Chapter 33
Bella
I couldn't help but be in a good mood.
On one side of The Fox's cabin, The Trossachs Mountains could be seen in all their pine tree, heather and moss-covered glory, towering majestically. On the other were North Loch Lomond's glimmering waters, lapping gently against a rocky shore. It was along this shoreline that my husband was currently wading and splashing in a pair of Wellington boots, grinning as he talked animatedly to the gorgeous baby boy in his arms. Our baby boy.
I couldn't hear them, but I was sure Edward was telling Ollie all about the adventures he had had with his own father when he was a boy. He had spent most of the journey up to Scotland the day before yesterday reminiscing, and my heart had broken a little at the thought that Ollie would never know his paternal grandparents. That sadness quickly dissipated when we arrived, however; Edward was at peace here, and therefore so was I. Ollie had adjusted to the time difference completely, and was back to his routine.
The cabin was small, just one bedroom, one bathroom and a small kitchen area attached to a cosy lounge that had breath-taking views over the loch. The place was secluded as it was far further north than most tourist boats travelled. It was built from local pine and stone, and furnished simply with ancient pine furniture, tartan curtains and cushions, and Scottish wool throws. The walls held pictures of The Fox's family for three generations, and it was spotless; Edward had a longstanding arrangement with a local sheep farmer and his wife to maintain the cabin.
Large sliding doors opened out onto a weathered patio area with steps which led right out to the loch edge, which held an old picnic table. I loved the lake view, and the way the light flooded the cabin when the doors were open, so insisted that we have them open as much as possible. Tucked behind the cabin was a small shed which housed a wooden, motorised dinghy that The Fox and the sheep farmer had kept in pristine condition. We had taken Ollie out on the water in it for the first time the day before, and he absolutely loved it.
I finished making us a lunch of leek soup with sandwiches made from locally made ham and cheese, and brought it outside to the table.
"Look, Mummy's here!" The Fox came ambling over, and Ollie grinned when he saw me. "Thank you for lunch, Baby." Edward kissed me gently, and passed the baby over for me to put in his travel seat while we ate.
Just as we sat down, however, the phone started to ring. There was no standard phone reception where we were, so Jared and Paula had insisted we let them rig up a satellite phone and allow them to call us once a day. It was the only way they would agree to us staying in the cabin alone while they stayed in a holiday cottage two miles down the loch. I had only been amenable because we had baby Ollie with us, otherwise I would have preferred total isolation.
"Hi Jared, we're just peachy, thanks for calling …" I was about to put the phone down when he interrupted.
"Hang on a sec, Mrs Masen …"
"What's wrong?"
"Bree McKay has been trying to get hold of you. She and her family are still in Glasgow packing up for their move, and wanted to invite you to meet up."
"Oh, that's right! She suggested it just before we left for Oxford, and I forgot to call her back with our plans when we arrived because Ollie was so unsettled."
"What's going on?" asked the Fox, mouth half full of sandwich. I explained what Jared had just told me. "We could invite them over tomorrow. It'll only take them two hours to get here."
"Yes, sounds like a great plan. Jared, did you hear Edward's suggestions?"
I did indeed. I'll set it up and we'll show them up here," he agreed. "Do you need anything?"
"No, we're fine …"
"Mrs Masen … what did I say about the word 'fine'?" His tone was slightly bemused, but with a serious undercurrent.
"Sorry, I remember … We're only supposed to say that we're 'fine' if we're in serious trouble and need you immediately, and to say 'Aberfoyle' if it's Volturi or his associates."
"And do you need us immediately?"
"No, we don't. We are having an absolutely splendid day, pleasant and peaceful. We don't need anything at all, thank you."
"Very good. See you tomorrow."
By the time we finished eating, Ollie was hungry, so I fed him, and within a few minutes, he was fast asleep. I took him into the bedroom, set the baby monitor and went back outside, where Edward was finishing a cup of tea while watching some ducks playing in the reeds on the edge of the loch.
"I was thinking, Baby," he began as he heard me approach. "When Bree and Robbie arrive, we could make lunch, go for a walk along the shore, do some sailing on the dinghy … I think they'd like that."
"Good idea …" I murmured, coming up behind him and pressing my cheek to the spot between his shoulder-blades. His back arched as my arms came around him, and he covered my hands with his.
