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Bloodbound (w/WillowVX)

Belle smiled and mentally sighed. That was a relief. She half expected James to decline. She would have felt incredibly embarrassed. She didn't exactly have a lot of experience when it came to asking people out.

"Yeah. If you want to, uh, write down your number, I'll call you later. I don't have to do anything until way later tonight. So maybe we can find something to do. I mean, this town is kind of lame, and I don't really know where most of the kids at the high school hang out at or do for fun... but I'm sure we could come up with something." Belle stood up and swung her bag over her shoulder. She had completely forgotten the container of soup. She scanned around for Aaron again. Nothing. Well, that was a good sign. She hoped. What she wouldn't admit to James, was she wanted to hang out with him tonight partly to make sure that Aaron didn't make good on his threat.
 
"Sure. Here, this is my cell phone number..." James quickly found a scrap of paper and a pen. He wouldn't miss such an opportunity, after all. "Call me any time. For any reason, like if you want to hang out, or work on the project, or just talk. I'll drop... well not quite anything, but almost anything to answer you. I'd get in trouble answering my phone in class. Speaking of which... I gotta go. See you later tonight?" Once again, a lewd image flashed unbidden through Belle's mind. This time it was almost accidental; James had been thinking about his plans for tonight and gotten a bit excited.

James didn't actually return to class that day; he spent the rest of the day looking for Aaron. He knew that the jock was looking for him as well, but he wanted to be able to control the time and the place of that meeting, and that meant finding his 'antagonist' and tracking his whereabouts. Of course, as he scoured the school, he paid attention to Belle's location as well. Their connection made it easy for him to avoid her, since he didn't want to explain why he wasn't in class.
 
Belle took the piece of paper that James handed to her and tried to conceal her blush. As he handed it to her, he stood to leave as well.

"Yeah." Belle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed lightly. "Yeah, see you tonight." She said. As James walked a way, she watched him. He moved gracefully and silently, she noticed. His footsteps didn't make a noise as weaved expertly through the crowd of people. She thought of the way he'd kissed her back earlier in the hallway. An image flashed in her mind - it wasn't the same scene as her dream. It was something else. The two of them outside. Their naked bodies embraced. James' fingertips caressed her soft skin gently. Only, like the dream, James bit into her neck. Belle shook the image away and shivered. She was ashamed to find that the scene turned her on. Her life was so consumed with this vampire leader that it was affecting her relationship with James. No matter. Tonight would be the night that she put an end to it. And that's why she asked out James. If... for some reason... she lost - she wanted to have spent her last day with James. She knew he would never understand if she didn't come to school tomorrow, or the day after that. He wouldn't understand if they had found her dead in a warehouse. He didn't know anything about who she was or what she did. But tonight, Belle wanted to forget about all of that, only for a little while. And when night fell she would look for the vampire leader.

"It's him or me this time." She said out loud to herself quietly as she left the table and walked to class. And she didn't plan on losing.

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Aaron spent the day in the school infirmary with his two buddies. The nurse inspected them. When she asked what happened, Aaron lied. He claimed a group of guys from West Eden started a fight. He didn't want James to get in trouble with the school. He was many things but he wasn't a snitch. Aaron preferred to take care of problems his own way. He owned this school and everybody in it. If this freak and her boyfriend think they can challenge him - well, they were going to be sorry. It came as a surprise to find out how badly his friends had been hurt. Johnny had gotten three ribs shattered and Ryan's left foot was broken, the bone was completely crushed. Aaron looked down at his own wrist, bruises were James' fingertips dug into his flesh. He was lucky it wasn't broken.

Aaron didn't understand how James was able to hurt his friends that way. He didn't look at strong. All three of the guys were bigger than him. Yet he shattered them completely. There was something weird about James, Aaron noted. And he was going to figure out what it was.

His friends were taken in an ambulance to the nearby hospital. Aaron left the infirmary and walked across the school parking lot. He wasn't going to go back to class. He was too pissed off. He was in thought. Who was James? What did anybody really know about him? What did Belle really know about him? He clenched his jaw and shoved his hands in his jean pockets. It doesn't matter what she thinks, he told himself. The parking lot was filled with empty cars. All of the students inside their classrooms. Aaron was too in thought to notice the silent footsteps following behind him.
 
Aaron's first hint that he was being followed was a voice from behind him--just a few inches behind him, in fact. "What's this? A poor child all alone. Did you lose your mommy, little boy?" James sat down on the hood of the nearest car. "I certainly never expected to find you all alone, Aaron. I thought you were going to round up all your friends to gang up on me. Was that not the plan? I know you're a fool but did you think you could do this alone? Or perhaps you're smarter than I gave you credit for, and you realize that no matter how many people you bring they can't save you. Or maybe, and I can't believe this didn't occur to me before... you don't have any friends left." He took off his sunglasses and grinned at Aaron. "Nobody's going to risk themselves for your sake are they? Poor little boy."
 
