Disclaimer- All recognizable characters belong to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer, whereas all new characters belong to me.
Chapter 13- Hold it together
I resisted the urge to kick the Cullens' door down. Just because I didn't feel like opening it. But I did, and when I stepped inside I almost instantly wanted to go back out. Every eye was on me. I groaned and turned back around. Ash put her hands on her hips and pointed towards my family. I frowned, but grudgingly walked into the living room. I sat down next to Alice, keeping my distance from Edward. Hope wasn't around, so I assumed she went back to bed. I'd already called Yuzria in the car, and he was on his way to England. The man was such a lifesaver. " Well, are you well fed?" Carlisle asked, trying to break the ice. I nodded once, a bitter smile on my face.
" Yes, rapists tend to fill me quickly." I replied. They all stiffened, except Edward. He was glaring. ' Two can play that game,' I thought and glared right back. Carlisle was about to say something else when a girl came around the corner of the kitchen. I instantly whipped out my knives and threw them. They landed on the girl's jacket sleeves, pinning her to the wall. She had jet black hair with raven streaks, cut to her shoulders. Her skin was translucent and her almond shaped eyes were a deep crimson. A snarl erupted from me before Alice softly touched my arm. My head snapped towards her, surprised by the contact. " She's with us, her name is Joanne." She explained quietly. " She stumbled upon the Denali tribe, but decided to come live in England with us." My eyebrow arched.
" So, what? She's a new Cullen?" I questioned. If the answer was a yes, I was taking my daughter and getting the hell out. I've been told I need to work on my trust issues, but I never listen.
" No, she's simply staying with us for a bit." Esme assured me.
" And why didn't anyone tell me? My daughter is saying in this house! I want to know of the possible dangers." At this Joanne narrowed her eyes and hissed.
" You drink human blood also. And they said you live in a house of the same!"
" All of whom have control over their blood lust! Whereas you do not." I told her. " Besides, they're all a considerable amount older than you. You are only. . . what? A century?"
" Older than you," She spat. I smirked and walked over to her. My stride was calm and collected. I leaned my neck towards her and stopped, inches from her face.
" Take another whiff, " I insisted, my body as still as stone. She growled but inhaled deeply none the less. I laughed when he gasped and yanked my knives from the wall.
" But that's impossible! They said you were under thirty years!" She exclaimed. I shot a glance at the Cullens and frowned.
" Yes well, they should've kept their mouths shut about my business." I sighed, rubbing my forehead. " Or, they should've at least told you everything." I put my knives back where they belonged and started to head out of the living room. I wasn't about to tell her my life story.
" Wait," she said, grabbing my arm. Big mistake. I growled and shoved her aside.
" Rule number one; keep your hands off me." I replied, my voice low. She frowned, her lip curling over her teeth slightly. I snarled loudly and stepped towards her. " Make a move, threaten me. I dare you."
" Bella-" Carlisle began, standing up from his seat. I flashed him a look and he stopped. After I was sure he wouldn't interrupt anymore, I turned back to Joanne.
" Let's get one thing straight; I don't want to be your friend. And that means if you make a wrong move or do something I don't like, I will have no problem slicing your head off of you neck." Her eyes widened and she trembled slightly.
" You wouldn't. The Volturi," I couldn't help it. I laughed. I laughed so hard my stomach began to hurt.
" You honestly think the Volturi care about you?" I chuckled. She looked like she was about to cry, but I didn't care. Call me cold-hearted but she was adding to an already bad night. I'd had a long ass night and did not want to put up with this. " Besides, I'm one of the Volturi. So, I have free reign to do what I please." I said smugly. Getting angry tends to give me a big head; I never knew why. Probably because I love to brag about being better than other people. Yeah, that's probably it. She backed away from me, like I'd taken her by surprise. It took me a few moments to realize that I had taken her by surprise. I turned to the Cullens and scoffed. " You didn't tell her I was part of the Volturi?"
" We didn't think it was relevant." Carlisle answered me smoothly. I ran a hand through my hair and laughed bitterly.
" Your daughter in-law is a Volturi member, and that isn't relevant to you? Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" I cursed, clenching my fists. " I can't do this. I'm going to go outside, look at the stars and try to think of where Evangelo took Eliza. Let me know when Yuzria arrives." Without another word, I walked out. No one called out my name, no one tried to stop me. And that hurt more than I wanted it to.
A breeze ran past me, my hair tickled my cheek. I inhaled deeply and regretted it almost instantly. The smell of sweet, sweet blood filled my senses and I knew my eyes were onyx. I groaned and put my head against the concrete wall. It was calling me, beckoning me. I shook my head and curled up into a ball on the back porch. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Lanina's number. She picked up on the first ring. " Nol, oh thank God. I was wondering how you were doing. What the hell is going on?" She asked me, not letting me get a word in edgewise.
