Chapter 9
In the late afternoon, when they're both back at the house, Bella struggles to convince Dan that even though the Cullens are now confirmed vampires, attending dinner at the Cullen's residence still has to happen.
"Why?" Dan forcefully throws the one-worded question Bella's way, his voice rising to a near shout, still hyped up on a bit of vampire blood. "What's the point? We already know they're vampires."
You want to see Alice, her inner voice answers with a hiss. She shakes her head in the negative at it before heatedly answering Dan, "It's still a great opportunity to learn about them, how they work, how close they are to each other. You don't think that's important?"
He falls dangerously silent at her words, his jaw then locking before he mutters, "It's not like we study them."
"There's seven of them, Dan, and two of us," she doesn't know how many times she has to say it for this to get through his thick head. She is well aware he wants to just go in, guns blazing. But logically, they just couldn't – even if she wanted to.
You just want to see Alice. Unharmed, her inner voice hisses at her again. If she had the opportunity to physically reach inside her head and somehow manage to strangle her brain, she's positive she would take it.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," he sighs, running a hand through his short hair, visibly trying to calm down, even with the remnants of vampire blood filtering through his veins. "We do need to hit them soon though. Don't pretend we don't. It's our job."
"This isn't going to be like all the other times," she voices the thoughts that have been swimming around in the deep pools of her mind for quite some time now. "It's different, and you know it. The Cullens are different… they aren't just killer rogues that are hidden to everyone else. We have to be prepared, even more so than usual. We have to plan for everything."
She just doesn't tell Dan the full of it – that she doesn't think the Cullens have harmed anyone in Forks or the surrounding areas. So there's no point in killing them; there's no point in prepping…
Unless it is an ambush, her mind supplies darkly. Stupidly – or to her benefit, it's hard for Bella to exactly tell – she pushes this thought out of her mind.
Dan visibly starts to concede, but not without making his point, "Remember the dead girl the cops told us about? They're still dangerous, Bella, you know."
She sighs heavily and glances at the clock ticking on the far wall of the living room; time dwindles nearer and nearer to dinner with the Cullens (with Alice.) She tells Dan that she's going to start getting ready – and that he should do the same – and heads upstairs to take a shower.
The water flowing from the head of the shower beats steadily on her naked body, hot where it touches her pale skin. Steam rises around her, adding to the heat that quickly fills up the bathroom. Bella closes her eyes as she slides her head under the spray, the water massaging her scalp.
Her thoughts jump around in her head, from the encounters with the shapeshifting wolves to what could possibly go horribly wrong at the Cullen's house later in the evening. At the thought of the Cullens, an image of a smiling Alice Cullen flits behind her closed eyelids.
Alice is a vampire.
She hasn't confirmed it with her own two eyes, sure, but she doesn't think the wolves have anything to really lie about – the hatred and contempt that showed, even reflected in Sam's calm dark brown eyes, had been too authentic.
She thinks of golden eyes, shining with a mixture of friendliness, curiosity, and a hint of mirth. She thinks of short jet black hair that spiked in every direction. She thinks of a warm smile with teeth so dazzlingly white that they appear to radiate a distinct type of brightness not found anywhere else. She thinks of a voice that is softly feminine in nature, light and lilting, containing a hint of flirtiness…
Even though Alice is a vampire – dead and cold, and quite possibly, a murderer with a literal thirst for human blood – she is physically unable to stop her hands from wandering teasingly across her own body. While thinking of Alice and her voice, her smile, Bella's hand slithers down her stomach to the slowly building throb between her thighs. She hums in pleasure as her fingers part her wet folds, stroking her sensitive bundle of nerves and dipping inside of her entrance.
It's not long before she brings herself to the breaking point, her body shuddering under the hot spray of the water as she's overcome with the burst of pleasure that rips through her.
She calms her breathing as she brings herself down. When her breath evens out and she opens her eyes, she's determined to block out that she'd just gotten off while thinking of Alice's ethereal beauty. Hurriedly, she finishes her shower, switches off the water and reaches for her towel to dry herself off.