The sudden voice that called from behind Aaron made him jump. Startled, he turned around to see James sitting on the hood of a grey ford focus. Aaron's blood was boiling in his veins as he listened to James' taunting words. He wanted to run up on the guy, snatch him up, and throw him to the ground. But he refrained. It was something about his voice. He sounded like a completely different person. He was composed, calm. There was an air of authority around him and when he took off his sunglasses, Aaron's eyes widened a bit. His eyes were terrifying. The color was a brighter shade of gold but that wasn't what spooked Aaron. It was the fact that he saw nothing there. His eyes were empty bottomless pits of dark. It made Aaron's pulse race.

"You must be stupider than I thought, freak." Aaron spit at him but still didn't move forward. "I don't know who you are. And I don't know where you came from. But let's get one thing straight." Aaron swallowed the lump in his throat and walked up to James. He grabbed him by the collar and picked him up off the car so he was standing in front of him. "This school..." He tilted his head toward the building. "is mine." His grip tightened on James' collar and he shook him once. "This town is mine. And more importantly..." Aaron gave James a hard look. "Belle is mine." His outer appearance seemed confident but his eyes shifted nervously. There was nobody around. James was right. Aaron was all alone.
 
James just continued to smirk at Aaron as he was manhandled. "What an overexcited little boy." He reached up calmly and swatted Aaron's hands from his shirt, as easily as if he were brushing a speck of lint from the garment. "You've already dug six feet and yet you won't lay down the shovel. Just how deep do you intend your grave to be? Or, since this metaphor is probably far above your head, let me put it in simpler terms." He met Aaron's eyes with a smile. "You're going to die, Aaron, and there's nothing you can do to change it. But why do you insist on angering me further? Do you think it can't get any worse than death? It can, Aaron, and if you keep trying to lay claim to my property, you will get to learn."
 
James brushed Aaron's hands off with little more than a flick of his wrists. It was such a small movement but Aaron's eyes widened at James' strength. He remembered back to when he'd crushed his friends' ribs and foot. He looked down at his own wrist to see the bruises. How was he so strong? Who was this guy? Aaron was struggling between fear and anger when James told him that he was going to die. He felt a chill over his body. Of course Aaron didn't want to die. He was in his prime. He had the world at his feet. This guy couldn't be serious, Aaron thought. He was just trying to scare him by changing his voice up a bit. So he was strong? He probably worked out. Just because he didn't have as much muscle mass didn't mean he didn't have strength.

"Why do you want her so bad anyways?" Aaron asked James, he trembled slightly at the way he smiled. That wasn't the question he'd meant to ask. He wanted to ask how he was going to die. And why was he so strong. And if he was completely insane. "I don't know who you are, buddy. But threats like that are serious, okay? You want the dumb bitch? Take her. She's yours. And we-" Aaron began to stammer. "We weren't going to hurt you too bad anyways. Just scare you a little, you know?" Although Aaron was still shaking with rage there was something about James that screamed danger. Aaron never in his life backed down from a fight but at that very second - he wanted to run.

Aaron took several steps back, trying to distance himself from James. He took a glance around the parking lot. Nobody was around. His pulse raced and he could feel his heart beat in his throat. He swallowed hard. James wouldn't really kill him. Did he have a gun? Aaron thought in fear. Aaron was a tough guy when the cards were in his lap, but when the tables were turned, he was just a scared little boy. He continued to step back as he looked into James' eyes again. He'd seen the same thing the first day he interrupted him with Belle. The didn't look human, Aaron thought.

"Who are you really?" Aaron ask skeptically. He stopped stepping back and stood up straight.
 
"Oh, I don't think I can tell you that yet. You see, I haven't told Belle yet, and I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings by confiding in you of all people. But if it makes you feel any better, I will explain it to you. Just, not yet." James closed his eyes, turning his mind to Belle. Aaron wouldn't make very good bait if the prey couldn't see him. He ran a quick memory through her mind, of Aaron's earlier threat to James. Just to make sure, he flashed her an image of the parking lot. Hopefully she wouldn't take it as anything more than a gut feeling, but he didn't have the patience for her to wander the entire school looking for Aaron.

"For now, I think I'll tell you that I'm the man who owns this town. And everything, and everyone, in it. Now, I don't usually mind letting people borrow my things, but you have to ask. I will not tolerate a thief."
 
