Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.I also don't own Sleeping with the Enemy. The book belongs to Nancy Price and the movie belongs to Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.

Sleeping with a Monster

Previously…

But I found myself paralyzed to my spot on the floor as I felt his breath fan across my neck from behind as he breathed my name in my ear – 'Marie.' The cosmos sucked in its breath and waited.


Chapter 35 - Sacrifice

Bella POV

I felt James take the phone out of my hand and flip it closed, thus ending my lifeline to Edward – my only hope. He placed it on the dining room table, his movements slow and deliberate. He refrained from touching me right away, but I could feel the heat of his body penetrate my burgundy cashmere sweater and cream-colored slacks as he stood behind me. I struggled to maintain my calm in the face of a confrontation I was nowhere near ready to have.

He leaned in and slowly inhaled the scent of my hair before he let out a satisfied sigh. "Such sweet agony to find each other again after being apart for so long." He paused for a moment before he continued. "I've missed you, Marie." I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt his hands gently ghost a caress across my shoulders and down my arms. I bit the inside of my cheek trying to suppress the scream that threatened to erupt from my throat. The metallic taste of blood told me I had broke the skin. The sound of my phone ringing reminded me that Edward was aware of the danger surrounding me.

He slowly reached his familiar right hand around in front of my eyes as his low menacing voice purred, "You forgot something." It took me a moment to focus on what was in his hand – my wedding ring. That single piece of jewelry represented the shackle that would bind me to James. My mouth fell open, allowing the gasp contained therein to escape. He brought his left arm up on the other side encircling me and slowly slid the ring on to his left pinky, resting next to the finger that wore his wedding ring. My ring barely made it past his first knuckle.

"All in good time, princess. You'll have to earn it back." I felt a tremor of fear rattle through me at the prospect of 'earning' something from James. The only time he called me princess was at the onset of a particularly vicious punishment.

"Ah, you feel it too. Your body is awakening to my touch again." His breath ghosted into my ear as he misinterpreted my reaction to his declaration. James lightly gripped my shoulders and turned me around to face him. I closed my eyes hoping to calm my features before facing him, not wanting him to see the fear coursing through my system.

"Marie. Look at me," James demanded in this new quiet, controlled tone. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, and I controlled the urge to cringe away from his touch. I found myself obeying him, as always. When I looked, I nearly gasp at the sight of him, not having set eyes on him for almost seven months now. His blond hair and blue eyes were just as I remembered him. His face was similar except for the fierce expression. His eyes were raging with a mixture of pain, rage, adoration and lust. My eyes swept over his form taking in his tan and brown tweed sport coat over a royal blue shirt tucked into a pair of brown slacks. Several of the top buttons of the shirt were undone, revealing a sliver of his powerful chest. I still couldn't believe he was standing in front of me. His lips twisted in a bitter smile at my widening eyes.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Marie. I told you I would always find you. You. Are. Mine." His tone was calm, but I could hear the edge there telling me he was enraged under the surface. Suddenly the lust and rage became the dominant expression in his eyes and he gripped my shoulders digging his fingers into my flesh. His lips crashed onto mine in a hard bruising kiss full of cruelty.

The shock of James kissing me finally broke me out of my fear-induced stupor. My body immediately stiffened and I started to struggle against him, mumbling against his lips to stop. He took advantage of my open mouth and deepened the kiss, driving him tongue in to my mouth. I fought back the bile that rose in my throat while I tried to regain my control over the rising panic threatening to disable me again. I did the only think I could think of to get him to release me – I bit his tongue, hard.

It worked. I found myself released from James's advances and I breathed a sigh of relief only to have his swift and unforgiving retaliation catch me off guard. The sound of his hand making contact with my cheek as he backhanded me almost drowned out the disgusting name he called me in reaction to my assault on his tongue. I felt my body stumble to the ground landing on my side, my hair coming loose from the low ponytail that restrained it as the sting of his strike spread across my cheek. All the memories of being in this same position, splayed out on the ground at his feet after hitting me, came rushing back. As the sense of déjà vu washed over me, I knew there was absolutely no way I would ever be able to go back to a life with James, willingly or by force. I would rather he killed me than to have to endure any of his love for me.

