I walk off the plane and am hit with warmth. A vibrating heat lays over Houston, Texas, and while I'm pleased that it's so warm I start to freeze. The Cullens try to avoid the sun… they wouldn't be in Texas where it's warm and sunny. I shake my head and walk over the road to a small motel and get a room. I take a shower, put in a load of laundry in the machine the room came with and then I pick up my computer. I look at the maps, trying to figure out what homes around here that might be a vampire house. This one is quite resolute… no it has cows. I doubt the Cullens have started farming their food. Maybe this one? No, too dull. I freeze as I look at the next place on the map. That must be the house. It's traditional but modern, it's far away from humans, no animals, no farming equipment, no cars. They probably ran there… I have to hurry. I need to find them. I grab my things and jog to my car and start driving towards the house. After about 40 minutes I turn in in front of the quite empty looking house. I knock gently on the door, but there is no answer.
"If there is anyone in there, I'm just looking for the Cullens. I have to talk with them." I say in a normal tone but nothing happens. I walk back to my car and sit down in it, realising it has become quite late… maybe they are out hunting. I think these vampires hunt humans and I think it seems more natural if they hunt during the night… maybe that's just another myth. I'll wait here for a while. I arrange myself so I'm comfortable in the seat and before I even realise it I have fallen asleep.
I wake up startled by a tap on the window. As I looked out I met a pair of red eyes, looking quite amused but also questioning.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" He says with a southern drawl and I smile a little as it reminds me of Jasper when he was relaxed.
"Yeah, maybe. I'm looking for the Cullens?" I ask and he chuckles.
"In the middle of the night, darlin'?" He asks and I smile sheepishly and get out of the car.
"Yeah, it ended up this way. So do you know where they are?" I ask and he smiles, showing a little of his teeth.
"Why don't you come in? I'm sure you are tired and maybe thirsty or hungry?" He asks and I quirk an eyebrow but nod. "I'm Peter by the way." He says and I nod a little as he leads me towards the house.
"I'm Bella." I say and he smiles at me again. He motions for me to walk ahead of him through the door and when we are both inside I hear the lock klick. As I turn around to look at him, he is leaning back against the door, watching me like a predator.
"Did you not think of what could happen if you were alone with me? It's so resolute that no one would come out here… even if they weren't scared of me." He says in a taunting tone I recognize from James. I just sigh and walk over to one of the couches and sit down, leaning my head back as I close my eyes. "What are you doing?" He asks, confusion clear in his voice and I sigh deeply again.
"If you are going to kill me you will, it's not like I can stop you anyway. I'm going to try and get some sleep and see if I wake up in the morning or not, but by the color of your eyes I think I have quite a good chance of surviving… unless you like my scent as much as the others do." I explain quickly and I feel the couch dip beside me and then a cold hand on my neck. I hold my breath as I feel his cold breath against my neck and then his nose touches me jugular gently, scenting me I realise. He pulls away and sighs deeply.
"Damn it, you are mated. I can't kill you without getting a shitload of problems." He says and when I open my eyes I see him grinning at me. I relax a little and roll my eyes.
"So will you help me find the Cullens?" I ask and he thinks about it for a few seconds.
"I'll help you if you answer all of my questions." He says and I nod. He gets up and disappears for a second before he is there again with a phone in his hand.
"I have someone here searching for you, mayor." He says, almost too quickly for me to hear.
"Quite small, brown hair, human, sexy, quite young, a little bit too thin, dark circles under her eyes… looks quite sad and tired." He says and I blush a little so he smirks. "Blushing." He ads and then he sighs and holds the phone out to me.
"Hello?" I ask, unsure who it is.
"Bella?" Jasper asks, surprised and I relax slightly.
"Yeah… um… Jasper. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I would like to see you all again." I say softly and he is quiet for a few seconds.
"Why?" He asks and I sigh.
"Because I miss you all and even if you don't see me as family, I see you as mine." I whisper and he is quiet again.
"What are you doing with Peter?" He asks.
"Trying to find you." I say and I hear him inhale deeply.
"Don't tell the other's I told you this, but we are in New York. Bella… are you safe?" He asks and I sigh as I run a hand through my hair.
"Not sure…" I start and I hear him growl quietly.
