Better Than Revenge

~alec’s pov~
“Where the hell could she have gone?!” my sister hissed.
Aro sat watching Jane fall apart with amusement written on his features. I however wasn’t amused. Okay, so maybe I was amused a little- it was Jane’s big chance to earn favor back with the Volturi and she’d managed to lose yet another little mortal girl. But more than amused, I was scared as hell. Andrea had vampire venom coursing through her and only about an hour before the damage was irreversible.
“Jane, dear one, you must try to relax,” Aro said mildly. “So what if we lost the wolf puppy? We will soon have a much bigger prize. Can’t you just imagine both Swan twins at my side? Two halves of one shield.”
“Both?” I asked curiously. Jane had instructed Elizabeth to meet us alone and she wasn’t stupid enough to endanger her daughter’s life. Well…
“Of course, my boy. Bella would never let Elizabeth come alone. And then of course there will be Edward and Alice as well. We will shortly be adding some very powerful members to our coven. And I know that you two can get rid of the rest of their guard.”
My sister nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Master,” she chimed obediently.
“Of course,” I replied with only a moment’s hesitation.
“But of course we also have Felix and Dmitri and the others to tie up any loose ends…” I stopped listening after that.
I couldn’t just stand around waiting for Aro’s prizes to arrive. They’d given up on Andrea because she was just a means to an end. But I wasn’t going to give up. I actually cared about her and I couldn’t just do nothing when she was out there dying because of me.
It took me a few minutes before I picked up on her scent. It was faint which was why Jane and Aro had missed it but it had become so familiar to me. I carefully followed the trail through the thick trees that hid her from me. Blood splattered on the ground on was painted on the trees every so often and it made something inside of me tighten each time.
Her scent hit me like a tidal wave only a couple of miles away from Campo Seco. Fresh blood danced on the wind as it hit my face. The smell of her blood wasn’t appetizing to me but the fact that there was so much of it had me worried. I pushed through the bushes quickly and saw her standing there with her beautiful brown eyes narrowed. She was shaking but I couldn’t tell if it was from trying to hold back from phasing or if it was from the venom in her and the pain that caused.
I let out a cry of relief just as she exploded into wolf form and lunged at me. I easily sidestepped her attack but she rounded back on me, fire and danger in her too-human eyes. “Andrea, it’s me.”
She growled. Okay, of course she knew it was me. And she obviously wanted me dead. I sighed and stood still as a statue. “I told you that I won’t fight you if you want to attack me. But please, Drea, let me help you first.”
She cocked her head to the side and stared at me, contemplating whether or not to trust me. Her eyes were still wary as she shifted, too weak to even stand. “How?”
I took a step closer but a low snarl broke through her lips. “Let me get the venom out of you. Please?”
“Ugh,” she sighed making that annoyed face that I’d gotten so used to from her. “You mean you want me to let you bite me?”
“Sort of,” I admitted cautiously. “But I won’t hurt you.”
She tried to push herself to her feet but stumbled right into my arms. I tried to ignore the fact that she was completely nude as I held her close to me. Her breathing was getting shallow but she didn’t even have the strength to fight me off. I carefully moved her tangled hair from her shoulder and looked at the spot where she’d been bitten. A large scratch mark ran along her collarbone near the clotted bite and it still bleeding slightly. “Let me help you,” I whispered into her hair.
“No…” she started
Her breathing hitched slightly as I pressed my lips to her throat. I couldn’t let her die. My mouth latched onto the gaping wound and I took a deep drag of her blood. To my utter surprise it wasn’t as tainted as I’d thought it would be so I didn’t have to take that much blood from her but it was still a lot in her weak state. I kissed her neck gently and pulled away from her. She collapsed completely exhausted into my arms.

*andrea michelle black’s point-of-view*
I was so tired, the fight completely gone from me. I rested my head against Alec’s hard shoulder and closed my eyes while his nimble fingers gently combed back my matted hair. His scent, which should have been driving my senses crazy, was oddly comforting and I felt safe and sound in his cold embrace.
“Did you cut yourself?” he asked quietly after several minutes of silence.
I pulled back and looked into his pitch black eyes and absently traced the fading pink lines on my left wrist with my right hand fingers. “Yes. As brave as I pretend to be, I don’t want to die. I-I had to try something before that creepy guy’s venom got too far.”
He kissed my forehead and I took in a sharp breath. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to die, either.” I froze as he leaned closer to my ear. Even with my wolf hearing his next worlds were nearly silent.
“I think I’m in love with you.”