XXVI. Gotta Stop Running

The Volturi? We'd nearly been killed by a group of nomads and now he wanted to challenge the most powerful coven in the world? Dear god, as much as I loved my mate, all of those years seemed to be getting to his head.

"No," I said fiercely, holding up my hands. "No, no, no, absolutely not!"

I expected him to argue back but my vehemence seemed to have the opposite reaction. He was quiet, smiling slightly. On a better day, it might've helped me calm down, but I was tired, scared and the Volturi had murdered my mother—had he considered that at all?

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

He looked up, his lovely emerald eyes finding mine, and the humanity within them glowed, enthralling. The fragility was a mere dusting to the supernatural lustre—he didn't look more human, the hints of humanity made him seem more otherworldly, like an angel made flesh and blood.

He closed the distance between us, his now-warm lips brushing against my forehead. "You're a force to be reckoned with," he murmured.

"Is that your way of saying that you're going to do whatever you want?" I looked up at him, feeling more vulnerable than angry.

He touched my face. "No, love," he said. "You're right that this is dangerous."

His tone suggested that we should do it anyway and I sighed. "We nearly died, Edward. And the Volturi are far more dangerous than those nomads."

"Those nomads had you," Edward said, his eyes flashing. "That was their only advantage."

"What makes you think the Volturi won't find me as well?" I asked. "Are you planning to leave me in La Push while you storm the place?"

"No," Edward said, something strangely like distrust flitting across his face. "You're staying with me. On this, I'm not compromising."

I shook my head, incredulous. "Let me get this straight. You want to fight a teleporting vampire, convince him to bring us to the lion's den and take me with you? Not to mention, Volterra is probably full of scarier gifts like mind-control or flamethrowing or—"

"There's no vampire in this world capable of mind-control—"

"But there is one capable of flamethrowing?"

He ignored my question, which I took to mean yes. "Bella," he said, as I tried to imagine how we were going to get past a flamethrowing, teleporting coven. "I know the Volturi intimately. My family are its founders and for most of my life, I was one of them. The four hundred years I've missed, I can learn from him." He nodded at the unconscious Guard. "I had a glimpse into his mind—he already seems to have cause to help us. Now what I'm hoping is for you to help me out with your mind-control."

I stared.

He seemed far too calm about something so reckless. It showed how different our lives had been—I'd lived mine taught to hide and he'd lived his pushed to fight. And it all boiled down to that: did I want to run for the rest of my life? Or did I want to take this risk?

"I have no idea what I did last night," I said helplessly. "I barely remember what happened when."

"My love," he said. "Don't worry. If you can't, we'll make do. Let's take this step by step, all right? Starting by figuring out what exactly you did to Mr Teleporter."

Our attention swivelled over to the unconscious vampire.

I peered over Edward's shoulder. "Is he dead?"

"Well, all vampires are technically dead," Edward said dryly. "Although I did think he was going to wake up after a while."

I knelt down beside the motionless vampire, picking up his limp arm and letting it fall back down, watching as it hit the soil. "I think he's alive. Nessie once told me that if you're dead, rigor mortis starts to set in after a couple of hours. At least for humans."

Edward rubbed his chin. "You sure talk about morbid things with your friend." He put a hand on the vampire's shoulder, giving him a shake, gently at first and then with more force. But he remained lifeless as ever.

"Maybe he needs blood," I suggested.

Edward bit his own wrist before I could volunteer. I threw him a reproachful look as his blood began to flow. "I meant mine," I said. "You barely have enough for yourself."

"Actually, Bella, your blood is surprisingly efficient. I used to feed every day from countless different people," he said, as he pried the vampire's lips apart and let the blood trickle into his mouth. "It's the equivalent of three to five adult humans if I'd drained them dry. Rosalie is right, the thirst never goes away." He sighed. "We only learn to ignore it over the centuries. But one sip from you can last me several days."

He paused to look at me, those startling green eyes intense.

"I have something to share," he said. "It's not the right time but I've learned that it rarely is." His blood was spilling, the liquid overflowing and he tilted the vampire's head, not speaking for a while. I helped him adjust the angle, waiting. Even when Edward had told me about his family, he hadn't been this solemn.

"On the day we met, I, too, was intending to end my life." His voice was quiet. "I'd lived too long to lose control. But still, the thirst scratched my mind unendingly. Drinking to kill was the only way to silence it—if only for a day. But I'd vowed to stop killing, the same way I'd vowed to stop fighting for my family. I had no family, no mate, and I could feel myself growing mad."

He lifted his bleeding wrist, sealing the wound with his tongue and covered my hand with his. As we waited to see if his blood would work, Edward continued to speak. "And then I met you. It was ironic, how I was trapped in my own mind while you were trapped in your own home." His arm came around my shoulders. "I knew who you were but I'd never been so close to you before. You were so full of youth, an entire human life ahead of you, and I intended to shock you into understanding what you had. Little did I know, I was in for a shock as well." He smiled faintly. "A sip of your blood silenced the thirst so swiftly, I felt a peace that I hadn't felt since my turning."

