The next few weeks were uneventful. I was beginning to blend into the background of La Push. Although my appearance made me stand out, everyone seemed to move past that. There wasn't as much staring in school, but the whispering and gossip made up for it. The rumor circling the school is that Edward and I are dating in secret. I didn't know if I found this latest rumor to be funny, or a painful reminder that that would never happen. Of course, anyone brave enough to question me on this, I set the record straight that Edward and I were just friends… if you could call it that.

He was still so hard to read. It was something that annoyed me about him. He could practically read my mind at times, but I remained in the dark as to what he was really thinking or feeling.

Our relationship is questionable, at the moment. Yes, we spent a lot of time together, before school, during school, after school sometimes. All we did was talk, about nothing in particular, but at the same time, everything. Edward was willing to share some details on his likes and dislikes, places he has been, ambitions he has. However, he became silent when the conversation began getting deeply personal. He didn't like talking about his family. I could sense a lot of pain dwelling behind his dark eyes.

He would speak even less about anything that deals with the Quileute legends.

It was a rare, sunny afternoon. School had just let out for the day. Edward and I were doing our usual. Hanging out on my front porch. We worked on our homework in silence for a while, but something was off today. Edward was so tense. His eyes kept fanning out towards the woods. His shoulders were tense.

"Is something wrong?" I asked after a while, peeking up from my notebook.

"No," He muttered, not meeting my gaze. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope,"

I narrowed my eyes at him, finding lack of attention infuriating. "Alright, well I think I'm going to head out. I have some things to do." I said standing up and collecting all my books and papers off the porch.

Edward lifted his chin, his eyes staring intently at me now. "Where are you going?"

"Into town, I need to pick up some groceries."

"I could just have Emmett pick you up what you need. You don't have to leave your house today. Not really." He said with his jaw clenched tightly.

"Emmett may be your errand boy, but I'm not about to let him become mine. I can go out and buy my own groceries." I huffed.

Suddenly Edward was on his feet, he backed me up until my back hit the side of the house. He glared down at me, he placed both hands against the house as well, caging me in place. Our bodies didn't touch, but he was so close that I could feel his breath roll over me. I shivered at the warmth radiating off of his body. His expression was something close to anger, but I could note an ounce of anxiety behind his tough guy act.

"Listen to me, any other day would have been fine. But not today. I won't let you leave. It's not safe." His voice was strained. His arms trembled slightly.

With him being so close, my thoughts became a jumbled mess. My heart pounded heavily in my chest. I tilted my head up slightly to lock my gaze on his. We stared at each other for a while. My blushing face and his stubborn glare. We reached an impasse.

"Tell me why," I muttered quietly.

"If I could, I would. But you wouldn't believe me. It's better this way." He said finally letting his hands drop down to his sides. He leaned back away from me slightly, giving me some space to take a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"It's not fair, I know I'm being kept in the day here. Charlie practically came out and said it a few weeks ago. I was born here, even though I didn't live here on the reservation for long, it doesn't change the fact that I'm a La Push resident." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Unfortunately it isn't up to me to decide," He grumbled, looking back towards the tree line again. It was as if he was waiting for an enemy attack. His eyes scanned through the area over and over. I could tell something had him on high alert today. I just wanted to know what. What would it take for me to be let in on this secret?

There was something I could try, although I might feel a bit ridiculous trying something like this. I doubt I would be any good at it. But in a lot of books I've been reading lately, women tend to get the answers they are looking for, with a bit of flirtation. It may be worth the try. No one is around to make fun of me. It was just Edward and I.

With a sigh, I tried to get myself into character. I gazed at Edward from under my eyelashes. "Please Edward, please tell me the secret." I captured a soft voice and fluttered my eyelids slowly.

A hard shiver rolled down Edward's body, causing him to tremble. He bit down on his bottom lip, watching me closely. His hand came out hesitantly, to brush a few strands of hair from my face. His hand lingered on my cheek, cupping it gently.

"Bella… I can't," He said in a hushed tone.

I tried to make my smile alluring. "Of course you can. You would do it for me, wouldn't you?" With a little shift, I leaned forward, causing my top to hang a bit lower, revealing some cleavage.

Edward groaned, looking away from me, but his eyes lingered at my breasts. "You aren't playing fair."

To be honest, I didn't know Edward would even be affected by my body at all. He never looked at me like this before. Not with such obvious interest. My heart squeezed in my chest as his hand slid down from my cheek, down to my neck. Shivers rolled down my spine as his fingertips stopped inches above my exposed skin. Eyes dark with hunger.

