A/N: thank you again to all of my readers. I appreciate every view. I hope you each enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Two

As if it were possible, my knuckles had slowly chaffed from the constant clamping in the last thirty-seven hours. I happened to pick the worst day possible to travel, between the over-abundance of people and the weather delays. I hung up with Carlisle about four hours ago after an awkward struggle with making my first phone call. The terrible quality of the public phone did no justice to familiarize his voice. His voice was only small strand of faith that told me that I was heading in the right direction. I kept a tight grip on the reassurance that, by some miracle, I was doing everything correctly. Which also meant resisting the pestering impulse to shred the incapable and bothersome bodies around me. The sixth person since my arrival to the United States was attempting conversation. Tremendous amounts of self control were not festering well anymore, and I was worn thin. From the blood lust and annoyance, I was sure the man next to me was better off as a tasty snack.

"You must fly a lot," he coughed. "This turbulence is something else. I haven't seen you go queasy once."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. For a week, I considered the benefits of investing in a pair of human-colored contact lenses. I ended up at the conclusion that I didn't care enough and could handle the occasional lingering glance. I was used to stuttering heartbeats and confused looks. This time around, it was unfortunately accompanied by my own fear of experiencing many firsts.

"Are you on a business trip?"

My nostrils flared and I blinked three times. I couldn't eat him. Not worth it. That would mean killing every useless sack of meat on this plane and having to fly the stupid piece of machinery myself.

"Visiting family."

"That's great! I am heading back home. My great grandma passed away and ya know, it's nice to see all of the family again but then all the claws come out and the pissing contests start and it just becomes a zoo," he chortled. "Guess you can plan a trip but you can never plan the weather. You look quite young to be traveling on your own. Do you folks know that you're safe?"

"I'm older than I look."

"Pardon me, then," his big, swollen belly swished with the descending flight. "Women are getting prettier every generation."

The air dried my rigid eyes. Only forty-five minutes and I could escape the confines. Flying in America was a dreadful experience.

I carefully plucked a magazine from the seat pocket and flicked through the laminated pages. It was outdated and about some groups of people I had could not recognize.

"Those Kardashians are sure a wild group of gals," his sausage finger invaded my space and poked the pages. "My daughter loves them."

"Charming," I gritted my teeth.

"Young girls need a better influence than these celebs who get famous for just being rich."

I flipped the page and recited the Declaration of Independence in my head. The speakers chimed and a bored voice recited the same speech that every other flight had. We were landing and I gazed out the window to see the city still fully awake and bustling beneath us. We buckled and I wrinkled my eyes shut to shadow the world. The man was still talking about nonsense. Absolutely none of his babbling received a response, yet he failed to notice. The bridge of my nose suffered as I clamped tight.

"Ready to get out of this joint?"

I was half way into writing out Clair De Lune backwards when his raspy voice cleared.

"What?"

"Time to stretch those legs and ditch this joint," he sighed, pulling the muscles in his arms. "We've landed. You proved me wrong — you did get hit hard at the end there. First for everything, I suppose."

I stood and fished my way out of the ugly navy cushions and into the line. The flimsy, temporary floor bounced under the weight of everyone colliding and running to get out. I was definitely not the only impatient soul. Our group had to wait again for the final doors to open up and welcome us. Storming through the clouds of humans, I finally released myself into the confines. Sets of families gathered together and couples reunited. It only took seconds to scan through the crowd and find the perfectly styled platinum blonde hair.

My shoes thudded against the retro carpet. A group of teenagers cheered together and trickled away. Out of the depths revealed my prize.

"Carlisle Cullen," a quick whisper lingered in the air between us. He was extraordinarily handsome, much more than our Volturi counterparts or nomads from my neck of the woods. Carlisle was certainly no holistic concoction, however. Just like Alice Cullen wasn't. She had been telling me the truth: Carlisle really had built a golden lifestyle. "Unbelievable."

"It's been too many years, Isabella."

He held a placid hand out, palm open and waiting. I was dazzled to oblige.

"Too many," I agreed. "I'm stunned it took such a long time for a reunion."

His tranquil smile was better than I remembered from our younger days. This life was tender on him and the years blessed him well. "As am I. My family and I have actually been looking at investing in real estate in your neck of the woods."

"Let me know if you need further assistance in the matter."

"A generous offer that I will take you up on."

He guided me between the hustling bodies and was masterful with his presence. A subtle nod to a mother, an audible apology for brushing passed a family. If it weren't for his torturously divine features, he could be another human in the melting pot. He effortlessly lead us to where my lonely bag was swiveling around the conveyor belt. Proving in a gust to be a mighty gentleman, he grabbed it for me and lead us out the dull, artificial lighting and beyond the check points. He held the door open for me and I thanked him again, welcoming us both into the cool night. The stars were dimmed and flickered poorly against the city lights. Even the moon was clouded over in a dense fog. "Did you run here?"

"No," he swung a set of keys around his open hand. "We choose to disguise ourselves at every human opportunity we can."

I plied my fingers around the hem of my shirt. "We... that term keeps coming up."

"My family and I," he clarified.

"Family is such an obtuse word of choice," I admitted.

He stopped us in front of a slick, dewy black BMW. It chirped and flashed the headlights at our arrival, where Carlisle took my awe of silence as an opportunity to hitch around my side and open the passenger door for me. Another act of honor that I internally noted. I thanked him and took my bag, nesting it between my ankles. He was on the driver's side at a human's pace. He took his fair share of time to adjust the air vents and the radio station before reversing us out and onto the highway.

"We prefer to be called a family, though you know us as the Olympic Coven, I assume."

"I actually don't," I countered. I named the trees we zoomed past in the dark, admiring the different species they had in the country. "I haven't kept in touch with the world in a while."

"Alice did not explain it to you?" his groomed eyebrows pushed and raised in a mix of thoughts before settling back on neutral. "May I ask how she convinced you to come to us? Pardon my curiosity. Last I can recall, you were not one to be so easily coaxed into a seemingly non-beneficial compromise."

"What can I say? Alice has a... way with words." I turned the vents up, "It smells so different here."

