First of all, thank you very much to all of you who take your time to read this and to review it. Feedback is always important and I appreciate your effort into improving my work, because at the end of the day, this is what a review is all about: helping me do better!
NOTE: Bella and Edward are definitely the best creation of Stephanie Mayer, so no harm intended through this story. I'm just being a 100% fan to the Twilight and to vampire love stories in general.
Note from the Author
This is dedicated to all those who are obsessing with love.
Love impossible, that you cannot find, yet you crave for; that you had but lost.
Love like no other that drains you, hurts you beyond limits.
Love that takes you high above to then drop you to your knees.
Love that will give you more than you can handle so when it goes away will leave you emptier than you ever were.
Love that does not judge, does not ask, does nothing but burn inside, uncontained, uncontrolled, unbreakable.
Love that you want to relive over and over again.
I subscribe.
Love knows no regrets so regret nothing of what you've loved!
Impossible Avenues
by Impossible Avenues
Adam and Eve. Good and Evil. Less good and more evil. The Bible first laid down in golden letters the tale of how humanity turned on itself. Humans fought along and against each other to keep the fragile balance between this Evil, blossoming in their womb and the Good, so scarce and glassy, that at times it appeared to have faded away. Yet Humanity was victorious. Or so it seemed. Its many churches and pilgrims, claimers of truth and faith had strengthened the belief of people that Good was omnipotent and prevailed over Darkness.
Thousands of years later, the mists of time, blurry with uncertainty, revealed yet another truth. Rumors, unspoken words and fears of how the long forgotten Evil had mingled in the world through hidden shapes and forms, with powers beyond imagination and comprehension. The world sensed it, the world called on it, in fascination, craving, awaiting, alluring it. Still Evil kept lurking in the shadows, mocking at the foolish nature of people, being so drawn to it.
Bright blue eyes stared at the world swish in silence, creeping in its dark corners and claiming victims. Bright blue eyes that soon were to show how the greatest Evil can succumb to a greater Good: L o v e.
CHAPTER 1
The wheels screeched on the pavement as the car took a sudden turn on the pavement. Bella was still amazed at how she managed to park the car so skillfully. She had always been fearful with some things and having a car accident has been one of them. She looked out the window to measure the distance in between her car and the one parked next to it. Plenty to avoid scratching the paint when coming out of the vehicle. She gathered hastily the documents spread on the passengers' seat, took another look at the make up to make sure it was all in one place. It was so damn hot outside that she felt the skin itself melted and ran down her cheeks. A deep sigh from the bottom of her overheated lungs and she sprang out in the parking lot.
The notary office wasn't far away, thank God! She felt the high heals to her shoes sinking in the sidewalk tar. Jesus! She tried tip toeing, but the weight in her arms didn't give her too much freedom in movements. The bell rang and she waited impatiently for the door to open. Another ring and this time a mid-aged woman opened smiling widely. Bella could tell that she was in a better mood than her. They greeted and she stepped rapidly inside, hoping they had air conditioning on. The cool breeze of a fan rotating in the hallway made her loosen a bit and relax. She wished the fan stood still so she can have all that cool air diverted towards her alone. The notary public shook her hand and invited her over in his office.
Here the air conditioned really did miracles on her. The little room was filled with people. Three of them she recognized. They were the employees of a bank she was working with. Bella had managed to put together her own translation office, and together with a well trained team at her side, business was going smoothly. Today, she was here to translate for a foreign citizen who had purchased a property in Bucharest and they needed to finish the paper work and transfer the ownership rights to the new buyer. Behind his desk, the notary, along with his assistant, was trying to fix the last details before signing the documents. One other gentleman, most likely the seller, paced nervously in the little space. Bella's eyes rested on the man sitting in the chair next to the window. He seemed completely preoccupied with something else other than what was going on in that room. He was looking absent out the window. The bright afternoon sunlight made his skin look almost white. So white. So white that his dark eyebrows seemed darker than they probably were. And the hair. Peach black. Thick and definitely not in the trend. A bit longer, shadowing his temples, with the whiskers hiding the tips of the ears. Bella stood fascinated watching him. The notary addressed her but she missed on the call and kept staring. The notary called again and this time several people in the room turned their heads to look at her. She was about to react when the man turned around and faced her. It's like she had always dreamt it to be; a man's eyes; charcoal black, scary black, so deep and intensive that she felt she could drown in that pool of tar. She swallowed dryly letting all the air come out through her nose, like a racing horse snuffling in expectation; she felt her heart pumping slowly but steadily, at such slow pace and rhythm that the sound of it was almost silent. The room had also gone silent. She fixed that darkness fixing her back.
" Sorry" … she tried to toss the handbag off her shoulder, such a disturbing intrusion into her dream. "Mrs. Swan!" Bella barely managed to snap out of her trance. She felt like a fool or better yet she didn't feel anything anymore but the very urge to turn around and inspire some more of those eyes.
" Yes…" a rapid gasp of air surged her lungs in a forced attempt to get a grasp of reality. "I have … the documents right here!" She approached the desk and laid down the pile of papers she had so tightly held to her chest until then. "3 copies of each as you recommended", she stepped back waiting for the notary public to make his move. She tried ignoring as much as possible the man still looking at her. Strange, but she could feel him watching her. And by God she wanted to look at him too. There were few the times in her 27 years of life where she has considered herself to be such a dumb ass that even other people could see it. And today was definitely one of those days. Dumb ass! Dumb ass! The man was gorgeous no doubt about it, but she was still a dumb ass… no doubt about that either!
"Please Mr. Stavros, sign here… and here. Perfect! Ok. Mr. Cullen, your turn Sir! Right here, please!" The man approached the desk and leaned over to sign the document. Bella caught the movement with the corner of her eye. The light behind him showed off the line of his broad shoulders that the expensive suit he wore only enhanced with each flexing of the muscles underneath. The fingers holding the hand were strong and manly, writing letter after letter with minute precision. His hands were just as white as his face. Too white. Without realizing she had turned her head and was staring again. He slowly responded and set his gaze on her as well. She didn't react to it. Motionless; slowly drowning again. For some reason her imagination ran wild at the same time while her mind was freezing. She felt free. She felt like she could share a million things to this man and that he had a million things to share with her. How come? She only knew his name from the translation she's made.
"Thank you very much. Well, gentlemen, I guess this is it. Mr. Stavors! Mr. Cullen!" the notary shook hands with them then offered a copy of the document. "Congratulations for the deal. If anything at all, please contact me, I will be at your disposal" the notary continued with a faint attempt of ass kissing. For some reason that didn't come out right. There was also confusion or maybe fear what she sensed in his voice. Fear of pushing the conversation too far, of doing something inappropriate. Bella thought that maybe these people were some big shots demanding outmost respect. Oh well, her eyebrows arched in indifference. No business of hers.
"Mrs. Swan, again thank you for helping us on such a short notice. Please leave the other documents over at the secretariat. We will take care of it as soon as possible." He was talking about her money of course!
"Absolutely, no problem" Bella smiled professionally. Mr. Stavros passed her by on his way out of the room. So did the other three people from the bank. She quickly bent over the chair behind her to grab the purse. She hurried towards the door but before taking a step forward the entrance got blocked by him. She was stuck and she did not have much room for retreat. When did he get out of the room in the first place? It had only taken her a few seconds to take the bag and he was still there when she reached for the purse? She looked at him confused. Going out meant squeezing by him. Going back in meant the same thing. She dared and looked him in the eye. His eyes were no longer a sweet hideaway for mindless dreaming but a penetrating stare she felt down to the bone. In all that black she could actually make out the iris and the more he stared at her the more the iris grew in size showing the pleasure he took in watching her. Little by little she figured that if she was breathing her chest would inflate and bring her closer to him. If only she could stop breathing! How stupid! His face, his neck his whole body emanated coldness. She felt like getting closer. Her back was sweaty yet her face was cold being so close to his body. The eyes… forget the eyes! The lips were even better! What was wrong with this man for Christ sake! Looking so awkwardly beautiful! Sheet white yet with such powerful eyes and such full reddish well contoured lips! And then again, what the heck was wrong with her! In a matter of seconds her mind has counted down and filed all his features like it was the most urgent and most important thing to do!
"I would like you to assist me with another project I have". The sound of his voice, so sudden, so low came as a shock to her. It made her shiver. The waves of his breath swept through her pores over and over again as he was carefully choosing his words. "I have a few, very old, documents that need to be translated. I need a summary drawn of them. It is very important". He spoke slowly and the deep tone of his voice reverberated in her ear. His sight had not shifted of her face for a moment. Bella was looking at him and yet she seemed not to see him. She sighed.
"Very old documents need a specialized translation and I… I am not specialized in translating old documents". Her voice sounded better than she expected it to be. Very sexy. Her usual morning hoarse voice. Maybe not that sexy if she thought about it.
"I know you can handle it. It's not Shakespearian language, if that's what you have in mind. It's French, rather old French, but still French of which I personally have never really been fond of". His lips curved smiling imperceptibly. Bella sighed again and she knew he heard it. Maybe he was figuring she is annoyed with him and can't find the way to refuse his offer. How professional of her, damn it! She gathered all of her courage and mental lucidity and looked him in the eye.
