23
Eclipse
P u r e A g o n y [Part 1]
THE BATTLE ARRIVED two days later and when the Cullens took their places on the battlefield to await the onslaught of newborns, the gravity of the situation settled in. The anxiety crashed against them like all-consuming waves and even amid her anger at Paul for the other night, Adele was struggling to keep her head above the surface.
"Alice," she licked her lips nervously as she struggled to keep her voice steady. She could feel Edward's guilt-ridden gaze upon her and refused to meet it. "How many are heading towards us?"
Jasper lingered next to Alice as the pixie experienced a vision of the onslaught of newborns. If they were all completely still, they could see her hands tremble with fear. Crimson eyes filled with thirst -- the clock is ticking -- they emerge from the water -- the sun rises on the horizon behind them -- they are coming...
"Fifty, maybe?"
Adele set her jaw and strained to read the minds of the rabid vampires advancing in their direction, but they were still too far. She promptly turned on her heels to look at her clan. "I can take down a dozen or so to lessen the load and give you all time to form a plan of attack."
Rosalie eyed her apprehensively. "Are you sure?"
She nodded and cracked her knuckles. "Take that time to come in at all angles. I can only manage a few seconds at most."
Emmett grinned. "Badass."
"I guess now we'll see what all the fuss was about." Jasper smirked in his subtle way to alleviate the tension.
She offered him a weak smile in return. The wolves filed onto the clearing. "I guess we shall."
She winced as a hoard of frenzied thoughts belonging to the bloodthirsty newborns plagued her mind. The only thing on their minds was bloodshed and their yearning to quench their everlasting thirst for human blood. It was enough to push any vampire over the edge -- including Edward, whivh made her thankful he wasn't there. That's a first. Amid the tangled web of thoughts, among the screeching and screaming, she picked Victoria's thoughts out from the rest. She abandons her army to head north...that's where Bella and Edward were camped out.
"Seth," she turned to the tan wolf standing between Jacob and Paul. She avoided meeting Paul's eyes. "Warn Edward and Bella. Victoria is going to head towards them. She will not be fooled by us."
Concern washed over Esme's face. She was never one for violence but since her family was in trouble, she was all for thr bloodshed. "How do you know?"
"She knows we would never keep a human in the middle of the fight and she knows that wherever Bella goes, Edward goes, too." Because believe it or not, she had some kind of humanity left before we murdered her mate. She knows what the bond is like. At least, she knew until we ripped her heart out of her chest. Adele couldnt help but sympathize with her even as she stood on thr battlefield. "She's out for blood and she'll get it even if it is the last thing she will ever do. I know because it's what I would do... She will not be fooled."
Paul whinnied to catch her attention. He wanted her to see that he was sorry, that he was scared and stupid and he was so damn sorry. But just as her gaze flickered to him, the snarls of the army pierced the morning air and their scents wafted on the cold breeze. Adele buried the heels of her feet in the thin sheet of snow to ready herself
At first, all they saw was crimson.
Cold, empty crimson eyes peered out of the shadows of the trees in the spots where the dawning sun had yet to shine upon. For a moment, all was still. No one dared to move or breathe for fear of setting the other side off. So naturally, Adele made the first move. It was unlike anything they'd ever witness before: right before their eyes, the composed woman turned into a fierce and volatile vampire and suddenly they got a taste of the feral beast which hid within her.
Before the first wave of vampires could come within ten yards of them, she clenched her fists and they dropped to their knees. And to think that all she did was use their own weaknesses against them. Your thirst for blood is unbearable, your need to fill that void will cripple you... A few brave souls tried to push through it and ran as slow as humans towards them. In a blur of four seconds, their heads were torn from their bodies and their carcasses laid uselessly in the freezing snow.
The rest of the vampires that advanced behind the defeated first wave faltered in their step. Jasper smirked behind her. "Pretty impressive."