She refuses to think about who she's just gotten herself off to…
When the doorbell rings unexpectedly, Bella has already dressed herself – she had decided on dark wash jeans that hugged her hips nicely and a red flannel shirt that she honestly thought more as a blouse than an actual shirt. She's downstairs, perched on the couch, laptop sitting comfortably on her lap as she browses articles that she wishes would instruct her on how to behave at a dinner at a house occupied by seven vampires.
Dan is upstairs, dragging his feet in getting ready.
Bella pulls the screen of her laptop closed and moves to quickly answer the door. She has a small inkling as to who could be on the other side of the door.
Yet, as Bella pulls the door open and confirms her hunch, she's still stunned at the sight of Alice standing on her doorstep.
"Hello, Isabella," Alice greets her warmly.
"Hi," Bella returns the greeting, not missing the way her golden eyes dip low before coming back up to hold eye contact with her. Her mind flashes back to her time in the shower, and she feels a hot flush come over her. "Um, is something up? We're still having dinner at your place, right?"
Alice's smile falls into more of a smirk. "Yes, we most certainly are," her voice shifts from that warm tone to what Bella swears is a more seductive one, but then as quickly as it came, it's gone. "However, I realized that you probably don't know where our house is located, so I came to pick you up," she then casts a quick look to the truck in the driveway, adding swiftly, "Or you can follow me in your truck. Either one is fine."
"That's thoughtful of you. Thank you," Bella smiles easily, the temptation to accept a ride from Alice becoming greater and greater. She hears shuffling from the top of the stairs, and casts a glance over her shoulder, making eye contact with Dan (inwardly, she's both surprised and relieved that he's put on khakis and a clean dark blue polo shirt) who raises an eyebrow at her. "Um, we'll follow you in the truck."
Alice's eyes dim and she falters slightly in her warm and friendly expression. "Okay. Is Daniel coming?"
"Y-yeah, he is," Bella trips over her words and briefly looks at the ground, then back over her shoulder, her voice directed at Dan. "Alice is here. Are you ready, Dan-iel?"
As Dan descends the stairs he shoots Bella a look that seems to question her sanity What the hell is wrong with you? "I was born ready," he jokes, taking his place at Bella's side. "Hey um - Alice, was it? How's it going?"
"I'm doing fine, Daniel, thank you," Alice smiles sweetly at him, but she directs her attention to Bella. "Are you both ready to leave?"
"Yep. We're starving!" Dan pipes up, patting his stomach obnoxiously. "Lead the way!"
Alice giggles before turning to head down the driveway to her insanely expensive looking yellow Porsche.
Bella can't help but to glare menacingly at Dan as they move to the truck. After pulling the truck door closed, Bella pinches the bridge of her nose and mutters lowly. "Can you try not to be the ass you've been lately? If you offend her family in their own home they might decide to kill us."
"What? I'm not being an ass," he defends brazenly, starting the engine of the truck. "You're just being Bitchy Bossy Bella. Besides, you said yes to this dinner, you know. Not me."
There's fair point in his statement, so Bella opts for attempting to relax her nerves and body instead of getting unnecessarily worked up. "Just don't go acting like you know they're vampires, okay?"
That statement, she feels, directs itself at her as much as she directs it at Dan.
"I'm not stupid, Bells," he laughs heartily, whipping out an old nickname he had given her many years ago. His thumb then points to the floor of the backseat. "But, in case one of us fucks up or something I put some heavy duty weapons in the back," he pauses, a slight smirk curving at the edge of his mouth. "Not that I'm banking on one of us fucking up or anything."
"Right."
He frowns. "Lighten the hell up. Seriously, if shit goes south, we're prepared. And I got your back."
Not compelled to give an audible response, Bella nods and then turns her gaze to the window. She refocuses on relaxing her nerves. Her mind alters between being happy that she's going to be around Alice to thinking the worst – that this is a trap, and she's lead herself and Dan right into the lion's den and she tries her best to suppress both sides at the same time.
Bella is not sure how many minutes pass, but as the greens and the browns of the trees and bushes that sit on the side of highway blend together, she knows they've been driving for some time now. Lifting her head from where it had been resting on the glass of the window, Bella watches as Alice's car in front of them takes a right onto a dirt path. Dan, after a moment's hesitation that only Bella could truly catch, mimics the action.
