Chapter 105

The Major

I followed Bella out still thinking this was a really bad idea. I had controlled myself around Bella with great difficulty. It was more of a struggle than she understood and to be confronted by more humans, injured humans the scent of their blood might be just too much. What would Bella do if she saw me feeding on them? I couldn't bear to lose her now, but it was going to be hard.

The visibility was poor so I had to take her hand and lead her to where I had heard their voices. They hadn't moved, having found some shelter from the bitter wind behind a boulder, but none of them was dressed for the weather. The scent of blood was almost overwhelming me and she sensed that.

"Stay here, let me find out what's going on."

I wanted to argue with her, but there was so much venom in my mouth it was threatening to choke me.

Bella

I was worried for Jasper, I knew he was suffering and as I moved around the boulder to confront the people I could see that the snow was red with blood, someone was badly injured! When they saw me two of them sprang to their feet terrified so I held up the first aid kit.

"I'm here to help. What happened?"

The tallest of the two, a man stepped forward shivering violently,

"You're human?"

So they had met with vampires! Now that was interesting as there were no other vampires up here as far as we knew and I didn't believe for one moment Jasper was responsible. If he'd injured one of them he could have killed all three and kept silent, I wouldn't have known, his eyes were darker anyway with constant thirst living on animal blood.

"What happened to you?"

He shook his head turning to the others, another man and a young woman, the source of most of the blood.

"I don't know. One minute we were sitting on our car deciding where to go next and then someone attacked us, well two men actually but they were strange, their eyes glowed red and they were so strong. One stabbed Sadie in the stomach while the other slashed my arm and Simon's leg. Then they just threw us in a truck and brought us here. Well, they carried us the last bit, see what I mean about being strong? We tried to stop Sadie bleeding with my jacket, but it's so cold. Why would someone do that? Just attack us and then dump us up here?"

I shrugged although I knew only too well, someone didn't want The Major to become an animal hunter so they decided to put temptation right on his doorstep.

Well, it wasn't Charlie, he wouldn't do something so brutal which only left the Volturi. I hit the switch to summon Darius and tried to help as best I could binding up the wounds in Sadie's stomach while the guys sorted their own cuts out. It was too cold for them to stay here, they would have to come to the cabin before they froze to death.

"Wait just a minute."

I called to Jasper who appeared hesitantly,

"Can you carry the girl while I lead the guys?"

He shook his head and I wondered if the blood were finally too much, but then he strode over and picked the injured girl up in his arms.

"You'd never find your way, follow me with the other two, as fast as you can."

I nodded and made the guys hold my hands so we wouldn't get separated and lose each other in the thickening snowfall.

By the time I saw the cabin I was frozen and exhausted but dragged my two wounded humans in with me and slammed the door to keep the cold out. While the two guys warmed themselves at the log fire I went to grab some more blankets from the bedroom/bathroom and joined Jasper at her side close to the stove which was also giving off a warm glow.

"How is she?"

He shrugged,

"I don't know Bella, I'm not a doctor, but it looks like there's more blood than anything. The wound isn't that deep."

I peered at the wound in her stomach that he had uncovered ripping the front of her sweater open to do so. He was right, there was a lot of blood for such a small wound, but I'd heard stomach wounds bled a lot, like head wounds.

"I'll clean her up and see if I can get any sense from her. You find some warm clothes for the two guys. I rang the alarm for Darius if he can fly in this weather, if not then they'll have to stay here. It's a trap you know that don't you? The Volturi want you to fail. They want you to feed on these people, it's why they were stabbed."

The Major

Of course Bella was right but that didn't make the situation any less fraught, my thirst was a living being tearing at my determination, roaring to be fed. I went back into the bedroom and shut the door leaning against it but the scent was just as bad so I threw open the shutters and jumped outside taking deep gulps of cold fresh air to clear my nose and lungs of the sweet scent that was driving me mad. I punched the packed snow that had blown against the side of the cabin in anger and frustration.

I could do this, I was The major and I could withstand this temptation. Aro wouldn't beat me, I couldn't allow that and I wouldn't. Climbing back in I fastened the shutters once more grabbed some warm sweaters and dry pants and went back out to see how things were. The two guys had used this time to wash the blood off their hands and arms and seeing the clothes I held out they stripped off their bloodstained ones allowing me to collect them up. Without a word I went back into the bedroom and opened the shutters once more to throw them outside. Now the smell was a little more bearable.

I told the guys I'd make them hot drinks and went over to the stove to see Bella had put the pan on to boil. The girl was looking more comfortable although she was very pale and her breathing a little shallow. I just hoped she hadn't lost too much blood. Bella had stripped off her blood-soaked clothes and burned them in the stove then washed the blood from her body so now the place no longer reeked of it which was a relief.

I took her place beside the girl, all wrapped in clean warm blankets while she made hot chocolate for our other "guests". They were discussing what had happened without actually understanding any of it. What they would tell the authorities I had no idea but we had to leave this place whatever Charlie said, it was no longer safe for Bella or myself. If Aro's plan didn't work then he would be looking for another way to force me back to him and that meant threatening Bella.

I turned to watch as she handed the two guys their mugs and couldn't help smiling, what had happened to the young girl I had first set eyes on? She had matured beyond her years. A warm hand came up to grab my arm and I looked down on the injured girl to see her trying to speak, but she was too weak to do more than whisper so I bent over her,

"You're safe now, there's no need to worry, help is coming."

She shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to speak again.

"Danger, they did this, they did this to me."

"I know, but they're gone. You are going to be fine."

She shook her head again,

"Here, they're here, they did it."

I understood her message as I heard Bella gasp in fear and turned to see the taller of the men standing behind Bella and holding a knife to her throat.