I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 7
His eyes never left my uncle. "You've been lied to for years, Mía Bella. The Volturi has been after you since you've been a baby."
"What?" I gasped.
I felt confused and caught off guard. Edward dropped his glare and looked at me in concern. He reached out his hand for mine and guided me back to my seat. Uncle Charlie touched the visible barrier I had created to separate them with an impressed look on his face.
"I'm sorry, Bella, I wasn't thinking. There was a better way to tell you," Edward apologized.
"How do you even know?" I asked, then realized it must have been my uncle. I never read his mind because I trusted him as my family.
"Alice. She was outside and came to warn me. She saw you finding out tonight and it not going well. You disappeared, taking me with you." Edward glared at Uncle Charlie.
"Uncle?" I asked.
Uncle Charlie sighed. "I was going to tell you everything tonight. I wasn't entirely sure how, but knew I wanted your mate with you when I did, so I only have to go through this once. Alice jumped the gun since I hadn't made a firm decision. However, it's just as well I tell you now."
"Why didn't you look at the future yourself for the best time?" Edward asked him.
"Because I can't see the future," Uncle Charlie answered.
"What do you mean? Of course, you can, you're a full-blooded witch." I was confused.
"No. There's some magic that's specific to a witch, others don't have it. Like my power is mind reading. Others, like your mother, are psychic, but she couldn't read minds. Neither of us can fly. My brother could. Witches don't have multiple large powers, like mind reading, foresight, etc."
"I can't fly," I told him.
"I know you did as a baby. You gave your mother a fright." Uncle Charlie's lips twitched.
"Have you tried? You can hover over the ground," Edward spoke up.
I shook my head. "No, I haven't thought to try."
"You can shield, you just did moments ago." Uncle gave me a smile.
"Can all witches block other powers? For instance, I can't read her mind and she managed to stop myself, Alice, and Jasper from using our abilities. Is that unusual?" Edward asked.
"Most likely it was a part of her shield. She also can produce a fireball capable of destroying a vampire. I don't know of any other witch skilled with that power," Uncle said.
Edward's head snapped to me with wide eyes. "Really? You didn't tell me."
"All witches can produce fire," I insisted. "I've seen my mother do it."
"We can light a fire or candle, but nothing that could harm a vampire," Uncle answered.
"So you're saying Bella is some sort of anomaly," Edward concluded.
"She is the most formidable witch I know of," Uncle stated.
The way both of them were staring at me was making me uncomfortable. I was also having trouble wrapping my mind around all the new information. Everything I once knew appeared to be wrong, and I still didn't know everything.
"Is what Edward said true? Aro has wanted me since birth?" I asked, wondering how long I was lied to.
Uncle Charlie sighed and his face showed every bit of his age. "You were a few months old when you started to show extraordinary levels of magic. In fact, we should have suspected it, since your whole conception was a phenomenon." He hesitated before continuing. "When your mother met my brother, they did mate; however, she was already pregnant. We don't know who your father is…or if you even have one. But getting back to Aro, as I said you showed a lot of power at birth. My sister, Renata, became very jealous, as she viewed herself as an immensely powerful witch—she had a strong shield. She ran off one day, and when she came back, it was with the Volturi guard in tow, and she was a vampire. We managed to escape, but not without losing my parents and Renée's mother. When we settled, it took the three of us to bind your magic until your eighteenth year, and even then, you still had some magic."
"And my father…or the man I thought was my father, how did he die?" I asked.
"My brother loved you as his daughter, Bella, make no mistake. He gave his life for you and your mother when there was another vampire attack. Renée was stubborn and refused to let me help. She insisted if she stayed in large cities and sunny areas, you'd be safer. When she was discovered by a priest, she again sacrificed herself as a lone witch to hide you. She attempted to contact me, but I didn't arrive in time to find you. You had disappeared, and I had no idea where to start looking or even if you were still alive. I also found myself being watched, so I decided it was best that I didn't search for you," he explained with sorrowful eyes.
My head throbbed and I was feeling overwhelmed—I had to get out of here. I could feel my pent-up energy and I was afraid I was going to snap. I stood and walked out the back door and directly into the woods.
"Mía Bella?" Edward sounded close behind me.
"Edward, you should stay back. I'm not in control of myself at the moment," I told him through a strained voice.
"You can't hurt me, love. Remember, we are mates," he said calmly.
"For all I know that is a lie too. What if I do hurt you? My whole life has been one enormous falsehood," I said in frustration as I kept walking.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I don't know. I need to…" I spotted a dead tree, already partially uprooted from the ground.
I flicked my wrist and a fireball appeared in my hand. I hurled it at the tree and watched it burst into flames and dissolve into ash, without catching anything else surrounding it on fire.
"Feel better?" Edward asked, touching my hand.
I turned and realized I was several feet off the earth. Edward's arm was stretched out as far as it could go in order to touch me. I lowered myself back to the ground and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. His calming scent relaxed me.
"I'm a freak even among witches," I mumbled.
"No, you're not, you're extraordinary." Edward combed my hair with his fingers. "I also don't think we're a lie."
I pulled back so I could look into his eyes. "If they didn't bind my magic, I could've saved you myself. We could've been together all these years."
"As much as I hate that we'd been separated for all these years, it's all said and done at this point. No one did this deliberately to hurt us. Mainly, everything that has been done was to protect you," he reasoned, sounding so sensible. "Do you want to go back so you can finish eating or do you want to do something else?"
"I'm no longer hungry, what do you have in mind?" I asked.
"I would like to take you someplace I think you'd like. Can you run fast?" he asked, excitement building in his eyes.
"Nowhere as fast as you," I admitted.
"Then I'll give you a ride, climb on." He gestured to his back.
