Chapter 6. Conspirer

Words are scarce when I attempt to compare waking up in an actual bed to my previous existence. On top of which, I have two words for you:

Penthouse. View.

It's like being on top of the world here. Which is ironic, don't you agree? I didn't sleep. I have no need to. If I had, I'm certain I would have dreamt of Isabella and visions of a life completely opposite the one I've lived up to now. As it is, I took complete satisfaction in simply lying here all night. Doing nothing. Hearing nothing.

It was priceless.

For the past hour or so, I've been anxiously awaiting the sunrise. As it begins to glow, higher and higher before me, I let its brightness cover my face, and I shut my eyes to appreciate its warmth.

I don't recall the last time I experienced the sun or felt its powerful rays against my skin.

Something about it is relaxing. Soothing. Much like having Isabella's body pressed against mine on a random dance floor while slow, calming music plays for us.

Admittedly, I hadn't expected to feel much of anything on my trip above ground except for the satisfaction of being free for a while . My goal was to break away from what I have to do and finally take the opportunity to do something I want to do.

Whatever I want. Whenever I want.

I figured I would experience a drunken stupor so I could forget about the millions of souls I'm held accountable for on a day to day occasional slice of delicious food, perhaps. But human connection?

The entire encounter with Isabella last night has me rethinking every assumption I've ever made about the human race.

It's always been a given to me that the many thousands of souls in my domain deserved to be there. After meeting one who seems so innocent in so many ways, I wonder how many more might be like her or whether she's some sort of exception to the rule.

I swing my legs over the side of the king size bed. I scratch the mop of hair on the top of my head and make my way over to one of the balconies I now appear to own. Outside, I lean on the railing and look over the city below.

I breathe in.

I close my eyes.

I listen.

I feel.

And then I sense her.

"There you are," I whisper to the morning sky. The tingling chill she tends to thrust upon me begins to form, and I know she's at a park of some sort, about five to six miles away.

Time has no meaning to me, but for humans, it's rather early. I cannot help but wonder what reason she has for not only being awake at this hour, but for being out and about as well.

On my way back inside to find a shower, I stop to think on something Isabella had said the night before; about how Edward Cullen keeps women in his dungeon.

It's an absurd thing to try and replicate something like that here on Earth, where they have absolutely no idea what a dungeon is. Not really. And there is most definitely not one here in this apartment.

Rumors, indeed.

I appreciate the archaic humor in people getting one's persona wrong.

"Welcome to my world," I tell the vampire, although I'm fairly certain he cannot hear me. I shower and find myself something that might be construed as "casual" from the closet. I go to leave and see what Isabella is up to, but I'm stopped short by the ringing that comes from somewhere inside the apartment. When I find the telephone responsible for the irritating noise, I'm not sure if I want to answer it but find myself doing just that.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Ed. How'd it go last night?"

I clear my throat. I have no idea who this is or what he's talking about, much less how to answer him. Then a name suddenly pops into my head.

"Emmett?"

How did I know that?

"Anyone else come through for you like a champ, last night?"

Hmmm.

When I don't answer, he elaborates. "The girl?"

Ah.

This must be the man-servant. I deduct that he may also be the large door guardian from the bar. I'll have to react cautiously.

"It wasn't the right time."

"I'm sorry, I think I just heard you wrong, was that a no?"

I'm not quite sure how to play this out. If I allow this human man-servant, or whatever he is to question me, I'm setting the tone for future conversations. If I'm too abrasive, I may give myself away. For all I know, the vampire allows his employees to treat him this way on a regular basis.

"Hellllooooooo," he sings from the other end of the phone. "Do you have any idea how much trouble it was to find-"

Instinctively, I react how I would if anyone ever spoke to me this way. "If I say it's not the right time, then it's not the right fucking time, Emmett."

I hear him huff on the other end of the line.

"Typical," he says and then apparently, all is forgotten. "Hey are you swinging by today or… sorry… is it not the right time for that either?"

Or maybe not.

His sarcasm is grating on my nerves.

"I don't know yet," I tell him. "If I do, I'll be sure to find you."

And send you so far into the depths of the underworld that you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face unless I set it on fire.

"Ok, later then."

He hangs up before I can reply, and I'll admit, I'm grateful. I have much more important things to deal with than the bar industry. I grab the keys to the BMW and head out. As I'm in the elevator, waiting to reach the lobby, I wonder about this Emmett. Human? Vampire? Does it matter? Not really, I decide. He's a side note. But one I'll need to keep an eye on.

Once downstairs, I've already forgotten the exchange. I drive to where I now know Isabella is with several animals she's either stolen or owns, I'm not sure which. After I park, I find her, sitting on a bench, alone, watching several canines as they run after one another throughout the spacious grounds.

