Monster
Summary: Esme's past included an abusive husband… What if that "husband" had been unknowingly turned into a vampire, and he's come back, more than seventy years later, to reclaim his wife? After all, they were never "properly" divorced.
Author's Note: Hmm… Esme was more of an interior design person, wasn't she? My bad… Anyway, the excitement is building, ain't it?! I love every single one of your reviews! You guys rock! I'm glad you liked the flower references in the last chapter, and I don't care if you steal the idea; ya know, because I'm cool like that and all… :D
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Chapter Thirteen – Submerged But Never Drowning
.Edward.
I've never felt such excitement in my eternal life before; well, except for the exception of the first time I touched lips with Bella, in which, the true reality of a first kiss came bursting to life within me. But now, after Alice had given us the specific area where Esme resided, I could feel my heart racing; my senses extremely sharp. It was far out; near Columbia River and in the city called Camas – the border of Washington.
"What did you see make it seem somewhere out here?" Emmett asked. We were driving in his Jeep Wrangler – Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and I. That had left Rosalie with Bella, and Alice assured me that nothing terrible would come of them. I glanced at Carlisle, who sat at the passenger seat, glaring out into the road; Jasper seemed to cringe away from him, as if tormented by the emotions coursing through our father's body.
Alice's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she concentrated intensely on the road; searching for familiarity. "I saw the Columbia River, and I saw the city. They were somewhere in a forest. It's not such a big forest, but they were in it." Her eyes darkened. "I don't know why the humans there wouldn't be suspicious if them."
"It's a good thing they aren't," Jasper murmured, staring at Alice with softened eyes, "We don't want humans near them – Charles and Victoria."
Emmett leaned back against the seat, his eyes closed. "But Charles and Victoria probably hunt around the area." I winced, knowing full well of the humans who have probably been murdered by the two by now. My eyes went black when I realized that Esme, and Charles and Victoria, don't have the same eating habits.
"What does Esme do for her thirst then?" Emmett prompted, straightening, his eyes wide.
Alice whipped her head toward him, eyes narrowed. "She doesn't eat."
"They starve her then," I answered, my voice hushed, and I could hear the furious trembles that raked Carlisle's body. A low growl rippled from Emmett's chest, while Jasper shook his head. I stared out into the flashes of trees and cars, unable to block the thoughts of my family as they raged on. I glanced at Carlisle, noticing his lack of thoughts – so lost, yet intense.
I'm getting my wife, no matter what the bastard tries to do…
I sighed, moving on to Jasper. His emotions are so chaotic. Maybe I should… He looked away, not wanting to use calming waves; he doubted that even his powers could level what Carlisle was currently feeling. Before I could actually slip into Alice's mind, she caught me, almost scolding.
I need to concentrate, Edward, she sent, not tearing her gaze away from the road.
The moment I hear one of their thoughts, I'll tell you, I trailed across her mind, before sealing our conversation. There were the busying thoughts of humans, so trivial, but I focused, waiting for the second I would catch Charles's or Victoria's or (especially) Esme's thoughts. Alice was driving rapidly down the street, sometimes swerving around slow cars, but at a rather steady pace… I expected it to come, and I leaned back as Alice suddenly stopped the car; veering to the side of a street and into the forest.
"You're driving through the forest!" Emmett shouted, bemused.
Alice smirked. "We're close."
He didn't object to that.
Luckily, the forest was no where near that of Forks'. There were trees separated into large space, and spiky bushes. Alice's eyes seemed to be calculating. It appeared as though she were counting the trees that the jeep passed.
Only a few more minutes later, and she halted. The jeep skidded slightly, but the mounds of dirt finally stopped the tires. Before anyone could move, Carlisle was standing outside, arms crossed, as he waited impatiently. Alice jumped out of the seat, and we followed her (with Jasper close by her side) as she trudged gracefully through the forest. I could hear the steady of stream of a small creek, while also the calm flow of the Columbia River a few miles away. Emmett was clenching his teeth and flexing his fingers, ready.
Damn… They're here already.
My eyes flashed, and I turned quickly to my family. "They're up ahead!"