My curiosity got the better of me and I was starting to catch on to his excitement, so I hopped on, wrapping my arms and legs around him. I was barely settled before he took off running. At first, everything blurred around me, disorienting me, then I got used to the movement.
CS
Edward came to a sudden stop in the middle of a large meadow. I slid off his back so I could explore. Even though the sun had set I could tell the grass was filled with flowers. I heard a small stream even though I couldn't see it. Above us, the sky was clear and filled with stars.
"I like to come here when I need time alone to escape everything and need some quiet from everyone's thoughts," Edward said.
"You have your own meadow." I smiled.
"Our meadow. You are more than welcome to it." He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "We can come here whenever you want."
"I love it. It's so peaceful," I said.
I took off my shoes so I could feel the grass between my toes. I twirled around a few times before settling on a small knoll and leaned back to watch the stars. Edward dropped next to me, lying on his side to face me. I felt our bond vibrate with excitement being so near and my arousal grew. I shifted closer until we were almost touching.
Edward's eyes darkened and he grazed his nose in my hair before whispering in my ear. "Feeling better?"
"Yes. I hope all the secrets are out now," I said with a sigh and played with a button on his shirt.
Edward's smile faltered slightly, and he appeared unsure about something.
"What?" I asked worriedly.
He ran his hand through his hair and grimaced. "It's not exactly a secret so much as I haven't had a chance to tell you. Mainly because I didn't want you disappointed in me."
"Tell me, please. I don't want anything unsaid between us," I implored.
"Not long after I was first changed, I questioned my existence, mainly Carlisle's decision to hunt animals rather than people." He stopped to gauge my reaction.
"So you hunted humans," I stated calmly, trying to figure out how I felt about his revelation.
"Yes. I told myself what I was doing was okay, since I only went after murders, rapists, men who abused women and children—"
"You were a hero?" I smiled a little.
He shook his head. "I was no hero, Mía Bella. I had no right to play judge and jury over those men. I acted like a soulless monster."
"Edward Anthony Masen…Cullen, don't say that about yourself. You have a beautiful soul—I can see your aura clearly. You would not feel guilt over it either if you were soulless." I reached out and touched his cheek.
"You're not disappointed in me?" he questioned, leaning into my palm.
"No, my love, stop thinking of all the lives you have taken and remember all of those you have saved. As you told me not too long ago, it's all said and done at this point. And you have changed your ways," I told him soothingly.
I pressed my lips against his, and he rolled us so I was on my back with him above me. He was gentle not to put his weight on top of me. As the kiss grew more passionate, his chest rumbled with a small purr. I whisked our clothing away so there was nothing between our skin. His member throbbed against my thigh.
He pulled away to allow me to take a breath and nuzzled my cheek. "Are you going to be comfortable?"
"Mmhmm," I confirmed.
But after a slight change of mind, I conjured the softest cloudlike mattress beneath us. Edward quirked an eyebrow and looked around us. I gave him a sheepish grin and he chuckled.
"You're gorgeous in the moonlight." His hand ghosted up my silky white skin and cupped my breast. "No more magic, let me worship you."
I nodded in agreement. I closed my eyes and enjoyed as his hands and tongue explored my body. My breath hitched when he hooked my leg over his hip. He thrusted inside of me in an even stroke. I clutched on to his shoulder as his speed increased. A sensation which could be only described as an explosion coursed through me.
"Open your eyes," he instructed.
I did as he asked, expecting him to be looking back at me with the same euphoric feeling that I was still feeling. Instead, he was looking at me in astonishment.
"We said no magic." He quirked an eyebrow.
"I didn't." I felt confused.
"Look down," he said, glancing over my shoulder.
I turned my head and gasped in shock to see we were both miles above the ground. Suddenly the spell had broken, and we were hurtling down to earth. Edward grabbed me and twisted so he landed first. I caught us at the last second and slowed us enough that we landed lightly on the mattress. It still exploded on impact, sending a cloud of feathers around us.
"Mía Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked, sitting up and cradling me to his chest.
"Yes, I promise I didn't know I did that. Are you alright?" I asked.
He laughed and pulled a feather out of my hair. "A little in shock. I think you have to agree now your uncle was right about you being able to fly. You should practice to learn more control."
"I wouldn't know where to start," I confessed, then looked around to find the source of a strange melody. "What is that?"
"My phone, more specifically Alice." He went to get his phone out of his pants.
"We are fine, Alice," he said into the phone, not even greeting her. "You mean you didn't see…never mind. Alright, we will meet you all there."
"What didn't Alice see?" I asked.
"I thought she got a vision of us falling. She tries to turn a blind eye to private moments, but it's not always avoidable, like my mind reading." Edward gave me a sheepish smile.
"Maybe there's a way if you practice?" I suggested.
"I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. Alice really called me to remind me about meeting everyone. She saw us running late."
"I guess we should get going then." I was disappointed.
I cleaned our mess and got us dressed in a blink of an eye. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the blonde vampire. She had a way of getting under my skin. Edward, sensing my reluctance, hugged me from behind.
"We can come here whenever you like," he promised.
"All that is missing is our house," I commented, then felt guilty he might not want to mar the beautiful landscape with a building.
"We could build. I have no clue how to, but I'm willing to bet Emmett does, maybe even Jasper." He looked enthused by the idea.
"You want to build us a home?" I felt happier than I had since I found out he was alive. I didn't bother telling him, I could do it all by magic and take that away from him.
Edward kissed the top of my head. "It would be nice to have a place of our own."
"Yes, it would," I agreed.
A/N: Quite a bit going on in this chapter. Bella is finding out that there's a lot she doesn't know and things she thoughts she did might not be true, mainly due to an overprotective mother.
At least they got some fun in before the end of the chapter.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.