Chapter twenty-seven

Panic was swirling through Alice's mind while she was watching the new vision following James' decision. She was hidden behind me and Carlisle, so James didn't see the glazed look on her face, which was good. As far as I could tell, James didn't know why Alice had been placed in the asylum when she was human, so he didn't know about her visions.

Jasper, of course, could feel both mine and Alice's panic and anger, so he knew something was wrong. It was a good thing he couldn't read minds because there was no way he would have let James live a second longer, had he known what he was planning.

I, on the other hand, could see the opportunity in James' knowledge of Alice's past. He knew where she came from, and he also knew her name. I wanted to get as much information as possible before we killed him. And now I had no doubt that we would kill him.

This is bad, thought Carlisle while he was still chatting with Laurent about our diet. Carlisle couldn't read minds or feel emotions, but he could feel the tension rolling off of me and from the corner of his eye he saw my body stiffen minutely. Please, don't do anything rash, Edward. Give me a minute to try and get Laurent out of the way. He seems to be an innocent party.

I didn't react but he didn't expect me to. It took everything in me to keep my face blank so I wouldn't ruin our little charade. Instead, I tried to think of a way to make James talk.

"There is another coven like us up in Denali," said Carlisle, his face never showing his inner unease. "If you're interested, you can pay them a visit. I'm sure they would welcome you in their home."

"Hm, that sounds interesting," said Laurent and I could hear in his mind that his interest was genuine. "I've already thought about going my own way for some time." He glanced at James and Victoria, both of whom were looking at him with raised eyebrows. Apparently, he hadn't discussed his plans with them. James shrugged internally – he couldn't care less – while Victoria struggled to not show how happy she was with Laurent's decision. She'd never understood why Laurent travelled with them anyway and she wanted more alone time with James. "Maybe I should go now," Laurent mused aloud, and his thoughts mirrored his words. "Are you sure they wouldn't mind my coming?"

"Yes, I'm sure. But I could let them know, if you want," offered Carlisle and then proceeded to tell him how to get to our cousins' place.

James and Victoria grew bored now and James was already thinking of leaving to get on with his task. I couldn't let him.

"So, where are you headed to?" I asked James, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible in this situation. "Will you go with Laurent?"

James' eyes snapped to me, and his expression turned wary for a second. Then he smiled and it might look friendly on the outside, but I knew better. "Oh no. I'm afraid this lifestyle isn't for us. I have some errands to run nearby and then we plan to go east."

"You're not allowed to feed here," I repeated Carlisle's words from before. "You know that, right?"

"Oh, we won't feed." His smile grew wider, and I could see in his mind that he indeed didn't plan to kill Bella. He wanted to take her with him, and a face of an unknown woman appeared in his thoughts. She had a toad-like face and a horrible pink ribbon in her mousy hair. In his mind he imagined her rewarding him after the successful delivery. He secretly hoped that Bella would be his reward after all. Her appealing scent… would be such a waste…

I bit down the growl that threatened to rip through my throat and squashed the urge to launch at him and tear his head off. Just a little longer… I repeated in my head and internally thanked Jasper for sending a wave of calm at me.

I really needed to focus on what was happening now. Getting as much information as possible about Alice was my number one priority at the moment so I forced my face into a somewhat friendly expression. "So, what are your errands then? Maybe we can help you."

James' eyes narrowed and flickered behind me to Alice, who'd chosen this moment to step out from behind us. She came to stand beside Jasper, taking his hand. One glance at Alice was all James needed for his mind to tell me what I wanted to hear.

He was standing in front of the same building as before but this time the front door was visible. On the wall next to the door there was a rusty plate with a sign that read: Mental Asylum, Biloxi, Mississippi. He pressed his back against the wall next to the same window as before and listened. Two male voices were approaching the door to the room where the girl was staying.

"Going to check on the Brandon girl, Brett."

"That one is really crazy, I'm telling you. They say she's possessed! Can you believe that?"

"Well, it's nothing a few electric shocks can't fix…"

Then he smelled it again. The scent of the other vampire nearby. It was a strong, lingering scent as if the vampire had been there for a long time. He had to take some time to think. He wouldn't let anyone take what was his. She had the most delicious scent he'd ever come across. He had to have it. No. He needed to have it.

Weeks later the other vampire took her. He took her from him and hid her somewhere, changing her in the process. He killed the vampire, of course, but it was too late. The girl's transformation was near the end and her blood was gone. He was furious but he let her go. She was useless to him now…

Not more than a few seconds had passed, and I was still waiting for James to say something. He shook his head slightly and smiled at me. "That won't be necessary."

Carlisle had just finished giving Laurent instructions how to get to the Denali. Laurent thanked him and without so much as a look toward his two companions, he turned around and disappeared into the woods. James and Victoria didn't even turn to look after him.

Anyway, Laurent was finally out of the way so we could stop with our little game.

"Are you sure about that?" I said, taking a step toward James and immediately Emmet and Jasper came to flank me, while Carlisle and Alice surrounded Victoria.

James and Victoria both crouched in a defensive position. "What's this?" James growled, narrowing his eyes at me. Victoria was torn between her natural instinct to escape and wanting to help her mate.

