Playlist:

Blood / Water – grandson

DARKSIDE — Neoni

Burn It All Down – League of Legends, PVRIS

Play With Fire – Sam Tinnesz, Yacht Money

HOT DEMON B!TCHES NEAR U! - CORPSE, Night Lovell

Goddess — Xana

I Didn't Ask For This – Beth Crowley

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words. Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight series, and the songs belong to their respective people.

Brief note: And now, ladies and gentlebeings; a tap dance. This chapter is bananas. Please Review!

*R for Violence*


Blood / Water


It came in flashes at first: angry shouts, the clatter of weaponry; the scent of blood and salt. There was the pull of ocean tides around Edward's feet.

When their location finally found clarity, the first thing he processed was the vulnerability of open air at his back. He braced himself against a vicious current that swirled at his knees; the endless ocean stretched behind him. The city of Haven floated impossibly above the water, casting a darkened shadow over where Edward and his family stood. Edward would have been in awe at the sight of the gleaming and intricate bridge of ice that connected the floating city to its sister on land, but there was no room for wonder around his horror.

Black-clad enemies had overtaken the floating part of the city like a plague, and behind enemy lines there was only tragedy and carnage. To his left, a woman screamed as an enemy beat her brutally; her battle-partner gurgled as his throat was cut. Blood pooled in the water around his corpse.

The water froze near him with the sudden shock of cold against his hip. Edward whipped his head around to see one of Bella's soldiers defending him from an enemy by freezing him in ice. The young soldier nodded at Edward before turning back to his enemy; choosing to defend Edward had cost him dearly. The woman he was fighting struck him with a barbed tendril of thorny vines that slammed into his head with crushing force. When it ripped free of his corpse, it took the skin of his face with it.

A groaning sound brushed against Edward's eardrums, a long vibration that was barely perceptible through the violence. Edward lost track of the sound when he had to dodge a muddy boulder flying past him to strike the enemy battering the woman on his left.

The very moment they had arrived, Bella had lit up like a firecracker and levitated high above their heads, shining with golden light. The forces engaged in animalistic battle paused for just a second in response, before a fierce battle cry rose from Camp's Fae warriors and they redoubled their efforts to defeat their enemies.

When Bella fell back to the distant shoreline, she shot forward to a black-clad soldier fighting a woman in a red-feathered skirt and little else. When the enemy struck the figure across the face, her head flew back due to the force of the blow: the girl couldn't have been a day older than sixteen. Bella crushed the man in a sudden opening in the earth that snapped closed around him—there one second and gone the next. She turned to the young girl furiously.

"Risa! What the hell is going on here? It's high tide for fuck's sake! I told you not to-"

"Your Majesty." The girl's voice was horrified and angry. "What are you doing here, Isabella?"

"Don't take that tone with me. I want to know what the hell is going on. I explicitly ordered you to keep everyone out of the water. Zia—get over here."

Bella didn't even flinch when an older woman with strong cheekbones and black braids framing her face struck down an enemy soldier near her by impaling him on a short, sharp-tipped spear. "Explain. Now."

The woman, Zia, wiped the tip of the bloody spear against her leather leggings as she approached Risa and Bella. Her voice was calm, even as she shouted to be heard.

"Lorelai got caught."

Bella froze. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. The gold in Edward's head gained a sharp edge and began to burn brightly, letting off heat that pushed Edward's mind away from Bella's. Bella vibrated at an even higher frequency, and Edward winced.

Young Risa sighed heavily. "The black beetles discovered her when she snuck into the Marketplace. They hold her hostage, and when they sent us her ear and the ransom, Nikki went after her alone. She left about an hour ago, she snuck away from our camp before the attack came. The beetles backed us into the water before we could organize our offense."

Zia broke in quickly. "Isabella, Nikki and Lorelai can handle themselves, and we can-"

Bella had been shrewdly scanning the shoreline, ignoring Zia's plea completely as she took in Edward's family further up the sandy beach from where Edward stood, out of reach of the water. Edward saw Bella's eyes go wide the second she found him in the violent crowd. She interrupted Zia with a panicked shout.

"Edward!" The gold in his head flared in instant and acute horror. "Edward, get out of the water right now! Run. Get to shore, now!" She was coming for him in a Fae sprint immediately, splashing into the water to grab for him. A wave of hateful faces turned their attention to her, rushing aggressively into the space between Edward and Bella.

Edward was already on high alert in response to the panicked gold in his head. He reached, snapping the neck of the enemy nearest him and pulling the sword from his grip. Edward twisted, anticipating the beetle who was trying to stab him in the back. Idiot. He let the knife skitter against his stone skin before he impaled the man. Others crowded into the space between him and Bella, but he had gained a yard or two.

A bear of a man took the idiot's place, holding a long blade made of sharpened diamond. The man had a touch of crazed glee in his eyes as he evaluated Edward. Edward mouthed a curse and the man's grin grew too-wide and threatening. Edward dodged the strike from the diamond blade, but he underestimated the man's speed and yelped when his punch was intercepted. His arm twisted painfully, cracking at the shoulder. Edward twisted and his rabbit-punch to the man's elbow was enough to make the man release him. They backed away from each other and circled, each waiting for a distraction or a misstep in the undertow, and Edward took in his surroundings.

Bella was tearing through every soldier in her path with incredible attacks. She snapped her fingers and stone boulders crashed into the surf, taking ten men with them to the bottom of the water. Someone stupid got close enough to lash out at her, and Bella manifested an ice shard and slit their throat in one motion, gaining ground towards Edward quickly.

One of the beetles further out from the shore drew Edward's gaze because of the white sash around his waist that marked him as a commander. The man threw his long hair back and out of his face as he gutted the woman fighting him with a one-two strike from the twin daggers in his hands. He impaled his victim in midair and threw her body into deeper water. He turned towards the commotion where Bella was rushing to Edward, his consumed royal blue eyes narrowing. Edward felt his bloodlust sharpen into something painful.

Nix.

Suddenly, Edward found he had no time or patience for the massive enemy soldier challenging him. He faked a falter in his steps, splashing down to one knee. When his opponent's crazed eyes flashed across his vision, Edward twisted and struck. He crushed through the man's stomach, grabbing hold of his sternum; the man all but exploded when Edward closed his fist and pulled sharply. Edward let him fall into the water and wiped his bloody hand on his jeans. The explosion of gore and blood made Nix turn towards him, and now Edward knew he wore his own crazed smirk.

Nix flinched and stepped back instinctively; Edward got there before Nix could recover from his fearful reaction. When Nix put up an arm to keep Edward from beheading him, Edward snapped it. Nix tried to undercut his gut with the knife in his useable hand. Edward didn't bother to dodge, letting the weapon impact his body with enough force to snap the blade. He threw Nix back from him, forcing the man to drop the remaining dagger from his now-broken hand.

Edward picked up the knife casually, spinning it in his grip as he walked slowly to where Nix floundered in the undertow. He relished these few moments where Bella's abuser drew his last breaths, knowing death was coming for him. Edward supposed there was a certain poetry in killing Nix with the man's own weapon. It wouldn't be as satisfying as drinking him dry, but it would do.

His attention caught on an unexpected movement out of the corner of his eye and his adrenaline spiked. The corpse that floated near him had bobbed quickly, throwing a small splash. Time seemed to slow. Edward could feel Bella's golden presence grow in his mind as she looked through his eyes with him. At the edge of his red-tinted vision, Edward saw the shadow of a young girl's figure under the water.

The corpse was pulled under the water as a second mermaid used the distraction he had provided to her advantage, stealing the younger one's scavenged dinner. The grotesque split of mouth in the woman's beautiful face flashed with pointed teeth as she tore the corpse's leg from its torso. The younger girl grinned hideously and darted for Edward. Her teeth flashed in the watery moonlight; her hands arched into wicked claws.

Edward felt numb and strange as suddenly, death came for him instead of his prey. He couldn't seem to make his body move, his vengeful prowl turning into shocked stillness. The thought rang in his head on repeat: That's a mermaid... it ate him.

He wondered distantly if he could survive being dismembered and digested. Probably not. Would it even need to rip his limbs from him? Their mouths were so wide; that other one had unhinged its jaw. Bella's beloved golden presence became razor-sharp and focused in response to his thoughts. Edward felt his body respond to her command, flinching away from the mermaid's strike without his input.

Bella's voice was raised and panicked as she shifted to his side, already striking out at the creature. She dazzled it with bright light as it leapt out of the water and grabbed for the knife in Edward's hand, beheading it quickly. She grabbed his other hand and turned to drag him to the shore, ignoring Nix completely.

"Sirens! Sirens in the water! Retreat!"

Chaos answered Bella's command. The woman on his right grabbed hold of the beetle attacking her and threw him into deeper water. He disappeared into a bubbling red pool almost immediately. A triumphant grin crossed the woman's face for a half-second before she disappeared under the surface herself.

A man screamed from close behind Edward, the water turning red as he was pulled under the surf. The screams around him would cut off suddenly as soldiers from both sides were dragged to their watery graves. The tide of the battle turned as friend and foe alike scrambled for the shore in a panic.

Edward's body continued to move without his permission, following the pull of Bella's iron hold on his wrist. She hauled him towards shore as quickly as she could, ignoring the flood of people clambering to get to the beach. A man screamed and reached for Bella as a siren locked its teeth into his thigh; Bella threw a strike of lightning, but the siren dodged, and the man was pulled under the waves. Bella swore but kept moving.