"Is that why you took me with you?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I was numb. All I knew that I was drawn to you. It was a day or two before I recognised you for who you are—my mate." He traced my cheek, his eyes tender. "You have no idea how afraid I was—of my own feelings, of how you would react, of how I was to approach you. You are, after all, still human. Unlike me, you're not made in stone and your feelings remain malleable. You could feel the pull but you could turn away. You could choose to reject me... whereas for me, there could be no other soul but you."

I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn't going anywhere but he only put a finger to my lips. "No, Bella, I don't want any promises," he said. "I understand that you're human and humans change. It's your happiness that matters." Then he smiled, impish once more. "Besides, I'm pretty confident that you're happiest with me."

"You're such an idiot," I mumbled. "If you try something like that again, I'm going to find out how to do that mind-control thing and... and... well you better not try something like that again." Then I looked at Mr Teleporter, who remained motionless. "Time's up. Your blood isn't working, I'm going to try mine."

Edward looked like he was about to protest but I lifted a finger. "I'm fine, I swear. I wouldn't do this if I weren't—I don't really plan on fainting while we're sneaking into Volterra. Plus, if we're going to do this, we need him awake."

Edward looked reluctant. "And if your blood turns him human?"

He was grasping at straws and we both knew it. I shot him a sideways look. "You've drunk my blood three times and you're still a vampire. I figure we've got a couple of tries left for Mr Teleporter. Plus, you said you felt stronger and faster. That should be a bonus. Or were you just saying that to make me feel better?"

Edward shook his head. "We made a promise not to lie, remember? Your blood is potent. But it's also unpredictable, and frankly, I dislike the idea of you weakening yourself any further."

"I'm plenty strong," I said. "Just catch me more fish—or a maybe a wild pig this time. Roasted pork... yummy."

Edward was clearly displeased but my reasoning was sound. "Fine."

He crossed his arms and I looked at him awkwardly, clearing my throat as I held out my hand. "Er... I kind of need help slashing a vein open. No knives here and all."

He sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," I said, my hand still hovering between us. "I'm not sure about any of this. But I want to stop running and like you said, there's a price for everything."

Edward took my hand. "Fancy that," he said dryly. "You using my words against me." His eyes glimmered, sea-green and gorgeous, as a warm wind sent the tropical leaves dancing and casting shifting shadows on both our skins. He turned my wrist upwards. "This is going to sting."

"Wait." I had one more question before we woke Mr Teleporter. "You said earlier that he has reason to help us. What did you mean by that? How do you know he's not just going to disappear once we wake him up?"

Edward seemed uneasy. "I caught a glimpse of something in his mind. At first, I thought he was a powerful illusionist. But then he saved us, Bella. He could've taken us to the Volturi. He could've taken you and left me behind. But he didn't."

"What did you see in his mind?" I asked, sceptical. "What if he is an illusionist and all of this is an elaborate ploy by your family to get you on their side again?"

Edward shook his head. "You should've seen him fight. He's not experienced—not even close. He's very young, Bella, and young vampires are ruled by their instincts. They can barely control their thirst, let alone carry out something as impersonal as an order. For one to manage something that he managed last night takes not just an incredible will but a deep sense of purpose. Whoever he is, he's not your enemy."

I was baffled by Edward's certainty. I'd never seen this stranger in my life or done anything that could inspire something like that from a member of the Volturi Guard. "But why would he help us? What did you see?"

Edward hesitated. "I think it's best if he tells you that himself. We owe him that much dignity."

I still didn't understand why but I trusted Edward. And he was right, Teleporter did save us. "All right," I said. "Do it."

Venom-drunk me was definitely braver—I'd cut my own hand open. Now, I squeezed my eyes shut, looking away as I felt a sharp stinging on my wrist. I pressed my lips together, squirming internally as I felt warm blood pouring forth from my flesh. It lasted hardly two seconds before Edward's lips were on my wound, sealing it with his venom. He kissed the unblemished skin, pulling me close. "I think that's enough."

"No," I protested. "That's was nothing. We have to try properl—"

"It's enough," Edward said, looking down at the vampire. "He's waking up."

I followed his gaze in time to see the vampire's finger twitch. One finger, a second, and then his eyes fluttered open.

I'm so sorry I haven't replied any reviews this time around either! I've been so busy with an event. I baked for five hours after my classes yesterday and then was pretty exhausted when I came back from the event today. Hope the chapter makes up for it and know that it doesn't mean I don't read and appreciate your comments! Things are going to start getting crazy since I'll start some part-time work next week on top of exams and my thesis, so I'm going to be focusing on writing (getting chapters out) and will only reply reviews pretty sporadically. Thanks so much for reading!