Her thoughts and worries plagued her all night and she got no more rest. Birds sang all around her, their morning calls and melodies making her feel even more melancholy. The Cullen's were very boring. They read books and spoke only sparingly to one another. They watched TV and wandered through the house. She pitied them, in a way.
The ground was wet with dew and she shook out her wet fur as she got to her feet. She wondered what another day would bring and dreaded the tedium she expected. Edward exited the back door and headed over to her some time later, his hands carrying a plate with warm buttered toast and a glass of orange.
She hadn't expected to be fed, especially not by vampires. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind, and she was left speechless as she returned to human form and he handed the plate and glass over to her with a small smile. "You have food?" was all she could think to say.
"Just in case we get visitors," Edward said with a small nod as they folded themselves on the floor again. This time he had crossed the small river and sat beside her, their backs against a tree and their legs laid out in front of them.
She scoffed as she took a mouthful of the orange juice. It was delicious, but, as she'd expected, everything was laced with the sickly bleach scent of the vampires. As much as she tried to hide it, he saw her expression of distaste. "Is it okay?"
None of them could tell if it had spoiled– perfectly good human food smelled like dirt and what they imagined sweaty socks to smell like. She shook her head as she swallowed the mouthful, but she the glass down beside her. She didn't want to be rude. "The scent..." she began with a wince. The taste was acrid and burning on her tongue. "Apparently gets everywhere."
He felt horrified, and could hear Esme's thoughts spiralling into discordance. She had hoped to get to know Bella by cooking and meal times. The knowledge that their food was disgusting, and borderline painful if her flinching was anything to go by, was somewhat disheartening. He opened his mouth to apologise but quickly closed it, recalling her response earlier that morning. "We'll figure something out," he assured her, taking the plate from her and setting it aside. "What does it smell like?" he asked curiously.
She swallowed thickly, hoping to get rid of the taste. "Imagine someone pouring bleach down your throat," she said candidly. "You've obviously marked out your territory in a three mile radius around the house."
He found himself impressed by her accuracy, but reminded himself that she was born to hunt and kill his kind. Before he could ask any more she flapped her hands around and said, "Don't worry about the food thing anyway – I can hunt for myself."
"You hunt?" he repeated in shock. She was so small and breakable. The thought of her taking down an elk or deer was unfathomable. She grinned at him knowingly.
"I'm half wolf – of course I hunt," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Obviously it's not as nice as chocolate cake or a pizza, but it's something," she said easily. She could see that her words were struggling to sink in. "Is it that much of a surprise. If I can kill a vampire, I think a few deer would be pretty easy."
They settled into an easy silence. She could see him from the corner of her eyes – staring up at the house with a frown marring his face, his lips pressed together with whatever thought was pestering him. She supposed, for a vampire, he was rather handsome. His skin was flawless alabaster and without a single blemish or bump.
"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly. His eyes bore into hers, bright gold and full of questions and sincerity. She wished she knew more about vampires.
"Sure," she said simply looking away.
He could see that she wasn't but he wanted her to be comfortable enough to tell him herself. Jasper had been keeping his attention on her since her arrival – as nervous as his family were to have a wolf just outside the back door. It didn't seem to matter that her hands didn't shake with uncontrollable rage and she wasn't itching to tear them apart just by looking at them. His brother had been tasked on keeping her in check, but thus far he'd felt only loneliness, sadness,worry... all of which were quite understandable in the circumstances.
"Bored," she admitted suddenly, looking back at him. "On the reservation there's always something to do. I patrol, I go to council meetings, I help the others fix the houses and buildings, we evaluate and strategise..." she said quickly, dropping her hands into her lap with a loud sigh. "Now there's nothing."
He wished he could offer her some tasks, but he doubted a few films or TV channels could occupy her. From the sounds of it, she spent most of her time active, on the move, developing and improving the things around her. There was no-one to protect, nothing to fix and nothing to talk about. "Our friends from Alaska will be here in a few hours," he offered lightly.
She laughed good humouredly and said, "I'm sure that will keep me busy."
He regarded her for a long moment before saying, "You're not what we expected."
She raised her eyebrows and said, "Should I be apologising?"
"No," Edward said with a small smile. "We're used to the Quileute's-" he said carefully. He saw her eyes narrow and hastened to explain himself. "They can barely look at a vampire without wanting to kill them," he said quickly.
Her scoff was filled with mirth and her eyes were guarded. "Because they're untrained, pathetic children with too much power."