"Is this you suggesting a better idea for right now, Baby?" he murmured back, his voice suddenly deeper, and very seductive.
"Mmm … yes," I replied. "Shall I show you what I have in mind?"
"Go ahead."
I found the edge of his t-shirt, and dived my hand underneath to rub the warm skin on his tummy, before venturing lower. Edward's breath caught as I cupped his rapidly hardening member, and then took it in the palm of my hand.
"Do you realise, Professor Masen, that we haven't had sex since about a week before we flew over here?"
With a low grunt, he reached behind us and flipped me from behind him, onto the patio table, before leaning over me.
"It's been two weeks, three days and about ten hours, but who's counting?" he chuckled, trademark Foxy twinkle in his eye. "I'm going to bloody enjoy this!"
Within seconds, my t-shirt and shorts were gone, and Edward's mouth was trailing from my neck, across my chest until it found my sensitive nipple. He licked around each one and they started to engorge and tingle, ready to flow with milk.
"Edward, I'm about to leak all over the place," I warned.
The few times we'd had sex since Ollie was born, it had either been in the shower so any milk got washed away, had involved relatively little foreplay, so there hadn't been much leakage, or I'd kept my bra on and wore pads. This time, however, I was about to cover us both in boob-juice.
"Don't care," he mumbled. "It's natural, baby. Beautiful. We'll just go for a dip in the loch afterwards."
He squeezed both my breasts with his large hands, and as the milk flowed, he kissed his way down my stomach and I felt his tongue gently tickle my lower lips.
"Fuck, Foxy … Feels so hot!"
Embers of lust grew to ravaging flames as he expertly worked my clit and pussy with his talented mouth, such that I was clutching onto his neck, trying to hold on as long as I could before giving in to my orgasm.
It wasn't very long. Rapturous explosions suddenly burst from every pore of my skin and my heart pounded so fast it felt like it was vibrating. Before I had even finished my cries of delight, Edward slid inside me, curling his arms under my back so that he utterly surrounded me while he thrust.
"Love you so much, Baby," he whispered.
"My strong Fox," I sighed, as I felt another climax approaching.
"My beautiful vixen," he replied.
"Think you can ride me, Bella?"
"You know it!"
He suddenly flipped us, and adjusted our position so he was lying along the length of the table and I was on top, his hands squeezing my ass, which caused me to giggle and squeal. I rode him, my milk continuing to dribble all over us, until he was grunting and spilling inside of me and I was shattering around him.
"That was fucking amazing," he exclaimed when I climbed off him and into his arms.
"Totally," I agreed before kissing him hard.
-cc-
Bree and Robbie arrived at lunchtime the next day. Robbie was full of energy, excited to see the lake and the mountains. Bree was more relaxed than I'd ever seen her; more than that, she seemed happy.
"It's so good to see ye both," she said, greeting us both with warm hugs, her strong Scottish accent even more pronounced having spent the past two weeks in her hometown. "And here in Scotland too."
"How's the packing going?" asked The Fox. "Sad to be leaving?"
"In a ways, but excited about my new adventure," she grinned. "I still can't believe I'm going to get to do a research PhD, finally. Thanks again for taking a chance on me."
"Hey, all I did was suggest you apply for the vacant spot in Carlisle's labs. You're the one who submitted that fantastic application and passed the qualifying exams."
"With flying colours," I added. "You're going to love Harvard, I promise."
"How's Don?"
"He's great. It's his work leaving party today, otherwise he'd have joined us."
"When does he start with his new firm in Boston?"
"Provisionally, September 21st. Now that he's passed his final accountancy exams, the firm just need to sort out the visas."
"And how are you, Robbie?" Edward enquired, as Robbie splashed along the edge of the loch.
"Cool, thanks, Professor Eddie. How're you doing?"
"I'm all right thanks, kid. What did you think of Arlington?" Bree and Don were moving to a house three streets away from us. Bree had become a good friend, and I was looking forward to having her around all the time.
"It's kinda sleepy compared to Brooklyn, but it's a whole lot cleaner and greener. Our new neighbour has a basketball ring in his back yard and it's super cool. He's called Jamie and I think we're gonna be friends. We're going to the same school next week."
"Sounds ace. Is it weird being back in Scotland?"
"Aye," he replied, his very Scottish response sounding strange with his American accent. "It was good to see my old friends, but we don't have a whole lot in common anymore. It don't feel like home anymore."
