Mercifully, the sun was setting as I reached the outskirts of the city in what was probably record time, and I abandoned the car knowing I would be much faster on foot on the city streets. I let the steady buzz of voices in my mind raise to a dull roar, searching for sign or mention of Bella, all the while trying to prepare myself for her scent to hit me. I stopped breathing as I caught the faintest whiff of her, steadying myself against the pull of her very being.

But nothing could have prepared me for what I found.

I was off before I knew where I was going. I found her in a dark alley, surrounded by male minds full of the most disgusting and most inhumane thoughts of unbridled and unchecked lust.

For Bella. My Bella.

Unchecked.

And I could not check my own fury.

All it took was the sight of Bella surrounded by these men, beaten and bleeding, her clothes ripped… and I gave into the monster that roared inside my heart.

There were four men, all facing away from me, their focus clearly on their prey. I punched the one closest to me so hard he was blown back into the brick wall behind him, crushing his skull, dead in an instant. I hadn’t even had time to think, I simply acted.

The other three snapped their heads up at the sound and knew I was there now, the element of surprise gone. Two stood to face me as the third finished with the crumpled girl beneath him. It was no longer necessary for the two hunters to hold their prey down while the third partook – she was far too weak and broken to fight back.

I wanted them to suffer.

I could taste the adrenaline and fear, still refusing to breathe even as my maddened mind screamed with desire. The two lunged toward me, shouting and cursing, too angry to realize I had already killed one of their comrades. I stood still and poised before them, tense, coiled and ready to pounce.

They tried to take me from the sides, but I was much too fast for them and far too strong. I swung my arm around and punched the man on my left with deliberate aim. I heard the satisfying crunch of bone as I whipped around and gave his friend the same treatment. I’d broken skin. The fresh sight of bright red blood gleaming in the moonlight assailed my senses and blinded me. The mere sight of it started the flow of venom in my mouth.