"I'll see what I can do. Please have someone bring the documents over to my office. I'll go through them and then give you my final answer on whether I can help or not."
"I know you can help." He smiled. He did smile now. Candid. How can such a fierce perfectly crayoned face smile candidly? Warmly and sensual? Beyond her the answer that! "Unfortunately the documents cannot leave my residence. They are too important."
Bella's eyebrows came up wondering. Still, no red flag was ever raised in her hallucinating mind, not even for a second. Somehow she did not consider the man a threat. Just weird. Weirdly beautiful. She wanted him! She tried to choke an upcoming smile, reminding herself that she was now 27 not 17 and she had to put an end to the childish uncontrolled wet dreams. Again she looked him in the eye, this time a bit more confident seeing how she had her first little attempt of self control succeed.
"Well, this is going to be difficult. My time is rather limited. I have other pending projects. I could have one of my colleagues take a look at the documents."
"No. I want you." His tone tumbled down on her like a cold shower. Yet it ignited a terrible fire inside. "I assure you my team is a handful of professionals. What ever you trust me with, they can be trusted with as well."
"And I do not doubt it, but I want you and you alone for this job. It's very important to me that someone whom I have observed to be very skilful and passionate about this to handle them privately." Bella wondered where he had observed her or her skills considering that today was the first time they've met. She tightened her lips preparing the answer.
"Ok. I can stop by and take a look. But if you need this urgently I am afraid that me having to always come by your residence we'll slow things down."
"The text I want you to take a look at is not very lengthy. I am sure in less than a week you will be done with it. You can come whenever you wish and can. I may not always be there but there is always someone to answer the door. Nonetheless, at the end of the week, I would like us to meet so you can talk to me about the document. To tell me the story"
So there it was, in a single phrase he managed to not only make her his permanent guest for the week but also gave her a full set of instructions and a deadline for the project. Bella smiled. The man had a serious set of balls on him, no denying! She liked that. Bold and inquisitive. And demanding.
"Story?"
"You will see." Again that smile. Bella managed to support his look while smiling back. His hand slid underneath the jacket and took out a business card.
"Please, give me a call tomorrow. I will be waiting."
Bella took the card careful not to touch fingers with him. Somehow she did not want it.
"I will. Good bye Mr. Cullen." Even though he leaned backwards to make room for her their bodies still touched as she slid out of the room. On the way out she almost forgot to leave her invoices, smiled stupidly and stormed out in the lobby.
Minutes after she sat in the car bolted to the chair with the seatbelt and for once she actually enjoyed the heat. She opened her fist and read the business card. She had clenched on it so hard that it was all cramped. It read:
Edward Cullen, Ph. D.
Architecture and Interior Design
Member of the High Order of the European Architects
Adelaide Avenue, 52 * 012243 * Bucharest * phone: (0040) 21 65 70
Fax: (0040) 21 65 68 * e-mail: .ro * .ro
So this was her secret client! Cullen Vintage was a renowned art shop for vintage furniture and interior design accessories that mortals and ignorant fools such as her would only dream of visiting. Buying was obviously out of the question. She had entered one of these shops before. One of the crystal hand made chandeliers counted her little office's profit for most likely two months or more. And she considered herself to do pretty well with her work. Rumors had it that the shops were so famous not only because of the unique merchandise but also because of the owner, the eluding Mr. Cullen, who rarely made his appearance. And when he did sales would get out of control. Bella plaid with the card for a bit. What kind of mind control did this man have on other people? She thought back half an hour ago remembering how childishly she behaved. She automatically flipped the card on the other side. There was a cell phone number. Hand written. That was awkward. It was obvious that not a lot of people would have access to that number, so when did he have the time to write it? It was like it had all been planned before.
She shook her head and threw the card in her purse then pushed on the gas pedal. Soon the heavy traffic caught her attention. She drove slowly and relaxed. For some reason she felt happy with how the day started and she was thrilled thinking of tomorrow.
CHAPTER 2
Silence. A few voices outside on the sidewalk. Kids playing probably. He liked listening to their giggle. It was a happy thing to listen to. And not many things seemed happy to him. His eyes fell back on the drawing board. Somehow the calculations he had done and redone a thousand times since yesterday did not add up. He leaned back abruptly in the chair, hands behind the head looking emptily to the ceiling. The cell phone started vibrating annoyingly on the desk. It was the 44th call he was getting that day and neither of them was HER. He didn't feel like answering. Still, with a sudden and unperceived move he grabbed the phone and then was back rocking in his leather chair, in a matter of seconds. Edward smiled thinking of her reaction if she had seen him do that. Well, she wouldn't have, because humans don't have the ability to perceive something beyond their own powers. The phone in his hand continued buzzing. He slid the golden frame and the display lit. Bella calling… Connected.
"Hello… Mr. Cullen? Hello?" the voice at the other end seemed insecure and unsteady. He could hear her nervous breathing through the wiring.
"Yes. Cullen here. Bella?" No answer. It was the first time he was saying her name and even on the phone his cold voice gave her the chills. Bella wished he'd call her name again, just one more time so she has enough time to savor it. But he didn't.
"Are you available?"
Such a business cold and brute material of a man, Bella thought grasping involuntarily on the phone. "Yes. I could drop by today and see the documents. Only in the afternoon if possible, I have all morning booked already. I am sorry."
"It's ok. Afternoon is perfect. Please write down the address."
Bella wrote carefully the address. Wow. Bucharest Beverly Hills! What else did she expect for someone with his revenues? "Ok, got it. I will be there around 2PM, that's the best I can do. I'm sorry."
There was true regret in her voice and Edward felt pleased to see he was right in her being so dedicated and professional. "As I said, it's ok. I'm glad you can come at all. I know it has all been on a very short notice. I appreciate it." Unfortunately for him he couldn't get his voice sound any more understanding than that. It wasn't in his nature to be kind. Even his politeness was icy even though he expressed it impeccably.
Bella hung off the phone and she felt that morning coffee hadn't given her as much strength as she thought it did. She felt week. Idiot! She ran the fingers through her hair letting it loose. She slowly massaged the scalp keeping her eyes closed not thinking of anything in particular. The laughter in the office next door and the continuous noise coming from the printers relaxed her. They were such familiar noises, she loved them. It meant her people were having a good time working and that there was work to be done. She looked at the business card in front of her. Such refined paper and such good quality in the texture of the writing and print. Expensive, of course. Bella sighed and pushed it aside. Aside, yet close, she didn't want to misplace it. It was important. Very important.
1:30PM. And she had hit traffic. How can it be? How many people out there are having lunch now as to block all down town? She struggled to remain calm and control her sweating and swearing. Finally she left the main street and entered the residential neighborhood where Cullen was living. She started looking for the number in her address. Nothing. She drove slowly by a big villa she thought looked like something Cullen would have. Number 76. So she drove further. At some point the street broke in two. One went downwards towards other villas and another went upwards. Bella couldn't see any houses there, just trees, orchards. For some reason the more secluded street seemed the right way to go. She drove up the street and still no house. At some point the road straightened and she ended up in front of this huge black gate. With surveillance cameras at each side. She lowered the window to the car and tried reading the number above the bell. 86. That was it. Bella got of the car and slowly approached the cameras. She rang the bell and even though she couldn't hear a thing the gate suddenly opened in a minute. She looked around, but no one was there. She twisted a few more times not sure what to do, but then thinking someone was watching her chasing her own tail like a stupid puppy, she decided to get in the car and drive the long alley past the gate. Once inside she couldn't take her eyes off the garden laying in front of her. There were all sorts of fruit trees, fountain statues and artificial rivers flowing in a sort of choreographed dance all through out the garden. Personally, she wasn't much into fountains and stuff but these seemed so well placed and coordinated that made everything come into harmony. No exaggeration any where, just an excellent taste for colors, plants and garden accessories. The pebbles on the road fractioned under the tires. She stopped the car at a dead end. She took her coat and purse and continued on foot to the marble stairs. She tried to control her continuous sighs coming as a response to everything she was seeing. A huge pool with crystal blue water lay in front of her, and everywhere around it there were white canopies. An amazing hand made mosaic of hundreds of small ceramic plates covering the bottom of the pool. Chinese art most likely, a red dragon throwing flames out his nostrils, holding a rose in its claws.
Bella stood mesmerized at the sight. God it was beautiful. She pursued herself into not thinking how it would feel swimming in that pool. It must have been wonderful at night. She was sure Cullen had thought of some unheard light display that would make the entire garden look like fairy playground. Then her eyes set on the mansion rising a few feet from the pool. Two levels, made of dark bricks and covered with stone, contrasting powerfully with the modern pool. The massive roof was supported here and there by small gargoyle pylons. What a combination. The windows were big and plane, yet medieval looking. Everywhere around the house and from the huge balconies sprang roses of pure red, climbing down to the entrance door and up to the roof. It was strange. But beautiful. Like him. Strange but beautiful. And welcoming.