I felt his fingers wrap around the hair at the top of my head. I cried out in pain as he yanked me up and my hands automatically flew up to grip his in a vain attempt to pry his fingers from my hair. As he pulled me up, I could feel some of my hair give as it tore free from my scalp. I looked at James as he touched his fingers of his free hand to his tongue and inspected the blood there from my bite. Seeing that I could hurt him, even in the slightest way, gave me an amazing sense of vindication. I felt one corner of my mouth lift ever so slightly in a triumphant smirk. Unfortunately my small victory was short lived.

He looked down at me, enraged before he spat out in a controlled tone, "You'll pay for that, princess." He threw me to the ground, releasing my hair. My scalp throbbed in time with my cheek as my heart hammered in anticipation of his next attack. I choked back a cry as I tried to scramble away from him but was unable to when I felt his hand grip my ankle and drag me back to him.

"Get off me!" I yelled as he started to drag me through family room towards the front door. The panic came back and I started to struggle, trying to kick his hand off my ankle with my free leg. James just tightened his grip on my ankle as he gave my leg a forceful twist on his way to the door. I let out a gasp as the pain shot through my knee. The only thing that gave any indication that his demeanor was anything but calm was the hard set of his jaw.

To my horror, I realized that if James got me out of the house before Edward or Tori arrived, no one would know where I was. I harnessed the frightful hysteria flooding my system to galvanize my body into action. I started to struggle ten-fold, grasping at anything I could. I tried to get a hold of the back of the couch, but was unable to find any purchase there to stop his relentless march to the door. The sound of my struggle was lost in the music still pulsing through the stereo speakers. I resorted to flailing my body around trying to slow down his progress and make this as difficult as possible. In response, James gave my leg another painful jerk as if to say… 'I'm in charge here.'

As we started to enter the living room, I grabbed onto the corner of the family room wall and hung on tight, halting James's advance long enough for him to stop and turn around. His clear blue eyes narrowed with a look of cold fury as his lips twisted into a sardonic grin.

"Marie. You will pay dearly for disobeying me." His voice was low and cruel. He lowered himself to pull harder, trying to break my grip on the wall. When I saw that his face was closer to me than I had anticipated, I didn't hesitate to strike. I let out a grunt while landing a blow his face with my free foot, driving all the force I could muster into my heel from my awkward position on the floor.

James careened back slightly, his hands flying to clutch his mouth. Upon finding myself free, I immediately scrambled to my feet in an attempt to run from him. I heard his answering growl before I crashed to the floor face first under the heavy weight of James as he tackled me. I cried out in pain when the air left my lungs in a painful whoosh from the force of my body hitting the ground. He quickly wrenched my body, flipping me onto my back so he could see my face. My legs were pinned under his and I was having a difficult time catching my breath from the sheer weight of his body on top of mine. He quickly secured my hands above my head in one of his while his other hand grabbed my hair again.

"So, you want to play rough? Fine by me, princess," James ground out as he picked up my head by my hair and slammed my head back against the carpeted floor producing a dull thud. His mouth was bleeding from the split lip I gave him when I kicked him. As the dull ache at the back of my head spread, I found myself feeling grateful that there was carpet on the floor. I almost laughed at my thoughts of gratitude while James was beating me up. Hell, I must be losing it.

The feel of James's lips crashing onto mine again in a brutal kiss ripped me from my tangent. I could taste his blood in my mouth, bristling at the contact but was unable to move thanks to the iron grip James had on my body. His groan of passion repulsed me with such force I couldn't contain the whimper that fell from my throat. He left me with no doubt of his intentions for later and I knew he would take me by force if necessary. I closed my eyes tight just praying this would be over soon. Please, Edward hurry!

James pulled his head away from mine and my eyes automatically flew open – a defense mechanism, not wanting to be caught off guard. He seemed to be contemplating something for a moment before he spoke.

"Hm. I wanted to go slower, to save this part for later, but your behavior has made me see that I will need to start breaking you now." I felt my body quiver in revulsion and fear, an automatic response brought on by my past conditioning. An involuntary sob erupted from my throat and his eyes lit up with excitement as one side of his mouth lifted in a sneer. This lop-sided smile was nothing like Edward's gorgeous smile.