He was cautious to tread the Quileute territory with her, obviously seeing how easily it riles her up still. "Why are you different to them?" he asked slowly.
She kept her eyes on the house ahead of them as she sucked on her tongue while mulling over her answer. In all truth, she was trying to find the simplest way of explaining. "The problem lies within the laws in our Tribes. In Neah Bay, we grow up hearing the legends and seeing the wolves protecting us. We are fully aware of everything. In La Push, everything is hidden and so, when a child turns into a wolf they're unprepared and clueless."
"So you prepare yourselves..." he assumed leadingly.
"It was assumed I would be a wolf, considering my father was the Alpha but it's never a certainty. With my mother being a Pale Skin it could have gone either way," she explained softly. "Most of the families on the reservation have had a wolf in their family at some point, but a direct descendant is more likely to be a wolf later in life. We get tested at nine-" she said and saw his eyes widen. "A wolf will start displaying signs as a child – a slightly raised temperature, being able to run a little too fast or hit a little too hard... and those who they believe will be wolves are pulled from school and trained."
He looked mildly taken aback by that snippet of information. "You didn't go to High School?"
Bella scoffed at the very thoughts. "The only TV and computers we have on the reservation are in the library – and they're like, fifteen years old," she said simply. "Knowing where Jupiter is won't help me protect my people."
He was flabbergasted. "Didn't you want to go to school?"
"I wanted to be a wolf," she told him strongly. "Kids who want to go to school and college are free to do so, but it isn't something that we really care about as a community."
Edward thought it was cruel, and in a way trapping the citizens into staying in the reservation. Bella had nothing, not a qualification or grade behind her. All she had was her Pack and her people and they'd turned their back on her. He felt terribly sad for her, and suddenly appreciated her civility and small smiles a lot more.
"Did you go to college?" she asked suddenly, pulling a blade of grass from the ground and tearing it expertly into tiny slivers.
"In 1918?" he said with a smile. "No. I had my heart set on heading out to war."
She glanced over at him with a strange expression. "Why?"
"Because I wanted to be a man. They always showed the posters of them smiling with girls hanging off their arms," he said, his eyes softening as he remembered those fuzzy distant memories. "My father was a well established lawyer and he hoped I'd take over his company when I was old enough."
A car pulled off the road and began crawling up the mile and a half long drive. They all heard it, and inside the house the Cullen's were preparing to welcome their guests. Edward kept his eyes on Bella. Though she didn't show any signs of aggression, he didn't miss how her shoulders tensed and the blades of grass fell forgotten to the ground as her hands flattened on the floor either side of her, ready to propel her to her feet.
"I'm going to go for a run," she said tersely before getting to her feet. She didn't doubt her control but she wasn't on neutral territory and wanted to regroup before she saw these new vampires. "Thanks for the food."
He smiled because he didn't think she was the sort to appreciate formalities. When he was back on his feet Bella handed over the glass with another apologetic smile, but it fell quickly. The car was fast approaching, and like a magnet repelling her, she felt the urge to run grow. He could see it in her eyes and, without another word, smiled a little broader and headed back towards the house. He didn't turn when he heard the quiet hiss of air, or feel the shift in the wind, not even when the gentle caress of paws touched the ground and then quickly departed into the woods. She took off in a sprint and Edward was left wondering how difficult to was for her to be so close.
Back in the house he threw away the juice and toast and left the plate and glass in the sink for later. He could already hear the thoughts of the Denali's and grimaced when he heard that Tanya's usual tirade had already begun. It was well known that she wanted him, but only in bed and nothing more – it wasn't something he was at all interested in. He respected her, called her a friend and enjoyed their conversations but that was as far as it went.
He indulged her harmless flirting because they all knew it would lead to nowhere.
He joined his family on the porch, pointedly ignoring the venomous thoughts of his blond sister, and the less than friendly ones of his other siblings. They saw a wolf, first and foremost. They saw an enemy, a girl who would and could kill them given the opportunity. He didn't see any of that – it was so secondary. She was a girl.
The silver car crawled out from the shadows of the woods and parked leisurely at the bottom of the porch. The doors flung open and there were cries of joy and hugs shared with broad smiles. It had been almost six years since their last visit. Rosalie gravitated towards Tanya, Kate and Irina naturally and he knew he would have to watch his back with his sister already pissed with him.
