Chapter 23

A/N: Hello Everyone... I am so happy to have you back. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I know we have been waiting for this moment for quite some time. Anyway it is upon us, and I hope it does not disappoint.

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Bella shifted in Edward's arms, her eyes blinked open, shaking the sleep threatening to claim her. She let her fingers play down his chest, noticing his stalled breath, she tilted her head back. Bella traced the line of his jaw, her gaze darted to his forehead, her brow drawing tight when she noticed the change in his appearance. That's precisely the moment, she realized, he'd shed the mask when she'd been dozing.

A quick look around confirmed the mask now sat on the tiled bench next to the tub, and slowly she turned her attention back to him. Laying on his left shoulder, made seeing his right side, nearly impossible from this vantage point. Realizing his tension came from baring this last part of his soul, she placed a hand on his chest as she eased back. Ever-so-slowly, she lifted tired eyes to the revealed portion of Edward's face.

Horror filled her as she explored the scarred tissue covering his forehead and wrapping around toward his temple. Unhurriedly, she let her eyes drop down along his cheek and was further dismayed by what she saw.

Edward's eyes were downcast, and she knew he was awaiting her response. While horror was her initial feeling, somehow, she managed to keep her reaction in check, her hand lifting from his chest. Deliberately, she let her fingers trace over his cheek's burned flesh, seeing the discoloration along his temple, she trailed the imperfect skin above his brow. Even though the burns filled her with terror, they were nothing compared to what appeared to be a brand in the center of his forehead.

Outlining the symbol with the tip of her finger, her whisper was barely audible in the otherwise silent bathroom. "Tell me someone didn't do this to you…"

Edward dragged his gaze from the steaming water, and with fear in his eyes, he glanced back at her. His mouth had gone parched under the weight of her scrutiny. Swallowing the grit in his throat, he slowly shook his head, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "I can't."

"What kind of monsters would do this to another person?" Bella couldn't imagine the kind of pain Edward had endured at the hands of other people. Not understanding the reasoning for such destruction, she shook her head. "Why would they do this to you?"

Edward realized it was now or never. This was the perfect chance for him to tell her the actual danger, she'd nearly faced. "Bella…I need you to listen carefully to me…"

Tears threatened to overtake her as she studied his marred flesh. "How…how did they do this?"

"Bella," Edward started before falling silent as he considered how to respond. Hard fingers circled her biceps as he eased her back a few inches. When she finally focused on him, instead of his scars, he continued. "It was part of the game…"

"The game…" The way he'd said that final statement gave her pause as Laurent's voice filled her head. A shiver skipped down her spine, his devilish accent tickling her mind, she pushed back from him, water sloshing over the side of the tub in her haste. "Laurent…are you saying, Laurent did this?"

"Not exactly," Edward explained, pausing as he sought the right words for his explanation. "Laurent was part of it, Bella…he wasn't the only one, however. The game is more like a hunt. They hunt people, Bella."

"Oh, my fucking god," she whispered, kneeling between his legs before him. The realization was slow to dawn on her as she digested this new information. "Are you saying they…they were after me? I could've been the next one subjected to this game, to this hunt?"

"Bella, I would never let anything happen to you. Ever." Edward wanted to ease her mind. He would die before letting someone harm her. "I'd go to my death to prevent this happening to you. I swear it. My family and I will ensure no one ever, ever comes close to you."

"But you almost weren't there, Edward. A minute later, one minute later, and I would have been in the back of that van." Bella stumbled to her feet as the severity of the issue swept through her. She nearly slipped on the tiled floor when she hurried from the tub, Edward's hand shooting out to steady her. Once she had her balance, she turned away, grabbing a towel from the rack. Wrapping the plush towel around her, she tucked the corner into the top as pivoted to face him once again.

Instantly, her gaze went to the brand mark on his forehead, and she shuddered in response. The pain he'd endured at the hands of these people was unimaginable. When he would have stepped out of the tub, Bella blocked his path, her fingers cupping his cheeks, feathering her thumbs along the line of his lips. "I'm so sorry they did this to you. Edward, I'm didn't mean to go on a rant…I'm just taken aback. Why didn't you tell me about them?"

Edward broke contact with Bella as he too stepped from the tub and reached for his towel. Winding the cloth around his hips, he turned back to her, sitting on the counter before her. "Bella…the officer said, they were out of the area. I didn't see the point in worrying you needlessly."

Bella's lips trembled, her nerves frayed, she took a deep breath, trying to calm the erratic beat of her heart. While she was still reeling at her near-catastrophic experience with Laurent and Victoria, she squished the remnants of fear coursing through her. Making her way over to him, she stepped in between his knees as they parted to admit her, her hands cupping his jaws. Bella leaned forward, brushing a kiss to his chin. "You're still beautiful to me, Edward. You have no reason to hide away in this house."

