33. Resignation
Bella started to cry as I stalked away. I hardened my heart and tried not to care. She was going to die, and then her child was going to die, and then I would die, and then no one in my family would ever be the same, and there was nothing I could do about any of it.
Even if I didn't kill it, someone would. The demon-child's life was doomed. Even with the blood she was drinking improving her health, we were all doomed.
The blood which strengthened her also strengthened it, and it had been bruising her for weeks already. As it grew in strength, more broken bones would follow this first one. Would the next rib splinter off and puncture a lung? Would it crack her spine? Would it do what I had been so afraid of on our wedding night and shove her ribs into her heart?
Instead of going downstairs, I went into my room. Sitting on the golden bedding, I remembered with perfect clarity the night she had agreed to marry me. Her life had been in danger then, too. In truth, her life had been in danger from the moment we'd met. One way or another, it had been her fate to be killed by me or because of me, and every time I'd tried to prevent that fate, a new, worse danger had arisen.
I laid back on the bed we'd shared only a few times and tried to understand how she could do this to me.
Why she would.
Maybe, like everything else, it was my fault. Hadn't I badgered her about human experiences often enough? Hadn't that been her argument to me the night she'd agreed to marry me? She'd wanted a human experience: losing her virginity to the man she loved. She'd agreed to marry me, and I'd agreed to make love to her, but still I had tried to convince her of the human experiences she was giving up. I had tried to convince her that she would miss going to college, starting a career, having a child.
I groaned at my stupidity. Of course this was my fault!
My gift had caused me so much grief over the past century by allowing me to see and hear the thoughts of those around me. As a vampire, watching and listening were all I was capable of. Acting on what I witnessed was against the law.
Telepathy: what a useless gift!
I wasn't the only one whose gift caused them pain. Although I witnessed the emotions of those around me, Jasper would physically feel their emotional pain as though it were his own, but at least his gift had a useful aspect. At least he could cause others to feel whatever he wanted. If someone was grieving, he could ease their grief, and no one would be the wiser.
Not even Jasper truly knew how awful it was to be forced to watch the atrocities humans enacted upon each other while the laws of our kind prevented me from doing anything about what I saw - not without becoming a killer again. I already knew what going down that path would cost.
Alice, too, suffered from her gift. How often during the decades between her transformation and Jasper's defection from Maria's army had she been forced to watch the possibility of his death? More often than I had watched Bella's, to be sure. Emmett might complain about being left out when we used our gifts, but he had no idea how lucky he was to be so normal.
Be careful what you wish for, Rose had said to me. I snarled in fury at the memory. Yes, I had almost everything I'd ever wished for. I used to wish for a mate, for a wife like my father and brothers had, and now I had Bella for my very own wife. I had wished for the child we had all believed was impossible, and now Bella was pregnant with my spawn.
Again and again I had wished that I could read her thoughts the way I heard everyone else's, though of course, that hadn't happened.
Bitterly, I wondered what would happen if I wished for the power to turn back time. If I could, I would go back to our wedding night and bite Bella, as I had come so close to doing. If I had changed her then, the creature would never have existed.
Ridiculous. I might as well wish to be human again.
Though that would do me no good either if I lost Bella anyway. It would just make it easier to kill myself once she died.
Did I dare wish for that to not happen? I couldn't allow myself to hope she would live; it seemed so impossible. But then, everything about our relationship was exactly that! Our love was impossible. Not just for a vampire to fall in love with a human, but for the human to know what he was and still love him back. It had seemed impossible for me to stop drinking her blood when trying to save her from James's bite, but I had. It had seemed impossible for her to still want me after my betrayal, but she had. It had seemed impossible for me to make love to her without killing her, but I had.
Of course, that had led to the current impossible situation: Bella, pregnant with my child. Despite overcoming all of those impossibilities, I was sure that unlike before, her death was guaranteed. I saw no way for her to overcome the impossible this time.
I could hear her struggling heart even now. It was sure to give out before she could deliver, and once her heart died, there was nothing that could save her.
Ah, God, how I loved the sound of her heart! I had listened to it for so long and knew its sound so well I would have been able to pick it out of a crowd, no matter how many others were there. I had listened to it on our honeymoon, and had loved the way it had reacted as we merged our bodies together.
Before Bella had joined me in the water, I had listened to the way its sound had contrasted with the rhythm of the ocean and wondered if it was possible that God had forgiven my sins, after all. How else could I have explained the miracle of Bella's love?