"It doesn't feel like home anymore," corrected Bree. "It's true though."
"How's Uncle Jeff about you moving to Harvard?" I asked.
"He says he's going to miss us, and I believe him, but I know it's been a strain at times, having us around all the time when he's been used to living alone."
"Yeah, he probably wants to spend more time with his boyfriend," added Robbie.
"Boyfriend? Beanie?"
"Mom, Uncle Jeff is gay. Jack is his boyfriend. I thought you knew that." Robbie spotted Edward's little dinghy next to the cabin and started climbing in. "Cool! Can we go in this later?"
"Sure." The Fox jumped down from the deck. "Why don't we pull it out and take it to the water's edge, so it's ready for after lunch?"
"Yeah!"
"Of course I know …" Bree muttered, as Robbie and Edward moved towards the boat. "I just didn't know he knew." She glanced over at Ollie, who had just woken up and was looking back at her, studying her face. "Every day Beanie surprises me. It's both amazing and terrifying how much he understands about the world."
"It's the same with Ollie. Every day he does something new, and each time, my heart just soars." I picked my son up and held him in my arms for a moment. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Aye, I can't wait to get my hands on this gorgeous bairn." She leaned over and took him from me gently. He gurgled at her happily. "Hello, you handsome devil. Come to Auntie Bree."
"I hope you're that enthusiastic about him when he's producing poopy nappies and screaming for milk on your watch."
I was planning to return to the lab for the new semester in September as well, part time. Bree wanted to go part-time too, so she would be able to cope with the stress and workload. On days where I was in the lab, she would look after Ollie, and when she was in the lab, I would look after Robbie.
I had the better deal really, as Robbie would be in school most of the day when it was my turn, but Bree insisted that she didn't mind.
"Ach, it's a pleasure to look after Ollie, Bella. You and Edward have helped me so much, and I just adore this little bairn," she told me, bouncing Ollie on her knee. "I still can't believe I'm finally going back to the lab."
"You're going to love it."
"Thanks. Have you met MJ's replacement yet?"
"Only briefly when I was bringing Ollie into the labs for a visit. He officially starts in September like us. His name is Laurent Chirac. He's from Paris."
"Where did he do his undergrad?"
"Undergrad at La Sorbonne, and his masters at Northwestern. He seems nice. A bit geeky, but sweet."
"Well, geeky is better than batshit crazy," Bree replied.
"Tell me about it. MJ's trial is soon, a few weeks."
"You don't have to be there, right?"
"No, we can give our testimony via videolink, if it's necessary. She may still change her plea to guilty."
"She's pleading not guilty?"
"She claims that she never intended to harm me or the baby, and she didn't want to kidnap me, despite the whole pub hearing her."
"Unbelievable." Bree appeared as shocked as we had been. "How come it's taken so long to get to the courtroom?"
"There was this whole debate about whether she should be extradited because she was wanted for the robbery here. The Foreign Office and the US State Department argued it out, but ultimately, her more serious crime was in Oxford, so she's going to be tried over there and then deported to the US where she will face criminal proceedings here."
"Have you heard anything more about Alec Brighton?"
"Just that Alec is still in England. They think he is splitting his time between Oxford, London, where his father and stepmother are staying, and Yorkshire, to be near to the prison where MJ is serving her remand time."
"I still can't believe they didn't send her to a psychiatric hospital."
"It surprised us too. But after MJ was arrested, she had a full psychiatric evaluation. They concluded that although she had personality issues …"
"Is that doctor-speak for 'she's a sociopath?'"
"Yep. But they said that at the time of her crime, she was of sound mind and able to be tried for her crimes."
"Mom!" The dinghy now on the water's edge, Robbie came running back to us on the deck. "I'm hungry," he said, rubbing his tummy and then taking a drink from his mother's glass of water. It still astounded me that he looked so much like Aro Volturi, but had the sweetest, gentlest temperament, like Bree when she wasn't an anxious mess.
"Lunch is nearly ready, Robbie. We're having burgers and potato wedges."
"The burgers with the cheese in the middle, so it comes oozing out?" he asked excitedly.
"Yep. I remembered how much you liked them when you came to visit us the last time." It happened to be sheer luck that I'd bought the ingredients at a small supermarket on our way up to the cabin.