"She's really taking us into the sticks," Dan comments offhandedly. "Or do you think she's taking us some place so—well, shit!"
In the midst of endless trees on all sides, a massive house emerges. Dan and Bella gawk openly at its tall and expansive stature. Dan slowly drives the truck up the dirt road that becomes the Cullens' driveway.
"Well … shit," Bella echoes Dan, temporarily at a loss for words or an appropriate vocabulary word for the grandeur of this house. "Do you think there could be more than just seven of them?"
Dan parks the truck outside of the garage – a garage that is probably the same size as the house that they currently rent – that Alice just parked her own car inside. "Could be. I guess we're about to find out, aren't we?"
He cuts the engine and exits the vehicle. Bella does the same, the thoughts running through her mind forcing her actions to be sluggish.
"Hey. You alright?" The close proximity of Dan's voice startles her; he had made his way over to her side of the truck without her noticing.
"I'm fine," her words come out rushed, and she begins to head for the front door of the impressive establishment. The burn on the back of her neck comes from Dan eying her oddly, she knows it.
One of her hands lift in preparation of knocking on the door. Just as she's about to do it, her eyes spot the doorbell, which Dan pushes before she can act. She doesn't know whether to thank him or glare at him. Hushed, indistinguishable voices sound on the other side of the door. She decides to do neither as it swings open to reveal a middle-aged woman with familiar golden eyes, chestnut brown hair not too different from her own, and a sincere motherly smile.
"Hello," the woman greets them enthusiastically, voice smooth and lilting much like Alice's, but not quite having the same effect on Bella as the petite girl's does. "You must be Isabella and Daniel. I'm Esme, Alice's mother. Come in, come in."
"Hi," Isabella and Daniel say the short greeting at the same time. As the older woman ushers them in, Bella goes first.
Once inside the house, Bella can't help but openly gawk at the insanely expensive-looking architecture; she shares a brief look with Dan, and she knows they're thinking the same thing: the Cullens, though vampires, know how to live.
"Wow, nice place," Dan delivers a – slightly surprising – genuine compliment. Bella only nods in agreement, eyes still actively taking in the décor of the house.
"Thank you," Esme's already warm smile seemingly begins to radiate more warmness. She looks between Dan and Isabella, her eyes sparkling with some kind of suppressed excitement. "I'm so glad Alice made some friends. It has been too long since she's had any guests," her next statement appears to be directed more at Bella, though Bella is not completely sure. "I'm excited that you joined us for dinner."
"Me too. It's cool being here," Bella struggles to put together words – and when she does, they come out rather lamely. She feels Dan lightly punch her in one of her kidneys for her lameness.
Alice chooses to waltz into the foyer at that moment, her blouse appearing to flow behind her as she beams brightly in Bella and Dan's direction. "Hello again," she says cheekily. Her dimples are showing, and Bella can't help but smile a small smile at the brief display of cuteness.
Esme turns to her daughter, "Alice, how about you show them the downstairs? I have to check on the food," she begins to walk off, presumably towards the part of the gigantic house that holds the kitchen, then turns back to the couple in the foyer, smiling again. "Dinner will be ready shortly. Please, make yourself at home."
Bella swallows thickly and chooses to ignore the miniscule scoff Dan gives at Esme's checking on the food (vampires only consume one thing: blood).
"Right this way," Alice guides them through the downstairs.
She leads the both of them through various rooms. She finds herself unable to focus on most of the details of the numerous rooms. As Alice walks wistfully and her melodic voice sounds from in front of them, Bella's total attention is pulled to the small girl. Attraction grips her, and Bella is not exactly fighting it; she barely registers when Dan sharply elbows her in the ribs and points to Edward, who is waving from his seat at an antique looking piano. She absently lifts a hand to acknowledge his greeting.
They enter what Alice describes as the family room, and Bella comes out of her Alice-induced trance enough to notice a striking blonde bombshell and a huge, muscular guy sitting comfortably on one of the couches. Bella is slightly taken aback at the seething glare the gorgeous blonde directs her way, before turning her glowering golden eyes back to the insanely huge-and-expensive-looking television mounted on the wall.