He stood back on the porch. His mind was elsewhere, propelling through the woods as fast as she could. He wished he could abandon his family and chase after her. He liked to run too, and hoped one day they could run together.
"Edward!" Tanya cried scoldingly as she hung her hands on her lips and glared mockingly at the bottom of the porch. "You haven't missed me?" she said, her blond hair shining magnificently even in the dull shine of Forks. She pushed out her lip in a pout, and her ethereal beauty was lost in her childish behaviour.
Rosalie scoffed and he tensed. "He's been far too busy with his new pet."
He growled warningly, glaring at his sister and daring her to take it any further. He could handle her distaste for Isabella. He could understand his families annoyance and reservations, but he would not tolerate mindless insults. "Pet?" Tanya repeated with a frown, looking between Rosalie and her brother in confusion. "Does it have anything to do with that God – awful smell?"
Her nose wrinkled delicately and Edward blinked, surprised. He hadn't smelled anything at all, but in front of him his family all nodded and murmured their agreement. "Edward has found his mate," Esme said with a sincere smile. She held the least against Bella and her thoughts were clear and pure when she gazed at her son with pride.
The Denali's all raised their eyebrows and their thoughts voiced their congratulations, but Tanya was busy thinking. It took her only a moment for her to put it together. "Your mate is one of those Quileute wolves?" she asked sceptically.
"Let's go inside," Carlisle suggested, his arm slung around Eleazors shoulders in a century old comradery. Inside, in the living room when everyone was seated and waiting impatiently, Edward found himself envying Bella and her freedoms.
"Judging from the lack of outrage, I'm going to assume my assumption was true," Tanya prompted, shrugging her jacket from her shoulders and laying it across her lap. She was, in truth, strikingly beautiful with large eyes and red lips. Her legs were long and lean and she knew how to use everything she had. Edward could remember, all those years ago, wishing he could just shed his morals and bed her.
"She isn't a Quileute," he corrected her softly. He had chosen to stand in the doorway – a quick and easy exit from the barrage he was about to receive. "She's from the Makah Reservation."
"But she still shifts into a gaint wolf?" Carmen clarified before tutting and glancing beside her, at Carlisle. "You should stay away from this place, Carlisle."
Carlisle laughed quietly and nodded his head in agreement, but his thoughts assured Edward that he hadn't meant to keep him from finding his mate. He knew how sensitive it could be. Carmen, whose long black hair and European looks were contrast to the Blond Denali sisters, turned her eyes to the front windows. "Where is she?"
"She thought it would be best to give us all some space," he said easily. He didn't know if it was true, but he knew she wanted space.
Carmen and Eleazar, who sat as a mated couple themselves, spoke their pleasure and happiness that Edward had finally found her.
"Aren't those wolves savages?" Tanya asked in a bored tone. Edward could hear the worry in her mind – worry for him, worry for the safety of his family. She already didn't like Bella, simply because of what she was and it was wearing thin.
"The Makah wolves are different," Edward said with narrowing eyes. He'd considered Tanya a close friend, and hoped she would rise above her pride to feel happy for him. She merely hummed but she glanced to her sisters who all shared raised eyebrows and dismissing thoughts. They wanted to meet this wolf but Edward suddenly found the very idea abhorrent.
Carlisle shifted the conversation on to the up and coming battle. Hours slipped by and Edward had grown tired of the circling thoughts of Tanya and her sisters. They were fixated on this wolf and fiercely protective of Edward. He excused himself and headed upstairs. He considered heading out to find Bella – to warn her about what to expect, but didn't think she'd appreciate a vampire hunting her down.
Almost four hours after the Denali's arrived, they heard the soft footfalls approach. She is very quiet, Eleazar observed thoughtfully. It was yet another difference between her and Sam.
Outside, Bella waited. She had no idea what to expect or what was expected of her. She had formed something of a respectful bond with Carlisle during their initial meeting when she'd had her Pack at her back. She didn't feel comfortable or ready to shake hands with these new vampires. She stayed in her wolf form as she sighed and folded herself down on the floor, laying on her stomach with her large head resting on her front paws.
She could hear them inside – whispering and talking about her. They described the colour of her fur as bland and thought was small and measly. Such comments, though aggravating her, were easily amended with a quick display of her abilities and she did her best to shake them off. There was a meeting that night.
Edward was out the back door and crossing the back garden after only a few minutes of her return – his expression only made her feel more anxious. He didn't speak immediately and she wondered whether he felt awkward trying to converse with a wolf. Taking pity on him, she phased back into her human form, landing back on two legs and looking at him with her own trepidation shining in her eyes.