How many heated debates about our souls had Carlisle and I indulged in over the past century? More often than he had tried to convince me that I was not dead. Recently, even though he had not convinced me of either one, he had convinced me they were both possible.
Could he have been right about everything? Dead creatures couldn't breed! It might be a demon, a monster, a killer, but it was a growing one. It was a living one! And I was its father.
I hadn't openly mocked Carlisle whenever I'd found him lost in meditative prayer over the past century, but I'd certainly thought the activity to be quite pointless. Indulging ourselves in prayer was absurd. We were damned, soulless creatures, beyond the point of redemption. Why speak to one who cannot hear? Why bother even trying to speak without a voice?
But if he was right...
I thought back to Elizabeth and tried to recall my childhood. Hadn't we prayed together every night before I slept? As I grew closer to the age when I would be able to enlist, surely she had prayed before every dinner for the horrid war to end before I could join. Well, I had been prevented from joining, hadn't I? Of course, it hadn't happened in the manner she'd hoped, but it had happened. Just as Bella was pregnant, but not with the child of which I'd dreamt.
I closed my eyes and strained to remember what my human mother had told me.
Vaguely, I could recall her explaining why most people were unable hear the Voice of God. They never listened to any voice but their own. Mom had said He was always speaking to us, but it was up to us to listen and learn how to hear. She'd said that was something which He already knew, and He was always listening, if only we would ever bother to speak.
Feeling a tad ridiculous and more than a little hypocritical, I stood from my bed and sank to my knees on the very spot where I had knelt in front of Bella to officially propose on the night she had agreed to be my wife. I closed my eyes, rested my hands on my thighs and bowed my head. It wasn't my voice I wanted to hear, so I didn't speak aloud. It was impossible to avoid hearing the mental voices of my family members, but for the first time since my change, I tried to listen as Elizabeth had taught me, and I prayed with everything in me for Bella to survive the pregnancy. If He had indeed given her to me, I prayed that He be willing to not take her away.
Eventually, I heard Carlisle approaching my room and looked up as he opened the door. He eyed me, surprised to find me on the floor, but before he could speak, I saw the image in his mind of Bella eating crackers.
"She didn't throw up?" I asked, incredulous.
...must have been concentrating hard on whatever he was thinking of to have missed that. "It has been several hours," he said with a shake of his head. "Now that the fetus is getting what it needs, apparently it is allowing her to do the same."
I stood and headed for the door, but rather than make room for me, he put up his hand. I frowned and demanded, "What?"
"Remember what I told you before, Edward. Bella needs you. I know you are angry and scared, but if she is to have any chance at all, you need to rein in your anger. I do not blame you for it, but now is not the time to give into it."
"I hear you," I muttered and slipped past him.
Ignoring Rosalie and Esme when I strode into the living room, I had eyes only for Bella. Since she'd kept her meal down, Carlisle had honored her request and removed the IV. I was sure that had made her happy, at least. Her heartbeat was loud in my ears, louder than it had been before she had drunk the first cupful of blood, though not as steady as it had been before we'd discovered her pregnancy. She eyed me nervously. There was a red rim around her lovely brown eyes. I thought she'd been crying again.
With a sigh, I sank down in front of her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry I've been so angry."
She sniffed, but shook her head with a slight smile. "It's alright. I would be, too."
I brought her hand to my lips, grateful that she had forgiven me as easily as she always did. I put her warm hand against my cheek and admitted to myself that - once again - Carlisle was right. She needed my support, not my anger. If she was going to die within the week, the least I could do was to try to make her last days easier.
"I've left you alone in this."
She laughed softly and shook her head. Her lips thrust into a pout as the crease formed between her brows, and I felt the familiar yearning to know what she was thinking. Before I could ask, she smiled and said in a sour voice, "Marriage."
Even if it was a bitter one, I couldn't help but to smile back at her. "Well, they say the first year is the hardest."
We both laughed, although there wasn't any real happiness in the sound. It was ironic; we'd thought the hardest part of our first year together would be keeping her from killing. Instead, we were struggling to compromise with and understand each other just like any newly married couple. Granted the reasons were far from normal, but still, we were fighting over our futures, just like so many couples did. Just like we had spent our first week on the island fighting.
I sighed in resignation. Yes, we'd fought then, until I had surrendered to what she wanted. Giving her what she wanted had made us both happy. How often did I have to learn that lesson?
