Virgin Blood

Chapter 13

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Edward let out an animalistic roar as he turned and left his castle in a flash of pure fury. He had immediately known something was wrong just by the look on Jasper's face, but when the boy, Edward still thought of him as a boy, said quietly and seriously, "Bella's gone," his heart had almost stopped. "She ran away this morning."

Edward was murderous as he ran at vampire speed down the hill. Why had she made a break for it? Why now?

It had been raining lightly all day, and the water wasn't helping him track the wayward woman at all. Still, he was able to catch her scent, faint and diluted. She had run into the tree line, and Edward followed her path. He quickly realized that she was not heading toward Grosbridge as her scent carried him along the woods to the East, away from the little village.

It seemed that the girl hadn't wanted to wander too far into the forrest, for her scent led him along the edge. He lost her it briefly, which enraged him. How dare she run away in the rain like this? It was almost as though she knew it were her best chance of escaping him, like she had waited for the opportune time.

If Edward were accustomed to examining his emotions closely, he would know that his anger was fueled by a deep-seated worry for the girl being out here alone at night, as well as by hurt and betrayal, that she had left him the way she did. In his mind, he had trusted her, and she had betrayed him. But Edward didn't care to examine his feelings, and only acknowledged the anger that boiled at the surface.

Edward followed her path out of the edge of the woods and onto a large expanse of green pasture. The salty sharpness of the sea air assaulted his nose, and Edward had to focus to keep a hold of Bella's fading scent. A couple more hours, and her smell would have faded from that area all together.

Edward was a good tracker, even for a vampire, and it was that fact alone that allowed him to follow Bella's trail through the night. This scared him to no end, seeing how she could have escaped him.

She had traveled a great distance for a human in just one day, Edward registered at the back of his mind. She must not have stopped once. Edward knew he had to soon be reaching the end, for a human could not have travelled on foot much further than this in the single day she had been missing. He would find her soon, he realized.

He wondered if she would be scared and cold. Had she gotten lost? Would she be happy to see him or at least relieved? He pictured her small and pathetic, tired and hungry, but that was until he reached the end of her trail.

Breaker's End. Edward had completely forgotten about this minuscule rest stop for travelers. It consisted of an Inn and a small store, run largely by one family. It was well hidden behind the hills and rocks of the countryside so that one might not even see it until one was right upon it.

The gas lamps lit up the small buildings, giving the Inn a welcoming glow to weary travelers, a warm contrast to the dark, wet night.

Bella must have known about it and headed here. Fool, Edward thought meanly, How could she not have realized I would find her here?

Edward approached the inn, with its candles glowing in the windows. He could smell her much better now. He went up to the window and peered inside.

There she was, sitting alone at a table, eating a large dinner hungrily. The wave of relief Edward felt at seeing her unharmed was quickly replaced by anger. How had she even afforded that meal? he wondered to himself, knowing that she had come to his castle with nothing. She must have stolen something of his, he quickly surmised.

Perhaps if he had found her alone and scared, Edward's heart might have gentled. He would have been reassured that she needed him. As it was, he was only further angered that she was warm and well fed and appeared to be perfectly content without him.

Edward was half tempted to march into the Inn and forcibly take back what was his, be damned anyone who tried to stop him. Edward glanced around at the other occupants of the little dining room. There was a small group of men, eating and drinking, and Edward could see their not-so-subtle curious and appreciative stares in Bella's direction.

He wondered what they must be thinking? Bella was a young woman traveling alone. A low, guttural growl came from deep in his stomach, sounding much more like an animal than a man. The men appeared to be the only other patrons of the establishment, the only other person being an older woman who obviously was working there.

Though Edward was tempted to storm in and take Bella right then and there, he hung back and waited. He had kept his identity a secret for this long, he didn't need this little wench to ruin that for him.

He didn't have to wait long before Bella stood up tiredly and spoke briefly to the woman before heading up the stairs. Edward easily scaled the outside of the building following the scent and sound of her movements to her room. He watched as she exhaustedly laid down on the bed.

Unable to wait any longer with her so close in reach, Edward easily broke the lock on the window and jumped into the room silently. Bella didn't even appear to notice anyone was there until he had her in his arms and was jumping out the second story window.

Bella let out a surprised shriek as she suddenly felt herself falling, then it seemed as though she were being whisked away on a running horse. How had she gotten on the back of a horse? It took a moment to realize with her dazed mind that it was Edward who was holding her.

Bella didn't know whether to feel relief at being in the arms of the man she had deep down feared she would never see again, or to be terribly afraid. Edward didn't pause as they ran further and further back in the direction Bella had been traveling from all day.

Her feet had been terribly sore from walking so far when she had reached Breaker's End. She stopped from a moment to consider the place before she had gone in. It was too obvious a place for her to run to on her journey of escape. If Edward cared to find her, surely he would easily do so here. And that thought cemented Bella's decision as she walked into the Inn, because really, if Edward cared enough to come looking for her, Bella wanted to be found.