"You don't need to worry about Peter. He knows I'll kill him if he hurts you." He growls and I roll my eyes even though he can't see me.
"I wasn't talking about Peter. I think I have another vampire after me… I'll tell you about it when I get to New York. Where in New York do you live?" I ask and I hear him growl even louder. He tells me the address but then he tells me to give the phone back to Peter.
"Yeah?" Peter says lazily. "You sure?" He says doubting and then he sighs. "Fine, but it's not on me if she's terrified when we arrive. Bye." He says rather harshly and hangs up. He sighs as he looks at me.
"We'll leave in two hours and we are going to fly there." He says and props his feet up on the coffee table as he relaxes on the couch.
"You're coming with?" I ask surprised and he sighs as he nods.
"I'm your bodyguard until you are with Jasper, darlin'." He says and I sigh.
"Sorry, anyway didn't you have questions?" I ask and his head snaps to me and he nods.
"Which one are your mate?" He asks and I sigh as I lean my head back and close my eyes again.
"Edward."
"How did you meet and why do you know about vampires?"
"We met in school. I'm his singer but he was able to stop himself from killing me by realizing I'm his mate. I heard some legends and Edward saved me from getting crushed by a van through using vampire speed. I guessed what he was and he confirmed it." I say and then I look questioning at him. "Do you have any human food here?" I ask and he smirks a little.
"Not really, only some tins. You can see if any of them are edible if you want." He says and I nod and walk towards the kitchen. "Why aren't you with your mate?" He asks and I sigh as I take out a few tins and read on them.
"He left me in September last year. He didn't want me anymore." I say with a strained voice as one of my arms wound tightly across my chest, trying to ease the pain.
"He- I- what?" He asks shocked and I sigh and look at him with sad eyes.
"You heard what I said. It hurts more when I talk about it, please don't ask about it." I beg and he gathers himself and nods. I open one of the old tins and heath the soup in it.
"Why do you think a vampire is after you?" He asks and I sigh and take a calming breath.
"My father died a few weeks ago and my mother died the day after him. My father crashed into someone, a human shaped dent in his vehicle but nobody was there… his neck was snapped. I don't know how my mother died yet but it doesn't seem like a coincidence. I also met another vampire in the woods, he hinted about another vampire named Victoria wanting to kill me to avenge her mate, James, which the Cullens killed when he hunted me." I say and then I pour my soup in a bowl and start eating as he watches me closely.
"You're an interesting human." He says and I roll my eyes at him. "I feed on humans." He says bluntly and I quirk an eyebrow.
"I know, red eyes remember?" I say and he nods a little.
"You're not scared." He states and I shake my head. "My gift says I need to protect you." He ads.
"What kind of gift do you have?" I ask and he grins.
"I know shit." He says and I quirk an eyebrow so he explains. "I have a voice in my head that tells me what to do in certain situations, for example it told me to protect you as soon as I saw you." He says and I nod a little. He watches me silently as I eat up and then he quickly takes the bowl, washes it and throws me up on his back. I yelp surprised and cling tightly around his neck as he starts running.
"What was that for?" I ask surprised and he growls. I bury my face between his shoulder blades as he runs and then I hear another growl. Shit! Maybe Victoria is here.
He increases his pace further as he growls threatening and I just hold on tighter to him so I won't fall off. Suddenly, I find myself on the grass with Peter in front of me, crouching protectively. I see that his phone has fallen out of his pocket and I take it quickly, hitting redial. Peter starts growling even higher as Victoria tries to come closer to us.
"Yeah?" Jasper answers. I don't say anything and suddenly I hear him swearing. "Bella, is it you?" He asks and I hum quietly. "Do you know where you are?" He asks and I look around.
"The middle of the woods." I mumbled quietly.
"Peter is fighting with someone, isn't he?" He asks and I can hear the wind rushing past his phone as he runs.
"Yes."
"We'll come as soon as we can, don't hang up, but don't say anything else." He says and I just stay quiet. I watch as Peter blocks Victoria when she attacks and how they disappear completely sometimes. Suddenly, I'm pulled backwards by a pair of cold hands and before I have time to scream it places a hand on my mouth.