"I won't fight with you anymore," I promised. "Whatever you need, just tell me, and I'll do my best to give it to you."
"There's only one thing I've ever needed, Edward. You."
"Well, for better or worse, I'm yours."
My beloved Bella reached for me, and I wrapped my arms around her fragile body, trying to avoid her broken rib and the growing monster inside of her as I pressed my ear against her struggling heart. Eventually she began to fidget, and I looked at her, concerned that I'd hurt her.
"I need a human minute."
"I've got it," Rosalie said and carefully scooped Bella into her arms to take her to use the bathroom.
I sat on the couch with a frustrated groan and glanced toward the front door. Bella's earlier prediction hadn't been far off. Jacob was passed out inches away from the open door, his nose pointed into the direction of the light breeze.
The last time I'd been around Jacob when he slept had been on the mountainside while his body heat had kept Bella alive through the killing cold of a spring blizzard. I'd been fascinated by his dreams then, although every time they had featured Bella, I'd had to fight my irrational desire to end his life.
The images of Bella in his dreams were no longer of the two of them together, but they were just as painful for me to witness, if not worse. This time his sleep was filled with my waking nightmare. He was dreaming of Bella lying still and bloodless while Rosalie cuddled with the fanged infant who had just been born. I would have rolled my eyes if the image hadn't been so horrible. Vampires didn't have fangs.
Alice was sitting beside Jacob, smiling just slightly. Her mind was completely blank, and I frowned, concerned. "Alice?"
She peeked at me and settled herself more firmly against the wall with a sigh. My head doesn't hurt for a change. The... it... makes everything blurry. Jacob makes it impossible to see anything, which is frustrating enough, but at least I'm not pointlessly trying to bring things into focus.
I grunted, thinking it would be nice if I could find something to turn my gift off, at least from time to time. Then again, I'd been granted such a thing; Bella was silent to me. I might not always enjoy what I heard, but not hearing was frustrating, and my gift was useful when I could focus it.
Running a shaky hand through my hair, I tried desperately to block his vivid dreams of ending my life by concentrating on my brothers' thoughts as they continued their fruitless research. They were still going through Carlisle's books, which were proving to be only slightly more reliable than the internet.
Carlisle's ancient books had the benefit of being written in a time when vampires were feared and mistrusted, unlike the ridiculous humans of today who seemed to worship our kind. The things Alice had been forced to filter through were disgusting. Websites that were devoted to vampire-lore - none of which came even close to being accurate - had information gleaned from fiction humans had written, games they had developed, and fantasies they indulged in, but there was nothing to be found which would help us prepare for the birth of the very real creature that Bella carried.
Texts from hundreds of years ago, on the other hand, were no less misinformed about our nature, but they, at least, didn't revere us. They had legends that had been passed down from the times when the human population believed in witches and ghosts, in vampires and other undead creatures, in succubus and incubus and even, occasionally, the children that were created by such creatures. Nothing they found boded well for Bella, however. In every case, no matter how the child was viewed, the birth was fatal. There was never a mention of the mother even surviving as Bella hoped to: as a vampire herself. They all ended in the mother's death. Every single one of them.
I saw Bella eyeing Jacob as Rosalie carried her back to the couch. "He's going to get a crick in his neck sleeping like that. Can't he use your bed, Edward?"
"I've already offered," I reminded her. Knowing how we smelled through their senses, I pointed out, "He's happier where he can breath in the fresh air."
"Well, please get him a pillow at least. He's going to be sore if he stays like that."
Jacob's comfort hadn't occurred to me at all, nor to my family, at least, not in that sense. I could have held the pose in which he currently slept indefinitely and risen from it at any point with no discomfort. However, Bella was still human, and understood what it was to have a mortal body. Since she wanted it, I shrugged and flashed upstairs to grab a pillow. Half expecting him to wake and attack me when I lifted his head, I slid the pillow in place, taking care to keep his nose angled toward the door. Raising an eyebrow, I gestured toward him and asked, "Happy?"
Bella bit her lip. "Maybe a blanket, too?"
Striding over to the couch so I could sit beside her, I grumbled, "You worry too much. He'd swelter under a blanket. Or have you forgotten how high his body temperature is?"
"I guess you're right. It just feels wrong to let him sleep on the floor."
"That's where most dogs sleep," Rosalie muttered. A snort of amusement escaped me. Bella rewarded both of us with a dirty look.
