Chapter 6

On any given day, John August will be the first to admit he was a slimy sadistic son of a bitch when he was alive, but now that he was a vampire the qualities from before tripled. He slaughtered countless throughout the years, without care or remorse. Tasting the blood of pregnant women, snapping a child's neck, beating the elderly it all mattered not; humans were no better than cattle and bred like rabbits after all. Looking at it from an ecological point of view, he was actually doing the earth a favor. So yeah he was quite proud of himself.

John peered at the females who unknowingly entered his territory, licking wanton lips. It's been so long. So long since he'd had a woman of his kind. He drank them in greedily. One a Celtic warrior goddess with curly hair aflame in the streetlight watched another feast. The another attached to a man's neck the embodiment of the night itself all skin of pale moonlight and hair a wave of flowing nocturnal sky.

He lept from the ledge to alley below, smirking when he noticed them startle and 'introduced' himself.

"Hello, ladies."

The sentence just barely managed to escape John's tongue before he found himself hurled backwards and slamming into the nearest wall, bricks crunched caving in behind him. Obsidian and four gleaming canines appeared a breath's way away from his face.

The long forgotten emotion of fear froze him in place. What sort of creature was this?

He taunted with false bravado. "Oh like it rough there do you, bitch!"

Ignoring the vulgarity, Lilith simply studied him with keen interest. Angelic face, golden locks and an arrogant sneer. Unlike her originals and like her newest youngling, his teeth remained blunt and eyes changed bloody

All and all he screamed male privilege. Dominance. Weakness.

"Ungrateful wenches." The creature hissed in bubbling rage. "I gave them everything and this is how they repay me!? By whoring their gift to the likes of men!?" Oh, she knew very well they existed had seen it in her younglings memories, heard their tales, but to actually see one in person squandering her gift so openly was an entirely different matter. The grip around the male's neck tightened until...CRACK. The granite skin gave in, webbing around each of her fingertips.

John struggled fruitlessly, growling and snapping his teeth.

Lilith ghosted her free hand over his face and watched in unwavering fascination as the normally stonelike skin seemed to come alive, crawling, jittering, desperately reaching out for her touch.

"This does not belong to you, son of Adam." She stated simply flicking her gaze back up to scarlet eyes. "It is mine!"

Lilith jabbed a thumb to his forehead.

The reaction was instantaneous. John's back bowed harshly and his mouth flapped open to let out a scream of pure agony as deep grey veins bulged out along his neck. Sickening ripples waved across his forehead all rushing to her touch where Victoria could just make out a metallic liquid pooling just beneath the surface.

The male's beautiful face and god-like body began to shrivel and shrink, aging by the second. His hands too weak to fight any longer fell limply to his side where their fingers curled inwardly like dying spiders.

Nearby Victoria watched onward, her expressionless face belied by the sheer horror surging through her nonexistent soul. God, what abominable talent was this? It was like he was being sucked dry. And that's when it slammed into Victoria like a freight train.

By the Gods, she was taking his venom.

He dropped to the ground, nothing but a dried twitching husk. Lilith peered down at the body for a moment, head tilted slightly to the right.

The hungry blackness from before now replaced by the startling appearance of rather human looking eyes. Their color strangely reminding Victoria of the forest right after a midsummer rainstorm, beautifully fresh and glistening.

Hazel, painfully ordinary hazel.

Perched upon a metal throne, Aro shifted restlessly tapping his fingers idly on the armrest and unknowingly sitting the whole place on edge with his nervousness. Even the seasoned guards who normally were still as statues darted their eyes to and fro as if waiting for some unknown monster to leap out. It'd been weeks now since Aro sent his best tracker to search for Lilith and the eldest king was beginning to become impatient not to mention agitated with his coven.

A click and heavy swoosh snapped everyone to attention.

Demetri along with Felix appeared with backs hunched and necks bared. Their postures akin to beaten dogs readying for another round of their master's wrath. The atmosphere grew thick and uneasy. It did not take the gift of physic to figure out what was about to occur.

Aro leaned forward in impatience. "Any news?"

"No, master."

His face gave no indication of displeasure, but the bending of the armrest within his clutches said otherwise. The king was furious.

"Jane."

The petite blonde girl materialized from darkness beside him, face as perusal set in stone. An angelic waif feared by all. She was Aro's youngling, daughter, and closest most trusted ally. Not to mention the proverbial whip to the Volturi's hand. Crimson eyes alight with the promise of malevolent fun, her cupid bow lips curled ever so slightly and the entire room save for four of them clasped to the floor writhing in agony.

"I want her found NOW!" He bellowed, punctuating it with a fist to the armrest. The metal gave way instantly.

Alice came back to herself in a gasp, horror written across her delicate face. "Her powers are growing."

"How long until she reaches full strength?" Carlisle questioned, usual passive tone belied by the desperate fear in his golden eyes. He absentmindedly clutched Esme's hand for comfort.

"A month maybe two." She paused as if to gather herself for what was about to come. "And that's not all,"

The Cullens perked, scooting to the edge of their seats.

Alice opened her mouth to continue only to be cut off by Edward who growled with eyes now pitch.

"She has Bella."