As they neared the shore, Bella pushed Edward in front of her, and Emmett hauled him to safe ground by his elbow. Edward regained control of himself and turned to ask Bella what the hell was going on, but she was gone. The shoreline was chaos.

Panic reared its ugly head quickly.

"She was right behind me!" Edward shouted to be heard over the agonized cursing of an older man who had gotten his leg ripped from his body by a siren. The mermaid gnawed on the tattered limb as she reached out of the high tide to pull the man back under the water. When she dragged him under, the man took two of the enemy soldiers with him. The bubbles faded quickly.

What if someone had grabbed Bella like that?

His family was helping soldiers to shore; they were dodging the tide, but Bella wasn't with them. Jasper was fighting next to Zia, who was pulling he and Alice as far from the water as she could while enemy soldiers attacked them. Zia struck them down one after another with brutal precision.

A dark-haired siren reached towards a distracted Rosalie from the incoming waves, grabbing her ankle and wrenching her into the sand. It began to haul her towards the water with unreal speed, but it stopped with a shriek and paused to switch its grip. Emmett took full advantage, diving for Rose's hand. He barely caught hold of it, and now the damned thing was dragging his brother too.

Esme ran for them, but his mother's attention was called to Carlisle when a red-headed siren sunk its teeth into his father's leg. Esme managed to wrench him from the creature as she fought to keep it from ripping off her head; Risa leapt on the red-headed siren's scaled back and snarled as she pulled at its mouth until its skull ripped free.

Edward turned inward, frantically pulling at the thank-God-still-there shard of gold in his mind.

"Edward!" Emmett cried out in panic as the dark-haired siren gained distance, dragging Rosalie into the surf despite his brother's vampiric strength; Emmett had no way to plant his feet on the sandy beach.

There!

Edward's frantic eyes finally found Bella; she was further out from him, knee-deep in the surf and struggling for her balance as Nix blinded her by throwing sand in her eyes. She went under the water for a long moment. He waited with bated breath for her to resurface, struck motionless by agonizing fear. Finally, Bella was back on her feet. Edward cursed heavily and ripped his eyes from her.

He rushed the siren who held his sister captive, shoving one hand in the maw of teeth. When its teeth closed around his hand, his skin cracked. Before it could bite down again, he twisted his grip and wrenched upwards, ripping off the top half of the siren's skull. Its blood was an odd turquoise color. He didn't look back to make sure his siblings made it to shore; he raced to where Nix had thrown Bella back into deeper water by her hair, holding her there with a grip on her neck.

Rosalie was his sister, and he never wanted to see what Emmett would become without her. But if he could only choose one, it would always be Bella.


DARKSIDE


Bella was dizzy and disoriented as she rose from the water, but she was also fucking pissed. Nix didn't know what he was facing, right now; he didn't know how close she was to losing control of herself in an entirely different way than the fall.

Her opponent had a good hold on her at the moment, keeping his advantage with desperate blitz attacks, crowding in close and battering her face and shoulders. He grabbed hold of her hair, throwing her back under the surf and holding her there awkwardly, obviously favoring one arm over the other. Bella had plenty of air, so she took the moment to take stock, to try and gain some distance from her burning thoughts and emotions.

She had brought Edward and his family here to show them the brutal reality of the evil they all faced, but she had underestimated her own reaction to the chaos and depravity. There was more than one reason she avoided coming to the battlegrounds. It was rising in her all over again: the need to destroy her enemy at any cost. Her magicks fizzled under her skin, begging her to let us free, let us show them who they're messing with. Burn it down, destroy them utterly. They threaten the precious ones. The Marketplace stands. They have taken Lorelai—Lorelai is mine. Nikki—mine.

Everything in Bella screamed for vengeance and justice. They must pay for their crimes. The sirens were an unwelcome distraction from the feeling; perhaps it was time for a reminder that she disapproved of them hunting on the shorelines. She respected the sirens' strength enough to leave them alone; when she, Fiore, and Adeline had come for the water blessing, she had managed to leave a lasting impression. They knew enough to fear her power. She would make sure they knew that vampires made for costly prey as soon as she was able.

But before she could deal with the true threats, she had to put down one of Tomas' dogs. She could almost feel sorry for Nix—he was in so far over his head, and he had no idea.

The pressure on Bella's neck disappeared suddenly, and she pulled herself out of the surf. Edward was ripping Nix's broken arm from his body brutally, pulling the shoulder out of joint and twisting the limb like he was pulling apart a chicken wing. There was a spray of gore and Bella's heart skipped a beat before she reminded herself Edward was no threat to her.

Nix screamed, but even the stupidest animal is dangerous when wounded. The water around Edward froze solid and a fiery fist flew towards his chest. Bella shifted to intercept the blow, twisting Nix's wrist until his remaining arm was pinned behind his back. She shoved him face first into the surf, releasing him to flounder in shallow water one-handed.

"Bella? Are you alright?"

Edward shivered when her eyes landed on him, and Bella cocked her head in the sudden stillness as Nix sputtered and drowned between where Edward and she stood. Was she alright? She had no idea. She felt far away, like she was watching a movie about herself. Her violent rage was burning her alive, but she was disconnected from it, completely out of control.

Edward let the surreal moment press itself into his mind. Bella had her head cocked to the side, distinctly bird-like, and her golden eyes were burning through him. There were wisps of magick that flitted around Bella like electric sparks. Her expression was unreadable, and her movements were too smooth and calm, like she was only half-present. The gold in Edward's head remained passive and far away until Nix found his way back to standing.

Nix's eyes were crazed with pain and fury and the knowledge that he was going to die. He threw a desperate attack at Edward, a massive whirlpool of arching fire that would have consumed Edward's body whole if it had hit him, but Edward saw it coming and darted out of the way of the attack. He needn't have bothered.

The gold in his head flared into nuclear heat in an instant, and Bella released her biometric sword. She beheaded Nix in one too-smooth movement, biting her bottom lip absentmindedly as blood sprayed into her face and across her chin. She didn't even look at Nix as he died. Instead, Edward felt the familiar band of heat move up his body as she checked him for harm.

Bella let Nix's body drop, uncaring, and held out the sword into the space between them like she was offering it to him. When Edward crinkled his brow in non-understanding, Bella smiled beautifully; her indulgent expression was wildly out of place in the carnage around them. She ran a delicate fingertip along the sharp edge of the slate blade, gathering Nix's blood onto it as she stepped into his chest.

A gift, lover. From me to you.

She held her fingertips to Edward's lips, and he understood.

His feral rage purred softly from somewhere behind his unbeating heart as he licked Nix's blood from Bella's fingers. When she tried to step away from him, Edward grabbed her hip and pulled her in again, clamping his hand around her wrist and bringing the hilt of the sword to his lips. When Bella's grin grew, encouraging, he licked the slate blade from the cross guard of roses halfway up the blade before he pulled Bella into him and kissed her soundly. Bella's sinful lips on his and the taste of his enemy's blood in his mouth was an intoxicating combination.

It was immensely satisfying.

Edward broke the kiss, turning to attack the siren darting towards Nix's corpse. But when the mermaid saw Bella's golden eyes, it immediately stopped and skittered away from her. Suddenly, the water was clear of the creatures around where he and Bella stood. The sirens attacking the shore cocked their heads like they were listening intently; they stopped their attack in an instant. Each siren started turning and diving back into the water.

The swarm of creatures swam so fast that even Edward's vampire eyes only caught the shimmer of scales for small moments. They grabbed only the most convenient prey, the injured and dead that were abandoned in the water. The sirens raced away from the gulf, and Bella, like the flash of high-speed headlights, but they weren't fast enough.

Bella turned to meet Edward's eyes, and Edward was taken aback by Bella's dangerous grin. She laughed as he took her hand. There were already bruises forming on her face where Nix had battered her. She squeezed his hand before releasing him, something mischievous and almost playful on her face. Bella brushed her wet hair out of alien gold eyes casually, leaving bloody stains where her fingers brushed her skin. "Hey Edward, do you wanna see something impossible?"

Bella didn't wait for him to reply, instead holding up her delicate hands to show him the fire dancing along both palms.

"Watch this."

Bella put her still-burning hands into the water. Edward watched in terrible awe as fire raced outward from her touch, a great ripple of bright flame burning under the surface of the water.

The sirens were already streaks of barely-there shimmer flashing by them as they retreated. As the fire passed over the swarm of creatures, they began to writhe and scream under the water. Steam rose from the bubbles on their skin when they hit the open air. One of the sirens close to Edward surfaced, screaming as it died: the sound was pale and shivering, a haunting noise that pressed into Edward's mind and imprinted this moment in his memory with perfect clarity.

The gulf was boiling under Bella's command.

The water around Edward stayed cool to the touch, but Edward felt a flash of heat just the same. The sirens were gone in one of Bella's heartbeats, leaving behind the corpses they had stolen and even a few still-living victims. Now, some of the dead bodies floating in the water had iridescent scales and colorful tails. They were alluring even in death; their beautiful faces were ruined only by their lifeless eyes and the ripped maw of their mouths, rows and rows of teeth stretching in an insane grin from ear to ear.