"We know why you're here," I said, trying to appear calm which was easier thanks to Jasper. He'd been keeping me calm the whole time otherwise I would have killed James the second he started thinking about Bella. "And we will stop you."

"Oh, really?" James sneered. "And why exactly do you think we're here, Edward?"

"I don't think. I know." I kept my eyes fixed on his, trying to make my point.

"And what do you know?" He mocked me, but I could see that he was getting impatient. He didn't want to waste his time here and was ready to fight his way through us to get to his goal.

James wasn't the only one who was impatient. Let's get it over with. Emmett's thoughts grew louder, making it harder to concentrate. I gritted my teeth but kept my eyes on James.

"I know that you want to get out of here so you could take a young woman from her house and bring her to some other woman. And I know that after your mission is over, you want to come back and go after Alice." At those words Jasper stiffened and let out a furious growl. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him, but it had little effect. "So you see, we can't let you do it."

James' expression didn't change – he still had that mocking smirk plastered on his face – but his mind was a swirling chaos of thoughts and emotions. What the hell…? How…? Never mind… I'll kill them all or Victoria gets me out of here…

"Watch her!" I barked at Carlisle and Alice, but she had already grabbed Victoria by her arm and Carlisle quickly did the same. Victoria hissed furiously, trying to wriggle out of their grasp but Carlisle had her in a headlock now and Alice was holding both of her hands.

James' mind was quick, and he immediately connected the dots. A mind-reader…

My only reply was a smirk in return. Jasper and Emmett had already grabbed James by his arms, ready to finish him off.

"Not yet," I told them, crossing my arms across my chest. "I think we need some answers first." I glanced at Carlisle, who nodded solemnly. I could hear Victoria shriek in rage, but I didn't pay her any attention, focusing solely on James. "Who sent you?"

"Why should I tell you?" he sneered at me, trying really hard not to think about it. But the problem is that it's very hard not to think about something you are asked about. My family were the only ones who could do it and it had taken them decades of practice, though even they sometimes slipped. So no matter how hard James tried, the face of the same woman as before appeared in his mind.

"Who is she?"

A flash of a memory flickered in front of his eyes – she had met him in a dark forest one night, giving him several files and instructing him to find them and bring them to her. He didn't know her name, but I had a sneaking suspicion who she might be.

"How did you find Bella?"

Right after I had asked the question, I wanted to kick myself. Something about my expression excited him. He… cares about her? Interesting… I growled, losing my patience, and grabbing him by his throat. "How did you find her?!"

Involuntarily, his mind, once again, revealed his secrets.

It was night again and he was climbing through a window into a two-story house. The room, as the rest of the house, looked dark and empty, but he could still see perfectly well that the room had belonged to a young woman. He walked over to her bed, sniffing her pillow but smelling only laundry detergent and cotton. Then he turned and saw a closet and when he opened it, he smiled widely. There were still clothes hanging inside. He took a light summer blouse and sniffed it again. This time he was rewarded by one of the most appealing scents he had ever smelled. Nothing like little Mary Alice, but still delicious enough. And now he knew where to go to get it…

I released his throat, took a step back and nodded to Emmett and Jasper. Then I watched my brothers rip James' arms off with a loud creaky noise. James roared in pain and Victoria shrieked again. Both Emmett and Jasper threw his arms away and they pushed his shoulders down so he would kneel on the ground before me. Just as I was getting ready to rip his head off, I heard a quiet voice behind me.

"I want to do that."

It didn't really surprise me that Alice wanted to be the one to finish him off. She felt like she owed him, and she wanted to do this not just for herself, but for Bella as well. I stepped back to make room for her and then watched her taking my place as an executioner.

She stood there for a while, just watching him. Her mind was completely in the present for once, ignoring all her visions, storing them aside.

James now knew that his time was up and there was nothing he could do. Yet, he wasn't afraid. His only thought was regret that he wouldn't get the chance to taste Bella's blood. There was not a single thought concerning Victoria.

Suddenly Alice moved so fast, that even I nearly missed it, and then James' head was ripped off his shoulders and thrown away on the ground. His mind went immediately black.

Right after that, several things happened at once.

Alice gasped, watching a new vision playing before her eyes. I heard a commotion as Carlisle tried to hold an enraged Victoria in place and failed. She'd kicked him in the knee and when he loosened his grip a little, she wriggled out of his arms and fled into the woods.

It all happened so fast that before we could react, she was gone.

Edward, go! Both Alice's and Carlisle's mental voices shouted at me, but I had already taken off after her.

I was faster than her, so it didn't take long for me to spot her fiery red hair among the trees ahead. I was gaining on her so I was confident that she wouldn't get very far. I saw her jump across the stream some two hundred yards ahead but when I got there, I couldn't see her anymore.

But I could still hear her.

I flew across the stream and turned left, following both her scent and her thoughts. Her mind was full of blinding rage and longing for revenge. I could vaguely hear Alice and Carlisle on the edge of my range, following me, but I didn't pay them any attention. Victoria was my priority now.

She was near the coast now, the ocean clearly visible through her eyes. I briefly wondered if she was planning to swim to throw me off her trace. Then suddenly she stepped into the beach, looked around and then took off south.

