Chapter 1

"Bella, what were you thinking?" I chided myself as I quickened my pace through the dark alley. This wasn't a normal thing for me, you know, getting lost and all. Usually, I have my brother, Jasper, pick me up from school but today he was busy. I brushed it off assuming that he had trouble at work again and went on my way. If he or my oldest brother Emmett knew I was lost like this... well Emmett would laugh hysterically but Jasper would give me the lecturing of my life without even saying anything. All he had to do was glance at me with his soft yet piercing ice blue eyes and I'd be close to tears. We'd always had that type of connection. Despite the apparent effect he had on me, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A wave of pressure hit my forehead as I rounded a corner.

"Shit" I muttered

I ran into the darkness hoping to find another way out but came in contact with the wall. A string of curses slipped out of my mouth as I rubbed my nose in pain. I turned around to leave. I froze.

This can't be good.

A figure stood, outlined by the lights on the other side of the street. He stood at about a few inches above 6 feet with a tall lean form. The silhouette outlined the muscles on his arm.

He took a few steps forward. I took a few back. Then he slid to the wall and suddenly light filled the alley. Oh no... My breath caught in my throat as he strode closer. My mind ran through all the rational things I could do at the moment. His eyes flashed a light honey color. My eyes widened slightly as I caught sight of him. My thoughts eluded instantly. My legs threatened to give way.

He looked to be a few older than my 22 years. His expression showed nothing. I sucked up my fear as he strode dangerously towards me. I stood my ground, no matter how bad the consequences would be. I could never let fear get to me. He stood a few centimeters away from me. His emerald green eyes flashed as his features became more defined and I held myself back from gawking at him. I left his nonchalant gaze till I was eye level with his chest.

"You really think I'm going to hurt you, don't you?" he murmured. I let out a slow breath, how could his voice be so attractive? I cocked my head to meet his eyes. Big mistake. His face, angelic yet rugged, held the sexy smirk of a damn predator. I felt a crack in my defenses.

Remember your mom... I blinked, returning; only this time, my wall was twice as strong.

"Aren't you?" I mocked. If he was going to kill me, charming me was the exact way to make it more painful. There was no way I was giving him that pleasure. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You tell me" he said. Blush spread across my cheeks.

This was not the way to deal with someone who might just kill you.

I bent my head back down tearing my eyes from his. I closed my eyes and waited, if he was going kill me, I wouldn't give him the chance of seducing me first. All too quickly I felt a cold metal on my neck. My heart skipped a painful beat. I stopped thinking, that would only make things worse, remembering the things and people I would miss. I waited. About half a minute passed and I opened my eyes and bent my head to look at him. I was annoyed.

"If you're going to do this then do it quickly, I don't like the idea of waiting to die" the words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. My mind processed them and realized how stupid they actually sounded coming from my mouth. I mentally slapped myself. Idiot, do you WANT to die? Something changed in his eyes.

"You're lost" he stated. I felt my facade dim momentarily as the desire to just go home struck me.

"Yes" I whispered sounding relieved. A few seconds passed before he removed the gun from my throat and backed away. He turned and began walking out of the alley. I stood there, confused.

"I thought you wanted to get home" he called, stopping to face me briefly before continuing in the same speed. I blinked then ran up to him in frustration.

"Do you even know my street?" I asked out of breath and struggling to keep up with his pace. He didn't answer, he just continued walking. I sighed and followed. We were walking for about 5 minutes before he stopped abruptly.

"Anything wrong?" I asked him.

"Yeah, small problem"

I waited.

"So what is it?"

"How do feel about walking for 2 hours?"

Perfect

"Is that how far away my house is?" I asked frowning.

"More or less" He said turning to face me. I sighed deeply and bit my lip. Now what do I do? It couldn't be earlier than 9 and I couldn't walk for 2 hours, my legs would probably fall off and who knows what could jump out and get me. The night was never safe in these areas.

