Dine and Dash

by KittyTylz

Bella gets dared dine&dash but is caught by the restaurants owner, Edward Cullen. He's a 19-year-old dangerously attractive but deadly gangster. The well connected leader of the Shadow Fangs, he also happens to be the enemy of the gang her best friend Jacob belongs to and she's stuck in his territory to avoid a permanent record. AH/AU,Possessward,Torch Awards Peoples Choice Winner

10. Devil's Sinister Kid

Authors Note: I'm not doing great with regards to my health so I don't want to make any promises date wise, I'm no longer in the position where I can, I'm sorry. Consider it a call of faith, prior to the FF thing I haven't let you down before with regards to the story right, so know that I'm working to the best of my ability, doc suspects that the collapsing incident at work has to do with losing weight while I was travelling, turns out I'm underweight and anemic. He's doing more tests and I'm dealing with that and being back after almost a week absent from work. I don't want to give my boss a chance to complain especially until the position is filled up and I'm constantly weak, tired, dizzy and suffering with headaches, I can't concentrate at all so I've got to ease things in all my other areas, writing is a leisure time hobby so it's one of them.

Quick queries/replies, I'm not dead, wow, damn, thanks for asking though I think? Try not to ask any other authors or people in general that, it's hectic being on the receiving end of. Next, I've got to revise and send my first draft to JJ, I was supposed to send the second last week but I hadn't been to work since getting ill, and I lost the blasted second draft when IT upgraded our laptops. Next, my usual updates is once, sometimes twice, a month. The chapters are long and take time to write and work through, note these times vary according to my schedule though. Last, teasers will resume once we're back on schedule.

It's still me, I just changed my penname on FF so it matches the websites. It makes identification easier because people are getting confused when trying to find the full MA chapters on my journal and TWCS. I repeat, it's still me. IT guys upgraded our laptops so I lost the former redo's, I've quickly skimmed over the original chap of this during my break and posted so expect nothing spectacular change wise in this one. I had Sinister Kid by The Black Keys stuck on repeat for this chapter give it a listen if you're bored, I love it and it goes for both Edward and his Fangs. Once again my sincere apologies, I don't have anything else that I can say.

Love, prayers and well wishes to all those people, families and loved ones affected by the shooting in Colorado…

Love Kat.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, quotes, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners and are simply used under 'fair use'. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is story is written for the legally recognized adult population. According to the e-mail response I received from them, FF doesn't allow gratuitous descriptions of sex and extensive graphic violence.

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Dine and Dash

*~*~* Chapter Ten : Devil's Sinister Kid*~*~*

"How beautiful you are! You are more beautiful in anger than in repose. I don't ask you for your love; give me yourself and your hatred; give me yourself and that pretty rage; give me yourself and that enchanting scorn; it will be enough for me." (Charles Dickens)

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I mechanically go through the motions of smearing peanut butter and jelly on eight slices of white bread. Good ol' PB&J, one thing in the world I can't mess up. Cutting through it diagonally, I wrap up two slices and drop them in a brown bag for myself and scoop up the remainder and put them into a large lunchbox for Seth knowing that, with the way that boy runs around school and ducks and dives between classes, it'd be a miracle if the sandwiches survive if I wrapped them up for him.

I put a soda and two oranges on top of Seth's lunchbox as well, and then popped everything into a brown paper bag. It's kind of amusing, because I've effectively just wrapped a teenager a six-year-old's lunch, but Seth will love it. Growing boy, he loves food, end of story. I don't bother dropping in a knife; Seth's always got a blade on him.

A loud horn blares outside, startling me up from the table. The chair I had been perched on screeches deafeningly against the floor as it flies back.

"God Seth, be more of a barbarian please." I say to the kitchen. And of course, Seth never disappoints, he ups his game in the driveway and he blares the horn to the beat of Kumbaya when I still don't emerge. It inadvertently reminds me of Dagger Runners and our conversation. Grabbing the lunches and my bag, I make sure the new bandage on my thigh isn't visible from my shorts and run to the door scowling at him. His blue and grey '70 Plymouth Roadrunner is humming fierce and beautiful and the second I get in, he turns us around and floors it towards school.

I don't know much about cars. I've said it before. But this car?

I know this car like the back of my hand.

I can give you every detail you could ever want to know about this car because Seth's in love with it! He won it in a race down at South Bend last year and he wouldn't shut up about it for weeks on end, after we did it up at the Den and pulled it out. I could still remember Paul's face when Seth asked him if he could race his car for this guy from South's slip. I was certain Paul had wanted to drive him down to the closest hospital and have him checked out for brain damage. It was hilarious. I nearly died laughing that day but eventually Seth managed to race, Jakes' Hemi 'Cuda, because Jake apparently has more faith in Seth's driving skills than Paul does and he won. He won! We went insane! Well the others were hooting, pumping fists and Wolf calling but I went insane, I was so proud. Like a momma bear, but only you know er… a year younger than my cub?... Onwards. I was so happy, but then Seth went crazy. I swear if it were legal, he'd marry the gorgeous heap of metal we're seated in.

I turn toward him and grimace. "You look like shit. God, Seth, what'd you do?"

His face is bruised, a dark patch around his eye, torn up lip, bruised, purple knuckles and numerous cuts along his arms, neck and pretty much anywhere else I can see skin. The one on his forearm is deep and pulled apart; my hand instinctively flies out to it. It needs stitches badly, but it's pointless telling him that, he's just like them, he'd never go to a doctor.

He grins wide and boyish. He's innocent, but mischievous simultaneously.

"What did I do? I didn't beat myself up, Bell." He snorts. I almost feel bad and start to apologize, but of course, Seth must open his mouth again. " I beat up the other guy. Trust me, he was far worse!" His impish eyes tell me he's not lying.

I opt not to say anything regarding that matter and instead jump to what I really want to know. "Everyone get out okay?" I ask anxiously.

I've been in this position before but never nearly this anxious about the answer. Prior to this, I didn't realize just how much reason I actually had to worry. Now that I did, I was holding my breath and staring hard at him, awaiting an answer as he drove down the road, unaware of the changes occurring inside me.

"Sure we did, Bells." He snickers.

I breathe out a huge silent sigh of relief, my heartbeat returning to normal.

"Anyway, forget that," his eyes dart to my face quickly, "You good, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." My answer is completely based on skimming the surface, I know it, but he doesn't and for that, I'm grateful, guilty, but grateful. I change the topic. "Seth, you've gotta get that stitched up."

"Good." He's looking at the road again and I'm pretty sure he's going to ignore the rest of my words, but he doesn't. "Leah'll sort it out. Sam's got some shit to handle today, Jake's on with him. Want a ride to that shithole in Fangland?" he asks with slight venom and it makes me grimace and tense up.

Who'd have guessed I'd take offense to a prod at the Fangs one day? He clearly didn't, because he shifts gear, still looking at the road and waits for my answer.

"Seth, will you behave?" I question, despite knowing the answer.

He snorts through his nose. "I won't start up shit."

"That's not what I asked." I fold my arms and rub my palms against them to stop the goosebumps.

Seth and Jake were the two I'd been most worried about since I'd first gotten caught and found out I had to work at Nell' Ombra. Sam I knew would be furious, understandable, he's head Wolf and we've always been close, so his kid sister rolling around in enemy territory wasn't going to be easy for him. Paul had definitely taken me by surprise when he remained level headed, considering he's usually our resident loose cannon. Jared? I really had no idea what was up with him, something about him, his behavior towards me, had changed. Embry, Quil, Brady and Collin, I hardly ran into when school's in session so I knew they'd be calm about the whole thing before I got to see them again.

But Seth and Jake?

It was them I had been worried about. I was closest to them from the gang, and that's saying something considering how tight-knit the entire gang is. They had reacted exactly how I expected them to when they found out I was going to be working in Shadow Fang territory. They went ballistic! Overprotective brother-bear all over the place, they went ahead and tried to attack any Shadow Fang they thought was responsible. Seth had even beaten the shit out of poor naïve Mike quite literally when he found out! I knew each trait of my boys by heart. And the two I'm closest to never seem to disappoint. It's also not lost on me which two tag-teamed Edward the night of the fight.

Seth pouted, annoyed. "Fine!" he gave in. "I'll drop you and I'm out. But if they start shi—"

"No."I decline fast. "You're just waiting for a reason. That's why Paul and Sam didn't want you and Jake around the first day."

"Paul and Sam don't know what the fuck they're doing," he says frustrated. Then he realizes that he slipped up and grins impishly when I gave him an 'I told you so' look. "Sorry. 'Kay? I'm not tryna make stuff difficult for you, Bells. I'll drop you and be out. No hassles, I promise." He says as we pull up to Forks High. "We good?"

"We're awesome." I fist bump him. "But I have a ride for today."

The face he pulls makes me laugh. He was really itching for a reason to get to Nell' Ombra. Seth is such a character. I have no idea how he manages to stay in the gang without driving the others insane.

I give him his lunch bag and make to exit the car when I hear, "What am I? Five?"

TWIT!

I snort, going round to his side and looking back into the car. "Hey, at least it won't kill you."

He laughs hard, thoroughly amused as I hug him goodbye through the window.

"Be safe lil'sis." He tosses me my cell after letting me bear hug him and then, as I step away from the car, he rev's the engine thunderously loud. He chuckles wickedly at the freakishly terrified stares he gets when people realize he's around and then he's flying down the road towards La Push in a gust of smoke.

I turn around and shake my head when people hurriedly make their way to class or look around frantically trying to appear busy. My gaze moves to the wall across the school that shields behind it, the tree with mine and Edward's names on it and fully grasp why they're so terrified. Under normal circumstances, I'm not a bitch. I'd feel bad and want to tell Seth "cool it" when I get home, because I secretly know that they're scared of Edward already. But after the treatment the nosey creeps gave me yesterday, I just push it from my mind and once again, hope the whole thing blows over before I blow up.

As I walk into the school, I see Tyler leaning against a wall with one foot propped up.

"You may wanna avoid doin' that front'f ya guy." He nods to where we were parked. "He'll fuck up the mutt so bad in front of you, he'll be eatin' through a straw."

"Seth can hold his own." I answer automatically.

