CHAPTER 9—LIVE FREE OR DIE
Felix sat for a long time on the Cullen family's front porch, contemplating the silver car with New Hampshire plates that was being lovingly washed by its owner. He propped his feet in front of him, thinking of many things, but mostly the license plate. To his left, the door opened, and a blond woman stepped out.
"You've been out here for a long time," Tanya said softly, sitting down next to him on the old porch swing. "You know, if it's a fixation with cars you've got, you really should talk to Rosalie."
Down in the driveway, Edward snorted. "I know enough about cars, thank you very much."
"He can't argue that Rosalie's far superior to him, though." Tanya winked, and her eyes locked with his. Her brow scrunched delicately. "Your eyes look strange today," she said softly, reaching up to brush a cool hand across his forehead and move his hair out of his face.
Felix raised his eyebrows. "My eyes look strange? Try looking in the mirror."
"Felix has been trying out the vegetarian lifestyle," Edward said, not looking up as he scrubbed at a spot on his new Volvo. "He's been doing a good job, so far. Hasn't had a slip in almost a month now."
Tanya's golden eyes sparkled excitedly. "Really?" She stared into his eyes again, this time with a purpose. "I can see—they're starting to change. Another month or so, and you'll fit right in here." Her smile was nearly blinding, and Felix had to remind himself that, no matter how attractive she seemed, it was likely a succubus trick. Probably. Would be nice if it wasn't, but probably was...
"Do you think you'll stay here?" she asked, and Felix glanced around, forcing his eyes from her.
"I doubt it," he said. "Don't get me wrong—I've had nothing but good experiences here. It's just a very large family. I'd hate to make it bigger." He smiled at Tanya. "Harder to conceal, you know."
"You know, there's only five of us in Alaska." She seemed genuinely excited that Felix had decided to really consider a different lifestyle. "You could stay with us, if you want. It gets very dark in the mountains, you know." Her eyes were still alight, but with mischief now. "It's quite fun, you know, to go outside and play in the snow when it's dark outside all day long. The winter solstice is our favorite time of year."
"I'll think about it," he said, trying not to sound too excited at the prospect. Succubus, he reminded himself.
"And there are all kinds of places to hide." She was still chatting on, trying to sell him on the benefits of her home. "I mean, it's a big mountain. We can be as loud as we want, and no one will come to question us or tell us to quiet down." There was a slightly sultry edge to her voice, and Felix found himself fighting to stay where he was, not to attack her, vowing to come away with her and to do whatever she desired.
Felix's nerves were at their edge. The longer she talked, the harder it was to sit still. "Would you excuse me?" He stood, smiling apologetically. "I need to speak with Demetri and Marcus."
He all but bolted from the porch, stopping inside the door to refocus his brain. His ears, however, were still on Tanya.
He could almost hear the pout in her voice, and he smiled. "What did I do?"
"Nothing," Edward said, and Felix was grateful that Edward seemed to be content not to tell Tanya that she had an eavesdropper. "You were just yourself."
She huffed. "Please tell me I'm not up against another man like you," she begged. "I think I'll just have to give up entirely."
Edward laughed, although Felix was a little confused. Another man like you?
"You're not up against another me, at all." He heard Edward's footsteps crossing the drive and climbing the stairs, heard him sit in a chair on the porch on the other side of the wall. "Felix is quite attracted to you. I think he might even like you."
"Then why won't he ever talk to me longer than ten minutes?"
"He just thinks it's your succubus tricks," Edward said, laughing. "He doesn't realize that there are actually feelings behind the pull."
There was a pause, then, "Am I using my tricks?"
"Quite heavily, I'd say."
Another pause. "I'm not doing it on purpose. I just really like him."
"I know that, but perhaps you should consider telling him sometime." Edward's voice was gentle. "He's worth a shot, Tanya. You're half the reason he's been trying to change his hunting habits, you know. He really wants a different life, now that he can actually try for it. Did you see him staring at the car before?"
Tanya's voice was confused. "Yes."
"He was actually looking at the license plates. 'Live free or die.' It's the state motto."