"Beg." The simple command fell from his lips and I knew exactly what he wanted.

"Beg for what," I spat out, my voice was shaky, but the expression on my face was hard. It wasn't the first time James had demanded begging on my part. However, I'd be damned if I was going to ever beg him for anything ever again.

His half smile fell as his face hardened to match mine. "Beg for my forgiveness, Marie. Tell me you were wrong to leave me."

"No," I said in a flat voice bereft of all emotion, steeling myself again the torrent of bitterness flowing off James in waves. He would not break me. James lifted my head again and slammed it against the floor, hard and I whimpered in pain.

"Beg me to take you back," He demanded his voice getting louder.

"No!" I matched the volume of my voice to his. Again his lips twisted, but his time there was no hint of a smile, his eyes burning. James suddenly got off me and yanked me up onto my knees by my hair. I cried out at the sudden movement, my hands once again flew up to my hair to grip his hands, trying to ease the pain on my scalp.

"Beg to be my wife, to be in my bed again." His growled words were husky as his voice lowered.

"Oh God, no!" I gave out a bitter laugh shaking my head in denial of his demands. Did he really think I would want that? How delusional was he? Shit, I faked my death to get away from him!

Still gripping me by the hair of my scalp, he pulled me up into a standing position and grabbed my hip with his free hand, holding me firmly in place as he whipped my head back so I was looking up at him. A tortured gasp fell from my lips, cringing at the pleasure this was giving James, his eyes dancing with a twisted humor I never understood. I pressed my hands against his chest as I tried to push him off me in vain as he crushed his body up against mine, grinding me back against the wall and looking down into my face.

He lowered his head to my neck and kissed my skin there. There was no excitement from his touch, just fear. When he reached my ear, he whispered fiercely, "Beg for me to purify you." He slammed my head back against the wall and I had to fight to keep my composure. My head was throbbing from the pounding he was giving me. I knew if he continued banging my head for too much longer, I would lose consciousness. If that happened, I knew I would never see Edward again. This might be my last chance to strike.

"I'd rather die," I whispered rather sweetly, my lips curling up in a caustic sneer before I gripped his shoulders and drove my knee into his groin with all my force. I immediately found myself freed from his grasp and his answering groan told me I was successful in temporarily incapacitating him. As I staggered away from him, I saw a blur of bronze hair rush past me before crashing into James doubled over from my attack.

"Edward!" I gasped in relief as my legs gave out. I fell to my knees in a daze, my head throbbing.


Edward POV

"Bella!" But even as I yelled her name, I already knew the line was dead. That sick monster's voice rang in my ears as I frantically redialed her number. A current of adrenalin shocked my system. With every unanswered ring of her phone, my anger increased another notch. I hit the end button as soon as I heard the familiar greeting of her voicemail telling me to leave a message.

I slammed my foot down on the gas, speeding down the road, blowing through a yellow light just as it turned red. I would not let a mere traffic light delay me while my Bella was in the clutches of that maniac. I prayed she could last long enough for me to get there. I quickly dialed Jasper's number, frantically tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I maneuvered through traffic waiting for him to pick up the phone.

"Hel–" Jasper's voice bare registered before I cut him off.

"He's got her, Jazz! God, I'm so stupid! He's here and she's alone with him. Damn it!" I felt my control slipping as I admitted that my worst fear had come true.

"Okay, Edward. Calm down. Where are you?" Jasper's smooth voice unnerved me. How could he be so calm at a time like this?

"Did you hear me?" I couldn't believe Jasper. Who cares where I am. "James is there at the rental with Bella." I repeated it incase he didn't catch the implications of what I said. My phone beeped in my ear to alert me that another call was coming though. I glanced down quickly and saw that it was Carlisle. Shit! I don't have time for this now. I ignored the call as I tried to concentrate on Jasper's words.

"Yes, I heard you. Now, how soon can you get there?" I knew Jasper was trained to remain calm in situations like these, but damn it. We were talking about Bella!