"Have you been the the United States recently?"

I shook my head. "Never, Carlisle. The Western Hemisphere has not captured my interest."

"The culture will be a big change for you," he warned. "It's my pleasure to be your host. Things are not nearly as traditional in the same sense, as say, Volterra or Ithaca."

My fingers spread against the rushing air. He must have found it silly how intrigued I was with the simplest of new toys. I was not accustomed to traveling by motor vehicle, and certainly not one as modern or luxurious as this.

I knew he wasn't going to risk opening the window yet and took simple pleasure in the artificial gusts from the heat. "I see. Traditional is not exactly your forte, though. Seems like your lifestyle is bent around being rebellious. This Alice, she is your... daughter?"

"Yes, she found my wife, son, and I half a century ago."

"Wife... son?" I interrogated. "Carlisle, how large is your coven?"

He rubbed his strong jaw, a habit I could tell he was pawn to, and it was impeccably fallible how he rubbed his nose and drove. "Right now, counting our immediate members, it is a total of seven."

"Seven?" I gawked. "And the Volturi? Have our brothers not found it a threat?"

"They've questioned us, but we are loyal and have proven time and time over our respect to the laws. We wish no harm on others." His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.

I shimmied closer to the edge of my seat, "Carlisle, my god. No wonder you're having a rodent problem. Seven vampires who haven't ripped each other's heads off? That's quite an accomplishment."

He genuinely softened with a light chuckle. "This isn't a war we brought to ourselves. For the last hundred years we've kept our treaty alive. Only recently had we been subject to their change in leadership."

"Alice said so," I recalled. "You asked how she got me... here..." I turned away and tried my luck. "May I open this?"

"Of course, you don't have to ask."

My surprise wasn't something I was going to hide from him. "No? Not even if the scent of a human compels me?"

"I can tell you've fed generously before you arrived."

He did the honors and automatically slid the tinted window down a comfortable halfway. The fast air paled the heat combing through the vents. The speed felt amazing when it wasn't my limbs working for it. "Smells like starch and salt."

"It's what the humans favor in their diets. Fast food is a familiar face around here," he pointed out a large, glowing yellow 'M' dangling in the sky. "As a doctor, I can't say I approve. The easy access to fatty foods is like an obsession to so many of my patients. Makes the dirty work become unfortunately repetitive."

"How long have you been a doctor here?"

"In Washington, this will be my third year."

I was confused again and bunched my hair over to one shoulder to keep control from the racing wind.

"This is our second time back at this home. We transition and move every seven or eight years. We involve ourselves in the communities we are in. We spend as much time there as we can until the lies become noticeable. We pack up and start new lives wherever the vote gets cast next."

The idea of uprooting myself every decade was nonsense. I'd lived in my home for centuries now without trouble. Other than the occasional worker or sailor, I was a forgotten siren in the oceans of Greece. Next to Carlisle and his incredibly confident posture and calm words, I shrunk. My back craned and slouched. He found so much happiness in a polar lifestyle, that I began to question if I should buck up and find hostility in their insanity. How could creatures like us find a sense of belonging in their prey?

Carlisle didn't see humans in that light. However he sustained his lifestyle, his family - a group of seven vampires - followed in line. "Are you all golden eyed?"

"Yes. We do not hunt humans."

"Ever?"

"No."

The daunting question burned itself in the back of my throat. My curiosity was insatiable for the Cullen's. I asked what needed to be aired. "What, then?"

"Animals. Wildlife."

He had a wife, he had daughters and sons. His eyes were gold. He worked as a doctor to heal what we so naturally hunted. He held relationships with humans and took pride in his community. I wondered what the point of being an immortal for him was. "For how long?"

"Nearly my entire existence, Isabella."

"Good God," I felt instant shame at how horrified I was at his admission. "Sorry. I do not mean to be so barbaric. I am merely..."

"You do not offend," he assured. A dapper smile reached his eyes. "Even Aro found it remarkable when our partnership began. He used to think it would weaken me, but decades of holding the same diet and taming our blood lust has proven otherwise. We are strong friends. My family is not so keen on the coven. We pride ourselves on keeping in touch with humanity. For us, that stems from our every day experiences. Aro is very fond of a few of us for gifts thry have. Members of my family receive visits or the odd present from him. We see them when the time is appropriate."

"Your family has valuable assets. Like Alice, your fortune teller. Must be a huge advantage to see the future."

"Vaguely, but in a dense sentence, yes. She is given visions that reveal the consequences of our actions."

"Aro hasn't snatched her up for himself?"

Carlisle took his eyes off the road to look at me, "No. She is free to go if she ever feels compelled to, but our family fits together. We are best when united."

Their lifestyle was an eclipse from mine. "Meaning?"

"Happiest," he defined. It wasn't the answer I expected. "She and her mate are still perfecting their blood lust. It's sublime, but Jasper is having the most difficult time."

He was not conjuring up an argument against the obvious hue of my eyes. Though I imagined when the time came, a lengthy debate would saturate the Cullen's house.

"Who is your mate?"

An enormous grin lifted his perfect cheeks. "Her name is Esme. She is a fabulous mother to everyone, sometimes even myself. If compassion were tangible, it would be her gift. Her role in the family is impossibly necessary. I don't know if I could go through everything without her."

"Such a poet," I taunted him. "I'm glad you've found someone to share eternity with."

"As am I. This would all mean nothing without her grace."

"Your family is very dear to you," I observed.

He shrugged, "We are all each other has."

I nodded, doing my best to shove the nagging timid shadow gnawing it my ankles.

"Alice said she had spent the summer searching for me. Did you give her a lead on my existence?"

Carlisle frowned, "Nothing more than a conversation in passing. Our family faired poorly in her absence. We didn't know why she left us. Her mate was not even sure. Though I trust Alice wholeheartedly, it was difficult to not think the worst had come to her when days turned into weeks of nothing. No contact. I really am still not sure how she came up with the idea to find and track you down."

"That makes two of us."

"We will have to talk as a family, then," he lightly concluded.

