Chapter 10: Chasing Prey

Edward's POV

Isabella Swan.

She's alive... Well, as alive as living in this state could be — she was immortal. She didn't remember me though, she had no idea of who I was, who she was, or what we had lived together.

She was beautiful though — even more beautiful than before, but even so still the most beautiful woman on this planet. Bella was a little taller than I recalled, her body was still slim and lean, her hair wasn't a sandy brown color in spiraling ringlets over her shoulders anymore. It had darkened up multiple shades and loosened up to create a mane of chestnut waves that flowed down to her waist.

She was gracious, but looked like a feline in her crouch. Her skin was ivory white like ours, like any vampire's with the only difference of the color of eyes. Her original blue irises were replaced by a ruby red color, indicating human blood was in her body.

Carlisle appeared in his office where I was, shutting the door behind him. Apparently, Bella had gone out running for a while to clear her head and he pled her not to feed here so we wouldn't be in danger and she agreed.

"I thought you said she died." I accused rudely not even bothering to turn my gaze to him.

His thoughts matched his verbal answer.

"Edward, I thought she did. Her parents were slaughtered. I assumed she was too."

I slammed my fist on the oak desk and heard the bolts rattle beneath my fist. "You should've been sure!"

"I was with you most of the time Edward!" He insisted trying to calm me down but I was just too riled up. During the last hundred years I had held onto misery, blaming myself for my own dumb choices that killed any joy in my life, when she has been alive the entire time. She has been well and was still seventeen, the exact age I left her as. "Son, I'm sorry I gave you false information but I was worried about you. I couldn't leave you alone. When we went to the house her scent was mixed in with vampires' scents."

I huffed trying to clear my head. "Carlisle, she's alive…" I whispered feeling utter astonishment at this fact. He nodded walking to stand in front of me on the other side of the desk.

"I know. She looks different then when we last saw her but it's definitely her."

"It is her," I confirmed. "I'd know that beautiful face anywhere."

Everyone in the house had gone their own separate ways for now not bothering with the moody, annoying vampire of this house so they paid Carlisle and I no mind.

"Carlisle, she doesn't remember me."

"It could be part of the transformation. You know that when we change our memories become blurred and even some disappear altogether."

I shook my head. "She doesn't even remember her human life. At all. Not even her last name." That truly worried me, it wasn't normal not to remember a single fact about your life—usually some things are clear but I had never heard of someone who remembers absolutely nothing. Even Alice remembered her own name and age.

He put his index finger to his lip, his face concentrated. "That's very odd."

"It's impossible to not know a single fact about yourself." I repeated walking towards the end of the bookshelf. "She said she was left in Aro's care by someone, most likely the person who created her." He nodded his thoughts finishing the direction in which I was headed.

"Aro must know what happened to her." He answered. "He doesn't just take people in for charity."

"We have to head to Italy." We needed to find out what had happened to her and why she couldn't remember anything. Aro had to know, she had been with him for a hundred years, it was impossible for him to know nothing.

"Not now," Carlisle's voice cut through my thoughts. "We have to show her how to hunt and feed on animal blood first, Edward. We have to show her some restraint—drinking human blood makes your self-control barely manageable."

That could take a long time, since she was recently going to try this diet. It would be hard at first if you've had human blood before; there was no comparison between the two. One was better tasting, but it just remained on your moral choice for you to follow either diet.

I groaned. This would slow down any attempts in going to Italy, but he was right. Taking Bella around society would be the biggest risk if she couldn't control it.

"Fine," I agreed, just focusing that I would find out what happened to her soon, no matter what.

We heard as everyone walked back into the house, into the living room so that was our cue that we had to go up.

"Do you know her?" Emmett asked as soon as I stepped foot in the living room. His eyebrows were raised and he was sitting next to an annoyed Rosalie. There was no way to really answer that question; if I said yes then they'd want to know how, digging back into a hundred years of history for answers and if I said no, I'd be lying. I chose an in between answer that would be the best.

"I met this vampire today, just like the rest of you." My answer was honest because I had met Bella's vampire form just today. Emmett snorted not believing me.

"My ass, you called her by her name in the middle of the clearing, before she introduced herself."

"Why the hell does it matter to you?" I shot back losing my patience.

"Because she could be dangerous and we're exposing ourselves to a complete stranger," Jasper responded. His thoughts all centered on Alice's protection as he formulated plans to rip Bella apart if she came close to her. The visual images he thought angered me and I growled at him.

