Between the Perennial Blooms || Paul Lahote

Forty Nine | Begonia

"Sell me your soul. There are no other takers. There is no other devil anymore."
—Wislawa Szymborska | 'Advertisement'

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W A R N I N G (Graphic Content)
(of the violent variety)
18+

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Bailey wasn't sure exactly how it had happened, but Seth seemed to appear out of nowhere. As soon as Riley had thrown his body forward, the youngest Quileute wolf came barreling through the trees at a speed so quick Bailey almost didn't see him. In one moment she was simply standing there with horror flooding her chest; in the next, Seth had tackled the new vampire into the snow.

The battle that ensued afterwards was a hard one to watch. The opposing species lunged and snapped at each other, growled and hissed at one another so loudly it seemed the entire world could hear them. A cloud of powdery snow was kicked up into the air as they slid and tumbled across the blanketed earth and soon enough Riley's pale hand was sent flying toward the trees as Seth ripped into his arm with his teeth. A roar made up of equal parts fury and pain rang out afterward, and Seth circled the marred vampire with a responding growl of ferocity.

"You can escape," Edward declared over the loud sounds of their fighting. His gaze was trained on Victoria before him and he watched her every move. Meanwhile, Bailey's eyes flickered between the two, unsure of who to watch between the wolf and newborn or the vampiress and vampire. Both were engaged in a battle of their own, though the latter's was not yet physical. Edward had delved into the fiery-haired Vampiress's mind though, and as far as Bailey could tell, he wasn't inclined to leave it in the same state as he'd first entered.

"You can run away," Edward spoke once more, his focus trained solely on Victoria as he read her thoughts that were filled with both terror and an undeniable need for self-preservation. "You always do. But you'll never get another chance like this."

Ignoring his bait, Victoria hissed and took a step towards the trees.

"Don't you want her?" Edward goaded. "Don't you want me to feel the pain you felt when I killed James? When I tore him to pieces and turned him into ashes... into nothing."

Just as he'd seemingly asked her to, in that moment, Victoria erupted. A snarl twisted the features of her otherworldly face and her glare locked onto Bella's wide eyes. She bent at the knees and sprung. Yet just as she propelled herself into the air, Edward slammed his body into hers and they rolled through the snow locked in one another's deathly embrace.

"Edward!" Bella screamed but by then it was already too late. The two vampires had begun their physical war and all she and Bailey could do was stand there wide-eyed and trembling.

"Bella," Bailey whispered, watching as Seth and Riley continued to toss one another around like ragdolls. Bailey was worried for the young Quileute — terrified even. He wasn't supposed to be fighting and yet here he was, battling for not only his life, but her and her sister's as well. This wasn't supposed to happen, she thought to herself helplessly. We were all supposed to be safe.

However, as if the world had decided to refute that very thought, suddenly Riley gained the upperhand. Seth was just a millisecond too slow in responding, but it was all the time Riley needed. His pale leg kicked out with lightening speed and hit Seth square on the underside of his belly. His body flew through the air like a bug swatted meekly from the sky.

Then a few seconds later, it landed like a boulder rolled right off a cliff.

Bailey felt paralyzed as Riley turned his menacing gaze onto her and Bella. Her brain was too stunned, too overwhelmed by all that was happening and the fact that a slow-breathing Seth laid limply just a few steps away from her. She wanted to go to him, wanted to help him and make sure he was alright. She wanted so desperately to check that he wasn't in too much pain and ensure that by the time he got his strength back, he would be okay. But Riley was there, crouched right in front of her like a demonic statue waiting to come to life, and as Bella pulled her in tightly to her side, she knew she couldn't move. It was just like one of those scenes from the Discovery Channel wherein the prey doesn't breathe, doesn't even blink. The predator waits for it to make a move, then when it does, that's when it attacks. And as it was, Riley turned out no different. He waited, and just as Bailey thought everything might turn out okay in the end, that was when everything changed.