"Thanks, HB!"
I loved that he called me 'HB.' It was short for 'Harvard Bella.'
After lunch, Robbie was keen to get onto the water, but Ollie started to become fussy, making his milk cry.
"Why don't you go take Bree and Robbie for a quick sail, Edward, and come back for me in a while?"
"It's okay, Bella, we can wait," replied Bree, but I looked over at Robbie's eager face and didn't want him to miss out on a second of fun.
"No, go ahead. By the time you come back, Ollie will be settled and we can have cake before going out again."
Ollie's bawling kind of sealed the deal.
"Okay, Baby. We'll come back for you both in about an hour."
As soon as they were in the boat, I sat down to feed Ollie, and he fell asleep, my boob half in his mouth, just ten minutes later. I did the washing up and brought out a simple chocolate cake we'd also bought at the supermarket. Then I sat down with my Kindle and got absorbed in The Wings of the Dove, until I heard footsteps on the deck. Glancing at the kitchen clock, it had only been half an hour since Edward, Bree and Robbie left.
"Well that was quick!" I exclaimed as I got up. "Did somebody get seasick or something …?"
It wasn't them.
"Hello Isabella." Ice cold fear ran through me at the sound of that reedy, creepy, slimy voice. "Finally, I have you alone."
-cc-
Edward
We had been sailing for around twenty minutes, and had already seen an otter by the water, and a deer running amongst the trees in the distance. City-raised Robbie had a look of wonderment on his face as he took in the sights.
"This is so cool!" Robbie exclaimed yet again, as I powered the small boat along the western edge of Loch Lomond's peaceful waters. "Look at that huge bird up there!" He pointed to the sky where the large, grey feathered creature was hovering, poised.
"It's called an osprey. It hunts fish. Just watch. In a minute it'll dive in to grab its prey."
I slowed the boat down and moved away a little so we didn't scare the osprey off, and sure enough, the huge eagle-like bird plunged down into the water and caught a large, silver fish.
"Wow! That's awesome."
"You're very lucky, Beanie. It's rare to see them these days," explained Bree, "and especially to get that close."
"Aww, it's a shame HB and Ollie missed it," replied Robbie. "Should we head back to see how they are?"
While it was disgustingly creepy that Robbie's 'sperm donor' lusted after my wife, Robbie's soft spot for Bella was rather endearing. It was sisterly, rather than a romantic crush.
"Sure. I'll take you back around the other side. Maybe we'll see a few more animals on the way back."
I took the boat into the middle of the stretch of water, and then along the other side, so we sailed along the eastern edge, where the dense forest came right down to the water. I was hoping we might spot some water voles, but they appeared to all be in hiding. Robbie and Bree weren't too fussed though. We just chatted as we sailed, about Bree's place in Carlisle's lab and Robbie's hopes to find a Little League baseball team to join in Arlington.
In order to bring the boat into the right position on the beach in front of the cabin, we had to sail past it and into the next cove, where the area to turn was bigger, and sail backwards.
"What's that blue thing?" Robbie asked, as I circled the dinghy around. "It looks like another boat."
I slowed down so I could take a look, and sure enough, the hull of a small, pale blue, fibreglass dinghy was peeking out of a patch of reeds.
"That's odd. There's no other cabins around here, and no paths from that section of the lake."
"What if someone got into trouble?" wondered Bree. "Can we take a look?"
"All right."
I manoeuvred alongside, with some difficulty, so we could take a look into the blue dinghy. It was brand new, the sticker of a boat shop on the south shore of Loch Lomond still evident on the port side, and empty, except for a handful of sweet wrappers and a half-drunk water bottle.
"Someone's walked up through those bushes," stated Robbie, pointing out some flattened reeds. "If they went that way, would they end up at your cabin, Professor Eddie?"
"Yes, if they walked through the trees and hedges, but it's a tough walk. It would be more likely that they'd go up the hill to the road."
"But it is walkable?" enquired Bree, her voice shaking just a little. I looked at her more closely. She had her 'scared rabbit' look.
"Yes … Bree, what's the matter?"
She pointed at the sweet wrappers. They were dark blue and shiny.
"Those … they're Baci wrappers."
"Baci?"
"Italian hazelnut chocolate … A-Aro's favourite."
"No! No, Mom, he can't be here!" Robbie exclaimed. "He'll hurt us. He'll hurt HB."