The city of Seattle was far behind us as the adventure continued on. The traffic weeded itself out as the rural plains claimed the majority of territory. The highway caved with dents as we landed further away from the wealthy parts of the state. I had not put thought into the United States beforehand and I reminded myself to gather information on their government and how their democracy functioned. Often times, tourists from the West were frowned upon as selfish and ill-mannered. Carlisle excuded anything but.

He finally made a choice exit off the interstate and a match lit with anticipation inside of me.

"I didn't want to overwhelm you with meeting us all at once. I figured if we split it into pairs, you'd have an easier time getting to meet us."

I slouched back into the plush leather and batted my bag between my feet. "Sure."

We made several turns before gliding down a very narrow stretch of road. The concrete crackled under the tires. I took in the vast trees who planted the Earth that occasionally sprung an opening of grass and wildflowers. Ten homes shared the road, each very similar and likely constructed fifty years ago by the same crew. He stopped at a three way intersection with a blinking light and made a left. Bales of hay decorated the front lawn of a brick house, and that was the last house for the next fifteen miles. A dirt road would pop up on the sides where a lone mailbox would lean its rickety neck against a tractor or sprinkler.

"Almost there," he promised.

The Cullen coven may have held pride in their relationship with the community, but they undoubtedly kept their distance. His extravagant car made a statement in the barn yards and muddy trails. A cluster of pine trees packed like sardines marked a new property and clouded the roadside for close to a mile before they scattered. A home far different than the others cut creases into the land with an abstract, modern build. It was perched on a hill and sat like a crown observing its kingdom. The upscale mansion towered over any other home we passed and excuded elegance. A piece of modern art. Definitely a stretch from where I had been days before.

"Home, sweet home," Carlisle welcomed us.

"It's lavish," I breathed out a soft murmur. "You've done well for yourself."

Not that I expected differently from the experienced, centuries-old doctor. The BMW came to a rest, waiting for the massive garage doors or roll open. Four other cars gleamed in the radiant concrete structure. Each was exotic and shining, not tamed or ordinary as I had anticipated. He shut the engine off and acted natural, running out of his seat to greet me with an open door.

I thanked him and ducked my way out, brushing off the wrinkles in my black pants in an attempt to soothe my nerves. I smelled the others sprinkled around the property and heard movements.

He motioned for me to follow and I wrung out the handles of my bag. He led us inside the manor, where lucious bounds of hardwood coated the floors and greeted me to an open-plan kitchen. At least it hadn't wreaked of fowl human food, I joked internally. The facade stopped at the door. Each nook and corner was free of dust or dander, cleaned to solid perfection as the sharp modern furniture decorated the rooms. The kitchen led into a massive cathedral ceiling living room.

"Isabella!"

Down the floating stairs flew Alice, dancing straight into me. I dropped the bag as a soft cushion of air left my lungs. Her dainty arms bounded me up in a tight, uncomfortable embrace and I awkwardly groaned. She laughed and was almost climbing me with each abundant bounce. Her cozy white sweater rubbed circles into my neck.

"You're finally home," she beamed.

I patted her shoulder and took the first risk of frothing my shield around her. She spun quick and faced the other vampire who stood like a statue on the stairwell. His dirty blond locks curtained half of his face. The soft lights reflected off of his rough, scarred skin. I had never seen a vampire with so many bite marks.

"Jazz, come meet Isabella."

He ventured down the stairs, his socks patting gently against the floor. A breeze of power tickled on top of my head and I shivered.

"Whatever you're trying, it won't work." I warned.

He frowned.

Alice caught him with both of her darling hands. "I told you she's immune."

He grunted, his plum tinted lips pressed into a thin line.

"He's an empath, he's trying to read your emotions. Jasper is harmless."

Bewildering me in a swift movement, he held a hand in my direction. "The eyes are kind of freaky, sis."

I looked at Carlisle when a carefree laugh rattled out.

I placed my trust in Alice's mate when she wouldn't stop nodding in encouragement. Our hands met and I gave him a salting of my shield.

"So are yours."

Alice giggled. "Jazz is kind of shy at first. He's my sweet thing, though."

Her pointed nose tickled his jawline. His throat twitched from a thick swallow of venom.

"Few with your gift have ever existed," I looked over his scars and noted his handsome features beyond the broken pieces.

"Jasper is very interesting. He was quite charismatic in his first life, able to influence those around him to see things his way. Now he can manipulate the emotions of those around him—calm down a room of angry people, for example, or excite a lethargic crowd, conversely. It's a very subtle gift."

"Thank you for the novel, sweetheart," he jabbed her with his elbow and Alice played in return.

Her lighthearted fist went cold and she fell into him.

Carlisle stepped forward and helped Jasper, each man guiding her by the forearm to rest her frozen corpse to the expansive sectional.

I quit breathing and rocked back and forth on each heel. "What is going on?"

"She's having a vision," Jasper gasped. He caressed her cheek endlessly. Carlisle crouched beside her but locked his gaze on me.

"Is your shield in effect?"

"Over the three of you... should... should I pull back?"

Each barked out a solid refusal and babied her rigid form.

"Oh my!" Alice sprung up from the cushions as if she were electrocuted, then jumped into the swinging chandelier before launching herself at me. I hissed and jerked away, backing hard into their kitchen bar. "That's the best one I've had in a long time!"

"Darling, maybe tone down the crazy for a bit," he chuckled. Both of them zoomed to her side and beamed.

"I don't think that's possible!" A huge burst of energy bounded into the living space, where a mammoth in vampire form collided with Jasper. They punched each other a few times before laughing. "I think crazy is her forte."

"I am not crazy," she ran over and flicked his ear.

He shoved her into Jasper's open embrace and hauled over my way. I had never seen a vampire as strong as him. His arms were two fully grown bears covered in hardy veins. His grin was ever larger, covering a massive set of teeth that reminded me of boulders fencing the edge of the ocean. If someone as petite as Alice had the ability to crumble steel into a fine powder, I could not fathom the aptitude of his force. He winked a golden eye at me, "How about a hug for your soon-to-be favorite brother, eh?"

Physical contact was contagious in the Cullen household. Despite my scowl and hands splayed wide out, he bolted in for an embrace that I easily could have died from. He wiggled us back and forth and my spine sang with a loud crack.