In the middle of it all was his Bella, giggling in triumph as she turned the tide with nothing but her will. Before Edward could banish the mental image of himself kissing the deadly mischief right out of Bella's mouth, she met his gaze with her still-consumed one and raised her eyebrow. The gold in his head purred at him; Bella's voice was low and full of wicked seduction.

"Maybe it's me you should pray to, Edward. Shall I take your confession?"

He tugged her into him, ignoring his rising horror and instead pulling her into his crimson lust, intent on showing her his sins in detail. It was all he could do not to rip Jasper's head from his shoulders when his brother spun Bella around and started hauling her towards the shoreline. Alice grabbed Edward and pulled him along with her.

"So, apparently, I haven't been seeing things. How long has that Zia girl and that teenager with the red skirt been following Alice and I?"

"Awhile." Bella's voice was flippant and half-distracted as she struck down a nearby enemy soldier with lightning before he could attack Risa. The young girl grinned and waved at Bella in cheery thanks before she shifted to defend Zia from a three-pronged attack on the shore. The two warriors had backed his family against a rocky shelf sticking out of the sand to make it easier to defend them from the retreating enemy. When Bella strode out of the surf, she dried all of them with a blast of heat and air that made Jasper flinch and reach for Alice.

Carlisle and Esme rushed to them, but Emmett beat them to Bella's side. He didn't stay there very long; when his bear of a brother raised his hand to strike Bella's cheek, Edward vaulted him backwards. Emmett flashed back to where their group stood and Edward was ready for him, but Carlisle and Jasper stood between them.

"No." Carlisle held up one hand. "Bella has not undertaken this action without cause. Of this I am certain."

"Rose almost died!"

Edward growled at Emmett, and his brother sighed. "Dammit, Jasper, you cost me my advantage. Bella, babe, what the fuck are we doing here?"

"Meet Risa and Zia. You don't know them, but they know you." Bella ignored Emmett's attack completely and pointed each warrior out as she introduced them.

"Nhamo, Nikki, Babydoll; Lorelai, Risa and Zia make up the Queen's guard. Most of the time, we just call them my girls. They each represent their bloodline on the battlefields under my banner; they are the best warriors in their line. They are my eyes and ears and sometimes my hands and feet on the battlefields. I sent them to tear down the defensive shields around Haven, and they completed that mission. But apparently, there are some complications I was not aware of."

Bella eyed the two girls in her guard fiercely, and Risa shuffled her feet and cast her eyes downward.

"I will not stand to have the black beetles take hold of Lorelai and Nikki while I still breathe. Zia, Risa; guard the Cullens as though their lives were your own. I will call for Nhamo and Babydoll to join you. Take them back to where you have made camp and keep them there. I will return shortly. Order one is in full effect: do not come after me."

"Isabella, please-" Zia started, but when Bella cast her a scathing look, she shut up. Rosalie had no such foresight.

"If you think you are going to leave us here and go gallivanting off to god-knows-where to play superhero, you're stupider than I ever thought you were."

Nhamo laughed as she approached them through the line of Bella's forces. Their enemy was running away with their tails firmly planted between their legs, scrambling to maintain their defense of the floating city. Nhamo winked at Rosalie as she stepped over the body of a black-clad woman who had been beheaded. "That's my girl."

Bella bristled and turned to Nhamo. "Don't start with me, commander. I'm going after them."

Nhamo raised an eyebrow, her mouth twisting into an indulgent grin. "Of course we are. You did not train us to leave our teammates behind."

Bella's face was deadly. "Who said anything about a 'we'? Nhamo, it is your daughter's birthday next week."

"Indeed. And I hope to see many more of those birthdays come to pass under your rule, your majesty. I am no fool, Isabella, and Nikki told me of your history here. If you enter the Marketplace alone, I have doubts about your ability to return unscathed."

"You doubt my strength?"

Nhamo bowed low, scraping her fingertips along the ground in a graceful arc. When she stood, she placed one hand over her own heart. Her voice was a gentle whisper; her face was tragic.

"I doubt your motives, your majesty. Tell me, Izzy, is today the day the Marketplace falls?"

The Marketplace stands.

The Marketplace stands. The Marketplace stands; the Marketplace stands, the Marketplace stands the Marketplace stands theMarketplacestands...

The strange words looped through Bella's thoughts like twining wire and suffocating rope, coiling and constricting around her golden presence in his mind, black chains that pulled her away from him.

Nhamo fell to her knees, clutching her throat and unable to breathe.

Carlisle flashed to Nhamo's side immediately, supporting her as she tried and failed to inhale. Esme and Alice both shot Edward a pleading look, but Edward was experiencing the strangest disconnection from what was going on around him. Bella's memories were breaking through her mind's defenses, rising to flood her surface thoughts and, consequently, his mind too.

Scenes played in Edward's head, horrific images: Chen's dark smile, Erik's smug face approaching Bella with a chain and collar. A beautiful blonde girl's unconscious face and a fission of horror and fear. Demetri standing over Bella, who was kneeling on a dirty floor. A flash of Bella's dead and blank face, her eyes neon-blue; the sensation of faraway shock as Marcos swaggered into the room. Frenzied motion and Marcos jerking her to safety, her small hand in his strong grip. A raised platform in front of a bloodthirsty crowd, an open cage in the center. Rage, blinding and hot, stealing her vision as the thought echoed: Let it end. A sports car speeding down a dirt road with Kaedra whooping in the backseat; the sudden rush of panic—we're going to crash!

Through it all, Edward watched Nhamo struggle to breathe around Bella's magicks, feeling heat and shame and horror rise in himself as though from too far away. The heat Edward felt at Bella's predatory power was overtaken by a deep sadness as the images flashed by him.

Oh, my Bella. So much pain you carry. Let me help.

Edward sent a determined shard of crimson at Bella's furious golden aura, pulling it away from the massive knot of black memory it tangled with. He wrapped her mind in his crimson control and forced her to hear him.

Bella! Stop. Nhamo is not your enemy.

He looped his thoughts around where Bella's gold vibrated at fever pitch; it was painful, cutting into him, but Bella relented some and Nhamo began to breathe, struggling for each breath. From behind Bella, Alice pointed out a figure sneaking closer to their group through the vicious battleground; Edward knew he had to keep Bella distracted enough that she wouldn't notice it.

Edward almost had a good grip on Bella's rage and she was starting to help him hold it, her own self-control fading back into focus, when Jasper snapped and reached for Bella. His brother was only seeking to distract her from her attack on Nhamo, but it was enough for Bella to react.

Bella's anger spiked harshly, but her control snapped back with force; it let Edward increase his hold while she was fighting with herself. Bella closed her hand around Jasper's throat and twisted him into her body, releasing her sword and using Jasper's momentum against him. Edward's brother stumbled to his knees at her feet and pulled at Bella's pinning arm. Alice cried out in fear and shock. At the last possible moment, Bella relented, and her blade pressed only lightly into the back of Jasper's neck. He stilled, kneeling and head bowed, in the dirt at Bella's feet.

Bella growled at Jasper. "Major Whitlock, do you seek to Challenge me? I told you this morning that you would not like the results, and I do not like to repeat myself."

Edward should have been horrified, but he could feel Bella's caution and his own discipline was helping her keep the pressure on Jasper's neck steady and soft. He felt an unexpectedly fond exasperation flow from him to her through their connection, and it was enough to distract Bella from noticing that Marcos was sneaking up from behind.

Bella froze when she processed the dagger against her throat, carefully placed so that it braced against the tendons and not the veins. Marcos' hand was steady, and his voice was firm.

"Now Izzy, play nice. I had to call in a favor with a portal guard to get me and Nhamo here, and I was already settled in for the night and three drinks down when Kay burst into my suite. Please don't make me fight you when you're like this; I like my bones unbroken. Come on, let him go. You're gonna hate yourself in the morning."

Bella was coiled like a spring, a tornado of anger and frustration and fury; it was a whirling black smoke that was tightly held by a blend of Edward's discipline and Bella's self-control. Bella's eyes flashed black briefly and her chin tilted up defiantly.

"You won't kill me, Marcos Ipswitch."

"No, I won't; much to your continuous dismay. But I'm just strong enough to be annoying, and I can hurt you pretty bad if you need me to. You're going to the Marketplace alone over my dead body, Izzy. I will gladly die before I see your face that way again. Besides, me and Kay worked too hard to get you out of there the first time, and Nikki is my friend too. You wanna finish what you started? Hell yeah, I'm down for that. But think about it first. Barging in there without a plan will only get you killed or worse. Edward will follow you; you know he will."

Edward wrapped his crimson around Bella's mind just a little bit tighter.

Yes, I will.

Bella threw her head back and swore loudly, both hands in the air and stepping away from where Jasper kneeled in the dirt. Her sword retracted as she shot Edward a dirty look; Edward wasn't sorry and tried to hold the smug pleasure of his victory away from her. He was pretty sure he failed, but Bella's reaction was unexpected.

Affection, annoyance, and light-hearted amusement flowed back to him in a golden stream of light. She came back down to a pitch he recognized, once again capable of feeling something other than fury and bloodlust. Bella wasn't anywhere near calm, but she wasn't a glowing knot of rage and panic either. The pain in Edward's head left behind the impression of pleasure as it released him.

"Fine.I like it better when you two hate each other."