Aaron's heart beat loud beneath his skin. His chest heaved up and down. He didn't know why, exactly, but he felt very afraid. The sound of his voice, the look in his eyes - the sheer strength that he possessed. Aaron suddenly knew that James wasn't bluffing.

"What do you want?" Aaron asked James as he swallowed hard.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Belle sat in the library for study hall. She was working on her and James' history project. At least, she was trying to. She couldn't concentrate. She was so excited for tonight. Belle hadn't been on a date in several years. She couldn't stop thinking about James. It made her heart beat fast. She smiled. All she could think about were his lips. He kissed her so passionately. She wanted to kiss him again. She looked up at the clock on the wall. The day seemed to drag on so slowly. There were still two hours of school left. It seemed like the incident with Aaron happened so long ago. She looked over to the tables near the back where he usually sat with his two barbaric friends. None of them were there. An icy feeling washed over Belle. She pictured what happened earlier, the way Aaron had promised James that he would come after him. Belle laughed it off. Aaron wouldn't actually do anything to James. She put her attention back to her work.

After about five minutes of pretending to concentrate, she raised her hand and asked to use the restroom. Belle didn't know why she did it. All she could picture was the empty parking lot where Aaron and his friends attacked her. She didn't know why, she just had a terrible feeling in her gut. When she exited the library, instead of turning right towards the restrooms, she went left towards the parking lot.
 
Normally, striking terror into an enormous man who clearly prided himself on his 'strength' was enough to give James a thrill. But today, Aaron just couldn't cut it. Belle may not have been as arrogant as Aaron, but that was because her pride was rooted in reality. Belle was strong, so very strong. He was so looking forward to showing the slayer her own limits, that he could barely take any pleasure in Aaron's cringing. But Belle was approaching; soon the real prize would arrive.

"I want to run away. And I want you to chase me. And just for some added incentive..." With a sudden movement, moments before Belle rounded the corner to see, James grabbed Aaron by the shoulders and thrust his knee into the boy's groin. It was a light blow even by human standards; it was very hard for James to show that much restraint, but he needed Aaron to still be able to walk. It would hurt though, immensely so.

With the blow inflicted and Belle within sight, James put on his best scared face and fled. If he was lucky, Aaron would think the whole thing had been a bluff, and follow confidently. If not, well, surely the boy could not ignore that particular indignity...
 
Aaron was confused. His mind was having a hard time wrapping his head around James and what ever was going on.

"You want to run...?" Aaron began to question him. He was cut off by the blow to his groin. Aaron doubled over in pain. It wasn't excruciating but it was bad enough. He held himself and glared up at James who had already begun to run away. It didn't seem like he could run very fast. "You little shit!" Aaron bellowed loudly. He couldn't believe that for a second he fell for that facade. He was going to kill this kid. He got his bearings quickly and darted after James.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Belle didn't expect to find anything as she wandered out into the empty parking lot. What was she even doing here? She wondered. She shook her head and turned around to go back inside until a loud voice stopped her in her tracks. It was Aaron. Belle turned and saw Aaron shouting, running after James. Shit, she thought to herself. What should she do? Should she get a teacher? Should she deal with it herself? Belle was already running towards them before her mind was made up. She didn't want to 'save James' from Aaron, that would be incredibly embarrassing for him, having a girl come to his rescue. But maybe she could just interrupt - like James seemed to have done the first time. If she had to give Aaron a beat down, she would try to hold herself back. James wouldn't suspect anything out of the ordinary if she gave Aaron another punch to his jaw.

"Aaron!" Belle shouted after them. "James! Stop!" She ran just a little faster than normal, not wanting to give her slayer abilities away.
 
James glanced over his shoulder, doing his best to look panicked, even though at this distance Belle probably couldn't see. "Belle what are you doing? You'll get hurt I can take care of this!" He continued to run, ducking around corners and sprinting through crosswalks. There wasn't a lot of traffic at this time of day, but there was a little, and at one point a car almost hit Aaron. The thought annoyed James; it would have been a terrible end to this whole thing. Fortunately, the car managed to swerve and just miss him. It would probably slow Belle down, if only by a second or a fraction of a second; James was grateful for the lead, however tiny.

In order to give the impression that he was running aimlessly, he took a more circuitous route than he needed to, but he gradually led Aaron and Belle towards the warehouse where he had so recently had a corpse dumped. There was still police tape around the building, but the investigators had already left. Some of his... contacts at the police department had made sure that it was taken care of in a timely fashion. James ducked under the yellow tape and hurried into the building.
 
James yelled back at Belle to stay behind but she didn't listen.