We all sat in silence, pretending to watch the television, but in reality listening to Bella as she emptied her latest cup of blood. When Rosalie handed Bella another refill, I saw my sister's hands trembling and was aware of an echo of her thirst in the dry burning of my throat.
I thought it was good that Carlisle's study was as far from the living room as it was. Even through the closed door, Emmett could smell the blood which Bella held. Jasper's hunt from a few days earlier was helping him, but the main reason he wasn't down here ripping the cup from her hand was that he simply refused to breathe. I kept catching his thoughts lingering on the refrigerator full of blood in the exam room, and worried that he wouldn't be able to resist much longer before he tore its door off and drank every bag it held.
"Alice?"
She opened one eye to peek at me again.
"I know Jacob is helping you to blank your mind, but are you still able to see Jasper? He's not involved with either the fetus or the wolves."
She frowned and shook her head. Not right now. Why do you ask?
I cut my eyes toward the cup in Bella's hand.
Oh. I watched her try to see, but Jacob's proximity had her completely blind. With a sigh, she stood and headed for the stairs. I'll check on him, but I'm coming right back. Jasper's fine, I'm sure, and my head was just starting to feel better.
"Thanks, Alice."
"Sure, sure."
I stifled a laugh, wondering how much longer it would be before I heard the rest of my siblings saying that. Alice did not come back as quickly as she had promised. Instead, she coaxed Jasper to leave the house for a time. Though she knew better than to risk straying too far from our home, I was grateful that they found a place far enough away from me that I could ignore her methods for distracting him from his thirst.
Curling up in a position that didn't look any more comfortable than the one Jacob was in, Bella let her eyes drift shut and dozed on the couch beside me. Rose and I both breathed a sigh of relief that she was resting.
...think we should move her? Wouldn't she be more comfortable in a bed?
"No, Rose," I whispered. "No matter how careful you are, she'll wake if you move her. Just let her rest."
She sighed and glared toward the front door where Jacob was starting to snore. ...even get any rest with that noise.
Jasper and Alice returned while Bella and Jacob slept. He avoided the living room, but willingly went back to his reading - his mind seemed much calmer and able to focus on the material he was reading - while she resumed her place on the floor by Jacob.
Despite Rosalie's certainty that Jacob would end up waking Bella from his snores, the exhausted girl slept the rest of that afternoon and most of the night. A few hours before dawn, Bella stretched and shifted on the couch. She rubbed her eyes and smiled at me blearily.
"Morning," she said around a yawn.
"You had a long sleep," I said in approval.
"Mmm," she agreed as she carefully scooted into a sitting position. Her movements must have woken the thing inside of her, because she gasped and pressed a hand against her stomach. After a moment, it settled down, and Bella's stomach give a very audible rumble of hunger.
"Breakfast time for the human?" I tried to tease.
"Yeah," she said with a nod. "I could definitely eat."
"Anything in particular sound good to you right now, love? Our kitchen is fully stocked."
"Something sweet, I think. And eggs."
"How did I not guess that?"
"I'll take care of it," Esme offered, knowing how much I disliked human food.
"No, it's alright. I've got it." After fighting with Bella so much, I felt a strong need to be able to provide for her in some way.
"How about I help you, then?"
I nodded my ascent and kissed Bella's forehead before joining my mother in the kitchen. As I walked away, Bella asked Rosalie for help getting to the bathroom. I kept tabs on my sister's mind as she carried the my beloved human girl down the hall.
"Ugh, I look hideous," Bella muttered as she eyed herself in the mirror and tucked several lank strands of hair behind her ears.
...not having a beauty contest here... but she'd probably feel better if she cleaned up before she ate.
To my surprise, Rosalie offered, "How about I draw a bath for you?"
"Wow. That sounds fabulous. I feel gross."
I couldn't stop my amused smirk as Bella's nose wrinkled when she plucked at her slept-in clothes.
A vampire's needs were different from a human's, and unless our prey got feisty during a hunt or whenever Emmett, Jasper, and I would roll around in the dirt during a good tussle, I regarded showers more as luxuries than necessities. With Bella on the verge of death, a shower had been the last thing on any of our minds, but now that she wasn't in immediate danger of dying, thought a long soak in a tub would lift her spirits.
While Bella bathed, Esme and I cooked together in silence. I had nothing to say, and since I could read her mind, it wasn't necessary for her to speak, but she didn't hide her pleasure in the fact that I was - at last - trying to help.
