we're lovers, because very soon we will be."
I gape at him. I can't do it. He fully expects me to do what he wants, and I'm afraid to even tell him why it's so wrong. If he knows I married Carlisle, he'll make me a widow.
"You there..." He points at one the guard members. "Take a security detail and go bring me Jasper Whitlock. Be careful, you know how dangerous he is. My bondwoman needs to learn her disobedience has a cost."
"No – I mean please! Leave him alone Aro, I'll kiss you." He signals the man to wait. I close my eyes and lean into him. Our lips touch, and he deepens the kiss immediately. He holds my head and completely invades my mouth. I try to think of him as Carlisle, but they're too different. The smell, the taste, the feel is all wrong. I think of Jasper, and Alice, and all they have to lose. I kiss him like I mean it.
Long minutes pass before he breaks away. "That's much better." He pulls on the leash as he moves to leave the room. Then he stops and turns toward the members of the guard still present. "I want a crack security detail to be ready at all times. If I require Major Whitlock to be brought in here, you better not disappoint me." He yanks the chain to keep me close as we move through the complex.
As we pass, people nod respectfully, or turn away. "This is how it should be. They respect me again." He leads me on the familiar route to his room. As we come out of the elevator, I see there are several guards at the end of the hall.
"You're keeping them in their own room?"
"Alice, Jasper, and Yanna are there. It's the most secure place. Besides, it leaves them within easy reach if I should decide you are not being obedient enough."
"You really mean to go through with this?" I hear my voice shake as he slides the key card and opens his door. He pulls me inside with the leash. It's quiet, which scares me.
"Where are the children?"
"I sent them to stay with friends so we could have privacy." The door closes behind us. He pulls me right to his own room. Inside the antiques are still there, but the settee is gone, and a bed is in it's place. I can't take my eyes off of it.
"Please Aro... don't make me do this. I'll beg if that's what you want. Even if you own me, this is still rape."
"Shut up!" He looks as if he's ready to strike me. "Do you expect me to forget how close we were before he came back? I kissed you, and you kissed me in return. I excited you – indeed I could sense your arousal. I knew if he didn't return, you would be mine. Even if you loved him, it was fragile, and new. And it wouldn't have stood the test of time."
"But he did come back." I whisper. "Aro... I love him. You could take me as a lover. You might even be able to force me to pretend I like it. But it's Carlisle I love. I fall in love with all that I am. You're not just hurting me, Aro, you're hurting yourself. You're better than this."
He laughs at me. "I'm not better! You don't know the things I've done. Every time I aspire to be 'better,' it bites me with teeth sharper than my own. I allow Carlisle and his family into my home and my coven, and he's almost stolen it away from me. Alice is lost to me, and the one other woman I can get close to, is in love with him. I am weary of trying to become what I am not. I am a vampire. All who come into my presence should tremble in fear. I am a killer!"
He drags me to the ornate fireplace I'd not really noticed among all the antiques and artifacts. With the press of a button, the flames come to life, and I step back from the odor of gas. I wonder why he'd want such an unnecessary thing in his room – ambiance maybe? He reaches to the mantel, at something he's got covered there, and with a flick of his wrist he makes me wish I were still human and could faint. I scream
My mind refuses to believe what my eyes see, and I scream as my sanity teeters on the brink. His slap shocks me and knocks me to the floor, leaving me gasping and staring at my worst nightmare. Carlisle's head.
I know he can heal even from this, but Aro isn't letting him. The fire burning in the hearth is a deadly reminder, that he still holds his life in his hands. He covers his head with the cloth again, though I will never forget the slack mouth and open, staring eyes.
"Get up Isabella, I have use for you." I'm only vaguely aware of him; his commanding and his yanking on the chain. I want my husbands arms around me, assuring me everything will be alright. But it's impossible. My mind retreats to a dark shadowy recess as I try to fathom where those arms lie.
I stare unblinking as evil claims him. He thinks he owns me, but I am nothing without the one who loves me. He owns Nothing. I am detached as he drags Nothing to his bed. His threats fall on deaf, unresponsive ears. His anger rages and he tears fabric from Nothing.
Carlisle. My heart cries. I can't do this again. I've already paid more than my share. Take, take, take, until there is nothing left, and I am empty. I am Nothing. Nothing lying naked beside evil.
