The Whispering Woods

Chapter Forty-Seven


Edward could only nod at the seriousness and fear that coded every word of Bella's warning. Mike's mother was not only dangerous but also bad for one's health, mentally and physically. It was something he could understand considering what he'd done to James, imprisoning him in his mind.

Am I just as evil?

"Stop thinking whatever you're thinking." Bella pressed a kiss to his jaw, whispering the words in his ear.

His forehead rested on hers, shutting them inside a bubble of their own making. Their eyes closed, but their minds wide opened to the other. He couldn't hear her thoughts, but felt her fear lessening the longer they remained close.

"Fucking hell, Bella," Jessica sneered from behind them. "You infected him with your poison, bitch. Practicing your dark magic in the middle of the cafeteria."

Edward glimpsed resentment in Bella's mind, before the connection between them severed.

"Actually, Edward fills me with his poison daily—stop being jealous, Jess. It will only piss off Mike and his dad."

Edward ignored Jessica and let Bella handle her. From what he gathered from Charlie's mind, they had been good friends until Mike's mother and father sank their claws into her.

Jessica leaned in closer, her cloying perfume barely covering the hint of decay under it. It reminded Edward of Mike's mother. Was it too late to save her?

"I need your help." The words were soft enough for their ears only. Jessica stood taller, tilting her chin up high in the air, her next words louder. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Bella. Just stop doing it with us around; we're innocent bystanders."

Bella only shrugged, playing along, not really caring. At least it would appear that way to the school principal watching from one of the cafeteria's entrances. "You're being summoned, Jess." She batted her lashes, but Edward noticed glowing particles that encompassed Bella, flow around Jessica. They immediately absorbed into Jessica's skin. For protection? Did Bella do it on purpose?

Jessica didn't seem to notice, and the principal's face remained neutral.

"We have the group assignment, so I need you to come by my house after school," Bella said aloud.

That, the principal reacted to, his dark gaze narrowing in suspicion.

Jessica groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but if something happens to me, everyone here will know it was you."

"As if I'm not aware of that," Bella muttered. "Do I look stupid? I listen to enough true crime podcasts to know how to get away with murder. Now go away; I need a little more of Edward's poison."

Not bothering to wait for Jessica's response, Bella rose to her feet, grabbed Edward's hand, and left the entire student body riveted and hungry for more for their brand of drama.

Once outside, they made a beeline for an empty classroom on the third floor for some privacy.

"Is it a good idea to have Jessica come to your house after school?" Edward wondered.

Bella tugged Edward into a darkened room filled with broken furniture and an old couch.

"I need to hear what she has to say. If she has even an inkling of what is going on with her, that they're grooming her for Beatrice to take over her body, then I need to help her in any way I can."

"I get that, but it could be a trap too." Edward couldn't focus the moment he had his hands on her hips.

Her hands skimmed up his chest, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "I'm aware, but I'm the most protected in my house."

It was getting harder to think of anything else but her, not just his mind. "Why is that?"

"I don't know, but instinct tells me it's true."

Edward knew better than not to listen to instincts, especially in Forks. His body felt primed for something, and it had nothing to do with magic or freaky woods and his protectiveness.

"What the hell is happening?" His body coursed with uncontrollable lust and a desperate need to taste every inch of her.

"I don't know." She moaned softly as his hands cupped her ass, pulling her closer to the harder planes of his body.

"Tell me to stop." It would be the only thing to stop him from acting on the desperate need inside him.

"No," she whimpered. "Kiss me."

Though primed to be a brutal kiss that would've bordered on painful, he fought the urge enough to be gentler in his approach. He watched her purple eyes adjust to the dark and focus solely on him. It felt heady to be at the other end of her desire-filled gaze. His lips hovered over her cheek, felt the skin heat beneath, welcoming his touch. Her soft sigh fueled his determination to explore her.

Her long lashes fluttered over his skin, eliciting him to tighten his hold on her backside. Eager to take more than one trip, his hands dove under her shirt to find hot skin with the slightest hint of goosebumps. He did this to her, and it excited him in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.

He shook away the past, truly focusing every thought on her. The urgency they felt the moment they were alone in the dark fell away to something softer and ten times sweeter. There would be time later for hard and fast, but the moment called for something far better.

Comfort, safety, and maybe a hint of love.

He'd only known her for a handful of days, yet it felt like a lifetime by the time his lips reached hers. Her fingers in his hair tugged gently, urging him to tilt his head to deepen the kiss. There was no fight for dominance, only discovery. A slow slide of tongues and lips, meeting and retreating, seeking and giving more to the other. Time held no meaning at that moment; they were unaware of what happened around them.

They didn't notice the particles that gave them their glow coalesce, becoming brighter as they rose a few feet in the air.

A few students mingling outside noticed a bright glow from the third story, but they wouldn't usher a word. Everyone knew of the spirit that haunted the floor; some had even seen her.

The striking resemblance to Bella was merely a coincidence.


AN: Thanks to Midnight Cougar. I know, I know. Writing is hard right now, but I'm trying. Thanks for your continued support.