"Come on, guys! Stop!" Belle shouted as they darted carelessly across the street. A car honked its horn loud and nearly hit Aaron. It swerved just in time, causing Belle to stop in her tracks. If she would have ran any further, the car would have indefinitely hit her. She stopped, hands on her knees, panting. She looked ahead and they were getting further away. "Wait!" She yelled and ran after them.

Where the hell did they think they were going? The stamina these boys had was ridiculous. James wasn't stopping and Aaron wasn't planning on letting him go. What the hell had even happened? Belle was getting angry. She was going to punch them both in the face. This was so stupid. She should just stop and let them deal with this on their own. But her legs kept pumping her further, faster. James was in this mess because of her. James was concerned that she would get hurt. Even if he could take care of it, he shouldn't have to. The problem was between Belle and Aaron - James just got caught in the crossfire. She wouldn't let him suffer for that.

They ran for what felt like twenty minutes. Belle wasn't paying attention to where she followed them. She ran without stopping until she saw the tall, ominous warehouse looming above her. She stopped abruptly, her stomach falling. She suddenly pictured what happened a few days ago. Seeing Fred tied to the crucifix. Her body bruised and broken. Her eyes wide, sightless, in fear. Belle's stake lodged deep in her chest. Belle had to put her hands on her knees and get a grip. The boys ran underneath the yellow police tape and into the building. Belle stood out there for several seconds. She didn't want to go back in there. She looked around. The car that had been there that day was gone. Maybe it was empty. She started to hear shouting.

"Shit." Belle cursed out loud. The last thing she needed was for them to stumble onto a vampire hideout. Of all places, they just had to run there. She groaned and ducked under the tape, following the voices of James and Aaron.
 
By the time Belle had entered the building, it seemed to be too late. Two scraggly looking men already had Aaron by the arms, and although he probably weighed more than both of them put together, he couldn't seem to escape their grasp. She barely had time to process that image before the doors of the warehouse slammed shut behind her, courtesy of two more vampires who had been hiding behind them, taking shelter from the sunlight pouring in through the open door. And then, they were everywhere. Vampires jumping down from the rafters, crawling out of corners, kicking their way out of boxes. There were more of the vile bloodsuckers gathered here than Belle had ever seen in her life.

James, at least, seemed to be okay, but clearly terrified. He made his way towards Belle, jumping at every vampire that so much as twitched. "Belle! What are you doing you gotta get out of here!" His golden eyes flickered towards the door. "Okay maybe that's not an option but... fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK okay. Okay, get behind me. I'll... I'll protect you." He let his voice waver, projecting false insecurity under equally false bravado. It was, he was quite sure, one of his best performances to date.
 
Belle hardly had time to react when she saw the vampires holding Aaron and heard the door slam behind her. She counted. Okay. Two holding Aaron and two guarding the doors. She turned back towards Aaron and her blood froze. Suddenly - they were everywhere. James jumped in front of Belle and held her behind him. A sense of pride and adoration welled up inside of Belle. He was clearly terrified but he still wanted to protect her. One of James' hands reached around to grab Belle's tightly. She squeezed back and looked around the room, willing a plan to formulate in her mind. She slowed her breathing and tried to calm her mind.

"I'm going to need you to trust me." Belle whispered in James' ear very, very quietly. She hoped with all the commotion that he had heard it. She needed to do this right. She didn't want to leave James unguarded but she had to save Aaron, and at the same time, she needed to take out as many as possible. "When I tell you to get down... get down." Belle reached slowly into the waistband of her black pants. "NOW!" She shouted at James. He ducked immediately and she threw two small wooden spears, almost like throwing knives. One in each hand, she sent them sailing at the vampires that held Aaron, dusting them instantly. "Aaron!" Belle shouted. She pulled her bag from her shoulder and pulled out her crossbow. "Get over here. Now!" She shouted. James stood back up and was next to her. She handed him the crossbow to protect himself. She would be much better with a stake than him. At least if he had the crossbow, he wouldn't have to get close. "Shoot anything that moves." Belle said to him as she pulled a stake from her bag.

One of the vampires ran at her and she delivered a kick easily to his head. He stumbled back, the blow not quite knocking him down. She spun and sent her foot driving hard into his chest. She knew that James and Aaron could both see what was happening. She would have a lot of explaining to do if they ever got out of there. The vampire Belle was fighting staggered back from the chest kick and gave her just enough of an opening to shove the stake in his heart. Three more vampires started to run towards her.