"True," Tyler agrees, but he does it in a way that tells me there's more. "But you're something Cullen won't share."

"Seth's like a brother." I mumble as a storm brews at the pit of my stomach.

"Won't matter to your guy." He stubs out his cigarette and walks away, leaving me chewing on my lip worriedly, staring after his receding form.

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

Today went a lot like yesterday. As the day progressed, things kept getting worse! People remained apprehensive thanks to Seth's impromptu visit to the school, it sort of reaffirmed the fear they felt at Edward's barefaced threat on the tree in case they forgot about it at some point. But I was now the girl affiliated with two gangs. Everywhere I glanced, people looked at me with contempt hidden in their eyes, before promptly averting their gaze if I looked up.

It wouldn't bother me too much if it weren't for the fact that I was getting the same treatment from my 'friends'. I hadn't seen Angela today. I don't think she was at school and I missed her a lot because no one else seemed to be in a hurry to speak to me. The closest thing I got to 'friendship' through the first three classes was a sympathetic look from Eric after he saw Mike and Jess make a point of ignoring my presence in biology as they left. But he still walked out after them too, leaving me alone in the company of his look, the lone one I'd received all day that held no scorn in it.

Joy.

I was stuck between two extremes. I was being alienated by the entire school while still being locked under their inquisitive stares and glances of disapproval.

I don't give a damn about people's opinions in general… but this was the entire school… Come on I'm only human… It sucked. Bad.

The bell rings, signaling lunch. Pushing aside my thoughts, I grab my stuff and trudge towards my locker, fiddling with the long sleeves of my shirt.

Every step I take forward fills my veins with dread. It's an odd sensation that I've learnt to trust. Gang instincts. No one meets my gaze but I can't shake the feeling that a lot of them are waiting for something. It's foreboding and despite being a relatively hardcore girl considering my life with the Wolves, it's the not 'knowing' that making me nervous.

Shaking off the feeling and straightening my back, I continued to my locker deciding that I wasn't going to spare anyone a second thought if they were going to treat me like a show monkey. Stopping in front of it, I balanced my books precariously in one hand and entered the combination to my locker and watched, as if in slow motion, as a horror unfolded before my eyes.

Blood.

Lots of sticky, thick and dark blood leaked in heavy flows down the metal as it cracked open. My breath ceased, my body screamed from shock. A strong need to get away struck me, despite my limbs feeling immobile and slowing my movements. Crimson ran in a steadier stream as I backed away from my locker. The now unsupported door flew open from the pressure, more blood gushed out and to my horror, I saw the huge rigged jar of crimson that had been slipped into my locker topple over to the floor.

My piercing scream cut through the hall, ringing out, as I saw the unblinking, beady eyes of the black and grey haired pig head strapped to the jar, gawking at me. My mind propels my body back faster than my limbs can process as the drained blood of its missing body pools on the floor from the jar. Stumbling backwards, I don't have any time to steady myself, before I'm slammed against the wall by my unsteady legs, as they finally give out. Slumping down, my breaths come in gasps. All the while, the horror show that is my locker haunts me from across the hallway.

Around me, there was a mixture of reactions. Everyone either stared at me or at my locker. Some of them looked from me to it as if I deserved it, a haughty air about them as they tied me to the pig massacre in the jar. I heard some gasps, some screams of shock, but then I heard a lot of catty sniggers too. 'Nice one.' 'Who did that?' 'Genius.' 'That's so cruel, poor girl.' 'They should just leave her alone.' 'Please. Gang girl? If you ask me, she deserves it.' 'Look at her, freaked out on the floor like she hasn't seen worse.' 'Little bitch.'

The whispers wouldn't stop; it was an insistent buzz all around me. I couldn't tell which voice belonged to whom. My chest began heaving, I was sure I was having a panic attack. Whoever did this did it because I wouldn't be able to put a name or face to it. They couldn't speak to the Wolves or go against the Shadow Fangs, so they hid behind anonymity. As my brain processed all of this, I feel bile rise in my throat. Coward! Who could be so brutal?

After three days of dealing with their crap, I snapped.

"What the hell is wrong with all you people!" the outburst came right from my gut!

Every fiber of my being screaming for me to lash out at these idiots! I gaped around the hall shock, disgust and anger spelled out on my face clear for all to see. How dare any of them assume they knew me! How dare they judge me! I've never even spoken more than a handful of words to anyone besides my 'friends'! And some dumb fuck coward went so far as to kill a poor animal and stuff it in my locker because they don't agree with my real friends, my family or my lifestyle! Whether they're pissed at me for having Grey Wolf family, the new growing closeness to the Shadow Fangs or both! Who the fuck are they to judge me? They don't even know me! And they sure as hell don't know my circle! The guys I know might be dangerous, but at least my crowd had spine!

I wasn't sure when my eyes welled up, but it was angry tears.

"Gang-girl's having a freak out."

I heard to my right but the owner of the voice was lost to me in the sea of people gathered in the hall.

Gang-girl? Did they suddenly forget my name?

Gang? What did they know about gangs? They knew the gangs at face value! I fucking knew gangs! They knew of them! They saw the bad! I saw the people! And they were judging me for it like I owed them something.

"Are you seriously that depraved that you slit and drain a defenseless animal just to get to me because you have a problem with who I know! It's none of your business!" I yelled, my voice going hoarse and breaking as blank faces stared back at me. It was like screaming at a brick wall. Their emotions never swayed, their gazes never lost the judgmental edge. I could count in one hand the number of people who looked remorseful or slightly empathetic. "You're so scared shitless of them you don't have the guts to just come at me and tell me what the hell your problem is! Who's the monster now you cowards!" I spat the words, grabbing my books off the floor. I pushed myself towards the crowd trying to get through, but the people were frozen in place, a drone of whispers as I fought against the sea to get past.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

I heard the booming voice of Principal Greene behind me as he entered the hallway. There'd be an inquiry I was sure but nothing would come of it, we didn't have a culprit. His presence only made the insistent buzz around me worse. The voices blurring into one steady stream of bullshit.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs!

Suddenly, I felt a big firm hand grab my arm from behind. People in my direct contact seemed stunned as they, en masse, tried to back up however much the crowd would allow.

"Shut your holes! And back. The. FUCK. Up!" I heard a thunderous roar from deep within a growling chest. Tyler.

This half of hall silenced to a haunting level at his threatening frame. I turned towards him. His gaze fixed on the students around us. Not intimidated in the least that we're outnumbered and that they could easily, by his behavior, tie him to a gang if they hadn't already. His presence is lethal and looming. The permanent scowl on his face is replaced with a menacing set expression that matches his cold, hard and dark eyes. "You pussy's better hope and muthafucking pray I never find out who's behind this, cause believe me there's gon' be fucking hell to pay!" His gaze holds a warning in them. "C'mon, Bella." He says in a lower tone still glaring at the crowd. He grabs my arm, and pulls me down the hall.

As we walk by, they meet his gaze and hastily back up, allowing us through.

We break through the sea of students and by now, I've caught myself. The numbness that harbors your thoughts when faced with something gruesome or cruel has worn off and I'm back on my feet.

"Thanks Ty— Crowley." I quickly correct, because even though I used his name on the bike, I'm not sure which he prefers. I follow him out to the bleachers even though he isn't holding my arm anymore.

He glances at me, his stance still rigid, "You good?"

I nod.

He lets it go. Only, you know, he doesn't. He doesn't ask anything else, but his body language is wrong. I know this vibe. I'm looking at a gangster. Wolf or Shadow, it's the same characteristics. Angered; Hanging on by a thread; Dangerous.

It's familiar. And I'm completely at ease with it. I feel safer here with him like this than I did in the hallway with 'regular' teenagers. I still couldn't believe what just happened…

"Crowley—"

"Tyler's fine." He says, his eyes coming back to me, but his gaze is distracted by his thoughts.

I nod. "Tyler. Can I have one?" I point to his leather jacket pocket.

He wordlessly reaches in and retrieves his pack of Marlboro, tossing it to me. Then, he fishes something out the other one. His phone.

Uninterested in anything else right now, I open the box and pull out the lighter tucked alongside the long-stemmed cancer sticks. My eyes move past the cigarettes to see a couple joints. My fingers itch to lift one, but I remember that we're at school. What a sick joke.

"That one's out." I hear his phone shutting. He slides it into his pocket with one hand while grabbing something out the other. "Here," he says, chucking me a metallic gold lighter and throwing the other far out into the field.

I watch it fly high into the sky as I light up my demon. As I inhale a deep calming lungful, I see him light a joint and suddenly realize I may have gotten him into trouble.

"May not want to mention this to Edward," I gesture to the demon between my fingers.

He smirks, chuckling under his breath. "Edward will be fine with it." Then his face slips back into its air of peril.

He sounds so sure, I decide to just take his word for it. I'm not exactly in a mood to talk either so I don't ask him how he knows.

We sit silently for a long while smoking, but not doing much else. When I get hungry, my stomach's growls turn into churns when I think of my sandwich soaked in the blood of that poor pig. Dark red soggy bread, covered in the stench of death. Tyler asks if I'm hungry but it changes to, 'You 'kay?', after he sees my face turn a little green. I nod my head and he doesn't push so we're back to silence.

When he faces away, I run the burning end of my second demon along the inside of my wrist. As I do it, the searing shoots through my skin, up my arm and slowly the image of the beady eyes frozen in horror from the jar fade away, along with the accusing stares of the crowd.

I don't go back to the building. I'm not up to being in class with those people just yet. Tyler doesn't leave either and I'm sure it's just because of me. I feel different levels of gratitude. My thoughts drift to Angela and wonder when she gets back if she'll be different as well? I sigh deeply, about to ask Tyler for another cigarette, maybe a joint even, but before I can, I hear a sound that freezes my entire body, from my heart to my limbs.

Engines.

Loud ones.

Familiar ones.

"C'mon." Tyler says, rising and picking me up by my arm again when I don't move. He lets me go when I'm on my feet. He doesn't have to say it. I already know.

Shadow Fangs.

I don't budge. The noise is too big, bigger than I'm used to. He snatches up my books, placing them in my arms. Automatically, my fingers wrap around them.

The roaring is now louder. Closer.

