Evasive Darkness

Chapter Eleven - Awakening

Chapter Eleven – Awakening

Victoria stood in front of me like a marble statue. Her red hair blew behind her in the slight sea breeze and her eyes never moved from mine. I tried to talk past the lump in my throat.

"Really? Why?" I managed to choke out. I was trying to play dumb. I decided in an instant that it was the better than my other option which was trying to run. "Wait. Are you that lady from the office?" I kept my voice vague and I thought my impression would be rather funny in any other circumstances. Unfortunately my heart beat gave me up. Confusion crossed her face for only an instant before it was replaced by a knowing smile; knowing and terrifying. She chuckled.

"Would you happen to know that strange family of vampires that live near here?"

I kept my face vague. My act was rapidly deteriorating but it was the only thing I had. I didn't know what she wanted from me. "Did you just say Vampires?"

The patience that Victoria seemed to be keeping with me broke. She was standing in front of me and then I blinked and she was next to me. She pulled me roughly to my feet. She wasn't being gentle but I knew that she wanted something from me. That was the only reason I could think of for why she hadn't snapped me in half and drank my blood yet. I cringed away from her cold touch but I couldn't move anywhere. My heart beat slowed and my breath came to me easily. This was it. She was holding out my arm in front of my body. One of her stone hands gripped my elbow and the other my wrist. Her black eyes began to look frantic.

"My mate and I are playing a little game with these vampires," she was smiling at me hungrily. Her black eyes trailed down my arm to my hand. She lifted one cold hair and wrapped it like a vice around my pinkie finger. I sucked my breath in. What was she doing? She pulled at my finder enough to make me feel uncomfortable – but no real pain. She was torturing me. She was so strong she could have ripped my finger off completely. Instead she was pulling at me weakly; hinting to me what she was capable of.

"You're mate is James right?" I decided to try a different tactic. Was it possible that I could frighten her? Or even just confuse her?

Intense pain shot from my finger and the outside of vision went fuzzy. Victoria had dislocated my finger in her surprise. Now her cold eyes were narrowed with suspicion. I cried out but the only sound around me was my own voice echoing off the cliffs.

"How do you know that?" she hissed.

"Some people just have special abilities. Take you for example. You have a special knack for escape, don't you Victoria." I said through gritted teeth but I held her gaze. I had a low pain threshold so I doubted that anything else she could do to me would surpass what I was feeling now. She wrapped her long, cold fingers around my ring finger and I heard the sickening crack of the bone being ripped from the socket. This time I tried to suppress the cry that ripped from my lungs. My face was wet with hot, salty tears. I couldn't look at my hand.

"Tell me about these Vampires. Who is the girl?"

"They won't stop," I told her. But my voice sounded rough and weak. I wanted this to be over. I didn't even care how it ended anymore. "The Cullens. They won't stop protecting her until James is dead. Edward kills him tonight. He could probably even use your special ability right about now."

A vicious snarl ripped from Victoria's throat. Thankfully she let go of my arm. I glanced down at my hand and felt nauseous. My two fingers were poking out at right angles to my hand. Victoria was looking from me to the forest, as if she was actually considering what I was telling her. I felt a bubble of hope in my chest. It was too good to be true.

It was. Out of the side of the forest I could see the silhouette of a huge black wolf emerging. I sighed audibly. Maybe Victoria wasn't leaving but at least Sam was here.