"Mrs. Swan I assume?" The voice distracted her from more sightseeing. In the door way there was this man. Beautiful. What was wrong with her? But he was beautiful. The same kind of beautiful as Cullen. Cold looking, too white and with very dark features. Only that his hair was chestnut and long. A little less built than Cullen was, but still, you could tell the man had a cavalcade of male models around him.
"Yes." She approached him holding her hand out. He looked at her strangely. Then he slowly reached for her hand and shook it. Bella almost froze. His hand was so damn cold, dead cold. He could see it in her eyes and retracted his hand rapidly.
"Mr. Cullen told me about you. Please follow me." Bella was intrigued. This guy didn't seem a valet, so what was he doing here acting like one? He followed him quietly in the hallway. Hallway is what you have in an apartment like hers, thus huge thing at the entrance looked more like a ball room to her! She didn't even bother to assimilate the view anymore she just let it sieve through in her mind, enchanting her senses. The furniture was massive and yet the very construction of it made it look light and cozy. The house was well lit, thanks to the big windows and the well positioned lights. She expected to see some medieval portraits or armors sitting around but she was surprised to see the modern abstract paintings on the walls, the colors in the drapes, the green of the sofas in the living room. The golden features of the chairs mixed wonderfully with the red and orange of the tapestry in the oriental carpets strategically positioned on the dark parquet.
"In here." Her guide stopped in front of two massive doors which he opened in one easy movement. Bella followed him sneaking closer to see how heavy one of those doors really was that he managed to open them so lightly. They were made of massive wood and she couldn't figure how much work out the poor man had to go through to put on an impressive move like that. She found herself staring in disbelief at the tall walls covered with book shelves. A library. Now she realized what Cullen meant by old and what old must've meant to him. Of course he couldn't get this stuff out of the house, it was priceless. Maybe she should wear special gloves when handling them. They stopped in front of a glass case where an old book laid open. The pages were yellowish and cramped, broken here and there. Bella could see the covers were solid and cased in silver with three silver locks. There were drawings in it. Drawings of wars, she didn't recognize any of the armories in those images. The man stepped back and advised her to do the same. With the remote control in his hand he shot down the security system and then open the case. He slowly took it out and placed on one of the wooden desks next to the fire place.
"It's all yours. If you need anything just pick up that phone." Then he looked at her with a smile. "I am sorry, Mr. Cullen will not be able to make it as he has other appointments. He advised to make sure you have everything you need, so do not hesitate to call please."
Wow, she thought. "Sure, no problem. I guess, a glass of water would be fine for now." Her smile was reassuring. She needed to be alone with all these books. She was so excited at the thought of digging into all that lecture!
"I was thinking more like lunch. We've taken the liberty to prepare a little snack. I hope you're ok with that."
Bella was taken aback by the gesture. "Yes, I guess if it's not too much trouble." Now that he talked about lunch she did remember she had nothing to eat since that morning. "But… I am sorry. I do not have much time, so I'd better just stick to work. It is very important that I do a preliminary reading of the document." Bella smiled trying to not insult her host by refusing his lunch offer.
"Oh, but you can stay here and work. We will bring everything here."
"No, not a chance! I wouldn't get food close to these books!" Bella shook her head stubbornly.
"I insist. There is no harm done."
"Ok… maybe just a sandwich, nothing complicated ok?"
"Nothing complicated" his smile made her feel more at ease since their initial encounter.
"Did Mr. Cullen tell you what part of this book I should be looking at?"
"Page 127. La Legende. The Legend. But reading through the whole thing might help." His advice was more than welcome. She needed this project to come out right. Plus, a translation from a foreign language to another foreign language is never an easy job, with her being a Romanian native. Well, think positive, more practice for the translator and surely a fat check for her growing business. And a perk bonus, of being around this mysterious man even for just a few days. Life was always exciting for Bella, but at times she felt it got out of hand with eccentricity. What could she do? She was at the mercy of her destiny and her job was to make the best of it, whatever came.
"Thanks for the tip. I will definitely consider it." Bella nodded to the man as he was walking out of the library. She turned towards the fire place and observed the black ashes in silence. Then threw her bag and purse near by and sat down at the desk not daring to touch the book. She started with the beginning. Page 1 was a note from the author confirming that all that was written in the book was not only sacred to the covenant but also true facts of its history. She looked at the date. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind blocked. 1560AC. And it said that the facts were dated as far as 9AC. That was more than 2,000 years ago! Who could have lived in 1560 as to tell true stories of something that happened in 9AC? But then again it was a story as he said, a legend. There couldn't have been much truth to it. She relaxed a bit.
She went on skimming through the book. Her eyes lay on the strange drawings. Soldiers above ground battling. Soldiers underneath the ground. There was something unrealistic about these soldiers. The ones standing above ground all wear a seal on their shoulders and their shields also bore the same marking: a fiery dragon with a rose in its claws. She remembered the mosaic in the pool. Bella became a bit restless. She looked closer. These soldiers had… canines. Long sharp canines, long hair, they were all displayed as being well built and ferocious. Too bad the drawings were black and white, she would have liked to see whether their skin was pale white like Cullen.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she smiled to herself leaning back in the soft chair. Vampires. She blinked a couple of times. She was no stranger to this kind of fiction; actually she was a mean fan when it came to the dark and occult stories of vampires, werewolves and such other creatures of the night. She read as much literature like that as she could. She even wrote romantic stories of possible love between a dark sided and a human. But of course, this was all fiction. In reality people did a lot of bad shit in laboratories and plaid with genetics creating all sorts of atrocities, but it all stopped there. Maybe they managed to create some universal soldier or some deadly biological weapon, but not a vampire. She smiled again. "Let's just remember this is a legend, like so many you've read before!" Only that the book was so old and too explicit for it to be all about guessing, rumors and medieval fantasies of something people back then couldn't control or understand. Magic. Myth. This is what the book was probably all about. People back that were suckers for that. Bella dropped the pen on the table and looked at the book again. Still, this was going to be a very interesting lecture. She started reading from the beginning taking careful notes of everything she considered might be useful in deciphering the legend later on.
A short knock on the door and her handsome host came in with a tray full of goodies. He smiled and left just as quiet as he had come in. Bella peaked at the tray. That was no sandwich but a festive meal. She indulged in the grapes first, God she had such a bad culinary behavior. Careful not stain the book she went on eating while going through the text. Soon enough she learnt that long ago there was a time of disaster and chagrin, when the Black Death had swept through the continents and left the Earth almost bare of its inhabitants. The death toll was devastating. Yet in the midst of all the bitterness there were few that survived, either by sheer luck or miracle. Or simply due to some genetic evolution where their bodies resisted the plague and became immortal. Bella sighed. A true vampire story no doubt. If an editor got his hands on this they could make a really good screen play out of it and a box office movie afterwards. Cullen should consider the option; it would increase considerably his income.
She went on reading half way through the sandwich. There was only one immortal, a lord at the time, back in what was now England. He had a son who at his turn was immortal. His mother though was not and died shortly after his birth. His father took his solitude through the many years that followed raising his boy. When the young man reached manhood he stopped aging and little by little he also took the shape of an immortal. It looked like his mother's genes had gone that far as to get him grown up, give him an almost human existence, the power to have memories, feelings and a beating heart. He was considered to be the first vampire king. His name was Edward. Bella stopped chewing, her senses becoming very alert all of a sudden. Maybe it was a simple name coincidence. Probably that's why he wanted the legend translated because he thought it was cool that the vampire in the book was also called Edward. Surely that was the reason. It was fashionable among the rich to have themselves compared with someone interesting that would steer people's imagination. And a vampire was definitely something on the wave these days. The movies, the music the crazy people dreaming at the impossible, having tremendous powers and never dying and stuff…. all for the sublime price of just having to drink blood for the rest of time.
Bella giggled at the thought, thinking that she too was one of those idiots who at some point dreamt of that immortal life. Her early 20s were just made of dreams. She wondered how she had made it this good when her head was at times filled up with impossible things. She continued her lecture while licking her fingers. Damn that sauce was good! So Edward, the son grew to become a king amongst the human kind. King of what? If there were no other immortals. Few pages later, she learnt that his father had used his armies and turned them into vampires and soon enough before Edward reached maturity he had created a small empire for his son to rule. It seemed selfish and cruel, but the purpose was humanitarian. He used the legions to act like some sort of human kind police and protect them from themselves and soon from other vampires who learnt that their powers could also conquer not just protect.