"Oh, crap..." Belle murmured. She ran back by Aaron and James. "Okay. I have extra ammo in my bag. Just shoot the ones that run at us." She said to James. Belle and James went back to back. Belle held Aaron at her side. "Just try not to get killed." She said to Aaron with a glare. It was his fault they were in this mess but she wouldn't let him get killed.
 
James played along with Belle's commands until he was quite sure that she was focused on the vampires currently threatening to kill them... rather than the vampire which had much more interesting plans for her. When he was positive she wouldn't see it coming, James lifted the crossbow and smashed it against the back of her head. The weapon was splintered into pieces; that was good, as it was one of her more obnoxious tools. The blow should also have been enough for his lackeys to get a good hold of her, but just in case he discarded the remains of the weapon and grabbed her by the shoulders himself until other vampires could come over and grab her by the wrists. He made sure it was only the wrists--he didn't want them getting too handsy. After all, that was exactly what he was hear to punish Aaron for.

Speaking of which, James spun around and backhanded the boy, knocking him to the ground. A couple more vampires begrudgingly closed in to secure him. "Alright," James said. "Is everybody settled in? Let's see... you," he pointed at Belle, "wanted to know more about me. And I told you I couldn't date you until I was ready to spill all my dark little secrets. As for you," he turned to Aaron. "wanted to know who I am. Well, let's just get everything out on the table." He began to pace back and forth. "I am the man who rules this city. Who owns this city. Who built this city. I am an old man; ancient, if you must know. I have lived through more years and more names than I can count. But I appear to you today as such a handsome young man because I am an immortal." He turned to Aaron. "Belle has probably already figured this out, but your head is quite a bit thicker so I'll be very clear. I. Am. A vampire." He grinned. "And all of these guys..." James spread his arms and whirled around, drawing a nervous chuckle from some of the onlookers. "Work for me. Because I am the oldest, and strongest, and smartest vampire in town. Quite possibly on the planet. And you," he turned suddenly back to Aaron, grabbing the front of his shirt. "Have pissed me off."

James let go of Aaron and turned back to Belle, giving her a gentle and almost apologetic smile. "Well, there it is. I feel a lot better with all that off my chest. Don't you feel so much better? After all... now we can go out properly." His grin took a bit of a wicked turn. "But that'll have to wait." He jerked his head at Aaron. "This asshole has done some unforgivable things to you, and I need to teach him some manners before he dies."
 
Belle was preparing to lunge for the nearest vampire. She rocked back on her feet and was about to spring forward when the crushing blow to her skull knocked her forward. Belle screamed out. Strong hands held her by the shoulders and several vampires turned her around to hold her in place. No, Belle thought. Aaron. James. She began fighting and thrashing but she was being held by at least ten vampires and one forced her head up to look in front of her.

Belle's knees gave way and she fell to the ground. The vampires continued to hold her in place. Her eyes watched James in confusion.

"James?" She asked in a small voice. She stared at him dumbly during his entire speech. She heard his words and saw him grab Aaron by the shirt but her mind just couldn't register what was happening. She blinked several times as she dangled limply in the vampires' grasp and watched him. She didn't pay attention to the vampires that held her. Belle's eyes were locked on James. She shook her head. Her heart was pounding wildly and she couldn't breathe. "James?" Belle asked again. Tears welled up in her eyes but they did not spill over. She knew the truth. She knew what was happening. But she denied it to herself. This couldn't be real. This had to be some mistake. Belle's face was shocked with hurt, confusion, and betrayal. She looked around the warehouse in a panic. James stood in front of her with a dark smirk on his attractive face. She didn't recognize him at all. His voice sounded completely different. She had no idea who this person was standing in front of her.
 
James began to hum as he removed his belt. "What do you think you're doing?" Aaron snarled, but the vampire paid him no mind. Instead he looped the leather strap around the athlete's bulging forearm and tightened it, eliciting a groan of pain. James walked over to a group of vampires who had stayed in the corner the entire time. They all gave him uneasy smiles as they held out an assortment of objects. There were knives, and all manner of tools, as well as a few random looking items like a bottle of root beer. James pondered the selection before taking a can that looked like it held gasoline. He then grabbed a machete from one of the others, pulling it from the vampire's hand so sharply that he left a gash in the man's palm. The vampire whimpered slightly but made no protest. Not that James would have listened, as he was walking back towards Aaron, still humming with a wide smile on his face. "What the fuck are you doing?" Aaron asked again, his voice a mixture of rage and anger. Rather than answering, James shook his head as he brought the machete up over his head.

