Full summary (as promised):
In an utterly warped version of reality, a furious war ensues between five adrenaline-driven clans. It's a world where you live for the hunt, where you kill someone and you just don't give a damn. In fact, you do take the thrill and excitement in it. Because in this world, there are no humans, there are no laws, there are no boundaries.
Even when all is fair in love and war…
Separated from his family in a recent battle, Edward Senior unconsciously enlists the help of Bella Swan, an ally from an opposing clan, to reunite him with his son and wife. Traveling across frontiers, Bella finds herself in a fix, as she falls captive to a dangerously seductive rival, none other than the very person she seeks, Edward Masen son of Edward Senior. The ungrateful (but still sexy) vampire refuses to listen to her, as she attempts to convince him that she is a friend, but maybe it's more than an alliance he seeks. Trouble brews and sparks fly. He claims her as his prisoner, but she has captured his heart.
…they will only play to win.
Disclaimer: Twilight, respective quotes and phrases, belong to Stephenie Meyer, and respective novelists.
Chapter 1: THE BEGINNING
Edward Anthony Masen, now Edward Anthony Masen Black- oh how he shuddered at the thought of that- sat across Billy Black, a dark- haired lycanthrope with a matching pair of soulful dark eyes, A.K.A his stepfather.
He cast an unnerved glance at Elizabeth, his mother, as she took the enemies' side, the side of the vile, unruly, inhumane creatures. Despicable, he thought, turning away from the unbearable sight, unconsciously denying the undeniable truth.
Fixing a glare on Jacob, step- brother and sworn nemesis, he stared down the young werewolf, daring the inexperienced junior to challenge him, a trained expert in combat. Quite expectedly, his little brother nicely rose up to the occasion, taking bait and stepping forward with what was meant to be an arrogant sneer gracing his handsome, yet so very young, features. Under different circumstances, Jacob would have appeared quite the competition, but compared to the ruthless, well- defined planes of his face, Jacob seemed to be no more than an untamed pup.
"Jacob," Billy warned, and he had to smile, the old man was no fool, he knew a threat when he saw one, and he- Edward- was certainly not one to be trifled with.
Edward rose in one languid movement, crossing the room with an unnatural grace only achieved by the undead. As he made it to his goal, the sturdy wooden door that would have taken him out of the room, Elizabeth's pointed words halted him in his tracks.
"My good son, surely you'd be polite enough to greet your sire and brother?" her tone was slightly chiding.
Edward tossed a bored look over his shoulder, "These bea- creatures have naught to do with me. It is my duty as your son that binds me to you, and thus them, while this-" he struggled to complete the sentence, unable to utter 'marriage' or 'matrimony' with the memory of his father so clearly imprinted on his mind, "- partnership has failed to receive my approval, you have my due respects, dear mother."
He left his mother, stricken and upset, feeling heavy with the sense of guilt burdening him. Once again, he had allowed his temper to get the better of him, but how could he not?
In their recent battle with the Fae, Edward Senior- his father- among those who had risked themselves, was lost to the magical beings' dangerous wrath. Elizabeth, with her people- and more importantly, her son- in mind, allianced their tribe, the Undead, with the Lycanthropes, through a method deemed quick and efficient, but not entirely acknowledged of. Marriage.
Up till then there had been five tribes. The Undead, the Lycanthropes , as fore- mentioned, the Heaven- bound, a most gentle band of angelic beings, though infinitely dangerous when provoked, the Underworld, nasty fiends who understood and inflicted the true meaning of hell, and lastly, the Fae, there could be but one word to describe them, they were 'death'.
While each tribe vied for complete domination, none were completely free from weaknesses. Fire would very well do the job for the Undead, being one, Edward only knew that too well, and silver, as it was common knowledge, did away with lycanthropes. Destroying those of the Heaven- bound and Underworld was much trickier, as their 'fatal flaws' were yet to be discovered, but not entirely impossible. Furthermore, love and hate proved to be well and thorough distractions for the passionate immortals.
