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Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I still couldn't see much except for darkness. Cautiously, I looked around and noticed that I found myself in a decent sized room. Someone had closed the curtains so that only two small stripes of light fell onto the floor. Night had become day.

But where was I? The bed I was lying in seemed huge, and the mattress felt incredibly comfortable underneath my body. A big bookshelf stood at the left wall, and on the opposite side of the room was a small seating corner with two elegant armchairs and a sofa. I even saw a golden framed mirror hanging next to the door. Unfortunately, it hung too high to see myself in it, which was quite a shame because I hadn't seen my reflection in ages. And back then, it had only been a milky window pane that had mirrored my appearance.

Coming back to the room I found myself in, I decided I found it very beautiful. All the pretty pieces of furniture distracted me so much that I initially didn't notice that I wasn't the only person in the room.

Then, however, my gaze shifted over to the chair that stood not far from my bed. A man was sitting inside it. I recoiled immediately and pulled the blanket a little higher over my face, trying to be discreet. Maybe I could still pretend to be asleep.

To my dismay, the person leaned forward and said in a pleasant and soft voice: "Good morning."

It was the man the girl had called Edward.

And all at once, all the memories were back. A shiver of disgust crawled over my back and I pressed my eyes shut. Had I dreamt everything in the end?

But then I noticed the burning ache at the side of my neck and also the pain in my lower abdomen, even though it had decreased. All over my body, my skin felt strangely sore, as if it was covered with bruises. Cold sweat coated my forehead.

It felt so . . . unreal. One thing was for sure, though: someone had left me bereft of my virginity and . . . drunk my blood. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Don't cry, you are safe now," the man said. Not one second later, light flooded the room.

He had pushed the curtains back. But I didn't want the light, I wanted to stay in the darkness, creep inside it and never come out again. He had seen me. Naked, stained and dishonored.

"I'm going to bring you some food and drink. My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. I could feel his eyes on me.

Then I heard a door opening and closing shortly after. I sighed with relief and sat up. My body seemed as clean as it hadn't been in a long time, but I still felt incredibly dirty. Even my hair smelled unusually flowery. Apparently, someone had washed me. I fervently hoped it had been the girl, because every other option caused a surge of nausea. Also, I only wore a thin blue nightdress that looked really valuable.

Was I at this master's mansion the three men had talked about? Was Mr Cullen the master? Blackness pushed into my field of vision and I had to take deep breaths. Someone who commanded such gruesome creatures couldn't be a good person. And I was sure that I wouldn't be able to go through another attack.

It was very quiet for a few seconds, but then the door opened again. The first thing I saw was a tray overloaded with all sorts of delicacies. This sight caused my stomach to utter a hungry growl. Not in my entire life had I ever seen so many edible things at once.

Then Mr Cullen stepped into the room. He wore a blue frock coat which was adorned with silver embroidery. It looked unnaturally good on him. This man really had to be rich.

However, his frock coat wasn't buttoned up all the way and a white shirt peeked out beneath it. He was in his own house, but I still found his way of dressing very unconventional. I knew that some men even wore their top hats within their own four walls.

My gaze returned to Mr Cullen, and I began to wonder how old he was. Judging by his appearance, he couldn't be much older than me, maybe twenty years old. I was surprised that he had so much money at his disposal at such a young age.

What attracted my attention even more, though, was his breathtaking beauty. Sure, the men of yesterday's eve had been handsome as well, but Mr Cullen appeared even more attractive in comparison to them. Almost angelic.

His bronze colored hair was bound with a simple bow at his neck, and his movements were soft and sleek as he came closer. A few sunbeams fell through the window onto his skin and I imagined seeing it sparkle. He genuinely was a piece of art.

Then, however, my gaze found its way back to his red eyes and the spell was broken.

Quickly, I looked away and felt myself slowly reddening. It wasn't proper for me to stare at him in such a way and I hoped he hadn't noticed and wouldn't punish me for it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr Cullen placing the tray on a small table that stood next to my bed. He sat down on the chair again and I could feel his gaze lingering on me.

"How do you feel?" he asked and filled water from a filigree glass jug into a cup.

My dry throat beckoned for a drink, but I forced myself not to move. It could be a trick.

I felt those horrible red eyes lingering on my face. He seemed to scrutinize me.

"You're probably hungry," he continued without taking his eyes from my face.

I rolled to the side so that he could only see my back now. Immediately, I had a bad feeling about it because I couldn't see what he was doing any longer, or if he would attack me in the next moment. Still, this was better than having to look at him.

Mr Cullen sighed but I kept still.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" he asked and I could hear impatience in his voice, maybe even something threatening.

I couldn't begin to guess what he had in mind. Did he want to lull me into a false sense of security so he would have an easier job later on?

A few seconds went by and the bad feeling grew. Was he already standing right behind me and . . .

I couldn't bear not knowing what he was doing any longer and turned back around. To my great relief, he was still sitting on his chair, but had leaned forward a little and had his eyes fixed on me.

However much I tried to act against my thoughts, I couldn't deny that I had never seen a man more handsome. Not even his red eyes could belittle his beauty.

A sound coming from the door attracted my attention.

A second man came into the room. He wasn't very tall, and neither very handsome. The first thing I noticed, however, was the absence of red eyes in his face. A normal, sympathetic human being, I hoped.

"Good day," he said in a voice that went through every fiber of my body.

I had definitely misjudged him. This man frightened me even more than Mr Cullen, even though he didn't have red eyes and wasn't confusingly beautiful. I didn't exactly know why I felt like trusting him was a bad decision. Maybe it was his slimy smile or his dark, rumbling voice. I wasn't sure. One thing I was sure of, however, was that he was decisively older than Mr Cullen. I estimated him to be almost as old as my uncle.