The lady who ran the Inn was nice enough to accept the expensive gold watch as payment for room and a meal, even giving her some money back. Bella hadn't wanted to take any more from Edward than had been completely necessary, but as she ate dinner, she realized what a dire lack of funds she had left herself in.

Now she didn't have to worry about it, as Edward ran her back toward his castle. Bella closed her eyes against the nausea she was feeling, wishing Edward would slow down at least. But Edward was relentless.

Bella was relieved when they finally entered through the front door of Edward's large home after what felt like hours of running. Edward dropped her unceremoniously on the stone floor, and Bella gazed up at him, exhausted in both body and mind, and any relief she felt at being in his arms, back in his home, on steady ground, quickly ebbed.

Edward was furious. Bella fought the urge to scream at just the sight of his animalistic expression as he sneered down at her. "Edw-" she started to shakily speak, but was interrupted by his barked "Shut up!"

Bella squeaked, but did as he asked.

Bella was aware when Jasper entered the room, and glanced nervously up at him, pleading in her eyes as though he could protect her from Edward's wrath.

Edward turned his back to her angrily and stormed out of the room. Jasper was looking down at her worriedly, but relieved that Edward had left to calm down. Bella figured she must look an absolute mess. Jasper held out his hand to help her up, and Bella placed her shaky one into his.

Edward came back into the room and was beside her in a second. Without a word, he ruthlessly tore her dress from her body. Bella screamed and tried to scramble away from him, but it was hopeless. Edward was much stronger and unrelenting.

Bella looked so small and vulnerable, a naked, quivering mess in front of the two men. "Edward," she pleaded to the man she hoped was in there, the one who she had come to care about, but he appeared to be gone, if he ever even existed at all.

Edward gripped her roughly by the jaw. Bella's limp body almost seemed to hang from his rough grip. He held her and looked down into her tear-streaked face.

"How dare you run away from me?" he spat out, "How dare you steal from me!" He pushed her so roughly that she went sprawling out on the floor at his feet.

"Jasper, you'll punish her for her insolence." Bella didn't see, but Edward handed Jasper a long, thick leather strap. Jasper looked to Edward, horror in his eyes.

"Edward," Jasper spoke as he held the gruesome thing in his hand, not even really believing himself that he could make Edward see reason, but knowing that he had to try.

"Do it," Edward's words were cold and emotionless.

"This is too much, Edward," Jasper's voice was low and steady, trying to invoke calm.

Bella had turned over and was sobbingly trying to inch away. Jasper could barely look at the girl who he had come to know, reduced to such a pathetic sight.

Edward grabbed her weak body, holding her by the shoulders under his arm so that she was bent at the waist and her butt and legs were at an available angle.

"Come on then," Edward said, "I'm not asking you to kill her, for God's sake. She has to be punished for her actions. She has to know what happens when she tries to escape me."

"I wont' do it," Jasper said stubbornly over Bella's crying.

"Fine, then I will," Edward grabbed the leather strap from Jasper's hand.

Jasper instantly grabbed it back, "Fine," he acquiesced. Edward was angry, and Jasper didn't want him to forget himself and his own strength. He could easily do unrepairable damage to Bella.

Bella's crying had reduced to a whimpering, and Jasper cringed at the loud slapping sound the leather made against her gentle skin as he hit her. Bella screamed and Jasper paused.

"Again," Edward demanded. Jasper whipped her again.

Bella could barely stand the pain in her tender flesh. Edward's strong and cruel voice repeating "again" after every stroke.

Jasper watched as bright red welts appeared where the leather had hit her. Bella jerked and kicked and screamed after every hit, then moaning helplessly in pain. Her crying and whimpering tore at Jasper's heart, and he looked at Edward's cold and cruel face as he was again ordered to hit her, and Jasper knew he had been mistaken in hoping Edward had finally met someone he could come to care about, who would take away his loneliness.

Jasper knew Edward was hardening his heart and sealing his lonely future with every "again" he spoke.

Bella's screams eventually became hoarse and less loud, and her legs, which at the beginning had kicked out wildly, now barely twitched.

"Again," Edward demanded.

"It's enough, Edward," Jasper said, staring the other man directly in the face.

Edward let go of Bella, and she simply dropped inertly to the floor.

"Lock her in her room," Edward said and walked away. Jasper helped a shaky Bella to her feet. He wrapped her right arm around his shoulders and placed his left around her waist. She could barely walk, and Jasper all but carried her to the room she had first been placed in when she had come to the castle.

He laid her down on the bed as gently as he could. Bella turned onto her side to avoid putting pressure on her abused posterior.

"Try to sleep. It'll help," Jasper said quietly before leaving the room and locking the door.