Here is another chapter, I hope to finish the story but at times it feels easy to just delete it lmao…I found out last night this chapter was in the wrong slot so the chapter before this one was missing so I added it, go give it a read since it was supposed to be there instead of this chapter.
My Vans would be coming home dirty, even with Edward giving me a high-speed piggyback ride. And I could hardly tell we were moving. I could feel him gliding along beneath me, but he could have been strolling down the sidewalk, the movement was so smooth. Then he took my face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against mine, my arms around his neck keeping pace with him but offering no more. He would hesitate and back off if either became overzealous in our sexual interactions.
He kissed my eyelids one more time.
His arm wrapped around my waist as we walked, "I love you," he said. "It's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true." He always believed he was the one placing me into danger when if he knew my past it might just change his mind.
It was the first time he'd said he loved me - in so many words. He might not realize it, but I certainly did.
"Now, please try to behave yourself," he continued, and he bent to softly brush his lips against mine.
Scoffing, "I am always behaved, ask Emmett," his smile vanished as frustration took hold, but mirth too. He smiled wistfully and released all of me but one hand. He led me a few feet through the tall, wet ferns and draping moss, around a massive hemlock tree, and we were there, on the edge of an enormous open field in the lap of the Olympic peaks. It was twice the size of any baseball stadium.
I could see the others all there; Esme, Emmett, Theo with Bella nestled on his lap, and Rosalie, sitting on a bare outcropping of rock, were the closest to us, maybe a hundred yards away. Much farther out I could see Jasper and Alice, at least a quarter of a mile apart, appearing to throw a ball back and forth. "Family time, even in the vampiric family means sports," more annoyed than anything, was good at them but rather not play.
He smiled, "National pastime and all,"
Bella hugged me after Theo caught her mid-fall. "Hey Bells," Esme started toward us. Emmett and Rose with her, Rose was smiling and again I would never be as magnificent as her. Alice had left her position and was running, or dancing, toward us. She hurtled to a fluid stop at our feet. "It's time," she announced.
As soon as she spoke, a deep rumble of thunder shook the forest beyond us, and then crashed westward toward town.
"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett said with easy familiarity, winking at me.
"Let's go." Alice reached for Emmett's hand and they darted toward the oversized field; she ran like a gazelle. He was nearly as graceful and just as fast - yet Emmett could never be compared to a gazelle.
"Are you ready for some ball?" Theo asked, his eyes eager, bright.
I tried to sound appropriately enthusiastic. "Go, team!"
Bella just gave the same enthusiastic cheer but for us, this might not be as fun, not like she or I could get up to bat and make the game funnier unless she managed to hit herself than Emmett would have fun.
"Shall we go down?" Esme asked in her soft, melodic voice, and I realized I was staring open-mouthed after him. I quickly reassembled my expression and nodded. Esme kept a few feet between us, and I wondered if she was still being careful not to frighten me. She matched her stride to mine without seeming impatient at the pace.
"You don't play with them?" I asked her, seemed Bella has been here before.
"No, I prefer to referee - I like keeping them honest," she explained.
"Do they like to cheat, then?"
"Oh yes - you should hear the arguments they get into!"
Bella added, "Actually, I hope you don't, you would think they were raised by a pack of wolves." We laughed following Esme to a spot.
Esme stopped then; apparently, we'd reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward and Theo far out in left and right field, Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot that must be the pitcher's mound.
Emmett the bear man, was swinging an aluminum bat; it whistled almost untraceable through the air. I waited for him to approach home plate, but then I realized, as he took his stance, that he was already there - farther from the pitcher's mound than I would have thought possible. Jasper stood several feet behind him, catching for the other team. Of course, none of them had gloves because there be no fun in that.
I smile, "Let us stand back," like that we sit and watch the fun.
"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew even Edward would hear, as far out as he was. "Batter up."
Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. Her style seemed to be stealth rather than an intimidating windup. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out and the ball smacked into Jasper's hand.
"Was that a strike?" I whispered to Bella since she had more experience doing these outings with them.
"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," she told me.
Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand two half's of a whole. She permitted herself a brief grin, and then her handspun out again. This time the bat somehow made it around in time to smash into the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous; it echoed off the mountains - I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm, maybe this could be fun in the future but it wouldn't happen for me but for Bella, it would.
The ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest.
"Home run," I murmured.
"Wait," Esme cautioned, listening intently, one hand raised. Emmett was a blur around the bases, Carlisle shadowing him. I realized Edward was missing.
"Out!" Esme cried in a clear voice. I stared in disbelief as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me.
"Emmett hits the hardest," Esme explained, "but Edward runs the fastest."
I retorted, "Yes, should have seen him running from me the first day, pretty fast," hearing him snarl from here.
Bella leaned against me, her brown hair blowing entangling with my own. I learned the other reason they waited for a thunderstorm to play when Jasper, trying to avoid Edward's infallible fielding, hit a ground ball toward Carlisle. Carlisle ran into the ball, and then raced Jasper to first base. When they collided, the sound was like the crash of two massive falling boulders.
"Safe," Esme called in a calm voice.
Emmett's team was up by one - Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies - when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, sparkling with excitement.
"What do you think?" he asked.
I offered, "It isn't boring by any means," but Theo was pressing his lips to Bella's head as she quipped about not being about to sit through a regular game ever again.
He flashed his special crooked smile, leaving me breathless.
"I'm up," he said, heading for the plate.
He played intelligently, keeping the ball low, out of the reach of Rosalie's always-ready hand in the outfield, gaining two bases like lightning before Emmett could get the ball back in play. "Kick his butt, Rose!" I called out making her laugh which made Emmett just beam like never before. Carlisle knocked one so far out of the field - with a boom that hurt my ears - that he and Edward both made it in. Alice slapped them dainty high fives.
The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead. Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but we stayed dry, as Alice had predicted.
Bella looked at the time, "Charlie will expect me home soon enough,"
Carlisle was up to bat, Edward, catching when Alice suddenly gasped. My eyes were on Edward, as usual, and I saw his head snap up to look at her. Their eyes met and something flowed between them in an instant. He was at my side before the others could ask Alice what was wrong.
I groaned, "What shorty see?"
"Alice?" Esme's voice was tense.
"I didn't see - I couldn't tell," she whispered.
All the others were gathered by this time. Rose on my other side along with Jasper, Theo, and Emmett covering Bella.
"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked with the calm voice of authority.
"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured.
Jasper leaned over her, his posture protective. "What changed?" he asked.
"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," she said, contrite as if she felt responsible for whatever had frightened her.
Seven pairs of quick eyes flashed to our face's and away.
"How soon?" Carlisle said, turning toward Edward.
A look of intense concentration crossed his face.
"Less than five minutes. They're running - they want to play." He scowled.
"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked him, his eyes flicking toward us again.
"No, not carrying -" He cut short. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."
"How many?" Emmett asked Alice.
"Three," she answered tersely.
"Three!" he scoffed. "Let them come." The steel bands of muscle flexed along his massive arms.
For a split second that seemed much longer than it really was, Carlisle deliberated. Only Emmett seemed unperturbed; the rest stared at Carlisle's face with anxious eyes.
"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decided. His voice was cool and firm.
"You catch, Esme," he said. "I'll call it now." And he planted himself in front of me. The others returned to the field, warily sweeping the dark forest with their sharp eyes. Alice and Esme seemed to orient themselves around where Bella and I stood.
"Take your hair down," Edward said in a low, even voice.
I stated the obvious. "The others are coming now." My hair falling in thick waves down my back. "I also agree with Emmett,"
"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please. And of course you would agree with him," He hid the stress in his voice well, but I could hear it. He gazed at me, Alice was moving Bella's hair.
"That won't help," Alice said softly. "I could smell them both across the field."
"I know." A hint of frustration colored his tone.
Carlisle stood at the plate, and the others joined the game halfheartedly.
"What did Esme ask you?" I whispered.
He hesitated for a second before he answered. "Whether they were thirsty," he muttered unwillingly. I offered, "At least they are not, right?" he never answered me.
Bella was tucked into my side and Alice on her other.
Edward paid no attention to the game at all, eyes and mind ranging the forest.
"I'm sorry, Caprice," he muttered fiercely. "It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry."
"Oh god, please. Stop with the self-blame. I chose to be with you despite what you think of yourself, you have a soul and it is beautiful," He gasped, they emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack but this was a front. The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red.