Carlisle was already running through the forest; past trees and bushes and branches. Sun leaked into the forest, hitting our flesh and reflecting in. Crystalline patterns streamed into the air as our flesh turned from a simply white to a gleaming diamond.
"The house!" Alice called, pointing ahead where a house came in view. It was small, one story – a log cabin. The tall pine trees surrounding it shielded the sun. I could smell Charles's and Victoria's scents, but Esme's was faint, as if barely there. Panic clasped hold and ahead, Carlisle hand slammed his palm into the front door, thus destroying part of the wall. The door flew off, with chunks of wood flying out.
That was too loud, Alice thought worriedly. The noise was booming, probably reaching to the street a few miles away, and we didn't want any humans near this area – especially after what was going to take place.
Carlisle and Jasper were in the home, but Emmett had halted, signaling for me and Alice to stop. A wall to our left had completely split open, and Charles was outside, along with Victoria. Jasper had stepped out; appearing to be the one who had heaved Victoria into the wall. Alice, glancing at the battle about to ensue, darted into the house.
I'm going to Esme, she sent, and I nodded.
Victoria was heading off, abandoning her comrade, and I followed after, leaving Emmett and Jasper with Charles. Fury ignited inside me into an explosion of vicious growls, and as images of what she had done to Bella flared to life in my head, I found myself right beside her as she ran. Right as she was ready to leap over a narrow river, I found my hand gripping her arm.
We found ourselves in the river, with her slightly submerged under water as my fingers curled into her shoulder, preparing to ripe at her flesh. My hand found her throat, and right as I tore it out, blood coating the water red, her words shrieked through my head.
Even if you kill me, you aren't safe… The Volturi will know now… I ignored her, not fully processing what was happening, and I kept clawing at her skin, feeling flesh dig under my hands. Human blood still stored within her body oozed to the surface. Although the scent was maddening, so was my desire to dispose of her for good. Snarls ripped from my throat, and I knew how black my eyes would be at the moment. Just as it turned violent, cold, frantic arms wound around my waist and pulled me away from her. The river's water was rushing into what was Victoria.
"She's dead, Edward," Alice spoke, assuring but frightened. "But we've just caused larger problems…"
My chest was heaving, and I followed her glare…
Three human men were proceeding to run away from where we were, clad in fishing gear. A young girl was in one of their arms, sobbing terribly, her eyes wide. They vanished behind a few trees, I noticed the cell phone clutched in one of their hands.
"Victoria… the Volturi…" What she had said – she saw the humans and knew what they would see and hear: a diamond-fleshed 'monster' ripping apart a woman, his eyes pitch black and with snarls coming from his mouth. Panic rose inside of me.
"We need to leave," she whispered, pulling me along. I unhooked her arms and trudged along, my body trembling. I was drenched; with strings of hair plastered to the side of my face.
Emmett had stopped in front of us, eyes wide. "Charles is gone…" Frustration drowned in his flat black eyes. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with what had just occurred, I would have screamed at him. The dread washed away slightly when I took sight of Esme, safely in Carlisle's protective arms. Jasper instantly went to Alice's side, leaning forward as he asked something I couldn't make out.
She shook her head. "Charles won't go to our home, but—"
"We should hurry anyway," I finished, impatient, as I slid into the car. I blocked out what Alice was saying as she told them about our predicament. Esme's once relieved eyes turned to horror in split second, along with Carlisle's. The others were merely annoyed, particular Emmett, who eyed me with disdain. After slipping into the jeep, Alice immediately stabbed the key into the ignition, and drove off.
How could you not see the humans? Emmett growled into my head.
I scowled. I was too busy killing Victoria, the problem… Now, if you would have just gotten rid of Charles…
He has a strong power, Emmett argued.
Whatever.
Everything blurred by as I glared out the window. The only really light that engulfed my mind was Bella, and how I'd get to see in her less than hour. Carlisle, with his arms tightly around Esme, leaned forward slightly, speaking mostly to me.
"Aro might understand," he explained.
Emmett crossed his arms, still sour. "If they find out…"
Hopefully not, I thought bitterly. But, hope was something that didn't seem to exist in the lift of a vampire. Hope was just another word for faith, and since we vampires were certainly going to Hell… What was the meaning of faith and hope, anyway?