It's too loud. The bleachers vibrate before the engines cut out. Throwing the joint on the ground, Tyler grabs my hand, just above my wrist and makes me walk. I trail behind him before my brain catches up with what we're doing. I speed up my steps to match his long dominating strides as he leads us back towards the school.

Once we pass the bleachers, I'm able to see the parking lot. I can't believe my eyes. Cars, Jeeps and bikes fill any free space there once was in the entire lot. All black, red or gold.

I hear crashes. Lots of them. Stuff toppling over. Lockers being beaten with something solid. Fierce yells followed by loud shrill screams. Gangsters followed by teenagers…

As we enter the school we're met with several muscular guys. They're shoving more teens into the sea of people they've already gathered in the hallway during a class period. Several of them have bandanas tied around the lower halves of their faces, and they acknowledge Tyler as we walk forward. They're threatening and tall, dressed in dark colors and covered in tattoo's, bike chains wrapped around their wrists, brass knuckles on their fisted fingers and guns or bats visible in the hands of others.

Tyler and the other Shadow Fangs exchange nods as we pass them and Tyler shoves his way through the crowd. A huge menacing shield as he gets them out the way so we can get to my locker.

I can't believe what a switch this is. Just moments ago when I walked through this very hallway, I was angry and shaken up while they stood tall above me with their looks of resentment and disdain painted across their faces. Now they were the ones terrified, as they were shoved into the same hallway they had earlier refused to let me out of.

"Move bitch." Tyler snarls gruffly, shoving a kid out the way. As we finally break through the crowd, I find myself staring at a very casual scene; a stark contrast to the mayhem around us.

Not at all what I expected. Edward, James, Jasper, Emmett and Caius are leisurely pacing the open area of the hallway. Laurent, Demetri and a couple others are not too far off pushing their way through the handful of new kids they've rounded up. They step into the area in front of my locker as well.

The other guys wearing the bandanas remain at the back, keeping the gathered students from running off. A few kids from every class within the area form a semicircle in the hallway at my locker and to say they look petrified wouldn't be a strong enough description.

I swallow hard and watch as Edward leans against the locker next to mine, his stance deceptively patient and calm, waiting for his guys to round up an impressive enough horde for him. He looks up briefly when Tyler moves to the side so that I'm visible.

Head lowered his once green eyes dart to me and I inhale sharply because I find no sign of the undercurrent I usually see in them… There's no hidden storm… No, the storm is out there in the open, no longer containable… He's furious. His fierce eyes scan me as if taking inventory before they darken further, looking like burning coals of green. Its' hells fires burning sinisterly in what was once my boyfriend's guarded emerald oceans.

He looks away, his head dipping to his side looking down lazily at my locker stained with the remainders of dried blood. My heart pounds wildly in my chest, I can feel the steady beat hammering against my ribcage, blood pounding in my ears I grind my teeth hoping to abate the nerves erupting in me. He kicks off from the locker, his sneakers loud against the flooring, amplifying the tension in the hall as everyone anticipates him pouncing.

At his full height he easily towers over most of the students, his presence shrouded in deadly caged anger. He's like a ticking time-bomb and they're dreading him exploding. It's futile. The explosion's already happened. They just don't know it yet.

I recognize him. He's the guy I saw fight the Wolves in Forks. He's lethal in his calculated calm. His precise movements are intentional and natural, but it's a front. He's dressed head to toe in black, save the dark red logo on his shirt that matches his windblown mussed hair and a sliver of gold from his chain around his neck. He fists his hand methodically. Brass knuckles donned on each threateningly and a gun tucked at the front corner of his jeans.

Just like the night of the fight, I see James and Jasper from my peripheral vision, they're cold, calm and deceivingly appear disinterested, as they lean on the wall and lockers respectively but I can tell they're on alert. No gangster is ever unguarded, let alone in a setting like this, where they've obviously been pissed off. And this isn't just any run-of-the-mill gang. They're feeding of Edward's body language again. It's déjà vu as I watch them, perfectly in tune with each other. On one silent command from Edward, all hell's going to break loose in Forks High.

I don't move. I'm where I'm supposed to be. The irony is not lost on me that I've just assumed my usual station with the Wolves with the Shadow Fangs. A huge difference though, considering I'd never witnessed the Wolves like this before that night in Forks and on that night as well, it was simply because they didn't know I was watching them in the first place. I'm scared but oddly not of them, more of what I can feel in my bones is going to happen. It's recycled adrenaline coursing in my bloodstream because just like with the Wolves, here with the Shadow Fangs that are visibly unhinged, I feel safe.

"Funny story, James."

Hairs bristle as Edward finally speaks. The words are threatening without effort. There's no humor in his smile. He cocks his head incredulously and looks at James.

"We're on our way out and I get this message that says there's this butchered creature in a locker at Forks High." He words are mockingly impressed. "And I just couldn't pass up the chance to fucking see it!"

"Sure brother, that's some hardcore muthafucking shit." James words are daunting, his lazy stance is ominous.

To my far right Emmett and Caius snicker. The sound is menacing at best.

Edward smirks, his sharp pearly whites pulling into a sinister grin.

"James, language!" Jasper drawls, his face expressionless. "We've got school kids in our midst!" There's no sign of chastisement in his voice, it's a mocking comment meant to highlight the juvenility of the students against notorious criminals. His head still tipped back against the locker, his blue eyes are threateningly hard as steel as he runs them along the inside of the crowd, staring at the students.

I get it. I finally get it. An attack on me, anonymous or not, they've had their authority challenged.

"Shit. My bad!" James is the picture of innocence. Only he's not. He tips his head to the side and fixes them with a piercing glare, his hand absentmindedly spinning the bike chain free from his fingers in a silent threat that's impossible to miss. "Now never do you little boys and girls use language like that." He tsks, breaking his knuckles in a fist and popping the one in his neck.

I can feel the temperature reaching arctic levels when Edward speaks again. "Another thing you never do, kids, is forget your place in the food chain."

He slowly walks back towards my locker, staring at the dried blood with dark interest. His tone is scornful, but I know him well enough in this short time to know from his body language that he's teetering. He sneers venomously. His cold green eyes threaten to freeze the school.

"Pay attention cause you're about to get the most important lesson of your lives!" James voice loses the humor too. Straightening up, he stands at his full height. "Relatively short ones at that if you fucking ignore it!" he barks.

Edward slams the door to my locker with a deafening BANG causing the entire school mass present to jump. "Someone in this fucking school forgot who we are! So now we're going fucking remind you!" His voice booms from his chest, the sound as frightening as the man delivering the threat. The veins along his arms popping, running from his fisted fingers to his neck and pulsing hard and thick at his temple, his body language alone sends the threat loud and clear."You kids muthafucking like blood?" he sneers his voice dangerously calm, before his facial expression snaps and he roars over the top of his lungs to his gang."RENDI SANGUINARE QUESTI STRONZI!(MAKE THESE BITCHES BLEED)"

I have no idea what he said, but I have no time to dwell on it because suddenly the gang flies out. My surprised scream is drowned out by the terrified ones of the others in the hallway.

They move too fast across the floor for anyone to react. Edward snatches up a guy by his collar and shoves him hard against the lockers, as his body collides with the metal I recognize him as Dean, one of the jocks. Despite how these people treated me, I want to tell Edward to stop because if this were the Wolves, that's probably what I'd be doing too, but before I can pronounce the first syllable, I hear his voice in my head 'I am dangerous. I won't stop fighting because you ask me to'. So instead I stand paralyzed as I watch Edward, his cousin, James, Demetri, Tyler, Emmett, Caius and Laurent beat the shit out of the buffest kids they find in the crowd.

The weapons they'd donned are left untouched. They fight with their bare hands. I recognize the message instantly and I'm sure the rest of the students do too… There's a huge difference between the school and the Shadow Fangs… It's a degrading warning to tell them not to cross the line because the gang will kill with no hesitation and they'd be able to do it so simply that they won't need anything but their hands for the job.

I hear the deafening cracks of fist on flesh and look around in horror as they deliver blow after blow to the most buff guys they identified in the crowd. Dropping them when they're practically lifeless and grabbing another, having too much fun with reiterating the message of their rule. With no weapons the fight is legit and the school 'bad-asses' are beaten to a pulp in a split second. Bloody, swollen and bruised they're released, the last of them collapsing unceremoniously on the ground.

Edward flings the guy he grabbed after Dean hard against my locker. The boys face slams into the metal with a deafening bang! Saliva and blood spray out his mouth in heavy thick lines and splatters onto the stained metal, recoating parts of the dried pig blood. He slides down and collapses on the floor like a rag doll, I have a brief flash of concern that he might be dead but I see his faint breaths as he lies there too broken to wake up and feel slivers of relief.

"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY GIRL!"

Rage bleeds menacingly into Edward's words. He threatens the entire school with his furious glare. He's seething, his body taut and his frame looming as he's visibly lost control.

Behind him, Caius reaches into his hoodie and pulls out two cans shaking them and throwing one to James as Edward continues speaking.

"Anyone find out about this. Breathe. A. Single. Fucking. Word." The warning hangs in the air. He doesn't have to complete it; it's loud and clear in his ferocious stance. The hissing of the cans behind him adds to his menacing presence. He scans the crowd calculatedly slow and there's no doubt in any mind including my own that the faces his sinister eyes sees are engraved in his memory. "And I'll burn your houses to the fucking ground one muthafucking one at a time! Right before I muthafucking cap all you little fuckers!"

There's promise burning in his jade orbs as he grinds out the words. Every syllable laced deeply in death. "This is Shadow Fang territory!"

As he says it, Caius and James complete the tag on the wall. Beautifully menacing red and black graffiti reading SHADOW FANG. Edward doesn't spare a glance at it. The gang noticeably working with precise, silent sync makes them appear infinitely more deadly than we already know them to be.

"REMEMBER THAT!" His feral bark is thunderous with finality, right from his gut, making me jump just as much as the crowd does and the words aren't even meant for me.

He strides forward wordlessly flanked by the others. A formation of murderous gangsters, tall angry and nonchalant their presence demands respect and fear as they storm through. Respect and fear is what they get. Edward grabs my wrist as he passes.