" So then you do feel it," I whispered, closing my eyes.
" Yeah. . . I do." She said back to me quietly. " Nol, what's happening?"
" She's back Lan. Rosemary is sharing her body, her energy, with Annebelle. She's trying," I stopped, my voice cutting out on me. Lanina gasped and I could hear her telling Travis everything.
" Well, if she's just sharing a body then-" I cut her off with a bitter chuckle.
" Come on Lan, does Annebelle ever do anything half-assed? She's planning on finding a suitable body, kicking out the soul, and taking the body over for herself."
" You've got to be fuckin' kidding me."
" Wish I was Lan. I wish I was." I let out a dry sob, not even bothering to cover it up. " I don't know if I can do this again. The call. . . it's so strong and-"
" Isabella Noleen Cullen, don't you dare think about giving up. You are stronger than this. Everything you are feeling is Annebelle. What you need is to get up and believe in yourself like the rest of us do." I did what she said. I stood up and nodded my head, even though she couldn't see it.
" You're right. Lan, what would I do without you?"
" Drown in a puddle of your own misery." I laughed, and it was a true laugh. She was right. I couldn't just sit here and allow Annebelle to take me over. No, I would shake of the darkness whenever it built inside me and brush it aside. I would fight back so much Annebelle would wish she'd stayed in hell. I quickly explained to Lanina what happened with Evangelo and Eliza.
" Do me a favor Lan, put a sign up wherever you can about Eliza. I want to find her as soon as possible." I said after a few moments.
" Sure, I'll get on that right away. So, what happened with Bobby?"
" He's dead, truly dead. And I was close to offing Rosemary when she morphed into Annebelle. Talk about an awkward predicament." She chuckled softly and I could practically see her nodding her head in agreement.
" Alright, I'm going to go get started on the post. I'll call you the second I have results."
" Thanks Lan, I owe you one."
" Nah, just hold yourself together. If I need to I'll come over to England myself and kick your ass."
" With love."
" With love," she agreed. " Talk to ya later." I said my goodbyes and flipped my phone shut. Edward was behind me, his eyes on the black sky. I crossed my arms over my chest and pursed my lips in thought. I wasn't going to be the one to break the silence first. And I knew he knew that. He licked his lips and flickered his gaze to me. Then he took a step forward and held his arms out. I rolled my eyes and walked into his embrace. He pulled me to him and put his head on top of my head.
" I don't want to go through this alone Edward," I whispered, feeling vulnerable. I hated feeling vulnerable. " Don't make me go through this by myself."
" Never. Forgive me for my actions earlier. It wasn't acceptable." He whispered to me.
" You're damn right it wasn't acceptable." I replied, pulling back from him slightly. I looked into his warm honey eyes and couldn't help but smile. " But, against my better judgment you realize, I forgive you." He laughed and kissed me deeply. He smelled so good, and tasted even better. I was the one to pull back. I put my hand on his chest, feeling his muscles underneath his shirt. " If this new girl makes any moves towards you-"
" She knows I'm married Bella. Don't worry about that." He told me.
" Hey, married men sleep around," I pointed out.
" Not married men whose wives would probably castrate him if they found out his dirty secret." I thought about that for a moment. He was right. I shook my head in agreement and laid back down on his chest. " What do you feel?" He asked me after a couple moments. I sighed and bit my lip. Did I really want him to know what a monster I was? What I was capable of?
" Like there's an animal inside me, wanting to get out. To go to it's mother and do her bidding." I said quietly. I had to trust him, he was my husband after all. " It's scary Edward. My control. . . it's wavering."
" I know you Bella, you won't give in to her." I exhaled deeply and shrugged my shoulders.
" We'll find out soon enough." It scared me how true that was. It never took long for Annebelle to break her sirelings. The longest I went was a week before I finally broke down and literally crawled back to her. But, there would be no crawling this time. I'd kill myself before I went back to her. And I knew that that option was highly possible. . .
A/N: Ugh, I'm sorry for the long wait. Brief writer's block and whatnot. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Review and let me know your thoughts or questions. In case you haven't seen, Silent Lucidity is finished. So, read it if you like :) Because that is finished, I will be starting another story shortly. I'll put another brief summary here, it's a tad different from the original cause I've changed some stuff around in my head ahha.
What if instead of asking the Volturi for death, Edward decided to join them once he got news of Bella's death? Now he's a cunning and skillful guard, on his way to becoming a Volturi member. But will the return of his supposedly dead lover change his plans? And what is his new flame going to think about this new intrusion??
Well, that's it. Hopefully it sounds like something you all would read. Again, review and let me know what you think.
Until next time,
Faith