"Don't you dare."

"So the girl does appeal to you. There's something there, something you felt the moment you saw her. A tug of happiness when you called her name." I tuned his thoughts out not wanting to hear him anymore.

"She's not going to be a danger." I assured everyone trying to speak calmly. "Did you not hear her?"

"I don't trust the words of a stranger." Jasper shot back and Alice stepped away from him, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Do not hurt her, Jazz." She whispered. "I like her, a lot. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends." Her lips curled up into a small smile while Rosalie's face held disbelief.

"She's a complete stranger, yet Alice is willing to vouch for her. She doesn't belong here; she needs to go back to where she came from." I snapped my teeth at Rosalie while everyone turned wondering what was going on.

"You don't know anything about her." She stood up, her eyes narrowed at me because she was tired of my protectiveness towards her.

"Neither do you! You can't even read her mind to assure us of her intentions." Emmett paced carefully beside us throwing me warning glances.

"I don't want to separate a fight, Edward."

"So think! Leave your stupid selfish bubble you've lived in all of your life and think!" She continued ignoring her husband's requests to stop. Esme ran up to stand right in front of her and pulled her face to hers.

"Rose! You will not speak to your brother like that," she reprimanded. "How dare you? I've taught you better than that."

Rose and I fought very often so when we got into quarrels it was nothing unusual, but now things were starting to get out of hand, everyone could sense it and they felt like they needed to stop it.

Rosalie's face remained cold and hard but her voice softened when she spoke to Esme. "I won't allow any type of endangerment."

"This is not your choice," she pressed. "It's Carlisle's. And if he decides to take this poor girl in then I agree completely. She will be part of this family and you should accept that idea."

Carlisle nodded once at Esme's statement. "We've taken all of you in." His eyes roamed over all of us, stopping back at her. "Who's to say I can't add one more if desired?" Rose's face was not convinced.

"But—"

"But nothing, Jazz," Alice's palm patted his chest. "We were once the nomads that arrived here for a change and were welcomed into the family when they knew nothing about us. We should extend the courtesy." He hung his head in resignation not fighting with his wife. "Besides, she's not going to hurt anyone. I've seen it so far." I threw her a thankful glance and she smiled in return.

"So it's settled." Carlisle said rubbing his hands together. "Bella will join the family if she'd like." Thank you.

Bella's POV

The sky turned a light shade of grey, to tell the world it was the time of day. This place was perfect for vampires to roam around during the day time the sun was being covered by clouds. The coven's name was The Cullens and they invited me back to their house when I was done running.

I stood at the edge of the forest staring at their house when the little one, Alice, came out to the front porch waving me over. I walked slowly over to her feeling the earth beneath the soles of my feet. I had gotten rid of my shoes halfway through the run because they seemed to be on their last breath of life.

"I cannot believe you threw out your shoes." Alice grumbled under her breath like a grumpy child while my eyebrows knitted together.

"Umm…"

She clasped my wrist dragging me inside. "Come on." Everyone but Rosalie and Emmett were there, not that I minded— she didn't seem too friendly.

Edward stood by the stairs his expression still off as he tried to front it with an impassive face.

"So Bella, we could go hunting if you'd like." Carlisle said kindly.

"Now?" I squeaked feeling nervous over that. I hadn't tried the new diet and even though that's what I had wanted for years now, I was nervous I wouldn't be able to follow through with it.

He chuckled. "If you'd like,"

I bit my lip when I heard another voice. "Or we can finish getting to know each other if you'd rather wait another day." I looked up to see it was Edward who was talking. It was the third time he'd spoken to me since I'd been here.

"I'm just nervous."

He gave a grim smile. "Don't be. We'll show you the ropes of this."

"Okay, we're going." Alice was bouncing in place next to Jasper who tried to hold back a laugh.

"Shoes." She said sternly, her eyes shooting down to my bare feet on the carpet. If there was a time to be embarrassed, it'd be now.

"I'm sorry about not wearing shoes Esme, mine br…" She held up a hand with a smile on her face.

"Don't apologize, dear. It's no problem at all."

"Thank you," I nodded to her. "And I'll wear shoes after the hunt. I'd rather feel free now." Edward chuckled while Alice scowled.

"Fine,"

"Emmett, Rose." Carlisle whispered and not a second later, the both of them appeared by the door. Emmett's face normal and Rosalie's face hostile, her eyes still slits.

Carlisle walked to the door and gestured for me to exit. "Would you like to lead?"