I wanted him to go further, there was a strong pull I felt, irresistible and unwavering. Why does he create such a response out of me? It was hard to say who was seducing who at this point. I had already forgotten the reason I was flirting with him in the first place.

I sucked in a breath, holding onto some courage as I placed my hand over his to gently lead his hand down over my breast. This surprised both of us, we both flinched. Edward's cheeks went a bit pink, but a smirk came to his face as his hand lightly squeezed my breast. His touch sent heat down between my legs. I chewed my lip, my face red as well.

"Careful, if this goes any further, I may not be able to control myself." He warned with a strange growl-type sound vibrating his chest. His hand massaged my breast for a moment, before moving to the other one to do the same.

My back arched, enjoying his touch. Pleasure, bliss, I couldn't find the best word to describe what Edward was causing to stir within me. Passion, lust, desperation. The urge to kiss him was intense, but I didn't move a muscle, out of fear that he would stop touching me.

His eyes roamed my body for a moment, but he continued to peek up at my face, gauging my reaction. He seemed delighted, watching me melt, but too soon, he was pulling his hand away and putting some distance between us.

"You stopped," I said breathlessly.

"It's not like I wanted too, but it looks like we got some company." He sighed, turning his sights to the tree line. This time Emmett jogged into view. A tense look was on his face. I could tell something was wrong.

Edward frowned, stiffening as Emmett approached us.

"It's them, they just arrived at Forks. I think the leader wants to talk with you." Emmett said with a look of distaste.

"Who arrived?" I raised a brow, watching the two of them.

"It's nothing you need to worry about for the moment, but when I get back, I'll explain everything. It's likely things are going to start changing around here." Edward's lips pressed together in a tight line as he stood up.

I pulled myself up as well. "Wait, where are you going?"

Edward quickly made his way down the porch steps, but he paused at the bottom to look up at me. His eyes softened. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I need to take care of some things."

I was getting really tired of his cryptic replies. But his promise to fill me in, on what was going on, kept me from asking any further questions.

I sighed heavily. "Alright, just… be careful." I had the feeling that whatever the two of them were up to, was dangerous. The way Emmett stood there, full of silent fury and anxiety. There was no doubt in my mind that something was about to happen. I just wished that Edward wouldn't get involved in it. The thought of him getting hurt terrified me.

"No worries Bella, I won't let anything happen to him. You have my word." Emmett said with a serious nod in my direction.

Edward smiled at me briefly, before turning his back and jogging with Emmett out of sight. Once I could no longer see them, I heard a strange noise coming from the woods. The sounds of clothes shredding, then menacing growls. There was some ruffling in the trees, the crunching of sticks and leaves, then utter silence.

I can't believe he left. Just like that. He left his school work here. So I knew there would definitely be a reason for him to come back. But the hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach was hard to ignore. I needed to distract myself. I would likely go insane if I kept worrying. He said he would be back as soon as possible. I trusted him. I didn't know why, but deep inside my heart, I trusted Edward with every fiber of my being.

Just stay calm and breathe.

Gathering up our homework, I went inside, hoping to find something productive to do. I had wanted to go get some groceries, but Edward didn't want me to leave the house. Besides, I should wait here for him to get back. Wouldn't want him to get upset with me.

My thoughts returned to his hands on my breasts, shivers rolled down my spine as my face ignited. I can't believe that happened.

Edward's Point of View

I felt the wind blowing harshly against me as Emmett and I ran through the woods towards the boundary line. The earth beneath my feet still felt damp from the rain that hit yesterday. The clouds seemed to prevent the sun from fully drying out the forest terrain. The dampness in the air held a putrid smell. Something very sweet and unnatural. Vampires were near. Anger boiled through my veins, pushing me to run faster. I pulled ahead of Emmett easily as I bounded through the forest. My senses went into overdrive as I scanned the area. I followed the sickenly sweet aroma, knowing who awaited at the end of the trail.

Rosalie, Jasper and Alice fell into pace at both sides of me. Our mental link was in full effect, as they conversed between each other.

How many are there? Alice thought. She always had such a peppy, light-hearted voice, yet her thoughts carried a dark undertone today. Alice usually wasn't overly bothered by vampires, but her distaste for them was growing steadily.

Seven bloodsuckers and one human. Emmett's thoughts cut through the rest of the voices.

A human, that's unusual. Must be their pet, or something, sick bastards. Jasper interjected.

Enough. We are almost there. I commanded.