"Alright." Tanya's voice was clearly full of confusion. "What does that have to do with Felix?"
"He's finally free," Edward said softly. "Now that he's had a taste, it's all he wants. He'd rather die than rejoin the Volturi. He's quite content with his freedom, but he'd like more. He wants to be completely unrestrained, if you understand my drift."
There was a pause, then, "Oh!"
"Exactly." Felix could almost hear Edward grimace. "He's been alone for so long, but he's just worried that if he starts chasing you, it will kill the entire 'freedom' idea. He has no desire to be anyone's slave."
"He wouldn't be my slave," Tanya said indignantly.
"Again, he's the one you should be talking to." Edward sighed heavily, and got to his feet.
Felix bolted before he had to face him.
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The rain pattered against the windows as the conversations continued downstairs about what would happen when the remaining Volturi arrived to administer "justice" on the Cullen family and their allies. It seemed that Marcus was filling in the family on the several plans and back ups that had been in place when he had left.
Alma had already spoken her piece, promising to practice with Jasper. The two of them had impressed Marcus with their temporary takeover of Emmett on the night of the wedding, and part of his master plan was to freeze the Volturi leaders and guard if things got too out of control. It would be difficult, but according to Alice, they had a month and a half to practice. Carlisle was calling those who had stood with them the time before, and so far, all he had contacted were on their way.
So much for privacy.
Alma burrowed farther into Seth's side, smiling when he grunted a little in his sleep and pulled her closer. She felt completely safe in his strong arms, arms that were strong enough to hold their own against her. Staring up at his face, she smiled and let her fingers trace over his features.
Seth Clearwater was the embodiment of perfection, as far as she was concerned. In some ways, he was just a big kid, content to romp around the house, getting in play fights with Jacob and teasing his adopted family members for one thing or another. But in other ways, he was a man, one who enjoyed romping in bed instead of the living room.
He could be gentle with her, too. She'd never had a gentle lover—no one had been physically able to be gentle with her. He could be gentle, and she could be rough. But he loved her, for some strange reason, always seeming to know what she wanted, and always willing to give it to her.
Now, he seemed to sense that his lover wanted her little dose of pillow talk, and his brown eyes opened. He smiled at her sleepily and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"What's on your mind, Goldilocks?" he asked, using his ridiculous nickname while he toyed with her blonde curls.
She smiled up at him. "Did you have a nice nap?" she asked, propping her chin on his chest an inch or two from his face.
"Mm-hmm." Seth tugged on her hips a little until she was lying fully on top of him. He let his fingers trace over the skin of her back, and her eyes fluttered closed. His skin was like silk, and it felt amazing against hers. He was so warm. "You sleep at all?"
"No." She stared up at him, reaching a hand up to run through his soft hair. "I've just been thinking."
"Always dangerous," Seth teased. "About what?"
"Family," she said, and Seth reached down to take her hand.
There was no ignoring it, at this point. Everyone in this house had something she didn't—family. She'd never had a family, and had only had one or two people she counted as friends. Her story was one that she had already told Seth.
Alma's memories of her mother were vague. She'd been beautiful, with violet eyes and dark, flowing hair. She'd died soon after Alma's birth, and the infant Alma had been quickly found by a bitter Maria, still furious at the loss of her best soldier. Alma hadn't realized until coming to visit the Cullens that Jasper was the very soldier she'd lost.
Alma's childhood and earlier years were much the same story as Jasper's. Taught by Maria to fight from early on, taught to use her strange power of stopping anyone in their tracks against her enemies, told that her mother was some voodoo queen and her father had only used her mother for a moment's sexual pleasure. Alma had left when Maria had refused to tell her anything about her father, even though it was obvious that she knew who he was. She'd relocated to Texas, drawn to the gulf and the open water, and had remained there since the 1970s, occasionally living in the city for a change.
"You realize you're the first man I've ever trusted?" she asked, pulling away from the bitter memories of her past and focusing on the man underneath her.
Seth smiled and spread his arms wide. "I'm just immediately lovable," he said, laughing. "Been beating women off with a stick for years."
Alma raised an eyebrow. "That so."
