Thanks to KJ and K for their help with this chapter. All mistakes are mine because I don't leave stuff alone. :D

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong solely to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

From Chapter 9:

As I silently watched Jane saunter back to the front of the plane, I gripped the armrest of my seat with so much force that its leather covering disintegrated in my hand. It took my entire being not to rip her to shreds, but an airplane was not the ideal location for a confrontation with my sister. Running my fingers through my hair, I took a deep breath and decided to turn my attention to the task at hand. I grabbed my bag and removed the envelope that my father had given me, determined to learn all I could about Isabella Black.

Chapter 12

EPOV

My eyes widened as I checked the time. Unbelievable. Six hours had passed since I had begun my research on Isabella Black. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, I shoved her paperwork back inside the large manila envelope, tossing it aside as I leaned my head against my seat. A dull pain radiated from my chest to the pit of my stomach. The unpleasant irritation had been coming and going during the duration of the journey.

With a grimace, I leaned forward to gesture for the flight attendant. A man in his late twenties soon appeared at my side. He was one of the few humans who served my father, faithfully loyal in exchange for immortality. The man was on a fool's errand. Father only gifted immortality to a select few...those who had some type of latent power that would benefit him. Unfortunately for him, the only use the man next to me would ever be to my father was as a snack sometime in the foreseeable future.

"Can I be of assistance, mio principe?" he asked, his gaze fixed steadily on the floor.

"Yes. Can you get me a club soda? No ice," I responded, hoping the carbonated drink would ease my distress. Even though human ailments rarely affected me, it was possible to feel the occasional ache or pain.

He returned only moments later with my beverage, placing it and a napkin on the lowered seat tray. "Can I get you anything else?"

Instead of verbally responding, I waved him off and picked up the glass, taking a large gulp of the drink. After setting it down, I reclined against the seat and closed my eyes only to be inundated by thoughts of the girl. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get the image of her out of my mind. Locked in a cage fit for a dog, she looked so tiny...so helpless. With a soft curse, I ran my fingers through my hair then grabbed the envelope. Removing the photo, I gripped it with my hands like an addict holding his next hit.

What was wrong with me? I couldn't count how many times I had already looked at her picture, yet here I was once again...searching...soaking in every detail of her features with an unexplainable urgency.

Rubbing my jaw, I questioned my sanity. Over the course of a few hours, Isabella had shifted from being an unpleasant, yet necessary duty that I was carrying out for my father to an enigma. A mystery that needed solving.

With a sigh, I traced her delicate, heart-shaped face with my finger as I studied her petite nose and full, uneven lips. Beneath the layer of hideous makeup, I concentrated on the dusting of freckles covering her nose, suddenly desperate to know exactly how many there were.

My gaze returned to her large brown eyes, eyes almost too large for her face. Somehow, they pierced through the photograph, making it appear as if she was staring directly at me. Once again, the burning sensation returned, flaring in my chest. Shifting in my seat, I rubbed the sore area and took another sip of the soda. Determined to stop brooding, I turned to look outside the window and focused on the passing scenery.

But it wasn't until hours later when the pilot announced our imminent arrival that I realized the clouds and ocean had failed to capture my attention, and I had spent the rest of the flight musing about the girl.

-GGB-

A black Mercedes Maybach equipped with tinted windows awaited us at the small airport in Port Angeles. Father arranged for its transport from Seattle after learning about the meager local options. Since Felix was traveling with us, a vehicle with tinted windows was a necessity.

As we approached the vehicle, no one spoke. Jane, however, continued to stew...still upset over what she considered my earlier abuse of power. She attempted to mask her thoughts, but she wasn't successful; she was inept at hiding anything, especially her nefarious intentions. Ploys involving the burning of my collection of rare first edition books to destroying my prized Bösendorfer piano with a sledgehammer flitted through her pea-sized brain. Even though I wanted to scoff at her juvenile schemes, I played along and pretended to be oblivious as she continued to plot her petty revenge.

"I'll drive," I said, sliding into the front seat before the others could protest. Jane opened the door to the backseat and asked Felix to join her. Her mind centered on making me jealous.

If I wasn't already used to her madhouse of an imagination, I would have laughed out loud.

Once we were on the road, I ignored Jane's inane mental chatter and instead focused on the task at hand. According to the informant, the girl was being held only a few miles away from the airport in Elwha, a town on the outskirts of the Olympic National Park. That meant we would get there in a matter of minutes. I needed to make sure I planned for all contingencies. Recalling Isabella's photograph, I thought about her condition. Along with her broken leg, she had bruising and small lacerations on the upper side of her left face. Would she have any new injuries? What would I do if she needed immediate medical attention? As I thought about the best plan of action, my eyes snapped to the rearview mirror. I met Felix's red eyes, and my stomach churned as I wondered when he and Jane had last fed. Unwilling to allow them around the girl until I knew for certain that she wasn't bleeding, I said, "When we get there, I'll get the girl. You two take care of the vampire."

Felix nodded his consent, but Jane frowned. "Why? I should be the one to meet her first. I'm the eldest." He just wants all the glory! It's not fair! I won't allow it.

