Chapter Thirty Two

Jasper

I heard an altercation and turned, running towards the noise only to see a strange vampire ready to attack. Emmett laying on the ground as if unable to rise while Bella hurtled towards the stranger her face a mask of rage and hatred.

By the time I reached them the stranger was laying on the ground in a pool of his own venom as Bella tore at his arms throwing fingers and then a hand over her shoulder. Knowing it would be dangerous to approach her too close in this mood I projected calm and peace towards her and then as her shoulders sagged and she rocked back on her heels I moved forward.

The stranger was a mess but still alive and I wanted answers.

"Who are you?"

"Why didn't my gift work on her?"

He was watching Bella who continued to glare at him for a moment then went to Emmett who was attempting to stagger to his feet.

"Who are you?"

The stranger turned his attention to me,

"My name is Arnie, I was just using this as a shortcut to the next town when I saw the girl. I thought she was going to attack. Why didn't my gift knock her down?"

I had no idea what he was talking about but by Emmett's inability to gain his balance I assumed this Arnie had a powerful gift.

"What gift?"

He swallowed hard and I felt fear and confusion fight for dominance inside him. Shaking him hard to get his attention back from Bella once more I repeated my question.

"I…..Look I didn't mean any harm, I was just protecting myself. Or trying to, I never failed before."

I waited understanding he was as baffled as I was.

Emmett

I had no idea what was wrong with me, I'd never had any problems taking on an opponent before so why now? Why couldn't I move? When Bella came over to help me to my feet I still found it almost impossible to move but then slowly feeling came back and I was able to stand without her aid. I heard Jasper's question to the stranger Arnie and spoke,

"He can immobilise his opponents or at least that's what it feels like. Suddenly I just couldn't move or stay on my feet."

Arnie nodded vigorously,

"That's right. See."

He turned his attention back to Jasper but nothing happened and his eyes widened in shock,

"It's gone! I can't feel my gift any more, it's like it's just not there any longer."

Bella approached him warily,

"What did you feel?"

He shrugged,

"Nothing, I stopped your friend when he tried to attack me then suddenly I felt nothing, I thought it was because you attacked me then. I wasn't quick enough to take you out too or at least I thought that was it. But there's nothing there now, nothing at all, it's just….. Gone."

Edward

I had seen all that happened from my vantage point although I was extremely nervous. If either Emmett or Jasper had sensed me here I would be a dead man and Bella had no reason to care about me now. She was sure to have been told that I'd killed her father. It was just a shame she had survived but now I was very grateful that fate had intervened.

As I listened everything became suddenly very clear. I had thought the loss of my gift was down to Bella and I'd been right. She'd done exactly the same thing to the strange vampire, Arnie. There was a connection although she had been human when I was affected and a vampire when he lost the use of his gift. Somehow Bella was able to nullify a gift without even knowing she was doing it and that made her extremely dangerous to any gifted vampire. Imagine Jane or Alec without their gifts.

What I didn't understand was the fact that Jasper still had the use of his gift, he'd been able to calm her down when she was ripping Arnie to pieces. So, what was different? Could it be that he was her mate? Or was it her mood? She'd been angry and upset when she took my gift away and again when Arnie lost his. How long would her gift affect others? How long before I could read, minds again? Gifts weren't permanent, they had an expiry date and I needed to know what it was. If Bella were to die then her gift would cease to have any effect, mine hadn't returned because she had not died, not because it was a permanent change, that would be too awful an idea to contemplate.

Somehow she had to die, Jasper too preferably unless I wanted to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of eternity. My problem was how to achieve this. I couldn't risk bringing the Volturi into it, Aro wouldn't be interested in me without my gift but he would want Bella kept alive so he could utilize such a valuable gift. I wasn't strong enough alone to take on both Bella and the rest of the Cullens so how could I do it?

I continued to watch expecting Jasper to kill the stranger for attacking but it seemed he was in a good mood because Arnie was allowed to leave after being warned to stay away from the area in future. Now I was torn, did I stay and see what Bella would do next or follow Arnie? I was desperate to see if his gift returned to him. If it did then Bella was somehow still affecting me, probably out of spite and if I could get my hands on her then I could force her to give it back to me. If he remained gift less, as it was, then I knew the only way to get my gift back would be to kill the bitch.

Actually, maybe I could enlist his help, after all, we were both victims of her spite. That decided me and I opted to follow him back down the mountain but luckily on the far side from Forks and the rest of the family. I really didn't want to chance bumping into anyone I knew right now.

It didn't take long to catch up with him, he wasn't doing anything but running, I guess my brother had put the fear of the devil in him. By staying slightly ahead of him, as I was faster, I stayed off his radar. He was a human hunter and was so intent on his next meal once in town that he let his guard down. It was a good job I wasn't an enemy or I could have killed him a dozen times over even without my gift.

It seemed he usually stunned his victims with his gift beforehand and his take down while fast, was sloppy and his prey managed a strangled cry that unfortunately for the victim went unnoticed outside the alleyway where he died. I decided I didn't have time to wait for Arnie's gift to return if it would, I needed to stay on Bella's trail so I hung back to approach him once he had drained his victim stuffing the corpse into a dumpster after turning out his pockets and using a knife to hack at the bite marks he had left. It wouldn't fool anyone into thinking he had been killed that way but neither would anyone discover the truth, it would be just one more mystery death.

On the road out of town I joined him much to his shock,

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. Edward Cullen."

I held out a hand and after a moment's hesitation he shook it briefly.

"What do you want? I travel alone."

"I know. I also know you had a run in with a girl on the mountain and lost your gift."

He stopped stiffening ready to defend himself and I smiled.

"I told you, I'm a friend. She also stole my gift but I intend getting it back, with your help."

He relaxed a little as I began to talk, explaining my theory that once Bella was dead our gifts would be free of her influence.

"So you see, working together would be to pour mutual advantage."

When he laughed I was taken aback and then he shook his head.

"Do you have any idea who that girl is running with Edward Cullen? I may be a little slow on the uptake but I'm not stupid. If you think you can take on The Major be my guest. I'd rather live without my gift than die."

I cursed under my breath, my dear "brother's" notoriety was working in his favor today. There was nothing I could say to change his mind and in the end, I was forced to let him go on his way but I wasn't finished yet, there had to be another way.