They both looked terrified, and their fear was contagious. Suddenly I worried about Bella, all alone.
"It's probably just a coincidence … but let's go check on Bella and Ollie."
I sailed the boat back with a silent Bree and Robbie, turning the motor off and putting the sail up so the wind carried us backwards; I didn't want the roar of the motor to wake Ollie if he was asleep, or alert Volturi, if Bree and Robbie's fears were founded.
I prayed we were all overreacting.
As we pulled in, however, we could see that the patio doors were closed and the curtains were too; Bella had wanted them open ever since we arrived, to enjoy the views.
That was when I truly felt sick to my stomach.
Bella and Ollie were in danger.
-cc-
Bella
"Hello Isabella." Ice cold fear ran through me at the sound of that reedy, creepy, slimy voice. "Finally, I have you alone."
"Professor Volturi, what on Earth are you doing here?" I tried to keep my voice from trembling, and just about managed it.
He looked like shit. I'd never seen him look anything other than immaculate, in well-cut suits, so the sight of him red-faced, sweaty and dressed in an ill-fitting tracksuit and baseball cap was odd.
"I was in the neighbourhood … after all, I have plenty of time to travel these days, Isabella." He said my name like it was a snake flowing from his tongue, which made the hairs on my neck stand on end. "But of course, I can't leave the country, so I'm having to explore Great Britain rather more than I would prefer."
"And do you believe that's my fault?"
"Yes!" He stepped across the threshold, from the deck into the lounge and I couldn't help but startle a little. He liked that I had shown some fear, for the corner of his mouth turned up in an evil smile. "If you had just stayed in Oxford, stayed in my lab, instead of running to America with Masen, things would have stayed good … you've been a bad girl, Isabella."
Suddenly a flashback hit me, from the day in Oxford when MJ threatened us.
"I was there for Master Volturi, and now he's angry with me because of you."
We never got the chance to find out what MJ meant by 'Master Volturi' and I'd never asked Bree about it because she had been so traumatised by her dealings with him, although she did once allude to the fact that he got off on being seen as all-powerful. Did he have a domination thing?
I was trying not to let panic overshadow my rational brain.
I need to buy some time.
I need to call for help.
I need to signal to Edward that something's wrong.
I need to protect my son.
"I'm bad? What about you, sir?" I could see lust spike him when I addressed him formally. It revolted me, but I made myself continue. "You cheated on your wife with all those girls. You messed around with research protocols. You did very bad things too. You told lies and you corrupted people in Eclipse and the pharmaceutical industry …"
"Enough!" he yelled, and for a heart-stopping moment, I panicked that he would wake Ollie, but thankfully, there was no sound from the bedroom. "I'm the Master. What I says goes. People do what I say. I always get what I want."
"Oh? Like MJ?"
"MJ and Alec were the first of my subjects. Before I came along, they were undisciplined, wild, defiant children, spoiled brats. Now look at them. They are well behaved. They do what I say. They keep my secrets. They protect me, whatever the outward cost, because they need to be dominated."
"Do you think I need to be dominated, sir?"
"You do, Isabella, but in a different way." He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on my neck, my breasts, my groin … it was the creepiest thing ever.
"Sexually?" I whispered.
"Yes. MJ and Alec needed behaviour control to make anything of themselves. Now you … You particularly need to learn to submit to a man in the bedroom." He paused for dramatic effect. "You have defied me and hidden from me for the last time. Do you understand?"
"I …"
"I said … Do you understand?"
His tone was lower, and more menacing, and he started walking towards me. I moved my back to the open door, and as I stepped alongside it, nudged it and the curtain closed with my hip, except I left it open a fraction. I hoped that it would be a subtle enough sign to The Fox that something was up, so he would keep Bree and Robbie out of harm's way. I had no idea if Slimy knew that they were visiting.
"I think so, sir. Would you be so kind as to explain all my wrongdoings, so I can know exactly how bad a girl I am … and exactly what punishments I'm to expect?"
His beady, cold eyes glimmered with excitement which made me feel even sicker.
Suddenly, the satellite phone rang. I glanced over at it and took a step forward.
"Don't answer it!" he hissed.
"If I don't answer, Edward's security people will be up here straight away," I lied. "They know I'm alone … he told them." Volturi hesitated, so I added, "I just need to tell them I'm fine, and they won't call again."