Fae, on the other hand, were a completely different story. They were quick to react and fast to kill. Unlike the tribes mentioned, there was nothing in them to hesitate in pity or spite. They were killers, the true depths of the word. Then again, these were no more than rumors, for not one survived in the horrific battle, not one lived to tell the tale, and all that was left of their troops was an everlasting silence of death.
Edward groaned in resignation, turning on his heel to approach that dreaded room, an apology ready on his lips. It was the only respectable thing to do, the only sensible thing to do. Betrayed and hurt, he would never forgive Elizabeth for marrying a beast, an atrocious dog, however, she was still his mother, and nothing in the world could change that fact.
"I behaved-"
"Edward, my son!" Billy continued, "We have a most brilliant plan! I've heard from Elizabeth how badly you've wanted revenge for your father- lord bless his soul-"
"My father's not dead," Edward said with a conviction he did not feel, he couldn't bear to admit aloud his father's demise, for there was not a single corpse left of the battle, and a tiny shred of hope remained in Edward's still heart. Perhaps, they escaped from their doomed fate… Perhaps, they were returning home this very moment…
"Of course, of course," Billy agreed uncommittedly, "But surely you'd like to triumph the Fae in war? We've received delightful news! A small party of those vile creatures-" Edward nearly snorted at that, how ludicrous it sounded, "-are to cross our land, and word says that th-"
"They'll go through the woods," Jacob jumped forth, unable to contain his juvenile excitement, "Where it's thick and dense, and it'll make picking them off truly easy, and-"
"And while that's undoubtedly satisfying, it'll serve us no purpose," Edward added, his tone speculative, "I would suggest we capture one of them to act as our… lab rat."
Stunned silence filled he room, Edward mildly wondered if he had committed some kind of faux pas among the were-creatures, not that he cared, because he didn't.
"Excellent idea! My son!" Billy chuckled, patting him on the shoulder; Edward winced inwardly at the contact, but made no move to retreat, as it would be a sign of defeat.
Jacob grudgingly slapped him on the back, "Nice one. I've thought of that though, but you beat me to it."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
"Bullshit."
"Says who?"
"Says I."
"Yah, but you can't read my mind. So who are you to tell me what I haven't thought?"
"I can," Edward grinned, surprisingly light- hearted while his rowdy, pup of a brother provided something of an entertainment, "Read your mind, I mean."
"Say what?"
"I said 'I can. Read your mind. I mean.'"
"Err… Yeah," Jacob grimaced in disbelief, eyeing Edward with such new-found wonder in his so very innocent, so very young eyes, that Edward, big brother cum enemy that he was, couldn't help the strange alternating urges, to pat him on the head and punch him in the gut- he settled with neither, "I was sort of hoping that I'd developed hearing problems."
"Oh." That seemed inadequate, but what was he to say? 'I hope you develop hearing difficulties too, but oh well, undeath's simply unfair and that's no the case'? Certainly not.
"Sooo…" Jacob, being his naïve, curious self, couldn't help but ask, "Tell me what I'm thinking."
Edward rolled his eyes, oh the irony, where he came from, most would rather he steer clear of their minds, "You're thinking, 'Why am I stuck with a smart-ass, good-for-nothing corpse as my big brother, and jeez… Hate to admit it, but his mom is hot!' You did not just think that."
"Heh."
"That's… That's…" Apparently at a loss for words, Edward cussed under his breath, "You, of all people- how would you put it? - have the hots for my mother?'
Jacob laughed, and his thoughts went from 'Dum dum dee dee dum' to something along the lines of 'What a moron, I can't believe he fell for that!'
"I can't believe I fell for that either."
"Aww… Don't be a spoil sport, it's just a joke!"
"I'd too prefer it if I didn't have an insensitive, immature imbecile for a little brother, little brother. So our feelings mature."
As Edward strode away, a thought infiltrated his senses and just about blew about blew up his ear drums, if that were vampirely possible. He cringed inwardly, almost staggering, but regained his composure in the nick of time to simply cast an annoyed glare at the room's occupants, the look of irritation setting about his features nicely.
