"But you said that about, like, the last five dresses."
I looked up and gave the two of them an apologetic smile.
"This isn't really your thing, is it?" Angela gave me a small grin. For the little time I knew her, Angela seemed to understand my introverted personality the best.
"I just….really want to go to this bookstore. I'll meet you guys at the restaurant?" I said as I stood up. Their half mumbled replies faded behind me as I exited the dress shop, analyzing my map and trying to figure out how to get there. It was a good fifteen minute walk to the store, and when I arrived there were wooden carvings and dream catchers hung inside the windows. The book itself was inexpensive, and I hoped it was worth the creepy look I was given by the shopkeeper.
I knew they had just recently fed, since their eyes were bright and reflected the shallow light of fluorescent bulbs. That, and the news on the TV behind the counter was talking about a potential serial killer on the loose. I sighed, because if I knew James, then they hadn't followed my careful rules. And by that cocky smirk on his and Victoria's faces, they both knew I knew it too.
"So, instead of following the rules I gave you for feeding in my territory, you go ahead and just do as you please. Explain to me how that works exactly. Do you get off on breaking the rules James? Does it make you hard?" My eyes shifted to the redhead. "Or is it a turn on for your mate? The potential exposure? Possible eradication from two different sources?" I leaned back and put my right arm on the back of the booth we were currently sitting at. Dragging my eyes across the deserted diner, we were the only ones in the building. I had sent the staff home early, they didn't need to be an unnecessary distraction to my….guests.
"Maybe we're just not scared of some mangy bitch telling us where we can and can't hunt." My eyes returned to the blonde.
"Ooooh good one, how long did it take to come up with that?" I rolled my eyes. "Look, either you get the hell out of my city or I'll rip you apart and ship you off to the Volturi. Comprende puta?"
The answering snarls I received didn't satisfy my need for an answer. My left hand darted out, and I shoved my fingers into James' mouth, with my thumb underneath his jaw, and yanked him forward. His fangs scraped the back of my hand, but I paid no mind to it.
"Get the fuck out of my city." I ignored the growling coming from Victoria as I stared down James. His eyes flashed, in what I figured was fear, an emotion he hasn't felt for a very long time. I shoved him back as I released his jaw. The crunch that followed as he pushed it back into the sockets was immensely satisfying, and the sadistic smirk that adorned my face felt damn good.
I looked over to Victoria and realized she had graduated from her pitiful growls to hissing. Like a damn house cat. I just raised an eyebrow as James grabbed her hand, and they were off. I sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day, and started closing down the diner. Once I had locked the doors, I caught a scent on the slight breeze traveling through Seattle. There was pheromones, particularly human male, and fear. Definite fear. The fear was attached to another human smell, this one female.
I frowned, and something told me to follow these scents. I don't know if it was just my misguided sense of protecting everyone, or if it was something greater, but I didn't hang around to contemplate it. Putting my keys inside the pocket of my leather jacket, I turned toward the alley across the street.
The scents were far stronger here. I tuned my ears for any noise aside from the normal city background, and heard laughing and the sound of cans being kicked around. I peeked my head around the corner at the end of the alley, and saw five male humans around a skinny brunette female. Judging by the body language of the girl, the advances of the boys was unwanted.
I casually strolled into the alley, and stopped about five feet from their circle. It took a couple seconds, but one of them finally noticed me. They aren't being incredibly observant.
"Get lost asshole." Yep, they're totally drunk.
"Not until you step away from the girl fucknut."
By this time, all of them had turned to me, and the supposed ringleader puffed his chest out and clumsily strutted himself closer.
"You heard my buddy, git outta here."
"So you're drunk and deaf too. Awesome." I rolled my eyes, strode forward, and socked the guy in the temple. He went down like a sack of potatoes. At this time, they all felt necessary to do something, so they all rushed me. Two punches, a clothesline, and a kick later, they were all unconscious. I looked up to see the taillights of a silver Volvo flashing back at me, I was assuming with the brunette in it. I was about to just let her go when the faint scent of a vampire caught my nose. The scent was faintly familiar, and diluted. I was certain there was no vampire in the alley before the fight. And then I remembered the scent. It was a "vegetarian" vampire that took the girl.
"Hmm. Guess I'm going to have to see if Carlisle has suddenly changed his policy on turning humans without consent." I went back to the parking lot of my diner, and hopped on my black Kawasaki Ninja.
It has been too long since I last visited.
"You have grown your coven Carlisle. But I see that your eldest son is absent. Would you kindly tell me where I could find him? I have a couple questions as to his latest….habits."
As I spoke, I trailed around the living room, eyeing with a mild envy the wall of DVD's and video games. The remaining Cullens were all present. The blonde female, who I always fail to remember her name, was pretending to be nonchalant and supposedly reading a fashion magazine, but the rigid way her shoulders sat gave away her anxiety. Her husband, Emmett, was playing a game on his handheld PSP. He wasn't faking being nonchalant, I could tell he just didn't feel or pay attention to the tension in the air. The curly haired blonde male however, was the exact opposite. His tension is incredibly palpable, and most likely the origin of the thickness in the air, empath or not. His wife, Alice, was trying to comfort him by rubbing his shoulders and sitting on the arm of the chair he occupied. Carlisle's wife Esme was making me a snack in the kitchen, even though I had refused anything elaborate.
"And what kind of habits could you be implying?" Carlisle had a curious gleam in his eye, but wore a knowing smile.
