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They arrived without saying much, walking from Bella's house through streets that felt far too quiet for daytime. The warm air clung heavily against their skin, and each of Bella's steps grew more cautious as they approached the light-faced building with large windows covered by dark curtains. A sign on the door stated it was closed on Sunday, and the empty streets around them seemed to hold their breath.
Bella stopped in front of the door, raising a hand to knock before letting it fall, a tremor betraying her nerves. Nate glanced at her, a slight frown on his brow.
"How do you know this place?" he asked quietly, scanning the streets, alert.
Bella lowered her gaze, taking a deep breath before answering. "I used to practice here... when I was a kid."
Nate blinked, surprised, and a small, teasing smile crossed his face for a moment. "You? Ballet?" He shook his head with a short sigh, holding back a laugh.
Bella rolled her eyes, letting out a brief, nervous giggle before looking back at the door, fear returning to her eyes.
They circled the building until they found a side window without bars, its old latch loose from use. Nate leaned down to check it, testing it carefully before forcing it open with a firm shove that popped the lock. He lifted the glass just enough to slip through first, turning to extend a hand to help Bella carefully inside after him.
Inside, the scent of varnished wood and chalk dust filled their senses. Mirrors covered one wall, reflecting their figures again and again as they moved silently across the polished wooden floor. Ballet barres lined one side, mute witnesses to Bella's past, and she paused for a moment, looking around with nostalgia laced with fear.
She closed her eyes and swallowed before turning toward Nate, who was already scanning the room, identifying exits, escape routes, and cover points by instinct, knowing there was no escape from what was coming.
He pulled out his phone to check messages just as it buzzed in his hand, the screen lighting up with Alice's name.
"I saw it. James will be at Bella's house soon. Get ready."
A knot formed in Nate's stomach, though his expression didn't change. He calmly put the phone away before walking over to Bella, who instantly noticed the shift in his demeanor.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Nate held her gaze, his voice firm. "Alice had a vision. James... he's going to your house."
Color drained from Bella's face, her breath shortening as a shiver ran through her shoulders. "So... he's coming."
"Yes," Nate replied, with a calm that felt foreign against the pounding in his chest. "But it's okay. It could still be minutes... maybe hours before it happens, and after that, it will take him time to track us here. We have time."
Bella lowered her gaze, hugging herself, nodding silently as her eyes shone with fear.
Nate stepped closer, leaning down just enough for their eyes to meet. "Bella, listen carefully. When James gets here, my goal is to buy as much time as I can. No matter what I say, no matter what I do... just go along with it. Don't question it, okay?"
She swallowed hard, holding back the panic in her eyes. After a second that felt endless, she nodded firmly, even though her hands were still shaking.
"I promise I won't leave you alone in this," Nate added, his voice softer now.
They sat down by the wall, keeping their eyes on the windows as daylight filtered through the curtains, reflecting their silhouettes in the mirrors, stretching them long in the quiet.
Minutes passed heavily, tension building like a weight on their shoulders. The echo of their breathing mixed with the pounding of their hearts, every sound amplified by the stillness.
Suddenly, Bella broke the silence, her voice low, almost fearful, as if the words burned her throat.
"Nate... do you think it was a mistake... falling in love with Edward?"
Nate lowered his gaze for a moment, running a hand through his hair before letting out a sigh and looking at her again.
"Obviously," he said seriously, watching confusion and hurt fill Bella's eyes. Then, a lopsided, almost tired smile softened his expression. "I mean, falling in love with a vampire... probably not the best idea in the world."
Bella stared at him, blinking, before letting out a brief, nervous laugh as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Besides," Nate continued, his humor dry, "if you'd fallen for Jake, we'd be in La Push eating pie right now, not here... waiting for a psychopath with a hunter complex."
Bella let out another laugh, choked by a sob, before wiping her tears and looking at him with sincerity.
"Thank you... for not leaving me alone," she whispered, gratitude shining in her eyes. "I feel... safer with you here."
Nate held her gaze, letting the silence speak for him before nodding firmly.
"I won't let them hurt you, Bella."
She took a deep breath, clutching her backpack to her chest as she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her heartbeat while the daylight kept streaming through the curtains, illuminating the reflections in the mirror across from them.
They waited.
Every moment that passed was a step closer to James's arrival.
Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes stretched into nearly two hours.
Time in the studio warped, each breath, each heartbeat etched into the echo of that silent room, barely lit by the light slipping between the curtains.
