10

My body was well and truly functioning on auto pilot as I ascended the stairs of the southern tower of the castle, our tower, and our own special corner in this place. I could walk the route blind if circumstances called for it. Candles hang sparingly on the brick walls adorned with fixtures and holders but it did very little in lighting up the area but they were all but a decoration. Our superior eye sight meant I could see clear as if it was the sun itself primarily lighting up the passage way.

Just before I reached the very top stair, I caught a familiar scent but it was not Edward's that reeked our passage ways, it was Tanya Denali, a noble cousin of the royals and voluntary guard. I withheld a growl that rumbled deep in my chest. I was in no humour to exchange pretend pleasantries or any words at all with the vindictive blonde. She was never one to dismiss rumours regarding her more than familial affections for Edward. We both knew she wanted nothing more than to be by his side as his wife, but when I arrived at the castle mated to him her hopes and dreams were crushed and her cold heart broken. Edward had never returned her advances but he never pushed her away either as he cared deeply about family. She hated me since the first time she saw me and the feeling was very much mutual.

I proceeded on my journey, scowling toward the sight in front of me. Tanya stood guard in front of Edward's chamber, back tight against the wooden door separating me from him. The golden staff was of course in her hand and she gripped it as I approached.

"I wish to see Edward, please remove yourself from his door and our tower. You aren't needed nor welcome in this part of the castle unless either of us expressly ask you to be here," I all but snarled at her.

She stood unmoving, the same smug grin in place. She turned her nose up at me before whacking the staff between us. She almost touched me with it just skimming the thin fabric of my blouse.

"Prince Edward does not wish to be disturbed by anyone," She responded snidely emphasising the last word.

I could tell she enjoyed this, the false sense of authority over me that she never bore before. The anger built up inside, a fire made its way upwards from my stomach to my throat but I withheld from exploding. I leaned casually against the wall in front of her, acting nonchalantly.

"You saw what I did in the council room didn't you Tanya? I trapped and subdued one of the most powerful vampires on this Earth, if not the most powerful. I used my gift and I must tell you it works both ways. I can deflect anyone with this shield," I threatened, keeping my voice low and calm. I found that most effective in scaring an enemy.

"I have no mental powers to attack you with," Tanya spluttered and I held up a hand interrupting her.

"You are mistaken and clearly did not pay attention to my words. I am not referring to my mental shield, you are useless regardless. I am speaking of my physical shield that I can pull up at any given moment if I concentrate enough. You would walk right into it, you cannot even see if with your ungifted eyes. It would deflect you, causing quite some damage depending how hard you came at it or how hard I pushed it towards you. We wouldn't want you hurt Lady Tanya would we? Now I ask again, move from this door and out of our tower before I force my way in," I growled out the last words with a smirk in place.

"You cannot be trusted around the prince, everyone else's memory may be lacking but I remember what you did to him, you were incredibly close to killing him and I will not let that happen again," she gritted out from behind clenched teeth. She stood in a defensive stance taunting me.

"I assure you, I am no threat to the prince. Do you think the royals would let me roam if I intended to kill the only son of the King?" I asked but she remained passive.

She shook her head, unnerved but remained unyielding bringing her precious staff near my face, it again brushed too close for my liking.

I grabbed at it, surprising her and snapped it over my knee before she could even realise what was happening. I threw the pieces down near the stairs.

"How dare you?! That was a gift from Prince Edward himself to celebrate my guard initiation ceremony," she screeched, gathering up the shattered pieces. She was lucky I hadn't hit her with it.

"I know who gave it to you silly woman, perhaps take this as a symbolic gesture and let it go," I growled. She knew what I meant, I wanted her to forget about her feelings about Edward even if I wasn't yet willing to stand by his side.

"How dare you speak to me like this," she screamed, silvery blonde hair flew upwards as she lunged at me but I concentrated and pulled up my shield pushing it toward her with a shattering force. She flew upwards through the roof, her body breaking the bricks and wood before rolling off and falling to the ground below.

