Chapter Sixty Two

Peter

The Major wasn't telling us everything and that made me nervous, not that he always did but if he kept things to himself it was because he saw no reason to tell us. This time he looked unsure of himself and I saw Sam and Ben had noticed something was wrong.

"Peter, come with me. You two keep them here."

The girl, the one I had protected looked dazed, confused and terrified as did Alice, so I made sure the other two understood their orders were to keep her safe and not to touch her or they'd answer to me and although I wasn't The Major they were still unsure of themselves around me. I followed The Major into the forest until we were far enough away not to be overheard then he turned.

"Why that girl Captain?"

"I don't know, there's just something about her. Something different, why is it going to be a problem?"

I hated the fact I sounded defensive but he didn't seem to notice,

"No, she's going to be useful. There's going to be just you and me from now on."

I looked back the way we'd come, so this is why he wanted us out of earshot.

"Aro's orders? Are they being replaced?"

"My orders and no, we don't need anyone else and they slow us down. Why? Do you have a problem with them going?"

I shrugged, it seemed a little harsh, they'd been with us since the beginning and hadn't done anything wrong but I had noticed The Major becoming impatient with them of late. I was more interested in why the girl would prove useful but he just shook his head.

"Later, first we see to business."

The Major sent Sam and Ben to Seattle with Alice Cullen and a sealed letter for Caius who was waiting there. What they didn't know was that the letter contained instructions that they were to be taken to Volterra with Caius and either killed or set to work in the guard. All Caius had to know was that they were no longer of any use to The Major. As they left with Alice the other girl stood watching, her eyes wide with shock at finding herself alone with us. She looked around wildly as if about to run but The Major pointed at her,

"If you want to live keep your mouth shut and do exactly what we tell you."

She nodded frozen in place by that finger.

"Right, Captain, get to Port Angeles and find some transport. Wait for me on the Forks road and be quick. Make sure the vehicle has a good first aid kit and provide water. You girl, you're coming with me and one wrong move I'll kill you myself."

I looked at him mystified, we usually ran yet he wanted me to steal a vehicle? And what the hell did we need with a first aid kit and water? One look at his face told me it would be wise not to question him. I didn't like leaving the girl, especially the mood he was in, but I had no choice and set off at a run.

The Major

I waited until Peter had gone then turned to look at the girl,

"Are you any good with an injured human?"

She looked at me as if I were speaking some foreign fucking language then understanding dawned,

"Bella's not dead is she? That's why you wanted transport and a first aid kit."

"Just answer the question."

"I know a little."

"Come on then."

I turned and waited for her to join me then strode off to the cave hoping the girl might have regained consciousness by now but she lay just as I left her. The good thing was she continued to breath and her heartbeat sounded strong. The girl knelt down and looked at the darkening bruise on Bella's temple.

"She stopped breathing, her heart stopped but I got it going again."

"Right, so you saved her life. Why?"

I ignored the question, I had no answer for it,

"So what do we do?"

She shrugged,

"Wait till she wakes up and hope there's no brain damage I guess. It was quite a hit she took for you."

I indicated she should pick Bella up and we retraced our steps back to the camp then down the mountain and keeping to the road where possible followed it towards Port Angeles stopping a few times to check Bella was still breathing and warm enough. I'd wrapped what was left of my tee shirt around her and stripped off Sam's thick jacket but I hated that on her, I didn't want her to smell of any other man and cursed at the time it was taking Peter to get transport. What the fuck was he doing? Building the damn thing from scratch?

When he eventually arrived in a beat up panel truck I slid the side door back and climbed in with the unconscious girl grabbing the first aid kit and water from the passenger seat first.

"You in here with me. Peter drive."

"Where to Major?"

"Just keep driving until you run out of gas."

"What's with the girl? I thought she was dead."

"She was, now stop asking stupid fucking questions and drive."

Peter's girl, Charlotte she'd called herself was sitting in the back cushioning Bella's head in her lap and using some of the water to wash away the rest of the blood. There was a gash where the branch had hit but it wasn't bleeding much any more although when Charlotte started cleaning it out the blood started to flow again.

"You're making her bleed again, be careful."

She looked up at me defiantly,

"Why? You gonna drain her now?"

I slapped Charlotte across the face,

"Don't ever talk to me like that again. Now why are you doing that?"

Peter slowed the van until I told him to keep going, was he going to be a fucking problem too now? She rubbed her face looking afraid again which suited me down to the ground,

"I'm trying to stop any infection. I don't know what was on that branch, it could have been covered in mold, dirt, anything."

I nodded and gestured for her to continue, I'd forgotten how fragile humans were.

I sat against the furthest wall of the van looking at Bella as she lay still deeply unconscious wondering just why the hell I'd bothered to revive her and why I was taking her with me. It just seemed I needed her to be around, maybe my subconscious had thought of a use for her. I didn't have a woman, I'd taken them if I felt like sex but I never formed any attachments, I saw that as a sign of weakness but this girl was something different, she was special in some way and it was important she survived.

I couldn't take on any more missions with her laying here but somehow that didn't, matter right now. All I had to tell Aro was that I hadn't finished my mission, he wouldn't argue even if he felt like it. I'd spared his precious friend and he owed me. Maybe I'd take some time off, something I usually hated, I needed to be doing, I was driven and sitting around just made me more angry and frustrated, more unpredictable but right now...right now I didn't feel angry or frustrated just confused and...concerned, a feeling I couldn't remember since I woke as a vampire. Should that concern me? Probably but for now I had something else to worry about...the sleeping girl in this van.

Peter

What the fuck was going on? I had no idea what we were doing or why only that the Volturi would be extremely fucking unhappy if they found out The Major had not only let a human who knew something live, Chief Swan, but had saved another who he had been ordered to kill. Had he taken leave of his senses? Why would he save a human? What did he intend doing with her? For that matter what did I intend doing with the girl I'd saved from Sam? I had a sneaky feeling whatever it was the Volturi wouldn't approve any more than they would of Bella.

Still as far as everyone was concerned I had taken Charlotte for a little fun and would dispose of her when I was done, Bella Swan was dead, killed by her own father and Alice Cullen was safely on her way to Volterra so most of the job was done. Caius wouldn't be so happy about Carlisle and his brood surviving but I thought it was probably only a temporary reprieve for them. The Major was playing with his prey just like I'd seen before and when the end did finally come it would be brutal and excruciatingly painful too.