"Me too." Marcos and Edward said together. Marcos shot Edward a long-suffering look and removed the knife from Bella's throat.

"So, I'm thinking I can probably grasp the intricacies of your plan here, Izz."

Bella shrugged. "You know as well as I do that there is only one way to the Marketplace at this point."

"Brute force. You're talking about crossing over enemy lines. Even if we get in, there is no way we are getting back out."

"Leave that to me. My people are suffering, and I will not live with the Marketplace on my conscience for another day. Don't worry about getting out. Worry about getting in. Dammit; I left my map at Castle HQ."

Marcos sighed and pulled a gem from his vest pocket. "You're lucky I'm such a boy scout, Izzy." Marcos passed the gem to Risa with a glow of his green magicks to open it.

"You were not a boy scout. Oh god, you weren't, were you? I can just imagine you in that god-awful neckerchief."

"Are you kidding? No, if I'd been sent into the woods with a pack of boys at that age it would've turned into Lord of the Flies pretty quickly. I probably would've burned the forest down."

"Hey! There's a pretty good plan."

"What?"

Bella turned to Zia. "Hey Z, where's Babydoll? I have need of her."

"Kevi has come to see her; I have sent for them to join us."

"Even better. Tell Kevi to bring his leash, please."

Zia flinched. Risa stopped scrolling through the battle maps, whirling to face Bella. Marcos' jaw dropped. Nhamo was the only one who stayed calm, merely raising an eyebrow at her companion's violent reactions. "Babydoll's skills pose a significant risk to your vampires."

"Which is why each of you are glued to your charges from this point onwards. Nhamo, you will take over for Emmett; Babydoll will be too busy to watch him. Risa, take care of Esme; Lorelai can thank you later. Zia, I am not kidding when I say Nikki will kill you if anything happens to Carlisle."

Zia cocked her head. "Isabella, it is not like you to put the Cullens in harm's way."

"Yeah, well. My family seems to think this is a fairytale. They have demanded the truth, so I will show them the truth of the matter." Bella glared at Jasper fiercely. "Then we will see if they wish to know it."

Carlisle tensed dangerously. "You brought us here to make your point."

"Yes, I did. I did not intend to make it quite this directly, but the point stands. You want to see evil, Carlisle? Fine. I will show you what evil is, and then you can tell me again how I'm a demon."

"If you think that putting my family in danger increases my trust in you somehow, I must inform you that you are sorely mistaken."

"I thought I was part of your family. Have a little faith, father. I won't let you get hurt."

Rosalie broke in, holding Emmett's hand to her chest. "You know what? I believe you. That siren, the one who grabbed me? Emmett, baby, I swear to God its hand was smoking where it grabbed hold of me."

Risa snorted. "Please. Like Isabella would let one of you get killed by a siren. You guys know her better than that!"

"Thank you!" Alice gave Risa a high-five. "That's what I've been saying."

Marcos cleared his throat. "Uh...guys? Can you argue later? 'Cause Babydoll and Kevi are here."

Edward took Bella's hand with a sigh as they all turned their attention to the newcomers. "You know, Bella, you and I are going to have a talk about your adrenaline-seeking tendencies later."

"You did say family discussions were honest."

"This isn't quite what I meant."

Babydoll was an ethereal beauty, dangerous in a way that was entirely Fae. She had bright white streaks in her dark hair, pleated in two braids that went past her hips. Plump pink lips and big eyes were made sultry with gothic makeup and dress. She wore a black leather crop top that showed more than it covered, a shiny black leather skirt, and thigh high fishnets that ended in obscenely high stiletto heels; they made up for her tiny stature. There was a thick steel chain around Babydoll's neck; it was affixed there with a collar bearing a padlock the size of Edward's palm. She kept her eyes cast downward as she walked behind Kevi Spellman sedately, her hands folded neatly together in front of her.

The man holding the other end of the chain had a key swinging from his neck. Kevi was an intimidating man, wiry and tall. He projected an energy that screamed control and domination, and blue eyes cut through Edward like a diamond blade. His narrow face, well-groomed dark hair and prominent brows made him attractive, but his charisma and easy manner made him darkly powerful. He raised one eyebrow as he took Edward and his family in before turning his attention to Bella.

"Your majesty." The man spoke first, bending at the waist in an elegant bow. The woman behind him knelt smoothly, touching her forehead to the dirt before she rose to her feet once more.

"Hello, Kevi. It is fortunate that you are here today. Babydoll will benefit from your presence."

"It is my hope that this is always so. And yet, I see that some are not so trusting of the hand that holds Babydoll's leash." Kevi shifted his cutting gaze to Carlisle, who was taught as a bowstring; Edward's father was shaking with the effort to maintain his silence. With Kevi's attention on him, Carlisle could contain himself no longer. He turned to Bella, and his voice held an intensity that made Edward growl.

"What is this?"

"They are called life-debts. Babydoll is one of my best warriors, and Kevi is her master. He helps Babydoll burn on the battlefields."

"I know slavery when I see it."

"You know nothing, and you understand even less. Life-debts are a thing of beauty, and right now I'm calling on yours. If you have ever wanted me to be your daughter, Carlisle, then do this for me: listen. Just listen. Then we can fight about it until the end comes for all I care. But listen, first."

"Perhaps a demonstration would be beneficial." Kevi broke in.

Carlisle regarded Bella with a strange expression – a sudden sort of empathy crossed his face when she begged him to listen to her. He nodded stiffly, turning to face Kevi and Babydoll. Kevi had casually tucked two fingers under Babydoll's collar; when Carlisle looked at him, Kevi grinned indulgently. He pointedly looked behind Carlisle for Bella's permission; it was all Bella could do not to roll her eyes as she nodded.

Kevi pulled the leash around Babydoll's neck until it was taught against her windpipe, and when he exhaled with force, the metal grew frosted with cold. Edward's crimson flared in remembrance, and he leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear.

"Bella, little witch, you're doing that pushing thing again."

She hummed at him distractedly, her voice soft and amused. "Am I? I hadn't noticed."

Kevi's command was firm and affectionate. "Rizae, Babydoll. Make me something beautiful."

Babydoll closed her eyes and inhaled. When she let out a controlled stream of air, fire followed her breath. An image of a tiger danced around them, outlined in blue flame. It stalked in a circle around their group, leaving wisps of fire behind it as it guarded the Cullens. Edward stayed calm next to Bella, but Jasper hissed, already backing Alice away from the tiger. Esme grabbed for her husband; Emmett and Rosalie immediately joined hands and fixed their eyes on Babydoll, who grinned gently at them as she started to speak.

"I am Babydoll, because that is the name my Kevi has granted me. I have no name, for I was born into the Marketplace; my life was traded into slavery by my mother before I was even born. I was sold from the cage for a paltry price. The master who bought my life-debt was an evilman. He called himself a dark mage, but he was nothing but a villain, made so by his own choices. I ran from him over and over again, and I was known among his men as one who could not be held. It was he who cursed me, though I was but a child."

Babydoll focused her orange eyes on the prowling tiger, and the blue flames burned hotter, glowing brighter and brighter until they turned white. The heat built rapidly until Edward winced.

Bella shot Kevi a look, and he called out calmly, "Shakah-nae, Babydoll."

There was a blinding flash, and the tiger disappeared with a roar. Bella took in her family's frightened flinches, feeling each one like a stab in the back.

Didn't they know by now that she would never let them get hurt?

Edward took her hand in comfort as Babydoll spoke again.

"I am cursed to burn for all my life, supernova hot. It was to be my death, or the end of Havana. I was prepared to die, but Isabella was wise, even in her youth. She and her lovers cast for me chains of ice and iron. They bid me to be my own master, assigning a guard to monitor me. It took all of me, but I found control. Control is my constant companion, and for three long years it was so. When I finally found the master worthy of holding my leash, he had been right beside me all the time. Kevi was the guard Isabella assigned to watch over me while I fought for my own control. He helped me to find it, and now the only way I can ever release it is to him. I can never lose control with anyone but Kevi. He holds my life in his hands."

Kevi took over. "Rizae, Babydoll. Well done. Babydoll wishes to fight for Isabella in the Queen's Guard, and so it is done. I live for my Babydoll, she is my only love and mine above all else. I give her my highest loyalty, even above my loyalty to the throne. Isabella is kind enough to understand this, and to understand that Babydoll's highest loyalty is to me. What use have you for my Babydoll, Isabella?"

"The Marketplace has made a mockery of life-debts for far too long; the sacred bond which the Fae hold precious has been twisted into nothing but the peddling of flesh and freedom. The time has finally come for the Marketplace to fall. The beetles have taken Lorelai and Nikki, and every second we tarry their lives fade from this world. The plan is simple."

Bella smiled, feral and violent, and squeezed Edward's hand tightly. The golden shard in his mind began to head towards fever-pitch, burning hot and passionate and angry in his mind.

"Burn it down."


Burn It All Down


Carlisle had never considered himself a coward, but as their group approached the majestic bridge of intricately carved ice that connected the floating city to the surrounding land, he knew that he was afraid.

He wasn't afraid of the consequences of Bella's insane plan to cross enemy lines and retrieve her captured comrades; he wasn't afraid of the fierce warriors assigned to protect him and his family, and he wasn't afraid of Babydoll's incendiary power. Carlisle's fear was much more visceral.

