I don't own Twilight.

A/N: I know it has been far too long since the last update. If anyone is still following this, I apologize for the long wait but I can't promise regular updates. Just assume it will be a while.

Thank you for reviewing etc.

Enjoy.

J.

Chapter 9. No way back.

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"Please; I'm so tired."

"I know." Edward responded with a weary sigh.

It was time. He could no longer hold it off. He took in Isabella's frail body lying in the large bed and calculated she had perhaps a few more hours to live unless he changed her now.

"It will work, won't it?" She asked softly.

He nodded cautiously. "As long as your heart keeps beating. If it stops…"

"Why does it matter that my heart keeps beating?" She was slightly out of breath and he had to lean closer to hear her.

"The venom has to spread, your heart will pump it through your body like it does blood." Edward shifted next to her and took her in his arms. She was frighteningly small. "Are you ready?" He was ashamed to hear his own voice tremble.

"Yes." She breathed.

Edward inhaled deeply through his nose, ignoring the sickly tone to her scent and focusing on how good it was underneath her illness. Venom flooded his mouth and his throat burned. He took in another gulp of air and lowered his mouth to her neck. He felt her weak pulse against his lips. The urge to bite grew and he gave in, opening his mouth and wrapping his lips around the soft flesh. Razor sharp teeth bit through the thin layer of skin and found the throbbing vein. Isabella's whimper was faint and went unnoticed by Edward who tasted the first drop of blood.

Diseased though it was, Edward had never experienced such a succulent flavor. He growled and sucked vigorously. The thick warm liquid moved down his throat into his stone stomach setting aglow and warming Edward's body. His eyes rolled back into his head and aloud moan ripped through the room.

Isabella was strangely roused by the sound. He sounded so animalistic. Yet she could not be afraid of him. His large strong hands gripped her too hard and she knew he would leave bruises. The pain ebbed away as she became more light headed. The loss of blood made her lose consciousness swiftly.

Isabella was in awe of the large Victorian mansion. The stone walls were painted a soft white and many windows lightened the stern appearance of the house.

She looked at Edward who was smiling at her in an encouraging way. She relaxed. Edward would know if they were in any danger.

The large friendly vampire named Emmett led them to the wrap around porch and up the steps to the front door. He smiled hugely and walked inside without knocking. Edward and Isabella followed more sedately.

"Look what I found!" Emmett said excitedly. He made a sweeping motion with his arms towards his guests.

Isabella's eyes took in the interior of the house. It was unexpectedly modern. More white painted walls and hard wood floors seemed to be the dominating features. There was very little furniture in the large room except for a big, comfortable looking cream couch and a sleek armoire. It was minimalistic but not cold or unwelcoming.

The inhabitants of the house stood a small distance away gathered around an open arched doorway which seemed to lead to a grand modern kitchen. Why vampires would need a kitchen at all was a mystery to her.

Closest to Isabella stood a white blond man with kind features and a soft smile. He wore slacks and a shirt in different shades of cream. Combined with the blond hair and pale skin, Isabella thought he resembled what she thought an angel might look like. The woman next to him, who was obviously his mate, had caramel colored curls which she wore up in an elegant style. Her pale lavender dress complemented her softly rounded figure. She too smiled.

Behind the lovely couple stood a very tall gentleman, his posture was stiff and formal, accentuated by his militairy style clothing. His hair was a more golden shade and fell in haphazard waves around his face. He had a handsome face which was covered with small crescent shaped scars. Isabella recognized them as bite marks. Something poked out from behind his elbow, startling her. It took a moment for her to realize that it was a head. A small face with elfin features was visible as was a tiny hand curled around the man's waist. The girl (child?) had a full head of short, black hair which stood up in every direction as if she had received an electric shock. She smiled hesitantly.

Lastly, leaning against the doorway with a look of pure disgust and contempt on her beautiful face was a tall, voluptuous woman who seemed like some sort of goddess. She used a slender hand with long, painted nails to flick some golden hair over her shoulder. Her vivid red dress (exactly the same shade as her lips and nails) was almost lewd but she pulled it off with surprising grace. It barely covered the essentials but she managed to look sensual yet not vulgar. Emmett went to stand next to her which did not surprise Isabella in the least.

The only thing they seemed to have in common (not including the two tall blondes who looked as if they might be brother and sister) were their unusual golden eyes. As far as she knew all vampires had red eyes, or black if they had not fed for some time.

The kind looking man took a step forward confirming that he was the leader of this strange coven.

"Welcome," He spoke with an accent that sounded faintly British. "My name is Carlisle and this is my family."

He introduced the woman next to him as his wife Esme. The others were Jasper and Alice (who was apparently not a child but Jasper's mate). The woman in the red dress was named Rosalie; she made a show of scrutinizing Isabella and appeared aggravated for some reason.

Edward, ever the proper gentleman, introduced Isabella and himself with manners befitting his eighteenth century upbringing.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the assortment of vampires made it's way to the large couch for a more informal conversation.

Isabella was slightly confused by Edward's easy acceptance of these people considering he usually avoided others like the plague. He smiled at her again to ease her worries and led her to an open seat.

"You are nomads, I presume?" Esme asked once everyone was seated.

"More or less," At the confused looks, Edward continued. "We like to stay in one place for a while before moving on. Usually we rent a house or cottage in a remote location. We still like to enjoy the human world now and then."

"You are still new to this life, then?" Carlisle asked politely.

Edward chuckled. "Isabella is, I am not." He wrapped his arm around her and smiled. "We've not been together for very long."

"How did you meet? " Emmett said.

"I was dying." Isabella spoke up for the first time.

Carlisle seemed fascinated. Esme just looked emotional. "You changed her?" Carlisle asked Edward who simply nodded but chose not to elaborate.

Alice, who really was shockingly tiny, spoke then. "Why can't I see you?" She looked directly at Isabella and seemed very upset.

Edward seemed to understand the question and looked at Alice with a soft smile. "She is a shield. Your powers do not work on her. Neither do Jasper's," They all looked at him with varying degrees of shock. "Nor mine." His smile widened.

Carlisle recovered first. "What is it you do, exactly?" He sounded faintly worried and looked uneasy for the first time.

"I hear the thoughts of those around me."

The silence that followed this statement was comical. Isabella giggled at the looks of outrage and fear Edward received. Edward too seemed amused by their reaction.

"I see." Carlisle murmured.

"It is the reason we keep to ourselves. The noise can be… disconcerting." Edward leaned back and looked at Emmett. "We stayed because I heard something in your mind that was… interesting."

Carlisle suddenly grinned. "Would this something have anything to do with our diet?"

"Yes."

"Diet?" Isabella turned to look at Edward and furrowed her brow.

He looked at her with a hopeful expression she had never before seen on his face. "They do not feed on humans." He paused to let this information sink in. "Instead, they hunt animals and pretend to be human so they can live in one place for extended periods of time."

Hunt animals and not humans? The thoughts seemed rather distasteful to Isabella. Wouldn't the fur and such get in the way? And where would one find these animals? They would probably not taste remotely as good as humans. Indeed Isabella found the idea repulsive.

However, she saw the longing in Edward's eyes and knew that he wanted to try this very badly. She had known that the killing of humans bothered Edward more than it did her; even if they did refrain from killing innocents and only preyed on murderers and the like.

She sighed. Edward meant the world to her and if this what he wanted then she would go for it, even if the thought of abstaining from human blood made her want to cry.

With another resigned sigh she looked at their host. "What kind of animals are we talking about?"