Bella was tucked behind me as best as I could get her if I had to expose myself than so be it. I give her a look, she didn't move and with an effort the wind stopped moving around her if Edward found out he found out Bella was my priority.
They came together with closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind. Guess the nature channel taught me something in the end.
Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch to attack or defend. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot which I found disturbing. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods.
I held back a comment, my hand in Bella's but she did well with the not moving.
Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Carlisle, who, flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.
The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard-muscled, of course, but nothing next to Emmett's brawn.
The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose grouping around me, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant. Learning another person and their weakness was a learned trait from Aro himself, the girl was with the not attractive vampire, he was her weakness. The "supposed" leader he was scared and it was probably of the other male. And that male he was a hunter.
The dark-haired man, who I would have taken as African American while the human was still smiling, stepped toward Carlisle.
"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires beside him.
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Caprice, Esme and Alice, Edward, Theo, and Bella." He pointed us out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals.
"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.
Carlisle matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"
"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."
"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves." Was this an information gathering strategy?
The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; I guessed that my Uncle Jasper was using his peculiar gift to control the situation.
"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired.
Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali." Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly.
"Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.
"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story."
James and Victoria exchanged a surprising look at the mention of the word "home," but Laurent controlled his expression better, he was tamer than the other two.
"That sounds very interesting and welcome." His smile was genial. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over Carlisle's refined appearance.
"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained.
"Of course." Laurent nodded. "We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway," he laughed, but I have seen worse in Volterra.
"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us - Theo and Caprice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," he casually added.
Three things seemed to happen simultaneously while Carlisle was speaking. My hair ruffled with the light breeze, Edward stiffened, and the second male, James, suddenly whipped his head around, scrutinizing me, his nostrils flaring looking at me like a Chicken McNugget.
A swift rigidity fell on all of them as James lurched one step forward into a crouch. Edward bared his teeth, crouching in defense, a feral snarl ripping from his throat. It was nothing like the playful sounds I'd heard from him this morning; it was the single most menacing thing I had ever heard, and chills ran from the crown of my head to the back of my heels.
"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise. Neither James nor Edward relaxed their aggressive poses. James feinted slightly to the side, and Edward shifted in response, Theo moved in front of Bella, but she held onto my hand.
"They're with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed toward James.
"You brought a snack?" he asked, his expression incredulous as he took an involuntary step forward, I moved from Edward and in front of Bella my own snarl coming out.
Edward and Theo together snarled even more ferociously, harshly, lips curling high above glistening, bared teeth. Laurent stepped back again.
"I said they're with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice, but this was not boding well.
"But they're human," Laurent protested. The words were not at all aggressive, merely astounded.
"Yes." Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle's side, his eyes on James. James slowly straightened out of his crouch, but his eyes never left me, his nostrils still wide. Edward stayed tensed like a lion in front of me as I reached out my hand on his shoulder, without thought he put his over mine.
When Laurent spoke, his tone was soothing - trying to defuse the sudden hostility. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."
"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool.
"But we'd like to accept your invitation." His eyes flicked toward us and back to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."
James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged another brief look with Victoria, whose eyes still flickered edgily from face to face. I countered, "Why do you act like the leader when it is clear this James?"
Edward held me firmly behind him as James smiled, "I am a natural speaker, James is the leader but a tad wild,"
"And ugly, for a vampire," fuck it, it came out without meaning to as Rose snickered and Alice gave me a withering look.
Carlisle measured Laurent's open expression for a moment before he spoke. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme?" he called. They gathered together, blocking us and my big mouth from view as they converged. Alice was instantly at Bella's side, Edward and Theo's eyes are locked on James.
"Let's go, you frustrating girl,"
I countered, "But I am your frustrating girl," he wanted to smile but whatever was in the mind of James was horrible.
I was shoved in the back with Bella as I sent her another text, my secret was safe but now we are in another world of hurt.
I sighed, "Edward, I love you just so you know," I had never said it, and my god it felt great too. "Not as much as I love you," but in his mind, it was the truth.
"Never doubt what a human can feel, we might surprise you," I knew now my time was ticking to a close.