-
.Esme.
I rested my head against Carlisle's chest and closed my eyes. His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer, and I ignored the others in the jeep as I lifted my chin, allowing him to cup my face and press his lips to mine. I knew that he didn't want a delicate kiss, but our family was in the jeep and crowded around us.
We're glad you're back, Edward's voice rang across my head. I moved away from Carlisle's kiss –much to his disappointment– to smile sweetly at Edward, who merely nodded his once. Then my mind drifted to someone else; someone who wasn't in the jeep with us.
"How is Bella?" I asked, somewhat shaky.
Alice spoke first. "Fine…" I could hear the quiver in her voice, and I automatically detected the note of a lie in her words. There was something Alice didn't want to say at the moment. However, when she and Edward shared a brief exchange, he nodded, and she sighed.
"Bella is a bit shaken right now," Alice continued, her grip on the steering wheel visibly tightening, "Victoria… There was a trap, and when Bella went to her home…" Alice's eyes narrowed in past fury, "Bella killed her own father."
I gasped, my eyes widening. A mental image of Charlie flowed through my mind. Carlisle's arms tightened and I lowered my head to hide by his shoulder. I could feel his hands running up and down my back, and memories of Charles screamed into my head. I tensed, Carlisle following my movement. Jasper inclined his head in my direction (he was in the passenger seat), obviously feeling the waves of panic and disgust crashing through my body.
Edward grimaced, and I blocked the memories out of my head.
"I'm sorry, Esme," he murmured.
I could only manage a nod. The rest stared at me and Edward, confused, but I wouldn't dare even speak it aloud. Finally realizing this, Carlisle leaned toward Edward, apparently wanting to figure out what had passed between us. I wanted to shout at him to not tell Carlisle, but the look that cross his face made me duck my head again. My eyes were shut tight, and I could hear the snarl building in his chest.
"It's okay," I whispered.
After several long seconds, Carlisle calmed slightly. His hand on my back was reassuring as he rubbed it up a down. I cringed again, this time for a different reason. His other hand moved up my thigh, and I could feel the smile playing on his face.
"No PDA in the jeep," Emmett warned, a mixture of teasing and seriousness lacing through his words.
I love my family…
-
.Bella.
"Do you think they're alright?" I asked softly, in which Rosalie rolled her eyes, and much to my relief, it wasn't snidely. Although we weren't exactly "friends", Rosalie never did throw spiteful insults and taunts anymore, nor did she glare at me… But that didn't diminish the fact that she acted rather blank or plain in my presence – as I wasn't there.
Better than before, I told myself.
"I'm sure Victoria and Charles will be dead by now," she answered. Heeding Edward's words, she had been rather watchful around me. I was currently in Edward's room (although it could be considered partially mine, now), with Rosalie raking her slender fingers through her golden tresses. Her legs were crossed as she sat on the sofa, with me standing near the CD collection.
I knew how easy I could take her down (with this supposed strength that all new vampires possessed), but she still intimidated me – with her devastatingly unearthly features and her ability to be the queen of mockery and sarcasm.
"Where are we going to go?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.
Rosalie drummed her fingers together, boredom drowning in her ocher eyes. "Probably to the Denali clan in Alaska."
"Who are they?" I pressed, preferring names.
She leaned forward, her hair spilling over her shoulder, "Four females and one male make up the clan. Eleazar is the male, with his mate, Carmen, and the three single vampires – Tanya, Kate, and Irina. They're extremely old – probably around a thousand years—" At this, my eyes went wide in awe, "—they are' vegetarian,' too, but I'm sure you know that already." She paused, as if searching for more information, "And both Eleazar and Kate are talented, with special powers," I could hear the envy singing in her voice, "And they are—"
She stopped, stiffening, and I mimicked her actions. I tilted my head, and much to my happiness, I heard the low rumbling of the jeep. I stood up instantly, and both Rosalie and I were both rushing down the steps. Slamming open the door, we both halted.
They were all here, and my eyes immediately found Esme, safely secured in Carlisle's arms.