"Oh cowboy, that was only a sneak peek." She laughed humorlessly as the optimistic thoughts of the enemy swarmed in her mind. They had no clue what they'd gotten themselves into.
Paul could hear his own pulse in his ears and could swear on everuthinf that his heart had leapt into his throat sometime during that stunt. Where he found the peace of mind to compose himself, he didn't know, but he had a feeling Jasper had something to do with it...
In an ironic turn of events, the vampires and the shapeshifter bandes together and charged right for the common enemy. They set a precedent and looked pretty badass while doing it.
Sam Uley and Jacob singled out a particularly burly vampire, grabbed each of his arms in their large mouths, and ripped his arms from his body. The newborn's caterwauls were cut short as Sam decapitated him.
Paul and Quil Ateara were on a pretty decent killing streak, with the latter recieving a mere scratch. But their good fortune drained out as four newborns boxed them in, snarling and spitting. Quil tackled the one closest to him, leaving Paul to fend for himself with the rest. He stepped carefully because he knew one wrong move would result in a fatality.
Although she'd never admit to worrying about him when her fury towards hin was still fresh, Adele spotted his dilemma as the battle around her escalated. She raced over to her wolf incredible speed, grabbed the vampire to the far left, and decaptitated her with a quick blow. Paul greatfullg tackled the one behind him as she dodged a punch from the third. Shs grabbed his first, twisted it, and ripped his arm from his body with a screeching crunch. He writhed on the spot and lunged desparatelg at her, but he was on his knees in unbearable pain quicker than hd could say I'm screwed. Paul leapt in and ripped his entire upper torso off.
He couldnt hide the fear in his eyes quickly enough and she saw it. She witnessed his vulnerability and he was suddenly more fearful that it wouls scare her away. And there she stood as her family fought on around her, all of her anger for him ebbing away as she wondered whether he thought she was a monster or not. She only ever worried about that one other time in her life; with one other person.
She was in love with him, that there was no denying.
Somehow, he managed to break free of the emotional gaze as an enemy vampire had the idiocy to charge straight at her from behind -- idiotic becsude she had her wolf now. She saw the reflection of the newborn in his big eyes and absorbed his protective stance until the very last second when she leapt up and flipped over him. She landed gracegully where he stood before as he attacked the vampife and ripped her limb from limb. Better her than me.
The sun settled high up, like a golden coin in the hands of a soft blue sky. It must've been an hour since the fight begun -- an hour since Victoria took off for Bella and Edward. "After this, I am done helping you. Don't dare ask anything else of me, because until you realize how selfish you're being, I'm not lifting a finger. I have my own life to live now." She remembered what she said and she meant it...but now, as she stood in the moment, knowing that she could very well be helping Victoria bring about her brother's demise by not fighting with him, she took it all back. She had to help him one last time
Yeah, right.
Just before she turned to head north towards the snowy mountains, Carlisle and Esme cornered a young girl against the base of a large oak tree. It looked as thoughppp she was hiding from the fight. She was trembling not because of thirst, but because she was afraid. In spite of the crimson eyes, something about the girl pulled at her heartstrings. She couldn't have been older than fourteen with long black locks and a heart-shaped face. She never wanted that life, never deserved it. Zhe didn't deserve to die, either.
Adele sped over to the tree and got between the girl and her family members before any harm could be done. They exchanged mutually bewildered glances and gazed apprehensively at the girl.
"Go." said Adele "I will handle this."
Carlisle sped off immediatly and Esme lingered for a while before following. As Adele stared at her, readinf her thoughts, the girl backed away fearfully. Bree Tanner -- fourteen -- turned in an alley -- so much screaming -- blood -- please don't hurt me -- Diego is dead! -- I'm so thirsty --
Adele held her hands up cautiously "Your name, it's Bree?"
Bree Tanner nodded, regarding her apprehensively as she stuttered over her words. "Please, please don't kill me! I didn't want this! I-I don't--"
"--Calm down." she softened hef tone. "I won't hurt you. I need you to climb to the top of this tree and stay unseen and unheard until the fight is over, alright?"
