The leaves rustled overhead as Bella and Edward picked their way through the forest; her hand in his; contemplative expressions on both of their faces.
"It's not much further now." Edward said in his careful manner. "You will like it, -I think."
"What are you showing me anyway?" Bella was curious. She'd been invited over to dinner at the Cullen's house and had expected music, socializing; not a trip into the forest upon dusk. "Are you sure there's no wolves?"
"You're safe with me." Edward reiterated; something he'd told her many times before. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
"I know." Bella smiled; tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her remaining hand. She stepped over a fallen log and squinted skyward. "Why are we walking this way? Why aren't you carrying me?"
Edward didn't answer her. Feeling slightly jilted, Bella didn't press him, but she still wondered why they were taking so long to get to this 'magical place'. Finally, they rounded a grove of trees and her jaw dropped. Here, nightfall had finally fallen and moonlight fell upon the clearing like whispers of silk. A breeze lifted her hair and she stepped forward when a piercing pain in her neck brought her crashing to her senses.
"Edward, -what are you?" She tore herself away to see a strange expression on his face as she registered the warmth running down her neck. Touching it brought blood to her attention. No, he wasn't doing this right, -he wasn't doing it right!
"What are you doing, Edward?" Bella demanded as he approached he again. She couldn't detect any humanity in his eyes. He wasn't even smiling in anticipation of the thirst being quenched. She could feel the tingling in her neck, -the first sign of the pain to come. She recognized it.
"It's okay, Bella." Edward assured her in a dead, flat tone. "Everything's okay." In an instant he was upon her again; turning her face away so she couldn't see as he sank his teeth into her neck to drink her life force. This wasn't love; what he was doing was, was, -it was some sort of rape.
"Get off me!" Bella screamed; trying to push him away. In response he enfolded her in a gripping embrace; squeezing still her protests of escape. She was feeling dizzy. She couldn't quite see properly.
"Edward…" Bella tried, "Edward stop, please, stop." She managed to pull an arm out of his embrace as it slackened in his inattention, but trying to pry his arm away was futile. His hair fell down; tickling the side of her face he wouldn't let her turn. His torso was pressed against her back; she could feel his muscles tensing. Her world was fading. Bella felt sick to her stomach. She felt so weak… she felt so-
She felt so sick. As Bella swung her legs over the edge of her bed she struggled with a violent urge to throw up but managed to suppress it. She was utterly horrified with what her subconscious mind had thrown at her.
Her room looked as if to be sleeping, itself, as it lay suspended in the dead of night. Somewhere out on the street a person yahooed but other than that -and the buzz of pylons- all was silent.
Across the room was her dressing table and crossing to it, Bella rubbed disconcertedly at her beck. Turning slightly to the side before her mirror she saw it was red as if she'd been pressing something against it for a long time. It was a huge contrast to her pale skin.
A rattle at the window distracted her and she turned; thinking it was Edward surprising her with a late night visit, but no, he'd been thinking about those and thought they were being too intrusive. She didn't think they were intrusive though. All she really wanted was him. She adored Edward.
Flopping onto her bed and let herself sink into the feelings she got when he wasn't around. Her heart seemed to contract in her chest at the thought of not being near him. It was something about his face… his voice. Hearing it sent shivers down her spine. But that dream.. Oh that dream had been hideous.
She had never had a dream about someone she was so close to, doing something so terrible, before. Of course she wanted to become a vampire but, well, she supposed it was like a suicidal person not wanting to be murdered. They were two completely different things. She wanted to become a vampire, but she wanted to be the one to make the decision and tell him when she was prepared to make the decision. She didn't want to be pounced on, and besides, in her dream Edward had been killing her, not turning her into a vampire. And that feeling… oh she shuddered to even think of it.
The window rattled again and she ignored it until she felt the presence behind her and the hands running down the length of her arms. With a smile she registered they were chilly, but not in any real temperature-wise way. Rather they were just a dead temperature; neither unpleasantly cold or the other.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Edward asked quietly as he nuzzled against Bella's cheek. "Is something wrong?"
Bella turned around to look at him but before she could react he had ensconced her in a hug and was crushing her lips with his own. She felt mildly as if she should say something; tell him to slow down or something, but she couldn't; not when her heart was beating wildly in enjoyment of him grasping her. When he released her she almost fell over.
"Are you okay Bella?" Edward asked; back to being concerned. She stared at him; her eyes wide in the moonlight dappling across her carpet and as her heart sank she realised what she had to say.
"I've been infatuated by you."