We walk through the terrified sea of students straight past Principal Greene and Mrs. Cope. It's only at that point that I try and tug my hand free from his steel hold but it's useless. He tightens his grip and sneers as we pass Greene, pulling me into his side. My heart shoots straight to my throat when Principle Greene ducks his head fearfully, his feet shuffling backwards until he's as far away from Edward as physically possible in the crowded hall.

I tug harder because in these two seconds I realize Forks is seriously run by a gang… I really have been living in a self imposed bubble.

The Wolves are the Fangs arch rival, meaning they're exactly alike?

I just didn't want to acknowledge it till I was staring at the barefaced truth. People are horrified by them. I'd never even once questioned how it was that no one mentioned the boys' involvement in Grey Wolves to their families but I understood it now, no one would dare cross them. La Push is forbidden to many on the outside and feared by all on the inside. At least now I knew why people discreetly stare when the Wolves and I are so carefree with each other, it's not due to shock… It's because of heart stopping, soul sucking terror!

And I've only now witnessed the extent of it, a small glimpse at what these gangs are really about. These were territorial outlaws and they ran the towns from the underside, they were feared and it was for a bloody good reason! And I'd somehow found myself on the safe side of two rival ones. But I wondered how long that would last before I was caught in the crossfire of them when they met. My luck was bound to run out sooner or later and I wasn't sure I could face it.

My feet aren't even touching the floor I'm walking so fast to keep up with Edward and his storm of bandits. He supports me at his side effortlessly so I don't really have to touch the ground. We stop in front of his car and he lets me down.

"Get in the car." He snaps still in full blown gang mode.

He isn't anywhere in the vicinity of calm, one look at him as he walks around to his side and I know there are going to be no arguments from me. I get in wordlessly. He gets in, slamming the door shut and we're taking off towards the exit. Thunderous roars start up behind us. I turn and realize that there are too many vehicles to count behind us. Just how big's this gang? I'd always just assumed it was just the guys I'd seen in Nell' Ombra but clearly I'd subconsciously glossed over the truth yet again. I know the Wolves crowd is huge and from the looks of it, the Shadows are no different. The noise coming off the engines cause the car alarms in the lot to blast from the vibrations as we pass. The heavy noise dissipates as we hit the road and everyone scatters.

I watch him as he drives. Shifting gears until finally he's redlining. "Edward?"

He doesn't answer until we're heading towards the outskirts of Forks. His speed breaks fractionally as we enter an area I'm unfamiliar with.

"Where were the teachers?" I ask because I don't really care where we're headed.

"Laying low till I left."

I gape at him.

He smirks, feeling it as he stares out at the road before us.

I snap my mouth shut and ask my next question. "What about Principal Greene?"

He snickers, his eyes still shady and sharp. "What about him?"

I remember the terrified look on his face but find something else pressing my buttons. "Edward he's the principal! He's not going to just let this go!" I'm not sure why I whisper yell but it could be because that possibility scares me a bit more than Edward does…

He smirks at me, a condescending gleam in his eye as he glances at me before looking at the road again. "Worried about me baby?" he laughs under his breath when I don't answer. "Greene knows better than to cross me again." He dismisses seriously, his face hard. "Greene won't report a fucking thing."

I falter. "Again?" I speak again, deciding I actually don't want the answer to that question. "He'll get fired if he doesn't!" I point out with venom because now I'm going to have my father hunting my boyfriend!

"He'll cover it up. Lie through his fucking teeth but I promise you there's no way in muthafucking hell that bitch is gonna rat on me."

There's no humor left in his voice. He's dead serious, his face covered in a dark shadow. It sends a shiver up my spine and I wonder what happened between them that made him so sure that Principal Greene would be fearful enough to lie to the entire school body about reporting a crime that he wouldn't.

"Oh my God, I'm so fucking screwed when my dad finds out I cut school!" I shriek realizing too late what should've been obvious to me.

He laughs, but it's with no humor. His eyes narrow at the road. "Who's going to tell him?"

It's not a question. It's an unmistakable threat that tells me he's got the entire fucking school in check.

All by the end of the fourth period… Not even an hour after I found that slaughtered pig... Wow... I think to myself in silent wonder, looking at the sinister thug in my life. He really was a force to be reckoned with. And here in a car with him heading out to God knows where, I'd never felt more content or protected.

I angle myself in my seat so I can look at him better. I see his mouth twitch.

"What about my work?" I question just for the sake of asking.

"There's nothing that school can teach you that you don't already know Bella."

I side-glance him to see if he's being an ass but he's completely serious staring out the windshield. He looks fractionally calmer and it makes my heart soar in hope.

"Hmm." I hum because it's true but I wanna play. "Not only did I just cut school. But I saw a notorious gangster, who by the way, just so happens to be the sworn enemy of my brother's gang, pulverize some kids with his gang and threaten the entire school body, inclusive of both staff and students. Yeah, then of course I left with him! There's this lesson about self preservation I'm failing miserably."

He chuckles under his breath. "You left with me." He turns and fixes his darkened green eyes on me, there's a smirk in them but there's also a black seriousness that makes me swallow in trepidation. "Smartest move on your part."

My breathing hitches and I quickly have to compose myself as he turns back to the road. "Fine, but I'll have you know, I need to be home before my dad."

"He'll be at the station till eleven, probably later." He states.

By now it should be stupid of me to be this surprised by anything that he says but it still startles me a bit. "How do you know that— Nevermind." I say before he answers. "Thought you're busy today?"

"Later." He answers making a right but I've long since given up looking away from him. "We're picking up someone."

"Royce King?"

He shoots me a sidelong glance with a crooked grin. "You know they suspect it was curiosity that killed the cat."

A smile is brewing in my chest because he's returning to his usual mood. And it's because of me! Who knew I handled gang shit this well. I high-five myself in my head.

Trying to change the topic I turn from the window to him. "Edward, where are we going?"

A smile tugs at the corner of his lip, he shakes his head and I see his shoulder vibrate with silent laughter.

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

"We're here." Edward points a finger at the windshield.

I turn to follow his direction as we park. It's the first time I notice we're in an area of what I think is still Forks but I don't think I'd ever even heard of before. Because had I heard of it…I would NEVER find myself here right now!

We're parked outside an abandoned warehouse, there's a wire fence lining the area, locking us in. The building is glaring, it's like staring at the devil. There are random other buildings around but they're not too close and they could quite possibly be vacant.

There are large windows that appear at regular intervals far above the ground on this building and I can't see any windows at all on the ground floor so there's no way of ever knowing what lies within. The warehouse looks haunted and ominous, so I honestly doubt I even want to know what's inside... There are large industrial steel doors buried into the worn red brick and a dark coating of sludge covers the ground around the rectangular structure except for the concrete that leads to each and a pathway that disappears into the darkness of the side of the building. That part of the building is shrouded heavy with trees that resemble outstretched arms of demons the way they sway in the wind.

It's in no way inviting. Biting the insides of my cheeks, I rub my palms along my arms to fight off the chill running deep in my bones as I looked at the place.

My fear must show because Edward grins wickedly.

"Wait till you see the inside." He says forebodingly.

I swear I'm having a heart attack. He can't be serious.

He chuckles in amusement at my reaction and jumps out the car closing the door behind him.

"You coming?" he asks like I have a choice.

What's my alternative? Wait in the car alone in this area that I don't know and quite frankly creeps me the fuck out! Or walk into haunted hell with smirking Satan here. My body shuts down. My flight instincts tell me to kick it, I check the ignition but the keys are gone.

"Okay then."

Huh?

My head snaps up towards where his voice was. Edward's gone!

I look around frantically. I'm panicking big time.

"Edward?" I whisper yell. I'm kind of scared to speak any louder because I don't know who or what else could be here besides my boyfriend who just disappeared into thin air. "Edward?" my voice comes out a mousy squeak. Subconsciously, I grab the door handle. My mouth runs dry and I wrench it open slamming it behind me and take off at super speed in the direction of his footprints.

I approach the foreboding building rounding at the corner to the shorter side. The building casts a looming shadow over the area I have to move towards. It's in no way welcoming. I'm terrified, I want to call out for Edward but fear for anything else that might hear me freezes my voice in my throat, not wanting to disturb the haunting dead building with trees and underworldly forces I can feel reaching for me in the eerie silence.

A blood curling scream rips through my throat, cutting the cold air with piercing precision when a large arm wraps around me from out of nowhere and Edward shoots out of the shadows, I can feel his chest vibrate with laughter against my back as he holds me close. "Jesus you're skittish bella (beautiful)."

I wriggle to turn around. Fear and relief coursing through me simultaneously. He barely has me on the ground before I'm barreling at him, clutching at him like a life preserver burying my head into his chest. He chuckles into my hair, holding me close so I'll calm down, wrapping his arms protectively around my tiny frame 'til my trembling ceases. "I'm sorry." Only he doesn't sound like it.

I yell and shout and squeal, throwing cusses at him I didn't realize I knew while beating at his immovable chest. "You son of a bitch, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Much to my frustration, my squirming doesn't cause him any difficulty whatsoever! I try to walk away but he grabs me again. Holding me against his chest tightly, he walks lithely towards a small metal door at the side of the building.

"Got a mouth on you eh?" he chuckles when I start kicking trying to get away the closer we get to the door.

This isn't the direction I want to go in! I want to go back to the car!

"Behave." He whispers sternly into my ear though I can still feel the enjoyment rolling off him. It's more erotic than threatening. Well that's the effect it has on me in any case. "Or you can wait out there. Alone."

I freeze my movements.

Like he's bloody 'Simon' and 'he said so'!

He laughs quietly at the threat itself or the fact that it worked, I'm not sure. "Good girl."He kisses my head. My feet inches from the ground, he carries me into the building. "Be still."

Still?

I'm a freaking statue! My eyes are closed, my body immobilized in his strong arms. If my other option is outside alone then no power on this earth can move me except Edward!

And move me he does!

I hear his feet hit the inside of the building, his sneakers on solid flooring. The echo of each step reverberating in my heart until I can feel the air shift and the door shut behind us. The insistent beeping of what might be an alarm fills my ears and my eyes shut tighter, terrified of what could be in here the second the beeping stops.

I feel him let go of me, lowering me. The second my feet touch the ground I fist his shirt in a death grip afraid he'll leave me.