It doesn't matter if he thinks to use Nothing. It doesn't matter that he professes to love in his hatred. It doesn't matter that I was once a beloved wife – twice a beloved wife. Love is gone and the shell is left – cold and unyielding.
He rages at the corpse in his bed, with eyes staring and limbs frozen – like his. In his anger he thinks to claim Nothing; to show his mastery of Nothing. He lies atop Nothing, trying to kiss and pet, and cajole a yielding. Rigor has set in and the corpse is hard and unresponsive.
"Bella please... I only want to love you. Just relax and let me show you how good it can be with us." He looks down at eyes that stare right through him. He shifts, preparing to take what was never offered; with no love, no joy, no kindness, no care, and no regard. Nothing will stand in his way.
I put aside all my defenses. I lay down my weapons and I divest myself of my armor and shield. He stands poised to enter the gates, when the walls fall. He recoils.
I move quick and wrap the leash around his neck to hold him fast. He won't escape me, as with every touch, every contact either intentional or accidental, my naked flesh conveys the sting of my memories. I know he can usually choose how much to see. Like a book set on the shelf of his library, the memories are there, but the choice is his to see beyond the cover. I tear open the book and read each page aloud. I feed him my memories, one horror at a time.
"Let go, Isabella – I command you!" I dig my nails into him as I cling to his back like an attacking lioness, with my legs locked around his waist. I shower him with images of intimacy and lovemaking. I hold him in a twisted parody of such loving connections. Ten years of loving – a full decade of everything we were to each other pours out of me and into his mind.
He fights as I show him the love I feel and the loss – the memories of the loss which would have broken me. He breaks the leash and struggles to be free. I cling to him; a silent banshee of despair, wailing into his unprotected mind. I force him to see the pillar of fire and smell the burning of love and perfection. I hold him fast as I stare at the bloody snow, day after unending day. I take him with me to a paradise where I cannot hope to endure one more agonized second. I flood him with grief. I drown him in sorrow. I wash him in memories of sweet, gentle, kind, patient, beautiful, loving – followed by a future and a lifetime of absence and emptiness.
And then I show him my salvation. I force him to see my Carlisle. I let him see the hope grow, from a tiny seed planted with a new will to live. I clutch him tight as the tiny bud of change pokes from my frozen soul, and opens to show me life can be good again. I make him see the healing we both go through so we can face a new future together. I force him to see what his two years at Volterra has done. I open his eyes to what it cost his own family. I give him wave after wave of all I know of the man; his care, his compassion, his empathy, his love, his humanity.
I dare to show him our commitment. I walk slowly through our vows and our promises. I batter him with those promises freely given, with love and hope. I force him to see our wedding night – force him to see the man I love through my eyes. I silently challenge him to live up to those images, knowing he cannot. I infuse my mind with everything I feel for Carlisle.
And then I poison the memory with what he has done to the man I love. I choke him on the bile of my shock, my horror, my helpless agony and bitter betrayal. I tear open his inner eyes and blind him with the acidic memory of my anguish and sorrow. I tear out every page of my book until the covers are empty, like me.
I show him my life without my love. I show him empty, cold, barren, and forsaken. I force him to see he cannot hurt me more than he already has. He can abuse me, use me, even end me, and it does not matter. I'm already gone.
With brute force he frees himself, and I collapse where I've fallen.
"How did you do that?" He shouts in his agitation. "What happened to your shield?" He reaches to shake me, and I shoot memories into his mind of Carlisle's loving face. He lets go as if burned. "This is impossible – what have you done?" I don't answer him. I don't acknowledge him at all.
In frustration he dresses. "You think you can ignore me? I can make you talk! I will not be beaten by one little girl!" He abandons me where I lie. I hear his footsteps in the hallway and his door opens. I numbly creep to the fireplace and look up at the shroud over my love. I want to hold him, even if it's only a part of him. But I fear drawing attention to such vulnerability. I turn off the flames.
I hear him outside, shouting for the guards. "Bring me Jasper Whitlock!" I curl into the corner, wishing I could disappear. I hear noise; shouting, running, arguing, and fighting. The sounds are inconsequential without him.