Judgement lay around every corner.
"They'd like to meet you," he said quietly. She heard the question in his silence and her ability to say no. He had no smile of encouragement. She trusted in her abilities and was confident enough in her control to nod her head and go against every instinct to flee.
"Okay."
He didn't move, but she saw a vampire appear in the back door of the house. A small woman with long black hair stood smiling at her. She had identical golden eyes as the Cullen's and a kindness in her face that reminded Bella of Carlisle. She moved at a human pace – slow and patient as she made her way down the garden and leaped across the river.
The two women regarded one another with caution. Bella felt no hostility and, with a small smile and charm that knocked Edward off his perch of fear, stepped forward with her hand extended. Carmen clasped her hand with a broadening grin of her own, and they shook hands like business partners sharing a deep dark secret. "I am so glad he finally found you," Carmen said, her words rolling in her Spanish accent. "He has waited for so long."
If he could blush, he'd be beet red but instead all he could do was put his hands in his pockets and clear his throat awkwardly. "Thanks Carmen."
Bella could see the affection in those golden eyes as she gazed at Edward.
Family.
She recalled what Carlisle had called his family. She could see it.
Their hands dropped and the vampire turned in time for a second vampire to cross the garden. He moved at his usual vampire speed but it didn't seem to bother Bella. His smile was genuine and crinkled his eyes, and they also shook hands.
"You... are very strange," he said after introducing himself.
Their hands fell and Bella wasn't quite sure what to say. She didn't know what they'd already been told so turned her eyes on Edward, who seemed to have recovered from his previous embarrassment. "Eleazar can sense people's abilities," he clarified.
"I'm not a vampire," Bella said softly. He could hear the change in her voice, could see that her body language was relaxed and off guard. She was screaming peace in their faces, and having conversations with his cousins.
"Vampire's with abilities usually display some of that while human," Eleazar explained kindly.
"I was pretty good at reading people as a human," Edward offered.
Bella nodded and turned her eyes to Eleazar. "Why am I strange?"
A small grin lifted the corner of his mouth. "Because I can't feel anything from you at all. It's like you're not there," he said before casting his eyes to Edward. "Is it the same for you?"
Edward nodded and Carmen giggled behind her hand. "Oh Edward..."
Bella was clueless. "What are you talking about?"
Her eyes were on Edward and he realised, in the middle of everything he hadn't even told her the most basic things about himself. "I can read minds."
Her eyes narrowed accusingly.
"But like I said – it's like you're not there."
She was confused and didn't like being on the back foot while staring down three vampires. "A shield?" Edward asked with his head tilted to the left a little. "It makes sense."
"No it doesn't," Bella interrupted, annoyance colouring her tone.
"When you were Alpha, I couldn't hear any thoughts from your Pack. I thought it was another thing different between you and the Quileute's. But when... you stepped down," he said carefully. "I could hear them all besides yours."
She was still stuck on the fact he could read people's minds.
Three exited the back door and she felt Edward stiffen beside her. She eyed them warily. Three tall, leggy blondes approached, all wearing low shirts and high skirts. Of course they were gorgeous with their cheek bones and skin, but their eyes were another matter. Narrowed in anger or defence, Bella wasn't sure, but it was a far cry from the warm smiles from Carmen and Eleazar.
"Bella," Edward said as they crossed the river. Carmen and Eleazar stepped to one side, but Bella didn't miss the worried look that bounced between them. She felt Edward's hand on the small of her back, his icy touch making her want to shiver but in the eyes of the three vampires she hid any and all weakness. Her smile was gone.
She'd always thought she'd been good at reading people, like Edward had been. She could see if they were looking for trouble or just curious. She could tell if they were hostile or just passing through. These three were hostile and it rolled off them in waves.
"This is Tanya, Irina and Kate," he said with a hard stare at each of them. Their gazes were roving and probing as they looked at Bella. She was too small, too skinny, to brunette, too dirty, too hard... he wasn't surprised. They embraced the bitch stereotype wholeheartedly.
"Bella," Irina said, her arms folded across her chest. There were no hand shakes or warm greetings from either side. The pair looked at one another but said nothing. Bella didn't want to escalate the situation, but what the situation was, she didn't know. As far as she knew, she'd never met or run into this coven before.