"Open your eyes Cappuccinetto…" wrapping a lock of my brown hair around his fingers his voice is a soothing whisper that heats my inside with the sincerity I hear laced within the deep velvety notes. He tells me I'm safe without words.

I do. I'm staring at him. Green to brown.

He smirks when I don't blink. With his hands on my waist he pivots me, turning me away from him in the direction he wants me to be facing. I let go of his shirt because his hold on me is firm and I know he's not going to let go of me…

To say I'm shocked at the setting before my eyes would be a horrible, horrible understatement!

The warehouse… I'm not even sure I can call it that anymore… I'm looking at an entire span of what once was a warehouse but is now one huge house…

I drink in everything like a greedy sponge because I'm in absolute awe. My eyes widen as if trying to take in more just so that I can believe what I'm seeing.

Standing against the shorter end of the rectangular building I have the perfect view of an open planned house, no house is too mild a word, I'm not sure there is a word that can cover what I see. The place is so? Shadow Fang. Yeah that's the perfect way to describe it. It's 100% Shadow Fang. A smile tugs at my lips.

There's a covering above us that's lower than the ceiling of the warehouse and a similar one at the opposite far end but the large middle area is bare with its beams visible under the roof and it allows natural light to pour in from the high windows that cover almost the entire upper half of the walls. I can only imagine how a storm would look from inside this place.

It was literally a warehouse converted into a living lodge but it retained its core feel with an open plan floor area. There were no walls separating anything. No boarding up to cover the metal doors. And no repainting of the red brick. Instead there were large Shadow Fang graffiti similar to the ones I'd seen in the basketball courts in Hell covering most of the walls and pillars, it made it truly magnificent because it worked!

"So this is my place." I hear him say moving closer to me until the back of my head is resting against his warm broad chest.

I feel like I want to cry because the second I'm against him it feels like I belong, right here standing with him in his house as he holds me. I don't turn around though nor do I cry because the feeling is too wonderful and I'm too enthralled with this scene playing before my eyes.

The floors are bare cream finish polished concrete everywhere except the devil blood red carpet where we stand in what's a lounge area, it has a black modern chaise lounge sofa with red and black cushions. The sofa is arranged in a box formation around a huge home theatre system. There are no cabinets because everything is mounted directly to the wall. A bar-styled kitchen's to the right of where we stand on the shorter side of the rectangular building. Complete with black topped counters, with shiny appliances, a double door fridge, countertop mounted stove, a door inside the wall that I'm sure led to a deep freeze, cabinets filled with basic crockery, let's not forget the fully stocked bar and lastly the chrome sunken double circular sinks, one at the bar and one beside the fridge.

Further than this portion with the lounge and kitchen is a slightly larger area that gives way to what could only be described as a lazy area that covered the expanse of the middle part of the warehouse. There was a felt topped pool table, bar tables and chairs, random loungers, a poker table still laden with chips from the last game played on it. I also noticed a lot of equipment, ranging from computers, some weapons, ammunition and a whole bunch of other shit I was going to opt to ignore for the moment. The wall closest to the lounge has a huge fireplace with a stone mantel framing it, beautiful and authoritative.

Past that area, leading up to the far opposite end of the warehouse was a working area but what amazed me more than the semi-garage inside his 'house' was the basketball court that covered the other half of it. A perk of having so much space in a warehouse you can put a freaking court in it! Granted the court was smaller than a usual one but it was an actual court inside his bloody house. Fuck me sideways! It looked like the court in Hell that he'd taken me to, with similar metal chained hoops, graffiti along the wall of the fallen angel boy and a range of others with a couple of basketballs left lying at the foot of same the wall. The garage was like a makeshift space at the two furthest metal doors I'd seen. It had numerous bikes and a couple of cars parked there, with spare parts, tools, grease covered cloths and even some spray cans littering the floor and metal shelves. It was in essence a garage that someone would work on cars in as opposed to usual home ones where people parked cars.

The place was unique, it kind of screamed Edward! Or maybe it screamed Shadow Fang? Or maybe I wanted to scream! I'd never thought a place like this could exist… I was admittedly awestruck. When I thought of where he lived I would've never in a million years have expected him to bring to a warehouse! Let alone a warehouse that had more character than probably every house on my street put together! It was, in a word or more, chic and to know that I was standing in it made me a bit giddy! I could just picture his entire crew hanging here. The surroundings, their personification, mysterious, shady and scary on the outside. Deadly, threatening and beautiful on the inside. The setup was spacious with the lack of walls, the visual feed that met your eyes was vibrant and sinister, and the light pouring in through the too high windows gave the place a surreal feel. I LOVED IT!

I excitedly spin around to face him. "Where do you sleep?" the words are out before I can think them through. He gives me a lopsided smirk filled with innuendo and points one long finger directly above us.

I look up. It hurts my neck but it's worth it. This portion has a lower ceiling indicating that there's been a partial floor added above us similar to the one on the opposite end of the warehouse. If I'm thinking correctly- and I hope to god I am- Then from his room you're level with some of the huge windows.

"Oh my god…"

"I opt for 'home'." He quips lazily and I scowl at him telling him not to kill my buzz. In his eyes I can see how hard he's trying not to snicker, his smirk twitches in amusement but he holds his hands up telling me he'll back off.

Taking him by surprise I scoff shaking my head choosing to ignore him I grab one of his hands in both of mine. "Come on!" I practically run up the stairs that I assume lead to his room in my haste to see his entire house. He trails effortlessly behind me, still hand in hand as he lets me lead.

"This way." He chuckles softly into my hair, lifting me off the ground at the top of the stairs, my back against his chest he turns me away from three other doors placing me back on my feet when I face the direction of his room.

It's the door furthest in the medium length hall lining the shorter end of the rectangular building. I want to skip to it because my interest is piqued after seeing the rest of the house but I stop myself because it feels nice walking with Edward so close to my back, our fingers interlocked, his larger palms to the back of my far tinier hands.

The closer we get to the red metal door the harder it is to keep my pace steady. So far everything I've seen was not what I expected and here I was hoping that the same rule would not apply for my assumption about the windows. I briefly find myself wondering what was behind the other doors, I know at least one of them should be a bathroom but that left two others. My thoughts stop as soon as we reach his room door. Letting go of one hand I grab the handle and push it open, I feel Edward laugh as I finally give in and race into the room leaving him at the doorway. My feet automatically propel me towards the window. I was right! There are two windows in his room. They're massive, starting from just above my feet and going far higher than my head, when he comes to stand beside me I see him lean his tall frame against it and realize with glee that the window is almost as tall as he is. Resting his head against the brick just above the window, he smirks at me but the light pouring in through the large windows make him seem softer. I've come to understand that he will always look sinister but illuminated in his room as he lights a cigarette I can't help but picture him as the fallen angel boy, dark and tortured, he's a boy with a broken halo.

"Like it?" he asks letting out smoke through his teeth, his lips stretched into a sinfully beautiful smirk. He doesn't smile but his green orbs do as he watches me. The smoke rises forming a cloud before it dissipates. The light bounces through the thinner facets.

I cock my head to the side looking at him quizzically. A glowing cloud surrounded my half Greek, half Italian boyfriends' head? Ha! There it is. He really does look like fucking Adonis. I grin wide. "Love it!" I answer honestly.

He shakes his head with a grin that shows how hard he's fighting against chuckling. I turn away from him so I can see the rest of the room while hiding my goofy smile. The smile just seems to grow and grow the more I see.

His room is as spectacular as the rest of the 'house'. It's casual, showing that no effort was actually put into decorating it, but if understated was what he was going for then epic fail, because this room made my pulse quicken! He has a huge bed against the wall with a headboard mounted onto the brick. The wood of the frame and the pillows atop the mattress are black but the satin comforter's a beautiful shade of gold. Like the beddings of dark royalty the rest of the room screamed out his soul, too. Unlike downstairs, the walls here have no graffiti and were left bare in their original dark red brick, the floors were covered in plain black tiles while beside the second window was another red door that I assume was his closet. Mounted to the wall, there's a huge plasma, with a Play Station console and Wii lying on the floor beneath it. To the side of the door I see a workstation with similar equipment to the ones downstairs. Aside from that the only other furniture in the room is a gorgeous black and gold sofa facing the window with a table similar to the ones in Nell' Ombra in front of it, laden with a semi-full stone ashtray, a few guns, some papers and files, and small droppings of weed that had fallen free from the joint he'd stopped rolling halfway through, from the looks of it.

"Wow." I say in a breath, but he doesn't say anything. "So totally not what I expected."

He sniggers and puts out the cigarette in the same stone ashtray I'd been transfixed with.

"What? No ghosts?" he pouts condescendingly walking away from the table slowly. I gulp and he smirks a sexy lopsided grin. He intentionally morphs into a predator right before my eyes. "You look scared?"

"I'm not."

"You're lying."

He calls my bluff, walking calculatedly slow towards me. My heart is tap dancing like a little bitch every step he takes. My eyes alternate between darting to his feet to his eyes maniacally. I'm on edge. My flight instinct wants to make an appearance but it's out for the thrill. I know gangs. I can recognize them. And he wants me to see the devilish aura shadowing him. It's working… I desperately try to grasp conversational material so that I can kill my nerves.

"Are— Aren't you supposed to be all chivalrous? Trying to convince me to come here tomorrow? Saying we don't have to— have er— you know— the— um— s— sex until I'm ready?" my mouth shoots of before my brain can kick in.

He laughs silently at my unintentional bluntness or maybe because he finds my fear cute, I'm not sure.

"Chivalrous?" He smiles crookedly at me, his eyes turn dark. I'd be willing to bet my life he's never heard that word directed at him before. "Bella, I can make you ready to have sex anytime I want." He takes a dangerous step forward so I take one back. A retreat that makes him cock his head to the side and smirk wickedly. "I won't tell you that we'll have sex when you're ready." He looks at me with eyes that see right through me, fully confident of each word he speaks." Cause baby you're ready right now."

His hands shoot out and I'm shoved forcefully onto the bed. My back makes contact and I bounce from the force and comfy cushioned springs.