"Esme," Rosalie breathed, taking graceful steps toward Esme and wrapping her arms around her as Carlisle –reluctantly– freed his wife from his grasp. I followed suit, placing my hand on her upper shoulder.
Her eyes were full of pity. "I'm sorry, Bella, I heard about—"
"It's okay," I interjected, not wanting to hear it. Pain clutched my heart. Sensing this, Esme nodded, and just as Rosalie released her, Carlisle had wound his arms around her once more, this time however, not daring to let her go – as if she'd disappear forever if he didn't. Jasper and Alice stood near the car, leaning against one another as they observed the happy reunion. Rosalie had strolled over to Emmett and interlaced her fingers with his.
Before I could comprehend it, strong arms had snaked around my waist, and I felt myself being pulled into Edward's protective embrace, and my eyes heart stopped, literally, from what he whispered into my ear, a masked emotion of past anger lacing through his words.
"Victoria is dead."
I whirled around to face him. "You fought her?"
"Yes," he answered, puzzled by the dark edge of scolding in my voice.
I gritted my teeth. "You could have gotten yourself killed," I hissed under my breath. The rest of the family was filing into the house, sensing the half-hearted argument ready to erupt. I noticed when Alice shot him an amused smirk, but I overlooked it, and continued, "She's… She's so… vicious! How could you even think of fighting her?" I knew full well how dramatic I was, but there mere thought of Edward in battle with that… monster (ignore the irony) was just throwing panic in my direction. After everything she had done, it was horrible to imagine her taking Edward away from my life, too.
"Bella, it wasn't hard," Edward contradicted, stunned, "It only took about a minute."
I crossed my arms, irked. "Yeah, but—"
"And you shouldn't be so worried about me," he continued, eyeing me with hard eyes, "I've been alive for years, and I can take care of myself, Bella." And, so fast that I had no time to protest, his hands had gripped my upper arms as he gently yanked me into an unmoving hug. "But now, your only concern should be on something worse…" Seeing my questioning stare, he continued, "There's something I need to explain to you – but later."
And then he was towing me into the house. He had dropped his arms, but allowed our fingers to entwine as we entered the home, where everyone was waiting, apparently discussing something. Alice's eyes were extremely serious, causing a surge of fear to stab at my chest.
"Do you know if the Volturi are after going to come after us?" Emmett prodded, staring intently at Alice.
Carlisle sighed. My eyes locked with his arms, still around Esme. Would he ever let her go? "It's likely that the humans will report what had happened to the authorities… And the will cause an uproar. The Volturi are watchful, after all. A news report most probably will be on the television."
"I remember what happened with Bigfoot," Emmett muttered.
I scowled, confused. "What are the Volturi?"
"The Volturi are a family – very powerful, very old," Carlisle began, staring at me, "I once stayed with them – do you remember the paintings?" I nodded, images of that ancient painting with the trio in it playing across my mind, and he continued, "They basically… are a royal family – enforcing laws—"
"Laws?" I interrupted, my eyebrows raised.
He nodded. "Yes. Over the millennium, they've taken their stand as… Well, the high class of all vampires. There are only three – Aro, Marcus, and Caius, but along with two females. Although that may seem "small", they have a guard. But the guard… have formidable gifts, you see. And you don't break the rules – never." He glanced at me, serious. "Not unless you want to die."
After taking in a short breath, trying to steady the waves of panic overtaking me, I asked, "W-What are the laws?"
"The one that Edward broke," Seeing Edward's sharp glare, Carlisle added, "accidentally, is: basically, exposure is not allowed. It's all about secrecy with us vampires, Bella. The Volturi are protective of our secret, and if they know what happened with three humans seeing what had taken place, they'll send the guard out to…" He trailed off, and my eyes went wide.
To kill Edward, I finished in my head.
"Which won't happen," Emmett growled.
Jasper snarled. "We can't take on the Volturi."
"And we can't let them kill Edward," Emmett lashed out, something I found myself agreeing with.
"We don't know if they'll find out."
Emmett folded his arms across his chest. "They will. They also know where we live, so they're automatic assumption would be that it was once of us that the humans saw."
"Maybe—"
"… They will…"
My eyes snapped to Alice, who had her head lowered as she stared at the floor. "What do you…?" I couldn't say anything. My body began to shake violently, and Edward's arms twisted around my slim waist in assurance.