The noise it made as it cleft Aaron's hand from his wrist was awful, but not so awful as Aaron's scream of pain and terror. Still humming, James picked up the severed hand and tossed it on the ground between Aaron and Belle. He dropped the machete so he could take the gasoline can in two hands and begin dousing the severed appendage. "You may recall, Aaron, that this morning you dared to lay your hands on Belle. Specifically this hand, which you had the audacity to place upon her breast." He tossed the can of gasoline aside and took a matchbook out of his pocket. "It can no longer be allowed to exist in this world." James struck a match.

As the smell of burning flesh filled the air, James turned back to Aaron and gave him a gentle slap on the face. "Stop making such a fuss. I gave you a tourniquet, or did you not notice? Used my own belt, you should feel honored. And you should feel relieved, because after this, I'm not going to spill any more of your blood. Have to leave some for my boys, don't I? I guess that's not much of a relief, actually."
 
Belle watched in horror as James hacked off and burned Aaron's hand. She felt so weak. She knew that she should try to fight the vampires the held her. She should try to stop James and save Aaron - but she couldn't feel her body. Every limb was numb. Her head was spinning. She watched James torture Aaron cruelly and yet she still couldn't bring herself to accept what was happening. He was doing this for her? Her mind was trying to understand. She thought back to all of the signs. The timing that James showed up. The dream. The picture in the town files. The car in the parking lot. The way he'd talked her into staying in town. Belle gasped out loud, no doubt catching everyone's attention. Tears began to stream down her face. He killed Fred. James. It was him. It was all him. All along. Everything.

"It was you." Was all Belle could whisper. Her mouth was still agape and her chest rose and fell quickly as she started to almost hyperventilate. Belle had never felt more powerless in all of her life.
 
"Hm? Oh Belle. My dearest Belle." James turned around, and although he couldn't help but appreciate the view of her mouth hanging open and her heaving chest, he knelt down in front of her. He reached up and gently stroked her cheek, before leaning in to give her a soft, tender kiss. "You and I will have all the time in the world. I promise. But Aaron? He's only got a few minutes left. Let me enjoy it." He got up and turned back to Aaron. "Now, your other hand has not committed quite so egregious an offense, but you still touched Belle and you must still be punished." He reached up and took Aaron's thumb between two fingers, squeezing slowly but firmly as Aaron screamed. Rather than breaking the bone, James carefully ground it to dust within the boy's hand. Then he moved on to the next bone, and the next, until every joint of every finger was irreparably ruined. Aaron was sobbing incoherently by this point, but James was not done. He went back to the vampires who were carrying his tools--his party favors, as he thought of them--and selected a pair of pliers. Then he returned to Aaron.

"And this mouth of yours has uttered some very disrespectful comments, Aaron, we'll have to do something about that." Grabbing Aaron by the jaw, he pried the boy's mouth open. "How many times have I heard you make lewd comments towards Belle?" He reached the pliers into Aaron's mouth and pulled out a tooth. "How many times have you called her a bitch?" Another tooth was yanked out. "And that's just in the past few days. I'm sure there have been many more transgressions before I ever met you." James removed another three teeth. "Then just a little while ago in the parking lot. You told me this town was yours. It's mine!" Another tooth. "You told me the school was yours! It's mine!" James fixed the pliers on another tooth, then loosened them. "But that's okay. I don't need it. You can have it for the rest of your life, if that brings you peace of mind." He dropped the pliers.

"And then..." James snatched up the machete he had discarded earlier. "You told me Belle was yours!" Anger began to boil through his voice as he lowered the blade of the weapon into the flames surrounding Aaron's severed hand. When the metal glowed a sullen red, he whirled back to face Aaron, once again prying the boy's mouth open. "And she is MINE!" James slid the flat blade between Aaron's lips and into his mouth, forcing the boy's jaw shut just as easily as he had pried it open. Aaron's muffled scream almost drowned out the awful sizzling sound. Almost.

After a few seconds, James let out a long sigh and discarded the machete. "Alright. I think I'm done. You can eat him now." Without further ado, the vampires holding onto Aaron bit down into his flesh; several others converged on the boy and began feeding on him as James turned to face Belle. "Did I keep you waiting, Belle? I'm terribly sorry about that. How shall I make it up to you?"
 
Hearing the sweetness of James' voice as he spoke her name caused shooting pains through her chest. Belle lay there dangling by her arms, weak and helpless. James knelt down near her. She shut her eyes tightly as he lovingly caressed her cheek with his thumb - she couldn't look into his cruel golden eyes. Her eyes were still closed as she felt his lips press lightly to hers. She didn't want to but she kissed back - hoping with everything inside of her that when she opened her eyes again, this will all have been another terrible nightmare. Belle shook her head pathetically as James broke the kiss and walked back towards Aaron.