"So you're Edward's mate," Tanya said as she stood front and centre flanked by her sisters.
Bella didn't respond and Edward felt Tanya's ire spike. Bella didn't feel the need to repeat information that she was sure they'd already heard. "I weren't aware you were into bestiality, Edward," she said innocently as she turned those beautiful eyes on the man at Bella's side.
"Stop, Tanya," he said in a harsh tone. "Bella hasn't done anything wrong."
The blond laughed suddenly and loudly and Bella thought she looked rather ridiculous. She knew vampires had a penchant for dramatics, but she was really going for it. "So you've already fucked each other?"
Amusement gave way to annoyance. Sex wasn't something so casually talked about, or thrown in someone's face. It was between two partners and no-one else. It shook Bella to hear it thrown into a conversation so carelessly. Tanya waited only a second before adding, "Be sure to scrub up before it's my turn later," with a simpering smile and coy wink at Edward.
She knew it was supposed to rile her, that it was all so stupid and yet those damn instincts were rising once again. The thought of Edward with this blond bitch was nauseating and, as if struck by a rock in the head, she wondered whether it had already happened. It would explain the whole charade that was unfolding in front of her.
She decided it didn't matter.
Well, it did but there was nothing she could do about it. The difference is he was hers now, and Tanya was going to keep her claws away from him. Only a moment had passed and all eyes were on Bella – waiting for a response, for her to smile and hurl some abuse her way or lash out. She'd spent the last fifteen years of her life in the minds of bitchy, hormonal females and she knew how they worked.
The worst punishment was silence.
So she met the eyes of Tanya, stood her ground and just waited. Without a retort she had nothing to work with, and Tanya was beginning to look nothing more than a petulant playground bully. A voice beckoned them inside and Tanya is the one to walk away, her coven hissing and whispering as they disappeared back inside the house.
Bella wanted to exhale but they were still within hearing range and just looked at her shoes and rolled her shoulders, trying to release some of the tension that had built. "I'm so sorry about them," Edward began quietly.
"It's fine," Bella dismissed, turning from him and walking into the forest.
"No it's not," Edward insisted as he followed her. Her steps were slow and plotless, not fleeing and angry. She wouldn't meet his eyes and it worried him. "They were rude."
Bella barked out a laugh but still said nothing. They went deeper and deeper into the woods, walking at a slow mundane human pace. Sometimes Bella liked slowing down.
They walked in companionable silence for a few minutes until the smell of vampires was all but gone and the house was beyond their hearing. "You handled it pretty well," he offered.
"I'm used to bitches," she said shortly before sighing. She knew she was being rude and she'd been raised better. "Have you and Tanya..." she trailed away. She'd never asked such a personal question before and felt her face flame. "You know."
"No," he said firmly. "Not for lack of trying on her part though," he added wryly. "I think she's just upset because you've accomplished in a few days what she tried more than seventy years to do."
His words were right but it didn't shift the weight pressing on her mind. The trees become thicker and closer together, blocking out most of the light and leaving them in shadows. "Does it annoy you that you can't hear my thoughts."
She heard his deep laugh beside her and found herself smiling as she watched him. "It just makes you more interesting," he said looking over at her with a depth in his eyes that captured her gaze. For the first time in her life, a man had left her speechless for the right reasons. She looked away, realising she was staring and found herself blushing.
They lapsed into silence again but he could see her struggling with something. Finally, when they found the river again, she said, "I don't like the way she spoke to you."
The river bent and curved to the right, heading down and further into the forest. They must have been six miles from the house. "That's just Tanya," he said with a heavy sigh. His words didn't help and he saw her face drop into a scowl before she pushed forward and left him watching her back. "What do you want me to do?"
His words seemed to strike a nerve and she spun with a fire in her eyes. "I don't know!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "You were ready to spark a war when Sam thought about sleeping with me – how do you think I feel, having to stand there and watch her talk about-" she stopped and turned, angry with herself for her outburst and just frustrated through and through.
Her words struck him. He hadn't considered his own reaction but he remembered how infuriated he was, how he was more than willing to abandon reason to stop those images invading his mind. He understood. "You have much better control than I do."
She shook her head and turned to look at him with the most sad, defeated expression. "What the hell are we trying to do, Edward?"
There had been no promises or declarations. They hadn't even spoken about the future or how any of it was going to work. Everything had happened too fast and living in the moment was much easier than looking into the murky future. "You are my mate," he said strongly, going to her side and taking her hand in his. It felt forced but right. She didn't pull away but looked at their hands as he pulled them up in front of them. "We can make this work."