"She is a beauty indeed," the man said to Mr Cullen. "What luck you found her in time, it would have been a waste otherwise."

His small pig-like eyes scrutinized me with unhidden interest. I pulled the blanket a little higher.

Mr Cullen didn't pay attention to the words of the strange man.

"This is a good friend of mine, Jonathan Thurgood. I vouch for him, you can trust him," he assured.

But I didn't even trust him, why then should I trust this well fed man who was watching me with almost greedy eyes?

Luckily, just then, the door opened for a third time and I needn't think about it any longer. The petite woman, who had obviously carried me into this house yesterday, stepped into the room. I could only stare at her, astonished. How had she been able to carry me?

She was wearing a violet dress that literally flowed down over her small figure. It looked magnificent on her.

"Hello," she said and closed the door behind her.

She came closer in a prancing-like manner, seemed to hover a few inches above the ground, and finally sat down on the side of my bed. I saw Mr Cullen giving her a doubtful eye, but she didn't seem to notice.

"My name is Alice. Alice Cullen," she said in a pure, sweet voice, reminding me of the sound of a bell.

She turned around to face me with a smile. Her face was nearly as beautiful as Mr Cullen's. Her features were of a childlike nature, but she seemed to be an adult.

I wasn't sure if I had anticipated it anyway, because I didn't flinch as my gaze found her red eyes. Maybe it was a disease that turned their eyes red? A gene mutation? However, I didn't think I needed to be afraid of her.

"I'm Edward's sister. Or rather his foster-sister," she explained, still smiling brightly. "And what is your name?"

Her naturally friendly way of speaking made me open my mouth at last.

"Isabella," I heard myself say and cleared my throat to make my voice sound less rusty.

"It is nice to make your acquaintance, Isabella," Alice smiled.

"She wasn't willing to tell me," responded Mr Cullen and he sounded as if this fact frustrated him a lot.

"If I were her, I wouldn't trust you either." She leaned down a little. "You know, my brother is a rather wicked character," she whispered conspiratorially. Was she being serious or was this supposed to be a joke?

Mr Cullen cast a disapproving glance at her.

The other man had approached my bed and was now standing very close. His thighs touched the edge of the bed and I felt like a prisoner between him on the one and Mr Cullen on the other side.

Mr Cullen's sister smoothed out her dress and sighed with a content smile on her face.

"Finally, there is a bit of a change in this house. I don't even know the last time you had a female guest the last time, Edward," she said and winked at her brother.

Upon her words, Mr Cullen's facial features literally turned into stone and his mouth became a harsh line. He was so tense that the air around him seemed to be charged with electricity.

"Oh," Alice murmured, as soon as she noticed her mistake. "I'm sorry."

That was all she said. Mr Cullen's face stayed strained for a little while and I wondered for how long he would manage to keep his self-control. What was the reason for the impact Miss Cullen's words had on him?

"Please, eat," he addressed me after about a minute of silence.

My gaze travelled longingly to the tray which held a big loaf of bread, an apple, a chicken breast, an egg, a piece of cheese and some berries. Normally, I could live off those things for several days, if not a whole week.

"Do not worry, I didn't poison it," Mr Cullen assured and gave me a disconcertingly beautiful smile.

Mistrust arose in me. I hadn't thought of this possibility until now.

"This one is very stubborn," I heard Mr Thurgood say, and the next second he groped for the apple on the tray.

Before he could catch hold of it though, Mr Cullen's hand shot out and gripped the apple.

Everything happened so fast that I only registered Mr Cullen's hand, which he now held in front of my face, after several seconds. My eyes fixed on the apple.

"Behave yourself, Jonathan," Mr Cullen reprimanded in a low voice. I imagined Mr Thurgood shrinking a few inches under Mr Cullen's heavy gaze. "You know what she went through."

The apple was still lying in his hand. It was probably futile to deny my hunger. And since my stomach growled hungrily at this exact moment, I forced myself to take the apple from his hand, anxious to avoid touching him.

"Well, my friend, that's an area you are more experienced in than I am," Mr Thurgood responded with a dirty smile. Not one second later, a deafening hissing noise filled the room. Goose flesh appeared on my arms and my hair stood on end.

Mr Cullen was showing his teeth and glared at Mr Thurgood in a more than threatening way. He had left his chair, but his posture wasn't upright anymore. He rather resembled an animal preparing for an attack. This frightened me more than anything and I lost the grip on the apple which rolled onto the blanket and fell to the ground.

Well, it would have fallen to the ground, if Alice hadn't reached out as fast as lighting and caught it. Utterly unsettled, I took the apple back from her extended hand.

"Pull yourself together, both of you," she said in warning to the men.

I held my breath. Wasn't she afraid at all? I would never dare to address someone in such a manner, and least of all these two terrifying men.

Surprisingly, though, Mr Cullen straightened up immediately and gave me a quick glance.

"Excuse me, it was not my intention to scare you," he said and turned back around to face Mr Thurgood.

"Go now, we will talk later." His voice didn't allow any protest, which Mr Thurgood seemed to comprehend as much as I did. He turned his back on us and left the room.

What had he meant to say with his statement? I had the feeling that he hadn't been referring to the horrible situation Mr Cullen had rescued me from. There was something else behind his words that had Mr Cullen exploding. Yet another shiver went down my back.

Mr Thurgood's last glance went in my direction. And the way he looked at me didn't improve the bad feeling in my gut. I didn't exactly know why, but I didn't trust him. Not a tiny bit.