"Hey!" The muscular guy shoots up to his feet, stretching out his tree-trunk sized arms. He approaches the trio, smiling widely. The dimples in his cheeks and the baby-like curls in his black hair starkly contrast with his hulking frame. "Heard about you guys, Daniel and Isabella, was it? Been waiting to meet ya. Name's Emmett."
"Holy hell! Dude, you're huge," Dan exclaims, and it's Bella's turn to elbow him between the ribs.
Emmett just laughs. Bella thanks whatever deity in the sky that the big guy didn't decide to break Dan's skull for stating the obvious.
Alice is laughing as well, the musical sounds almost enough to send Bella into another trance state.
"You've heard about us?" Bella questions, mostly so that Dan will refrain from making a comment.
"Well, yeah, of course," Emmett answers, pointing to Alice. "Alley-cat here can't quite keep her mouth shut about ya."
Bella's gaze turn immediately to Alice. The girl's eyes conveniently avoid her. She swears the smaller girl is actively trying to suppress a blush from creeping onto her cheeks, but Bella knows better. Vampires don't blush.
Only when Dan speaks does Bella realize she hadn't said anything in reply out loud. "What's that supposed—?"
"Would you both be opposed to watching a bit of TV before dinner?" Alice perks up. Her words come out slightly rushed, effectively cutting Dan's question off, and Bella gets the idea that maybe the pixie-like girl is a bit nervous.
"Sure," Bella answers. She catches the look Dan sends her, which clearly reads I'm even more suspicious about this entire thing now.
Emmett seems to catch their exchange, sending a shrug in Dan's direction. He casts a mischievous wink towards Bella before turning to reclaim his spot on the couch next to the blonde. Alice follows him, and then Bella hesitantly sits next to Alice; Dan sits last, to the right of Bella, and she can easily tell he's on edge.
Bella feels the hairs standing up on the back of her neck, but she can't decide whether it's the closeness of Alice's presence doing something to her or a feeling of uneasiness.
The blonde scoffs. She rises to her feet, her long and shapely legs carrying her briskly out the room.
"Please excuse her," Alice apologizes, the tips of her fingers gently touching Bella's arm. Bella suppresses a shiver at the feel of the cold sensation. "Rosalie isn't the most … friendly around strangers."
"That's one way to put it," Dan quips.
"Yeah, but she comes around eventually," Emmett supplies, sighing. "Say, you guys up for watching the game?"
"Sure," Dan says slowly.
Bella gives a shrug of indifference. She catches as Alice's – playful, she's assuming – glare shifts from Emmett to herself and she mutters something a lot like "should've known."
The channel flips to the sports network, which is covering a live game of soccer, and the four of them settle into a mildly comfortable silence. The close proximity to Alice is dizzying to Bella, and she's wondering if she is beginning to hallucinate whether Alice is slowly inching closer to her with each passing minute.
It startles Bella when their thighs touch. She can't help but to cast a fleeting glance towards Alice, who is staring at the television. Her heart beats faster, and she wonders whether Alice can hear it. Should she say something to her?
Esme's voice sounds from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"
Emmett jumps off the couch immediately. He heads in the assumed direction of the kitchen.
From beside her, at that same moment, Alice's body goes rigid. Her beautiful golden eyes glaze over, staring straight ahead at the television screen and Bella is instantly reminded of the incident in the forest. She chances a glance at Dan, who is staring at Alice peculiarly, with guarded suspicion in his hazel eyes.
Her heart gives a hard, strong beat in her chest when Alice comes out of whatever state of mind held her captive.
"Dinner's ready! Aren't you hungry?" the small girl says, as if she had not just been trapped in a seemingly self-imposed daze.
"Um, sure," Bella says. She briefly looks to Dan. His eyebrows are raised, and his lip twitches with what she knows is the beginning of an unnecessarily sarcastic comment. Her eyes harden as if to instruct him not to do it.
