Chapter Sixty

The Major

As soon as I saw her I understood she was my problem although I had no idea what that meant. Suddenly life, my work seemed complicated and it shouldn't. Killing to me was like breathing to a human a natural part of my life. I'd spent decades killing anyone I was told with no qualms at all, they had broken the law or were causing problems and I took care of them. I didn't see myself as anything special, as a problem solver or an angel of death, I was a killer plain and simple.

My claim to fame was that I was the best, I killed without remorse, without any thought for my victim, I killed to please myself, to feed off the fear, the pain I inflicted, but something was very wrong here, there was someone here who didn't fear me, who wasn't afraid of death, and that confused me because it was the weakest of all, the skinny little human girl who didn't find me terrifying, who wasn't afraid to face her own death. I looked round at the others, yes they feared me, they knew their time had come yet they were here. They had followed the human girl into my lair with their eyes wide open, they had sacrificed themselves in order to try saving her. Now that was amusing, did they really think I would allow them to live, to scurry back to their mouse hole in new York? Not now I had them here nicely lined up and ready to taste death Major fashion.

Peter and the others were ready, just awaiting my signal to attack but something made me hesitate. I glanced at Peter who frowned, he'd never known me to hesitate before and it was unnerving him...or was it? No, he wasn't looking at me, he was staring at the girl beside my target, he too felt something was wrong. If we didn't act fast then this could turn into a fight and much as I enjoyed fighting I wanted a worthy opponent, not one of these "vegetarians". I grabbed the Chief, her father and looked directly at the human girl.

"You want to beg for your fathers life? Go ahead, who knows you might touch me."

The others laughed, they knew nothing touched me, no feelings, no pain, except that I drank like a fine wine, no emotions except those I engendered in my quarry.

"No, you won't kill him. You won't kill any of us."

I laughed scornfully dropping him to the ground where he lay groaning,

"Really? And why not?"

"Because you can't and don't ask me how I know that, just know that I do."

"Oh, and there was me thinking Alice Cullen was the seer. Well, let's just test your theory shall we? Choose a victim, I can't say fairer than that."

She shook her head her eyes boring into my skull and fogging my brain, did she have a gift? I'd heard some humans did.

"Stop staring."

She smiled,

"Or what Major? What can you threaten me with that would frighten me if death doesn't?"

Now everyone was looking at her aghast, so she wasn't normally so brave. Was this a mask to hide her fear? No, I felt no fear in her, anxiety yes but no fear and that riled me, everyone was afraid of The Major even his employers!

"Well then, if you won't choose someone..."

I looked around,

"Sam can."

I looked at Sam who grinned excitedly and pointed to the girl beside the human,

"Her."

"Go on then."

He leaped forward only to meet Peter who had moved to stand in front of the girl. Sam hissed and tried to step around Peter but my Captain wasn't going to allow him through, so he wanted the girl for himself! Very well I didn't care, let him have her.

"I think the Captain has marked her for himself Sam, how about the blonde?"

Her mate stood in front of her ready to protect her but Sam was a warrior, the one called Emmett Cullen wasn't and Sam had him down on the floor his teeth to the big man's throat as the blonde screamed in fear and I smiled.

"Well Bella, it seems Sam wants your friend, what do you say to that?"

She turned to Sam and spoke through gritted teeth,

"If you want someone why not me? After all I'm the one who started all this or are you afraid of me too?"

I snarled loudly at that slur on my bravery and stepped over to her breathing in her scent as I whispered in her ear,

"You are either very brave or extremely stupid human. Which is it?"

As I stepped back she smiled into my face,

"I'm not sure shall we find out?"

She lifted a hand to slap my face and I grabbed it a scant inch from my cheek.

"So you have spunk, good I like a woman with fire in her belly although it doesn't usually take me long to quench the fires."

She spat in my face,

"You disgust me, you aren't a man, you're an animal."

"I've been called worse."

As the others laughed I saw from the corner of my eye the Chief lever himself to his feet and pick up a branch that had snapped off earlier. He swung it and I ducked so instead of hitting me he hit his daughter across the temple and there was a sickening thud, a cry of distress, and then an expectant silence.

Without thinking I picked the girl up wiping blood from her face and listening for her heartbeat but hearing nothing.

"Sam, Ben, stay here with Peter, any of them try to escape let them go, we'll soon find them on the mountain, except for Carlisle, Alice, and the blonde, if they attempt to leave, kill them."

I may not be able to rely on Peter to kill the girl he had chosen but I knew he wouldn't disobey my orders concerning the others. The Chief tried to follow me as I left with his daughter but I knocked him down and kept moving, where I was going I had no idea, except that I was aware the girl needed to be given CPR and kept warm and dry which up here meant a cave and fire.

I knew where there was a cave and lay her down breathing into her mouth and pushing down on her chest until she took a breath unaided then I lit a fire with the brushwood that had blown into the entrance over the years. There was a nasty bruise on her forehead but not much blood, most there was came from cuts made before she reached me. Tearing off my shirt I wiped the blood away as best I could then sat there watching her breathing even out and testing her feelings. There was pain yes, but apart from that only a blackness that meant she was deeply unconscious.

Concerned by this I went back leaving her and thinking about getting Cullen, he was a doctor, well he could doctor the girl, it would keep him alive a while longer. I was amused to see everyone exactly where I had left them except for the big one Emmett Cullen who sat beside the Chief, the space where his right arm should be attached to his shoulder oozing venom while the arm was hanging from Sam's left hand like a grotesque club. The blonde had tried to go to his side and even now her face was repairing itself, it, looked like Sam had swung her mate's arm and hit her in the face with it pretty hard. The Chief looked up,

"Bella? What did you do with her?"

"Don't you mean what did you do? It was your blow that caught her."

I smiled having an idea, I wanted to know more of the girl but I didn't want the Volturi knowing I had her and had disobeyed orders. Not because I was afraid of what they might do but because I couldn't be bothered with the politics of it.

"I was going to get the great and wonderful Doctor Cullen to see to her but its too late. You killed her Chief, your own daughter. I hope you can live with that guilt."

I turned to the others,

"Alice Cullen and that girl come with us. The rest of you go but remember I still have your names, whatever Aro says and one day I will come for you."

Carlisle wanted to object but Sam and Ben persuaded him otherwise.

"I want my daughter's body."

I smiled over at the Chief as he stood held up by Carlisle,

"I'm sure you do but having a grave would be too easy for you. Now all you will ever remember is that you murdered your own daughter and you never even got to say sorry or goodbye. Just remember if you ever mention what happened here I'll be back and this time I won't be playing with you. So I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you. Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

I knew Aro would be happy that I let the Cullens go unharmed, he'd be happy the human girl was dead and Caius would settle for having Alice. Peter could play with his choice until he got bored then dispose of her and as for Sam and Ben, well they were coming to the end of their use to me and as soon as the Cullens and their patient had left Peter and I could dispose of them too. I had no idea why I had allowed them to go, nor why I had kept the girl's survival a secret but I intended to find out, I didn't like doing things I seemed to have no control over, it worried me.