"Five minutes." I was breathing hard, my heart racing faster than my Volvo as I swerved around the slower cars in my path. I could hear the sounds of the police station passing through the phone receiver as Jasper walked around.

"Good. I'm on my way. And I'll send a couple of units over right now," Jasper said but then paused. "Edward, I want you to list to me. This is very important. If you get there and the police are already there, you stay put. You don't go inside the house until you see James come out in either hand cuffs or a body bag. Do you understand?"

"But…" I started to voice my protest but Jasper cut me off.

"Edward, I don't want to risk you getting injured because you got in the way of police officers who are trained to do this type of thing." His tone was full of authority, as if her were talking to a child.

"I can help." What did he take me for, an idiot?

"No you can't. Look I don't ask you to let me play doctor with the lives of your patients, so don't ask me to let you play cops and robbers with the real thing." I wondered if he would feel the same way if the tables were turned and it was Alice instead of Bella. Would he be so calm about me telling him to sit back while someone else saved her?

"But what if she's injured?" My heart clenched as the words left my lips. I knew I could take care of her. But what if the extent of her injuries were something I could not fix? What if I didn't have the tools necessary to save her life? I pushed those thoughts out of my head.

"You wait until they clear the scene. You're no good to Bella if you get hurt yourself." He gave no signs of relenting and I was loosing patience with him. I needed to concentrate on getting to Bella. I needed this conversation to be finished.

"Sure thing, Jazz," I said in a fake chipper tone knowing he wasn't going to let this drop until I agreed to his ridiculous idea. We both knew what I was really saying – Screw you. I'm going to do what I want… As if I would sit by while Bella was in danger.

"Edward, this is important." Jasper pressed again, sensing my real intent.

"Just hurry." I ended the call before he could respond.

As I neared the house, it was clear I had beaten the police. I slowed my car down and parked a few houses away. I didn't want to alert James to my presence, sure that the element of surprise would give me the upper hand in this situation.

I crept up to the side of the garage and unlocked the man-door, letting myself in and closing is quietly behind me. With my keys still in my hand, I unlocked the door from the garage into the house. Slipping the keys into my pocket, I slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open just enough to hopefully determine where Bella and James were in the house.

I could make out the sound of a low voice, but was too far away to make any sense of it. I slipped into the laundry room and quietly closed the door behind me. That's when I heard Bella's response, causing another outpouring of adrenaline to my system.

"Beg for what." Her trembling voice rang out a little harshly. It was clear that she was frightened, but not cowering. The tone of her reply suggested defiance. I felt a sense of pride that she was standing up to this fiend, even if it that stupid maneuver got her hurt. I stepped forward into the hallway, careful to take it slowly so the sound of my approach would be silent.

"Beg for my forgiveness, Marie. Tell me you were wrong to leave me." I could hear the deadly control of his voice. It was obvious he did not intend to forgive her.

"No." Her voice was strained, but steady. A low thud and a small whimper followed her refusal. My blood boiled as I realized he was hurting her at that very moment. It was all I could do to control my rage and not rush in there full of rash movements.

"Beg me to take you back." James's voice was louder this time and I bristled at the thought of him demanding that she beg for anything, let alone for him to take her back. I inched my way along the hall. They were in the family room, but I didn't to know how close they were to the hallway and my position.

"No!" Her refusal rang out with more confidence her voice never faltering. However, it was quickly followed by a sudden cry of pain that reverberated off the high ceilings, causing my heart to clench. He's hurting my Bella. I took a deep breath to control my rage as it boiled to the surface stronger than ever. I could hear their movements, but it didn't sound like he was hitting her.

"Beg to be my wife, to be in my bed again." The subtle threat was there. He wanted her to plead for it, but he wouldn't hesitate to take what he wanted by force. It made me realize that Bella had endured so much more in her marriage to this monster than she had ever let on and my heart squeezed painfully at the thought of his hands on her.

"Oh God, no!" I almost missed her bitter laughter, but it was there and I wondered what she was thinking, egging him on like that. Her gasp told me, once again, that he was making her pay it in some sick way.