"Quiet." He growls in my ear and I let a whimper out anyway. I see Peter's head snap towards me and suddenly he is diving over my head, pulling the new vampire away from me. I crawl away from them and Victoria as quickly as I can. A cold hand silents me again and suddenly I'm thrown over a shoulder as someone runs. I struggle helplessly against their grip, someone is still holding a hand over my mouth. Suddenly I'm on my feet again, my back pressed up against a tree with a vampire crouching protectively in front of me again. I look closer and realise it's Jasper. I breathe out relieved and let myself sink to the forest floor and see that Emmet is standing a few meters to the side from Jasper. They are both growling at something I can't see but after a few seconds they quiet down and straighten their postures. Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Peter and Edward come walking out of the forest. Jasper and Emmet turn slowly and look tensed at me. I smile a little so they relax.
"Are you wounded, Bella?" Carlisle asks as he kneels in front of me, looking me over for injuries.
"Just bruises I think," I say and he exhales relieved and opens his arms hesitantly to me and I throw myself into his embrace. He cradles me gently, rocking me like a baby and I sob into his shirt.
"I have missed you so my daughter." He whispers in my ear and hugs me a little closer and I nod desperately.
"I missed you too, dad." I sob. He gasps and then he kisses my hair as he stands up with me in his arms. I feel another cold hand on my shoulder. As I lift my head from Carlisle's chest I am met with Edward's pleading eyes.
"Bella, I am so sorry I left you. I thought you would be safer without me. I still love you, I always have and always will. Please take me back." He pleads and I throw myself from Carlisle's arms into Edward's. My chest swells with happiness as he peppers my face in kisses. "My mate. Mine." He mumbles softly in my hair as he breathes in my scent deeply. "Only mine, never let go." He continues and I nod a little and pull him closer.
"Only yours," I whisper back and he purrs. I gasp shocked and he purrs higher as he kisses my neck.
"I won't let you out of my sight." He growls in my ear and I nod breathlessly.
"Keep me close. Only yours." I murmur as he starts running and he kisses my neck in quick pecks.
"Mmmm only mine. Too thin. You haven't been eating." He states and I shake my head a little and he growls. "I need to feed you, too thin. Almost sick. My mate hurt." He mumbles and suddenly he holds a sandwich in front of me and we are inside a large house. "Eat." He murmurs as he holds me close and sits down on the bed. I open my mouth dumbly and he feeds me the sandwich gently. He starts purring again. "That's right my mate. Good mate." He purrs in my ear as he kisses my neck gently when I chew.
"Edward?" I murmur quietly and his eyes find mine quickly.
"Yes, love?" He asks gently and caresses my cheek.
"I love you." I whisper and he smiles and rubs his cheek over mine.
"I love you too, my mate. I need you to smell like me." He says and I nod a little.
"Give me your shirt." I murmur in his ear and he pulls his shirt off quickly and then mine. He puts his shirt on me and pulls me closer.
"Much better, mine." He murmurs in my ear. "We should shower or take a bath." He murmurs and rips my jeans as he carries me towards the bathroom. "You are cold, might get sick." He almost rambles.
"Are you sure Edward?" I ask uncertainly. He was always so prude when we were together and now he wants us to shower together.
"Mhm." He murmurs as he buries his face in my hair. "I should claim you but that might hurt you when you are so thin, so sick." He says as he takes my clothes off gently and then rips his own off and carries me into the already warm shower.
"Yes, I think I'm too sick for that." I say slightly tensed as he pushes me firmly against the shower wall. He hums something as he continues rubbing his cheek against me and kissing me as he holds me tightly. I just bury my face against his bare chest and wrap my arms around his waist.
"Mine." He murmurs.
"Yours." I confirm and he purrs a little again.
"That's right, you are mine. Good girl." He hums and after a few minutes he steps out of the shower with me and dries me off quickly with a towel, then he puts some of his worn clothes on me. He leans into my neck and breathes in deeply and then he relaxes slightly.
"Yes, mine. Only smelling like me. Good, my mate." He murmurs as he picks me up and carries me out to the bed, crawling in beside me under the comforter and holding me closely. "You need to sleep, my mate." He murmurs and I nod a little and close my eyes. I have a feeling it's not a good idea to tell him I don't want to sleep. He is acting only on his instincts from what I can tell. I slowly relax and after a while I let myself fall asleep.