60

The drive to Volturi Consultations is silent, and to be honest, it's sort of uncomfortable. Neither of us wants to start our important talk in the car where we're going to get interrupted.

Bella pulls into a parking spot and turns to me. "I need to talk to Jane, so I'm going to run up there after I get my supply. I'll meet you here when you're finished."

"Okay."

She heads for the basement, and I head to the donation center. After swiping my card, I'm swept away to a private room, and a human phlebotomist comes in to set me up.

I can tell she's openly flirting with me while she hooks me up to a machine. She's not making it a secret that she's interested.

She's pretty enough. Tall and athletic with long blonde hair and big hazel eyes. Too bad I prefer short brunettes with butterscotch eyes and a rose-tinted smile that's owned me since she showed up on my doorstep.

"We should grab a drink sometime," Jessica hints, and I squirm in my chair.

I watch my plasma start to drip in the container and try to figure out a way to let her down easily.

"I saw in your file that you have two girls. I love kids."

"Jessica—"

The door swings open with so much force the knob goes through the wall, and then slams shut. Jessica and I jump in surprise, and Bella is by my side, standing between me and the bleeder with a murderous glare.

The entire room vibrates with the deathly growl coming from her.

"No," Bella snarls.

Jessica's face pales, and she turns and rushes out of the room, scrambling with the now broken door knob in her haste.

My vampire's entire body heaves with each unnecessary breath she draws in.

"Bella," I whisper.

Not because I'm scared. No, my body has decided that it's incredibly turned on right now, but I have to calm her down before she goes and hunts the poor, innocent, albeit pushy, Jessica's neck.

I whisper again, but she just watches the door and doesn't answer me.

"Love."

Bella gasps and turns to me. Her face is feral, and she's still heaving, but she's still so fucking beautiful. "Why did you call me that?"

I swallow thickly because this is not the time nor the place for this. "I think you know why."

She frowns and that just won't do. I want her to stop growling and contemplating murder and give me one of her pretty smiles.

"Hmm. Maybe I should call you 'Kitten' instead, considering the purr you've got going on."

The growling comes to a slow stop, and she gives me an apologetic smile, but it's not the one I want.

"I'm so sorry, Edward."

"For what?"

"Jessica seems like a nice enough woman," she tells me with a defeated sigh. "She could make you happy."

She starts to leave the room, and just the thought of her walking away from me breaks my heart. Now's my chance, and I have to do something.

"No, she can't. And you know why?"

She stops with her hand on the door. "Why?"

"I know we haven't had a chance to talk about what your mom said, but I know myself enough to know that we don't need whoever Marcus is or some scientist to tell us what we already know. She could never make me happy because she isn't you, Bella. I'm yours and you're mine."

In an instant, Bella is back across the room, straddling my lap and fuzing her lips to mine.