Carlisle was afraid that his last words to his Fae daughter and his first son would be those he had spoken in anger.

Bella had split their forces into two groups: Edward, Bella, Kevi, and Babydoll would go ahead of them, distracting their enemy with destruction and raw force, while the Cullens and the Queen's guard followed behind them unnoticed. If all went as planned, the two groups would converge on the Marketplace at the same time, and Carlisle and his family would use Bella and Babydoll's distraction tactics to conceal their rescue efforts. Once Lorelai and Nikki were recovered, all of them would retreat to the singular point of exit: the spiraling arches of the bridge, where Marcos and the main force of Bella's soldiers would be waiting.

Esme gasped as they took the first step onto the slick bridge, her eyes wide at the sight of the double helix of spiraling arches spinning lazily around them, cutting through the strong moonlight and creating a cooling breeze. Carlisle took her hand and wished he had been wise enough to listen to her passionate plea before things got to this point.

In front of him, Bella conferred quietly with Kevi, Babydoll, and Risa; they muttered and scrolled through the echoes of the battle maps even as they walked. While Bella was distracted, Marcos slowed his steps until he was even with Edward; they were close enough to Carlisle for him to hear their whispered exchange.

"Hey Edward, since I'm gonna be holding the exit and all, you're gonna be on your own out there. Do me a favor, yeah?"

"What do you want, Marcos? I thought I'd done you enough favors for today."

"Yeah, well, what's one more then? Listen; you know as well as I do that when things get real in there, Izzy is gonna do all she can to keep you and everyone else alive and kicking. Thing is, I know something you don't. I wish to God I didn't know it, but I do."

Edward growled at the commander. "I am getting really sick of you claiming to know Bella better than me."

"I don't know Bella better than you, but I know Izzy better than I know myself. It comes with living in each other's back pockets for nigh on a year. I'm not trying to gloat; I'm trying to warn you. Demetri's shadow is cast long over the Marketplace, and Izzy is more fragile than she's playing at being. There is a place, in there...a cage. The beetles made it especially for Bella; I will never see her behind the bars of that cage again. Do you understand me, Edward? Save Lorelai and Nikki if you can, get in and out of there in one piece if you can, but know this: if you and yours come back without Isabella, I will kill you before you have the chance to give me an excuse. I don't care what sort of weird philosophical crisis of faith your family is having about you drinking her blood. There are some horrors that cannot be borne twice; there are some tragedies that I will not live to see. Erik and his boys are gonna come after her hard, and I'm trusting you to keep her safe. Don't fail."

"I won't. If by some godforsaken circumstance I return without Bella, I will welcome death with open arms. No one will hurt her again. Not ever."

"That's one hell of a promise to make, Edward Cullen. I just pray you can keep it."

His son shot a look over Marcos' shoulder, meeting Carlisle's eyes. "I'm not in the habit of breaking my promises, Marcos, and I won't break this one."

Carlisle's feet stopped in his shock, jerking Esme to a stop next to him.

...a crisis of faith...

Bella's words came back to him—

...A crinkle-eyed smile and unguarded affection on her face, followed by a sudden flash of sadness: ...Just ignore her. My old friend lost her faith a while ago.

A leisurely walk to the ruins of a white church: ...Well, not that this place is abandoned.

The ghostly form of a parishioner smiled at him from his memories: ...They are your family, after all, and perhaps many more things still to come. Do not forget the rose, Cullen-line.

...I forgive you Carlisle, and I know Adam does too.

.Family is a promise you share, and I can't ask you guys to love me like that...Family means you will never let go.

...Good to know your promises are so fragile, I'll be sure to remember that.

God forgive him. Carlisle had promised Bella a place in his family, a love that would never let her go, and at the first sign of trouble he had all but thrown her away.

"Don't." Esme's voice was firm and commanding, and she pulled him into walking again, rushing to keep up with their group as they approached the front lines. "Don't do it, Carlisle, darling. This is not the end, and you will have time to apologize. Right now, our daughter needs us to help her save her friends. I'm worried for them too, dear one, but it means something that she has asked for our help in this."

"I should have listened to you. I'm a fool. Can you forgive me, Esme?"

She smiled beautifully at him. "There's the man I married; I missed him. I love you beyond all reason, Carlisle. I cannot hate you, and I forgave you before you ever broke your promise to our daughter."

Zia had stopped to wait for them to catch up, and she heard Esme's answer. A small smile crossed the fierce warrior's usually emotionless face. "Ah, I see the healer has found himself once more. Do not fear, Carlisle Cullen. Isabella will forgive you. She probably already has. You have nothing to fear; I, of all people, know the depths of our Queen's grace. Do not be afraid."

Carlisle considered the woman carefully. "How do you know?"

"My sins against her are far more harmful than any you could even think of, and she has forgiven me all of them. You are a man of great heart, Carlisle; Nikki has made that much very clear. I have no heart; I traded it for the kiss of the Glow in my veins long ago. And yet, Isabella has given me her trust, and in so doing she has given me the warmth of a home. Her majesty is a rare sort of person indeed; she will forgive you, Carlisle Cullen, not because of who you are, but because of who she is. Clear your mind of these things, healer. You will be needed before the night is through."

Zia had turned to look at Bella's back, frowning at her silhouette. Alarms sounded in Carlisle's mind.

"You are quite certain of that. Why?"

"It is not my place to question Isabella's judgement, and I cannot fault her for the protection she extends to you and yours. The Queen's Guard has been watching your family, Carlisle Cullen, and we have not found fault with you. You will live through this fight and all the rest of them. Isabella wills it, and so it is so."

Jasper narrowed his eyes at Zia as they drew even with where he and Alice walked next to Nhamo. "Do all of you trust her this much?"

"Yes. I am the fiercest warrior of the Ipswitch line, and I am sworn into the Queen's guard. And yet, it is you that I shall protect in the battle we face, Jasper Whitlock-Cullen. What does that tell you?"

Carlisle watched as doubt crossed Jasper's face, and his heart ached for his most troubled son. Before he could speak comfort, the end of the long bridge came into view; Carlisle could think of no comforting words to mitigate the sight of the brutality waiting for them. Jasper's face went hard immediately, and Alice gasped in horror. Beside him, Esme let loose a single sob of despair.

What hit Carlisle first, as he stepped off the bridge, was the contrast between the beauty of the city and the horrors of war. Great gilded buildings manifested in beautiful splendor that was masked by bodies piled like so much garbage on the curb. Warriors' corpses had been left where they were slain, covered in dirt and ashes and bits of bone and gore. Carlisle watched as though in slow-motion as a woman in black tripped over the arm of a disemboweled body, costing her the advantage. Her opponent stabbed her in the chest and left her behind, already racing to interfere in another battle.

Hastily erected gallows were crowded with bodies: some charred, some rotting. Half-collapsed doorways led to rows and rows of cages, some of which still contained the abandoned bodies of their prisoners, emaciated and naked. Carlisle saw Emmett retch at the smell that hung heavy in the air as Nhamo looked on with heavy pity and empathy; Rose had closed her eyes and clung to Emmett even as he heaved.

All around them, the battle raged, fierce and never-ceasing.

Bella closed the battle maps with a snap of her fingers and turned to take in his family. There was empathy and pain on her face as she took them in, and her voice was impossibly gentle.

"Don't...Don't die, okay? None of you are allowed to die while we're mad at each other. Or, you know, ever, but especially not right now. I'm... I'm sorry."

Jasper raised his head and met Bella's eyes. "Your soldiers are in there?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go get them."

The relief on Bella's face was painfully intense. "Okay. You might want to cover your eyes for this bit. Get behind me."

Bella kissed the tips of her own fingertips with a golden glow. Kevi kissed the tips of Babydoll's fingers; Bella touched her hand to Babydoll's. A simple touch, gentle and fleeting, but the effect was immediate:

The earth rumbled beneath them, great cracks spreading outward and exposing the magma below. At the same time, an ash cloud rose from the splitting earth, encompassing the floating city whole. The ash and dust flew at great speed towards the enemy forces like a sandstorm at its full raging power.

The magnificent buildings around him exploded into flame and heat like a missile had struck, sending a shockwave through the battlefield. Marcos let loose a fierce battle-cry, and Camp's soldiers attacked in force.

Bella threw out her hand, and the enemies between them and their goal were swept into a tornado of ash and smoke, thrown from high in the air and flung from their path. The tornado swept up the cloud of ash and dust over the battlefield into a dark and menacing cloud that took the shape of a massive dragon, outlined in flames of blue heat. The creature of magick beat its insubstantial wings and twisted, flames shooting from its mouth as it descended on the city. Screaming filled the air as the city began to burn.

Bella levitated inches off the ground, and Carlisle gritted his teeth and began to run, following his daughter into hell on earth.


Play with Fire


Edward should have felt a lot of things in response to the destruction that Bella and Babydoll threw into the brutal battleground around them: horror, fear, maybe even rage. He should have felt a lot of things, and none of them were the heated fascination that encompassed him. He felt almost drugged with it, preoccupied by every movement and every emotion from Bella as fire flew from her fingertips. Watching Bella tear through the battalion of enemy soldiers was great and terrible beauty. God, Bella was beautiful: wild and fierce, predatory and powerful.