So, she collects purses and creatures.

Duly noted.

I start to approach her but think twice and pause to simply observe her for a bit.

She looks very interested in her phone for a while. She types frantically and then scrolls through whatever it is she's found. She gets up and throws some toys for the hyperactive animals, then paces as she waits for them to return to her again, while scrolling through her phone.

Once she sits down again, her foot bounces like she's anxious or nervous about something. She rubs at the back of her neck and stretches it out. As her head tilts, I appreciate the milky skin she's exposing.

To me, it seems.

And I'm drawn to it.

It's not until I'm just behind her that I notice I've closed the space between us. Before I can let her name escape my lips again, she somehow hears me and spins in surprise.

"Holy-" not quite. "Edward." Her hand flies to her chest. "What in the world are you doing here?"

The way her breasts heave as she attempts to catch her breath causes me to notice other things about her this morning. She's no longer wearing a long sleeve hoodie, but is now in a short sleeve t-shirt with a deep V in the neckline.

Lucious.

Her skin glows as the sun breaks through a cluster of clouds over head.

Everything about her is so different in the sunlight.

Her eyes for example. Definitely green. The deepest green I believe I've even known. And her lips. So red. My eyes move to her neck then. I swear I can hear her heartbeat and its rhythm causes my focus to blur.

"Edward?"

"What?" I snap back into the present and realize I'm staring. "Sorry, I was out and about, and saw the herd of animals over here. When I realized that was you sitting alone, I thought I'd come say hello to the odd woman with multiple handbags. Which I notice are not accompanying you this morning."

She lets out an absolutely beautiful laugh and her smile lingers.

I shiver from the chill she gives me, again.

"You are so weird," she says before whistling at her canines.

I'm the weird one. Really? "I'm not the one who collects odd things like purses and… dogs apparently."

She begins putting leashes on each one as they run up to her. "They're not mine," she advises with an expression that questions why I would ever think such a thing. "I'm dog walking."

One of them sees me and lets out a menacing growl.

"Barkly. That is not nice," she tells him but he doesn't listen to her. And when he bares his teeth at me, I bare mine back. He whimpers and sits.

"Good boy," Isabella and I both say at the same time.

She scratches his head to show him some affection. I raise an eyebrow at the beast and when the rest of the mongrels approach, they fall in line quite quickly. Most want to throw an unapproving glare my way as well, but none follow through on it. Not when they meet my gaze and realize I could snap their necks in a split second for disrespecting me.

"Okay, everyone ready?" she asks them as though she expects an answer. Which further proves my theory that there is something a bit off about her.

Not even my hounds in Hell speak, for Satan's sake.

"I'll walk with you," I insist as she begins to leave, but she makes a pishing sound at me.

"Oh, no, you've got your car," she waves. "I'm good. Besides-" she tugs on the leashes in her hands- "I don't think anyone will be bothering me with these guys around."

I would not be so sure about that.

"Clearly."

As she begins to go again, my stubborn side shows itself. "However," I say as I catch up to her, "I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you go off on your own, alone. Not in this neighborhood."

The perplexed gaze on her face snatches away the greatness of my noble offer.

"Did I offend you?"

"Edward?"

"Yes."

"I live in this neighborhood."

"Oh. Well..." I can only make one feeble attempt at a smile to gloss over the ass I just made of myself. And I thought the underworld was difficult. "You probably don't need an escort, then."

Isabella breathes out a short chuckle.

"Have a great day, Edward." She tries to hide a grin but I see it and I know there's hope.

The dogs are now pulling her against all her might as though they want to get her as far away from me as possible. I'm fairly sure she doesn't know what she's doing half the time, but she's amusing, to say the least.

And I have to say, I never knew humans could be so… content. They've always seemed like such depressed creatures to me - expecting everything, complaining when it's not handed to them on a silver platter. In hindsight, I think that perhaps that had something to do with the surroundings I was able to observe them in.

Being around the types of souls I've kept company with over the past millennia, you'd think I would be mostly attracted to the same sort above ground, but I find I rather enjoy Isabella's company whether in a dark, stuffy, crowded bar at night, or here, in the brightness of day, where I can appreciate the fullness of her innocence.

She's not something I've ever experienced before.

Now that I am experiencing it, I'm not sure if I'm willing to give her up just yet.

Or maybe at all.

I have six days until my brother will come find me.

Six days to come up with a way to avoid that happening.

PSA: I get why some of you thought Poseidon might be Emmett but, nope. Hey, thanks go out to Sue, and to Chrisann, and to you for reading. I don't have a song for this one. Hashtag fail.