I groaned. She was headed for the Quileute territory. The area we weren't allowed in. I stopped right before the last line of trees, running my hand through my hair in frustration, trying to think of a way to get to her.

Carlisle and Alice caught up with me a few seconds later.

"What happened? Where is she?" asked Carlisle, looking around for a sign of Victoria.

Alice, on the other hand, hissed angrily, stopping right next to me. Her visions of Victoria had suddenly turned black.

I turned to look at her. "Did the wolves get her?"

"I don't know," she muttered, frowning, and trying to look for Victoria in her visions. I watched with her a vision of a few flashes of Victoria's red hair in the forest but we were unable to identify where she was.

I explained to Carlisle what had happened, and we decided to go back alongside the Quileute border in hope that we would be able to run into Victoria or at least catch her fresh scent. Jasper and Emmett joined us when we were halfway to our house when Alice suddenly stopped with a gasp, her eyes glazed as a new vision played in front of her eyes. I watched it with her, my mind gradually freezing in horror.

Victoria was sitting in a tree, staring at a big white house with a whole wall made of glass, surrounded by trees. The first floor was lit up and she could see three female figures inside. Bella and Esme were sitting on the couch, chatting, while Rosalie was standing by the window, looking out into the dark. She didn't seem to see Victoria in the tree. Victoria's lips slowly spread into an evil grin, and she jumped off the branch and set off toward the house…

Then everything went blurry, and Alice couldn't see anything else. We stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but I knew it couldn't be more than a few seconds.

"How long?" I barely managed to choke out, ignoring the others whose thoughts were full of confusion.

"Soon. You must hurry, Edward. I'll try to warn them."

Before she could finish her last sentence, I was already on my way. I ran faster than ever before, my mind full of horrible images of Bella's lifeless body. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't lose her like that. If she died, I knew I would follow right after her.

I was vaguely aware of Alice's gasp somewhere in the distance behind me, probably reacting to a new vision about me trying to kill myself, but I didn't care. Soon she was out of my hearing range so I could fully concentrate on what I was doing.

About a minute later I entered the minds of Esme, Rosalie, and Victoria so I could see what was happening in our house.

Both Rosalie and Esme were crouching in front of Bella, facing an enraged Victoria, who was trying to get to Bella but failed repeatedly, which made her even more furious. The reason of her failed attempts was Bella's nearly transparent shield that was protecting not just her, but Esme and Rosalie as well.

The most peculiar thing about this scene was Bella's expression. I couldn't see any fear on her face. Only anger and pure determination.

I jumped across the stream near our house and streaked past the tree Victoria had been sitting in. I could now see with my own eyes Victoria getting ready to make yet another attempt to get through Bella's shield. I didn't know how long the shield would last but judging by the slight tremor in Bella's hand, it wouldn't be much longer. I wasn't about to test her limits, so I jumped through the hole in the glass made by Victoria and the next second I had her red hair in my hand just as she'd managed to bend the shield slightly.

I grabbed her by the hair and a shoulder and threw her out of the house, making another hole in the glass seperating the living room from the backyard. Before I could turn around to follow her, I heard a crack and then a splitting sound of a tree falling down. I knew from Esme's thoughts that they were all alright, so I didn't hesitate and ran outside after Victoria.

By the time I reached her, she was already on her feet again, baring her teeth at me. She let out a furious growl and tried to get around me back to the house. I blocked her every attempt to get anywhere near the house, driving her even more crazy.

"You won't get her, Victoria," I said warningly but she wasn't listening, trying to duck under my arm. I threw her away, back into the already fallen tree. "You can try all you want but it won't get you anywhere."

"You killed him!" she shrieked in a high-pitched voice. "And I'll kill her!"

Her mind was full of despair and agony and if she didn't try to kill the love of my life, I would have pitied her.

The others had caught up with me now and together with Esme and Rosalie they formed a loose circle around us. I heard Bella arguing that she wanted to watch but Esme pulled her safely behind her back, not allowing her anywhere near Victoria.

When Victoria noticed Bella, she made another lunge toward her, but I blocked her again. "Give up, Victoria. You can see you're outnumbered," I said, motioning toward my family. "You can still leave without getting hurt." I knew she wouldn't, and Alice confirmed it, but I still had to offer her a way out, if only to please Carlisle.

"Never!"

"He never even loved you," I said, slowly circling around her. She narrowed her eyes at me, mirroring my movements. "He was using you for your talent. He didn't even think about you before we killed him."

"Liar!"

"You know I'm not lying. You could see it too, couldn't you? But you still hoped that if you did what he wanted, he would love you back." I kept my voice even, trying not to think about my own feelings toward Bella and the possibility that she would never love me back.

Victoria didn't answer this time, instead she lunged right at my throat. I ducked just in time, quickly turned around and had my arm around her throat before she could get anywhere near Esme and Bella.

"It's over, Victoria," I whispered in her ear. "You're at my mercy now."

You have to kill me then because I'll never give up! She shrieked in her mind, having figured out my mind reading ability.

"As you wish," I murmured and with one swift movement I severed her head.