"Edward sto—" I think I was attempting to say stop even if I didn't really mean it but the words die on my lips as I watch him peel off his shirt. The hard muscles of his chest and arms involuntarily flex as he pulls it free, his dogtags settle heavily against his bare beautiful taut skin. Each defined muscle ripples enticingly before my greedy gaze and I feel my mouth run dry… But I have no threat of dehydration because another part of my anatomy is seeping moisture that makes me hungry…

He watches me watch him and smirks. "I just wanna make you feel good anima gemella. I told you I'd never hurt you. You gotta trust me 'kay?" he asks. His eyes are dark and serious. I nod mutely. "What you thinking so hard about?" he asks, genuinely interested. He stills his movements and waits for an answer.

"You said the first part meant soul… What does that second part mean?" I ask because I can't voice my current thoughts to him without burning my face off in a blush.

He smirks but his eyes are a million years away. My breathing hitches when he dips down shirtless, his muscles hard, defined and flexed, he begins crawling up my body slowly. He licks his way up my leg. His tongue running circles around my ankle as he strips my shoes and socks off. I squirm under his hot tongue because my plan was talking. His kisses are tender as he works his way up to my knees. It's so different from his forceful presence that it keeps me locked to the bed… Bound to him by this invisible pull he has on me. I can feel him everywhere, through the want that radiates off him in hot, burning waves.

"It's not so much the first part." he looks down at our locked fingers, his thumb runs smooth circles against my inner wrist feeling my erratic pulse through the covering long sleeve of my shirt and I'm happy he grabbed the unscathed one. "Together it means soul mate."

My heartbeat skyrockets, fears die on comprehension. Rosalie's words echo in my head, just be yourself, he'll never ask for more. I can do no wrong in Edward's eyes. I relax my body and he smiles down at me lopsided.

"Bella, I'm right here."

I don't understand why he says it until his hands reach forward and lock on either side of my head. He kisses me hard and fast. His body deliciously pressing into my body. My breasts mold under his hard weight and I feel my nipples pucker. Resting his elbow above my head, he braces himself and uses the other hand to roam my body, over my shirt, down to my stomach. I feel fire erupt all over my body. His cock is at attention right at my core. Jeans on jeans. He presses into my core providing more friction when I moan into his mouth.

My hands lift tentatively over the taut muscles of his body, dipping into the troughs of each one. Electricity sizzles at my fingertips as I get to touch him. Familiarizing myself with every inch of his body available to me becomes a desperate addiction the more time I spend with him. Part of me wonders whether he knows this. Wonders if he's intentionally tempting me because he knows him being half naked is going to shoot my rational mind to hell.

He breaks away biting on my lip, our breaths ragged. His breath fans out over my face with every exhale. His eyes lock to mine intensely. His kisses turn slower. Coaxing me as he lowers his hand to my shorts. His fingers drag along the rim before playing with the button. I don't really have any idea what he's up to until he undoes it in a swift movement, pulling down the zipper and stretching the material. Cold air hits my overly heated skin though my drenched panties when he has the denim shorts clean off me.

"Don't." He demands when he sees my breathing spike.

"Ed— Edward, what are you doing?" I pant in a mixture of confusion and ache as I see his dark eyes above me keeping me on the here and now.

"I'm taking care of you anima gemella." His finger drags one long line along my slit, pushing my panties into it.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ MA content available on my journal and TWCS, info at the end .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I'm still wound around him when I come down from my high. He's watching me so closely I blush.

"Fuck!" He breaths, looking down at me. "You okay, piccola?" he asks watching my face with a lopsided smirk and dark lusty eyes, there's a very slight hint of concern in the blackened green.

"Yeh..." I pant. I realize I'm still gripping his shoulders hard enough to break skin with my nails and let go hastily, my face flaming.

He chuckles, his sweet, minty and smoky breath fanning out over my skin. Warm and all consuming, but it makes me break into gooseflesh. He leans down and kisses me chastely. "You fuck up my control." He repeats looking at the mark on my neck.

"You marked me." My voice comes out breathy despite my best efforts.

"You let me." He says it like it means something.

I look up and he's smiling looking down at our position. I'm almost naked under him. My breast bouncing with each ragged breath I take. My legs open with him resting between my thighs. His eyes have an undecipherable twinkle in them as he circles my nipple with his tongue staring at the mark just above my heart and I wish to God I knew what was going on in his head.

"Edward, are we supposed to be 'intimate' like this…" I ask in a smaller voice than I'm used to, not even sure of the word to use to describe us right now. I'm not acting like myself. Or maybe I'm just losing myself to him… My heart skips.

He looks at me again, a smile in his eyes. Smirking up at me, he holds my legs around his waist when I try to unwrap them. There's a teasing edge to his features as he cocks an incredulous brow at me. "I just had my tongue in your pussy, we're dangerously past intimate anima gemella."

I blush. I blush hard! It's more than the fact that he brought up what we did, it's the fact that he's crude and brash and unapologetic for it and it makes me burn for him again. I'm turning into a freaking hormone driven teen. I don't know what that makes me look like to him… Am I easy? Does he think I'm easy? I've never worried about that label before, I've never had reason to.

"What you thinking so hard about?" he kisses my temple.

"Is this wrong?" I look away from him and I feel his stare heat fiercely.

His arms lock like a steel cage on either side of my head. Hovering over me his voice is alarmingly calm but serious. "Bella, this isn't wrong. Nothing we ever do will fucking be wrong because I'm the only muthafucking one who'll ever fucking touch you. All of this is mine."

I don't know if he's upset or not so I stay looking to the side.

"C'mon, we have to go." He says looking down at me with deepened green eyes, moving away so my legs fall gently to the bed. He strokes me between my lower lips with feather light touches to my sensitive flesh, I let out a shuddered breath because whether he knows it or not, I know he's trying to reassure me.

"Why?" I ask, it comes out as both a whine and protest. I don't blush this time because I mean it with every fiber of my being. I don't want to go anywhere. I wanna stay right here with him. A safe little nest with the most dangerous person I could possibly ever meet, away from the restaurant, away from the mayhem, where it's just the two of us. I don't want to go anywhere.

"Because I want to fuck you." He says seriously.

My mouth goes dry, my eyes widen and I can't help the hammering in my heart. I feel myself get wet again but his fingers are away from me and he's getting up. My body screams for him to stop, to come back! He looks down at me from the where he stands at the foot of the bed and smirks. Dipping down fast, he licks me hard and groans when I moan and unwittingly arch my hips harder to his tongue before he straightens up again. "Fuck— You keep doing that and I probably fucking will."

"I have some shit to take care of." He hands me my shirt and shorts but toys with my panties and snapped bra. Looking down at it with intense eyes and a lopsided contented smirk, he rubs the still damp part of the material between his thumb and his index finger. His finger rubs the fabric delicately and I recognize it as the way he strokes my core when he's being tender and petting me. "Dress up." He says with a smirk walking to his closet and dropping my underwear inside as he grabs a fresh pair of jeans and boxers out. He unbuttons and unzips his pants, I hear him laugh softly when I turn around before he can take them off, my face flaming.

"Edward!" I yell when I know he's safely dressed again. His old jeans and boxers lie unceremoniously on the floor when I turn and take in the black jeans hanging perfectly snug on him as he stretches another t-shirt on. He folds his arms and leans casually against the closet door unaffected by my tone. "The rest of my clothes." Sitting on my knees on his bed I give a pointed look to the closet in the hopes that he'll give my under items back.

He shakes his head and answers his phone when it rings. Jasper's on the other line, I know because he says his name and mentions something about them doing a good job and that it's almost go time, so Jasper needs to make sure the guys are there and he'll take care of the rest. I hear him mention Rose and then he says something about going somewhere now.

I gape at him as the conversation continues. He's not going to move. His eyes dart to me and he runs his eyes down my body. He raises his brow, his look says 'dress up' but the darkened eyes that come back to my face from its journey down my body tells me the last thing he wants me to do is cover up. He crooks his finger at me calling me closer to him. I have the urge to rub my thighs together but I fight against it. He wants my bra and panties so it'll come with a price.

I don't walk over to him.

He looks pissed. Then he looks curious.

I sit on his bed pulling on my shorts and slipping my top back down my torso making sure I'm covered. Then I walk to him with my shoes in my hand. It feels weird walking without underwear on, a good weird when I think where those items ended up.

He's laughing softly. He's done with his phone call by the time I get to him, he snaps it closed and puts his arm around my shoulder as he leads us out his room. I'm happily tucked into the side of his toned hard frame again. He kisses the top of my head, his breath is hot in my hair I can feel him smirk into it. "Don't tease me baby. I'll make you regret it tomorrow."

I fist his shirt painfully tight in my palm as his husky words hit home. It's like I want to keep him close. I'm happy because I get to do that. I get to hold him. I get to keep him close. And I know he wants me to because he lets me.

"How am I going to get out of the house?" I ask him because I honestly want him to find a solution. I actually crave time with him. My notoriously dangerous boyfriend, who makes me feel safest.

He looks at me for a moment and I think it's because he's surprised I asked him that instead of telling him I couldn't come. "All your chick friends are with the Wolves?"

I nod. He cusses and I can tell he's pissed at the fact I'm so involved with them so I say nothing, I won't apologize for my family. They're the only people I trust, look at what my 'friend' Jessica did today… And I'm not sure if I still have Angela in my corner as yet so I can't afford to use that alibi.

I push that thought from my mind. "I could tell my dad I'm staying at Rosalie's? She's a friend from work technically."

He grins looking down at me. "Nah, your ol' man knows I have a cousin named Rosalie. I won't risk it." He thinks for a beat then looks back at me. "I got you." He says with a distant look in his eye as he thinks of something. "C'mon." he suddenly picks me up and walks me to the car slipping me inside and walking round to his side while I put on my shoes. I'm curious as to what his plan is but we're silent in the car and soon we're driving.

~.~.~D&D~.~.~

The sky is dark grey with clouds building up violently fast, warning us of an impending storm. I scoot closer to him and he shifts his eyes to me while changing gears.

"Where are we going?" I ask as we veer off the road and onto the bumpy mud drive into the forest. It's a wild stretch that has been driven on before but isn't noticeable from the road. It's the type of trail that isn't found unless you're the one who created it.

