Chapter XIV
A woman scorned
(EPOV)
Maria looked at me with a blank expression. Her mind was the complete opposite of her face. She couldn't understand why any vampire would want to end their existence, and I was annoyed to find that she agreed with Alice on the state of my sanity. Nonetheless, as I had expected, she felt antagonized by my plan. And a little threatened.
Maria truly had the most comical mind. She was going back and forth between killing me now, or killing me later. I hadn't expected this. I had thought she would want to get rid of me as soon as she learned that I was planning to become as much of a nuisance as I could. Instead, she was concerned with how cowardly that might make her look.
It was hard not to show the amusement I felt upon finding out her view on the situation. Maria saw herself as royalty in this particular area. The chair she sat on was her throne, and this house her castle. She thoroughly enjoyed holding the fate of a vampire in her hands . It was clear that this was a first for her.
Her mind suddenly went blank, while her eyes narrowed. She was confused, and while her mind slowly began to fill itself once again with thoughts, the pain hit me.
I heard the door behind me open, and felt the change of direction in the air flowing through the room. My throat was on fire, it was torture, maddening, excruciating, and it was the most welcome feeling known to our kind. The scent that had filled the air clouded my mind, and my body shook involuntarily.
I was torn between unreal bliss, and immediate self-loathing, but when I heard her say my name, there was no going back. I was at Bella's side, holding her close, before I'd realized it.
Maria's thoughts were suddenly loud and clear. And hungry. And much, much too close.
I heard a growl (it might have been my own), and then she spoke. "Who is this?"
"My fiance'." My eyes remained fixed on Bella's. How dare he? I ignored her thoughts, but she spoke again.
"And you?" she asked Carlisle.
I heard his thoughts before I felt his eyes on me. His name was infamous enough for Maria to recognize our connection to Jasper. It would be preferable to keep her ignorant of that fact with the four of us being so vulnerable at the moment, especially Bella.
I decided to answer for him. "This is my father, Maria, Carlisle." I had brought this upon our family, once again, and I would be the one to pay for it.
"Carlisle…" She recognized the name. She feared the name, even. "Carlisle Cullen?" I could hear the links falling into place, and I tried hard to think of a way to get Bella out of here unharmed. However, before Maria had time to fully process the company she was currently faced with, additional company came thundering in.
Let the ass-kicking begin! I heard Emmett's thought as he came through the door, and chuckled. I was very relieved that Emmett didn't say this out loud. And forever grateful for his impeccable timing. Rosalie was with him, but after perceiving her mood (Oh goodie, another disaster to avert courtesy of Edward Cullen, the great and powerful Odd), I tuned her out.
Emmett's voice was booming, and I was a little smug when he managed to shock Maria. "Yah, and I'm his brother, and she's his sister and we're all one big happy family. Any problem with that?" He said sarcastically. Emmett was entirely fixated on Maria, and I was surprised and pleased to discover that he had already fully comprehended the situation. He was livid.
Maria, however, took a different approach to the situation than I'd expected. I was briefly frustrated to see this situation escalating, once again, in a way that I hadn't foreseen, but my thoughts were quickly brought back to the present. Maria had rounded on Alice, now fully realizing who she was. The woman who had taken Jasper from her. The hostility had me on edge.
'Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned. Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.' I couldn't help but think that Congreve must have met Maria. I'd never encountered such jealousy before.
I whispered to Carlisle, as softly as I could manage. "Run with Bella when I tell you to. I'll take Alice." She knows… Carlisle sounded defeated, which worried me. I see. Alright. On your mark.
Suddenly I heard Jasper's thoughts, What just happened…? Emmett and Rosalie. Something's wrong… Alice is in there. I'm coming in Edward, I'm sorry… I knew at that point that there was no way we could still escape. Jasper would come in, and I couldn't stop him.
Maria turned towards Alice and spoke while I heard Jasper walking towards us.
"Then that makes you Alice-"
"My wife."
Maria reacted to Jasper's voice so rapidly, I blinked. I hadn't had that reflex in over a hundred years. Jasper's entrance fell upon us like a bomb. Everything had gone quiet, but Maria's mind was screaming.
Whitlock. Whitlock! How dare he show his face here?! And with her! Is that it? He brought her here to take my place. They want to unseat me! The traitor! How dare he?!
It took all my willpower not to shred her to pieces then and there. The only thing keeping me locked in place was Bella. I couldn't leave her side now, not for a fraction of a second.
Maria had started screaming, and the words were only just audible. "OUT!" she cried. "Golden eyes, OUT! Never return with this traitor among you again!"
I didn't need to listen to my family's minds to know their thoughts. I took Bella in my arms, and we were out of the house before Maria had finished her sentence. I could still hear her, though. She'd decided the humans couldn't live to tell the tale.
I focused on my family, and on Bella, not wanting to hear the minds of those innocent people, nor let Bella hear their screams.