"We don't even like each other," she whispered.
"I like you," he argued with an open heart.
She floundered for a while but with her hands clasped in his, she had no escape route. "I... I like you too, but it's not like that."
Not yet, Edward thought.
It seemed so ridiculous, so foreign but he could easy find himself falling in love with this girl. It hadn't been the romance he'd imagined, not by a long shot but this was what he had and he was not going to let it go. "Just see where it goes."
Her eyes fell to the ground and he struggled to keep up with her. "I'd give anything to know what you're thinking," he admitted quietly. When she glanced up, looking so open and vulnerable he knew this girl would snatch his heart and he would have no say.
"I don't want to go back to that house," she voiced in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Neither do I," he said running a hand through his hair. "We should just... hang out."
She giggled and he smiled at the sound. "Like... a date?"
"Why not? I think instinct has got us this far," he said, weaving his fingers through hers and giving a tentative squeeze. Her heat and his ice. "I think we have to make an effort."
They headed into town. Hand in hand, he led her across the roads and towards the little diner. It was only half filled which was as good as it got in Forks. Most of the men wore plaid shirts and ball caps and all eyes swung to the couple as they walked inside.
New people were few and far between.
They sat at a table next to the windows. Bella couldn't help but grin wolfishly as she grabbed the menu and hid behind it. "I can't believe we're doing this," she said with a giggle, still hiding. She was thirty five years old, but felt like a teenager again. Her heart beat hard in her chest and she felt... free.
"Never been on a date?" he asked, staring at the menu and willing her to lower it. Her facial expressions were the only way he had any inkling as to her thoughts.
"I'm practically a guy," she scoffed and lowered the menu setting it back in the small wooden holder next to the salt and pepper shakers.
"I can personally vouch for the fact that you are not," he said with a growing smirk and a light in his eyes.
She blushed at the memory.
"So you've never had a boyfriend?" he pushed, but before Bella could answer the waitress sauntered over and flicked her lashes at Edward and asked if he wanted anything. He didn't like that she ignored Bella completely, but with fantastic poise, Bella cleared her throat and read her order very loudly. The waitress had the decency to blush and mumble a quiet apology before scampering away into the kitchen, demanding someone else serve table 5.
"I was a very intense child," she said thoughtfully. "After my dad died my whole life became dedicated to being the best wolf, and one day being Alpha," she said in a small voice. "I never cared about boys. I saw them as pointless distractions."
"Well you got Alpha," he pointed out. "I'm sure there were plenty of offers."
She laughed, loudly and without any thought to the people around her. "I terrified them!" she said with a very unlady-like snort. He'd always imagined himself with a demure, quiet, respectful girl but Bella was so loud and herself, it was proving difficult to find a fault with her. Even her border-line rude laughter and tatty, dirt-smeared clothes didn't bother him. He loved that she didn't care what she looked like, that she could stare Tanya in the eyes without flinching while charming over Carmen and Eleazar. "You should have seen me! If anyone tried to talk to me I'd just scream at them to leave me alone."
"Can I ask you about your Father?"
"Of course," she replied easily.
"Do miss him?"
She paused and he was immediately curious. Most people wouldn't hesitate on such an emotive question. "It's difficult..." she said with a frown. "I loved him. He was my Father but I didn't know him as a man. He was an Alpha, a peace keeper, a council leader, and then a Father. My Grandpa practically raised me..."
"It must have been difficult for him to just suddenly find out he's a father."
She sighed. "I don't think he ever really came to terms with it. But he took me in – he could have been cruel or just put me in the sea."
Bella's omelette arrived, brought by a broad, stern faced woman in her late forties who looked about as happy as a coaster. "Tell me about your family," she asked as she douses the omelette with salt. "Your current one," she clarified as she picked up her knife and fork that lay to the left of her plate.
"Carlisle was the first – he was changed in 1663 by a passing vampire," he began in a quiet hushed voice. They were both aware that eyes were on them, but the general chit chat and too and fro of people shielded them from too much investigation. She ate and he spoke. He told her about his parents contracting the flu, and then Carlisle changing him when he was minutes from death. He told her about Esme and Rosalie, though he was mindful not to say too much. He didn't feel right disclosing such personal information about his family, but gave a brief overview.