"I've seen it – the guard," Alice stated, her voice low.
Carlisle cursed, before speaking, "Just the guard? What are they doing?"
"It's a still image," Alice explained, nothing but defeat ringing in her silvery voice, "And they're just standing there… smirking… as if they won some battle or fight…" Her head was in her hands as she fell on the sofa, Jasper already by her side as he comforted her.
A low snarl tore from Emmett's throat. "What part of the guard?"
"… Jane, Alec, Felix…" She couldn't say the rest. Her petite body was quivering.
"Alec," Edward sneered. He stared at his family, torn by something, and the moment I stared into his eyes, I visibly stiffened. "…I should go to them willingly," he announced, in which, I grew horrified. I ripped my body away from his embrace, my skin paler than usual. He gazed down at me as I backed away, pained. To my shock, Rosalie's hand landed on my shoulder.
She was glaring at Edward was she spoke, "We can try and explain to them, Edward. There's no need to give up so easily."
"But they won't understand," Edward snapped, his eyes narrowed at his sister, "They will only understand that I have to die because I exposed our secret. They don't reason, Rosalie." His voice was firm and irritated.
I clenched my fists. "But you can't just… I can't…" The rage sliced through my body. "You don't have to act like the hero!" I finally shouted, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie nod her head in agreement. "We can find a way—"
"We can't," Edward interjected, hopeless. "They do have formidable gifts, Bella. Very deadly."
Alice shot up from her spot on the sofa. "There could be a way."
Edward glared at her. "How many—"
"You still can't read her mind, can you?" Alice challenged, motioning toward me. All eyes were on Edward, after a few moments of staring at her with intense eyes, he nodded, hesitant. Something must have passed between the two, because Edward became furious.
"We're not fighting, and not having Bella in any battle!" He yelled.
Alice crossed her arms. "But Bella is immune to them."
"We don't know that, Alice."
Her frustration was blazing. "We know that she is immune to mind powers, which would include Jane. She was immune Charles, also. I'm sure that now she's a vampire, her ability to withstand suggestions and powers targeted in her head will be increased."
"What about Alec, then?"
Alice's entire body went rigid. I wanted to scream when a faint allusion of defeat etched into her honey-colored eyes, darkening them. I glanced at Edward then, trying to comprehend what it was about Alec that made them so… afraid. Millions of questions ran through my head.
"What are their gifts? What makes them formidable?" I asked, shaking.
Edward stared at me with onyx eyes – it made me wince. "Jane can inflict pain in the mind – she makes you think you're in pain," he explained, a vacant expression crossing his face, "And Alec… He can inflict pain throughout the body – it makes your skin burn."
"So they make you think—"
"Jane's power is a mere illusion of pain," Edward intervened, bleak, "But Alec's pain is very much real, Bella. It has nothing to do with the just the mind, and although you can't die from Jane's power, you can from Alec's… Your skin literally does begin to burn after awhile."
I covered my mouth with my hand, horror-struck. "Burn?"
"Until you become nothing more than ash," Edward finished, his voice fading. When I looked at the others, crushed hope sunk into their eyes. But they would surely fight for their brother's life – that much I knew. But there mere idea of Alec and his insanely frightening power already brought down defeat. And the fact that I wasn't immune was worse.
I slumped against a wall before saying, "Why can't we get help? The Denali clan, maybe?"
"We don't want to involve anyone else," Carlisle said, eyeing me with disdain. Anyone could see how I was slowly breaking – crumbling into the helpless girl I was as a human. Weakness engrossed my body.
"But they would help," Emmett argued, sending me an encouraging smile.
Before I could comprehend, a flurry of voices sounded from everyone – arguing and agreeing. The only one who remained silent was Edward, and after a long moment of watching his family's heated 'discussion,' he turned to me. Once taking in sight of my defeated form, he sauntered over to me. Before I could protest, his arms had engulfed me in an unbreakable embrace. My breathing was escalated. If I were capable of tears, I surely would have been crying into his shoulder.
"Why are you willing taking yourself away from me?" I whispered, hurt.