"The kind that allows him to pick up random human females that are in danger of being sexually assaulted." My blunt answer took them off guard, and I noticed that the blonde female-Rosalie! That's her name!- put down her reading material and faced me directly with a vicious look. Hmm, so that's an interesting note. She's been privy to sexual assault.
"So he rescued her?"
"Depends on how you look at it." I sighed. "I had actually engaged the girl's would-be predators and when I was done with them his scent was in the air and a silver Volvo was fleeing the scene."
"You didn't assume that he was another predator, or that he would drain her dry?" There were a couple gasps from Esme and Alice due to her blunt response, but Rosalie paid no heed to them.
"No, your scent is more diluted than a human drinker. Since you are the closest coven of vegetarians, I decided here would be the first place to start." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Edward and Carlisle also know that if Edward ever harmed a human in any way, shape, or form, then I would make him wish the Volturi had come for him instead." No one said a word, as they let the threat, which I had presented as a fact, sink in.
"Now, Carlisle, where is Edward?"
At my question, he yanks out his cell phone and dials with superhuman speed. Of course, I am able to follow his every move. The room is silent while we wait for the answer to the call. It rings six times, before an answer is given.
"Carlisle? Is something wrong?"
"Edward." There is an audible sigh of relief echoed around the room, but my stance alerts them to the fact that this is not quite over yet. "Where are you?"
"I am…busy, is there something you need?" the tone he used doesn't imply any ill will or pleasure currently evident in whatever situation he is in, and the inflections are even and confident. However, vampires can inherently control their voice as they have perfect memories and can intone inflections and pacifications. So I don't believe the girl to be quite out of his presence just yet.
"Edward, I need you to tell me your exact location and the current location of the brunette human you picked up twenty-four minutes ago."
"…I am pulling out of Bella Swan's driveway, on my way back home. From what I hear, she is in the kitchen picking up after Charlie."
I frowned, and then gave him instructions. "When you arrive back here I want to know exactly what your evening consisted of. I will be able to tell if you lie." With that, I turned around and exited the front of the house. Instead of hopping on my bike, I figured it would be faster if I ran.
The trees flashed in front and beside me until I came to a road. Across the street was a quaint two-story house, with a police cruiser and an old, red Chevy truck in the drive. I listened, hearing the television downstairs blaring a baseball game, while there was shuffling coming directly across from me. I listened harder, and heard water running with the clinking and banging of dishes. A flash of dark brown hair in the window on the first floor confirmed that the girl was at home safe. With a smirk, I turned around and headed back the way I came.
Let's see if Cullen has a plausible reason for practically kidnapping the girl.
As I walked through the front door, the quiet conversation that had been going on ceased, and Edward, front and center, gave me a disapproving look. I almost applauded the kid, he had stones to even look at me with any form of disrespect. I will let him think he is righteous for a bit, get it out of his system before I tear him a new one.
"So, why must you interrogate me about my whereabouts?"
"Because you kidnapped a human girl right in front of me."
"I figured she should be removed from the potentially dangerous situation." He haughtily put his hands in his pockets, chin raised in an obvious challenge. Outwardly I had not even twitched, but internally I was gnawing on the bit to assert myself over him.
"There was nothing potential about it. It was a dangerous situation, one which I was handling. You needn't concern yourself with it." I crossed my arms and rested my weight back on my left hip.
"She is a classmate of mine, of course I'd be concerned. I don't want to see her hurt-"
"You have never taken an interest in any classmate of yours ever before. If I remember correctly, there have been instances where a human has died in front of you and you didn't raise a finger to help."
"It is not our place to interfere-"Carlisle interjected.
"Precisely. So why now Edward? Why is she the lucky one out of everyone to be saved by the oh-so-graceful Edward Cullen?" as I spoke, I took a step forward and uncrossed my arms. I refused to lose my cool before I got all the information out of him I needed. It was a part of my reputation. I had to be fair. It also kept me from further headaches later.
He refused to answer me. He just stood there, looking back with a smirk. As if he had the right to refuse me an answer. I raised my hand to subdue him and exert force to make him talk, but Alice stopped me.
"She's his singer. And he believes her to be his mate." Edward ripped around with a vehement fury on Alice, but she merely shrugged. "She would have gotten it out of you eventually, this way is just less painful. For you."
That was my cue to smirk in all my self-righteous glory, but I let the opportunity slide. Instead, once I registered the fact that he had kidnapped a human female, that was his singer, I let the anger I had been holding back bubble to the surface. As I opened my mouth to speak, given by the gasps of the others, I noticed my fangs had elongated and I felt my claws cut into the fists I had made.
"Edward Masen Cullen. This is your one and only warning you will get in your existence. You will never, never, make move, pass, cop a feel, or initiate any form of contact, be it physical, emotional, or verbal, with this girl unless she gives you explicit permission. I don't care if she thinks you're weird for asking or if it goes against any form of ideal or belief you have. And until you make her aware of the danger she is in to be alone with you, and I mean the singer aspect as well, you will not be alone with her. And I will know. Don't you ever doubt that." I finished my rant with a scowl. "Carlisle, I apologize for coming into your house and doing this, but it needed to be done. I will be checking up on him, but if you wouldn't mind, I would also like to visit on informal calls. We have a lot of catching up to do. That, and Esme, you still make the best food." I sent a smile her way, and then promptly turned on my heel and exited the Cullen property. I got on my bike and tried to lose myself in the wind and the feel of the machine, riding until close to dawn, light pinks dotting the sky to the east.