The waitress came over and set a basket of fries on the table, along with a large glass of cola. Bella ate quickly and messily, finishing with salt and ketchup all over her lips and cheek. She wiped it away with a napkin and lifted her glass to her lips. Three quarters of the liquid was gone in a few moments and Edward couldn't help but chuckle at her appetite. "Still hungry?"
"Famished," she said, leaning back in the booth. The cheap red leather squeaked with her movements. She looked serene as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath, free as she was from the Cullen's watchful eyes and gagging scent. He waved the second waitress over, and she huffed and glared as she weaved her way passed the usual patrons sat at the bar. There was only one other man sitting to eat, and he was sat staring out of the window bemoaning his new divorcee status.
"Four omelettes please," he said smoothly. "And two glasses of Cola," he added as Bella finished the first and smacked her lips loudly. The waitress wrote the order down on her little notebook, grunted and then wandered back past the bar and disappeared into the kitchen.
"I've seen more of the Denali's than of your coven," she said as she set her knife and fork down on her empty plate.
"They..." Edward began with a hand through his hair. "They don't trust you yet."
This was no news to Bella, but she still felt affronted.
They talked about the house and where the family had lived previously while Bella devoured her four omelettes. She sat back with a quiet groan, her stomach feeling bloated. It had been too long since she'd felt so full.
"We should head back," Edward said looking out the window. The parking lot had only three trucks parked up, but it was the dimming sun that had him hurrying. "We have the meeting in a few hours."
Nodding, she slid from the booth and Edward paid with his little card. This sleepy little town seemed to have been dropped in the middle of the forest and left to fend for itself. It was no wonder the Cullen's liked it so much. Twenty foot from the diner sat woods.
They headed home a little faster than earlier. "Will you join us?"
Bella scoffed. "I don't think that's a good idea somehow," she said with dry humour. "No-one in that clearing is my ally right now."
Edward wanted to defend his family but there was nothing he could say.
The smell of vampires wafted towards them and Bella grimaced. The fresh air had been beautiful. She was tempted to set up camp right there – close enough to hear and protect, but not close enough to gag and vomit from the stench. She shook the idea from her head. She wouldn't leave Edward so close to Tanya.
She was a threat of a different kind.
They walked in silence but it was nice. Too much had happened in the past week. It was nice to just stop and be.
They were almost three miles from the house when she heard it. Her steps faltered, head whipping to the side as she stiffened. Edward, who hadn't heard anything, stilled himself. "What is it?" he asked in a whisper.
She heard them – clean, light steps heading right past them, heading straight for the Cullen house. Three sets weaved through the trees, jumping and pounding the ground with every step. They were too fast for normal vampires. "Newborns," she said in a hiss before promptly phasing into a wolf. Edward jumped away quickly as she landed on all fours. There was no hesitation as she took off east. He followed behind.
She was fast – faster, even, that him and lithe as she bounded this way and that. Her paws made hardly any sound, her fur only brushing softly against the trees and bushes. She was nothing like the bumbling, aggressive chases of the Quileute's who fell entire trees and whose paws alerted everything in a two mile radius of their impending approach. He was impressed.
He strained his ears but didn't hear anything. He followed Bella's lead- keeping his distance in case her instincts were surfacing. She twisted left suddenly and propelled herself through the forest, leaving Edward struggling to keep up. He heard them then – the soft footfalls, the soft exhalation, the muted, fuzzy, instinct driven thoughts.
Newborns.
He wanted to call out to Bella but they couldn't communicate. Instead he pulled his phone from his pocket and called Carlisle, who picked up on the second ring. "Newborns are heading for the house," Edward said quickly. "We're right behind them."
The call ended. He came closer and closer to the newborns until he were side by side with them and when he looked to the left, he could see them. Two men and one thick set woman snarling, their crimson eyes swirling with the urge to destroy and kill. He could see their skin spattered with scars of bites.
Without warning, Bella who was far ahead of him turned and headed straight into their path. He wanted to scream or yank her back but instead followed her as quickly as he could. She landed perfectly, her head bent low as her breathes heaved from her open mouth. The newborns were upon her in a matter of seconds but they stopped in their tracks, as if only seeing her for the first time.
Bella snarled loudly and Edward stopped at her side releasing a snarl of his own. Their eyes flicked to Edward and they all crouched low – their eyes darkening to a dreaded black as venom flew from their lips. He could see in their minds – their aim was Cullen's, not wolves. They wanted vampires.
Fuck.
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