A memory I'd thought long lost made itself known to me. As I cooked with Esme, handing her the ingredients I saw in her mind or whisking the batter while she prepared the pans, I could almost imagine I was back in Chicago, making breakfast with my human mother on a Sunday morning. Following my instincts, I altered the recipe Esme had started from pancakes into cinnamon rolls. I was aware of her curious look, but shrugged it off.
Once they were in the oven, the smell of them cooking was familiar to me, homey and warm. The sugar melted and browned in the bottom of the pan, the spices gave off their distinct aromas, and as I waited for the first batch to bake, I realized the recipe my human mother used to make - the one I had instinctively followed - smelled like a combination of Esme and Carlisle.
Standing in the kitchen with a small smile, I breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of the rolls as they cooked. Though I usually detested the smell of human food cooking, the kitchen was full of the scents of cinnamon and caramel, and smelled more than anything like home to me. Or, it did until I detected the stench of burning animal flesh that was coming from the pan of bacon Esme had added to the oven I was using.
Out of curiosity, when I pulled them from the oven, I broke off a corner of one roll and put it in my mouth. Shuddering, I quickly spat it back out and grabbed a cup of water to rinse the taste from my tongue. Even on the rare occasion that human food smelled good, apparently it would never be anything less than revolting to my sense of taste.
Ugh. Yuck! I wouldn't have been surprised if rat tasted better than the horrid stuff I'd just put in my mouth. I thought it likely that even the plastic-smelling pastries Bella enjoyed wouldn't have tasted as vile as the food I had cooked for her. I swished another mouthful of water around before spitting it in the sink with a grimace and another shudder.
"The look... on your face! Oh, Edward! Oh, oh! I don't think... I've ever seen... anything... quite so... funny!" Her giggles making her nearly incoherent, Esme was holding onto the counter with one hand, and her side with the other. The granite was creaking as she dug her fingers into the counter-top.
I shrugged, disgruntled and embarrassed. "Aren't chefs are supposed to taste their food? I was curious," I tried to explain, but only ended up making her laugh harder. Pretending not to care, I cracked some eggs and started them cooking while the first batch of cinnamon rolls cooled and the next ones cooked.
Still snickering, Esme traded one pan of bacon for another.
The smell from the drippings at the bottom of the pan was repulsive and made even the air seem sticky. I could taste the oily residue with each breath. It was hard to believe so much grease had come from the thin strips of cooked flesh. If my face hadn't already worn a look of disgust, I was sure there would be one there now.
Why had I bothered tasting the roll? Human food was gross; I'd known that already.
Emmett strolled into the kitchen. "What's so funny?"
"Edward was curious," Esme said with another giggle. "It didn't end well."
...good to hear someone laughing for a change! Everyone's been so serious lately, I was beginnin' to think I was gonna have to plan a massive family-wide prank to fix things. ...although... not a bad idea, actually...
"Emmett," I groaned. "Now is not the time."
"What're you talking about? Now's the perfect time!"
Finally gaining control over her giggles, Esme eyed my brother. "For what?"
"Never you mind, Esme."
"Em's planning something that I doubt you'd approve of," I said with a smirk.
His eyes widened and he placed a hand on his chest with an air of innocence. "Who, me? I only was thinking how much our family could use a few good laughs."
"Uh-huh. Or maybe just how many laughs you can obtain at our expense?"
"Tsk, tsk, little brother. Don't tell Carlisle, but it's a proven fact that laughter is the world's best medicine. I'm only trying to help." He blinked at me with a guileless smile.
He's got a point. ...think one of the reasons Bella likes Jacob so much is that he makes her laugh.
Furious, I growled at Esme and set the plate I was about to load with food onto the counter with too much force. It broke into several pieces.
"Wonderful." As if I had needed more examples of how much better Jacob was for her than I had ever been.
Dropping his affected innocence, Emmett chuckled, the low and rather sinister sound reminding me that my big bear of a brother was still annoyed at missing out on decades-worth of calling me some variation of a hundred-year-old-virgin and was planning on making up for lost time in some way. As Bella was pregnant with my demon spawn, obviously he could no longer call me that, but I had no doubt that I was about to be subjected to his lewd and vulgar thoughts and comments.
"Just you leave Bella out of it!"