"Don't enter these quarters again, if I find you near my room I won't be as a nice" I warned just loud enough for her to hear. She yelled profanities and warned she was going to speak to her uncle Carlisle but I could not care.

I turned back towards the door. A knot tugged in my stomach, a fire in my throat and a longing ached my body as I turned the door handle. The thirst he felt, the thirst I felt because of him, was excruciating. His room was filled with his smoky vanilla scent. I relished it for a second, peeking around noticing he was neither in his bed nor at his desk. Odd but before I gave it too much thought, I found his location. Edward was in the shower, his first ever shower. They had not been invented two centuries ago.

My body flushed as I followed the sounds, his scent and my mate instincts led the way. I found him in the steamy space, standing with his back to me as soap bubbles ran down his body with water flushing them off. His hair was almost black wet and longer than I remembered. My eyes roamed over him from his defined muscles, his back, his shoulder blades dancing as he washed, all the way to his small hips with the little dimples above his buttocks. They jiggled a little too with his movements. The scars of his dismemberment were there, remarkably noticeable if you looked hard enough. I had scarred him for life, rather fitting considering the mental damage he inflicted on me, yet I felt terrible for it.

I pressed forward making sure not to breathe. I was close enough that all that separated us was a glass door covered in steam and condensation. I pressed my head and hand against the glass, looking down. His thirst was affecting me, I could feel it. My own desire for him also ran ramped. I fought against it, remembering his lies. I looked up and almost jumped back in surprise to find him facing me, his hand mirroring my own through the glass as if they were touching. His darkened eyes, black as night searched my own and I was near undone. He opened the door and I walked in, nearly falling apart. The water soaked through my clothes but it didn't matter. The inner turmoil raged on, as his mate, the pull between us was strong, almost unbearable and painful to dismiss and deny but I could not forgive him for what he did, for what he kept from me. He needed to gain my forgiveness and trust back and that would be no easy task.

The pain was evident on his face but from hunger or my presence after near killing him and leaving him centuries before, I did not know.

"Please…just let me hold you," He choked out. He was vulnerable, I was too. I fought hard against the images of the battle, the horrendous truth I had learned and the loss of mother and father before that made me snap and dismember my own mate.

I struggled against the mate bond and the love I felt for him but after two centuries apart, I noticed the dull pain in my chest was gone. It was because I was with him.

I nodded stiffly, not meeting his eyes.

He didn't hesitate in crushing me to his chest, his hands roaming from my hips to my waist. He breathed in my scent any way he could, from my wet hair, to any exposed flesh he could. I remained perfectly still letting him hold me together. It was comforting.

For the first time in centuries, I was home even with the memories of what he had done lingering in the forefront of my mind. The mate bond was unbreakable and I was admittedly, where I belonged.

It took all the strength I had to untangle myself from him.

"I can't. I came here to talk," I whispered.

His hand stilled on my hip and he let me go.

"Of course," he murmured, his words caught in his throat, his pain was evident.

I motioned towards his bedroom before walking out of the shower, grabbing a towel then leaving him momentarily.

Resisting the urge to turn back and let him hold me together again was one of the hardest things I had ever experienced.

A/N-Hello my lovelies! I wanted to thank you for all the support but also update everyone with a few things.

Firstly, comes the question of my update schedule which used to be daily but that was to give people an idea of what this story was about. I will now update every Friday but if I am particularly restless, you may see more than one update a week.

Secondly, I wanted to add this is an Edward and Bella story. Many of you don't wish for a reunion between the two which goes against what I am writing. If you don't want to see them together, which will take some time I may add since a lot has happened between the two leads, I suggest not reading my story because they will end up together in the end.

If you made it this far, thank you! I will see you on Friday. Make sure to leave your thoughts, comments and even suggestions. Rant away in a review, I am eager to hear your feelings, just don't be so hard on Edward, he meant well!

-Not A Morning Girl x