9. Long Night
He emerged from the depths of the forest; eyes fastened on my every move. Mentally, I could hear him shouting frantically at me, but the words seemed to jumble up in my head - the only thing I could process was the urge to kill.
The demon must be satisfied.
Bella stared at me fiercely; her teeth flashing sporadically against the moonlight. She meant to intimidate - to portray herself as the predator, but it only amused me. She eyed Edward trustingly, each step she took drawing her closer to where he stood; believing with every ounce of her being that he would protect her.
It was fascinating. This girl that Edward believed to be so complex, resembled nothing more than a scared, frail being. Even with immortality, her first instinct was to look to Edward for protection. And yet, he had not pushed her out of the way; had not jumped in to save her, just pleaded silently for me to spare her life from the distance.
Why?
He knew I would never hurt him. Had I not been in a violent frenzy when I encountered his siblings, and yet spared their lives at the sound of his voice?
He quieted my demon.
Bella now stood at the side of her husband, her small white hand reaching out to him for reassurance. Edward sidestepped, ignoring her outstretched hand, his eyes still fixed on me. I cocked my head to the side, observing.
'Please don't kill her,' he pleaded silently.
I smiled, amused. 'Why? Because you love her?'
'That's not fair. I love you too.' It was the first time that he had said it - thought it in my presence. My mouth twitched upwards briefly, then frowning as the demon roared, impatient.
'She ruined the kill...my kill. I need to satiate its appetite.'
'This demon that you believe you carry, it does not control you. You control it.' He was inching closer towards me, his face soft, eyes filled with concern. For Bella? For me? I don't think he really knew himself.
"Blaire." He prolonged each letter of my name, caressing it with his tongue. I darted my eyes between him and a shocked Bella. It was obvious no one had told her where Edward had been these past few days, only that he was alive and well.
When he was just a few feet away, he sounded my name again. His voice was velvet soft, loving. It distracted me from my need to kill, and refocused my attention on my original want. My body straightened; my insides calling out for his touch. He grabbed me desperately and pulled me into his cold embrace; my body completely relaxed.
Bella gasped behind us. "EDWARD!"
It was like hearing his name from her voice awoke him from his trance. He spun around quickly to face her. I peeked up at him through my lashes. His mouth was pressed into a hard line and his eyes were blank; unreadable. I could hear him silently processing the situation, trying to figure out what to do without hurting either one of us.
I stepped back. Edward was faster, grabbing my arm, pulling me right back to his side.
"Where are you going?" he hissed furiously at me.
I scowled. 'I'm giving you two privacy.'
'Why?'
'Because no one has told her about your extracurricular activity.'
He blinked at me, bewildered. 'How could you know that.'
'I already told you that I could hear the thoughts of vampires.'
'I thought Bella was an enigma - a shield.'
"She's nothing special to me," I commented dryly, yanking my arm out of his grasp. "I'll wait for ten minutes for you at the truck and then I'll leave." Turning on my heel, I made my way back to the road, first walking, then slowly breaking into a run.
The wind of my speed blew my curly hair and my dress behind me as I rocketed through the jaded maze. I didn't stop to think, hurling out of trees, taking the same trail I had when we had hiked up. I knew I had told Edward that I would have waited, but everything inside me screamed for me to get as far away as possible from those woods. Get away from Edward.
I reached the truck in seconds, jumping into the driver's seat and pushing the ignition button. The truck roared loudly, startling me and halting my mission to leave. I blinked furiously, staring into the darkness, unsure at how my wonderful day had turned out so wrong so quickly. Hot tears threatened to roll down my cheeks and I shook my head vigorously, fighting the urge to release my emotions.
I hung my head in my hands, sorrow and jealousy radiating off me, filling the air, suffocating me. I wanted so badly to pull onto the pavement, leaving the memory of Edward behind me, but I couldn't. I was frozen.
A cool wind blew through the vehicle, bringing along with it the familiar scent that I loved. It assaulted my nostrils, comforting me. I looked up and there he was, sitting perfectly still, eyes locked on me.
"Can I still come home with you?" he asked nervously.
I searched his mind for answers. He had argued with Bella. She had pleaded for him to come home; to leave me behind. I would be merely a distant memory to him within the century. He had refused, obviously, explaining it was his time to venture off- to be certain of his love. He had to see this through.
I could sense his agony; the constant battle between his morals and his attraction, and I craved for somehow to eradicate his pain. Without another word, I drove into the darkness, pushing the image of a broken Bella out of my memory.
The roads were nearly empty as I sped towards town back to my house. Edward was quiet, replaying his conversation with Bella in his head. I tried to give him privacy, but the images seemed to be yelling out at me,as if desperate to ignite some remorse within. The demon snickered, amused. Right now, with Edward by my side, nothing else mattered but my craving to rip off his clothes and surrender to my basic desire.
As we pulled into my driveway, Edward seemed to become satisfied with his resolve. Once the truck was parked, he stepped out and then quickly made his way over to me. He flung the door open, scooped me up in his muscular arms and carried me inside the house, whisking me quickly into my bedroom.
In the room, Edward stood close enough for me to breathe in his scent. He wrapped his arms around my back and in one gentle pull, our skin touched. He ran his hand through my hair, sending electric waves rolling down my spine. I shivered; my body aching with desire. His hands roamed slowly down my cheekbones to my lips. That's when the kissing began, our bodies moving like partners in a dance that is written in our DNA. We fitted together perfectly, as if we were made for this, to fall into another, to feel this natural rhythm.
With a soft laugh, he lifted me right off my feet, carrying me towards the bed then letting me fall with a soft bounce onto the mattress. Hovering over me, he brushed his lips against my forehead, then my cheek. We locked eyes for just a moment, just enough for me to scan through his thoughts and uncover the hunger which laid beneath the restraint. Then suddenly, Edward was all business, pulling off my dress, and kissing my exposed skin - every move urgent with desire. His hands rested lightly on my legs, caressing my thighs with his cool thumb. My back arched in anticipation, knowing where the kisses would soon reach. My head rocked back into the pillow when his lips finally reached the treasured spot, the first moan escaping from my lips.
