16. Prey

My prey stalked through the forest, the leaves crunching loudly beneath its paws. My eyes followed the mountain lion with overwhelming thirst. The muscles of the beast rippled with each movement as it lowered itself to the forest floor, its shoulders pronounced. The lion crouched to spring. So did I. The lion would be my victim this afternoon.

A deer, as graceful as liquid moving over stone, leapt freely over the undergrowth of the ever intruding spinney plant life. The lion's eyes followed it with calculating accuracy, as my eyes registered every beat of the lion's heart, every breath in its lung, and every throb of the vein at its neck. Venom cultivated in my mouth, the taste reminding me of my unquenchable thirst.

It was time. One month had turned me into a vicious creature. No matter where I was, blood was on my mind. My throat burned stronger than ever, my self-control at a loss.

Almost one-hundred yards away, the lion prepared to pounce. I made my move, flying through the forest like a hornet preparing to sting. My nose took in the pulse emitting a fragrance through the air, luring me to where the lion padded from foot to foot, ready to pounce.

To my shock, a bullet raced through the woods and hit the lion in the shoulder. It turned and growled a noise of pain before another shot whistled through the trees and hit the lion again. The blood dripped steadily from its shoulder. Its heart began to slow for several seconds before it stopped completely as I stood frozen only two-hundred feet away.

My thirst returned along with my insatiable enmity.

My eyes shifted for the culprit. He was far, far enough that I was unable to hear his thoughts. His skill with a gun was impressive. His scent drifted my way. I crouched again, a new prey forming in my mind. The hunter becomes the hunted, as I'm sure he was thinking before he pulled the trigger. He didn't realize a more dangerous predator was lurking in the shadows of the forest. Even one more formidable than himself.

The hunters pounding pulse was appetizing on the air, much more appealing then the lion. He was excited. So was I. He bent to encase his gun and retrieve his prize. It was in that second that I recoiled and vaulted towards the unsuspecting human. The movement left a blur of green in my vision, my thirst consuming me.

There was nothing else left inside me. I was an empty shell. Bella had left her mark, and the only thing I had left was my memory of her sweetness. Human blood was only seconds away from easing the ache in my throat. Each stride felt freeing. Carlisle's words couldn't have stopped me. Jasper's empathy would have only strengthened my need. Alice would see the horror of the atrocity I was about to execute. Rosalie would sneer my direction, only to cause me to want to rip the man's throat out in satiable pleasure. Not even Esme's embracing hug could stop this impending murder. And Emmett, even his strength couldn't stop me from the crime I was about to commit. A crime against my family, one against my humanity.

There was only one I would save my humanity for. There was ever only one and that's when I saw her. That's when I stopped mid hunt, a hunt that I so desperately required. It was the face of an angel, one that I thought I'd never see again. She was staring at me, accusing me of my transgression. It was with trembling fingers that I reached up to rub my hand along her warm cheek, my prey long forgotten. She wisped away like smoke. I sank to my knees and began to cry the dry sobs of a hunter without kill, of a creature without heart, of a vampire with no soul…of a man without love.

One month ago my family wouldn't have believed I would get this dire. Carlisle begged me to return with them. I told him, After the hunt. Victoria needed to die. All I could think about was ripping her limb from limb. He asked me what I'd do afterward. He knew I wasn't going to return, but he was polite in not stating this fact for Esme's sake. I didn't know.

Inside my pocket burned a business card of one vampire Carlisle told me to contact. He knew my hunt so far had left me with no reward. This was just feeding my addiction. He was hoping this man could help. I'd refused to look at it, to read the name. When the victory was mine, what would I do then? Would I feel as victorious as I should?

It was a game we were playing, Victoria and I. She'd fooled me, and I'd found her time and time again. We were baiting each other. I had an advantage this time. She thought I was dead, or so I hoped. The army coven would have killed any other besides one with my eyes. I was no threat to them; it was not worth the leader losing any of his army. I hoped that Victoria was clueless as to my wellbeing – if you could call me well. I suspected she knew I wasn't gone to this world, her open warfare obvious, even from hundreds of miles away.

Were reinforcements really necessary at this point in the game, though?

I knew the answer to that question. Before Victoria knew who was chasing her, before she knew my game plan, she easily evaded me. Reinforcements were necessary to win this war. And that's what I wanted to win, the war. No more battles.

The deer that was fortunate before – evading its hunter – was not so lucky now. As it grazed near me, I coiled to spring and hurdled over the deer, encasing its neck in my iron clad grasp. The vein at its throat was throbbing with panic, but its attempts at subterfuge were in vein. The liquid was warm, the taste unsatisfying. Compared to the hunter I stalked moments before, this deer was like drinking muddy water; gritty and insipid.

Bella would approve though, and that made it adequately satisfying.

---

The house in New Mexico was ridiculous in size, even more so now that my family was absent from the estate. Their scents still lingered here, and for the first few moments inside the house I wished them back here. They were my family, after all.

Flipping between my fingers was the small piece of paper with the name and number of a man that could help me. What Carlisle didn't tell me was how he could help me. The weakness in me was building and I gave in, peeking at the information on the paper. The name stated was Robert Duncan. His number was listed on the card. Nothing else, no business, no address.

My phone was lying on the coffee table, beckoning me. Again, I felt like I was hunting. Deep inside me I could feel the urge to finish my mission, what I set out to do. Seizing the phone, I dialed the number to one, Robert Duncan.