He navigates us through the dim lit vegetation with seamless ease. The trees become more dense and I think he isn't going to answer me as he concentrates on getting us to the destination only he seems privy to.

"I need to go out. I gotta check on something first. Rose and Victoria will be there don't stress." He answers offhandedly as he swerves the car round a large grouping of rocks.

"Who's Victoria?" I ask cocking a brow.

He turns to me with a pleased yet amused grin. It does nothing to calm me down.

"You're about to find out." he says as he cuts the engine in the impenetrable wall of trees encasing us in the forest. "C'mon." He says as I stare up at an abandoned warehouse of sorts, it's similar to Edward's place but it's completely shrouded by the forest and it's getting closer to evening so it's dark and terrifying.

I groan looking out at the ominous building with heavy clouds blackening the sky above it.

"What do you guys have against actual houses?" I rub my arms vigorously to get rid of the goosebumps crawling up my skin.

He laughs under his breath getting out. I get out too snatching his hoodie out the backseat. He looks at me over the roof as I walk round to him quickly slipping to his side, his arm around my shoulders as we slosh through the mud and walk towards the large metal industrial door. "Actual houses are so played out." he deadpans as he unlocks and opens the inner pedestrian door. With him smirking at me, I begrudgingly walk through the ghostly creaking hinged door.

"This one yours too?" I look around when he shuts the door and turns on a light.

This place is different from his one. It's partitioned and the part we're in is a well spaced garage. I wonder briefly if this is the garage he brought me to when I fainted but rule it out when remember we're in a forest.

"Nah, this is Royce's place." He says kicking a can as we go. It slams against the wall resonating loudly in the dead area. "This is where I was when I wasn't at my place." He kicks another one. The sound is infinitely louder, bouncing hauntingly off the dark painted walls.

"Edward, stop doing that." I hiss fisting his shirt and looking around warily.

He laughs throatily. "Worried I'll wake up ghosts?" he drops his voice to a terrifyingly low level. I can feel my face pale. He rolls his eyes. "Bella, the place is fucked up, not haunted."

I jab him with my finger when he kicks a drum over. "Relax." He shushes me nonchalantly. "I'm just messing with them."

"Who?" I have a brief moment of idiocy where I picture him messing with ghosts? Edward scares ghosts, it doesn't sound too farfetched to me really.

"Rose and Tor." He laughs with his eyes, giving me an incredulous look as he reads my face.

I'm 100% sure he knows what I was thinking. I blush and look around again as we slip through the door.

He leads us up a narrow dark staircase. "Toria's James' girl."

Cue relief here.

"You'll recognize her." He continues and I don't miss that he sounds certain of it.

So James has a girlfriend? Interesting. "How many of you have girlfriends?" I ask without thinking. I clamp my palm over my mouth so fast it makes a slapping noise and I wince when I bruise my lip against my teeth. My gaze freezes. I can't look at Edward.

He picks me up roughly and holds me hard against him. My legs wrap around him to make sure I don't slide down the wall as he slams me against it. His body is hot and toned. I can feel his muscles push into me with every breath he takes. He grinds into me and grins. "You're my girlfriend huh?" his hands slip off the wall to hold my hips still. He grinds into me harder. He's rock hard again straining against his jeans. Looking right at me his lopsided smirk is passionate. His natural menace works into it, tingeing it with a hint of deadly seriousness. I tug hard on my lip to stop from moaning. The friction he provides is killing me without my panties on. It's like I can feel the heat rolling off him. I roll my hips against him when my body takes over and he slams against my core hard almost like he's angry. I yelp. It feels so good. His head descends to mine catching my mouth in a brutal kiss before the noise I'm making can get too loud. He breaks away glaring me in the eye, his eyes look like he doesn't really believe I'm here. "Don't forget it." his voice is low, his eyes are narrowed to slits but it's his tone that screams to me. It's an obsessively fervent warning.

"Fuck." He says placing me back on my feet just when I think he's going to kiss me again. "You're getting me off track baby. I gotta bounce. C'mon." He tugs at my hand.

"You're leaving me here?" My voice is incredulous.

"They'll get you home." He informs me. "They're fixing the place up for Roy before we get him in."

I look at him in wonder as he slips back into gang mode. He's dark but prideful as he speaks. "The place is a dump. He hasn't been here in fucking years."

"I'll help them out." I offer, shocking myself. He just kisses the top of my head and smiles. I don't know why I said it, maybe because this Royce person seemed to be a big deal to him.

"Who's Royce?"

He looks down at me with an undecipherable look in his eye, but he answers me honestly. "He's my old man's kid brother." His face is serious as he speaks. "Bella, don't ever mention this place. Or Royce. Not to your father, not to the mutts. Kay?"

I feel a bubble burst in my tummy, this is apparently very important but he's not hiding anything. I'm terrified by the look on his face because I now have the confirmation I need to know that Royce is in fact one of the outlaws. I have so many questions, his uncle? The guy looked so young. Why did I think he sounded better about Royce than his dad? Why was he helping sneak Royce in? Why did Royce have to be snuck in! How'd he know I'd tell Edward I saw him in the forest and my god what was he doing running through the forest in the first place—

I still.

Taking a breath I nod at him, swearing my silence because I want him to be honest with me… more importantly I don't want to ever be the reason he gets hurt. Then when I know he's sure I'll honor my word, I let the words I'm dreading confirmation on fall from my lips in a whisper.

"He's the guy the police are looking for isn't he?" I ask.

His eyes are guarded and his jaw is clenched when he nods.

"You two close." I state more than ask. It's like I need to confirm this suspicion as well so that I feel even the tiniest bit better… because I'm going to be lying to my father about something big again… first the Wolves, then the Fangs and now this case he's working so hard on…

Edward gives me another bob of his head, strands of his hair falling into his eyes. He looks and sounds firm when he speaks again. "He raised me." It's all he says.

I don't have time to fully process the shocking words. I know this conversation is over when he opens up the upstairs door with a bang. Two shrieks cut through the air as Rosalie and Victoria jump up from behind a counter where they'd been hiding. They look stiff like they'd been ducking under it since Edward started making the noises downstairs. I recognize the fire haired girl next to Rosalie. She's seriously pretty, in a catlike way. She's the girl from the dress shop I was at the first day I met Edward.

They're a mixture of scared and relieved that it's Edward they see. He laughs genuinely. "You hide behind the fucking bar?" his face is mockingly incredulous. "Did you check the stock?" He nudges his head at the area as if he's reprimanding them but he's really making fun of them. I eye the cabinets with the Jack Daniels and other various types of liquor lining it. "That'd be the first muthafucking place I'd hit if I broke into this fucking joint!" he deadpans.

"Jesus Edward!" Rosalie finally finds her voice, palm flat on her chest over her pounding heart. "You almost fucking killed me!"

"Whatever." He says, disinterested, as he looks around the place noting the appearance.

From what I can see, the place looks nice. It's spacious, you can tell it's been out of use for a while but in your mind's eye you can easily see that with some elbow grease it has a lot of potential. There's blood colored paint on the wall and the joint kitchen/bar furniture and tops are black, so I know at some point this place was probably as amazing as Edwards. It's kind of like his place, it's open planned and looks like a place you'd find and notorious person lurking in it too, but the only actual difference is that there's a ceiling here, so there are either rooms above us as well or this place just has the garage below us and this floor with the doors at the side leading to rooms and bathrooms. There's very little furniture and a lot of clutter but it looks livable for now with a few homely touches added by the two girls. I look back at them remembering that I should be helping them at some point.

They're grimy and their hair looks matted with light sweat from all the work they've been putting in. I can only imagine how long they've been at this today. For one day's work this place looks pretty great.

Edward speaks again and disturbs the rest of my eye screwing of the loft styled warehouse. "I'm dropping Bella here. Get her home when her shift's supposed to end 'kay?" he's looking at Victoria, not Rosalie.

Victoria raises a brow in a timid question as if to say 'Me?' Edward nods once.

"Make sure someone sees you. Speak to them if you have to." He looks at me briefly at this part telling me it's my call then turns back to Victoria. "Say you're from school or some shit. Say muthafucking anything!" His words are direct but not unkind. It's just Edward. And I'm recognizing her as one of those people. The inner circle. The ones he'd ever bother using that tone with. "But if you have to talk, long and short of it, she's staying at your place for the weekend. Got it?" he raises a brow.

Rosalie and her look dumbfounded for a second but it's very brief. "Yeah got it!" Victoria says in a hurry as if she's making up for the time she missed.

"Good." He kisses my forehead then my lips fast because he really needs to leave. "Be careful. And lock the fucking door!" The words are directed at all three of us as he leaves but he yells at Rose about the door, she nods quickly.

"Nice job with the place." He adds callously as he closes it behind him, it's spoken as an afterthought, but I know it's said to compliment the two girls in that small part of him that knows it'll make them happy.

I see the two pleased smiles the door receives behind him and figure out that Edward is actually close to his cousin and probably James girl but he just doesn't show it. Either way when he speaks they listen and they seem to care about his opinion.

"Running to meet his maker," Rosalie quips but as she says it her eyes twinkle telling me that today probably holds just as much importance to her as it does to him.

I find myself wondering more and more about Royce King and the role he plays in their lives but I'm a fish out of water so I have no idea what I need to say or do right now.

"Of course." Victoria adds. "The Devil won't let him be." She grins and turns towards Rose. She catches sight of me and stops short. A smirk stretches across her lips "About time I saw you again. So James was what was wrong with the dress?" she laughs.

My face heats but I shrug. "Hi I'm—"

"Bella." She smiles. "Victoria." She extends her hand to me.

I take it and she does a fancy handshake. Somehow that little gesture puts me at a world of ease.

"Hey, Bella." Rosalie squeezes my shoulder as she passes and disappears into one of the rooms.

"Hey." I greet after her. Then get down to business when she comes out carrying some cleaning supplies. "What can I help with?"

"You could flash me some leg."

I turn towards where she stands with Victoria and gape when I see no hint of humor on her face aside from when they see my expression.

"Yeah, is it true? Come on, let's see it." Red hair flies as Victoria's head spins from Rose to me a curious smirk playing on her glossed lips.

"Of course it's true." Rosalie's bell laugh is followed by Victoria's then they walk over to me and I briefly wonder if I should beat it. "Now, come on."