Belle looked at Aaron. He looked pathetic. Sweat poured down his face from the anger, fear, and pain. She looked down to his burning hand. Belle thought she was going to be sick. She wanted desperately to tell James to stop. To let him go. But she couldn't find her voice. She was still in complete and utter shock. Belle watched as James broke every one of Aaron's fingers, one by one. When he came forward with the pliers, Aaron's screamed something unintelligible. His screams broke her, momentarily, out of her shock. James was tearing him apart, piece by tiny piece. And he was enjoying it.

"Stop!" Belle shouted desperately. She thrashed around in the vampires' grip but they shoved her back to the ground hard and held her there. "Aaron!" Belle shouted. "James! Please!" Belle was sobbing. She shook her head violently and tried to spring forward to save him. The vampires were just too strong. There were too many of them. Belle watched as James forced the glowing blade into Aaron's open mouth. "No!" Belle gasped and turned her head. Her eyes were shut tightly but she could hear the sick sizzle and pop - she could hear Aaron's weak, pathetic muffled cries. Belle kept her head turned away and her body shook with small sobs. She continued to shake her head. Aaron's screams never stopped. Belle heard the rip and tear of flesh as the vampires tore into him.

James' voice made her sob harder. She kept her head turned away, refusing to look at him. She just kept shaking her head and whispering.

"This can't be real." She whispered, more to herself than to James. "This can't be happening." Aaron's screams started to turn into sick gurgles before silence erupted through the warehouse. Belle turned to face James, a curtain of long, blond hair veiling her face. Long strands of hair held a red tint, the wound on her head was bleeding from the blow of the crossbow. Her eyes trailed to Aaron. He laid motionless on the warehouse floor as the vampires continued to devour him. Belle looked up at the several vampires that held and surrounded her. They had a bloodlust and hunger in their eyes as they watched their comrades feast on Aaron. They looked down at Belle. The creamy skin of her neck, chest, arms, and shoulders was visible through her black tank-top and they licked their lips. Belle was shaking. One word from James and it would all be over.

Belle's eyes flickered back to James. Her heart was broken. It was broken into a million tiny little pieces, scattered across the floor of the warehouse. Everything felt so surreal. She felt like her entire body was going to fall to apart. She looked deep into James' eyes with betrayal and confusion in her own. "Not you." Belle cried, her words were almost too quiet to hear. "Please. Anyone but you." It was so hard for her to catch her breath. "How?" Belle asked James in disbelief. "I don't understand." Belle kept shaking her head, trying to deny the truth. "What do you want from me?" Belle asked pathetically.
 
"Oh Belle. My dear Belle." James picked up one of the wooden stakes from the ground. He wasn't sure if she had thrown it or dropped it; the fight had been quite hectic after all. She was very strong, very dangerous... that was what made her so exciting of course. "Pick her up," he told his minions, who hauled Belle to her feet as James approached her.

"I want everything." James rested the tip of the stake against her tank top, hovering over her navel. "I want your body," he said as he slowly dragged the point up along her garment. "Every curve and nook and cranny. I want your mind." He held the tip against her throat. "I want to dominate your every thought and haunt your dreams. And I want your soul." He pressed the side of the wooden shaft against her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. "And when I'm through with you, you'll be begging me to take it. But tonight, let's just start with the body." He peeled his eyes away from the slayer in order to direct his subordinates. "Let her go."

"What?" growled one of them. "Did you see how many guys she killed? And now that we've got her you want us to let her go? Fuck that, I say we kill the bitch right now!" He lunged in towards Belle's throat; restrained as she was, it might have been the end for her, except that James reached out his free hand. His movement was so fluid and so deceptively gentle, it might have seemed he was going to try and calm the other vampire. Instead he shoved his hands into his subordinate's gaping mouth and straight through his head. With a swing of his arm and a flick of his wrist, he hurled the young vampire to the ground. Then, tucking Belle's stake in his pocket, he produced a handkerchief and cleaned the viscera from his hand. He retrieved the stake and held it up to Belle's throat again. "Let her go. And back away."

The horde of vampires released Belle and backed themselves against the wall. If their 'leader's' plan backfired, they didn't want to be anywhere near it. James smiled wearily at Belle. "They are such a handful. Here." He pulled the wooden point away from Belle and flipped the stake around deftly, offering her the shaft of it. "Take it. I wouldn't want you to feel as if I denied you a fair fight."
 
