Chapter Twenty

Bella

I had drifted off and when I woke up I felt considerably better, the pain in my chest had eased which I put down to a combination of sleep and pain killers. I got up and swilled my face in the bathroom before putting the kettle on for fresh coffee. As I did so I heard a noise outside on the fire escape and froze, was it the Volturi? Had they finally caught up with me? I wasn't sure whether to hope so or not and I moved as quietly as I could to the bathroom with the intention of locking myself in, stupid I know but I thought I should at least make some attempt to get away from them, even if they could break down a door with minimal effort. I closed the door and shot the bolt home sitting in the far corner and hugging my knees to stop myself shaking.

Jasper

All I could do was to follow the mating pull and hope it led to Bella before anything happened to her, I wouldn't lose her now if I had to go through the entire Volturi, Bella was mine. I waited impatiently for my new cell phone to ring with a position from Darius and when it did finally, I answered hearing his voice with relief.

"Major, your car is showing parked up in Denver, so that's where she went. A friend I've had watching your apartment just in case, spotted her going into the building."

"Thank you Darius, I was headed that way just hoping."

"Then I suggest you speed up Major because I've also heard the Volturi are hot on her tail, you don't have much time."

"Who did Aro send?"

"Three guards and Jane, I think he was expecting her to be guarded."

"She should have been. Thanks Darius."

"Good luck Major, you're going to need it. My friend is willing to help if you want."

"Who is it?"

"Christos, he's good in a fight."

"OK, ask him to meet me at the back of the building. I'll be there soon."

I ran as I'd never run before, it was far quicker to go over land on foot than follow the roads, and I could feel my energy draining as I pushed my body beyond its limits determined to get to Bella before the Volturi did. Every second I expected to get another call telling me I was too late but I made it to the apartment building without any news coming through. I could smell another vampire before I ran into him at the back of the building.

"Are the Volturi here yet?"

"Only the spotter and I can take care of him for you. He's in the building opposite, third floor, second window along. He seems to think he won't be spotted inside a building so he's obviously a novice."

"OK you take him out as long as the others don't turn up but don't put yourself in danger Christos. I'll go up and get Bella."

"She's a human isn't she?"

"Yes but she's also my mate."

He didn't speak just nodded and disappeared round the building again. I looked up to where a light shone in the kitchen of my apartment and breathed deeply, Bella was here I knew it as the pain in my chest almost vanished so I jumped up onto the fire escape and made my way silently to the lit window, knowing it was the only one the lock didn't work on and started to slide it up when I heard movement and stopped to listen. It was Bella and she was scared, I heard her take refuge in the bathroom shooting the bolt on the door in a futile attempt to keep herself safe.

Bella

I heard the kitchen window slide up just as there was a knock on the apartment door, what was going on? I stopped breathing, listening hard as very soft footsteps came to the door and there was the lightest of knocks. I didn't answer but jumped as there was a crash from the front of the apartment, someone had smashed the door in and I heard three sets of footsteps then an agonised scream and I knew it was Jasper because it tore through me. He was here and being harmed by the other intruders who must be the Volturi. I pulled the bolt back, not needing stealth for the terrible screams would have masked any noise quieter than a steam hammer. As I took a deep breath and pulled the door open several things happened at the same time. There was a loud crash and the screams were cut off short then I heard scuffling and another scream but this one was different. I looked out on a scene from Dantes Inferno. A body burned with a purple haze and there were figures fighting all around it. I recognised Jasper by his hair but the guy who seemed to be helping him was unknown to me. Not knowing what to do I retreated back into the bathroom hoping that the person who came through the door when all the noise stopped would be a familiar one.

Jasper

I heard the door forced and putting aside stealth I crashed through the window to confront the three Volturi guard who had appeared in the apartment. I grabbed one by the throat, surprising him and ripped his head off throwing it aside ready to fight the next when I was hit by the most excruciating pain that forced me to my knees. Jane was with them and there was no way of fighting her gift. Then I saw another figure enter and fly straight into her slight figure breaking her concentration just long enough for me to reach her. With a quick flick of my arm I broke her neck and then moved in to rip it off with my teeth. Dropping it to the floor I turned to see Christos fighting two of the guard so I made time to set Jane's body alight, I didn't want her recovering and attacking once more. Then I turned and between us Christos and I destroyed the remaining Volturi but the flames we had used to destroy them were spreading through the apartment so telling him to go I went into the bathroom where Bella hunched in a corner trembling. I didn't have time to explain so I soaked a towel in the shower and wrapped it around her carrying her through the flames and out the broken window. Luckily I moved so fast the flames didn't have time to set me alight bit I lost most of my shirt on the way.

At the bottom of the fire escape Christos waited with a car and bundling Bella in the back I shouted for him to go.

"I'll catch you up on the outskirts of town, there's an old disused gas station, pull in there out of sight I need to make sure the apartment burns and the Volturi bodies with it."

The screech of tyres as he took off echoed around the courtyard and people started to scream, then came the sound of the fire department. I'd climbed back to to ensure the bodies were ash then leapt back down and moved as fast as I could away from the building then stopped in a dark alley to gather my breath. My throat burned fiercely, I had used up so much of my energy just getting here and now my body wanted blood to recover. Denver wasn't exactly ideal for my type of hunting but I didn't have time to forage further so it was with trepidation that I stalked a man who had walked further into the dark alley and stood lighting a cigarette, no not a cigarette, a spoon. He was a drug taker preparing his fix and that made me feel slightly better about what I was about to do. He died without even realizing I was there and his blood gave me the much needed energy to follow Christos out of town.