Chapter Nineteen: …Until Someone Gets Hurt
Mason (POV)
I could tell immediately that the male was a tracker, his mannerisms and posture practically screamed it. The woman on the other hand was a lot harder to read. She was obviously attached to him, but beyond that I couldn't tell. I listened very closely to Angela's breathing and heart rate. Even now she was at the forefront of my thoughts. Two random vampires presented a viable threat on a normal day, but this didn't feel like a normal day. Angela was vulnerable, to them she would seem to them like a fun snack we had brought along. For a moment I forgot about the Cullen's. It had been a long time since I had backup in a fight. I had to hope that these two strangers would prove to be friendly after all.
The red-haired woman took point and approached calmly and confidently. Yet despite her outward confidence I could tell this wasn't her usual role. The tilt of her shoulders and tension behind her eyes gave away that she seldom acted as the spokesmen for her coven. The male obviously had absolutely no inclination towards speaking, and my guess was the friend Alice mentioned that they were looking for was their former front man or woman. I watched carefully as they took each step towards us. And step by step my nerves twisted and tensed more and more until they sat precariously on the edge of a knife. Forty feet, thirty feet, twenty feet, ten… I was almost counting their movements like a metronome.
"Good afternoon." The redhead's voice was grating, her high soprano might've been pretty if it didn't sound so forced. A natural snarl was hidden just behind her friendly smile, cemented by the look in her eyes. It made me instantly distrust her. The male hung back a little, and the way he examined us, it was clear he was measuring us as an enemy, even as he kept his face neutral. He checked out all of the Cullen's, brushing past Angela, and eventually his eyes rested on my face and his eyebrows rose notably. Carlisle stepped forward, Esme at his side, closing the distance to stand next to me.
"Good afternoon, I hate to sound impolite but what brings you here?" Carlisle's expression was friendly but reserved, and his tone was tight yet expressive. From experience I could tell he was tense, but he didn't show it outwardly.
"Just passing through, in fact we were looking for a friend of ours. Perhaps you crossed paths with him." She was civil but her tone suggested that she was ready for any hint of antagonism.
"Perhaps, what was his name?" Carlisle smiled pleasantly, his mask hiding his inner feeling perfectly.
"Laurent, he left us to travel alone for a while. But we wanted to see if he would come back to our coven." She was leaving out details, which were frankly none of our business. But her concealment left me with a feeling of loathing, as if their reasons were not as pure as an attempt to find a lost friend.
"We haven't crossed paths with him. We would know, since we have a permanent residence in the area." Carlisle took a silent breath, the quality of the sigh expressed to me that he was pleased that they were just passing through.
"Permanent?" She seemed taken aback by the information, and for good reason. It was more than uncommon for our kind to settle in a single area. Our peculiarities tend to restrict our ability to blend in with human society.
"Yes, and we would request that you do not to hunt while you're in our territory." He was firm but still managed to remain polite. A diplomat to a fault, but I couldn't fault him for wanting to avoid confrontation.
"Understandable, this is James and I'm Victoria. We heard your game and thought a pleasant diversion would be a nice change of pace, but if were unwelcome we'll be moving on." She said motioning to her companion, the slight deference she made when she said his name made it evident that he was the dominant presence in their relationship.
Carlisle raised his eyebrows and looked as if he were lost in thought for a moment. Then he turned to his family slightly, I glanced in their direction as well and for the most part they seemed neutral in expression. All except Bella who seemed utterly pained and apprehensive, likely because she feared for Angela's life and Angela who was trying not to appear utterly terrified.
"No, a few of us were about to head back anyway. You are more than welcome to fill in for them. Bella, Edward, Angela why don't the three of you head back to the truck. The rest of us will join you later." As he spoke, he turned fully to speak to the assembled family. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of James. His expression appeared bored, even though he seemed curious about us earlier. Then he took a closer look at the group, just as a strong gust of wind blowing in from the distant storm blew past us and catching Angela's long hair. Her human scent filled the air by me like a flare shot into a crystal-clear night sky. James reacted almost instantly his eyes grew wide and a sadistic smile drew up the corners of his thin lips.
"You brought a snack." He was focused intently on Angela now, bathing in her sweet aroma which was surrounding us like a blanket of warm wool. Anger filled me like an anvil of pent up emotion, she was not going to be the prey of this worthless tracker. I felt the fire jump up to my command, but I forced it back down until it was nothing more than a ball of fury nestled deep in my chest. The golden hue of my eyes blazed, and James took an involuntary step back.
"No, she is not prey." My words betrayed my power and age, since there was no way to conceal myself because my emotional control was compromised. I could see in the periphery of my vision the family huddled protectively around Angela. But her fear seemed to have vanished, and now she was staring defiantly at the vampire and stood her ground like she was one of us. Her unexpected display took me by surprise, and I felt a rush of pride. James stepped forward slightly, it was a subtle movement but none of us missed it. I had to restrain an impulse to wrap my hands around his throat.