"Don't tell them anything else. Just that you're fine."
"Okay …" I picked up the receiver.
"Hi Mrs Masen …" Jared's deep voice came through the line and my fear receded for a moment.
"Jared, I'm fine … You don't need to keep calling."
"You're 'fine?'"
"Yes that's right. I'm absolutely fine … You don't need to check on me just because I'm alone for the afternoon."
"We're on our way, ten minutes at the most."
"Okay, enjoy your trip to Aberfoyle. Bye." I put the phone down, hopeful that Volturi hadn't cottoned onto my code-speak. "Where were we,sir?"
He paused for a moment, as if deciding whether I was being sincere. I forced myself to hold his gaze for a moment, before dropping my eyes and shoulders, and looking to the floor demurely. When I peeked back up again, the Machiavellian look I was used to seeing on his ugly face was back.
"I believe I was about to tell you exactly why you need to be punished."
-cc-
Edward
Bella and Ollie were in danger.
And looking at Bree and Robbie, we all knew now that it was Volturi.
I was about to jump out of the boat and run in, but Bree put her trembling hand on my shaky arm.
"Breathe a second, Edward," she whispered. "If you rush in, you will put her in more danger."
"But Mom, what if he's hurting them?"
"Your mother is right, Robbie. If you corner a scared animal, it lashes out."
"So what do we do?"
"We need to get help. Bree, there's a bike parked outside the front entrance to the cabin. Can you take it to the main road and cycle down to the holiday cottages? Jared and Paula are staying in number three. Robbie, I want you to stay hidden. Duck down behind the deck and stay there until we, or Jared or Paula, come to get you."
"All right."
As quietly as we could manage, we got out of the boat and Bree immediately got the bike to head to the main road. Meanwhile, Robbie crouched behind the deck as I told him, while I tentatively went up to the patio door. Bella had left it open an inch, so when I approached it, I could hear conversation inside.
"… I believe I was about to tell you exactly why you need to be punished."
Volturi's reedy voice seared my ears, my brain and my soul.
"That's right, sir," Bella replied. The way she said it, ever-so-slightly hesitant, made me realise she was trying to play along. My wife, twenty-two in actual years but forty in wisdom and sense, probably had a game plan all her own.
"Master."
"Master," she repeated.
"Good girl. Why weren't you this obedient before, huh? I chose you as my student when I moved to Oxford. You were supposed to stay, so I could train you. Instead you go to America, with Masen, of all people."
"'Masen, of all people'?"
From the sound of their voices, Bella was standing not far from me, near the kitchen, but Volturi was near the back of the cabin, towards the bedroom door. What I couldn't tell was if Ollie was in the living room or the bedroom. I didn't want to put our son in danger by launching myself in there, if Volturi was closer, he might hurt him.
"He was always the golden boy," Volturi sneered. "Perfect academic record, meticulous researcher … And all the girls, my girls, wanted to know him. They stopped wanting to be with me; they wanted to use me to get to know him."
"You didn't like that, did you …" she paused for a second. "… Master Volturi?"
"Of course not!" he snapped. "It was a good thing he was naïve so I could get my own back … When I told him he shouldn't keep his own records of every trial, he believed me. He filled out my books instead, and perfectly too- he was a good boy in that regard. I was able to publish a very nice piece in The British Journal of Neuroscience. There was nothing he could do about it. No paper trail, no proof."
That fucking bastard.
"I see …"
"And now I'm going to have the thing that means the most to him … You. What a sweet victory." I heard shuffling, which grew louder, suggesting he was moving towards Bella, and closer to me. "Come here."
I heard Bella take in a deep breath. The time she was buying seemed to have run out.
"Master …"
"I said, come here!"
A distant gurgle suddenly pierced the air, and from placing the sound, I worked out Ollie was in the bedroom.
"Don't go near the brat! You're supposed to be one hundred percent available to me!"
I heard him take a step and didn't wait to find out his next move. I pushed the door and curtains open and marched in.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Volturi?"
As I'd thought, Bella was by the kitchen, and I was able to put myself between her and our intruder.
"You're too late, Masen. She is mine. She has already submitted herself to me," he replied, almost maniacally. "It was so easy to turn her once she saw me. All I had to do was get her alone."