"How do you suppose the people of Forks would react to a branded freak, Bella?" His tone was skeptical, his hand lifting as his fingers trailed over tattered flesh of his temple. "How do you think the world would react? I would be on the front page of every paper from here to Europe."

"You never went to the police, did you?" Bella was suddenly dumbfounded. He'd gone through such a traumatic experience. Harboring all of the trauma without seeking justice, saddened her. Yet, she had to acknowledge the truth of his statement. He'd be subjected to ridicule from everyone in America knowing the pain he'd suffered, having to relive those moments, day after day. As she contemplated this, another thought sprang to her mind. "Edward, they are probably doing this to other people. You could stop them."

"I didn't go to the police. I threw myself into a river and floated the fuck away." Wiggling from the top of the counter, he landed on his feet. Edward briskly headed for his bedroom as he relived the memory of leaving Jasper behind, all over again. "Half-naked, I stumbled through the woods until I came to a rest stop. Someone left their phone in the car, and I swiped it off the seat. I googled the location and called my dad."

"But they are still out there, Edward." Bella followed close behind him as they paced into his bedroom. "They are still grabbing innocent people. What if someone else is living these moments, even now? You could stop them."

"Bella, it was five years ago," he stated, grabbing a pair of boxers from his dresser. Pushing the towel from his hips, he stepped into the thin cotton and pulled them up his legs. Snapping the waistband into place, he turned to face her. "There isn't any proof."

"The scars are proof."

"It took me two months to show you, Bella. Do you think I'm going to bare my soul to the world with only a possibility of justice?" Unable to face her, he went to the window and stared out at the black sky. "I know, I'm a fucking coward, Bella. I was a coward when I left Jasper to those animals, and I still am. If I went to the police and they did nothing, I would jeopardize my entire family. That's not something I'm willing to sacrifice for the probability of justice. Your wellbeing, my mom, dad, Emmett, Rose, Alice. You are all reasons to keep this shit under wraps."

Bella didn't view him as a coward. He was fucking scared. After the torture Edward had faced, who could blame him, she thought as she considered his explanation. What he said was true. If he went to the authorities and they did nothing, he would endanger everyone he loved, including her.

"Okay," she whispered as understanding claimed her. "Okay… no cops."

She stood in the middle of his floor, her arms wound tightly around her chest, the towel tickling her calves. As a quiver rippled through her, she grabbed her t-shirt from the dresser and slipped it over her head. Pulling the towel free, she reached for her panties and tugged them into place. She was in the process of smoothing the black lace over her hips when she glanced in his direction.

The predatory gleam was back in his eye. Instead of turning away, she boldly held his gaze, hunger shooting through her body. She would've put her shorts on, yet the desire in his eyes kept her immobile. She trembled when he pushed away from the window and came to stand before her.

"Am I any less desirable to you, Bella?"

The fact he felt he needed to ask her, twisted her heart, and slowly, she shook her head. "Absolutely not."

Bella chanced a look down his body, noticing instantly, his hardening erection beneath his boxers. A thrill pulsed through her when he reached for her. Edward's fingers tunneled through her wet hair, lifting her mouth to his.

Nipping at her lips, he kissed her long and hard, a low rumble starting at the bottom of his throat. Against her lips, he growled, "Go lay on the bed, Bella."

The command in his voice added to the effect of his touch. A teasing light entered her eyes as she considered refusing. "And if I don't?"

Fire rushed in his blood, his hands lifting, hard fingers sliding around her hips. Tugging her against him, he pressed his cock into her soft belly, his nostrils flaring with an animalistic need. His forehead dropped to rest on hers, meeting her gaze with a sharp intensity, he growled, "My Bella…want a swat?"

Intrigued, Bella's brow lifted, licking her dry lips. "Maybe."

The pads of his fingers slid along the line of her panties, causing her inner muscles to clench with anticipation. Gooseflesh dotted her buttocks when his hands reached around her, cupping her plump, taunt behind. When he lifted his hand and dropped a smack to her bottom, a moan slipped from her, her breath catching. The zap of electricity rippled to her core, her inner muscles contracting, causing her clit to pulse.

When he rubbed the sting away, she groaned, her hips bucking in response. Edward kneaded her buttock, his roaming touch slipped along her crack, letting his fingertips graze her core. When she breathlessly buried her head against his chest, his mouth nestled against her ear, he murmured, "You like that, Bella? Being defiant and getting a swat?"

Bella withered with expectation. She would have never guessed being spanked was a turn on, but Edward made her reevaluate the prospect. Edward made her reconsider a lot of things. This time when his hand fell across her ass, she moaned, her fingernails digging into his waist. When he caressed the tender flesh, she was left gulping as his fingers slid beneath the seam of her panties, encountering the evidence of her desire.