"Itty bitty Isabella joins the team. Tell me, who's your pick of the crop? Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Bowser?"

I wheezed.

"Sorry," he dropped me and I fell flat on my behind. The floor should have cracked under the pressure, and my dignity was glad it held firm.

"She didn't own a Wii, Emmett. She has no idea what Mario Kart is." Alice crossed her arms. "And I bet you the moment she learns how to play, your ass is grass."

A shatter of ceramic cascaded across the house and hit my chest. I growled and flew to my feet in a blaze. From the stairwell, another vampire held her stance.

"Who fucking failed to mention that she was a murderer?"

Carlisle was by me in a flash. He dragged us away from the mess. "Rosalie, I cannot believe you would jeopardize our hospitality is such a vulgar manner."

Venom soaked in the gaps on my teeth as I hissed at her.

"She's not one of us!"

Emmett went over and pulled at his curly hair, "Come on, babe. Don't start this already."

"Don't start this?!" She pointed a manicured finger at Alice. "You of all people should know to keep these evil bastards out of our territory... unless you're fond of Jasper being attacked!"

The elfin fashionista screeched, "You should keep your pretty mouth shut, Rose. Karma is real in this house!"

Rosalie shot me a look that possibly had the power to end my immortality. "Do you take pleasure in killing the innocent?"

"You aren't the innocent," I fought. "Really, nobody is."

Her teeth revealed with the tight curl of her lips. She shoved Emmett aside. She was the only member wearing shoes at home, her heels clicking ferociously into the hardwood. "Is that a threat?"

"It is if your thick skull can hear it."

Carlisle stood between us and his fingertips ate into her shoulders. If it wasn't for her twisted need to murder me, I would have thought she was a beauty. The heavy, long curls of blonde layered like a thick veil all around her, framing a fiercely resplendent face.

"You won't be allowed to hurt anyone around here," she spat past Carlisle. "I'll make sure of it, you disgusting bitch."

"Filthy succubus," I snapped. "You'd be the first to fall victim."

"I'd like to see you try."

Carlisle pushed her away. "Absolutely enough!"

"How can any of you be okay with this?" She screamed. Every vampire fell into a shadow of silence. Rosalie stomped to the middle of our disjointed circle. "She stands for everything we are against. Like she could ever be part of our family. She is a monster! She's chosen the very life that we all have struggled to fight. She kills people out of sick desire!"

I punched the table, "I'm right here."

"I'm very well aware," she bit back. "How do you live with yourself?"

"Perfectly well," I argued. "I follow my instincts. I've lived longer than any of you and I was dragged here to help you. Your choices have put you in this predicament. That's not my fault."

Her lip fluttered in a pang of anger. "If you touch anyone here, I won't hesitate to be the one to kill you. The wolves won't even get a vote."

Emmett groaned, "Chill out. Literally nothing has happened and you're both standing here as if the pope was dead on our floor. Let's just—"

"You're all so blind."

Carlisle placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder and grimaced, "Please ignore her for now. I'm sorry, Isabella. We really don't want you to depart so soon without giving us a fair chance."

Rosalie threw a pillow back on the couch. "Jasper, stop trying to distract me."

Alice hugged him from the side. "Thanks, sweet thing."

"Anything to shut her up," he agreed.

Emmett howled with a hefty chuckle, "Could you do that more often?"

Rosalie threw a killer glare at Emmett, "If you aren't the most infuriating husband on the face of this planet. I swear!" She fell into the chair and pouted.

Jasper joined her and flooded Rosalie with some sort of feeling that put her destruction to an end. His mate bounded across the room and nuzzled into my side. I flinched and she continued.

"Sorry, sis. This family is another breed of insanity. You'll get used to it."

"I am having whiplash from all of this," I admitted. "Are you part feline?"

She smiled and latched on my arm. "Just happy you're here."

A warm, sweet scent curled its way around the corner and following it was a delicate woman. Carlisle left my side and met her immediately, crushing her to him in a swift tug. They shared a tender kiss and tickled one another with the tips of their noses. She curved her attention from his glowing smile and focused on my invasion.

"Dear Isabella," she cooed. A formal bun braided a bouquet of tendrils that waved from her heart-shaped face. "We have heard so much about you."

Carlisle split a wide grin across his cheeks, "Isn't she amazing? Alice has already had a vision."

Alice plucked herself from my elbow and I followed my shield around her dancing. I wondered if blacking out and being vulnerable to see glimpses of images was a pleasant feeling. I could only imagine that it was mortifying to be out of control.

"I'm Esme," she approached me with both slender arms held out. My chest tightened in the anticipation, waiting for the moment she would rethink her choice and stagger back with disgust of my eyes. Just like everyone else had. Even with her tender, glimmering topaz eyes fully absorbing my features and reflecting my own being, she wrapped around me. Her grip was firm and taunt. My arms were soft and slowly cooperating with the loneliness of my reaction. The family was physical and hands on, and I should have realized that when Alice has first visited my haven. I laid my hand on the space between her shoulder blades and rubbed like a sad, broken windshield wiper. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."

"I thought Carlisle was a love sick puppy, but I see that his words were pale in comparison, Esme," I offered in return.

"Oh, goodness," she pulled back and gripped my arms. "You're too sweet. Welcome to the family."

"Thank you," I held back the hiss I wanted to spit as Rosalie scowled. Emmett took her to his side and sat down at her side, lounging across the massive couch.

"What's wrong, dude?" Emmett laughed and kicked his feet on the table. We all focused on Jasper, who was stiff in the corner on his own. Alice bounced over and traced her hands across his stoic face.

"Jazz?"

Carlisle and Esme took hesitant steps in his direction.

"What's going on?"

His glare snapped over to me. "Did you see this, Ali?"

"See what?" she rubbed his shoulders and gripped the opening of his hoodie. She was like a panicked bird adjusting its nest before a storm. Her slim fingers fidgeted on the small specks of dust on his clothes, and brushed his hair in a multiple directions as if she were digging around for an answer in the crook of his skin. "Jazz, you need to relax, okay? Do we need to get out of here?"