Bella's golden aura shined with constant nuclear heat; it was a burning glory of rage at the carnage surrounding them that blended with his own vengeful instincts. No one could get near her, and the air shimmered with her every step like heatwaves. And yet...Edward blinked: he was only mildly warm, no more than he might be on a summer day. He was preoccupied with the feeling and didn't notice that an enemy had managed to get near him, raising their hand to attack.

Bella was in front of him in a heartbeat, consumed-gold eyes meeting his own as she raised her hand behind him, impaling the soldier on an ice shard even as she consumed him in flames. Edward's heated lust spiked as she shot him a wicked grin, and he ignored the cut-off screams from behind him in favor of pulling at Bella's golden aura like he was taking a long pull of blood, drinking in her predatory heat and the power pouring from her into his mind. Her smile turned sultry and seductive, and Edward returned her smirk with a grin of his own, all teeth. He swayed in to kiss her, but their enemy became an unwelcome distraction.

He flashed to defend Kevi's back from a three-pronged attack, killing two enemies bloodlessly but pulling at the third man's spine until it tore free of his body. Kevi nodded at him seriously and pulled on the chain in his hand, directing Babydoll's attention away from him. When he turned back to Bella, her face had gone hungry with want. She took the lead again, her Fae sprint driving her into a group of men who were struggling to contain a bound woman. Bella killed the woman's captors and stole a dagger from a nearby body, throwing it to the woman before moving on to snatch a slave-child from a bear of a man.

Edward pulled the child from Bella's grasp before he could become a liability and threw him to the now-freed woman; then he turned and broke one of the man's hands. How dare he try to hurt Bella? His filthy hands would never touch her.

The earth shook beneath him. Bella pulled on his shoulder hard, wrenching him backwards, and the huge man was suddenly gone; a crack had opened in front of Edward that had swallowed his enemy whole.

Edward turned with a flash of alarm and adrenaline to intercept the woman coming for Bella's back, but before he reached her, Kevi froze her solid. Her last breath was coated in cold; she simply dropped dead in her tracks, her fingertips blue and her skin frosted with ice crystals.

Edward saw Kevi's face; the man wore an expression of want and fascination all his own; Kevi's eyes were fixed on the writhing outline of the blue-flame dragon as it dived to clear their path with a spout of fire, a missile strike. Edward ducked as the building collapsed next to him, rushing to pull Bella away.

Kevi smirked at Bella, challenge in his eyes; Bella raised an eyebrow in response. Bella was in front of Edward, bracing herself against his shoulders as she drew his mouth to her neck. Edward couldn't help himself and kissed Bella's pulse briefly, chastely. Edward relished the thought that he was the only one who she submitted to, ignoring the rising horror at the back of his mind. He focused instead on the ribbon of gold from Bella's mind, pouring into him; it increased like a river overflowing its banks. He could hear echoes of Bella's thoughts, her sense of the battle around them, the aggressive rush of adrenaline, the heat of him. Her own bloodlust and lust added to his and he clutched at her, a fire raging to life. He smirked at Babydoll and Kevi dangerously.

Then, Edward saw it- directly ahead of them was a wide alley full of panicked and divided people in elegant gothic dress and soldier-black, some already turning to engage them. Just behind the crowded mass of bloodthirsty enemies was an elevated stage, and in the center was an open cage stained with rust and old blood—Bella's blood. Edward's fury peaked; he started to growl, low and constant in his chest.

In front of the stage were two women in fierce costume who must have been Lorelai and Nikki. Edward recognized the blonde girl's features from the private glitch; the Asian woman next to her had bruises and blood streaming down her face. They had been forced to their knees and were heavily guarded. Standing next to the bloodstained cage was a man whose energy screamed violence and adrenaline-fueled rage.

Erik.

Erik's mouth twisted into a cruel smile; he hopped down from the stage eagerly, cracking his neck. Bella's golden rage spiked and turned briefly black, her eyes flashing when they rested on Tomas' new right-hand man. The doors exploded off every cell in the Marketplace, chains falling from the people brought there to be sold. At the same time, a building next to them exploded into rubble. The fiery form of the dragon landed on the stage, roaring loudly; the fire and smoke it was made of began to break through the outline of blue flame, whirling into a tornado of heat once more. All around the Marketplace, a fierce battle cry rose from the gaunt and haunted prisoners, bloodlust overtaking despair on their faces.

Edward ripped a red-hot piece of jagged rebar from the hands of the man running to attack him, throwing him into a nearby pyre; he cursed at the flash of pain in his hands. Bella shifted to stand in front of him; the force of men turning to attack their flank were lifted into the air, struggling to breathe and thrown backward a heartbeat later.

Bella grabbed his hands, examining the small burns before she lifted them to her mouth and exhaled, a cloud of ice crystals that kissed his skin until the wound was healed. This time, Edward knew his smile was gentle; he wrapped loving crimson around beloved gold and relished the pleasure of her breath on the burn. When he pulled her in for a kiss, it turned heated and wet quickly.

When Edward opened his eyes, he saw Jasper and Zia leading their reconnaissance group along the edges of the wide courtyard. Carlisle averted his eyes as he took in Edward and Bella's heated embrace, but in that moment, Edward couldn't have cared less.

He released Bella and turned so that he was back-to-back with Kevi; Babydoll snapped at an enemy who had gotten too close to Bella, straining at the end of her leash. Kevi held her firmly; Edward tightened his crimson hold on Bella's rage. The four of them stood in a defensive circle, covering each other seamlessly as they picked off the enemies coming for them, clearing the way to the stage.

When Erik shifted to meet them, he brought five men with him; their expressions were wicked as they tightened the noose, swinging heavy iron chains from their hands. Bella met Erik's eyes and her heated rage turned ice cold and cutting. The black beetles around him laughed; Edward merely scowled in response, empty of everything save righteous rage and tight anticipation in his chest. He hoped Bella would at least leave him one or two.

A golden presence in his mind laughed indulgently; it was alien and wanting, tinged with the same dark lustthat sang through Edward's bones.

Don't drink from them, Edward; I'll get jealous. Come on, baby; let's have some fun.


HOT DEMON B!TCHES NEAR U!


Bella wasn't quite sure that this was real as she took in the Marketplace burning around her. Maybe she was dreaming; maybe this was a nightmare—one of the ones that left her bolt upright in the bed, panting for air while Edward grew frightened and still beside her. Or maybe it was one of the worst of her visions, the ones where the Master was nowhere to be found and she was the villain who destroyed the Fae.

Either way, Bella couldn't help but glory in the destruction surrounding her. The Marketplace was beyond evil, beyond cruel; everything in her had burned to destroy this hell since she had first seen this place. Erik had brought her here the first time, and Demetri had lain in wait; her time in the cage was not something she wanted to remember. She kept the memories hidden behind her strongest shields, but even now they were buckling under the strain of holding them away from her.

It only got worse as Erik circled her with the black beetles. The chains in their hands were dripping in suppressive spells that were strong enough to give even her a challenge; they would no doubt kill another Fae.

Behind where the beetles and Erik circled, Bella could see her family creeping towards Nikki and Lorelai; both warriors in her guard were struggling against their captors, trying to reach her. Nhamo crept up behind the guards from the abandoned stage behind them, heedless of the smoky form of the dragon. Jasper and Emmett stood ready below her, seconds away from making their move.

I can help with that.

Bella grinned and sent Edward a warning in her head. Be careful, love. It's about to get very hot in here.

Edward responded with a doubtful chagrin. How much hotter can it get?

Bella raised an eyebrow. Was that a challenge, dear?

Oh, yes. It was time to leave her mark on the Marketplace. She focused, and the dragon of flame and ash lost its form, swirling into an ever-expanding cloud of fire and lightning. Thunder rolled through the courtyard again. Bella began to force all the heat of the dragon bit by bit into the enchanted iron bars of the cage on the stage. They burned red-hot as they absorbed the destructive energy, the suppression spells on the bars fading and warping.

Bella raised her right hand, extending her biometric sword, and the clouds above them swirled and darkened. There was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, and then fire rained down in great streaks all around them. Not a drop of it ever even came near Edward, but the enemies in their path scattered under the power of Bella's merciless assault.

It was enough of a distraction that the guards didn't stand a chance.

Bella's attention was ripped from the conflict near the stage when one of the beetles laughed and jostled his friend, motioning to Babydoll at the end of her leash; Kevi lost it. He rushed the beetle, freezing him solid; Babydoll took advantage of the slack in her leash, trying to burn the man closest to Edward. Edward flinched, and Bella turned to cover his back at exactly the wrong moment. The beetle closest to Edward struck out with the chain in his hands, and she stumbled as it closed around her wrist.

Dammit.

The dark pride on the beetle's face and the drunken effects of the suppressive spells was enough to make Bella sway, but she still managed to strike at Erik when he went after Edward. Her lover had given in to his instincts completely, rushing the man holding the chain that wrapped her left wrist. Edward wrenched at the man's elbow, but before he could complete the strike two soldiers came to the man's defense; they struck out with great lashes of flame that Edward barely dodged.

She stepped towards him, but a beetle was suddenly in her face, striking out with an ice shard and screaming; utter insanity colored his features. He forced Bella back towards that hated cage, and she felt a chain close around her right ankle.