The phone only rang once. One long, simple ring. "Yes?" answered the man on the other end. His voice was smooth, the tone of vampire.

"Carlisle Cullen gave me your number," I said. I thought I would begin with his name, one that left respect and admiration to downright curiosity. "This is Robert Duncan, correct?"

There was a hesitation on the other end. "This is him. I know Carlisle very well. If he has sent you, I can trust you, as I have always trusted Carlisle."

I was right. I'd never met anyone who didn't respect him. "I have a problem and I think you are the one who can help me with it. Or this is what Carlisle has led me to believe."

"What kind of problem?" Robert questioned.

"A vampire has been…reckless. She has killed many and I know she is doing it to lure me. I need to put an end to this, but I am no tracker and have failed miserably." I added reluctantly.

"We should meet."

"Of course. Time and place and I'll be there."

---

The lights were like little glowing balls of energy flashing across my windshield. The interstate at night was bare of most cars, though semi trucks were abundant. My headlights were off as I sped between the large vehicles, topping my cars internal speed. Texas was not far from me now. Though it was silent in the vehicle, my mind was buzzing.

I was out of line today. The human hunter was inches from death. Carlisle was right. I should have never of let my hunger get to this point. But I was being stubborn. Of course animal blood is not as satisfying, it never had been, but with all my overwhelming feelings it was easy to forget my old life – the life before Bella. That was no life at all.

Sometimes I hated how Rosalie saw Bella. But she was right. She was a human; she didn't belong in our world. But no matter how much I wanted to push her away, I couldn't. I cared for her, and immediately fell in love with her. She didn't belong in the vampire society, but she did belong with me.

My fist slammed down on the steering wheel and it bent. "That's wrong," I shouted. My breath slowed some as I calmed myself. The months continued to pass and I continued to amplify my unrestraint. I was losing part of myself, the part that Bella fell in love with. If she saw me now, she would turn me away. Her brown eyes would stare down at what I have become and be disgusted. I appalled myself, even.

Even as I drove toward Texas, blood was still on my mind. It's a constant. That was the whole reason I was here. It dictated my life, it gave me life and I took life. It was the whole reason I had to leave Bella, to save her from myself, from my family and from others of my kind. This was also the reason I chased Victoria – for the blood she had spilled.

A soft noise caught my attention as I noticed I was in need of gas. I pulled off the road to attend to this simple and mundane task. The faint guzzling of the tank below as it sanctions out the gas is easily heard above. The blaring lights above did not improve my vision, for I see as easily in the night. The card reader at the pump continued to flash an error sign on the small green screen.

Though there were thoughts surrounding the area, I was barely paying attention. Ignoring what was inside someone's head was just a regular thing.

Inside, I pushed my card toward the old lady on the other side and explained my problem. Without a word she grabbed it and slid it across the card reader. There were steps behind me, two humans. One was five feet away and the other was two. I could feel the heat radiate off the closer one. In the reflection of the glass I could see that the one farther back was leaning to the side to see what I was paying with.

It was then that I listened to their thoughts. One was going for their gun while the other pointed at the credit card that the old lady just placed before me. I turned around swiftly and startled the men behind me. The closer one was holding a gun to my gut, his green eyes anxious. His slicked back dark hair and baggy clothes reeked of low income living conditions. The other was tall and his skin was black as night, he also smelt the same.

They didn't expect the sudden movement from me and flinched. I stayed unruffled, which only made their thoughts turn darker. If I was calm, certainly they should be even more so.

"You're wallet," said the guy without a gun. His voice didn't waver, but his thoughts did. He flinched when he met my unwavering, ruthless glare.

I permitted my voice to change, to deepen, to resonate with the extensiveness of my exceptionally long life. "Not a chance." The effect on them was distinct as they both quivered noticeably. I grabbed the boys arm holding the pistol. He released it at my sudden and tight grip. They were abruptly aware that they were standing next to a monster. But I am not just any monster. I am a vampire, the worst one of all.

They both continued to stare at me in disbelief at what they witnessed. I had been careful that I did not show the extent of what I was. In their mind, they were seeing a young man who looks weak, but in my velvety voice that I produced so perfectly, they heard a demon from hell. "I think you should leave."

They began to stammer out incoherent responses, but they did not leave. The taller one, standing farther away pulled out another gun. This didn't surprise me. It would only take me less than a second to steal this away from him. His mind is not prepared to shot. He has never shot a person before and he doesn't want to, this was just the way of the streets. I revealed my full, uncloaked gaze, which I have used in the past right before I killed.

This does not affect him like my victims of the past. His finger began to put pressure on the trigger. So quick, that no one even saw me do it; I snatched the gun from his hand and put it on the counter behind me. The old lady seized it and hastily put it behind the counter. Her heart beats were strong, and she believed I will be the man to rescue her. She was lucky I was there.

The one closer turned brave again and straightened, as he believed he was ready to pounce. They really wanted my card, and they really wanted my car. I grew impatient and in one blindingly fast motion they were both disarmed and out the door. "Don't come back." I ordered, my voice as cold as the ice caps of the south.

I reentered the building to grab my card. The old lady was thanking me in Spanish over and over as I walked in. I left without another word.

My ride to Texas continued, only to end outside of San Antonio.

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