Chapter Sixty Four

Charlotte

I had no idea why Bella and I were still alive or what The Major and his friend intended doing with us, for now I was more worried because Bella wouldn't wake up. The bruise on her forehead had spread to discolor the whole right side of her face and it made her look terrible. The Major was creeping me out staring at Bella with those hard red eyes as of he could read her thoughts even though she was deeply unconscious. Taking a deep breath I spoke tensing for another blow,

"She needs to be somewhere warm and quiet, not in the back of a van jolting about."

His attention turned to me,

"Very well."

I wasn't sure why he'd listened to me, I was just glad he had and then he spoke to the driver,

"Peter, find somewhere to stop."

"Like where Major?"

"I don't know, anywhere we can stop for a while. The next place you come to but not a motel, I don't want a paper trail, you can bet your life Aro is looking for me now I'm not answering my phone."

"Yeah, why aren't you?"

"Just find somewhere and stop asking so many fucking questions."

The van stopped a few miles further on and the door slid open,

"There's a farm up ahead, looks pretty run down and I only spotted an old couple moving about. You want to take a look?"

The Major nodded climbing out then turned back to me pointing a finger like a blade,

"Stay there. You try to escape I'll rip both your legs off."

Peter grunted and his friend turned on him,

"What?"

Peter just shook his head but looked at me,

"Do as he says and you won't get hurt."

I nodded nervously and the door slammed shut. Looking down I saw that the noise hadn't disturbed Bella and wondered just how much damage that branch had done. Would she ever wake up or would she be lost for ever in a coma?

The Major

Peter and I made our way carefully to the farm, signs of neglect all around us and it was plain the occupants lived alone and had no help which was convenient for us.

"It'll do. You go back to the van and bring it here, I'll open the barn doors so you can drive straight in and hide it from view."

"What about the owners?"

"What about them? You getting soft since you picked up that pretty little blonde?"

"Fuck you Major."

"Just go."

I watched as he ran back towards the road and walked up to the front of the house.

By the time Peter was back with the van the barn door was open wide and the bodies of the occupants disposed of out back. Peter hustled Charlotte across the yard into the house,

"Make sure there are plenty of blankets, light a fire and get ready for Bella."

I jumped in the back and lifted the limp figure of the human girl, she weighed no more than a feather and looked dreadful. A pang shot through me, a feeling I didn't recognize, this girl was playing with my head even deeply unconscious. If not for her heartbeat sounding in my ear I would have thought her dead, she was hardly warmer than me and that was not good, not for a human.

As I carried her into the house I couldn't help but notice that the rage, my constant companion for so many years no longer pulsated so loudly in my head. I wasn't sure I liked this, I knew what I was and suddenly not being so sure was an unsettling feeling. Should I just kill her and be done with it? I could hardly keep her a secret and I couldn't travel as I had to towing a human behind me. I stopped at the bottom of the porch steps hesitating.

I could drain her right now and put her body with the others out back. Let Peter have fun with the blonde and then leave, set fire to the barn after dumping the bodies inside, problem solved. I found I had lifted the unconscious girl up until her throat was at my mouth, the slight warmth of her skin scorching my lips. I opened my mouth and my teeth rested against her soft flesh but I couldn't do it. I couldn't bite into her flesh despite smelling the blood that filled my mouth with venom. Instead I closed my mouth and holding her close ran up the steps and into the house to join the others, more frustrated and confused than before.

Peter

I helped Charlotte prepare a fire and carry down one of the mattresses to set before it then brought in some logs to build up the fire in the range to heat some water. I could feel her eyes on me as I moved,

"Why did you do it?"

I turned to look at her,

"What?"

"Take me? Choose me, why?"

I didn't answer her because I couldn't. Not that I didn't know why but I wasn't prepared to lay myself open to her mockery.

"Just as well I did or your friend would have no one to look after her now would she?"

I went to the window and peered out,

"What's taking him so long? Hey maybe he decided to drain her instead. Problem solved in one little bite."

"He won't."

"Oh and how do you know that?"

"The same reason I know you lied to me just now. But it doesn't matter."

Now she was making me uneasy, what the fuck was she? Some kind of fortune teller like Alice Cullen was supposed to be?"

Just then The Major appeared to my relief taking the heat off me for now. He looked around and nodded laying the unconscious girl on the mattress and covering her over before sitting down beside her staring at her face as if it could tell him something.

"You OK Major?"

He nodded but he didn't look round,

"Go check the area Peter, there's a couple of bodies need hiding too."

I nodded,

"You want me to bury them?"

"No, we'll burn them in the barn when we leave."

I went outside checking on a good hiding place for the bodies of the farm's human occupants before hauling them up into the hayloft of the barn.

As I checked the surrounding area for any signs of life letting the couple of old goats loose in the meadow to graze I wondered what Charlotte knew, was she aware I felt something for her? Something I couldn't really explain except it was powerful enough to want her with me and that I would protect her from anyone, including The Major if it came down to it. Was this love? Well whatever it was it had me in its grip and no matter how much I squirmed it wasn't letting go in a hurry!

I wasn't happy being away from her, The major was unpredictable, even more so since he saw the girl and I knew how dangerous he was without taking that into account so I hurried back to find him in the same place, Charlotte kneeling opposite sponging the girls face and snatching quick glances at him. She looked up when she heard me and I saw a look of relief on her face.

"You OK?"

She nodded,

"How's the girl?"

I gestured with my chin at the blanket covered figure,

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor."

The Major looked up at her and she flinched,

"She doesn't need a doctor, she's gonna be fine now if you've finished fuck off and get something ready for her to drink when she wakes."

"I don't think that's going to be any time soon."

He stood threateningly and I stepped between them,

"Back off Major, she's right. Look at the girl. She needs a doctor or a hospital if you want to keep her alive."

He stared at me for a minute and I knew he was considering attacking but then he turned back to the girl,

"She's gonna be fine, you worry about your little blonde there."

I heaved a sigh of relief and taking Charlotte's arm I led her out of the danger zone into the kitchen and shut the door.