I shook my head viciously. "No, you may lead." I smiled and he nodded taking off with Esme by his side and all of us following behind him. I stayed the furthest back and Edward slowed his running to stand next to me.

"You're the fastest." I noted.

He chuckled again. "Something else I have." It was silent for a second when I asked the inevitable.

"How did you know my name was Bella?" I asked and his face changed, losing any humor. "I didn't let my shield down for you to know it."

"You looked like a Bella." He answered lamely and changed the topic of conversation before I could continue insisting. We ran deep into the woods far up from Forks when Carlisle suddenly stopped, the rest but Edward and himself going their own way.

There were many trees and greens surrounding us and I had no idea how to hunt. Carlisle walked over to me with a comfortable distance between us.

Edward's POV

"I want you to use two of your big senses in this life, scent and sound." Carlisle said to Bella while counting on his fingers. "Only those two, focus on the sounds in these woods and let your instincts guide you." She bit her rosy bottom lip and nodded, fluttering her eyelids shut.

There was a moment of silence when she stiffened and we knew she picked up something. Her stance changed slightly to a more animal-like posture before she took off in the direction of a deer beating's heart.

We ran behind her and watched as she leaped down from a tree she climbed right on top of the deer and sank her teeth into its neck—sipping all the blood as the deer cried. Her hands moved up to press the deer's hoofs away and she finished sucking until the carcass was empty.

"So?"

She stood up, cleaning the corners of her mouth. "It's better than I assumed," she admitted. "Not my forte, but it's not awful either."

Carlisle was more than pleased to hear that answer, happy to convert another vampire to his lifestyle.

At the end of the hunt, everyone met up with us in the spot we were at with Bella, the sky was now dark with small stars gleaming against it. She caught more deer, her face light as she enjoyed herself just chasing the prey.

Her wavy dark locks were messy and knotted on her head that made Alice almost have a panic attack. "We have to fix you up." She gasped at her appearance. "And that dress has to go." Bella's dress was the style of the Volturi and looked to be an oppressing color on her.

"It's all I have. Sulpicia gave it to me." She pinched at the hem that ended above her knees before letting it drop again.

"We'll dress you," Alice shrugged. "With clothes you'll love and that are part of this time era."

"What did you think?" Carlisle interrupted her shopping rant.

"If I had to be honest, human blood does taste a lot better." She looked down at her white feet.

"Then maybe you need to return to Volterra and eat some more humans." Rosalie hissed at Bella.

"Rosalie!" I scolded.

"All right, blondie, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not going to take your crap if that's what you're hoping." Bella snapped back, her jaw taut while our mouths were on the floor. Bella basically just told Rose to shut up and she didn't even know her! That took balls.

"Why you mor—" She threatened, stomping over to her before Emmett wrapped his huge muscular arms around her waist like an iron grip. She struggled but was unsuccessful in breaking free.

"I told you if you fought her you would lose." Alice murmured to Rosalie who was still ranting in her head about stupidity. Bella smirked and sank into her crouch.

"If you don't believe her, I could always show you." Her voice was very instigative and Rose glared at her, wishing to kill her. I stepped in front of Bella, my arm shooting out beside me.

"Relax." I told Rosalie.

"How are you so sure you'll win?" Jasper wondered his tone holding doubt to her words.

"I learned a few tricks." Emmett snorted at this and Bella turned her smirk to him. "I could always show you if you doubt it."

Emmett's eyes suddenly sparkled and he looked like a little boy wanting to try out a new toy. He loved a challenge and right now Bella presented herself as one. "Sure, why the hell not," I shook my head, my arm still out.

"No," he could hurt her, he was three times her size! I wouldn't allow him to hurt her; I don't even want to give him the chance to even try.

"Move, Edward," he insisted.

"No." Jasper's eyes were scrutinizing me, my feelings exposed. Bella's small hands slid up my shoulder, squeezing it once — the warm touch giving me a sensational feeling. I had missed her touch for a century and just like when she was human, it left a tingling trail where her fingers touched.

"It's okay, Edward." She whispered and I turned briefly over my shoulder to see her face serious. She held no doubt against herself. "I'm a big girl."

Our eyes met, and in them she told me not to worry, when a smile spread across her face. Reluctantly, I pulled my arm in and stepped to the side, my limbs feeling heavy.

A/N: I know this chapter was short, I apologize! But I'll love to have the next one out soon enough, so give me feedback and review guys!

Thank you once again to my beta, tannerbree979