Chapter 11: Don't Mess With It
CHARLIE SWAN
"What's the matter, Charlie?" Edward asked.
I glared at him. "I thought you could read minds or some shit."
He shrugged. "Yours isn't as easy as others... what are you angry about?"
"That guy, Nessie's bodyguard. I'm mad at him."
"Which one?"
"The one with the pink hair."
"Oh, Balthasar?" he asked. "Did he play a practical joke on you? He does that sometimes."
"He tried to bite my neck and suck my blood."
"Oh. Yeah, he also sometimes does that."
"Well, what is he?" I demanded. "Some kind of vampire?"
"Uh... yeah, some kind."
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "What kind?"
Edward shrugged. "I don't know. There's only one kind of... vampire. Sorry, Charlie. I know you didn't want to find out this way."
"I didn't want to find out at all, Ed," I snarled.
Edward laughed.
"What's funny?" I demanded.
"Oh, nothing," he said quickly. "It's just, you make the exact same 'I'm-gonna-kill-you' face that Bella does." He paused. "I can usually get rid of it with a kiss." He paused for a second longer, then took a step forward.
"Get away!" I said. "Look, just keep your bodyguards under control, would you? Aren't you some kind of king? If his brother hadn't ripped him off, he'd have killed me."
"I know," Edward said. "You know Dr. Cockroach?"
"What about him?"
"Well, he's told us he's working on a serum. Something to inject into the vampire population so we no longer find human blood appetizing. It's a real breakthrough, and Carlisle thinks that the formula is sound. Until it's done, I'll assign someone more in-control than Balthasar and Mattie to guard Nessie."
"I hope so," I said.