A few readers have expressed their issues with the non-vegetarian vamps in this fic. Remember, the world they live in is far from canon, we can't judge them by standards that don't exist in their world.
Also, FictionPad is still giving issues, so I can't post there. This is the last thing you will see from me in 2019, but 2020 promises to be a great year. They say what you're doing at midnight on New Year's Eve is what you're doing all year long, and I will be writing. Still working on the Holiday fic, hoping to get that done in the next week or two and off to a beta to share it with you all as a lengthy one-shot. This one is short, but it felt like a nice little calm before the storms to come, so I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 18
The exhaustion was the first symptom to hit. Bella would feed in the morning when she woke up. She'd barely consume her meal, leaving me to finish them after she couldn't drink anymore.
Emmett and his hunting party had collected thirty-two Wanderers, but if Bella and I were consuming this way they'd need another hunt before she'd be well enough to hunt on her own. Daily feedings were necessary with the twins.
After her meal she'd have energy, but it didn't last long. If I ever stepped away from her I didn't leave the house and Tanya was always at her side.
One daily task was selecting that day's meal. Jasper and Emmett turned off the shield in the basement that sedated them which meant I was bombarded by their thoughts. The goal of this was isolating a particular person's thoughts to the exclusion of the rest. They felt it would be helpful to me in the coming battle.
"Edward?" Bella asked, drawing me from my thoughts.
"Yes, Love?"
"Can we go outside for a while?"
"Out where?"
"I don't know, somewhere in the woods nearby. I want to feel the breeze."
I wanted to talk her out of it, keep her safe inside the residence for the whole of her pregnancy, but I couldn't do that. In a week or two it would probably be an impossibility.
"Let me get Jasper and Emmett to come with us." I lifted Bella into my arms and walked down to find them waiting.
"Alice said you might be needing us," Emmett said.
"Yes, Bella wants to go out into the wooded area beyond the city for a while. We'll need you to come just in case."
"Of course, Brother."
The three of us ran, with Bella still in my arms until we got to a place that was wooded, but not so closed in that the wind didn't reach us. Our guards went on a wide perimeter while I sat down, cradling Bella to me.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"Yes, I miss the freedom of the nomadic life. I wouldn't trade a thing about being with you, but I miss the freedom."
"Once our century in power is over, we'll live that way. Return to North America and explore together. We can see the world, returning to Volterra or wherever our children choose to live so that we can enjoy our grandchildren. We will have a good life."
"We just need to survive the next three and a half months."
Bella placed my hand on her stomach and I felt the swell of our children inside her.
"We will survive this, Bella. I have to believe that."
"And I believe in you, so we will hold onto that."