Jacob, an epitome of smugness, met his eyes, unperturbed.
'Yup, you heard that, stiff-necked old geezer.'
Frowning, Edward continued on his way out. Perhaps making known his little talent was not exactly the brightest idea, Jacob was sure to raise hell, or so to speak, but nonetheless, he could use this to his advantage. The pup had much to learn, and Edward, big brother cum enemy that he was, was more than willing to teach.
Isabella Marie Swan, more commonly known as Bella, ran a hand through her hair, currently styled as a perfect sheen of chestnut brown to the middle of her back.
Despite the glaring sun, she had on a thick denim jacket that masked her curves, and more importantly, her shoulder holster with a very real, very authentic, 9.9 mm berretta autopistol, not that it would ever cross her mind to ever pull the trigger, but in times of war… who knew? Clad in a pair of faded jeans and a comfortable T-shirt sizes too big for her, not forgetting the jacket, she was 'Plain Jane' personified, right down to the footwear- scruffy sneakers, Yup, nothing much to see there. Best friend cum cousin, Mary Alice Brandon, had something to say about that, the loyal pal that she was, but Bella knew she was just the average elf, pretty on the best day, decently average on the others, that was it.
"Miss Sw- Miss Bella!"
Bella pivoted around in surprise, catching sight of a well-built vampire, with unruly bronze hair and a pair of startling gray eyes. He flashed her a charming smile, baring his dangerously sharp teeth, and waved his hello. Edward Masen Senior. In the recent battle with the Undead, their very first participation in the great war in fact, they had found, not death and bloodshed, but friends and allies instead. It was a most fortunate incident. Most soldiers smitten, the troop of Undead warriors decided there and then to pack their bags and move in. Then again, the Fey had mercilessly placed the sirens on the front line, unsure of the outcome, but pleased with it.
It was said that Edward Masen (Senior) had been one of those strongly opposed to… accepting the Fae's hospitality, but, apparently, being overruled, had no say in the matter. Many swooned at the sight of him, however, were too intimidated to approach the nice gentleman. Bella, on the other hand, thought he was wonderful company. Yet, she, like the rest, knew something was unsettling the friendly vampire, and thus, was dead set (if you'd forgive the pun) on prying into his matters, as, Alice would say, any friend's duty.
"Mr Edward! It's nice to see you… Not that I can, you're practically as glaring as the sun!"
True to her words, his brilliant skin was glittering in the sunlight, he laughed, and it was truly a nice sound, "My apologies, Miss Bella. What can I say? I'm stunning."
"You're in a good mood today."
"I am."
It was the day, Bella knew it, the day she got him to spill his guts. An elf's intuition was never doubted, not that she had much elf in her, but still…
"So today's the day."
"'The day', you say, Miss Bella?"
"Yup."
"Is there a special occasion today, if you don't mind me asking?"
She shrugged.
"Miss Bella, you're being as mysterious as my son after trailing his childhood sweetheart all over town. And that's a feat!"
Aha! She got him there! My Edward always had little to say of his family. "Your son?"
"My Edward," he replied wistfully, and Bella was close to clapping her hands in glee, "Ah… He was a great soldier. That boy. Followed orders magnificently. Great in combat to… Good times…"
Proper Mr Edward wasn't speaking in complete sentences; she never thought she'd see the day. Hell, that could only mean one thing, she was onto something! Bella leaned forward, her tri-coloured irises glowing bright, "Your son. Edward, right? He's close to you? I mean, do you guys do whatever guys do in those kinda father-son bonding time, or whatever you Undead call it?" she paused, before thoughtfully adding, "What the heck do you do anyway? I sure can't see you shopping or having girly tea parties." The image of Mr Edward, epitome of masculinity, garbed in the fancy get-up Alice had in stored for her was horrifying and graphic.
"In answer to your question, we spar… Or you could call it target practice, in your tongue." Mr Edward gestured to the Browning??? with a glittering hand, blinding her in the process it was a hazard to her eyes.