She bit into his neck as his fingers entered her from behind, his cock rubbing at the tender nub in the front, her breath becoming hiccups of sound. "Do you like that, Bella?"

"Oh, God, yes," she answered, her hands gliding up his abdomen. Her fingers locked around his nape, urging him down to her. Kissing him roughly, she sucked his tongue into her hot mouth, loving the growl he issued.

Breaking the kiss, Edward bent at the knee, and effortlessly, he lifted her in his arms. Bella settled into his chest, her arms wound around his neck, her fingers sliding into his hair. When she urged his head down, he thought she'd meant to kiss him, yet she pushed his head to the side. His heart contracted when her lips grazed the burned skin of his cheek. "How did this happen?"

He shrugged as he laid her out on the bed. Effortlessly, he dropped down beside her with a shrug. "Acid… I think…didn't ask."

"I've seen this symbol before," she told him as her attention went to the mark on his forehead. An oval shape with protruding lines at the top sat directly in the center of his forehead. "Native American's used to put it on their horses during a hunt."

Bella resisted the urge to cry. She felt a sniffle coming on, and to suppress the need to cry, she reached for him. A whithering sigh slipped from her throat as his lips settled over hers. Eagerly, her lips parted, gasping when his tongue wound around hers, sinking deep into her mouth. Tingles prickled her arms and legs, and she turned toward him, seeking his solid form. Lust claimed her when his fingers took hold of her leg, lifting the limb to place it over his hip, he settled into the cradle of her thighs.

Edward thrust against her heated core. His hard cock pressing into her awaiting softness. He let his seeking fingers slip inside the loose shirt, his hand gliding along her ribs, finding the curve of her breast. Nipping at her lips, he covered her mound toying with the pointed tip, enticing a moan from her. Hunger consumed him as she cried out, his mouth leaving hers to slide along her jaw, continuing to her sleek neck.

Her nails dug into his back, desperation apparent in her touch as he sucked down her neck to the hollow of her throat. Needing more of her, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up her torso, baring her to his touch. Sensing the demand in his stroking fingers, she raised up from the mattress, allowing him to yank the shirt over her head. The second the shirt dropped from his fingertips, Edward turned his attention back to her heaving breasts, his tongue licking down her bared torso.

Bella gulped for breath when Edward's fervent lips latched onto her nipple. Her fingers curled into his thick hair, holding him to her as he nibbled on her protruding nub, groaning when he sucked it hard. She clawed into his scalp, her hips bucking into his, moaning as his cock slid over her panties, caressing the ready flesh below. "Edward, don't stop…that feels so good."

Another cry left her lips as his wet mouth continued down her belly, his fingers finding the material of her lacy panties, his fingertips curling into the fabric. With a quick yank, Edward ripped the lace from her taut body, rough hands pushing her thighs apart. He wasted no time licking his way down her belly, coming to settle between her parted legs, the smell of her heat teasing his senses. "You smell so good."

A blush tinged her cheeks. Having a man so intimately close was a new development, and while sexy as hell, embarrassment was still a factor. She didn't have time to contemplate her bashful response, however. Suddenly, Edward's tongue was deep within her folds, swirling and licking, her clit. Cry after cry, erupted from her throat, her hips lifting to press deeper into his searching tongue.

With every flick of his tongue, her body responded with a jerk, shoving her folds further into his face. The pressure of his fingers slipping into her tight channel increased the pleasure she was experiencing, urging her to move beneath him. When his fingers moved faster and deeper, her hips matched his tempo, her teeth grinding as passion burned through her limbs. As he sucked her clit into his mouth, the first strings of release built within her. "Oh, wow, don't stop…Edward, please…right there…"

His fingertips were nudging a spot deep inside her core, causing this crazy flood of sensation to consume her. Now, her hips were bucking of their own will, wanting him harder. Her thighs tightened around his head, holding him in place as his rhythm sent her sprawling over the edge. She cried out, her hips jerked upward, seeking his hot, stroking tongue.

Bella twitched as the last strings of desire pulsed through her body. When he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and slipped up her tired limbs, she reached out for him. Sweetly, Edward kissed her lips, his mouth and tongue slowly playing over her as his hips nestled into the V of her legs. He lurched forward when she reached between their bodies, encircling him with eager fingers through the material of his boxers. Gasping, his mouth broke away from hers, his lips parting on a cry when she caressed his swollen head.

"I want you, Bella…all of you." The thought of driving his cock into her warm sheath left him shuddering in her embrace. "I want to be in you…on you…deeper…fuck."

Her lashes fluttered as she returned his gaze. Hearing the need in his voice was staggering. "Then be in me, Edward."

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