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Chapter Four: Fear
"If you damage my truck," Rose began, "I'll damage your face."
Emmett laughed as he climbed into the driver's side and, seconds later, the engine roared to life. Rose had only agreed to let Emmett drive as Bella seemed to be on the verge of quiet hysteria. Her eyes were focused on something in front, unseeing. Her mind was whirring, and Rose could sense her panic.
Rose got in the back with her, keeping one arm around Bella as Emmett drove them back home.
When they pulled up outside their house, Bella unstrapped her seatbelt and walked straight towards the house, not saying a word to either Rose and Emmett.
Getting out of the truck at the same time, they watched Bella ascend the stairs.
Standing at the top, she turned around to face them. "I'm going to bed," she whispered, not waiting for a response before she heading inside, the door shutting behind her.
Rose watched her retreating figure, and her heart filled with sadness for the pain she was going through. And knowing there was nothing she could do, did little to help.
A deep voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
She turned to see Emmett stood at the front door, arms crossed over his massive chest and eyes twinkling with mirth.
"No," Rose told him. She stepped away from him and began to walk up the stairs, trying to ignore the way she tingled all over just from simply hearing his voice.
Emmett let out a deep groan, and Rose's body betrayed her as she quivered at the sound. "Are you trying to make me hard?"
She spun around, mouth open—she couldn't believe he had just said that to her. "What the hell?" Anger seared hot in her veins, his words enraging her.
She thundered down the steps and stalked up to him, hands on her hips.
Emmett leaned down, and Rose began to regret her decision to stand so close. She could smell him; warm leather and coffee, a combination that made no sense but worked for him. It slid up her nose and made her brain foggy, clouding her judgement as the urge to kiss him got so strong that she took a step forward before realising what she was doing.
"That porch has played a major part in most of the fantasies I have about you, and seeing you walk towards it, swaying those delicate little hips of yours, does all sorts of things to me." His eyes were dark and his smile wicked.
"You're impossible," she told him, desperately trying to remind herself not to kiss him.
Her insult didn't deter his smile in this slightest. "Goodnight, Rosie—don't let the bedbugs bite." His words were quiet in the night, and he bent down, putting himself at eye level with her. He got so close that she thought he was going to kiss her. The idea made her heart speed up.
His wicked smile turned into a sexy one as he finished off his previous statement. "That's my job."
Rose suppressed the urge to moan as Emmett sauntered back two steps, winked at her, and then sped off into the night.
For a few moments, all Rose could do was stand on the porch and stare at the spot Emmett had been. "Un-fucking-believable," she whispered to herself.
She shook her head and walked into the house, closing the front door behind her and letting out a sigh.
Rose, Bella whispered into her mind. Can you come upstairs—I don't want to be alone.
I'm coming, Rose told her, heading straight for Bella's bedroom.
The door was open when she got to the room, and Rose saw that Bella had changed into one of Edward's t-shirts that she had managed to 'borrow' from him. Her cousin was hugging a pillow to her chest, and in the dim light, Rose could make out tear tracks on her face.
Without hesitation and not even bothering to change out of her work uniform, which she was sure smelt of grease, Rose kicked off her shoes and lay next to Bella on her side, their faces close as she reached out and grasped one of her hands.
"We'll find him, Bells."
Bella didn't respond; she just nodded and squeezed Rose's hand.
Edward groaned as he began to come to, his body starting to heal the wounds that the weres had inflicted on him. His eyes slowly focused, the severe blood loss taking its toll on him. He was in the back of a van, three weres in total with him, one sat to his left, one to his right, and Zane—from earlier—was sat across from him.
"Wh-what do you want with me?" he asked weakly, causing all three to laugh at him.
He'd been stripped of his shirt and was covered in blood, dried trails of it over his body. He could feel God knows how many bite holes over his skin, and there were chains of silver wrapped around his neck, wrists and feet, the metal cutting into him and adding to his pain.
"You'll find out soon enough," the one to his right muttered. Edward turned to look at him. His brown eyes were sunken deep into his face, his dark hair shaved, and the area around his mouth stained with blood, crusty droplets in the corners.
"I want another taste!" the were to his left cried, pulling himself closer to Edward and baring his teeth.
"No!" Zane shouted. "You know he doesn't want us to drink too much."
The were to his left gnashed his teeth together and let out a groan of frustration. He had another look at Edward and licked his lips.
"Just a little bit!" he tried to reason, his eyes darting from Zane to Edward, his pupils blown and his heart beating rapidly.
Zane considered his request for a moment, his own eyes scrolling down Edward's form before a sickening smile spread across his face. "Alright, one more bite."
Fear crawled up Edward's spine as the were to his left let out a delighted laugh before sinking his teeth into Edward's arm, causing him to cry out. The were to his right licked some dried blood from Edward's forearm before sinking his own teeth in, his greedy mouth pulling as much blood as he could from the wound.
Pricking. Stabbing. Throbbing. Burning. They all described the sensations tearing through Edward's body as more of his blood was drunk. Behind that, he felt their emotions. Their greed and anger raging through his veins.
His vision began to blur, and his head felt too heavy for his neck. It lolled forward and then backwards, hitting the side of the van with a 'thump'. "You're taking too much," he muttered, slurring his words.
