Disclaimer: Twilight Saga is not mine, even though I'd have loved to say it was.

A/N: This is a version of Edward I've never attempted before. So … I hope you enjoy! :)

Chapter-14: Innocence

The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #14, Innocence
Main Character: Edward Cullen
Rating: M (for language)
Word Count: 495

"Hey, are you okay?" a soft voice asked me. A part of me—the one that wasn't driven by bloodlust—smiled at the innocent question.

I wanted to say that no, I was not okay, and neither was she. Why? Because she was about to become a vampire's dinner.

Instead of answering her, I opened my eyes and immediately found myself stuck into a pair of brown eyes looking anxiously down at me.

Slowly, I sat up from where I was pretending to be hit by her car—a typical way for me to lure unsuspecting humans in.

Usually, by now, I would've allowed my teeth to sink into in her pretty little neck, but something told me that this wasn't going to be like the usual.

It was different … she was different from my usual targets.

What the fuck is wrong with you, Edward? This is a human and you're a vampire—the prey and its predator. Why are you hesitating? I asked myself.

I was about to open my mouth when I felt something like a jolt of electricity go through me. Gasping at the sensation, I looked down only to find a small, warm hand grasping my large, cold one.

"Holy shit! You're freezing. You need to move. Do you need me to help you up?" she asked me and then, before I could answer her, she had her arms wrapped around me as she tried to make me stand up.

Something about her innocence mesmerized me, and instead of killing her, like I had fully intended to, I allowed her to help me stand up.

What struck me as odd was that unlike most humans, she wasn't shying away from me.

Does she not feel the fear of being in presence of her predator? I wondered.

It was then that I realized that I couldn't hear her thoughts—something I had never encountered before.

Why is her mind silent to me? I found myself speculating.

Even though my most basic instinct told me to drain her of her blood and then leave her there, I allowed her to pull me inside her truck.

She tinkered with the heater, setting it on full blast and then smiled at me. "Don't worry. You'll heat up in no time."

As I looked into her trusting eyes, I saw how beautiful she was. More than that, she made me feel like I was worth saving.

Her cheeks were pink with exhaustion and cold, and something tugged into my dead heart as I looked at her.

For the first time since I was turned, I wanted to be a man, so that I could be worthy of her.

As I sat there, trying to understand all these feelings running through me, my phone chimed. I brought it out to find a message from Alice.

Congratulations, brother! You have found her.

And in that moment, I realized why she was different, because she was my mate.

A/N: I give you … a slightly dark vampward.

So … thoughts? Good? Bad? Not sure?

Hit me with them and leave a review, please?

Thanks for reading.

Until next time.

Take care.

Ann