Rosalie tore away from the furniture and halted her march halfway before turning to sneer at me. "What are you doing to him?"

"Rose!" Esme scolded.

Her gleaming blonde hair had a strand stuck to the side of her mouth where a drop of venom was sneaking its way out. "She's hurting him!"

Carlisle was in front of me before I had time to react to her heinous accusation. He was eight or nine inches taller than me, nearly blocking the entirety of my view. "A moment for Jasper to speak on his own behalf would be considerate, if he'd like."

A commotion crackled like a fire in the hoard of vampires and I stepped away from Carlisle's back. He flinched and I did my best to remain silent. From the hallway where everyone had introduced themselves, I heard a set of lungs pumping. It was a tense, quiet drawl that spun gusts of air. They were not exhaling, only stealing from the room. My fingers sprawled like the legs of a spider and inspected the small circles of fabric around my thighs. Whoever it was hiding in the contours of the shadows beyond the walls, they were sending sparks into the cover my shield. Some sort of power was encroaching its way with a mighty force specifically in my direction. My nostrils flared as I pushed every ounce of air from my chest. I took two slow steps away from Carlisle, ignoring the way he crooned over his shoulder to follow my stalk.

"Isabella?"

"Who is there?" I mumbled, trying to keep the aroma out of my dry nostrils and away from my fingertips. My body was going to act if I didn't hold still. Whatever the smell was that wafted from the opposite side of the wall, it was going to drive me insane. I wasn't breathing and the stranger was lighting flames in the depth of my bones. I was stuck in a bolt of invisible lightning, my ribs shaking against the carcass of my heart. I was afraid. I could see the tiny nicks of light poking at my shield. It wasn't working, but I wondered if the stranger was stronger than I. If for once in my existance, whoever was hiding from me, was able to penetrate my power and hurt me.

A hundred ways I could possibly defend myself drew long, prepared sketches in the forefront of my mind.

"Edward."

A hand fogged over of arm and I shoved it back. Carlisle held both palms up. I traced through every body in the room and pulled the numbers together. There were supposed to be seven, but only three couples were grouped together and watching me with careful eyes. A steady set of steps echoed in the hallway, and I arched like a bow around the chair in my way. He steadily emerged with grace and illuminated under the soft glare of their modern chandelier. He was colored the same as me, a ghostly pale that would glitter impossibly well in the beams of the sun. He was dressed young and Americanized, with dark denim pants and a heather gray shirt that contoured against the firm budding muscles he flexed. His strong, square jaw clenched and my focus dipped to his face. I doubted in that second if I were immortal. A hardy twitch from a muscle galloped in my chest. As my hand flew up to grip the base of my throat, he copied my movements. His eyes dripped with molten honey and he slowly dragged for a taste of his bottom lip. I was starved. An unbearable burn lit on my buds and I rumbled with a low growl. He had to have some sort of effect on my shield. Nothing about the tightness in my muscles made sense. The jumble of thoughts in my head were atypical. I was never not in control of myself. No one had a power to alter my independence.

My knees were close to giving out, and in fear, I let out a nasty spit of venom that spurred out with a daunting growl. It vibrated in my chest and I made it as loud as I could in hopes that it would rattle the clouds rolling in my brain.

"Watch out," Carlisle ran from my side and caught Alice in her timber. The vampires fawned over the wide eyed, voided vampire. I took the opportunity to crawl closer to their lone member. His stare stayed on me, his bottom lip wet and mouthing something. My confusion turned into anger, worrying that whatever he was doing, it was going to get worse.

I threw the chair from my path and ignored the crashing of wood as I attacked. My tight fist cracked against the drywall when he ducked quickly, swooping around and putting me in a headlock.

"Stop her!"

His touch torched my arms and I swung with brute force to flip him forward. We rolled on the hardwood and in the mess of our struggle to be on top, he countered for a brief moment and kicked me, scattering planks. He hovered above with each of his hands gripping an impossible hold on mine. Our eyes met and it made the breath in my mouth turn bitter. He smelled so inviting that I had to fight against my instincts to stay in control. It was a power tactic, something he had to be looming against me. My muscles pushed hard to see beyond the mess of his tussled, copper hair, and the bubbles blowing from my dead heart. I screeched and headbutted him hard, throwing him to the side and pushing myself in a safe spot to anticipate his next move.

He rubbed his forehead and shot me an offensive glare.

Despite my eyes glued on his every movement, he was quicker and wrapped himself back around my torso to pin me against the wall. I could see his family ready to step in, and the overwhelming realization of being unsafe consumed me. I was out-numbered and ranked. This would be the real day that I died, and I was sure. Alice falling victim to her blank, wide stare probably saw that only seconds ago.

It took every bit of power to defy the screaming voice in my head to look at him again, and I scratched out of his hold and jumped out the double window doors to the porch. He tackled me again, and as I rolled onto the wet, green lawn, I fought with my shield to stay strong. I didn't know what I was fighting, or how to fight it, but the power he had over my nerves was undeniable. I gripped the hand he hand on my neck, choosing not to enjoy the way he seemed to prefer my touch instead, and threw him into a tree across a stream that flowed through the backyard.

I turned to see the entire Cullen family lined up behind us. This was not how things were supposed to go. I wasn't supposed to die like this.

"Don't touch her," he yelled from across the water. I gawked, trying to fight the pull beyond the pulse it brought back to my veins in his beautiful tone. "Don't."

Alice pushed forward in the pile of vampires and Jasper flew to her side. "Isabella, you're safe."

I bit my tongue and whipped my attention back to Edward, who had quietly stalked like a lion to my side. I crouched and stopped inhaling. He was so close that whatever his power was, it bled into my pores and pickled my thoughts. A harsh hiss poured out the crevices of my lips, and the second his hand reached for me, I yanked him around and threw him back across the river. He hit a pile of rocks and I ran after him. He recovered in an instant and was back on the balls of his feet. "Stop."

A scream tore through my chest.

"Kill her already, she's insane!"

Rosalie was being held back by her mate, and Carlisle had his back to us. He was saying something to them that I couldn't focus on long enough. My attention was all on the mysterious danger ahead.