Soon things were out of control and during one battle when Edward was almost 800 years old his father was defeated and bled dry by other vampires. The loss was immense to his followers but especially to his only son. Edward continued his father's doing but adopted another strategy. The war was not to be fought out in the open as before. He took on a different name than that of his father, he instructed and updated his armies as time passed by becoming one of the most feared enemies of his own kind and not only. Chapter after chapter went on telling his story through out the many centuries of his immortal life. But there was no physical description of him anywhere. Just that he was brave, fearless, merciless and so on and so forth. The things his followers would do for him were incredible. There were times when people fighting for him had gladly given their lives to save his. Well that statement was rather relative. They did not have a life and he couldn't really loose his, but Bella got the point. He had to live as he was the defense stand for humanity. But how could he defend something he fed on? The book only said he did not feed on humans even though he did have a craving for blood like all vampires did. Synthetic blood! Geez, her imagination had not lost any of its former glory! Bella laughed and the sound echoed through the library. It could've been true in modern days but what about back 2,000 years ago? Animal blood? Yuck! Well, whatever served the cause…
She looked at the tray. Food was over and she didn't even realize she had eaten all that! She grinned unpleased with her gourmand attitude. So, Edward had managed to hide through out thousands of years without letting the world know that behind the curtain there was a war going on to defend its ass. Everything done quietly, everything cleaned afterwards, everything kept under an oath of secrecy. Then it abruptly ended. At Chapter 7, page 127. The Legend. What could this Legend be about? His bravery, his powers, his armies and war strategies? They've already been detailed half way through the book already. She took a look at the time. Almost 5PM. 5PM? What? How? "My God, three hours already and she did not even realize it! The book was truly captivating. Not even the old French had caused her too much trouble in deciphering its mysteries. But she couldn't leave now! And then she remembered her cell was set on silent since the last meeting she was in. She quickly found it in her purse. 12 missed calls. Damn it! Most were from her girls in the office and some from a couple of clients. She started making rapid calls to settle things she'd missed on. She got rid of the obvious ones from the office then talked to the clients. Mr. Andreescu needed her for a consecutive translation at 6PM at the notary office in Universitatii Square. She looked at the time again. She could make it if she left right away. She agreed and hung of the phone. God damn it! She wanted to read the legend! Could she make copies of it? Probably not and not this fast! She looked around for the phone her host had mentioned when they first entered the library. She picked the receiver and before dialing the voice at the other end answered.
"Something wrong Mrs. Swan?" Bella stood still with surprise. "No. I just lost track of time and now I am running late with another appointment."
"I understand. I will be with you in a moment." And he meant it. In less than a moment he was opening the heavy doors as easy as he did the first time. Bella was getting just a bit tricked with this fast and faster things happening around the house. But she didn't have time for thinking or asking questions now. Vampires right? She smiled inside her head before grabbing her belongings to rush out of the door. Then she abruptly turned around looking at the mess she had left behind on the desk. The tray and the book and papers all over.
"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it." His answer came swiftly. She looked at him and frowned. Did the guy know everything? She stormed into the lobby and while putting her coat on turned to say good bye. He was already there opening the door for her. Forget this thing with him moving too fast! It's just in your friggin' mind! Bella rushed to the car and drove down the alley relaxing a bit to the view. She realized how focused she had been over that book. It was hard coming back to reality after almost 3 hours of bed time vampire stories. She turned left and took the road to the main boulevard. The black gates closed behind and as she saw them diminishing in the distance, she felt depressed with leaving the mansion. She was drawn to it. She had to find time tomorrow and come back again. Meanwhile she put some music on and tried focusing on her next assignment. It wasn't easy but at least the day was drawing to an end giving her some time to think more of Edward Cullen and his strange story.
CHAPTER 3
The heavy gates opened and a black Masseratti entered the garden. The tall shadows of the trees reflected in the black windows as it drove slowly towards the marble stairs. Cullen turned the alarm on when entering the house. Falken was waiting in the lobby. They saluted with a pat on the shoulder.
"A long day?"
"Pretty much. Did you get word from Michael, he was supposed to send us feedback from the west flank. The Hunters reported some activity there a few days ago." Cullen took his coat off and went over on the sofa. He closed his eyes. "Did she come?"
"Yes, she was here for a few hours."
"A few hours?" Edward lifted his head to look at Falken and make sure he wasn't joking. "What did she do?"
"She almost refused our lunch, after all we've been through to get it." Falken smiled widely.
"Did she now?" Edward laid back on the sofa, looking at Falken as he rested in the armchair. "And?"
"She did accept a sandwich and almost kicked me out of the library. She was very anxious to start working."
"She was probably in a hurry. She did tell me she didn't have much time."
"Actually I think it was because she is fascinated with books and wanted to have them all to herself and I was standing in the way." Falken went on smiling. "She's a library rat."
"She's good." Edward enhanced in an appreciative tone.
"Can't contradict you there." But Falken's words led in a different direction.
"Don't even think about it. She's a believer. If she senses your skills she will be drawn to it immediately"
"I think she already has. I could read it in her eyes that she figured I was moving too fast."
"Falken, I asked you to be careful!"
"How was I supposed to know she'll dig it?"
"She is fascinated with us, or with the fiction of us at least. Her mind works that way, of course she saw it coming."
"But humans can't perceive out movements, so why worry."
"She is a smart human with a tendency for the occult and with a heavy background of research on our kind. And even if she doesn't imagine we are real, she will figure things out faster than others. That's why I wanted her for the job in the first place."
"So she can cause trouble by nosing around into our secrets?"
"Because she is fascinated with vampires and she will put more soul into it than others would to do the job right. I trust she will give me the right translation for the text."
"Tanos already knows what the text is about, why don't you just believe him?"
"Because Tanos wasn't there when the Legend was written. He knows what I know. That's all. You know how hard I've been looking fore this book. If Tanos is right and the Legend is true than it should come true right about now."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Not for me… I don't know. I need to know exactly what the Legend says. The real thing not some leftovers of a story that has been continuously enriched with people's fears and imagination through the course of 2,000 years! That's why I need her to do this and to do it right."
"Tanos could help. He's flying in tomorrow from Holland."
"No, let her be. Did she say when she is coming back?"
"No. She was in a hurry."
"Do you think she translated some of it already?
"I don't think so. I think she just went through the book from the beginning. She didn't have that much time. The book was opened right where the Legend started."
Edward sighed. He looked worried and Falken readjusted his position in the armchair.
"You worried about something?"
"About her. She is the best for the job but the worst person to read such lecture. She is too intelligent and too drawn to this kind of stuff to be able to simply let go of it once she's done. She might want to research some more. That's why it's important that neither of you react strange anymore. Behave human, act human and avoid any physical contact with her. She needs to sense that we are normal, weird but normal."
Falken smiled with the corner of his lips.
"Right. I think she's rather cute. Maybe we should keep her."
Edward watched him in silence.
"Don't betray your nature around her not even for a second. I mean it. She is and will stay human. Remember that." Then he paused. "Ok. Thanks for helping out today. We'll see what tomorrow brings."
He got up and walked towards the library. Falken watched him inquisitively. As far as he was concerned Edward was worrying too much for this human. She won't find out anything. He was over appreciating her intellect and her power of imagination. He pressed the buttons on the remote control. The news on CNN related to a sudden fire breaking out in a north district in Barcelona. It looks like Jasper and Michael didn't do very well with the diplomatic strategy. Falken smiled. "I bet Jasper set those bitches on fire!" He switched channels.
The library was silent and comfy. He took the book out of the glass case and opened the cover. He walked his hands down each page careful at the readings his palms got off the paper surface. All humans had an aura of energy. So did vampires. He could clearly distinguish both. A vampire aura was black, dark green and mauve. A dead aura. Humans though had a variety of auras, their colors changed depending on their emotions. Bright yellow for intense fear and deep red for sufferance, violet and pink and sometimes orange for happiness and comfort, pure white for peace and calm, for love and harmony. When it went black or blue they were either very sick or about to die. The auras also diminished in density as people aged and their feelings weren't as complex as before.
Bella was a mixture of many. He couldn't make out her real state of mind from the readings. It was either calm, or very agitated then it kept steady showing calmness. A calmness ready to burst into fear, or agitation of some sort. Page 94 and his hand stopped. Here her aura had a flicker of intense red to then drop to peach black and then back to that white yellowish aura. She must've read something that had startled her terribly, making her heart skip a beat. His eyes fell on the lines underneath the tip of his fingers. ... et comme ça, du chair d'une femme mortelle et l'immortalité d'un lord vampire avait né le roi le roi qui sacrifiera le destin de son people pour sauver celui de l'humanité à coût de son propre âme maudit: Edward, le roi solitaire. So it was his name that had caused her to shock. Had she made the connection? Did she think it was just a coincidence? He flipped the page and laid his palm on the paper. Her aura was trembling and was undecided. Then it slowly lit up. So she did believe it was some coincidence. He insisted and ran his fingers down the old ink markings and concentrated. Behind the glazing gold aura there was a curtain of purple and green, a strong tendency towards deep dark colors. She was covering it all in her head. She was lying to herself. This was incredible.
When people are strong believers of something if they have their belief proven real they either accept it or deny it. Sometimes if they accept it, unconsciously they suffer a shock and they automatically deny it back by blocking the information in their mind. Others accept it and don't know what to make of it and so the information dissipates and their aura no longer reflects it. And some people acknowledge the truth revealed to them, they go through the shock and they intentionally hide it within themselves until they can cope with it, dismiss it or prove it truthful again. He could make a clear distinction amongst all these cases. Hers was an obvious situation of hiding the truth. Yet she had hidden it so lightly that she was mostly due to face it very soon. She could see her defense against this truth and it was so thin and transparent. She wanted to believe and she will soon enough.
