Prologue
A frigid wind blew over a forest, shredding trees of their needles and forcing critters to shelter. Water iced over, and the rest of the world was brought to a frosty, silent pause. All sound was nearly inaudible, the quiet sweeping gelid peace to those who noticed the noiselessness.
It was chilly, but it was placid.
A lone rabbit cleaned its ears near a frozen pond in a clearing, moments away from hopping to find its own family to cuddle for warmth. Another wind blew, and the bunny took one steady jump away from the water. Seconds before it was to dash, a noise caught its attention. One ear twitching towards the sound, it straightened, nose quivering as if it could sniff out the source.
Bash.
A sudden figure crashing through a nearby bush sent the hare hightailing towards its home, leaving whomever had broken into the clearing by their self. Birds had flown from neighboring branches, a crow crying out irately at the shaded person below.
The figure was petite and childlike, the sun blocked by the clouds unable to catch any small, physical details. It was a girl supporting herself on hands-and-knees, her dress billowing as another cold blast of air flew passed her. Hair tangled in bundles around her shoulders, and her breath came in quick, visible pants. She shivered, nails digging sharply into the hard dirt below her.
She was cold.
"If you would stop trying to run, this would be much simpler."
A broken sob escaped her lips, and she began to crawl away from where she had entered.
"Really, Bella. This is silly. Do you wish to die out here?"
Had there been sunlight, a shadow would have warned her of another looming presence. But there wasn't. So when a second figure stood behind her—much older, taller, had a manly frame—there was no warning for her. He moved too silently, too swiftly, and she had no way to anticipate his actions. She couldn't see it coming—when he reached down and lifted her by the elbows. She kicked and whimpered in protest, not having enough breath or energy to scream.
Her foot made solid contact with his chest, and he snorted in amusement. "Come now, you know you are unable to hurt me—" she kicked him again "—so why don't we cease this trivial violence and go quietly?"
She mumbled something angrily, and he cocked an eyebrow.
He brought her closer. "Excuse you?"
"... I... I hate you..." she muttered, breathless. Her voice was high in tone, revealing just how young she was. "I... l-let me g-go back home. P-p-please."
"Now why would I go and do something like that?" he smiled, bringing them nose to nose. "I like you, Bella. Don't you like me?"
She spat in his face, right below his eye. He frowned, unable to wipe at it as he was holding her.
"L-let me g-g-g-go!"
"No. And because of that little move, I'll stop with being so gentle. Come, Bella." He slung her over his shoulder, ignoring her mewls of objection as he walked out of the clearing and back into the shield of trees, leaves brushing passed his face and cleaning off her spittle.
"St-top it! P-put me down!"
"I don't think so, love." He continued his walk, acting as though he were unaware of her squeals that gradually began to hush.
By the time he arrived at his destination, she was asleep. She hadn't gone ungrudgingly of course, but the combination of the cold, running, and shouting had taken a toll on her. She had fallen into oblivion completely against her own will.
The residence he pushed into was practically invisible to someone without a trained eye. A long-forgotten cabin overtaken by vegetation, rotting greenery leaving the walls the same color as the old trees around it.
He kicked in a door, swung the sleeping girl into his arms, and stepped into the darkness behind the hidden walls.
A latch barely gleamed underneath the dirt and dust that clouded up with his every step. He switched Bella into a better position before reaching to tug the latch upwards, opening the entrance in the floor. He stepped inside, the stairway below creaking as his weight pushed the old wood to its limits.
Bella mumbled something in her sleep, and he shifted her again, making sure she was comfortable. When he reached a lantern that lit the halls of the underground tunnel, he paused to observe the little girl in his arms.
She was filthy. Dirt spotted her cheeks and dress, brushed along her arms and down her legs. A few scratches and scrapes littered her knees and palms, reminding him that he should probably disinfect them later. Her dark, usually shimmering brown hair was in such tight snarls that the length looked shorter than it was. The chocolate doe-eyes he knew she had were hidden behind purple lids that matched her purpling lips—she was adorable despite the color that was fading from her cheeks.
...he had to get her warm soon.
Shouldering another door open, he entered a room lit by five other lanterns that aligned the walls. He was halfway to the unused cot when he felt a presence behind him.
He turned with an irritated scowl. "Do you need something?"
He met the rare pair of golden eyes, disbelief shining in them. "Edward... what have you done?"
Edward turned his back to the man, moving forward to place Bella into the cot and cover her with the thin blanket. "I've done what was necessary."
There was a short pause. Then, "They will want to get rid of her."
Edward snarled. "They would not dare." He spun to face the doorway, red eyes gleaming with challenge. "I am their leader."
"They are your people."
"Which is exactly why they will listen."
The man sighed. "So be it... your word is law. Will she be kept in here?"
"For the time being. It is the space closest to mine, and the only room with an actual bed. She's human, and therefore requires sleep."
"And her food?"
"I will get it myself," Edward stated, sitting on the bed beside Bella's curled body. He rubbed a hand against her arm, trying to bring her warmth. "Or I'll have the servants do it."
"She will hate it down here, Edward; because of you, and all of us. You know that."
"I will earn her trust. We all will."
"How?"
"There must be a way... there is a way. I know it, Carlisle."
Carlisle moved to sit beside his leader, nervous of upsetting him, but needing him to think through his actions. "What if the humans come to take her? Will you shelter her... or us?"
"Ridiculous," Edward snorted. "They wouldn't have the nerve to come down here. This is our territory, our tunnels, our maze. They'd undoubtedly get lost. We can take them down easily that way."
"Well, how do you expect to keep her alive? It's much too cold for an average human to survive." Carlisle shifted, studying the small girl who drowsed on, a frown on her face even in sleep. "She will freeze to death, Edward. Maybe not now, but it's nearing winter."
In answer, Edward slashed a sharp nail across his wrist, and black blood bloomed to the surface, dripping onto the dirt floor below. He maneuvered to support Bella's head, lifting her slightly so that when he brought his cut wrist to her mouth, the blood would flow smoothly down her throat. Carlisle watched as it slid passed her open lips, and she coughed when the tarnished fluid hit her system. The difference was seen immediately—her color began to return.
"Of course," Carlisle rubbed a hand over his face. "Our blood."
Edward nodded. "Though our venom is poisonous to them, our blood heals."
"Fine, then. Will you tell them yourself?"
"I will announce it soon... tomorrow, perhaps."
"So early?"
Edward sighed. "They will smell her. No need to keep it such a secret."
Carlisle stood, straightening his clothes. "It seems you have this well thought out."
"I have been planning for a while, I will admit."
Carlisle gave him a sidelong glance, smiling softly. "There is no one who can stop you from getting what you want, is there?"
"Of course not," Edward smirked, lifting his wrist from Bella's mouth. He licked his wound clean before continuing, "Especially her." He stood from the bed, turning to fix the sheets around Bella so that everything from the neck down was covered. He looked at her with triumph and greed, trailing a finger down her now flushed face. Narrowing his eyes, he whispered with finality, "She is mine. Now and forever."