Edward was staring hard, as if he were looking beyond my eyes, and took off into the forest. I followed. I was ready to tear him apart and burn every little toe and each individual eyelash. I would make sure no lonely speck of existed of him. I had never cued myself as the strongest vampire — far from it.

Yet no one had bested my abilities. In the fourteen centuries that I claimed my place on Earth, no creature had penetrated my shield. It was why Aro coveted me. It was why I was successful alone and powerful as an asset. As I chased Edward through the tangles of the forest, who I noted was extremely fast and catching a fair distance between us, I wondered how long he'd been alive. Alice or Carlisle had not mentioned that a family member among them was mentally destructive. Jane was close to the most debilitating prowess that I'd ever met. Her power had not even licked the soft of my eyes or caught me while off guard.

A log dying on the forest floor crumbled into a mash of splinters as I stomped through it and jumped into the trees. I was four miles from the Cullen's house, and I could see the mansion lit dimly in the distance. No one in the family was following us, which frightened me more so. The realization stunk. This all been a ploy to destroy me. If I continued to chase Edward, the bait they used, I would be corned and torn apart.

With Edward far enough away I could think with some spill of reason. The burn in my throat was faint and no longer controlling my senses. My forearms flexed and grew hard against the leather jacket. I calculated from the air as I started to jump in the trees, away from the direction I last saw Edward in and the Cullen's house behind me. Seattle would not be far on foot if I wanted to venture back to the airport tonight and get the first flight back home.

I wondered if I could go home. Alice knew where I lived, and if they were able to track me down, they would have me killed. A shiver tapped into my legs. Seattle was not the way to go. I would have to venture further north and go into Canada, where the forest was the most dense and figure out of plan from there. With a flight from several trees, I perched on top of one of the tallest branches that overlooked a huge, billowing river. The unfamiliar territory rushed a gush of anger into me. I hated being foolish and at a disadvantage. I could easily be corned by one of the Cullen's if I did not watch every step I took with ample grace. This was a neck of the woods they knew better than I.

A promise flushed its way into my belly as I swore to explore more of the planet. I would never let trickery blind me again.

In one fluid step, I poured myself from the tree top and crashed into the rapids. The chill of the night soaked through my clothes and with every powerful stroke, I fished through the flowing water. I bounced off a few boulders and listened to the water get louder with each meter. I swam into a rock and perched myself on top. I gasped for air when the cold night pinched my chest. A massive waterfall cascaded ahead, revealing a new stretch of land that expanded for an endless amount of time. I was tempted to stay and count all of the trees.

A hard smack flung me back to land. I shivered under the trampling weight and prepared myself for a fight.

Edward hung above me for the third time, and I cursed the stealth he possessed. His hand came down to mine and I lashed out and bit it. A horrendous roar beckoned from Edward and he fell back. My venom would give me the chance to get away again.

He jerked his hand around violently, as though to shake out the poison. I hissed and tackled him into a tree that snapped and exploded. The water bled from me into his clothes, soaking him where I left my marks. It made the delicious smell he carried ooze off like a potent elixir. An oil that sunk deep in my skin and itched it's way into my belly. He was enticing like brandy. A lustful dose of heroin. My conscious fell victim to my weak self control. The way he curled into a tight embrace on my attack was delicious. He was dangerous and addicting. I couldn't think properly again and the fear was dangling again in the back of my throat. It infested inside me like a hoard of roaches. Mites gorging on my walls. His arms tied around me like almighty boas. I struggled under his grip, where he threw us back on the grass. I groaned when a pulse throbbed in my skull. He then slammed us against a tree. I closed my eyes and waited to smell the black smoke of a fire, or the searing pain of my limbs being torn off.

His warm palm cupped my cheek and I sucked in sharp breath.

"Bella."

A sob tore through my lips and I threw a punch, which he effortlessly caught in his other hand.

"Open your eyes."

I did as he said and fell puppet to staring back. My foolhardy tongue twisted in shock. "What did I ever do to your family?!"

His brows contorted and nearly convinced me that it was honest confusion.

"Other than going crazy just now? Nothing."

I wrangled to take my fist back from his grip, "Then why?! Just tell me why you picked me."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. His face craned in closer, stealing each of my breaths for himself. My curiosity betrayed my need to focus by wandering to the idea that maybe he smelled so delicious from their choice in diet, or possibly the conclusion of midnight seeping into his pores. He was beyond any ordinary vampire's allure to me. My imagination would have drifted at any other peaceful encounter about him.

"You broke through my shield, cornered me. Just to kill me? To prove you could? To get to the Volturi?"

His fingers wove into the crook of my fist and continued to warm me beyond the cold water drenching us.

"Your shield works. I can't hear your thoughts."

I hated how calm he acted.

"Hear my thoughts?" I coughed up anger. "Are you trying to prove me insane?"

Edward clenched my hand fully, pulling each of his fingers between my own and holding it still. "You seem to be doing that just fine on your own."

I was ready to wad another lurch of venom at his face, but he caught on and pressed his body harder against mine. A beeline of tingles walked into my back and I twitched against him. "Stop doing that!"

His thick brows slumped into his scrunched nose. "Am I hurting you?"

By some miracle, his grip softened and the pad of his thumb rubbed the back of my hand.

"Don't act innocent. I'm aware of your power."

"So tell me what you're thinking," he countered.

"Excuse me?" I butted my shoulder into his.

"It's incredibly frustrating not knowing what you're thinking," he nudged the lapel of my leather jacket. "This can't be very comfortable to be in soaking wet."

My eyes bulged and I mocked up a laugh, "You're worried if I'm comfortable before you all kill me?"

"Kill you?" he stepped back, keeping one hand wrapped in mine. "I'm the only one here, and I don't have any plans on that."

Seizing the space he offered, I swung us around so that he was tucked into the tree instead. I reached up and cupped his chiseled cheek. More jolts of heat sizzled and I did my best to not flinch. Like a rubber band, I snapped the force from my mind and wrapped it around him. I didn't care if he got a snoop into my head. All I wanted to know was the truth about him and the others before I killed him.