I looked around the corner of the hallway into the family room and sucked in a sudden breath at what I saw. I felt my body start to shake with unbridled hatred towards the man that had my Bella pressed up against the wall with his body. Her hair was in disarray around her head, her mouth was bleeding, her clothing twisted in a way that would suggest a struggle, and there was a red mark across her cheekbone. He towered over her with his hand buried in the hair at the top of her scalp pulling her head back in an unnatural position. I knew if I charged him at that moment, James could very easily snap her neck in that position, thus ending her life in one quick motion.

His face disappeared on the other side of her head when he leaned down to the side of her face. Bella was shaking from the encounter and I could only imagine what horrors she was reliving at that moment.

"Beg me to purify you," he growled. He slammed her head back against the wall forcibly. The blow emitted a low boom and Bella's body sagged for a split second alerting me that she was fighting to stay conscious.

My vision clouded for a moment as I saw red. I launched myself at them hoping he kept his head buried in her hair long enough for me to catch him off guard. I was barely aware of Bella's voice responding.

"I'd rather die." Not if I have any say in the matter!

I was almost to them when Bella's body flexed with a quick movement that caused James to release her quickly with a groan. I almost collided with her staggered form as she fell away from the wall while my rage propelled me forward. I crashed into James with so much force that when his body made contact with the wall to his left, I felt the drywall give and crumble from the impact. I landed a punch onto his jaw and watched as he slumped to the floor.

Fairly certain I had rendered him temporarily unconscious, I turned to find Bella on her knees, holding her head as she started to sway to the side. I rushed to her side and caught her before she fell over.

"Bella!" Her name fell from my lips, pained that she had to endure this attack from James. Pained because I had failed in my promise to protect. Pained at the injuries he inflicted as the bruise on her cheek started to manifest itself. I gently brushed back the hair from her face as she slowly gazed into my face and smiled.

"I knew you'd save me," She sighed, reached up a hand and caressed my cheek gently. I leaned into her hand as a sense of immense relief calmed my body.

"Love, I'm sor–" Before I could even launch into the apology I wanted to give her, she placed her hand over my mouth and shook her head at me.

"Edward Anthony Masen! Don't you dare apologize to me!" Her words of chastisement were swift and I had to stifle my smile. She was trying so hard to be stern. "I won't hear of it. You saved my life. I won't have you blaming yourself because you couldn't be with me 24 hours a day or because you weren't here sooner." Her words reminded me of my failings and I bowed my head in shame.

"Hey, Sweetie. Please don't. If you're looking for someone to blame, look at me. I'm the one who's been pushing you to ease up, not the other way around. I'm the one who came here, alone." The look of pain in her eyes told me there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Bella," I said in a warning tone. "Take your own advice. Please don't blame yourself for this either." She started to protest by I stopped her with a kiss. She winced a little, reminding me of her injuries, but didn't pull away.

"Let's get you out of here." I stood up, helping her up as I went. As we turned to walk, Bella winced in pain as she took a step on her leg. I felt a growl rumble in my chest, knowing that he had caused this. Bella put a calming hand on my bicep and gave me a reassuring smile. I couldn't let her walk the entire way to the car, so I bent down to pick her up.

"James!" Her gasp of surprise was the only warning there was before I felt myself stumbling sideways into the back of the couch. I saw Bella fall to the ground as James knocked her aside.

I grunted in surprise as I felt the heavy weight of James pressing against me. Another burst of adrenaline flooded my system as my fight or flight instinct kicks in. A forceful blow to my ribs cleared my head enough for me to land a blow to the side of his head, causing him to loosen his grip on my torso. I took advantage and pushed him back. Bella quickly scrambled out of the way from her place on the floor, trying to avoid being crushed.

I barely had time to come to a standing position before James came at me again, trying to slam me back into the couch for a repeat performance. The guy was big, I'd give him that, but I was quicker. I rolled out of the way and landed a punch in his gut, eliciting a groan out of him.

I didn't see the elbow coming my way, but I felt the painful jab to my back as I pulled away from him. I growled at the pain as I whipped around to find James ready with an amused sneer on his face. His fist made contact with my jaw before I had time to defend myself and I staggered back against the wall, a little stunned. I rolled away from the wall just before his fist made contact with the wall where my head had just been.