Again, Bree nodded hesitantly, but obeyed her nonetheless. She climbed the tree and hid in the bushels of leaves. Adele glancrf back at the scene behind her. Jasper got bitten by a newborn as he tried to protect Alice and groaned painfully at the stinging of the venom. Rosalie and Esne teamed up against a pair of newborns and Carlisle and Paul charged for the rest to help the pack.
It's now or never. Adele fled the clearing and followed Victoria's distinctivr sceng miles north, up a rocky mountain, and through more woodlands until she heard Edward and Victoria's voices on the mountainside. As she approached, she hid in a tree and masked her scent from Edward and Victoria alike.
Clearly a fight had ensued, but the fiery-haired woman was preparing to flee. End it, Adele thought to Edward. End it now or we'll see her again.
"YOU'LL NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE LIKE THIS!" He gritted his teeth as she turned away. Victoria clenched her fists and slowly turned back around on the rock on which she was perched. She eyed Bella maliciously as the latter stood fearfully behind Edward. "Don't you want her? Don't you want me to feel the pain you felt when I killed James?!" He gritted his teeth and her eyes filled with unimaginable fury. "When I tore him to pieces. When I turned him into ash. When I turned him...into nothing."
He struck the right nerve. A feral scream erupted from the lips of thr feral woman and she leapt off of the rock to charge for Bella. Adele decided to let him sweat for a while. He didn't let her get anywhere near Bella. He knocked into her and they rolled down the hill as her master puppet, Riley Biers, who had been fighting off Seth couple hundred yards away, lunged for Bella.
Edward fought them away from Bella with great skill and amazing speed, but he was becoming overwhelmed. Riley tackled him to his knees, grabbed his arms, and Victoria grabbed him from behind. She strained to twist his neck. Adele's steady gaze flickered to Bella as the latter began to drown in an ocean of fear, her determination to help Edward serving as the only thing keeping her afloat.
She dropped to her knees and dug in the snow with trembling hands until she found a sharp rock. As she stood and inhaled deeply, Edward looked her as if to say I'm sorry and I love you, thinking that this was finally his end. Bella brought the rock to her flesh and dragged it until and ready stream of blood oozed down her arm, dying the white snow. Her diversion distracted them long enough for Edward to slip out of their slacking grasps. He grabbed Victoria by her locks of hair and threw her into a tree which broke in half on impact. Riley, who was still transfixed on the intoxicating scent of blood, didn't return to his senses quick enough to stop him from ripping his arm off.
From the west, Seth leapt out of the trees, sunk his teeth into Riley, and began dragging him away to finish what he'd started. And the poor, lovesick newborn pleaded to his maker. "VICTORIA!"
The birch didn't even spare the kid a glance and a look of tragic betrayal plastered on his face as he realizex the truth in that split second. Seth dragged him off as he thrashed around. Seconds later, they heard the sound of porcelain screeching as he was torn apart.
In a desperate attempt to end it once and for all, Victoria lunged for Bella, but clashed with Edward instead. In a beguiling turn of events, she made it looked as if she almost had her hands on Bella, but at the last second she turned on him intead and grabbed him by the throat.
Adele leapt out of the trees a d landed right behind Victoria. She grabbed the latyer by her hair and she reeled back, taken aback by her sudden appearance. Adele slammed her onto the snowy ground. She dragged her to her knees and stared her in the face. She looked into the woman's cold, dead eyes and pitied her because she knew of the pain which turned her into such a monster. When a vampire loses their mate, they can go one of two ways, and the two women exemplified that crossroads perfectly.
"I guess it's too bad that Edward was not the one to kill James." Confusion etched onto her sharp features as she stared at her, absorbing the shocking information. Edward killed James. Everyone knows it. She reached out to pry Adele's hands off of her neck, but her grip was iron tight. She bent down to whisper in her ear. "I did."