Nate remained with his back against the wall, eyes fixed on the windows, every muscle in his body ready.
Bella sat next to him, hugging her knees to her chest, her gaze lost in the reflection staring back at her from the studio mirrors, seeing herself looking tired, pale, and full of fear.
For a moment, Bella broke the silence, her voice trembling as if it pained her to get the words out.
"Maybe... maybe James didn't follow the trail."
The phrase lingered in the air, a hint of hope in her eyes as she lifted them to Nate, looking for him to confirm that illusion.
Nate simply looked at her, saying nothing, though the tension in his jaw revealed he didn't share that hope.
That's when it happened.
A sharp, brutal crack echoed in the room, slicing through the silence.
It was the sound of the front door being forced open.
Bella flinched, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. Nate reacted instantly, pushing off the wall and moving in front of her, body firm, breath forced into control as he kept his gaze fixed on the entrance.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
The slow creak of the door opening sounded like a blade tearing through the air, followed by the echo of footsteps, slow and deliberate, tapping softly against the wooden floor.
From the shadows of the entrance, a tall, lean figure appeared.
His pale hair fell in disarray, and his eyes glowed with a predatory light as they swept over every corner of the studio, the calm of a hunter savoring every second of the chase.
James.
He stopped at the threshold, sniffing the air with a gesture that made Bella's blood run cold before he began moving forward slowly, his walk almost relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world.
Nate forced himself to keep a clear mind, analyzing each of the vampire's movements: the slight tilt of his head, the way his shoulders remained relaxed yet ready to strike, the gleam of anticipation in his gaze.
James stopped a few steps away from them, his red eyes fixed on Nate before slowly drifting to the trembling figure of Bella behind him.
"We're alone," Nate said firmly, his voice ringing clearly in the empty room.
James narrowed his eyes, his mouth curling into a barely perceptible smile before he murmured in a low, rough voice:
"I see that."
The vampire began walking toward them, each step slow and measured, as if enjoying the creak of the wood beneath his feet and the growing tremble in Bella.
Nate raised a hand, his gesture firm, signaling for him to stop, speaking with clear, controlled words:
"We did this because we wanted to talk to you."
James arched an eyebrow, stopping, and for a moment, Nate saw a flicker of intrigue in his eyes, a spark of curiosity breaking, for a second, that predator's mask.
"Talk to me?" James repeated, with a lopsided smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"We came alone to show the sincerity of our group," Nate continued, choosing each word carefully. "We don't want to turn this into an unnecessary conflict."
James laughed, a low, rough sound that blended with the studio's echo.
"'Your group'?" he mocked, tilting his head as his eyes sharpened. "But you're only humans..."
Nate's pulse quickened, but his voice didn't waver.
"We don't want to drag this out any longer than necessary," he pressed on seriously. "Edward, the vampire who attacked you, only reacted because he can read minds. He knew you were going to attack."
James paused, tilting his head slightly as a glint of interest lit his eyes.
"Ah..." he murmured, as if savoring that piece of information, licking his lips as his gaze returned to Bella, who was breathing rapidly behind Nate.
"This conflict is pointless," Nate insisted, maintaining his firm stance. "We know you want Bella, but both of us have already been approved by the Volturi. At the end of the school year, we will be turned over to a member of the guard. Aro himself has given his approval."
For a moment, everything fell silent.
The air grew heavy, almost unbreathable, as James's eyes flickered, processing each word with dangerous calm.
Behind Nate, Bella let out a small gasp of surprise, her eyes wide with confusion and shock.
"What...?" she managed to say before falling silent as she met Nate's hard gaze over his shoulder.
The message was clear.
Don't speak.
Bella swallowed, lowering her gaze, nodding awkwardly as she forced herself to stay calm even as her hands trembled.
When Nate looked back at James, he found the vampire watching him with something he hadn't expected.
Not fear.
No doubt.
But a smile widening, a hungry glint in his eyes, like a predator discovering the prey was more interesting than he'd thought.
"The Volturi?" James repeated, licking his lips as he stepped forward, his crooked smile reflecting in the mirrors around them. "Oh, this... just got much more interesting."
A chill ran down Nate's spine as adrenaline burned in his throat, a single thought pounding in his mind with brutal clarity:
Goddamn it.
James began advancing again, each step terrifyingly calm, like a bored lion approaching its prey out of whim, not hunger.
