CHAPTER THIRTY:

A small handwritten notice was blue-tacked to the door, explaining the dance studio was closed for spring break. I wasn't at all surprised to find the door unlocked, and I strode in like I owned the place.

I wasn't scared of James. He might be the monster that killed me, but he wasn't the scariest one I'd ever faced. I'd fought Death Eaters, seen Voldemort, and confronted Boggarts and Dementors. I'd ridden a thestral, walked a blast-ended screwt on a lead and survived five terrifying years of being taught by Professor Snape.

James might be about to take my life, but he didn't frighten me. He just pissed me off.

The lobby was dark and empty, cool, the air conditioning thrumming. The plastic molded chairs were stacked along the walls and the carpet smelled like shampoo. The west dance floor was dark, I could see through the open viewing window. The east dance floor however, the bigger room, was lit.

I knew James was in here. I could feel it; the sharp, intense humming of my magic, twisting inside me, warning me of his presence. Without pausing, I strode straight towards the open door. The humming grew stronger, and I had to grit my teeth against it.

And then Renée's voice called.

"Bella? Bella?" It was the same tone of hysterical panic I'd heard on the phone, and I broke into a run, sprinting towards the sound of her voice, only to stop, short, as I saw the origin.

There she was, on the TV screen, calling out to an eight-year-old me. I remembered that day. We'd gone to see my grandmother in California. We went to the beach one day, and I'd leaned too far over the edge of the pier. She'd seen my arms flailing, trying to reclaim my balance. 'Bella? Bella?' she'd called to me in fear. And then the film went haywire, as a burst of accidental magic had scrambled the video feed. My magic had saved me that day, moving me to safety.

A smile crossed my face, a relieved smile, as the screen went blue. I turned, smile still in place, towards where my magic was spiking.

He was standing very still by the back exit, in his hand a remote control. We stared at each other for a moment, and then he smiled back at me, walking forwards until he passed me, to put the remote down next to the VCR.

I watched his movements, turning so I didn't lose sight of him. "Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?" His voice was courteous, kind, just like on the phone. I rolled my eyes.

"Would you look at that? We agree on something!" I exclaimed, in a tone of mock-surprise.

"You don't sound very angry that I tricked you." He noted. I snorted.

"I'm not." Because I wasn't- Renée was safe, wherever she was. I wasn't going to be the cause of my mother's death. Knowing this made what was about to come easier.

"How odd," James mused, his dark eyes assessing me with interested. The irises were nearly black, just a hint of ruby around the edges. He was thirsty. "You really mean it. I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing you. It's amazing- some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all. And then there's your scent, my dear..." He inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring. "So... amazing." He sighed, a smile on his face. "It's almost a shame I have to kill you. Keeping you around would be a pleasure."

I waited, arms folded across my chest, an expression of boredom on my face. I wouldn't play along to his theatrics. "I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" he asked, hopefully. I smiled at him, a smug 'I know something you don't' smile, my eyes sharper then shattered glass.

"Oh it won't be my boyfriend avenging me." I promise him, my voice dark, with a hint of humor. He looked at me, puzzled.

"Oh? Who will it be?" I hoped my smile looked as predatory as it felt, as I smirked across at him.

"I'd rather not ruin the surprise for when they come for you." I tell him. His expression turns hard for a second, before returning going back to courteous.

"We'll see." He smiles.

But he's curious, I can see it flickering in his eyes. Maybe he can tell that my threat isn't empty. Because it isn't. My letter to Edward told him that if he ever met Luna, he needed to tell her everything about James. And Luna would inform the Department of Magical Creatures. The price a 'magical creature' paid for killing a witch or wizard was high- death.

If the Light won the War, and Edward told Luna what had happened to me like my letter instructed, then James would be put down like the sick, sick puppy he was.

"This was all just a little too easy, too quick," James started speaking, "to be quite honest, I'm disa-"

"Oh get on with it, you arsehole." I scoffed, interrupting him. "I'm not interested in your sodding villain's spiel. Just hurry up already." James' face darkened, and he slumped forwards into a crouch I recognized, his smile widening until it wasn't a smile at all, but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.

"Now that wasn't very nice," he growled, and he was in front of me in a flash. I didn't see if he used his hand or his foot, he was too fast. A crushing blow struck my chest –I felt myself flying backward, and then heard a crunch as my head bashed into the mirrors. The glass buckled, some of the pieces shattering and splintering on the floor beside me.

I was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldn't breathe yet. James' eyes were narrowed as he walked toward me, slowly. "You're really trying my patience, you know." He snarled. "I was supposed to be filming this, a nice little present for your boyfriend. You made me lose my temper."

"Oh I'm sorry!" I wheezed out, "my bad!" He scowls, suddenly looming over me, his foot stepping down hard on my leg. I heard the sickening snap before I felt it. But then I did feel it, and I couldn't hold back my cry of anguish. I slumped forwards to reach for my leg, and he kicked it. I heard a piercing scream. With a shock, I realized it was mine. "My friends are going to fucking kill you! You're fucking dead!" I shrieked at him, tears of agony streaming down my face.

"Stupid human," I heard him sneer, and then something smashed into my face, throwing me back into the broken mirrors. Over the pain of my leg, I felt the sharp rip across my scalp where the glass cut into it. And then warm wetness began to spread through my hair with alarming speed. I could feel it soaking the shoulder of my shirt, hear it dripping on the wood below.

"Son of a whore," I moaned, slumping down. Upon hearing no reply to my feeble attempt to continue taunting him, I squinted through the nausea and dizziness, and saw something that made my lips turn up into a weak smile of victory.