"James, I think we should be going." Victoria wrapped a hand around her lover's arm and began to pull him away from us. He seemed reluctant to follow her lead, and then suddenly he broke contact and rushed towards Angela. I intercepted him and knocked him twenty yards away, ripping off his outstretched hand that was reaching for her. He screamed in pain, skidding to a stop in the soft earth and then roared in frustration. He rushed at me without thought and I started to move to meet him, when a warm hand wrapped around my forearm. I felt a surge of emotions as I looked down and found it was Angela who had stopped me from attacking.
"He isn't worth it Mason." I closed my eyes for a split second then leveled a warning glare towards James as he stopped in his tracks. He seemed to mull over his chances for a moment, glancing at the hand at my feet. I frowned, and picked up the amputated appendage and threw at him. He caught it easily, and with a furious growl he glared at me, and then at the Cullen's grouped behind me as if he were judging his odds. Then turned towards the forest and took off, Victoria close on his heels. I had a gut feeling that this was the beginning of something far more complicated, but I kept my fears to myself.
"You're right, but I can't help feeling like we should've destroyed him." I realized it was the wrong thing to say, but I had committed to my sentiments. Angela frowned and lowered her head for a moment. "I don't want to kill him, but he could prove to be a danger to you."
"Yes he is very much a danger and you and Angela are his targets now. He thinks this is now the most exciting hunt of his existence." Edward said shaking his head.
"Your gift?" Carlisle asked with hope in his eyes.
"I think so, everything is still so silent, but as I focused on him ready to fight, suddenly his thoughts just came to me." Edward looked very confused, but I couldn't help but smile.
"Edward, I believe your power has evolved, you no longer read passively. You will no longer be burdened with the thoughts of those around you at all times, instead you can direct your gift at will. It might take some practice, but congratulations." I explained as much as I could, considering the danger I didn't want to take too much time before we started to prepare.
"You mean... this silence is permanent?" Edward looked and sounded elated, relief softening his bunched shoulders and constantly furrowed brow.
"Most likely, perhaps you could learn to broaden your gift to receive thoughts like you did before, but if I am correct you will be able to do far more than just read a thought. You should be able to hold an active conversation with anyone you reach our gift towards." As I spoke, I kept a careful eye on the treeline, even though I doubted they would return so quickly. Still, it felt foolish to simply stand and discuss things best left for a more private setting. "Perhaps we should table this until later.
"Mason, I appreciate your defense, but in the future please consider that I abhor violence. If you wish to be a part of this family, please understand that I cannot condone the slaughter of someone who to our knowledge has committed no wrongs, especially since he has done nothing more than act on a natural impulse. If we were to act as judge, jury, and executioner then how does that make us different from the monsters we are trying to overcome inside of us?" He was only four hundred years old, and yet he was a far calmer and wiser man than me. I couldn't argue, and I didn't want to. I glanced over at Angela and she met my eyes without hesitation. I could see gratitude in them, and something deeper that I couldn't quite gauge, as I realized she was still holding onto my arm.
"Let's go home. I think we have had far too much excitement for one afternoon. Edward would you give Angela a ride home?" Carlisle said motioning towards Edward who nodded and the group turned back towards the cars. Edward offered Angela a hand up onto his back, but she hesitated for a moment and looked at me with a look that could almost be described as longing. Then she blushed, released my arm and took his hand. I watched her leave and spent the next few minutes in silence as the Cullen's packed up and left. Carlisle offered me a ride, but I rejected the offer with a soft dismissal. He understood and soon I was alone.
I stood at the edge of the forest repressing the urge to chase after the monster that threatened... the woman I liked. Somehow the feeling was inadequate, yet I couldn't be foolish enough to consider the idea of love yet. I barely knew her, but I couldn't hide the infatuation I had with her. This mortal stranger was so selfless and strong, she embodied the virtues I had always respected. Her perceptiveness and attentiveness to even the smallest detail made her a suitable fit for immortality, and I couldn't even begin to describe her beauty. She had captivated me so completely, that rarely a second went by where I wasn't thinking of every line of her face.
Was I an idiot for falling so fast, was my loneliness a factor I had to consider? Could I just be reacting on impulse rather than real emotion? Whatever the truth was, I had to be sure of my intentions before I made her aware of my feelings. If she accepted me as her mate, she would have to give up her mortal life, and I honestly wasn't sure she would be willing to do that. While she had said that she accepted her fate that one day she would be one of us, she refused to let her family suffer her death. I would need to come up with a solution for that, there was no other recourse.
First, I had to make sure she was safe from this tracker. When that was resolved I would pursue her, and somehow, I would win her affections. Then we would discover how we really felt, and if she was truly one I had been waiting for, searching for. Had I finally paid my penance? Was my sentence finally over? Could this mortal be my soulmate? If she were, I had to wonder what game the fates were playing, and what from of cruelty would compel them to keep her away from me for four thousand years?
Author's Note: This chapter marks basically the end of the first third of the story. The next group of chapters ramp up considerably, leading towards Alice's vision and whatever that future brings. I'm not sure how many more we have to go, but I hope you will continue to follow my story.
As always I will update my profile with the date for the next chapter. Please take a moment to review this chapter, I truly appreciate your thoughts on my work.
Thank you for reading!