A snort escapes Dan, understanding the meaning behind the direct look. The trio heads into the kitchen, Alice leading with a wistful smile that Bella can't help but to find absolutely endearing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Bella dearly hopes that this isn't some kind of actual ambush…
"You can sit at the table," Esme says as they step into the kitchen.
Both she and Dan sit at the table topped with a number of pans and plates. Bella watches out of the corner of her eye as Alice moves to have a hushed conversation with Esme before leaving the room. Her attention turning back towards the table in front of her, she notices the contents smell delicious, and Bella finds herself shocked. Since when could vampires cook? Was it even possible? Was the food poison in delicious-looking disguise?
When Bella and Dan have placed samples from each dish on their plates, they hear the front door open and close. Before they can take their first bites of their dinner, into the kitchen walks a blond man – vampire – who Bella has yet to see. He is tall, possessing extremely pale skin and golden irises, just like the other Cullens. His features are noticeably older than the rest of the Cullens – appearing to be the same age as Esme.
"Hello," he greets them both, smiling pleasantly. He moves over to Esme and presses a quick kiss to her cheek before turning back to Bella and Dan. "You both are Isabella and Daniel, I take it? My name is Carlisle. I am pleased to meet you."
"Yeah, man, sure."
"Likewise."
If Carlisle is amused by the stark contrast between their answers, he doesn't allow it to show in either his face or body language. "As patriarch, I am deeply sorry for not being present for when you first arrived at the house—"
Edward storms into the kitchen, cutting the 'patriarch' off. "Enough!" he half shouts. He runs a pale hand through his messy bronze hair, speaking his next words at a quieter volume. "Carlisle, I know what is going through your mind. Please, enough of the pleasantries. Business needs to be attended to."
Dan quickly gets to his feet. "Business, huh? You know, I knew this was some kind of trap."
Bella's heart falls in her chest. She stands up, suddenly very conscious of the concealed weapons she's carrying on various parts of her body. Did she really just lead herself and Dan into a trap set by seven vampires? How could she be so stupid?
Alice barges into the room then, her attention directed at Edward. The sight of the raven haired beauty forces Bella's blood to boil and her hands curl tightly into fists at her sides. The beauty, the charm, the stunning smile – Bella had fallen for all of it. Her anger mixes with sadness… she had genuinely wanted to get to know Alice better…
Instead, she and Dan were at the mercy of vampires. She and Dan were going to have to fight for their lives. The irony reminds her of her fatal mistake during her Trials. She feels a sickness in the pit of her stomach.
"Alice, they're threats to us. What aren't you getting?" Edward bellows at her after what had seemed like they were communicating telepathically. He points in Bella's and Dan's direction.
Alice turns her head in the direction of his finger. Her eyes are filled with some mixture of worry, hurt, and anxiety.
"Edward, enough! You are making this out to be an ambush of sorts," Carlisle says sternly. He glances in the Hunters' direction. "Which I can assure you, it is not."
"Right, like we're gonna believe that," Dan spits. He reaches for the vial of blood placed on his hip, and quickly consumes the scarlet red liquid, lets the empty glass fall and break onto the tiled floor. "This shit was botched from the fucking start."
As if on cue, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett filter into the kitchen. Bella consumes her vial of blood as well. Almost immediately, she can feel the changes coursing through her, a renewed strength and determination awakening in her muscles. The residual blood tastes sweet on her tongue.
Carlisle raises his hands in a placating gesture. "Please, allow me to explain. This is turning into a large misunderstanding."
"Your whole fucking coven is here. That's explanation enough," Dan growls lowly.
"No, explain," Bella steps forward, in front of Dan while establishing eye contact with the patriarch of the Cullen coven. She hears Dan growl loudly in protest from behind her.
"What the hell are—"
"Trust me," she throws the two words over her shoulder with finality. His reluctance is palpable to her, but she needs his cooperation. She got them into this mess after all...
Bella glances at Alice, who has the nerve to look guilty.
"Thank you," Carlisle smiles professionally. His solemn expression returns and he pauses before speaking again. "Let me preface this by saying that the rest of my coven does not know. However, I am aware of the fact that the two of you are Supernatural Hunters."
A/N: Cliffhanger...