"Follow me" he commanded, turning away once more, as if he knew I had no other choice but to follow him. How right he was pricked at my side. I forced my legs to move at his pace ignoring their cries of protest and threats to go into comatose. Fifteen minutes passed and we arrived at a gate. He slipped a key off the loop of his jeans. My eyes immediately went to the small string of exposed silver skin before he fell his t-shirt back down and opened the gate. I walked carefully into the compound while he locked the door behind me. I focused my gaze on the building in front of me. It was way bigger than any normal house and looked like it had everything. Then it finally dawned on me.

"I can't spend the night" I blurted out. He stopped and turned to meet my gaze.

"I'm not leaving you out in the night by yourself" he stated callously. My temper sparked.

"Considering you held a gun to my neck, I don't know how you expect me to trust you"

He approached me slowly and folded his arms when he stopped. My eyes involuntarily trailed over the well sculpted muscles of his arms.

"The worst thing that can possibly happen to you when you're with me is the least thing that you'll face out there". A chill ran down my spine, and not from the cold. He turned and left into the house. I took out my phone to see if I could try and make a call to my brother. After holding down the on button for an irksome amount of time, I gave up. It was dead. I took a deep breath, this was stupid but what other alternative did I have. I should just be thankful that I wasn't dead.

As I entered the house, my eyes roamed from the velvet couches to the plasma television and advanced kitchen. The velvet rug felt soft enough to sleep on as it lightly lapped at my toes.

"I see you finally came to your senses" an alluring voice spoke. I raised my head to where he stood against the pillar by the stairs. I tried to pick out his emotions from his expression but the only conclusion I came to was indifference.

"As if you care" I scoffed, voicing my thoughts. A ghost of smile hovered on his lips.

"I'm not surprised that you would say that" he mused looking off to a corner. His nonchalant facade was really starting to piss me off. Wait! What if-

"How old are you?" I blurted out. His eyes flashed back to me,

"25"

3 years older than me.

"It's late, let me show you to your room" then he turned and walked swiftly upstairs. I scowled at his handsome figure and he ascended the stairs. He liked doing that, you know, leaving and somehow knowing I would follow but not even bothering to check, and it pissed me off. I followed him up the stairs to a short hallway. The blend of colors contrasted softly and I wondered if he actually designed the house himself. I decided to voice my thoughts.

"Did you decorate this house by yourself?" I asked.

"My sister did it before she finished college"

"You have a sister?"

"Why so surprised? The only thing I recall mentioning about myself was my age"

That shut me up. I didn't even know his name. He led me silently to an averagely sized bedroom. It was mildly adorned but apparent that this room had been vacant for quite some time.

"The bathroom is the door at the end of the hall way. There are fresh towels for you if you need them. When you wake up there will be some money on the kitchen counter for you to take a cab to your house. Feel free to have some coffee or make breakfast for yourself. Any questions?" He went through every word smoothly as if everything was planned... but the possibility that he actually was THAT confident dominated my first assumption. I gave him small nod.

"Wait" I managed, finding my voice before he left the room. He strode towards me again only this time, he was much closer.

"Yes" he breathed. I blushed involuntarily.

"Don't you have a car?"

He smirked, "Don't you?" I scowled at his lucid mockery.

"Sure I do, that's why I'm here and not home" I stated my tone dripping with sarcasm," Now answer me"

His eyes sparkled with amusement before returning to their previous state, "I do, but it's out".

My curiosity pricked at me to pry but I resisted it.

"You're not going to be here in the morning" I stated rather than asked. His eyes clouded,

"That's not a question"

I ignored him, "Will you?"

His gaze on me deepened and he took a small step till our bodies were almost touching. His presence close to me jumbled up all coherent thoughts I had a minute ago. His scent flooded around me. Damn.

"You're just going to have to wait and see won't you?" then he turned to leave. My blood boiled and I reached out and held unto his arm.

"You owe me at least that" I said angrily. The muscles in his arm tensed up. A soft but firm hand gently brushed me away. I was powerless and also speechless about how easy that was for him and how carefully he did it. I wasn't THAT weak. Then he met my eyes, cruelly darkened and full of a hatred I couldn't understand.

"I owe you nothing"

His words rang in my head. How could I make him so angry just by saying four words? I rolled around for some time, guilt and curiosity gripping my chest until I fell into a restless slumber.