I drift until I'm on the island. I lie in the warm sand, kissing him. I don't ever have to stop and face the horror of my reality. Lost in the dream I've chosen, I block out everything but his warm kisses.
"Dear god what did he do to you?" Her voice invades my perfection and drags me back to a state of semi-awareness. She covers me with a sheet and pulls me against her. I cling to Alice and whimper, unable to say a word. "It's going to be okay Bella, he can't hurt you anymore."
I know he can't hurt me. It's not me I worry about. I hold her, trying to decide if she's real or if she's in my dream. I flinch and draw into a tighter ball at the sound of footsteps coming our way.
"Bella hon, you're safe now." I feel it as surely as I hear it – safety, reassurance, comfort, and peace. I open my eyes and look up. His blond locks make me shake. It's not him. It's not my Carlisle, and my eyes go to where I know he rests. I stand, heedless of the falling sheet Alice scrambles to wrap around me. I reach for him with trembling hands.
"Oh my god, is that what I think it is?" I can't answer her. I hold my macabre lover against me as my low moans turn to a piteous keening. I slide my hand under his shroud and close his eyes against the staring, and cradle him to me. "Bella, where's his body?" I turn horrified eyes to hers. If she has to ask, then she doesn't know either.
"I'll see what I can find out." Jasper leaves us, and I realize I'm not dreaming anymore. I'm in my reality – my personal hell. Once he's gone, she sets about finding my clothes and getting me dressed. Some of my things are ruined, so she borrows from the closets in the other room. When she unfastens the collar, she seems disgusted to even touch it.
She leads me out of the den of his evil, and seemingly out of my bondage. I let her lead me, as I've got my love clutched to me tight. In the hallway outside his rooms, there are obvious signs of a struggle. I stop and look around. Struggle is too mild a word, it looks like a war has been fought in the hallway, with chunks taken out of the walls, ceiling, and carpet. One light flickers fitfully, showing the lurid dark stain on the floor. I stare.
"Come on Bella, Yanna is waiting for you. You would be so proud of her, she's part of the reason we were able to free you. A lot of people helped, but Yanna, Anton, Jasper, and even Reese played a part in taking out Aro."
"Where is he?" I feel a sense of panic.
"Aro? You don't have to worry about him. He's already in the execution chamber."
My first words to her sound like a defense of the one who's cost me everything. "Alice, you can't kill him! He knows where the... where Carlisle's... where the rest of him..."
"Don't worry Bella, we're not going to execute him. It's just the only place where there are bonds strong enough to hold our kind." We hear the elevator's ding and we both turn.
She walks several steps our way before she realizes something is amiss. I hand my love off to Alice, who doesn't comprehend why. I walk away, toward the new arrival. As her head comes up and she finally takes in my approach, she stops. I run. She backs away, but she's too late to save herself.
I snarl and leap, and take her down as easily as a frightened doe. Her screams don't deter me, and her flailing arms cause me no concern. She has something that belongs to me, and I will have it back. I grab the flailing arm in my powerful grip, and tear her fingers open, hearing pops and snaps as I do.
Ciprianna should have been more careful whom she trusted, and whom she crossed. My ring is tight on her finger, and I no longer care about delicacy. I put her finger in my mouth, at first thinking just to wet it and slide it off. But that's what human Bella might have done. My teeth slice flesh and snap bone. I slide my ring free, and tuck her finger back into her hand as she screams.
I turn my back on her as I walk back to a stunned Alice. I slide my ring home, and take back my lover. "What the hell did he do to you, Bella?" She looks at me as if I've grown horns a tail.
"You didn't see that coming?" I ask, deadpan.
"Not from you. You'd never do something like that before." We continue walking toward her suite. Ciprianna has wisely decided not to push me further, and fled.
"She... I... I'm not the same. I need him Alice. I'm not going to play nice if it means they get to take him from me." I hold him near "He wants peace, and he want's to help, and he's good and kind. Without him, I am none of those things. I'll raze this place if that's what it takes to get him back. I'll tear it apart stone by stone if I have to." I look her in the eyes, feeling the promise behind my words.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
A/N: I'm not sure what to say; I know that was pretty brutal. And of course it's going to be a bit longer than my planned thirty chapters.