A low hiss of warning emitted from the back of my throat. "No, Jane. You don't have a choice. I'm the one Father entrusted with this mission. Me."

Her beady, red eyes narrowed as she huffed.

Unable to resist myself, I added, "And let's be completely honest; you're only on this trip because you threw a temper tantrum."

Jane's pale face scrunched up in anger. Her skin resembled a wrinkled, athletic sock. The roaring shriek of her mind soon followed.

Pain! Pain! Pain! Pain!

Shaking my head, I chuckled dryly. "Pathetic."

With her arms crossed tightly against her chest, her thoughts moved from devising simple revenge to planning my demise. Typical Jane.

Felix, upset by her distress, leaned closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Have you no shame, Edward? Why must you always treat her so abhorrently?"

Rage boiled within me like a seething cauldron. Pulling over on the side of the highway, I whipped around and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him to me—his face an inch away from mine. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! You forget your place. We are not friends. We are not family. I am il tuo principe. You are nothing but a mere servant."

He lowered his eyes and muttered, "My apologies, mio principe."

I released him with a shove and looked at Jane. She jutted her chin, glaring in defiance. Pointing my index finger in her direction, I said, "Not another word. Don't push me…unless you want another taste of what you experienced earlier today."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." Not waiting for her reply, I turned back around and started the car. As I eased the vehicle onto the road I became frustrated over my actions. It was unlike me to lose my cool, and I couldn't risk it happening again. My sole focus needed to be on the girl. Her safety. Because if something happened to her…

Gripping the steering wheel with irritation, I stopped myself from finishing that thought.

I was becoming too invested in this girl...this human. The only reason I should even care about her safety is because of Father. He would go ballistic if the girl was harmed. Other than that...she meant nothing. At least, that's what I tried to convince myself as the GPS announced we had arrived at our destination.

As I turned down the long, gravel driveway, I listened carefully to my surroundings. My brow furrowed. Something was off. The only thoughts I heard were those of Jane and Felix. When the scent of smoldering ash filled my nostrils, I threw the vehicle into park. Without waiting for the others, I got out of the car and ran down the lane.

The sight of the cabin's charred remains made my knees buckle. "Not her," I thought as I placed my hands in my hair and yanked my locks.

I quickly glanced around, anxious for clues. Next to the driveway, I spotted a piece of dingy blue fabric. Dashing across the yard, I picked it up and gave it a quick visual scan. It appeared to be a ripped section from a blanket. Bringing it to my nose, I sniffed the material. Even though the air was heavy with smoke, I could still detect a distinct aroma. Dear God. The smell...it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The closest comparison I could make was to a meadow of wildflowers I had come across one summer while traveling in France. Fresh…feminine...soft...intoxicating. But even that didn't adequately begin to describe the scent. No words could describe its allure...its perfection.

I knew without doubt it belonged to Isabella.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked as she snatched the cloth from my grip and inhaled its fragrance. Her eyes glazed over, turning black as a starless night. "Oh, my. Is this our new step mommy? I remember Elizabeth smelling good, but not quite this delicious. Want a whiff?" she asked Felix.

He licked his lips. "I can smell her from here."

With my jaw clenched, I grabbed the blanket from Jane and gestured to the destruction that surrounded us. "She's gone. We need to find out what happened."

While Jane and I searched the land, I looked through the cabin's debris. Among the rubble stood the cage, which once served as Isabella's prison. The muscles in my neck tightened. Picking up the scorched enclosure with a growl, I threw it across the property. When it slammed against a tree, pieces of metal scattered through the sky...the shards gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight like tiny flecks of mica in asphalt.

Puzzled by my outburst, Felix and Jane returned to my side. "What is it?" Jane asked.

"Nothing," I muttered, forcing myself to calm down. "Did you find anything?"

Felix blinked, still confused by my reaction. "A pile of vampire ash in the backyard."

"Did you pick up any scents around it?"

He scratched his chin. "Yes, at least one vampire...maybe two, but a particularly foul odor is making it impossible for me to determine exactly how many." Wrinkling his nose, he continued, "In all honesty, it's the foulest thing I've ever smelled."

I went to examine the area surrounding the ashes. Concentrating, I could also detect the faint scent of two immortals, but something unpleasant was masking their essence. Even though I agreed the smell was offensive, it appeared to bother Felix more. I ignored the foul stench and explored the ground, discovering a set of footprints along with a set of animal tracks.

The tracks and Felix's strong reaction to the scent reminded me of my childhood studies when I had learned about the legends of the shapeshifters, tribes who phased into animals at will. One of my tutors had come across such a tribe in East Africa during the late 1800s. He had joked that even though the men could transform into powerful panthers, the most terrifying thing about them had been their repugnant odor.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I groaned. Things appeared worse than I imagined. Not only did another vampire have Isabella, but it also seemed as if she was in the company of a shapeshifter.

AN:

Thank to everyone for the kind words and messages. I look forward to seeing many of you in Cleveland this week. :)