Edward closed the book. He sat in her chair and felt her warmth. The leather had absorbed her energy and he felt it run through him. It was a faint trace but it was still strong. She was a strong woman. And stubborn; that's how she left such powerful energy traces. Yet he felt her agitation, her struggle with absorbing what she had read that day. He thought how scared she must have been inside and she probably didn't even feel it to its maximum. He left the library.
Falken turned around in the armchair.
"Going out?" his eyes followed Edward in his movements.
"Ya… for a little while."
Falken remained silent.
"Ok." He knew where Edward was going but did not want to comment on his decisions. He saw the lights of the car slowly disappearing in the dark. He switched the channel again.
Edward parked in front of the old villa. He looked up at the 4th floor. No movement and no lights were on. Of course. It was passed 1AM. He knew the entrance door to the villa was closed automatically so he didn't even try. He focused and his body shifted forward at speed light. One leg on the fence another on the edge of the 1st floor balcony and then again the left leg up the base of another balcony and then with both hands he pushed his body over her balcony. He looked down to make sure no one has witnessed his little circus exhibition. It took him about 5 seconds to climb up 4 stories to her balcony. He turned towards the sliding glass doors. They were locked. His eyes shifted to the kitchen window. It was barely open. With a quick jump he was standing crouched on the sill making his way inside. The artificial street light was powerful enough to show him inside the apartment. The kitchen was rather small, but very neat. His eyes could perceive the colors in the dark already imagining how it would look in the day light. There were little things everywhere adding to the charm of the little room. Notes on the fridge. He read them all in an instant. She was a funny woman! Leaving messages to herself and calling herself names for forgetting to read them! He smiled picturing her face with despair and disappointment.
He moved out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. Also small. Blue and green with yellow flowers. A very sweet, almost tasteful smell invaded his nostrils urging him to leave the bathroom rapidly. The living room was the only big room so far. Pretty good technology, not the best, but she had a good set of electronic devices attached to a big LTD, a good sound system and a wonderful collection of movies. He admired her taste. Like in the two other rooms, the furniture was scarce and lightly built, in warm colors of white and cream, green and red. She had put together a small office in one of the corners and stacked a dozen files in a small closet near by. The office look was smoothened by flowers everywhere. The same sweet perfume persisted. It had already taken over his senses completely and he fought with the urge of sniffing more in. He saw the door to the bedroom and stopped to think twice whether he was ready to step inside. He then slowly pushed the door aside. Light blue and white and flowers everywhere. Peace and quiet, and warmth; and that perfume. His sight gazed upon her sleeping. His eyes turned blue, the deepest most pure blue of them all. It was like a night vision to him and an alarm signal warning him not to get any closer to a potential victim.
But she wasn't a victim. She was simply a perfume bottle. He could see that intoxicating smell rising from her body in colors of white and yellow and red and green. A rainbow of colors. Bella twisted in her sleep and her aura shifted colors to mauve and deep green. She was dreaming. Most likely with vampires. He could see it in her energy discharge that she was handling the hidden truth. Edward leaned against the window frame and watched carefully. Her lips parted as she twisted one more time. It was like she was trying to pronounce something. Her aura darkened further. The eyelids flickered continuously and Edward found it hard to stay put and not comfort her. It's not comfort she needs he argued to himself. She needs to calm down and keep that truth hidden. That's why he was here right? To make her keep that truth she discovered deep inside away from her awareness. She need not let the truth surface.
Edward approached her bed. He leaned over and pressed his open palm on her forehead. She was burning and the impact with his stone cold hand made both of them halt abruptly. Edward lost his breath and Bella's aura turned to bright yellow as her heart raced pushing forcefully the blood through the pumping veins. He heard it coming, climbing up her shoulder and through her throat, behind the ear and into the temples, pulsating underneath his skin and it became an unbearable touch. His pupils formed a dark ring of desire; his gums pulled backwards releasing the sharp fangs from their fleshy sheath. He resisted, tightening his lips together as much as he could. Her aura slowly turned white, floating around her like a sphere of glowing powder. She had somehow sensed his effort and relaxed to help the blood rush slow down and help him resist. Edward could not understand how she managed to sense his struggle. Humans and vampires were not spiritually connected because vampires had no soul. And he did not believe in coincidences. Her energy release fascinated him, calmed him down. He felt the pain in his gums dilute.
"Ash…" Edward froze instantaneously and watched her in disbelief. Her eyes were still closed. She was still asleep. But he heard it as clear as an atomic blast; she spoke his name. Ash was how his mother used to call him, Ash is what his closest friends called him, vampires almost as old as him. Ash is something no human has ever heard and yet, here he was with this strange girl calling him by this name while asleep. Her lips rested. She seemed to be sound asleep. Edward kneeled at her bed side. If he could sweat, he would have at that very moment.
Her aura was still there above their heads floating restless. Transparent and treacherous. The truth had never left her mind, actually it was more powerful now. His presence had only made it worse and somehow he did not feel uncomfortable with it. He rested his hand close to hers. He observed them closely. He wouldn't touch it. Enough harm done for one night. Ash… the tone of her voice kept ringing in his ear; soothing, deep and irresistibly appealing. He felt this pulsation in his groin and if his heart weren't dead he would have sworn to have felt a heart beat. No fight no matter how intense, no physical effort no matter how demanding and no woman, vampire or human, has made him feel this way. It was unique and unrecognizable to him. He was aroused and it felt like the most stupid thing ever to happen to him. He had not tasted her blood, had barely touched her, had only called her name once and there he was, aroused and behaving like an adolescent. He smiled at the warmth he felt coming up his spine, merging into the back of his brain making him numb and a bit dizzy. That was the most awkward and out of this world sensation he had ever experienced. Vampires don't get dizzy with anything, they are always focused, even if they could get high on drugs or stone faced drunk their senses would still automatically connect to anything moving around them. Yet he felt soft and relaxed. How could this be?
He went up and left the bedroom. In the door step he turned around to take one more look at her. She and her aura were beautiful. She had not noticed how delicate she actually was, she acted so feisty all the time. A delicate tomboy.
A sudden noise and the huge ceramics vase next to the door fell to the floor. Time stopped as Edward reached for it and caught it seconds before it touched ground. Behind him the waves of his movement made the air tremble. He lifted the vase and as he stood up he saw her, eyes wide open staring at him. Instinctively he withdrew into hyperspace and disappeared before she could even blink. From outside the balcony he glimpsed rapidly towards the bedroom. His sharp senses didn't get any movement. He jumped and landed next to the car. He got in and without starting the engine he pushed the car effortlessly up the road trying to keep his movements as silent as possible. Soon he got lost in the dark and from afar you could hear the engine running.
Upstairs Bella continued staring at the dark. Her body was cold and motionless. She looked at the vase, turning her head right and left, checking whether she was dreaming and that vase was still standing. She saw it fall. She heard it fall. And before it had fallen it was back standing. And he was there. Edward, he was there, next to that vase. And now he wasn't. But she did see him! She wasn't crazy! And she wasn't sleepwalking either! She had her eyes wide open and he was there, dressed in black, with his pale face and spearing eyes, looking like a predator. And then he was gone, leaving a shadow behind him like a trace in time of his presence.
She dropped on the bed sheets. Was she losing her mind? She should've checked the windows and doors to see whether anything was open. But somehow she knew it would be of no use. He didn't use any of them. Why was she thinking that? The man is not a vampire and he wasn't there, it was all in her head. That book; she should have never taken the job! It was too personal and close to her secret desires and foolish dreams. And she didn't have the time for this. She felt cold and pulled the covers up her shoulders. Still… his image in the door step persisted. Her eyes flickered beneath the closed eyelids. "Let go…" she didn't know whether the words came from within her mind or someone else had spoken them. Hours passed by. She found it hard to fall asleep. Dawn was cracking in the horizon when she finally drifted into an agitated dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 4
Late afternoon and still no call from her. Edward paced through his office, sometimes forgetting to keep it at a human level and papers were blown of his desk as he swift by. He could just reach her mind and put it in her head to call him but then again, he didn't want to do that with her. She was very hard to read anyways, like a hard shell to crack. He stopped looking out the office window. No children giggling today. That made him even more unhappy. Edward grabbed the phone and dialed her number. Ringing. Ringing.
"Hello…" Edward closed his eyes for a second smiling in relief. She sounded tired and moody.
"Hi, this is Edward." He waited for a reaction but nothing. "Is everything ok?" He could picture her swearing at him. He smiled again. He knew the image of him next to that damn vase had lingered in her brain.
"No, nothing wrong." Her tone had turned professional at once. "Just a long morning I guess. I am sorry I haven't called until now. I managed to get through part of the book yesterday. A very interesting lecture. I can…" there she stopped and Edward heard movement. "I could also come today. I am not sure when exactly though. How much of a bother would it be if I showed up unannounced?"
"No bother at all. As I said, there is always someone at the house." He heard her sigh.
"Ok. I'll come by later today. Would you like a feedback on what I've learnt so far? I can do that in about an hour or so and email it to you."
"No, that's ok. You haven't reached the part that interests me the most. We'll sit down for a chat when you're done with the entire thing."
"Ok. No problem. Thanks for the call and I'm sorry I didn't get to you first." Oh, but you did, thought Edward to himself.
