Forgiveness
Bella POV
I landed gracefully outside my house. I sheathed my wings, but I didn't become visible. It was just so peaceful, to be one with the air. Whenever I was invisible, I felt closer to the earth, and through the earth, the other angels on the planet.
Still, I had to hurry. I was taking Amber out to a nightclub. I had a good feeling about this club. Maybe Amber would finally meet her special someone.
I closed my eyes, and within seconds, my formal silk skirt and shirt turned into a turquoise mini-dress with matching stilettos. It had a low neckline, and was backless. I looked stunning, and I knew that every guy would be out to get me. That was why I had chosen the outfit. Amber deserved someone who would ignore any temptation, and I was satisfied that this would be an adequate test.
One of the great things about being an angel was the fact that your robe contained a golden credit card, which was linked to an account stuffed with cash. I had used the money to purchase an Aston Martin which I hardly ever used except for taking out Amber.
I arrived at her house fifteen minutes later. Amber squealed when she saw me. "Ohmigod Bella, you look gorgeous!"
"So do you" I smiled. It was true. She was wearing a green silk top with a black skirt, and her large emerald eyes were outlined to look even bigger. She plunked herself down next to me, and waved goodbye to her grandparents as we sped off.
The nightclub was cool, but it had an air of class. Amber and I started to dance, leading a crowd of men to come over and stare at us. Amber blushed, and lost her footing. Before I could help her, a man ran out of the crowd, and caught her. He was in his early twenties, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. They stared at each other. Two minutes later, they were dancing. I approved, and walked away to give them some alone time.
Some men tried to talk to me, but I subtly pushed them away. My aura was making them feel peaceful, so they ambled off without a fight. I sighed in relief.
Then a cold hand came down and touched mine. I whipped up my head and glared at Edward. "What are you doing here?"
His eyes widened innocently. "Rose and Alice wanted to visit a nightclub, and I went with them. It was the only way to ensure that they wouldn't be ripped apart by the human males in here. What are you doing here?"
I gestured to where Amber was dancing with her guy. "I'm here to make sure that she's alright."
He smiled. "Oh, she will be. Her new boyfriend does not intend to let anyone else near her."
I looked up at him with my new violet eyes. "Why did you leave me, Edward? I know what you said in the woods but…that wasn't the Edward I fell in love with."
His face became filled with pain again. He tried to look over my head, but I was the same height as him, and he'd have looked stupid craning his neck. Well, perhaps not to the human girls staring at him, but he would to me. I knew that he was about to tell me the truth, and I was prepared for the fact that it was Tanya or some other immortal that he loved, not me.
He sighed. "I was always so afraid whenever I was with you. I loved you so much that I thought my heart would burst, but your blood was always singing to me. When you cut your finger, for a moment it was me, not Jasper, who was in danger of killing you. I didn't want to put you through that danger again. You have no idea how much it hurt me to say those cruel words to you in the woods, but I had to make sure that you wouldn't look for me. Because then I would take you back, putting you in danger again. You deserved better than that."
I was shocked. He…really loved me? I hadn't been just a source of entertainment? He'd left to protect me?
I managed to stutter out a few words. "Y-you loved me?"
He stared at me. "How could you think that? Of course I loved you! It hurt so much to leave you that I locked myself in my room for a year! They had to bring my prey to me."
I froze, and then rubbed my eyes. "I wish that you hadn't left. It would have caused me a lot less pain."
He nodded. "Me too."
Amber came dancing up. "Bella, can we go home now? Grandpa just called. My aunt's visiting, and I really want to see her."
I sighed, and found my keys. "Amber, I need to stay here for a bit. You can take my car home."
Her face filled with some strange emotion. It took me a few seconds to work it out. No one had ever really trusted Amber after her rough time, and now I was letting her borrow a really expensive car. I hadn't meant to, but I had managed to make our bond much stronger. She smiled at me, though I noticed that her eyes were glittering with tears. "Thanks, Bella." Then she was gone, swallowed by the crowd.
I turned to Edward. "Couldn't give me a lift home could you?"
EDWARD POV
Oh, my angel. I couldn't stop glancing at her all the way back to her house. She was so beautiful. And the smell…she smelled good, but not in the way that had made me almost kill her.
We pulled up next to a small but tasteful house. I raised my eyes at her. She sighed. "I never did get used to having money spent on me."
We walked inside. It was light and airy, with windows giving Bella spectacular views of the town. She changed her dress into a silky pair of pajamas. I smiled appreciatively. She didn't blush, but she glowed brightly.
She floated towards me. Our arms slipped around each other, and her wings closed over us, protecting us from any peeking eyes as our lips met.