Bella blinked.
"Oh… Okay. You guys have guns too? Funny, I'd never thought- Well, never mind. That's cool; at least we have something in common. Hey, do you think we could -what's your way of saying it? Spar?- sometime? It'll be fun, and we have spares up for grabs, never gonna run out of guns here. It's a waste of resources, I can't imagine why we'd need that many, but-"She gave him a once-over, "Say. You don't have your gun here, do you? Or are you hiding a holster somewhere? I-" then realizing they were getting off the subject, continued, "think it'd be great if we could all get together someday to, you know, play around. You, me and your son Edward."
He looked horrified.
"Are you suggesting a ménage àtrois, Miss Bella?"
"Mena–No!" Ménage àtrois. That was French for 'threesome' or 'triad' or something disgusting like that, right? Oh. God. No. She could feel the mortification written all over her face, mirroring Mr Edward's, "No! Eww! No! I meant target practice. Together. It'll be perfect, and good practice too, I'm a little rusty these days."
"I see. I'd be more than glad to be practice, but my Edward… He will not be able to make it…" Mr Edward finished awkwardly.
Bella was honestly puzzled.
"Why?"
"He is.. No here."
Blanching, she gulped, "Was he… killed in the war?"
"No," Mr Edward smiled; quick to reassure her, or perhaps himself, " Edward is very, very skilled. He will never be easily defeated in combat. My son does not go down without putting up a fight, and it'll be quite a fight if I do say so myself," Mr Edward looked puffed up, the picture of a proud father, "The chances of my Edward losing is minimal. To put it mildly-" then apologetically "-I don't mean to sound conceited, but I am confident of his abilities."
"So…" Bella asked in confusion, not quite following their conversation, "Why is he not here?"
"Because… Because he did not come with me."
Understanding lit her eyes, as she finally realized what was on the troubled man's mind, "And you miss him. Right? I'd bet my next paycheck you're missing him crazy!"
"That is certainly one way to put it."
"Hah!" Bella grinned triumphantly, "Wait till Alice gets a load of this!"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing. You should totally have told us from the beginning. We were going nuts trying to figure out why you were… you. As in: you, the guy who turned brooding into an art form. Now don't you worry, Alice and I will fix that, just wait and see!"
"Miss Bella–"
But Bella wasn't listening, far from it in fact, she was racing up the steps, vanishing in a matter of seconds, leaving a very puzzled Mr Edward staring after her.
He continued, to no one in particular, "–I don't need any fixing."
Bella, on the other hand, had a brilliant plan all laid out in front of her, a mission she would call it. The Fae, in contrary to popular belief, were compassionate creatures, offering their assistance was considered a second nature to them. After all, weren't elves known to be Santa's little helpers? Other species, such as pixies and fairies, were not any different, although, like any rule, there were exceptions, in this case so happening to be the goblins and sirens.
"Alice!" Bella called out, as she caught up with her mischievous best friend cum cousin.
Mary Alice Brandon, preferably Alice, was- unlike her cousin- a pure-breed. A bona fide, fully-fledged pixie. Whereas Bella, despite her elfin status, had a little blood of everything, even the Siren's seductive genes! Alice, with her cropped black hair, and warm butterscotch pixie eyes that took up half her face, was as adorable as they could get. Dressed in a cute pleated mini and a tight-fitting cashmere sweater that emphasized her full curves, she was an old goblin's wet dream.
"Bella." Alice smiled warmly, reaching over to hug her, before taking a good look at what Bella had carelessly thrown on, "Oh. My. God. I think I need my inhaler. Bella!"
Bella winced, "You would think that I've committed a crime. And Alice you don't have an inhaler."
"Bella! With your interests in mind, please, please, let me in your wardrobe. I can't take it if you show up in… in jeans again. Jeans! As if that's not bad enough, a T-shirt! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? And are those shoes any good?"
Bella stared down at her well-worn sneakers, protesting defensively, "They're designer shoes!" Oh, only too well did she remember the heartache when she paid for those too-expensive shoes at Alice's insistence. Damn. She swore never to buy another pair, till they were rendered useless. Which they were. Or soon to be.