Silence fell upon the group in an instant. I couldn't focus with all their chattering. If this conversation didn't go well, we needed to be ready for anything. The image of Bella came to me, along with a twist in my chest. The events that played out before Emmett arrived was something that I had wanted to keep to myself, but of course I couldn't get it out of my head. The firm curse of her breasts. So delicate and perfect under my hand. I briefly felt the slightest bulge of her nipple pressing into my palm.

Making it really hard to focus, Edward. Emmett commented with an edge of amusement to his thoughts.

Seriously, I didn't think Bella was the type to make the first move. Impressive. Rose added with a snide glance in my direction.

Come on guys, we are coming into sight of the boundary line, stay vigilant. Jasper scowled the others.

I was relieved that he spoke up. I didn't know if I should feel more embarrassed or furious. I really hated this mental link at times. There was no privacy. In the future I would need to be more careful with the direction of my thoughts. But I couldn't think of that now. As we approached the boundary line, I took a cautious step in front of the others. I would be the one to speak directly with the group. So I would be the only one to phase back into human form.

Emmett had an extra pair of shorts tied to his leg. Once I was back on two legs, I took them from him and quickly put them on. They all averted their eyes until I was decent.

I kept my eyes on the leeches the whole time, not giving them any opening for a frontal attack. Although, none of them seemed threatening. They all wore emotionless masks as I marched over.

The one blood sucker stepped forward, skin as white as snow, he offered me a calm smile. Although I noticed the strain it was for him to put it there. He had short blonde hair, obviously the oldest of the group. His strange golden eyes stayed on my face as he offered his hand out to me.

"My name is Sam," His tone was civil, not overly friendly, or arrogant. "This is my family." He gestured to the others behind him when I refused to shake his hand.

Family? What a joke. Rose snorted in distaste.

"We are here to name the conditions of the treaty," I stated plainly.

"Of course, will it remain the same as it was in the past, or did you have anything else in mind?" Sam responded, another forced smile.

"Stay off our land, do not feed off the blood of humans and keep our true identities secret. However, it looks like that part of the treaty is already broken." I commented as my eyes landed on the only human amongst the monsters.

"Actually, this girl learned the truth on her own, I assure you no one gave her any information." Sam nodded firmly.

"Regardless, I'd like to know why she is even here."

"She is Paul's mate, Rachel"

I glanced over to where the girl stood, clinging tightly to one of the leech's arms. He stood near the back, massive and intimidating. He looked like he could cause us some trouble. His muscles were over-the-top. As if he was some kind of body-builder. It made the small, timid-looking girl on his arm, look that much more ridiculous

That's unnatural. The poor fool is probably being brainwashed. There is no way a human could love a blood-sucking demon. Jasper thought, letting out a low rumble from his chest.

Alice shifted to his side a bit, resting her head on his shoulder. It seemed to calm him down a bit. But I couldn't help but feel disgusted as well. I've never heard of something so absurd. A human in love with the very creature that will kill her. It was almost too sad to even accept.

I noticed a boy, who was standing close to Sam, flinched slightly as a glare came to his face. He stared towards Jasper with clear outrage. As if he heard every word Jasper had thought in his mind. That thought was highly unsettling. Surely not possible. His eyes now narrowed on mine.

"I can read minds, not that it is your business." He snapped at me.

The boy had odd bronze hair and like the rest of them, he was as pale as a ghost. The sight of him sent a feeling of anger. I wasn't sure why. Just something about him made me hate his guts. I didn't trust the look in his eyes.

Sam turned to the boy with a look of disapproval. "That's enough Jacob."

Interesting. This blood-sucker being able to read my own thoughts was unnerving. I struggled to keep my thoughts on light topics. La Push had many secrets entrusted to me. They had no right to hear them.

Best to wrap this up as soon as possible.

Reluctantly I took a couple steps closer, retrieving the paper treaty from Sam's hands. I scribbled my signature on the dotted line and shoved it back into his filthy hands. He raised a brow, but did the same as me. He signed the paper, along with the rest of his clan. There was no more idle chit chat. It was strictly business. It was a relief to see them leave. But there was a lingering scent in the area. It wasn't them. Possibly another leech was near?

Fan out. Search the area. There is something else out here.

My chest felt tight as I dropped my pants and phased back into wolf form. Quickly I ran towards the scent. The closer I got, the more sure that it was another vampire. The image of Bella entered my thoughts again. Panic raged through my body as I realized the trail was leading us back into the reservation.

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read this! Let me know what you all think so far.