"I seriously doubt that. You're deluded. Why would she want a dirty old man like you when she has me?" I turned to look at Bella. "Go see to our son, Baby."
As I turned back however, I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my side, and felt instantly dizzy.
He had stabbed me.
As I fell to my knees, Bella screamed, and he stepped around me and moved towards her. I tried to stand up, but my legs failed me. Blood was seeping through my fingers as I tried to stem the flow, and instead of getting up, I found myself falling forward, unable to see what was happening around me. I could hear what was going on but found it hard to concentrate.
"I told you to come to me. You must obey," I heard him say to my beloved. "I've dealt with Masen, I'm going to deal with the brat, and then, you are going to undress and give yourself to me completely. Is that understood?"
She didn't say anything that I could hear. I started to crawl as best I could, desperately trying to do whatever I could to protect her. I would try until the last drop of life left me. She had her whole life ahead of her, as did our son, who needed her to survive, even if I didn't make it.
"I said, is that under…?"
Suddenly his voice petered out and Bella screamed again.
-cc-
Bella
"What the fuck are you doing here, Volturi?"
Just as I felt as though my time was running out, The Fox strode in, eyes blazing, pissed as hell, and put himself between me and Slimy.
"You're too late, Masen. She is mine. She has already submitted herself to me," Volturi said with all the confidence of a lunatic. "It was so easy to turn her once she saw me. All I had to do was get her alone."
"I seriously doubt that. Why would she want a dirty old man like you when she already has me?" Edward glanced my way, his eyes full of love. "Go see to our son, Baby."
But as he turned back, I saw a flash of silver in Volturi's right hand.
It was a Swiss army knife, and the next thing I knew, he had plunged it into Edward's right side.
I screamed, as my husband collapsed, bleeding.
"I told you to come to me. You must obey." Volturi continued. "I've dealt with Masen, I'm going to deal with the brat, and then, you are going to undress and give yourself to me completely. Is that understood?"
"Please, not the baby …"
I could only whisper the words through my fear, and he ignored them.
"I said, is that under …?"
In a split-second, Volturi too, collapsed, falling forward so his head hit the ground, an inch from my feet, out cold.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at the angry, red welt on the bald spot on the back of Slimy's head, but then I looked up.
Little Robbie was standing there, a piece of driftwood in his hand, shaking.
"S-sorry," he whispered, before bursting into tears. I promptly did the same. "I heard the scream. I thought he was gonna kill you."
I hugged him tightly before taking him by the hand to my injured husband.
"Foxy?"
He was lying on his front, his blood seeping onto the rug.
"Bella," he whispered. "You're okay, Baby."
"Shh, yes, but right now I'm more worried about you. Can you turn onto your side?"
With difficulty, he managed it. I grabbed one of Ollie's blankets and shoved into Robbie's hand
"Robbie, I know you're upset, but I need you to press the spot where he's bleeding, really hard. I need to call for an ambulance."
"Okay, HB."
I made my way over to the satellite phone, but as I picked up the receiver, the sound of Jared's Land Rover pulling up outside interrupted.
"Jared, Paula!" I called.
They rushed inside, Bree behind them.
"Shit, what happened?" Jared asked, rushing to Edward's side.
"Volturi stabbed Professor Eddie and then he tried to hurt HB. I rushed in and I hit his head to stop him, and then he fell over."
Paula went over to Volturi while Jared took over tending to Edward. Robbie ran into his mother's arms.
"Is he dead?" asked Bree.
Paula checked him.
"No, but the injury is serious. He's completely unresponsive."
"We need to call for help …" I began.
"We've already called the police and ambulance. They are on the way."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry …" Robbie started crying again. "I'm sorry."
"Robbie," croaked The Fox, who had been helped into a sitting position by Jared, his back against the sofa. "You saved Bella, kid. You saved my family."
"You saved ours first," the little boy replied though his tears.
-cc-
Phew, what a rollercoaster! Those of you who had a feeling Aro would be back totally called it!
The lemon is a suggestion from my friend Elodie who is a neuroscientist and my technical beta for this story. Like Bella she is a new mother, and had a similar problem when trying to get it on with her hubby after her little one was born. I hope you're not grossed out by it.
Thanks for your time and support, which is the reason I've managed to get this chapter out in a week. I've been writing like a demon! Only one more regular chapter left, and then the epilogue.
CC xxx