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for your time." He was so nice to her, sincerely nice. That's not like him.
And how in the world did he know whether she had reached the part he was interested in or not? His assistant/friend/valet or whatever that guy was, wasn't in there with her, and she definitely didn't tell him! He probably saw where the book was left open. That was it. Bella calmed down now that she found a solution to her own problem. Somehow she was upset, no, she was angry with him, and she couldn't tell why. He was in front of her eyes, right there next to that damn vase, she did not dream about it, she refused to believe she had been dreaming. She doesn't dream with men she had barely met. And if she did dream about a man it would probably be a bit more… intense! NOT him seating by a god damn vase staring at her like he was ready to eat her out!
Damn it! How could it have been him? And after all, was she pissed with her not being able to properly remember how much of it was reality and how much her sick fantasizing or was she pissed because, fantasy or not, she adored and craved to have him watch her at night like she thought he did. Even if he just sat there next to that stupid vase! She had cursed that vase so much that it will probably brake soon. Bella dropped in the chair behind her desk, annoyed with her uncertainty. The time showed 3:22PM. She should hurry handling other chorus if she was to go take care of Edward's business any time soon. How she hated his name! hated hated hated!
The gates opened and her little car parked again in the dream garden. As usual her host, a true gentleman saw her to the library after making sure she is comfortable with everything. Once left alone with her book, Bella took a moment to rest. The entire day was hectic. The night before had sucked her dry of all her energy. She felt like the intercity had run her twice both sides of her head. She brought her glasses. She seldom used them but today the letters seemed to have a mind of their own and chased each other on the paper. She put them on and turned on the light. The Legend.
It was said that the new King, Edward was the oldest and most powerful vampire. His strength defied imagination and his powers were limitless. The way they described it he could've jumped from one sky scraper to another and feel like walk in the park to him. He could've lifted a bus with his bare hands and throw it meters away, run faster than the human eye can perceive, covering miles in seconds. He could see through human flesh, distinguish things at night as if it were day and hear noises from afar, no matter how insignificant. He was the ultimate warrior, skilled in weaponry of all sorts, a master mind of war strategy and technology. Bella shifted her body wait in the chair. Well, it looks like the guy had it all!
Yet his powers were also his curse. As the only born immortal and leader of them all his duty lay with his kind, teaching his followers into rightness and defeating his enemies for the world's welfare. But keeping the whole world safe was a 24/7 job and he was not allowed to have a moment of peace and quiet. His duty was to sacrifice his destiny for mankind with no one to ease his passing of time. And a long time had passed since he was born and a long time was still ahead of him.
Bella stopped reading. She had never looked at it this way, in all her lectures about vampires, she had never thought of such a sad destiny. Saving the world meant doing good, doing good supposed to bring you happiness and fulfillment. But the truth was that as the sole ruler he could not afford friendship or love around him. People dear to him might die, might betray him… How can you live an eternity in solitude fighting for a cause that after all, he could do without? She bounced back and forth in the chair trying to figure an answer to that. She put the glasses back on and started reading again.
Still, almost 2,000 years into his existence the king would be given one chance to find comfort in his lonely life. To find someone he can share the burden with, someone he alone can find if he read the signs correctly. A woman. Not vampire, but human. A woman that will recognize him instinctively without even knowing she is meant for him. A woman that could feed him with her energy, heal him with her blood and sooth him putting a soul into his dead heart. A woman that could bare his children. Bella dropped the pen. Her breathing became inconsistent and she felt her palms sweatier and sweatier. Bare his children? Vampires don't have sex! Not even in movies! "Hahahaha…" her mind laughed hysterically! The guy who wrote this stuff wasn't much into vampire history for sure. Vampires feed on humans; they don't invite them over for dinner to then make out! Geez!
She adjusted the glasses on her nose and noticed her hand was trembling visibly. What was wrong with her? She had repeated that question so many times since she met Edward that now was part of every day mind talk. It was just a story, just a story, keep that in mind, why shaking over it! So the legend went on. The woman was to bare his children. And also complete his curse. As much as he would want this woman, as much as he would love her, he could not have her. He will not be able to approach her and enjoy her in any way or he would kill her. This woman, out of all humans on the face of the earth would be the most appealing, tasty and delicious to his vampire senses, making it impossible for him to resist his thirst when around her.
Bella was enraged. So he was only given the chance to find her, fall in love with her and not have her. What kind of chance is that? Have one chance to your true love and not be able to enjoy it but from afar! That's not a chance, that's torture. She felt entitled to be angry; she had always been a defender of love and romance, ever since she was a child watching cartoons on Rai Uno. She smiled at the thought then laid eyes on the book in front of her. This was not right. Why would anyone be cursed to go through something like this? She flipped the page. The legend said that even though he was not to get too close to her, he could approach her every hundred years and spend time together for maybe a few weeks, enough to refill his heart with strength for the next hundred years until they met again. It spoke of reincarnation. Humans died and their soul would be reborn in another body in a different time. Same with this woman. She would live one life to then die and live another with no memories of what happened in the life before. But he… immortal, always remembering, always witnessing their love, witnessing it born to then die without him being able to do anything about it.
The book told of how she would always fall for him; in all of her lives if they met she would fall in love with him. And every time when their time was up he would kiss her and through their kiss he would make her forget him the moment he was out of sight. He had to make her forget so she stays safe. No memories, no pain, no danger. She would die of old age and not remember him or their love.
There was a trick to all this. If she was to be killed by him she would not reincarnate and her soul would be lost for ever. Without her to refill him with energy he would either become ruthless changing the faith of many or he would perish of solitude. Even an immortal like him had ways to die. Bella was shocked and saddened like never before. The facts affected her personally. Who was this woman? And how it must've hurt her to know that the only kiss she could get from him was also the kiss that would bring them apart for another hundred years! Why didn't she fight for him and convince him to stay? And why didn't she try to get close to him, physically? Love conquers all! Love conquers all, he must know that if he really loved her!
Bella hurt inside. Poor Edward, she thought. Being obliged to always leave her, to always wait for her, to never enjoy her. Coward! Bastard! She was confused. To hate him, to pity him! She leaned back in the chair. The last line of the Legend read clearly: Il a déjà commence… It has already started. So he had already met her!
What was she thinking? This was a story, nothing else and Edward was a normal rich guy, eccentric but normal, not a vampire! She needed to put some sense into her head because soon she was to meet with him and she had to relate the translation like a professional translator not look like some desperate councilor trying to help him out with his immortal life. The thought relaxed her face into a smile. Of course she could control herself. She simply got carried away by the story. She realized she had held on her breath and her chest hurt with the tension. She bounced her head back and looked at the ceiling. If she had the time and if she were allowed she would explore all these books! There were probably amazing stories in there! She sighed. She still felt sad, sadder than she should have been and she couldn't get rid of the feeling.
She got up from the chair and walked through the library. It was passed 7PM. God, it was so late. She didn't care. Today had proven a sad day and she was already tired from the previous night. The image of Edward sitting next to the vase with those big beautiful penetrating blue eyes made her swallow painfully. Her thoughts were conflicting. He wanted to sooth him. But why sooth him if he was just another man unrelated to the vampire in the story. She felt her head ready to explode. She needed to leave the mansion as quickly as possible. She had to finish this job as quickly as possible to and get away from this temptation. She took her things and left the room without looking back. She hated herself for getting so involved, and then again she couldn't figure out how she got so affected by it. Two days ago she didn't care for this man at all, and now she felt like she needed to comfort him and that she was the only one to do it right. She was angry with herself for being this weak and mentally unstable, damn it!
She almost ran out and stumbled on someone on the way. It was Falken.
"Mrs. Swan? Everything ok?" Bella just looked at him for a second then continued down the hall.
"Tell Mr. Cullen that he will have his translation and interpretation of the text by Friday. I will set a meeting with him to discuss the details. Thanks."
Falken was left speechless in the door step. He then went inside looking for his cell.
"Cullen?" The noise on the background told Falken Edward was doing his usual drifting down the hills outside town. "Can you speak?" He heard a tense laughter.
"Of course, I can drive with my eyes shut, remember! What's up?" The squeal of the tires made the conversation almost impossible. And so did the heavy metal music in the radio.
"Something happened with Bella. Hello, can you hear me?"
"Falken you're acting like an idiot! Of course I can hear you! I can hear you in my head 'cause you're screaming! What happened?"
"I don't know. She almost ran out of the mansion. I think she's on to something. She finished reading the Legend. She said you'll have the translation done until Friday and that she'll call to set an appointment."
"Well if she just read the story and she doesn't have a copy of it, how can she translate it? Did she memorize it?" The noise had stopped, only the purring of the engine was still hearable.
"I don't know man. All I know is that she stormed out of here like crazy and she had the ugliest aura I've seen in a while."
At the other end Edward focused on the remains of her energy within him. They were in motion, stirred to a maximum, blazing with red and yellow, and a violent blue and dark violet.
"I'll take care of it. Keep the book safe and call Tanos. Tell him I have to see him tonight. ASAP."
"Got it."