Zane stood up, stumbling slightly as the van accelerated. Walking the short distance from one side of the van to the other, he settled his warm hands on either side of Edward's face and pulled his head upwards.
"You'll survive," he growled, forcefully tilting Edward's head to the side and sinking his teeth into Edward's jugular. Edward protested, his muscles clenching as the sharp teeth pierced his skin.
"St-stop…" he mumbled, his mouth struggling to form the words.
He heard laughter and the pull of his blood leaving his body. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he tried to fight the sinking feeling in his gut. Struggling to breathe, Edward's vision shrunk to a pinprick, darkness enveloping him before a sense of euphoria sent him to sleep.
"Oh fuck," were the last words he heard.
Sleep didn't come easily last night for anyone. When Bella eventually did drift off, she was consumed with nightmares of Edward covered in blood, vicious wolves circling him before they lunged. That's when she woke herself up with her own screaming. Rose jolted awake next to her, her hands running over Bella and trying to calm her breathing. At around five a.m., they gave up on sleep.
Neither one of them went to work. Bella sat with her mobile clutched in her hand, both of them desperately wanting to hear something and also dreading hearing it ring.
Currently, they were both sat in the living room, listening as Carlisle informed them of what he was going to do.
"Don't worry, Bella. Once we know what's going on, you'll be the first person to know." His voice was kind and gentle, his blue eyes sincere as he took in Bella's exhausted expression. Her hair was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
"What if you're too late?" she whispered in a small voice.
Carlisle approached her as if she were a child, and he knelt in front of her. "Between maker and progeny, there is a bond. If Edward had been killed, I would have known." Bella flinched at the word 'killed,' but hearing Carlisle's words brought her comfort. Edward might have been harmed, but he was still alive. And that was a tendril of hope she could cling to.
"Why would this Aro person want to take him in the first place?" Rose questioned from her place in the armchair in the corner.
"I'm not sure," Carlisle told them. He didn't know, and none of the theories he'd thought about made any sense. He'd gone through them again and again in his mind, trying to work out why Aro would do something so ballsy.
Seconds later, the doorbell rang, and Rose stood to answer it, her hand gently clasping Bella's shoulder as she passed her.
At the door were Emmett and Jasper, both looking equally delicious. Jasper had his signature Stetson on his head (he didn't seem to go anywhere without it), a long-sleeved top covering his upper torso with jeans and boots finishing up his outfit. Emmett… well, Emmett made Rose want to jump on him and shut the door in his face simultaneously. Emmett was dressed in that damn leather jacket he loved so much, a black shirt underneath, jeans and boots. He looked just like a typical bad boy. And Rose loved it.
"Jasper, come in," Rose said to the blond vampire, stepping to the side as he tipped the front of his hat in her direction.
"Thanks, darlin'." He stepped over the threshold and quickly followed Carlisle's scent into the living room.
"Don't I get an invite, Rosie?" Emmett asked, leaning against the door frame. He already had an invite, he could walk in at any time, but he was teasing her, his eyes twinkling as she glared at him.
Pretending to consider the request for a moment, Rose left him hanging before giving him her answer. "No." She shut the door right in his face, turning on her heel and pretending that the deep chuckle she heard from him didn't annoy the hell out of her.
When she entered the living room, Carlisle had taken a seat next to Bella on the couch and was talking to her in a quiet voice. Jasper was looking at all the photos hanging on the wall.
"Bella, I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to bring Edward home," Carlisle reassured.
"I know," she told him, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
"Edward won't go down without a fight," Jasper said. Edward might not particularly like violence, but he could hold his own. Carlisle had made sure they could all defend themselves.
"But how well can he fight against a vampire older than Carlisle?" Bella asked.
Jasper didn't answer.
She turned to Carlisle. "Please bring him home." Her voice was laced with desperation and her eyes watered.
"I'll do my best," Carlisle told her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't promise her that he would. Aro was a force to be reckoned with, and in a bare-knuckled fight, Aro could punch his way out of anything. But with Jasper and Emmett by his side, Carlisle might stand a chance—if it came to that.
Carlisle gave Bella a final look before standing. "I'll let you know when we get there."
"Thank you," she whispered, not bothering to stand up and see them out but instead leaving that up to Rose.
Carlisle and Jasper left the living room and headed out the front door, Rose following them.
Emmett was sat on the porch steps, his eyes closed (he'd been indulging in a fantasy about Rose). He stood and smiled at Rose, making her insides melt.
He, Jasper, and Carlisle lined up.
"If you need anything, ring Incubus," Emmett said.
Rose nodded and then swallowed. "Be careful," she said to them all; from what she'd heard, confronting Aro was going to be dangerous.
"Give us forty-eight hours," Carlisle told her. "Jacob will know what to do after that."
Rose nodded, crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect herself from the chilly night air. She watched as Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett all looked at each other and then, in a synchronised motion, sped off into the night, the leaves on the ground whipping up around her as they did.
As Rose stood there, alone with her thoughts, Bella too occupied inside, she couldn't help the fear that crept up her spine and chilled her to the bone.
Thank you to Edwardsmate4ever and Twi-Girl83 for their work as my betas.
Poor Edward and Bella; I'm really putting them through it, huh? And it's only chapter four ;)