Her furious reaction was enough to kill the insane beetle. Erik grabbed the chain around her wrist before she could; Bella screamed in frustration as the chains pulled, stretching the muscles in her arms and shoulders painfully and making her lose her balance.

Panic flew across Edward's face, and he abandoned his violent defense of Babydoll, who was going after the beetle in control of Bella's ankle. Bella's thoughts were clouded and foggy from the chains, but she rushed Erik anyway, only to be jerked backwards when a chain clamped around her remaining ankle before Edward could reach the beetle who threw it at her. Enemy soldiers rushed into the space between her and the others, fighting fiercely to push Edward away from her.

Another scream left her lips as she was jerked backwards, too close to the red-hot cage behind her.

The conflict near the stage was peaking in intensity; one of the guards was striking out at Jasper, too close. The guard landed a wicked punch, hitting Jasper mid-thigh with enough force that her brother spun before he kissed the dirt. She could see the shard of diamond forming slowly in the guard's hand as he stalked to where Jasper was getting to his feet.

There would only be one chance.

The guard raised the diamond blade in his hand, and Bella saw Jasper's eyes meet Alice's from across the battlefield. The angle is wrong. I need a clear shot, just one clear shot…This is gonna cost me.

Bella leapt to the side as the blade came down, finally finding the opportunity she needed and jerking hard on the chains that held her back. She threw out her hand and the guard froze where he stood, dead before he hit the ground. The blade in his hands exploded into a thousand shards before it got within a foot of his neck. Jasper's startled eyes flew to her and widened in alarm.

Worth it.

She tried to smile encouragingly, but it turned into a scream of pain as the chain closed around her remaining wrist.

Fuck. I'm boned.

Erik's form got larger as he drew closer, a smug smile on his face. He flicked his opposite wrist and yanked on the chain around her right arm simultaneously: the collar fastened closed around her neck, glowing with Erik's aura magicks. The pain was unbearable. The powerful destructive magicks she had been throwing at the cage ceased immediately; the force of her cast was thrown against her, energy trapped with no way out that turned on itself. She didn't know if she had enough breath in her lungs to scream, but she couldn't stop herself from trying; a high-pitched whimper was all that escaped her, and Erik started to drag her towards the cage.

Nikki and Lorelai would go free. The Guard would surely drag the Cullens out of here, and the Marketplace would fall. It was so worth it. Bella closed her eyes as Edward cried out nearby; he, Kevi and Babydoll were fighting viciously to get to her, but they wouldn't make it in time.

Erik grabbed hold of her hair, sneering as he threw her into the cage; the iron bars slammed closed.


Goddess


Nikki was the closest to the cage as it slammed shut around Isabella, and somehow that made it so much worse.

No. Please, God, no.

Nikki wasn't the sort of girl who prayed very often, but there were some nightmares she could not bear again, some demons better left to starve in the darkness of things unknown. Their enemy was approaching quickly; even now, Nikki could not spare attention to the horror racing through her veins. She was too busy trying to stay alive for one more second, one more heartbeat. It wouldn't be long before they were overwhelmed.

What had Izzy been thinking?

Nikki knew exactly what Bella had been thinking...she had been thinking about Nikki and Lorelai in the hands of the Marketplace; she had been thinking of all the wonderful things the Fae could be, and all the horrible things they could become. Of course, Izzy would come back to the Marketplace...of course, she would put everything she had built on the line to save two soldiers who were destined to die; of course, she would succeed at the impossible and get her soldiers out alive.

Now, what will it cost her?

As the doors of the cage slammed closed, a shockwave knocked everyone to the ground. Erik stood with one hand gripping the bars; as all of them were swept off their feet, he laughed cruelly.

"Well, Isabella, looks like you lose again. I knew the second I found your little spy that I had you right where I wanted you. God, I missed the sight of you behind iron bars."

Bella screamed and struck out at Erik, kicking at the cage door; she was crying tears of fear and pain. She fell to her knees and began to scratch at the brand on her back, screaming constantly now as her tears turned black. Erik dodged her wild strike and jerked on the collar around Bella's neck.

"Tut-tut-tut. Don't worry; I will take great pleasure in training the defiance out of you. Perhaps Master will let me have another go before he turns you into his meatsuit."

He laughed indulgently, smug in his victory. "When will you learn, Izzy? Even the damage you've caused today won't be enough. Nothing can keep the Marketplace down; nothing can defeat it. The machine started the first time a life-debt was sworn, and nothing escapes it. Nothing, not even you. The Marketplace Stands."

Nikki got to her feet, a familiar helplessness in her bones. There was nothing she could do about the cage. There was nothing she could do about the Marketplace. There was nothing she could do to win this battle, nothing she could do to spare her friend and queen from the fate waiting for her.

But she could kill Erik Salem.

She sprinted towards him; Nhamo threw a dagger to her with her eyes narrowed in hatred. NIkki was almost on him when Bella struck out like a cobra, grabbing hold of Erik's arm and pulling him into the heated bars of the cage. Nikki was close enough to hear Bella's deadly whisper, and it struck fear into her heart.

"Know this, Erik Salem... The Marketplace Falls."

A great crack tore through the air, and the earth beneath Nikki shook and shuddered. The screaming around them got louder; their enemies began to run.

Bella head-butted Erik and tore the chain from his grip.

"Even if I fall with it."

Nikki struck out with the dagger, and Erik dodged too slowly. She missed his heart, but she caught a lung and tore the knife free. She let him fall when she saw Edward and Carlisle rushing to the cage, intercepting them before they could touch the metal. She shouted in alarm, and her sisters in the Guard rushed to contain their charges.

"No! Don't touch it, the cage is enchanted. The suppressive spells on it are enough to kill anyone, even a vampire. They have to be to keep Bella contained. Stop!"

The distraction her interference had caused was enough to make her fail in even her attack on her enemy; Erik snarled as he shifted away. Nikki felt the ground start to tilt under her feet; she looked behind her and saw great columns of steam rising as the burning Marketplace impacted with the siren-infested waters of the gulf. All around her, people panicked, racing for the bridge of ice.

Their group was held captive in an unnatural pocket of calm as Bella's lover and family approached where she was held, helpless in the cage. Edward spoke to her, drawing near to where Bella had wrapped her hands around iron bars. He pulled at the bars, a frustrated shout leaving his throat as the bars held fast.

"Bella. Bella, what do we do?"

"Go." Bella's voice was hoarse and desperate, and she reached for her family through the bars. "Edward, you have to go. I'm sorry, my love. I'm so sorry." Bella took in her family of vampires. "I am so sorry for bringing you here. I shouldn't have; I lost my temper. You must go, please. You don't have time to hesitate; I'll...I'll be okay, there are worse ways to go."

"I will not leave you in this place."

"Jasper, get him out of here. The Marketplace is falling into the gulf, I've disrupted its gravity. This place is going to fall into the ocean, and then the sirens will come for you. They will come for all of you, for Alice too. Jasper, you must go. Drag him out of here if you must. Please. I'm so sorry, you have to understand...I couldn't...I couldn't let the Marketplace stand for one more day. It's my price, let me pay it; cut your losses. Save some or lose all. Jasper, please; get your family out of here."

Jasper froze for a long moment before he met Alice's eyes. When Alice raised her chin defiantly, Jasper nodded at her, a soldier's snap of the chin. Then, Bella's war-torn brother cursed and started pulling on the bars that made up the cell door. "...Dammit. Bella, no. Tell me how to open this godforsaken thing."

"Edward, listen to me. Please, God, just once, just this once, be selfish. It's the last thing I will ever ask of you, lover. Leave me behind. Run."

"No."

Isabella's lover kissed her desperately, but Bella broke away from him. Her face went hard. "Girls. Get them out of here."

Nikki felt her face go hard, felt her mouth draw into the thin lines of a grimace. Nonetheless, Nikki knew what was possible, and what was not. Time was up, and she served her Queen until the end. She wrapped one arm around Carlisle's neck, sending vines to creep down his arms from her hands even as they broke through the soil to wrap Carlisle's legs.

Her charge was thrashing, pushing at her with vampiric strength and kicking at the vines clinging to his ankles. "No. Not like this. She can't die, not like this, not ever, but not like this. Please, God, no. Please, let me go...let me go, that's my daughter, that's Bella. Stop."

Zia was pulling Jasper away from the cage as Risa struggled with Alice and a feral-eyed Esme; a battered Lorelai was swaying on her feet, understandably little help. Babydoll was having some trouble as she tried to contain both Rosalie and Emmett without the use of deadly force. Nhamo was losing the fight against Edward.

Nhamo managed to pry one of Edward's hands from the bars of the cage, but Bella's lover reached for the lax length of chain around Bella's neck.

"I am not going anywhere..." Edward shoved Nhamo back from him violently, but he turned his back too quickly and she swept his feet from under him. Nikki could see water now, could see death creeping closer. "... without you."

A shockwave knocked down everyone but Edward, and Nikki's heart stopped breaking in her chest. She released Carlisle immediately, urgency in her voice. "What was that? Edward, what did you do?"

"What? I didn't do anything. I just grabbed...this..."

Bella's eyes were wide in disbelief as she took in the chain in Edward's hands. The collar was glowing a compelling crimson. "I... I can feel you in my head, still. I can see your crimson...I can feel gold. I can feel ...no, it's not possible. Nothing can break through the cage...right? Zia?"