Nate felt a shiver run down his spine. He swallowed, lifting his hand behind him and placing it in front of Bella, keeping her at his back as he gently pushed her back, never taking his eyes off James.
"Do you really think... You can stand against the Volturi?" Nate said, but this time, his voice trembled slightly, a crack ringing in the charged air.
James stopped for a second, tilting his head, the smile on his face fading for an instant as a flicker of doubt crossed his gaze, almost imperceptible.
Nate took a deep breath, feeling his temples pounding. "All you'll do... is get yourself and Victoria killed."
For a moment, doubt remained in James's eyes, but then, like a cloud swept away by the wind, it vanished, replaced by an even wider, predatory smile.
"It's worth it... for the ultimate hunt," he murmured.
Before Nate could react, James vanished in a blink, the air vibrating in his wake.
Suddenly, he was there, right in front of Nate, so close Nate could see the feverish glint in his eyes.
With a casual movement, like swatting a fly, James lifted his hand and slammed it into Nate's chest.
The impact was brutal.
Nate felt his bones crack as he was thrown back, his body flying through the air before crashing into the mirrors with a deafening crash. Glass shattered into thousands of fragments, falling like a rain of blades around him, cutting his skin, embedding into his back.
Pain tore through his body like fire. He felt with certainty as some ribs broke, each breath turning into a dagger.
"Nate!" Bella screamed, her voice breaking, before stumbling back several steps, her face pale with terror.
James turned his head slowly toward her, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he began to walk, each step thundering in the echo of the studio.
Bella tried to back away further, but her legs trembled. James reached her in two steps, lifting his hand with terrifying slowness before grabbing her by the throat, lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Looks like 'Edward' won't be coming this time..." James said, pronouncing the name sweetly, mockingly, like soft poison.
Bella tried to scream, but only a choked whimper escaped as James began to squeeze, his iron fingers closing around her throat with meticulous slowness, savoring each second as he watched her struggle.
Nate, blood running down his back and each breath a fire, forced himself to stand, bracing his hand against the glass-covered floor, feeling shards drive deeper into his palm as he fought to get up.
"Is this... really your ultimate hunt?!" Nate shouted, his voice hoarse but burning with rage.
James stopped, turning his face toward him, irritation crossing his expression for an instant.
"What's the challenge in this?! Huh?! Even I, a human, beat Edward with his stupid gift!" Nate yelled, spitting blood onto the floor as he stood, his hand trembling.
The anger in James's eyes flickered... and turned into something different. Genuine interest.
Nate saw it, and with pain burning through every broken rib, he stepped forward, breathing heavily.
"If this is your idea of a game, you picked the wrong opponent!" Nate continued, his voice filled with wildfire. "If I had your abilities... if the playing field were even... you wouldn't stand a damn chance!"
For a moment, everything fell silent.
James stood still, his hand still around Bella's neck, eyes locked on Nate.
Then, a flicker of nostalgia crossed James's gaze, a shadow of something old, something forgotten, as a genuine—almost melancholic—smile formed on his lips.
"Do you really think... you'd be a challenge?" he murmured softly, looking down at Bella, then back at Nate.
Suddenly, James released Bella, letting her drop to the floor like a rag doll, gasping as she struggled to catch her breath, tears streaming down her face as she clung to the ground.
James began walking toward Nate, each step heavy, echoing in the studio as the light glinted off the scattered shards of glass.
He stopped in front of Nate, so close that Nate could feel the cold air radiating from the vampire's skin.
James looked into his eyes, searching every detail of Nate's wounded, bloodied face, looking for fear.
But he didn't find it.
Nate's gaze was fierce, determined, his body trembling but his eyes burning with fury as he held James's stare.
The vampire smiled, fascinated.
"Then... let's test that," he murmured with delight.
He lifted his hand, grabbing Nate's left arm tightly, lowering his face slowly, so close Nate could feel the icy breath of James on his skin.
James opened his mouth, letting his fangs barely graze the skin of Nate's arm, sliding down slowly until they rested over the vein, preparing for the final bite.
Then, he froze.
His gaze locked, eyes widening in disbelief.
He looked down at his chest.
There, Nate's right hand was buried deep, firm and unwavering, holding a black-handled knife plunged directly into his heart.
Nate held James's gaze, his eyes filled with hatred, and whispered in a hoarse voice:
"I told you."