Bella drove up to her apartment and locked the door behind her. Outside the wind started blowing heavily and the balcony curtains were flanging violently from one side to another. A summer storm was closing in. A storm was already raging inside her head. She forced herself towards the living room and shut the sliding doors, then got rid of the shoes and one by one her clothes came of as she hurried to turn on the shower. She didn't take the make up off, she didn't feel like it. Under the hot steamy water her muscles relaxed, even though her brain was just as tense. All she could think about was Edward. In her mind there was no doubt that he was the one and the same with the vampire king in the story. It all added up. His appearance, pale white, very dark features, his secluded mansion, his scarce presence in the outside world, his obscure background and now his entourage. And his peculiar interest in this book. Tears sprang from her eyes and she felt like a complete fool. Somehow all of her loneliness stumbled down on her and all the negative side of her life was now more obvious than ever. She yearned to have someone close. She wanted him close. How come she had got so attached to this man without even realizing it? Love at first sight. Is that what they call it? But love at first sight between a human and a vampire could only be one sided. She had fallen in love with a character from a book, that's what she did. Even if Edward was a vampire, he would never admit it to her or maybe killed her. She chocked with the water running down her cheeks as she sobbed crouched on the shower floor.
15 minutes later she left the bathroom feeling dizzy with the intense heat and steam inside. She put the bath rob on and she dragged her feet in the bedroom. She sat on the side and took a look in the mirror. The make up was almost gone but a black shadow was left right under the eyes adding at least 10 years to her age. She didn't care. She allowed her body to fall sideways and fold into the bed sheets. It started raining. Little powerful drops hit the glass at wind speed and put on a strange music for her burning mind. She closed her eyes. Ash…
The car halted on the wet pavement. Edward looked at the poring rain outside. His mood was just like it. Cold, moody and unpredictable. He got out of the car and by the time he got to the villa door he was soaking wet. He chose a number and rang. An elderly voice answered. He instantly connected to the lady at the other end and told her to open. The voice went quiet, then a feeble "yes" followed and the door opened. He didn't feel like doing any vampire stunts now. He climbed up the stair case to her door. He forced the lock and pushed it open. He will take care of the repairs later. Complete silence, no sound other than the rain lashing into the windows through the tree leaves. He dropped the coat on his way to the bedroom. He could sense her strongly; there were such powerful markings of her presence everywhere. Dark and blurry. She was sleeping crouched on the bed, her right foot dangling on the side of the bed. The bath rob had moved down revealing her light tanned skin, up her shoulder and neck. She was so exposed. Her long black hair curled around the bed sheets, hands with palms wide open, quivering red lips. Her aura was like a dark cloud. So dark that it almost burst with thunder, so tremendously agitated, flickering and sparking in the chalky light of the room. Edward stood careful to observe it. He knew she wasn't dreaming, she just couldn't control the information inside her head. She must've been in a trance, caught between what her heart believed and what her mind dictated.
He came by the bed and slowly lifted her in his arms, so gently that she didn't react to his cold touch. He curled his left arm around her waist while with his right palm he cupped her face, bringing it close to his. The long black strands caressed the back of his hand as he used his thumb to massage her temple. He brought her even closer, almost molding her body on his. Her face was now so close to his he could feel her breath lingering on his marble carved cheeks. That and the beat of her heart spreading radiant fire through his chest made his eyes turn blue on the spot. He closed them for a little while floundering in his mind looking for self-control. She was so beautiful, so fragile; he could hardly feel her weight in his arms. He could've harmed her so easily! Little by little Bella opened her eyes, barely. When seeing him her face formed a grimace of pain and her body shivered, but didn't move. Her hands hang loose on the sides of her body, vulnerable and powerless. She sustained his regard with sleepy but clear eyes.
"Am I dreaming?" Her voice was as feeble as her lame body. But the question still remained demanding.
Edward looked her in the eye. In the dark the sky blue of his pupils looked like lanterns, alluring her, calling her… silencing all of her demands. Bella's face relaxed, the skin shinned like porcelain in the moon light and Edward thought that a squeeze more on her tinny body and she would crumble into pieces. His lips parted and trembled with the air coming out forcefully.
"No." He thought he saw the shadow of a smile flickering in the corner of her mouth. So she was right, she wasn't crazy. He was there, next to that stupid vase. Just as he was here now. Her heavy eyelids gave in and she closed her eyes under the pressure of his. Edward felt her hands reach for his shirt, clanging on it. He lowered his head following her movement. Bella suddenly opened her eyes and pushed herself to him.
"Kiss me." Edward froze. She was holding his shirt so tightly in her fists he was amazed with her force. He smiled and then filled his vision with the beauty of her face. Her aura was brightening but was still just as agitated as when he had come through the door. Slowly, obliviously, their bodies folded into one and Edward let his lips close up on hers. Touching. Her breath was making him dizzy. The sweetness of her skin made his head feel heavy and clouded his judgment. Like through a dream, Bella quivered at the winter-cold touch of his mouth on hers. She could feel the tip of the canines gently pushing on her lower lip, with that much care to keep her from harm. One more effort and she could capture those perfect lips with hers. She gathered all of her strength and pulled one more time on his shirt. She didn't know where she got the power to do it, but it happened. His lips came on hers and he felt the smooth surface of his fangs pressing against the softness of her mouth. It was the most beautiful sensation she had ever experienced. Thousands of butterflies were flying down in her belly; her chest was burning with immense desire, her groin was pulsating from the same and his hands on her back and face felt so good, like ice cubs soothing the fire inside.
His breath was fresh menthe and she wanted to inspire it all, as much as she could take in. Edward gently caught her upper lip with his teeth and pulled on it, just for a short second. She almost missed on it. A deep-throat moan made its way through the parted lips as she tried to get him to kiss her. His jaw trembled. The muscles flickered tense under the skin. He came down on her mouth one more time, this time closing his eyes and simply inhaling her flavor. Their lips fit perfectly. He tried to keep a decent distance between their mouths, not really kissing her, but playing, teasing her senses. Just letting their lips mingle, touch, melt and mould on each other. His tongue traced a slow and painful line down her lower lip and Bella believed his tongue on her lips felt like the most erotic thing she'd ever felt.
Edward changed position letting go of her face, walking his palm through her hair to sustain her head as he pulled it backwards, ready to take more of her lips this time. The bathrobe fell open and the image of her naked shoulders came flashing before his eyes. Her skin was moisture with that incredible scent of hers, with warmth, slowly pulsating in the savage rhythm of her heart. Edward flipped inside at the sight. His vampire nature couldn't have been given a sweeter invitation to dig in that graceful neck and suck it dry. Yet in his stubbornness, eyes shut, he plunged to take her mouth, commuting his mind to her lips and her lips alone.
"Don't kiss her!"
Inches away from her lips Edward's eyes flickered peering through the dark. The voice in his head repeated itself.
"Edward, don't kiss her!" This time enhancing each word. Edward saw Tanos sitting on the balcony looking at him. His mouth was sealed but he went talking to him.
"Let her go and come with me. You can do it, come on. Let her go… Don't kiss her!"
The rain was coming down in heavy threads of water on Tanos' long leather coat. He remained motionless with his blue eyes burning.
Edward turned towards the girl in his arms. Bella had opened her eyes and was looking at him. God he was beautiful, and beautiful was a deem description of this man! She did not and could not see Tanos on the balcony behind her. She thought she heard Edward growl, but then again maybe it was just the rain.
"I…" her lips parted as she tried to speak. Edward held her close, hiding her face to his chest, while putting his lips on her forehead. That sweetness… Bella murmured something against his neck, trying to reach for his face again. He continued to gently immobilize her, soothing her with whispers in her hair. His heart was again galloping, just like the other night. He gave Tanos an angry look. Tanos sustained it and again made his point. Bella felt his furious breathing on her ear. He let her go and cupped her face with both hands. She managed to smile. She couldn't still keep her eyes fully open. For some reason she was completely weakened around him, drifting; there was only him, him and his hypnotizing eyes. She tip toed. Her lips were such a tempting invitation. Edward moaned and made her back down, hiding her in a tight embrace.
"Sleep…" his voice came down as a water fountain to her senses. She tried to oppose. "Close your eyes… please…" his lips came down on her skin again and again, choking while trying to control himself into being gentle.
Bella fought for a moment longer then her body relaxed and her head dropped to his shoulder. Her aura remained bright and motionless. His mind force had calmed her down, but he knew it wouldn't last. He tucked her in bed and then caressed the long strands spreading on the pillow. Minutes later he sat in the rain next to the car, carefully analyzing Tanos. He managed to put the door lock back together and as a precaution he created a force field around the apartment to give her an invisible protection towards the likes of him.
"This better be good!" he got in the car and started the engine. Tanos didn't comment, just got in on the passenger's seat. The car engine started up angrily. All that was left was the rain.
CHAPTER 5
The door slammed behind him. Falken turned of the TV. Edward stormed into the library with Tanos following him. He dropped in the armchair next to Bella's desk, the water still dripping from his hair.
"I'm listening." Even a statue looked more human than him. And if Gods existed, well, they'd look like him, furious and breathtaking. Tanos measured his words carefully.