As the drywall crumbled underneath the force of his blow, sending the gypsum scattering to the floor, I retaliated with a fist to the side of his head. Unfortunately it wasn't didn't pack the force I had hoped because of my attempt to avoid his punch. However, for the brief few seconds where James turned to face me, struggling to free his hand from the hole in the wall, I landed a heavy punch to his face. The crunching sound left no doubts that his nose was broken and he fell back against the wall. He freed his hand and cupped his broken nose.

"Know this, doctor," James spat at me. "Whatever injuries you give to me, I will return the favor on her tenfold." He pointed at Bella who was now standing by the dining room table dialing her phone. My rage broke lose at the mention of him beating Bella, breaking my beautiful angel.

I lunged at him, punching him repeatedly. He returned my punches as we crashed around the room. The sounds of our blows and grunts flew around the room almost as much as we did. I wasn't aware of what injuries I had, but I could taste the blood in my mouth and my eye was throbbing. It made little difference because I had the satisfaction of seeing the effects my pummeling was having on James. The blood from his broken nose covered his chin, smeared to the side of his face from one of my hits. His cheek was starting to swell and his lip was split. We were both wincing from blows to our ribs.

James caught me with a particular hard blow to the back of my head with his elbow as I tried to land a blow to his face again. It momentarily stunned me as I staggered past him, catching myself on the end table by the couch. I whipped around to defend myself only to find James standing in between Bella and me. I sucked in a sharp breath as I took in the scene before me.

Bella's face was white as a sheet as she stared down the barrel of the pistol James had pointed at her from about three feet away.

"No!" I bellowed trying to get his attention away from Bella. His focus never wavered away from her.

"On your knees, Masen," he said in a calm, deadly tone that sent a thrill of dread through my system. "Now, or I'll kill her where she stands." Bella looked at me with such a broken expression of pain and sorrow. I ached.

It was because of the ache that I fell to my knees, not because James had commanded me to do so. I had let her down, again. Failed to protect her from that monster. I knew James was going to kill me. I also knew he was going easy on me. The knowledge that he would make Bella pay after I was gone almost crippled me. He would take his rage out on her prolonging her pain until she begged him to end her life. Maybe it would be better if he just killed her now, but prospect of standing there as he killed her in front of me was too much to bear. However, it was the better choice. As I rested on my knees, I realized I had made the wrong choice. Maybe I could stall long enough for the police to arrive.

James motioned to Bella with the gun to walk towards me. She limped along, her open phone still clutched in her hand. I made to get up, but James responded by pressing the muzzle of the gun against Bella's temple and she winced at the contact of the cold metal. I hesitated, not sure how far I could push him.

James turned the gun on me before he turned to Bella and said, "Should I kill the good doctor, princess? He's not important is he? He doesn't mean anything to us." Bella looked at me with wide eyes, her body visibly shaking. Suddenly her eyes steeled with resolve before taking on that blank non-emotional stare. I held my breath at the prospect of what she would do.

She turned to James and walked in front of him. "You're right James. He has nothing to do with us. Please put the gun down." She backed up, putting herself between the gun and me. "Don't hurt him and I will go with you without a fight. I will beg and do whatever you need me to do to prove myself worthy of you."

"No!" I whispered. Bella looked back at me with a warning in her eyes that said – Please! Let me handle this.

"He has to pay, Marie. Someone has to pay for poisoning you against me," James ground out between clenched teeth.

"I will pay. Me. No one else. I left on my own accord. Edward had nothing to do with it. He didn't even know who I was. It was all me. I realize now that I was wrong to leave you." Her words stung me. I knew that she was saying those things in order to save my life, but it angered me that she had to say them at all.

"He still has to pay." James moved his gun to the side, trying to get around Bella, but she shifted her stance to block him again.

"No, James. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving to you that I'm worthy of your… your love…" Bella took a deep breath, her body shuttering, before she continued her pleading, "I will do it." James made a move to step around her, but she stepped to the side, continuing her efforts to block his pathway to me.