Alice arched an eyebrow, "They're scruffy."
"They're designer! That's got to count for something."
"They're designer scruffy?"
"That's not the point."
Alice let out an exaggerated sigh, throwing up her hands in an exasperated way that said, 'Fine. You win. I'm not going to say anything. For now.'
Bella drew in a breath, preparing herself for the declaration, "Alice, I–"
"Let me guess. You're pregnant right? I'm so happy for you!"
"No! Will you let me finish?"
"Oh. No? I was hoping that you'd finally got around to losing your virginity. Your first make-out session then?"
"Alice!"
"Well, what is it?"
"Mr Edward–"
"Sweet! You're dating that sultry but unbelievably hot vampire? Although, I have to say he's a little too old for you. But he's not getting any older is he? I mean physically– Oh heck. It's none of my business anyway. You have my approval. Not that you need it–"
"He's married!"
Alice frowned, "Too bad."
"And he has a son!"
Alice perked right up, "Good for you!"
"This. Is. Not. About. Me."
"Your loss. I'd bet anything his son's as sexy as he is. Did you see that body? Yum!"
Bella groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration, they weren't getting anywhere, "Okay. Are you in the least interested in helping me help Mr Edward at all? The reason why he's so down in the dumps is because he's missing his family. At least I think so. I didn't exactly stay to clarify. And I sort of promised him we'd help him out…"
She finished the long speech all in a breath, tired of Alice's unhelpful interruptions, which left her gasping for air- not in a good position for a comeback- as her brat of a cousin eyed her critically.
"Why didn't you say so?"
"That's 'cause–"
"So we're going over to VampLand to–"
"Alice? VampLand?"
"–fetch his family, right? Piece of cake. We'll just go through WereWoods–"
"WereWoods?" That slight interjection went sailing over her head just as the previous did. Ignored. As usual. Damn. How did Alice do that? Brushing off every comment that came her way. Bella admired that. It also pissed the hell out of her.
"–and that's easy enough. I'll ask around and see who wants to tag along. The more the merrier, don't you think? Just remember to pack lunch, I'm no good without my regular meals. You know that. I absolutely lu- urve your sandwiches! You know that too! They're the bomb! You–"
"Yes, I know that, I got it. Listen Alice, this is no picnic!"
"It's a walk in the park. Don't forget those sandwiches."
"No really, it's–"
"Yes, really. Don't you trust me? Your beloved, trustworthy cousin?"
"Do I have any say in this?" Bella pleaded half-heartedly, expecting the expected answer.
"Let's see… Well… No."
She sighed in defeat. Dismissing Alice with a final wave, Bella trudged back home. She had plenty to do. Topping her priority list was: 'Dig out guns and magazines from armory. Heck. Throw in a machine gun if that'll work'. Despite Alice's devil-may-care attitude, Bella reasoned that they might need some form of defense, though hopefully, as Alice predicted, they didn't. Well, next on that non-existent list was, 'Get a proper set of clothes- Bella's definition of proper' the kind that's sturdy, and would do wonders hiding a gun, not Alice's too revealing outfits, which would naturally reveal the guns. Maybe she should remind Alice to bring her inhaler, her flighty cousin sure was going to need one, Bella thought in smug delight, picturing Alice's resentment at her fashion sense.
And somewhere down the long, looong list came, 'Pack the sandwiches.' Note to self: Don't ever forget this, unless you're up for the wrath of Mary Alice Brandon. Bella made a face, before grinning goofily. She was almost looking forward to this little 'walk in the park', Alice was a stellar psychic, she wouldn't let them down. If she said the trip was a go, then it was a go. And Edward Junior sounded only too interesting. Who knew? He could be The One, couldn't he? Well, couldn't he?
END CHAPTER
Author's note: The long-awaited (well, not exactly) confrontation's up ahead in Chapter 2. So now there's but one thing for you to do. And that is, if you please, to review.