"I don't...It might be...it might be possible. I was never certain that the cage could fully contain your power. Even the slightest crack, even from the outside... maybe. If a connection was formed, a tunnel through which you could funnel your magicks."

"Yes!" Nikki couldn't stop treacherous hope from spreading through her veins. "Carlisle! Carlisle, grab the chain around Bella's wrist!"

She saw the same insane hope flit to life on Carlisle's face; he did as Nikki had bid him, and another shockwave rumbled across the stage. The chain glowed a light blue.

"Bella?"

"I... I don't know. Maybe. I'll try it. There's gonna be backlash."

Risa shrugged, beaming as she released Alice. "It beats being a mermaid's dinner!"

Nikki shooed the Queen's guard into a protective circle around the cage. "Okay, we'll hit it from the outside, you hit it from within. Cullens, grab a chain and hold on to something."

Alice eagerly took hold of the chain around Bella's ankle, and it flashed white before Jasper helped her pull it taut, his slate-gray aura blending with his wife's in beautiful contrast. Emmett's sage green and Rosalie's lavender energy flowed through the chain on Bella's other ankle and heatwaves rose in the air once more. When Esme hesitantly took hold of the chain on Bella's opposite wrist, a light pink aura completed the connection, and Nikki couldn't help her disbelieving laugh as the cage began to warp and groan.

Isabella's gold was racing to meet the aura colors of her family. Right when it did, Nhamo gave the command for them to strike out with fire and ice; earth and air. The cage creaked before it exploded into shrapnel. For a moment, Nikki couldn't move past the miracle that was Izzy standing free of the cage once more. She watched Isabella's face cloud with incomprehensible relief, but it faded too-quickly into alarm and panic. Screams were cut off around them, pools of red and the flash of scales as the sirens leapt from the incoming water.

The world slanted rapidly. Tables tilted, scattering the items; cages tumbled behind her, and Nikki was starting to have to lean forward to hold her ground.

Bella let her tear-stained face fall into a grimace as she traded glances with Nikki and Nhamo. "Right. Run for it. I am not dealing with the sirens again today. Run; running now."

Bella tugged Edward into a sprint beside her, and her vampire family followed them, surrounded by the Queen's guard.

Nikki ran.


I Didn't Ask for This


Edward was impatient with Bella's Fae-sprint, so many half-seconds slower than his own; he swept her into his arms as they ran. She didn't even protest, turning to take in his family and the Guard behind him.

"RISA!" Bella pointed. "Lorelai is falling behind, go get her!"

Bella clung to his neck, still shaking slightly from the insanity the cage had brought. Edward couldn't think about that horrid thing for very long or he might turn around just so he could crush each piece to dust. Her small, warm, alive hands tightened in warning, and Bella muttered at him. "Not fast enough, run faster, the water is catching up; wave incoming, BRACE YOURSELVES!"

All around Edward, beetles and Bella's soldiers alike scrambled for the only way out: the groaning and cracking bridge of ice that connected the floating city to the beach. When the tide swirled around Edward's feet, he almost pitched forward. If Bella hadn't cried out in warning, Edward would have been pulled under by the undertow. A fall would be deadly, and Edward saw two men pulled under the water as the wave ebbed. He swore and jumped over the crumbling walls of a burning building that couldn't support itself as gravity pulled on it sideways. Glass shattered; a massive bell, still attached to burning timbers, clanged as it rolled past Edward and landed in the water with a great splash. The sound was deafening, and Edward could feel mist on the back of his neck from the impact. He could see the bridge now, could see the carnage as the panicked crowd bottlenecked at the entrance.

He ran faster.

People were losing their footing now, clinging to any fixed point they could find. A woman stabbed her spear into the ground feet from him, but the sand crumbled away and she fell, tumbling away behind him. Nearby, a blood-soaked siren screeched and moved towards their group aggressively. Bella cried out in pain as she struck the creature with fire; her magicks were still weak and unsettled, her aura weak. The people holding on for dear life as the ground bucked beneath their feet were nothing but obstacles now, and Edward absently wondered if anyone he passed would survive the siren's feast as Haven fell into the gulf.

Risa leapt into the air, flying above their heads with Lorelai in a piggyback hold, and Carlisle lost his patience with Nikki's speed and swung her onto his back. Nhamo was pulling at Alice, who had stopped in shock at the sight of a young boy clinging to his mother desperately. Nhamo cursed heavily as she pushed Alice to go ahead of her and grabbed for the boy. His mother pressed a photo in his hands and cried out in despair as she let him go. Babydoll pulled Kevi out of the way of a man who snarled, clawing for anyone within reach as he fell to his death.

Edward could see ahead of him now, across the crowded battlefield; suddenly, a battalion of Camp's soldiers surrounded them, sprinting as quickly as they could and a few of them in flight above. Marcos waved a half-hearted salute. Edward shifted to follow the commander through the path Marcos had held for them through the doomed and desperate crowd.

"Izzy, nice to see ya. How's your day? Doing a little remodeling of the coastline today?"

"Things did not go according to plan; you can kick my ass later. I'll call it a freebie. Get them across, Marcos. We don't have time."

Marcos and a small force of soldiers threw barbed tendrils of strong vine that connected to the first ring of the rotating spirals decorating the bridge; another great crack wrenched through the air. The sand beneath Edward's feet was slipping away now; the ground beneath his feet was rapidly becoming vertical. He braced his fingertips against the ground and shifted Bella so that her legs wrapped his hips; he needed his hands free.

Risa had ensured Lorelai's safety on the other side of the bridge, and she flew back to grab Nhamo and the boy in her arms. Marcos grinned as he wrapped one hand around Esme's waist, and one hand around Rosalie's.

"Ladies, pardon my grip. Hold on tight."

Marcos leapt from the edge of the floating platform and swung in a wide arc over the swarm of sirens, landing safely on the shore. Kevi simply manifested a narrow spout of ice that carried he and Babydoll across the gulf, and Bella's soldiers ferried his family and the Guard across the massive crack in the bridge.

Marcos was turning back, swinging across the gap to carry Bella across; another great crack resounded through the air, and the bridge cracked completely in two. Risa shouted and dived for Marcos; Edward's feet were slipping out from under him, and the corridor of space between where he and Bella stood and the panicking crowds of people was non-existent.

Bella met his eyes seriously and took his hand. There was no time to waste. Edward took a single step backward before he threw himself over the edge, hand-in-hand with Bella. There was a moment where Edward felt like he had taken flight, and then he landed hard on the other side, desperately scrabbling for anything to keep him there as Bella's weight pulled. Bella kicked the ice and flipped up and back, landing hard next to him. She pawed at him as she struggled to breathe, pulling him closer- ever closer.

Her grip relaxed some as her panic faded, and Edward guiltily spared a moment to relish her survival. He let the pathetic gratefulness go as he took in the horrifically beautiful panorama of destruction in front of him. Where the floating city crashed into the surf, the water was dyed a rusty red that was cut only by the glimmer of holographic scales and the flash of pointed teeth. Screams faded as the city was engulfed in the water, the volume dipped and peaked as the few survivors were picked off before they could make it to the shore.

Bella took it in, still kneeling on the bridge. She shook her head like she was trying to clear her mind of a dream, perplexed and disbelieving.

"I Saw this..." Bella's voice was horrified and musing as she turned to look at Alice with doe-brown eyes and a pale face. "I Saw this once, in one of the visions I forced myself into while Edward ran from me, in Forks. I didn't realize this was it until just now...I Saw this view, this vision of Haven falling into the ocean. I Saw it, and here I am."

Alice didn't say anything as she helped Bella to her feet, heavy empathy on her face. Alice knew what it was to try your hardest to outrun a vision only to realize it couldn't be avoided; how much it hurt, how much it made her feel like she had failed. Alice took her own private moment to be grateful Bella survived, so thankful to have a sister who could understand the weight of the Sight.

Bella's shell-shocked laugh was hollow and horrible. Carlisle tried to reach out, to brace his hand against Bella's slim shoulders, but Bella backed away before he could touch her. She raised her hands defensively as she backed away from them, closer to the edge of the shoreline.

She steeled herself, and her voice was angry and determined when she spoke to Carlisle. "Look around you and you'll see the foundation of every empire: ruination and death. Am I a monster or a goddess? Look at me, and will you see greatness or madness? A daughter or a devil? Every Fae possesses a blend of light and dark magicks, Carlisle. And I bet every vampire and mortal too. It's not black and white, and it never will be."

Carlisle ducked his head, ashamed, and Bella turned to Jasper, her anger fading to a soft self-horror. "Call me calculating...call me manipulative, even. Maybe I am the new Maria. Fear me; love me...it doesn't matter. I won't stop. It's my destiny." Bella's mouth twisted around the last word like it left a bad taste on her tongue.

"You think I don't see the doubt in your eyes? These are the stakes of this war." Bella swept an arm out, encompassing the massacre on the bridge and the feast below as she demanded the Cullens hear her.

"I could never bring myself to fight it for myself, but I will fight it for you. The world will burn before you do. You want to see the evil we fight? Here it is, wearing my face. I am all the things you ever feared I was. Make your own choices."

"We're done, I'm through pushing. My girls will see to things here. Marcos, take them home; Edward and I will be there soon, and we can talk."