"What were you doing there?" his tone betrayed the inner agitation but kept the conversation at an inquisitor level.
"Since when do I get questioned on my actions?"
"Edward you are and you remain my lord for as long as I will be on this earth. But do remember I am here to protect you not harm you and my questions have a point to them." His voice brought the dialogue down to a less steep slope.
Edward breathed nervously. He stood up and leaned against the fireplace.
"Talk."
"Remember 1,809… Remember that late fall in Poland." Tanos watched him closely. Edward frowned looking through his memories.
"That's sometime ago…"
"233 years to be more exact. That's when you first met her."
"Met her?" Edward turned around to watch his historian in the eye. "Met who?"
"Bella." Edward almost burst into laughter.
"Remember Edward. You almost gave your life to save hers back then."
"Ok, two inconsistencies in one sentence Tanos: one, I cannot give my life cause I don't have one and then again I'm immortal. And second, if she was so important how come I don't remember?"
"You know you can die if you're too weakened to fight and don't feed in time and second, as soon as we took her out of the picture I made a potion for you to cleanse your memory so we can heal you…physically." Tanos took a moment and sat in the armchair from across the fireplace.
"Cleanse my memory? Oh so now we're also magicians! Tanos you're losing it!"
"And the fact that you have not lost all your senses about this girl is a proof to that liquor not being real magic, just a temporary bandage to the brain!" Tanos raised his voice a bit facing his masters' stubbornness. "Why do you think you never let go of this damn book and you've been trying to find it so hard? Why do you think you chose her out of all translators and why do you think you were there tonight, almost killing her?"
"I was not killing her!"
"Your sexual attraction to her means her death! You cannot control it!"
Edward started walking through the room.
"What happened in Poland? What does that and this have to do with this book… and what… just what the hell is going on?"
"Poland… We were handling the riot in the suburbs. A row of serial murders that appeared to be the hand of a religious fanatic or some demon possessed soul. It had gotten out of hand and you decided you wanted to see to the matter personally along with Jasper and Falken. Weeks after arriving there the problem had become more acute. We discovered that the serial killer was in fact an entire small covenant of insurgents. The few killings out in the street were just for fun. Beyond that there were many more victims on which they fed and never let surface into the real world. A war broke and in the middle of it you ran into her. She was part of a numerous family. Had a mother, a father, a sister who was married to a blacksmith and had two twin nieces. She came from a modest family, but just like now she was an incredible being. Fit for you. The war spilt into their home and one night several vampires killed half of her family. She watched her nieces being slain along with the rest of her kind. You arrived there before it all ended and saved her from their rage. You took her deep into the woods and left us behind to do the cleaning." Tanos saw how Edward calmed down all of a sudden as he rummaged through the past to find that one episode he did not seem to remember. Tanos knew he would. He just needed time and needed her. "They must've followed you because days after we found you in this abandoned cottage with her at your side. You were so weak you couldn't walk; your body was a wreck. You would've probably been worse if she hadn't been there to care for you."
"Did she know what I was?"
"Yes… she fed you so you can make it…"
"Fed me on what?"
"On her… her blood has an incredible regenerative power on you. Considering the fights you went through you were in a pretty good shape. We found about the fights later." Tanos silenced.
"She saved me…"
"You saved each other. And you were inseparable afterwards. Somehow you couldn't stay away from her and you took her with us to our improvised headquarters."
"And? What happened? Come on Tanos speak up! Why did she go away? Why don't I remember?"
"Because you nearly killed her."
Falken had sneaked in and witnessed the scene. Edward's eyes fell on him and the three of them remained motionless for a while.
"Why…?"
"Because you got too close." Tanos' voice halted showing that he had rested his case. Edward dropped back in the armchair.
"She did seem very familiar, I couldn't get my eyes of her. You drugged me so I don't remember her and harm her again?"
"Pretty much. But it's not working" Tanos smiled feebly. "It's meant to be."
"The legend."
"The legend."
"It's just a legend."
"Is it?"
"Falken, you were there. What do you think?" Edward turned towards his friend in the doorway.
Falken adopted a more secure position on the door step and hemmed his voice.
"Well, legend or no legend there is something very weird in here. Tanos is right, you were in love with her years ago. It was difficult breaking you apart. And it staid with you. And with her. And now, since you met her again you are so caught up; and the way she reacts to you is beyond strange. There is an obvious connection in the middle."
"Do you think she remembers?"
"No way. She is mortal. She is now living another life than the one where you met her. She doesn't remember anything. But she can sense it. I think. This whole thing is awkward."
"I thought the legend gave all the answers."
"The legend is a story about possible facts. Reality is what you make of it."
"Listen to yourself!" Edward rebuffed in his early anger but it appeared this new revelation had sucked in his powers, and the words came out weakened. "I love her and I kill her at the same time. It's impossible!"
"It already happened once. It will happen again."
"Until when?"
"Until it's over one way or another."
"And which way is it more likely to happen?"
The other two men silenced and weighted the chances.
"That she dies."
"Oh great… this is such bullshit! It was pure coincidence! She probably was special; there probably was some chemistry; that was it."
"Then again… why were you there tonight?"
"I already told you!"
"Tell me again"
"To…" Edward ached inside.
"I know you don't remember Ash. But it's there. Don't lie to yourself. You can feel it every time you're close to her. You feel more human than you felt in the past millennium and it's all because of her."
"So what? You kept this away from me, you kept me away from myself! How am I supposed to handle this now? Just go out there and kill her to get it over with?"
"It's your call. But if she dies part of you will die with her. Big part. And if you don't kill her than you have to take her as your responsibility, because if others catch on her being your other half, they will be the ones to kill her."
"Why would they give a damn as long as she is still human and worthless to them?"
"Because she is your strength and motivation."
"I've had my strength and motivation for almost 2 millenniums without her in my life."
"True. But now things have changed whether you like it or not and your priorities have shifted to something else better."
"Better? What can be better?" Edward plaid with one of the buttons to his shirt. "Ok! What if I turn her? If she's immortal than she can be with me for ever and they won't be able to kill her either!"
"She didn't want to be turned the last time. She won't want to be turned now either."
Edward flipped.
"Why not?"
"Somehow she is meant to be in your life for a greater purpose than even being with you. And for that she needs to stay human."
"Oh that's just really fucked up! What are you talking about? As selfish as it may sound, what greater purpose than keeping me alive and happy, is there? I've got enough of this!"
"I don't know, and no one can tell you. Not even the legend…"
"Fuck that stupid legend. Is just a legend, that's why they call it a legend right? She will come tomorrow and tell me about this legend of yours and then she will be out of my life and I will be out of hers and it's all gonna stop! No one will die and I will make it just as I have so far! The end!"
Edward pushed the desk aside as he made his way out of the room. He passed Falken by without looking him in the eye. Tanos took a few steps into following him. Falken laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Give him time. If that thing is true, something will happen to keep them both tangled on the same road."
Tanos listened but his eyes were still measuring the dark trail left by Edward in his flight up the stairs.
"Ya. I guess so. We need to keep a sharp eye out for anything menacing. And on him as well. He got too close tonight."
"Tanos…" Falken straightened his shoulders as he walked next to the historian. "Do you really think he would hurt her? I mean I know what happened the last time… but… still…"
Tanos stopped to watch his friend.
"He doesn't want to, but he will. It's unavoidable."
"He is in very good control of his thirst. In better control than any of us."
"But it's not his thirst that's causing all the problems. He is physically attracted to her. At some point if they remain together they will end up too close and that's when everything will get out of hand. You've been close to her. Have you scented her?"
"She's mouthwatering. She's got some powerful scents I admit. Particular. Very sweet." Falken laughed.
"Very enchanting. Stay long enough around her and you'll know."
"Well, I don't think I want to now" he went on laughing. "I like the girl though. I liked her back then too. Brave and smart. I hope they make it. Ash is a great guy."
"I didn't know you're such a softy" Tanos padded Falken on the shoulder.
"Shut up man, don't say that out loud, I have a reputation to look after."
"Cracker! When are Michael and Jasper flying in? We need them for when things are getting hot."
"They should be here by tomorrow night. Do they know of her?"
"They'll sense her soon enough. Now let's go. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Make sure Bella comes here. Make sure they're alone and undisturbed."
"I thought we were supposed to keep them separate and away from each other!"
"Well, we tried that before and it didn't work. Let's try the other away around this time."
Falken took a few steps on the stair case.
"I like playing dangerous." Tanos smiled. "Edward won't like this. He doesn't believe it."
"Just make sure you play your part, he will believe soon enough. If this comes out right, we might witness what no one else has witnessed in human or vampire history."
Falken refrained from asking what that would be. There were stories of vampires and humans trying to have sex, sometimes it was done but in all cases the human had died. That wasn't something unheard of. But Tanos must've had some ace up his sleeve. He always did.
"Night Tanos."
"Night Falken." Tanos watched Falken drag his feet upstairs. "We're softening on the humans" he thought smiling. "Even Jasper…" His smile broadened when he remembered that Jasper took a bullet to defend Bella years ago and he didn't even like her. That girl had them all charmed. A shadow darkened his sight for a second. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Fate should handle this. They couldn't.