The Black Flame Candle

Part nineteen

Looking directly at Edward and Jasper with a sinister grin, James sunk his teeth into Bella's hand. Edward charged at him but he tossed him aside. James then bit my hand but he screamed in agony. Audrey's blood is painful for vampires to drink. Jasper's rage erupted as he climbed out of the window casement and suicide-dive-bombed James, savagely plowing him through the floorboards. James started kicking Edward, delivering death blows. That's when Jasper's hand shot up and grabbed James' ankle.

Edward roared up to his feet and swung James around like a baseball bat, smashing him into a mirror after mirror. Jasper flew into an animalistic fury. Jasper bit off a piece of James' flesh as Audrey stared at Bella in horror. Carlisle came up to Edward and Jasper. "Audrey! Bella!" Dylan shouted as her cousins ran to them. "Elizabeth.... heal Bella," Audrey managed to say. "My magic won't work" Elizabeth held her hand as her hand glowed. "Guérir la douleur. Enlève-le" Her wounds healing slowly.

Very slow. Carlisle put his hand on Jasper's shoulder as he turned to see him, Emmett, Sora, and Alice, dropping down from the balcony. Jasper's expression changed as he realized he's gone too far. He looked at Audrey as She look at him.  They backed off as his siblings crouched into attack mode and lunged at James like a pack of animals. Edward rushed to Bella and Audrey. The pain made Bella scream again. Alice ran as she smelt her blood.

"Carlisle!" She exclaimed. "She needs you," Carlisle asked. It almost looked like a tribal dance as they ripped out the floorboards and Ruth built a fire. It's like a funeral pyre as they ripped James and the feral apart, throwing limbs into the fire. Ruth chanting. "Verbrennen Sie seine Seele. Verbrennen Sie seinen Hass!" "Alice!" Sora asked as she ran to help him. Jasper knelt next to me as Carlisle worked fast to assess Bella's wounds, focusing on a massive bleed from her leg. Slowly healing from Elizabeth's magic.

Her hand hurt the most as She writhed in pain. "Is she going to be okay?" Dylan asked. "Bellas femoral artery has been severed. Audrey's been healed, but Bella...," Carlisle replied. "She's losing too much blood." "It's on fire! My hand!" Bella screamed as Edward saw her hand. "Carlisle!" Edward cried out. "You have to make a choice. Either the change happens," Carlisle added. "No!" Edward shot back. "You don't have a choice," Elizabeth asked. "She's going to die." Alice appeared behind Edward, fuzzy, indistinct.

"It's going to happen. I've seen it," Alice said. "It doesn't have to be that way," Edward whispered as he looked at Bella. Audrey held pain in her eyes. "Alice, find me a tourniquet. A rag, a shirt," Carlisle asked. Alice held her nose and avoided the blood as she ripped her belt off and knelt to aid Carlisle. "It's burning!" Bella screamed. "What's the other choice? You said....," Edward asked. "Tighter, above the knee," Carlisle instructed as Alice placed her belt over Bella's thigh. "Carlisle," Audrey asked. "You can try to suck the venom out,"

"I won't be able to stop," he argued. "Find the will to stop. But choose," Carlisle said. "They only have minutes left." Audrey looked down at Bella, thrashing in pain. Finally, he took her hand. She tried to pull it away, whimpering. "It's alright, Bella. I'll make it go away," he told her. He looked at Bella, placing his mouth on her hand as he started to suck the venom from her hand.  They never took their eyes off one another, the connection palpable, intense...

The pain subsided as Audrey looked at Jasper. The frenzy has begun as he sucks harder. Hungrily. Anguished, he wants to stop but can't. Bella gasped in pain as Elizabeth and Dylan told him and Edward to stop. Bella heard Carlisle's voice sounds miles away. "Stop. Her blood is clean, you're killing her," Carlisle said, but the bloodlust is too strong.  He is killing Bella as Audrey looked at him, forgivingly. "Suivez mes paroles. Arrêt arrêt arrêt arrêt" Audrey whispered.

Death is peaceful. Easy, Bella thought as Bella began to float away.  Suddenly from the darkness, Edward reached out a hand as a brilliant light flared. Bella saw light as my eyes were closed.  Life... is harder..., Bella thought as her eyes opened.  An oxygen tube rested under her nose. Bella reached for it, confused. A hand stopped her as her surroundings come into focus.  "You're awake, baby! You're okay!!!" Bella heard her Mom say.  She was lying in a hospital bed. Bandaged, leg in a cast. In bad shape.

Her Mom hovered over her, tears in her eyes. On the dresser, She saw well cards and a photo montage of my friends from Forks.   "Edward? Audrey? Jasper? Where's-," Bella asked.  "They're asleep,"  Her Mom nodded across the room to a chair in which Jasper, Edward, and Audrey "slept". Well, Audrey was sleeping on Jasper's lap. Bella smiled.  "They never leave. And Charlie's down in the cafeteria," Her Mom continued.

"What... happened?" Bella asked. "Baby, you fell down two flights of stairs and through a window," her Mom added.  Bella was drawing a blank, confused. She jogged her memory.  "Audrey, Jasper, Edward, and Audrey's cousins came here to convince you to come back to Forks," she continued. "You met up with them and went to their hotel but you tripped on the stairs. You cut yourself on glass. On your foot and wrist."

Bella realized it was a cover story as She nodded. "Right," She agreed. "How's Audrey?" "She's fine, I don't see why you care," Her Mom answered. Bella was confused about why her mom said that. "Charlie doesn't like Edward though. Blames him for You leaving." "What do you think?" Bella asked her. "I think that boy is in love with you," she answered. Bella smiled as she grinned. Bella glanced at Edward.

"I'm going to meet up with Charlie," she smiled at her. Bella nodded and watched her go. Bella turned back to find Jasper standing with Audrey in his arms sleeping and walking out. And Edward standing next to her in deep concern.