I was torn. Bella was buying us time until the police arrived. I was trying to cooperate with her silent request to let her handle it, but it took all my willpower to remain in my spot on my knees while that monster had his gun pointed at her. I needed to protect her. It was excruciating to watch as she reasoned with this fiend, trying to convince him to spare my life in exchange for hers. All it would take was a single gunshot and it would be all over. And knowing James, he would shoot me too, or worse, incapacitate me and make me watch as her life slipped away, unable to stop it.

James's eyes took on a gleam of excitement at her words as he started to advance on her position forcing her to step backwards, but she kept herself firmly planted between the gun and me. James might actually want to keep her alive long enough to make her pay for her indiscretions and might actually consider her proposal.

"James, if you kill him, the police will come after you and take you away from me. Please listen to me. It's not a good move. Just leave him. I'll go with you and do whatever you say, whatever you need me to do." Bella's pleading were so pure and honest, I found that even I believed her. That's when it hit me. She's telling him the truth! She's going to trade her life for mine. She's not stalling waiting for the police to arrive. She's stalling to assuage James enough to get him to spare my life.

James reached out his other hand and grabbed the back of her head. He pulled her to him in one quick move, planting a forceful kiss on her mouth. Bella complied with the demands of his mouth and let him in, kissing him back. My stomach twisted at the display and even though I knew she didn't love him or want him, it was still painful to watch her kiss him back. I had to look away.

James pulled back, his mouth twisted in an evil smile. "Very good, Marie. I think I believe you. For now." Then he spun Bella around to face me, his hand gripping the back of her hair. He forced her down on her knees to face me. She was close enough to touch and my arms ached to pull her to me, but the warning look in her eyes was still there and it told me to stop. She had blood smeared on the side of her cheek and chin from the kiss he had given her and tears were freely running down her face. She looked broken and I felt my body shake in rage at what he was forcing her to do.

"Take a good look, Masen. She's my wife – mine. I will possess her body and soul, in any way I see fit. Nothing you can do will change that," James spat at me with his gun trained on me while pushing Bella's head around as he spoke. Damn it! Where were the police?"

"Bella, please. Don't do this. You don't have to do this. Don't leave me," I pleaded, my heart in anguish. My gaze never deviated from her face, taking in as much as I could. Her warm expressive eyes, her soft lips, her beautiful tresses, that cute nose, her body, her touch, her kiss, her laugh, her cry, her voice were all burned into my mind. If James didn't kill me, there was still a chance I could find her, save her before it was too late. As James started to pull her back, she mouthed a quick 'I love you' as she looked at me for the last time, face full of dispair and resignation. Then he threw her to the side like a piece of trash. Her sob echoed throughout the room shredding what was left of my aching heart.

"Since I can't have you following us…" James's words made me wonder briefly if he was still going to kill me anyway, but when he raised the gun over my head with the handle out, I knew she had succeeded in sparing my life.

Just before the pain from his blow crashed into my head with a white flash, my last thoughts were a promise to Bella. I will find you, my love. I will save you. Then my world slipped into darkness.

A/N: Okay, I apologize for yet another cliffy, but that's just what's happening in this story. I just can't help myself. So hate me if you want, but I promise… I will try to get the next chapter up soon. :)

I can't believe all the reviews for the last chapter! 102 reviews! I'm so blow away by the response! So I worked extra hard to get this one out early. Thank-you for getting this story over the 1000 review mark. I'd like to give a SHOUT OUT to my friend, Lorena aka Blackgem88 who managed to be my 1000th reviewer! Be sure to check out her stories if you get a chance. I also have to give a SHOUT OUT to Cantarbailar for guessing the 'James is in the house while Edward sneaks in' scene several months ago in her review of Chapter 12.

Now I know I named my last chapter Wicked, but apparently, a lot of you thought it was Holy. So here's to all the Holy Craps, Wholly Crap Batman, Holy [insert words of choice here], For the Love of All Things Holy, Holy Crow, Holy Guacamole, Holy **, and the numerous OMG's. I know you all think I'm evil and wicked… And you're right! I am! I loved all the reviews!

Don't forget to check out my C2 Community: Unsung Heroes: A Collection fo Overlooked and Underread Stories. The link is on my profile! Thanks! - SavageWoman