Caught in the Flames

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One

As always, none of this is mine. I'm just the perv who want to make our beloved Twilight characters swear, drink, and go at it like horny rabbits. This story will be a combination of love, suspense, some violence and steamy, sweaty sex.

The end of the reign of terror is near. That's all I'm saying! :-)

Chapter 161

EPOV

"You're like a god damned zombie. You don't fucking die," James snarled into my ear. "Well, now, she's going to watch you die, asshole." He hit me in the temple and I slumped, darkness swirling around me as Bella's scream faded away.

BPOV

I watched as Edward slumped and fell onto the floor. The gun had caused a deep cut on Edward's temple. He was bleeding and it was dripping onto the floor. The scent made my stomach turn. I wished for Edward to wake up. My heart was stammering. Fear was washing over of me as the grizzled features of my once attractive ex-boyfriend glared at me. James had so much hate in his eyes. That hate grew exponentially when he saw my swollen belly. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, needing to protect our Marie.

You are not touching me, you fucker!

"He got you pregnant?" James snarled, his face morphing into a terrible grimace. "I thought I fixed that problem. Perhaps I can do it again ..." He lifted the gun, training it on my stomach.

No! Not again, asshole.

It broke my heart for me to shimmy closer, further away from my unconscious fiancé, to my desk where the gun was sitting in the top right drawer. "Please, don't," I whimpered. "It's a boy. I don't want you to hurt him."

"All the more reason to hurt him. He's not mine," James snapped. He cocked the gun. I let out a little shriek, diving behind my desk. While James was stepping around my fiancé, I managed to get my own gun that Charlie had purchased for me. I hid it behind me, tucked in the back of my maternity jeans. "I wanted you to bear my son, Isabella. Why couldn't you behave when you were with me?"

"It's documented that men decide the gender of the baby. It's encoded the sperm," I retorted, glaring at him. "You're the one who couldn't behave if you wanted a boy." James hissed, moving closer to me but I pushed the chair from behind my desk at him. It slowed him down as I edged along the wall to get closer to Edward. He was moaning, obviously waking up from James' attack.

Wake up! Please, baby! I need your strength. Come on, Edward!

James looked down at Edward. I took the opportunity to really look at James. His hair was gone. He had obviously shaved it off. His face was covered in a fairly long beard. On his neck, there was an angry, oozing wound. From what Edward told me, he explained that he shoved a pair of scissors into James' neck. That must have been the remnant of that injury. It looked infected, inflamed with nastiness. From the crazed look in his eyes, he appeared to be delirious with fever and willing to do anything to end this. You're not the only one, James. But, I had to stall him. I needed Edward by my side.

"Why?" I asked, trying to get him to talk. "Why did you do that? Why can't you let me go?"

"Why?" he parroted, his voice taking a sing-song quality. "WHY?" His voice grew angrier. "Because you were mine, you bitch!" He raised his gun, pointing it between my eyes. I let out a choked whimper, closing my eyes tightly. I raised my hands in surrender, hoping he'd calm down. Pressing the gun against my skin, he continued, "You were the woman I was meant to marry. The woman who was supposed to bear my sons. The woman who was my subordinate, my picture-perfect wife. The woman who I could order around, just like my mother. She was so docile. She took everything my father gave her and you looked just like her."