He hadn t been lying when he had told Bella that nothing much more beyond his dignity and pride, at least at the moment. It had been incredibly foolish to go after Victoria alone- Edward hadn t anticipated he hadn t prepared. The only thing he had done was hear a small command, one that had placed Bella in danger, and instantly made his decision. It had been stupid and looking back on it Edward wanted to kick himself. No, he may have played it off to Bella as if there had been no issue- there was no way that he would possible get hurt. It had been a na ve thought but Edward was sure he would be fine- Victoria s original intent had been to kill Bella in front of him- She couldn t do that with him dead already. It had been a foolish thing to invest his hope into and yet he had- and he could have paid a very stupid price for it. Edward had always prided himself slightly on being able to know what people were thinking- what they were thinking about doing before they went and did it. Perhaps it made him a bit arrogant, he knew exactly what someone was thinking at all times and it took a lot of skill to confuse him. Maybe it was because he had been so distracted with the silence of the car allowing him a few moments to think for a moment, but regardless when he had stepped out of that Volvo he hadn t been ready for Victoria s attack. It had taken moments for the redhead to have him flat on his back, teeth at his neck. The reality of the situation had hit him quickly.
It was humiliating. He was mortified.
Edward had been expecting her to just end it there- but no. Since when had fate been that kind? Edward wasn t about to find mercy in for the form of Victoria and he merely glared up at her- her thoughts her ideas cutting him to the core as she did nothing but attempt to abuse him emotionally. The physical aspect would hurt slightly only if the venom made direct contact but her thoughts had been so vivid and detailed that it was almost as if they had already happened. Bella and Jacob being found Victoria snapping the werewolf s neck so quickly Edward was sad to say that he couldn t even find some sort of satisfaction in watching Jacob Black die in Victoria s head there was only pain. Victoria had pictured everything down to the point where it almost looked like reality- or a movie. Bella s tears at Jacob s death, Victoria taunting her about how she wasn t with Edward anymore How instead of killing her in front of him, it would only hurt him more if he knew that he wasn t there to protect her. The pain that hit him after that last thought made the amount beforehand seem insignificant- a mole hill to the new mountain. Who would be able to warn anyone in Forks of what Victoria was up to? Her plan would be a success and he wouldn t be there to help. The thought was so unbearable and it was almost immediate that Edward had realized his mistake. What help would he be to protecting Bella if he got killed prematurely? If in the grand scheme of things his life was a necessary casualty, but it was absolutely positive that Victoria would be gone and thus allowing Bella to live happily, so be it. His life was worthless without her- his only job left to ensure Bella Swan s safety. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.
And almost as suddenly as it all had happened Victoria had decided that his life was going to be spared. The vampire s thoughts were quick and sudden but something had caused her to back off and he was left to nurse his wounds while she fled. There had been at least one good thing that had come out of the experience and unfortunately it wasn t anything definite. But Edward had managed to ensure Bella s safety for an uncertain amount of time. She was safe for now, but now Edward had to explain things more thoroughly to his family. Things weren t good and Victoria was at least ten times stronger than had been expected. James had been easy. Once he was immersed inside of his game there were no distractions- no help. He had been match for the family of vampires. Victoria was proving to be infinitely more difficult. There had always been that saying that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and now Edward could fully understand that saying. She was going to stop at nothing until she had felt that reserved had been served properly and Edward had to do whatever he could to prevent her from succeeding.
That last thought had him sighing as he sat in the leaves of the forest, not moving just yet as he composed himself. Bella. Darkened eyes widened slightly as he gracefully rose, stepping into the driver s seat of the Vanquish and taking off. No. Victoria had shot off like a bat out of hell; would she honestly think about going to Forks? It would have been the ideal situation for her- Edward had been down and out for the count when she had suddenly left after her meeting of abuse. "Damn it," he growled loudly speeding out of Portland quickly. His cell phone had been pulled out quickly to leave messages to his family of warning (without giving much detail, he didn t want to worry them) before he noticed Bella had been messaging him. Sighing in relief that everything seemed to be alright so far he continued on with the conversation, his main focus on getting back to Forks. It didn t matter if she was going to invite him over or not. Edward was going to be making a stop at the Swan household as soon as he got to Forks. The only difference would be if she invited him Bella would see him. Otherwise he would merely look around, make sure no one was close and then stay in the woods nearby. There was no time to joke about this- he had no idea where Victoria was or what she was up to. Peeking into her mind caused exactly what the vampire had been hoping for- his pain. Her thoughts were vicious and she knew exactly what to think to have him wincing or freeze slightly. Bella wasn t his and he knew that. Edward didn t need Victoria or anyone else to remind him, he was doing that enough for himself already.
Fortunately enough for him the invitation was extended causing him to sigh in relief. She mentioned not knocking or calling beforehand- but Edward s manners refrained from letting him do so anymore. Bella had a boyfriend- someone else who would be the one to come over unannounced- not him. He would knock if his body would allow him to wait. His very core had been aching ever since he had left to go back to Italy those weeks ago. It was hard to believe he had gone this hard without seeing Bella but it was necessary. But this didn t stop the ache, the pull she had on him. Edward wanted nothing more than to rush into her house, pull her into his arms and just hold onto her until he knew she was safe. But he couldn t. His job was now to protect from the outside, the shadows. She had someone else to do that. The comforting touches and whispered words.
The little town was slowly coming into sight and the Vanquish drove down the roads that Edward hadn t ever planned on doing. There would be no hiding his visit this time from Bella- the purr of the engine of the sports car was loud compared to his silent running in the woods. No, she would know and Edward had mixed feelings. Fate would have it so there was no time to dwell on things anymore, the car was already in park in the driveway of the house. Bella s obnoxious broken truck in the driveway. He smirked slightly as he stepped out of the Vanquish to pull out a dent in the piece of crap before making his way to the front door. His knuckles rapped gently on the door to cause enough noise so Bella could hear the knock. Yes, Edward had been aware of Bella s demand that he not walk and just come in- but he couldn t help it. It was common manners and after a moment he slowly opened the door to step into the living room. The vampire s eyes flickered closed as her scent hit him again for the first time in a while, his body shutting out the smell of wet dog. He had seen quite enough in Victoria s fabri- Victoria. His eyes opened with dread as he looked around the room quickly to make sure there was no sign of a struggle? "Bella?" He called hesitantly, slowly looking more and more anxious as the seconds ticked by.