"She's skittish." Victoria chuckles softly, sharing a meaningful look with Rose. "Ed's gotta be going crazy with you. Don't fret, la sirena, I think you've become an overnight star. James and Jazz in your corner? It's never been heard of before. You're golden." She says offhandedly waving her palm to her legs. "Now quit stalling, judging from what we heard about last night, now isn't one of those times when you should be shy."

I flash them the gauze and they flash me disbelieving grins that morph into approving ones.

"Damn girl, she did it."

"I see it, Tor. Don't believe it. But I see it." Rose smirks, handing me and Victoria a wet rag while she snatches a broom for herself.

We work silently for the most part. I wipe down the furniture with Victoria and at some point she tells me it's okay to call her by her nickname which basically ranges from anything out the last half of her name. They seem to be in a great hurry. Or maybe it's anticipation. But either way I just follow their lead and clean down the place as best as we can before we start rearranging stuff so that the place looks fairly orderly.

"Weekend with Edward? He's gonna have sex with you." Toria says wiggling her manicured brows. I turn beet red. "You know that right?" she looks at me as if she's trying to see if I do. She smirks at my blush, turning to Rose with a comical expression on her pretty face. "How cute." She thumps her open palm to my shoulder and goes back to fixing the clock. "Don't fret, la sirena, I won't tell James anything if it makes you feel any better."

I hadn't thought of that. Oh my God, I'd be mortified if any of them found out or thought that. I want to nod vigorously to tell Victoria just how very happy that would make me but she's still facing away.

"If you're not ready, just tell Edward to stop." Rose calls from behind the box she's carrying.

It seems Edward sleeping with me is set in stone. I'm not sure what to make of that but Rose and Tor don't look disapproving or too shocked. I help her lay it down. It's huge but extremely light.

"It's impossible for him to hurt you."

Rose says the 'you' so meaningfully, I want to ask her why that is but my mind drifts at the last second.

Victoria snickers, a minx grin on her face. "Honey, it's Edward with you." She teases looking at me. "He'll make you ready alright. Look at you. You're ready right now just thinking about him."

I blush because since this afternoon I don't think I have an argument. "What's la sirena?" I ask to get the attention of my… sex life? Or soon to be sex life? Sex life… Oh boy…

They giggle quietly. It's not unkind but I know they see my redness and creased forehead. Their smirks tell me they have more reason than that to be amused though, they know something I don't.

"It's what a couple of the boys call you behind closed doors." Rose confirms my suspicion tugging on my hair lightly, "Mermaid."

My face scrunches up, "Mermaid?" They laugh again this time it's harder, "Why mermaid?"

"All kinds of reasons," Tori speaks distractedly, hooking up frames as Rose hands them to her out the box. "I personally like to think it's because you sank Edward's bachelor ship to free pussy voyages."

I spit out my coke and they rip snorts of tinkly full bellied laughter.

On one hand, it bothers me that Edward was with anyone like that. One the other hand, I'm ecstatic because I just heard, from a source I've come to believe is a reliable one, that he's mine alone.

Oblivious to my musings, Rose snickers and smacks Victoria's arm.

"Ew, Toria."

Then they realize they're wasting time and go back to work.

"Conversational material again! Use that question when you speak to Jazz and James, la sirena." Rose quips, smiling, then she winks, mischief dancing in her green eyes so similar to Edwards, it makes me smile too. "May as well use the name." She shrugs unapologetic of her use of the nickname I've apparently got with them. Going back to work she opens a gift box right at the bottom with two frames and pulls one out. "You're swimming with the sharks now."

I stop at the second frame lying in a bed of tissue wrap. I snatch it up quickly not realizing Rose is reaching for it. It's a copy of the photo I'd seen at her house. Her curious gaze darts to me but she doesn't try to remove the frame from my hand.

No wonder he looked so familiar!

The dark haired guy who Rose is piggy backing on with a huge grin in the photo…

It's the guy from the forest!

He looks so young to be their uncle. And the smile on his sinfully striking face is happy but deadly. It's too easy to see the similarities between him and Edward, from their dark aura to their devilish good looks, they're cut from the same cloth. Holding the frame tighter I notice one hand curled protectively under Roses knee to keep her from falling off. She must've taken him by surprise. The tattoo on his index finger of that hand makes me recall his knowing dangerous presence in the forest, a panther on high alert with more tricks up his sleeve than enemies on his back.

I look at his eyes for the first time. A carefree photo. No adrenaline pumping through his veins from a month long flee from the police with an even longer exile from what I grasped from Edwards words. With a sixteen looking Rose latching herself on his back, his playful smile matches his playful eyes. They're green. A darker shade than Edward's, but equally as lethal and intense. Even in this photo with his niece, he's calculating and dangerous beneath the calm surface.

I remember Rosalie and Victoria from earlier— Edward's maker. Black flecks dot the green like poetic lightening. I inhale sharply because it's the exact opposite of how his eyes looked when he was in gang mode in the forest. A walking mystery, that reminds me so much of his nephew. Edward seems devilishly attached to him and from this photo I can tell he's not the only one. I'd be willing to bet my life that Jasper is no different from Edward and Rose.

"Is this Royce?" I ask just so that I get some affirmation on my theories. I place the photo on an inviting spot on the mantel above the fireplace so that I can make up for my rudeness.

A beam of happiness that twinkles in her green orbs, she nods, "Yup."

"He's a popular guy." I struggle to keep my curiosity in check because I really want to know why he's so important, I want to know why Edward speaks about him the way he does, I want to know why she looks so thrilled in the photo with Royce, I want to know if he really killed someone and I want to know why he's got a different last name from Edward. I have so many questions.

"Roy is royalty in every way that counts. He's the backbone of everything." she answers easily.

A touching gaze in her eyes telling me that even though this guy is on the run, is wanted for murder and is apparently a gifted criminal- a story I'm dying to have elaboration on by the way- they may very well think the world of him.

I've seen brief glimpses of care in his eyes when Edward speaks about Rosalie, or the well hidden brotherly pull he, Jasper and even James have but I've only ever seen anything close to prideful respect when it came to something dealing with Royce. I gape at her in wonder, transfixed by these very thoughts.

"He's been gone for too long. I still can't believe he's coming back." She smiles sadly looking at the clock, then let's out a halfhearted laugh. "Stupid guys will get to see him before me." I watch her face fall. "I hope nothing goes wrong. This is too dangerous. Edward— Jasper—"she shakes her head against a thought she doesn't voice. "I just hope nothing goes wrong."

My heart stops, dead in my chest as bile rises in my throat. I hadn't thought of that possibility. The entire Forks and Seattle police force is out there tonight on a man hunt, just like every night this past couple of weeks, and they're looking for Royce… And tonight Edward is going to go into the heart of it and attempt to get him out…My eyes begin stinging. I hide my trembling hands as Tori speaks.

"Edward's got all bases covered Rose. You know nothing can happen." She smiles but it's forced. "Roy's back." She tries for cheerful but it's unconvincing. "Nothing can happen to the guys. He'll never let it."

Rubbing her hands reassuringly against Rose's back, it's the most vulnerable I've ever seen her features. I don't think she's the touchy type. Then again I don't think Rosalie is either. Both girls are intimidating, Rose is quiet yet unapproachable in her timid confidence and Victoria is playfully fierce in her catlike glory, the perfect match for James now that I think of it. Seeing them like this puts me on edge and I wish more than anything that Edward would walk through that door with his annoying condescending grin and tell me things in Italian just to aggravate me.

"And it's the Shadow Fangs. They're not going to get hurt." The way she says it makes me think she's trying to reassure herself as much as she is Rose. I feel horrible… I forgot… James is out there too...

Silence follows as we work. Each of us are baiting time, trying to be optimistic, even though our hearts are currently situated in our throats. The questions I'd had are momentarily forgotten as I silently hope for nothing to go wrong. I watch the hands of the clock tick past ten and don't move. I can't bring myself to leave this place until I see Edward is unharmed and back for good. I even have fleeting thoughts of the safety of his gang. Victoria bites at her nails and stares at her cell on the counter while Rosalie sits on her hands to keep them still as we take a break.

Just as I'm about to pop my last knuckle, Rosalie's pocket rings. The tension in the room rises as we stare at her blue jeans, two minded about answering. She quickly fishes it out but the call cuts off abruptly before she can answer. It's too soon for it to have gone to voicemail and we all know it.

"Who was it?" Victoria asks, apprehension clear in her voice.

"Emmett." Rosalie says as if that means something. Swallowing hard she stares at the device in her hands like its message is set in stone. "Tor, you and Bella should get to her house, it's getting late." She glances at the time.

"I wanna wait." Every hair on my neck is standing on end.

Rose smiles at me but it's not right. "Bella, it's getting late. Tor will take you home, it's pointless staying." She says as if reading my mind.

My brows furrow. "What? Why?"

"Edward's not going to be back tonight." She looks slowly from me to Victoria, her green eyes burning with meaning at her friend. I immediately understand the words are meant for us both, probably even Rosalie herself because the message isn't solely about Edward. "It's done."

Victoria's breath catches beside me, words whispered barely above comprehensible levels. I can tell they're not surprised but there's still visible fear that's forcing their composure to remain intact.

"The cops." She says resignedly her brilliant grey eyes somber.

Rosalie nods in confirmation, matching her stance.

My mind shouts in objection so loudly I have to clutch at it to stop the deafening echo from crippling me in my head.

We don't speak. Each lost for words as we stare blankly ahead. The quiet is killing us and then we hear a noise behind us. We forgot to lock the door. Three heads spin hopefully in the direction of it… hoping to see anything that will put us at ease… What we see however makes my blood run cold.

A uniform…

It's a cop…

My eyes protest against scene that unfolds because I know this cop. He caught me dine and dashing. Waylon Forge, takes a step into the room, gun out its holster and badge gleaming authoritatively in the lighting of Royce's place, I tighten my grip on the counter until my knuckles turn white. Oh fuck…

~.~.~ Thank you for reading. Love and God bless: Kat;) ~.~.~

Prompt Status CH10: Full chapter posted on my journal (address on profile/direct link available on my website) and TWCS (my penname is KittyTylz).