His eyes, merely intent and angry before, now burned with uncontrollable need. The blood- spreading crimson across my white V-neck, pooling rapidly on the floor- had awakened the thirst inside him. I knew that the smell couldn't be affecting him, but he was Thirsty enough from his relentless hunting of me without breaking to feed, that the sight was enough.

No matter his original intentions, he couldn't draw this out much longer. I watched him through heavily lidded eyes as I saw his dark shape coming toward me. With my last effort, my hand instinctively raised to protect my face.

I couldn't control what happened next.

A sharp, slashing pain brought my awareness back to the surface, and a part of me became very aware of the fact that a vampire was biting me. My reaction was instinctive.

My magic exploded out of me with dizzying intensity, a flare of color bright enough to cause spots to appear in front of my eyes. My screams mingled with deeper, more masculine ones, and I felt a heat flare across my skin as the studio was suddenly filled with raging gold flames.

I watched the scene in front of me like it was a dream. James screamed and screamed, rolling around on the floor, his arms frantically batting at his sides. His frantically wheeling eyes met mine and I felt my lips pull into a triumphant smile, even as blackness seeped at the edges of my vision, as I watched his burning body be reduced to ash before my eyes.

A thick, heavy scent of incense filled the air as the golden flames flickered to nothing, leaving nothing but ashes and an oily spiral of purple smoke where James once stood. A flicker of white caught my attention, and somehow I dragged my gaze over to see... "Edward?" I croaked in disbelief, and suddenly he was there, kneeling beside me, expression frantic.

"Bella? Bella?" I reached up with a trembling hand to touch his cheek.

"You're really here." I whispered.

"I'm here love, I'm here," he murmured.

"This... this is real." My voice was surprised. And then the pain hit me. I cried out, gasping, breaking through the fog separating me from reality. "Shit!" I shrieked, horror racing through me. I looked up at Edward with wide-eyed desperation, trying to calculate in my head how long it had been since the magic had burst out of me.

And how soon the Snatchers would be here.

"We have to get out of here!" I shouted, voice thick with hysteria, scrabbling at Edward with clawed hands, "Edward, now!" He looked shocked, confused, frozen in place. "Edward if we don't get out of here, we're both going to die!" I screamed at him, frantically trying him to understand the very real danger we were in, and he finally moved, acting quickly.

He lifted me up and I had to bite back a cry of pain, instead I clung to him the best I could as he moved so quickly the world blurred around me, praying he'd move quick enough.

I barely registered we were out of the studio until the sun burned my eyes, and I buried my face in Edward's chest, clinging to him, praying to a god that I didn't believe in that somehow this would turn out okay. "Go, go, go!" I moaned, feeling my body tremble with terror.

There was a roaring in my ears, and the flow of blood from my head was sucking my consciousness away with it. My eyelids felt heavy, so heavy... I fought the welcoming blackness, tried to stay awake, but I only lasted a few more seconds before I was dragged under.

-

-

A horrific burning pain dragged me back into the world of consciousness. My eyes burst open at the same time as a strangled scream was dragged from my throat. I didn't know where we were, didn't recognize my surroundings, but that didn't matter.

The pain everywhere else in my body had faded into a dull, unnoticeable throbbing- all that mattered was the scalding pain in my forearm, pain that was overshadowing everything, that had pulled me from the bliss that was unconsciousness.

"E-Edward!" I sobbed, and cool hands stroked my forehead.

"Bella, you're going to be fine. We're safe, I promise. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you."

"Edward," this was a low moan, as my body jerked without my permission.

"Yes, I'm here."

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, Bella, I know"- and then, away from me, anguished- "can't you do anything?"

"My bag, please.... Hold your breath, Alice, it will help," Carlisle promised.

"Alice?" I whimpered.

"She's here, she knew where to find you."

"My arm," I tried to tell him.

"I know Bella, Carlisle will give you something, it will stop."

"My arm is burning!" I shouted, anger and fear giving me a burst of energy, and I tried sitting up, desperate for them to listen, to put out the fire.

"Bella?" His voice was frightened.

"Why won't someone put out the fucking fire!?" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I burned.

"Carlisle! Her arm!"

"He bit her." Carlisle's voice was no longer calm, it was appalled. I heard Edward catch his breath in horror.

"Edward, you have to do it." It was Alice's voice, close by my head. Cool fingers brushed at the wetness in my eyes.

"No!" he bellowed.

"Help me," I whimpered, begged, pleaded. My anger was gone as quickly as it had come, all I could feel was the fire; burning, burning, burning.

"There may be a chance," somebody said, I wasn't sure who. I couldn't think anymore, couldn't think past the flames.

"What?" someone else begged. Edward. I would always recognize his voice.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." The first voice said.

"Will that work?" another new voice.

"I don't know, but we have to hurry."

"Carlisle, I..." It was Edward, my Edward, such agony in his beautiful voice. "I don't know if I can do that."

"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her arm." I writhed in the grip of the fiery torture, the movement making the pain in my leg flare sickeningly.

Another scream tore itself from my throat. I realised my eyes were closed again and I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Found his perfect face, staring at me, twisted into a mask of indecision and pain.

"Alice, get me something to brace her leg! Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late!"

Edward's face was drawn. I watched his eyes, as the doubt was suddenly replaced by a burning, blazing determination. His jaw tightened. I felt his cool, strong fingers on my burning arm, locking it into place, and then his head bent over it, and his cold lips pressed against my skin.

At first the pain was worse. I screamed and thrashed against the cool hands that held me back, and my magic battered weakly at the barriers my exhaustion had created.

A voice was trying to calm me, something heavy held my leg to the floor, and a pair of stony arms had locked my head into place like a vise.

Then, slowly, my writhing calmed as my arm grew more and more numb. The fire was dulling, focusing into an ever smaller point. And then the darkness took over.