His memory gurgled into sight. He was in a room back at the house, leaning against the door frame with Esme. She was adjusting the collar on his shirt for the second time in three minutes. My voice echoed through the house, followed by the vase breaking from Rosalie. Edward stiffened and felt sorry, remembering how his sister treated most people with a tinge of hatred, especially red-eyed visitors. He rubbed the nape of his neck in frustration, and cupped the front as an itch spiked its way inside. Esme noticed and asked if he was okay, offering a small hug. He assured her it was the nerves. The tickle grew painful and he recoiled when she left.

My voice piped up when Esme went to the living room and Edward decided that the curiosity was more prominent than the urge to hunt. He copied Esme's pace and stopped at the mouth of the room. He could taste my scent then, so flavorful and luxurious that I felt the sensation beyond his memory. It was the same great one I experienced from him. My embarrassment peaked when he turned the corner and heated up when a surge of delight overcame him at my appearance. Not disgust or fright like the others hid. A genuine spur of excitement laced his bones. He watched Alice fall cold like a corpse in the corner, and he read her thoughts.

I gasped, faltering before placing my palm firmly back on him.

Alice was having a vision, and from Edward's eyes, he read her mind. Saw us fighting, chasing one another, being here in this moment, coming to a peaceful compromise where we were unsure of each other.

His thoughts became overwhelmingly personal when he focused back on my defensive form, preparing to rip him to shreds.

I removed my hand as if it were a hot branding iron.

I blinked back in my own sight. I realized how uncomfortable my clothes were, hardening to icicles in the chill.

"You think I'm hurting you," he was glaring at the dirt under our shoes, eyes wild. He raked both hands through his thick, lavish copper locks and pulled tight. "That's why you ran - that feeling. You're getting it too."

My mortification was engraved into me. My privacy was thoroughly invaded and I cringed. "I had no idea. I thought you were like Jane. But you're just... a mind reader."

He snorted, "Just."

The hair stuck on my face was smoothed aside with his warm hand.

"You feel it too," I mustered the courage to touch him passively. I traced his Adam's apple. "The burn."

"I do," he confirmed. His apple bobbed and I snatched my hand away in rejection.

Embarrassment chucked into the soft spots of my body and I was weighted down. Whatever I was feeling, and Edward too, was not a wrong doing on his part. He was not preparing to murder me. It was my paranoia and lack of trust that lead me to react like some treacherous newborn. I hadn't been through an awkward situation in centuries. I shifted several paces away from Edward.

He followed.

"I'm... I apologize, Edward. Truly. I have never experienced something like that... this before. This is not how I normally carry myself. I've behaved incredibly rude. I can't tell you how ashamed I am."

He rubbed the crook of his side and shrugged. "Neither of us are very innocent in this dilemma."

I coughed again for the sake of my throat to relieve some of the irritation and rawness. "I am fabulously at fault on this one."

In the clearing and in our silence, I peeled the jacket off and flinched as it landed with a sticky thud on the ground. Both of us stared at it before he nipped his lips. His gaze on it was hungry, and I wondered if vegetarian vampires wore leather. A terribly ugly chuckle sloshed in my cheeks.

"What's the joke?"

"Nothing," I would rather be burned alive than offend him more. "This is not how I expected the start to our new life to be."

"We could try again," he came back and grabbed my hand. I wanted to pull away in humiliation. "My name is Edward."

"Isabella," I croaked.

He brought my dirty, wet hand to his precious lips and I chewed at the skin of my gums.

"For the record, I would never let anything kill you."

I grunted, "Not even Rosalie?"

"She's harmless," he assured. "Unless you touch one of her cars."

My unruly hair clung to my sides and tangled against the wrinkles in my shirt. "Good to know, I suppose."

"Alice might pretend to be upset with you to get a shopping buddy for a while."

"Her personality is..." I combed a tight knot out. "Animated."

"That's a nice way to put it," he agreed.

In our shared comprise, I didn't know how to act. I didn't know how to appreciate his beauty. Most men would take offense to being thought of as beautiful, preferring a more masculine adjective to stroke their ego. But with Edward illuminated by the twang of the moon, paling the landscape before us to a musky dessert of boring illusions, he exceeded the term. He was a head taller and chiseled from the hands of Michelangelo. I wondered if he was woven for me, a breath of fresh air from my home. Like some sort of demented angel that was hellbent on torturing me for its own desire. I had definitely sinned enough in life to earn that. He had the same nectar sweet eyes as the rest of the coven, and I knew he had their pure intentions. He was suave and limber. I sunk into my own admonishment for thinking the tingles in my skin were from anything other than lust and attraction.

I was glad he couldn't read my mind.

"I sincerely hope you can forgive me for-"

"I already have."

I shook my head, "You don't have to pretend. I am well aware of my inappropriate actions and the consequences. I don't expect you to have to put up with that. I'll gladly spend the next year camped in a shed trying to forget this happened."

He rolled his shoulders and held his hand for mine again. I obliged and watched has he pocketed it in his palm, keeping it at his side. "You're forgiven, Bella. If you want to earn it, that's fine. I don't mind."

More time to explore the crevices of him would be nice, I shamefully agreed.

"Anything."

"Maybe we can start with some answers. You can read minds, too?" he questioned. He motioned to the top of a hill south of us. I snatched my jacket back and we walked at human pace, a habit the Cullen's were fond of.

"No," I kept my eyes down at our clasped hands. They looked like a beautiful locket that would glimmer in the heat of the sun. "I project. It leaves me more vulnerable than, say, your gift. I open up and it allows others to see into me as well."

"I heard your thoughts."

As much as it irked me to, I snatched my hand back in fear that I would lose control and have him see any more of my head. I crossed my arms and his steps faltered.

"I don't intend on displaying improper conduct any further. There won't be a repeat of tonight. I promise."

Edward touched my arm and I shook it off. In no way would I ever want his pity for the sake of some kinship. "Which part? The running or the mind reading?"

"Both," I licked the roof of my mouth. "I am able to shield your family without personal disruption. It won't require physical contact or an... invasion of my own traitorous mind."