Nu-uh. My newest sister had better get used to what it means to be a Cullen, and that includes a good ribbing by her favorite brother.
"And what makes you think that means you?"
What makes you think it doesn't? I was the one makin' her blush at your reception. Jazz was too busy tryin' to diffuse your raging teenage hormones to pay her any attention.
"Hmph."
He wiggled his eyebrows and leered at me. 'Course, I guess she should be grateful to him for that. Otherwise, I doubt you would've made it past the end of the driveway, if you know what I mean...
"Damn it, Emmett! Bella is days away from dying! Could you please, for once in your life, show me a little respect?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Fine, Eddie. But after Bella's changed, I'm not holding back. Whaddya wanna bet Bella'll be the first vampire in history to blush?"
"Assuming she survives and actually becomes a vampire? If you're foolish enough to antagonize a newborn, don't come crying to me when she accidentally removes a few of your limbs."
"Boys," Esme scolded us with her hands on her hips.
Ignoring our mother, Emmett snickered, his expression cocky and self-confident. "As if! I took on that newborn army while you two were snuggled up in a tent. I didn't lose any limbs then, but every one of 'em that got in my way did. Bella's almost as tiny as Alice. There's no way she'll be a match for me."
With the plate I'd broken cleaned up, and its replacement loaded with a huge bacon and cheese omelet that left very little room for one of the rolls I'd made, I paused and leveled a hard stare at my brother.
"You may call me your little brother, Emmett, but I was already a vampire when you were still soiling your britches and piddling in your bed at night, and I can clearly remember the day you were born into this family. So you've killed a few newborns now. Congratulations. That hardly makes you an expert on living with one. I helped to raise Esme, Rosalie, and you, as well. Trust me when I tell you not to underestimate her."
"I could tell you the same thing, you know."
"Alright, that is enough! Edward, I expect better manners from you. Honestly. Toilet insults, Edward? Really? And you. Emmett, your brother is going through a rough enough time without you making it harder on him."
I glared at my mother, not pleased at being censored.
Emmett's face lost its expression of amusement. "I wasn't, Esme. I was trying to tell him that he should believe in her. He's the one who's convinced she'll die, not me."
"I'm not the only one. Carlisle - "
He snorted, interrupting me. "Saint Carlisle's been a doctor for too long. He's forgotten that sometimes you've just gotta have a little faith."
Swiping the plate of food from my hands, he sauntered into the living room to where Rosalie was just finishing brushing out Bella's hair. No longer hanging limp and lank, after the attention Rosalie had given to it, Bella's hair was shining and lustrous, with the rich chestnut color deepened to nearly black from still being slightly damp.
I could tell she was embarrassed over the attention, but since she couldn't exactly do it herself, Bella had submitted to Rosalie's offer without too much fuss. I could also tell Rosalie was rather enjoying the activity. She had won the argument between herself and Alice over who got to do Bella's hair when Alice had seen Rose gathering her supplies.
Rose had often bemoaned the fact that styling Alice's short hair was just not the same as letting Alice play with her own golden mane. It was her turn, she'd argued, and besides, Alice hadn't been the one to suggest the bath.
She kept glancing at Alice out of the corner of her eyes while my pixie-faced sister pouted and pretended not to notice.
Seeing Emmett coming, Rosalie began gathering up her supplies to return them to her bathroom. Putting on the air of a pretentious waiter, he handed Bella her plate with a flourish.
"I believe you ordered breakfast, Mrs. Cullen?"
"Thanks, Emmett," Bella said with a soft laugh.
"Er, you'll have to forgive me if I don't offer to refill your beverage, though."
"No, that's okay. It's not quite empty," she said as she began to cut off a piece of the omelet.
He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet, and I was aware that his throat was burning with renewed thirst. He had only hunted once since the night of my bachelor party, and was overdue for a hunt. Especially now that he knew he couldn't hunt with the wolves patrolling our hunting grounds, his need was escalating, and the blood in the cup that Bella had been drinking from was hard for him to resist.
Bella seemed oblivious to the fact when his eyes raised from the cup tucked beside her to the visible pulse in her throat, but I was all too aware of what he was seeing.
"Emmett!" I snapped in alarm.
Abruptly, he turned away from her and darted back to Carlisle's study, firmly closing the door behind himself. Although his control was better than Jasper's, he had accidentally killed in the past. There was no need to tempt fate, and I had never been able to forget that Bella was a human in a house full of vampires.