"Yep." He folded his hands behind his head. "Women love me. Want to open up to me."
"I recall you telling me that I was the first woman who really 'opened up' to you," she said, teasingly.
"My lack of sexual experience means nothing," he said, grinning. "You said so yourself. And I think about an hour ago, you referred to me as a sex god, didn't you?"
"Smug," she said, and laughed. She rested her cheek on her chest, and focused on the rise and fall of Seth's broad chest. His breathing was slowing before she asked her next question. She'd never asked it of him, and he'd never asked her. Maybe they were both scared.
"Will you stay with me?"
Seth's eyes opened, and he looked a bit confused. "Yeah, babe. Where would I go?"
"No." Alma bit her lip, a bit nervous. "I mean, will you stay with me. You know, like, the not leaving kind of stay." She looked back down, away from his face.
He pulled her chin up so that she had to look at him.
"Alma Thomas, I couldn't ever leave you, even if I tried." He smiled down at her, and it was her smile, the one he gave her when she beat herself up. "I love you."
Alma shimmied her way up to his face to kiss him. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Seth's hands trailed down her back as they kissed, and it wasn't long before she forgot all about her preoccupations about her past.
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The house was quiet of activity for the first time all day, the only sounds the rain outside and the breathing of Seth and Alma upstairs. Edward sat at the table with Bella and Marcus. The three of them were silent, glancing up every so often to be sure that Alma still slept on.
"I suppose nothing should surprise me at this point," Marcus said softly, with a little laugh. "Still, I didn't know I could do that."
"You're never come up against anything like this before," Edward said. "It's interesting, to be certain."
"Interesting?" Bella repeated. "What are we going to do?"
"Not a clue." Edward glanced up again, then sighed. "I don't know how she'd react if we just told her. I don't know how either of them would. It's nothing they've thought about before—the only mutual thoughts they have of that aspect of their pasts is to be glad that it is in the past. I know he's quite content to leave it there, not dredge it up at all."
"Have you found anything in either of their minds to think that it may be true?" Marcus sounded almost as if he were afraid of an affirmative answer.
Edward's face hardened. "Yes," he said softly. "They both remember quite well. He actually thought for a moment that her eyes were completely unique, until he had a very brief flash of her. It's there—they just don't realize it."
"Perhaps we should call—"
"Absolutely not." Edward had seen where Marcus's thoughts were going, and he knew from the mood Alma was in that Marcus's idea would be a disaster. "Alma would throw a fit if we made that call."
"Either way," Bella said softly, "we can't keep this a secret for too much longer."
"How would anyone know?" Marcus's voice was a bit confused.
"Maggie's on her way," Edward said, turning to Marcus. "She knows when she's being lied to, but she also knows when you're keeping something from her or only telling half truths. Maggie being Maggie, she would confront us in front of the entire family, probably accuse us of not telling her everything about the situation, when the real problem is something completely unrelated to the Volturi."
It was quiet for a minute. Then—
"You've really thought this out, haven't you?" Bella asked, a bit scathingly. "This isn't a game, Edward. This isn't some sport you can mess with. The longer we don't tell them, the more angry they're going to be when we do. And personally, I'd rather not deal with both of them being pissed."
"So are we going to tell them?" Marcus glanced toward Edward.
A heavy sigh slipped from Edward's lips, and he reached out to take his wife's hand. She squeezed it hard.
You know it's the right thing to do. Her thoughts were clear as her eyes stared into his. You know he'd want to know, especially since he thinks everything from then is a horrible memory he has to repress. Maybe it would help both of them.
Edward turned his gaze to Marcus, and answered him quietly. "Tomorrow, when they're both here, we'll tell them."
"You mean before our company gets here," Bella said quietly.
"If we get the chance." Edward sighed. "Sometimes, I really wish we lived alone."
a/n Have I peaked your curiosity yet? Leave me reviews or PM me—I feel like this chapter may need some editing, but I want to see if you know why. Sometimes I wish I could just skip to the end, but that would kind of suck and you'd be really confused. If you ever have questions, all of this is worked out in my head and there's a master plan with a rough draft for the journey. I'm spastic that way...