Edward's arms squeezed harder around me. "For your safety and that of my family—I don't want you to die because of my mistake."
An idea formed in my head. "Maybe the wolves can help?" I asked, pulling away from his. A faint crease formed in my forehead as he stared down at me with a look of anger and confusion.
"They would never agree," he muttered.
I bit down on my lip, stubborn. "They might."
"There is nothing that would compel them to fight with us – especially against the Volturi."
"I can ask," I prompted, driven by hope, "We can ask, I mean. If we explain our situation, there's a chance they might want to help – they hate vampires, after all. They wouldn't want more on their land."
He growled lowly, "They hate us also, Bella."
Aggravated, I strolled hotly up the stairs, ignoring his heated gaze on my retreating back. Right as I was ready to slam open our bedroom door, a hand gently landed on mine. I swiveled around, meeting the gaze of Alice. A glint of hope flashed across her golden eyes. But her lips remained in a firm line as she stared intensely at me.
"I know what you're going to do," she stated, "And I think I might know what will make the werewolves help us."
My eyes brightened. "What?"
"There's a new wolf in the pack," she began, smirking, "And he might want to help you."
I blinked, puzzled. "Why would he—"
"Jacob Black."
I nearly fell to the floor. "Jacob is a…?"
"And it appears that he did have a faint soft spot for you," she continued, "And because of this newly found idea that you've conjured up, the vision of the Volturi guards doesn't seem to come back to my mind. He might want to help." When she leaned forward, I could clearly see the desperation drowning in her clouded eyes. "Please, Bella… I don't want to lose my brother, and I don't want to lose my family. Not Jasper…"
Before I could speak, I tensed, smelling the familiar beautiful scent behind me. I slowly turned on my heel, already expecting Edward's severe, yet pleading glare. His arms were folded across his chest. "Why don't you ever listen to me?" His voice was low.
My fingers curled into fists. "Why are you eavesdropping?" I ground out, childish.
"You're not—"
"It's our only hope at keeping you alive," Alice cut in, her voice sharp, "And since I highly doubt the Volturi will spare you, we might as well get as much help as possible – the Denali clan will help… probably."
I nodded, the only thing I could do.
"Alice—"
"For once, can you please have hope and not be stubborn," I begged, my voice faded. His eyes softened slightly, and his arms fell at his sides. He lowered his head, unable to stare me in the eye. When he looked back up, our eyes locked, and I knew this would take awhile.
Two stubborn vampires together…
How will this end?
-
.Esme.
I lounged on my back, the fabric comfortable and soft. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes. I didn't surprise me when, nearly a minute after leaving, Carlisle followed. My eyes didn't even open when I felt him sit at the end of the sofa, by my feet. My heart, which had been beating steadily, froze all together when I felt him hovering above me, my legs pinned down.
My eyes flashed open, and his face was no less than inch from mine, his gold eyes boring into my own.
"You need to hunt," he stated.
I could only muster a nod. I could feel the heat bubbling in my throat. Thirst churned on my tongue. And then, so fast, his lips crushed down on mine, one hand cupping the side of my face as my fingers spread through his tousled hair. His legs straddled me, pinning to the sofa. I arched my back slightly, feeling the moan in my mouth when his tongue slipped into my mouth, engaging into a dance with mine.
His other hand ran up my thigh, pulling up the hem of my skirt. Everything was forgotten when his shirt was discarded, and my own blouse disappeared from my body and onto the floor. Nothing but ease rang throughout my body. A primal growl rolled off my tongue when his teeth bit down on my bottom lip. His touch was all I needed as we danced together in a mess of limbs.
This was truly wonderful; I didn't fully understand were his intent was coming from.
Maybe it was to reclaim his wife? Or maybe because of my prolonged absence? At that moment, I didn't care. I felt fine drowning in his warmth and touch and love. It was so gentle and sweet to be with him, but yet full of passion. I loved him, and would forever love him.
No one and nothing can ever change that.
AN: Oh, sexual content. Man, I love you readers and reviewers. At first, this story was sort of coming to an end, so I added some more intensity to it to make it longer. You must be happy that this isn't a cliffy, right? Well, sort of. Not as bad as before:D