And with that, she tore Victoria's head from her body and dropped it at her feet. I suppose its poetic...I killed both mates... Edward approached Bella and ripped a strip of her shirt to bind the wound she inflicted upon herself. He proceeded to walk over to Victoria's broken corpse, drew a lighter from his pocket, and dropped it. The corpse of the woman that once ezisted only seconds ago was set ablaze, left to burn as all things do at their end. Bella soaked in the shocked and enraged expression frozen on her her face by death.
For the first time in many years, Edeard turned to his sister with genuine thankfulness written into his every festure. "I'm sorry, Adele. I realize now that you have done so much for me alone, not to mention Bella. You've risked your life countless times to do so." He met her eyes as she stared at him emotionlessly. "I know it won't make up for what's happened in the past, but I'd like to thank you for the here and now.
She looked between his apologetic expression and the relief on Bella's face, then muttered. "Alice will want us in the clearing right about now."
* * *
When they returned to the clearing, the broken corpses and stray limbs of thr defeated newborns were set ablaze in heaping piles thatclooked as thought they came straight out of a horror film. Adele walked silently beside Bella as Edward sped up to Alice.
"How long?"
"A few minutes." She shrugged. "Maybe ten."
"They timed their arrival well." Rosalie commented bitterly, tying her hair back.
"Probably hoping the newborns took a few of us out." Emmett grumbled. That's exactly what they hoped for.
Rosalie turned to her."Are you okay?" Adele didn't know what she mwant by that question untim she realized the pack was no where to be seen. Where was Paul? Had something happened to him? Rose frowned when she realized what she'd done and shook her head to reassure her. No, I have to pull myself together. This isnt over yet, she thought to herself.
Edward paused as he saw Bree cower by the fire. "What's she doing here?"
"We offered her a safe haven if she stopped fighting." Esme replied, frowning at the girl. She was so young... Although she didn't show it, she secretly hoped to recruit the girl. Maybe raise her as both a child and a vampire... "She took it."
The wolves peered out of the trees to the east to receive further instruction and Carlisle looked at his daughter. "The pack needs to leave. The Volturi won't honor a truce with them."
She nodded and swept her gaze over the clearing to find Paul, but she couldnt find his familiar silver fur. The fear in Bella's voice reflected the fear in her heart when she asked, "Where's Jacob?"
"And Paul?"
Edward squinted and examined the tree-line until-- "...There."
Jacob emerged from the woods and when met Bella's eyes, he let out a relieved sigh. He moved to go to her, but the loud snarl of a stray newborn stopped him. Leah -- the only female member of the pack -- cornered the runaway vampire.
Edward shoured out, "LEAH, DON'T!--" but it was too late for all of them.
The vampire maneuvered around her, grabbed her by her ruff, and yanked her off of the ground. Jacob lunged for the newborn and ripped him away from her as she dropped down. They tumbled over each other, engaging in an ugly fight where Jacob managed to bite a piece of his face off, but the newborn managed to get his arms around Jacob's torso. He squeezed and Jacob's wolf howled in agony as he bones were crushed.
Words escaped Adele when she saw a blur of silver race out of the trees behind them. Paul barely registered Jacob's injuries, he didn't notice Ldah's sunken form, and he didn't even get a chance to look for Adele becsude he charged straight for the newborn and sunk his teeth into his torso. A pained screech erupted from his lips and in his rage, the vampire turned and gave Paul the same fate. He wrapped his arms around him and crushed him. Paul's howls morphed into agonizing humane screams as he shifted back into his human form.
Adele only existed in that moment. She couldn't hear the shouts or gasps of those around her because her ears rang with the caterwauls of her wolf. Her wolf. How dangerous it was now to have someone worth losing. He cried out, she screamed, and they all knew that the love she re-discovered was slipping from her grasp once more. She wouldn't let that happen again. She wouldn't let him die. Before she could really realize what she was doing, her screams pierced the harsh winter air and she broke out into a run. He couldn't die on her.
Not again.