Belle didn't know what to expect when James told them to pick her up. She watched him warily. She felt so hurt. So betrayed. It hurt to look at him. It hurt even more to hear his voice. She had trusted him. He was supposed to be her friend! She loved him... Belle stood up tall and tried to stop herself from crying, although tears still fell gracefully down her cheek. She held her breath as James pressed her stake into her navel. He traced the blade up her torso until it rested at the hollow of her throat. Belle tipped her head up and felt James press the tip lightly against her fragile skin. She swallowed hard and looked deep into his deceitful, golden eyes. He traced it up to her cheek and brought his face close.

"Is that what you did to Fred?" Belle asked in a cold, empty voice as she shifted her eyes to the stake and then back to him. "Do it." She said. She felt emotionless. "Kill me." He wanted her body. Her mind. Her soul. Suddenly she thought of her dream - if it had even really been a dream. James had said he wanted her - her love, her body, her mind, her soul, her life.... and her death. Belle was shaking when he finally ordered his minions to let her go. As if Belle wasn't confused enough already, her mind became even more mixed up. Why would he tell them to let her go?

Belle heard the vampire's voice and saw him lunge. She couldn't move. She was powerless. She shut her eyes tight and waited for the pain. But it never came. She opened her eyes slowly just in time to see James punch a hole through the vampire's head. Her mouth gasped open again and she looked at him in shock. He pointed the stake back against her throat and didn't look away from her eyes as he told his minions to let her go again. Belle was taken aback when James flipped the stake around and offered it to her. She stood there stunned. A fair fight? He wanted her to fight him? Belle was so confused.

"I..." Belle struggled, looking down at the stake in her hand. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to fight James. She thought back to the gruesome deaths of Fred and Aaron. Not only was he a sadistic killer - but he was artistic, unique. He took pleasure in it. If Belle didn't fight, who knows what he would do to her. She thought back to earlier that day - how excited she had been for their date. How much she wanted to face this "leader" so she could have a normal life with him. How she'd let him hold and comfort her when she found out about Fred. That must have been so amusing for him. She felt so stupid.

"I don't want to fight you." Belle said honestly. Of all the terrible things that he's done, she didn't think that she would be able to kill him. "Please don't make me do this." She said to him as she readied her body with the stake at her side.
 
James raised an eyebrow. The point of beating her in a fair fight was to break her desire to fight him at all, to show her the futility of it. If he took a hostage, if he relied on lesser vampires, if he attacked her while her back was turned or while she was asleep, she could tell herself that she could have beaten him. That she could still beat him, if she could arrange for more favorable conditions. And that idea had to be snuffed out quickly.

But if she didn't want to fight him, had he already accomplished it? Had he sunk his hooks deeper into her than he realized? He couldn't exactly read her mind but he could tell that she was sincere, or at least, that she felt that way now. He decided he would push her a little, see if she was truly ready to surrender. He smiled at her. "Oh my dear Belle... I intend to make you do many things, things you cannot yet imagine, things you will hate yourself for doing, things you will hate yourself for enjoying. But fighting me is not one of them. I thought you wanted to. I thought you wanted to put on one last show, something you could point to and say, 'I did all I could.' But if you would rather drop the pretense of resistance, you are welcome to surrender." He took a step towards her. "Say it. Drop the stake and say, 'I surrender.' Or, try and put it through my heart, if you think you can."
 
Belle stood still and prepared. Her body was still shaking. She couldn't believe that James was the vampire that has been hunting her this whole time. She was so niave. She should have seen it. She should have known.

The blood in her veins was pumping fast as she listened to James' words. She didn't understand what he wanted from her. He would make her do things that would make her hate herself. What did that mean? Belle didn't want to find out. She was hurt and angry. But no matter what he said - she refused to be afraid of him. Belle fell back a step when James suddenly stepped forward. She took a deep breath before stepping back forward, even an extra step, so she was close to James. She wanted to show him that she wasn't afraid.

"I will never surrender to you." Belle said in a heavy breath. Despite everything, God damn her to hell, but she didn't think she could kill him. Then again, she didn't want to find out what terrible plans he had for her either. She had no choice. Just like she'd told herself in the cafeteria - it ends tonight. Her chest tightened as images of the James she thought she knew ran through her mind. She had to silence those voices. That wasn't really him. It was all an act.

"It was all a lie? Wasn't it? Everything? You never cared about me..." Belle asked as her knees bent slightly. She started thinking up all the reasons that she should hate him. She needed her mind to concentrate on who he really was. The evil, sadistic, ruthless vampire that he really was. And not the nice boy from her school who held her when she cried... when she cried about... "Fred." She whispered angrily. "Why?" She asked. "Why did you do all of this? Why not just kill me?" The stake readied in her hand and she started to side step cautiously, walking in a small circle around him but keeping her distance.
 
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