He smirked. "Is that whole living in a shed idea some sort of sick expectation you have?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea. I prefer my privacy," I stopped and dug a heel into the earth. The poor grass snapped under the pressure. "It's better off that way."

His shirt tousled in the wind as the trees sang with the air. His eyes were thin slits. "You're the one with the shield. Privacy is your pawn, more so than anyone else."

"Maybe in this situation," I rubbed my elbows. "It's good to know you can't read my thoughts. I would go insane."

"I think you're beyond that point."

I socked a fist into his shoulder.

He apologized and laughed, hiking by my side.

"Can I ask you about your coven before I have to face everyone?"

He offered a hand again and I did my utmost to extinguish the desire it flared inside me. He guided me up and over broken logs and through the roots.

"Have you always lived with Carlisle?"

Edward swallowed hard and rubbed his forehead. "No. At one point in time I preferred to be on my own. I rejoined Carlisle once I saw the error in my ways. I've been with him ever since."

"How long has that been?"

He cast his gaze beyond the trees, "I was Carlisle's first addition. That was in 1918. I left for a short period in the late twenties and returned in a few years."

I was shocked to learn that he was so young. A dense meadow fell behind the gaze of Edward that far surpassed his century old eyes. His age was certainly not a reflection of his maturity. He had more sensibility than even I in the corruption of my fear. If he had acted as irrationally as I had, our conversation would not exist now. I would be a broken puzzle of a corpse that was seared into a heap of ashes. I respected Edward more for his calm demeanor. Carlisle was the same. His entire family was likely a reflection in their own peaceful beliefs.

"You're a new age of sophistication," I offered. "Very particular."

"You say that as if you are not."

I was glad my heart was dead for the hundredth time that night. A flutter would have betrayed me and been inappropriate towards Edwards hospitality again. "Not nearly so as you, especially for my age."

"It's unkind to ask a lady," he warned himself. "I wouldn't dare say you were a day over a thousand, Bella."

"Is that meant to be a jest?" I chewed on the inner beads in the corners of my lips.

He shrugged, taking a lock of my hair and twisting it enough in his fingers to wring out droplets of the river. "Not in the slightest. You're a fine wine."

"I've aged like milk," I corrected. "I couldn't tell you how old I am."

He offered a crooked smirk and I suddenly because enthralled with my curled hair in his hand. He let the wind take it back and worked on another. I never imagined an innocent act could work it's way to being something I cherished.

"Have you always lived in Greece?"

Edward tucked us under a tree and we slid to the ground. He sat beside me and worked on my hair, sending a fresh flock of goose flesh to my back. "That feels very nice."

His touch lingered as he brushed a strand off of my neck.

"I have," I reached out to dry his hair too, but considered differently with the guilt still sitting in a lump in my gut. "This is my first time living with a coven."

"I've heard that you're close with the Volturi."

I frowned, "How much have you heard about me?"

"What Carlisle knows and small glimpses from Alice's head. Her memories do no justice for you. I had no idea you'd be this fascinating in reality."

My knees kicked up and I tucked them firmly against my chest. "Are you always such a tease?"

Another smile lined the corner of his mouth. He was exquisite. I cursed the moon for looking above us, desperately drawing up sketches in my mind for how he might sparkle once coated in the sun. "I don't intend on being. It might be the spell you have on me."

At least that was mutual, I mused. And at least he didn't say curse. Even if the rest of the Cullen family only kept me around for their own benefit, I could dig inside the mind of Edward and piece him together to satisfy the craving I had. He carefully swung a dried mahogany strand back to its home and combed through the pieces with his fingertips. I wondered what he did on a daily basis to pass the never ending cycle of time. I could only guess the number of books we shared in common that shelved themselves in the library of our brains. Maybe he carried a fever for Wuthering Heights and an affinity for chess, and flowers, too. In isolation I was my own creation. A freak in the stamp of humanity.

Edward was different. He and the Cullen's entertained their existence by corrupting their instincts and becoming part of society. It was obvious in the way he handled my anger and fear. In his golden irises and casual attire. Could he be as well versed in literature or theories like I obsessed over? It was likely. He was handsome and mature. He was weird in his human addictions, like how he scratched the edge of his eyebrows and blinked often. It almost made me uncomfortable with the tangy charm. I could happily spend long hours admiring his lifestyle. His hair or his voice. His crooked grin and his story.

"We are in Washington still," he interrupted my thoughts. "It wouldn't take us long to return and watch the sunrise."

"Am I welcomed back? I already broke your house."

"Emmett likes to show off his strength and do construction work. You've given him a way to spend tomorrow."

"Right," I plucked a strand of grass from his pant leg. "Like I did everyone a favor."

"You are by being around."

Edward stood in a flash, giving a strong hand to my disposal. The manners from his time mirrored in his warm chivalry. I doubted the necessity to grip on and zigzag our fingers together, or the flimsy breaths our chests heaved. "You are profusely quicker than I am. I think my arm would rip off if we went back like this."

"I'm the fastest runner in the family. It causes a few fights when we make the time to play baseball," he confessed. "I could carry you if you're not up for the challenge."

I resisted the incentive and added extra space between us. "Not necessary."

He pointed to my jacket, "Or I could carry the extra weight. Try and give you the advantage."

"Maybe just a head start is fine," I chucked the leather gear over my shoulder and cringed at the soaked smack. "Spare me some dignity."

He turned to face south. The wind played with the ends of his hair and I never thought I'd envy something as plain as the air. I shook crumbles of dirt that had crusted into mud and took off without warning. Dainty twigs became ash under my hasty steps. I charged as steady and hard as my feet could carry me. The forest was a blur of paint in my rampage. Sound was a gush as it whizzed past my ears.

"You might be the slowest," Edward jumped in front and looked back at me.

I growled, "I won't hesitate to rip your pretty head off."

"You'll have to catch me, first," he laughed.

I swatted and made an enormous leap to a tree branch. I swung and gained momentum, gliding through the thick web of forest that cascaded before us. Jumping my way home would be my only chance at beating Edward.

In the distance, he waved a goodbye. "Try and keep up, spider monkey."