Chapter 26

In the midst of all the hugging and crying and more hugging and sniffling I heard a distant barking. Looking around me for a dog I saw that no one else seemed to hear it, not even Paige and she was standing right next to me.

"Cookie?"

I asked myself realizing the high pitched barking was familiar. Piper broke free from the arms of her sisters and replied misunderstanding me.

"Sure. I baked some this morning. There should be a few in the kitchen"

I shook my head as the barking became more frequent and insistent. It felt like a warning. A warning that stopped with a muffled yelping. I stood up

"I need to go actually. Nice meeting you everyone"

Before anyone could reply I blinked and let my manifested body return to the astral plane and then be pulled to my physical body back in Forks. The barking had began again, was constant and louder than ever. I cracked open an eyelash. I expected the heaviness on my chest to be Cookie but it was

"Edward?"
"Who is Prue?"

His tone was cold and it broke through my sleepy, confused and pained haze as my shoulder hurt with that ice the half faced Source shot me with.

"What are you doing here?"

I rubbed my eyes with one hand and tried to sit up. Tried being the operative word. Edward was sitting on my chest, his arms on each side of my head, leaning over me.

"Who is Prue?"
"Get off me"

I snapped.

"You stopped talking in your sleep"
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing"

I would have sneered it, if I wasn't starting to get scared. From the corner of my eye I saw Cookie, her fur tinged with red and one eye closed, coming straight at us and jumping. Without taking his eyes off of mine Edward reached back and hit her. My tiny dog, my… familiar, flew through the air and hit the opposite wall. She landed with a thud and made no sound.

"You… You killed my dog"

I whimpered realizing, perhaps for the first time, just what kind of a monster my ex was.

"I hate dogs love, you know that. You shouldn't have taken that mutt in."

His tone made it sound like I should know better. I saw red and started wiggling once more. I had to break free so I could kill him and take Cookie to the vet! Maybe she wasn't gone yet. Paying no attention to my struggle Edward kept talking.

"But today, after that Piper woman called you started again and you mentioned only those two names. Who are they?"
"Why are you here Edward?"
"I always come here at night"

He actually said that as if it was normal! When had I stopped thinking it as romantic and saw it as the possessive stalking it was?

"It's daytime. Also, did you miss the memo that we broke up?"

He ran his hand over my face, but before I could do anything he twisted his other arm to keep both my hands down, before settling in it on my throat

"We simply argued once love, we did not break up"
"Why did you take the engine off my truck?"

His face tightened, he looked to the left and leaned on me, his hands on my arms and throat tightening

"Who is Prue?"
"None of your business. Now get off me"
"But love you used to tell me everything, who is she and why were you calling for her?"

His grips tightened. I felt blood ringing in my ears

"Let go off me"

It was beginning to hurt

"Edward you're hurting me. Let go!"
"Why won't you tell me?"

His nails were digging in my flesh. I could feel moisture on my palms; could I use it to get him off me? Would ice even work on a vampire? It didn't work on that two faced guy! I'd try but just then I felt his nails cutting my flesh and his eyes turned pitch black. I had a flashback to the dance studio and James.

"Get off!"

I shouted in pain wriggling, hoping to free a hand. Both the bedside lamps and the headlight bubble burst in a flash of light, the imitated sunlight briefly lit up Edward's skin like a diamond.

His head snapped back to the lights. I freed a hand to use my power on him but then three balls of lights and two flames appeared at the foot of my bed.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Prue snapped. Above me Edward froze.

"Help"

I wheezed as Edward's left hand was still digging in my arms and his right was close to completely shutting off my air supply

"Let go of her and stand up"

Cole's voice was icy cold, a ball of fire on his right palm, like the ones he threw on the Source. Edward must have read the demon's mind because his eyes widened and he complied.

Smoothly he let go of me, dismounted and stood up. I dove off my bed and straight into Piper's arms. She hugged me close and tightly with one arm and then pushed me behind her, both hands up and ready to be thrown up.

"Bella, you're okay?"

Prue asked and I nodded unsure how steady my voice would be, leaning on Phoebe as the room slipped in and out focus

"She's not"

Phoebe verbally answered. Edward's mouth twisted in a crooked smile and faster than I thought would be possible he ran out the window. Piper and Cole were faster though and Edward exploded in a million little pieces when Piper flicked her wrists that were on fire the minute the ball of flame landed on his chest at exactly the same time.

That was the moment I fainted too landing right next to Cookie.