Author's Note: Thanks again to those of you reading and reviewing this story, you make it worth the struggle it sometimes is to find the time to sit and write. This chapter is dedicated to kselzer, author of the first review I ever received. Thank you! ~Dyxie

Where Desire Meets Destiny

I should have known he wouldn't let me get away with running from him. Why would he? He so obviously had the upper hand, and even worse, he knew it.

Two hours earlier...

My heart actually stopped for a moment at his whispered promise, and then I did the only thing I could do. I ran. I could hear footsteps running after me down the hall, but I refused to look back as I made my way through the corridors and out the front doors of the school, racing toward my truck as if my life depended upon it. I didn't realize I was crying until my vision blurred, and I swiped the back of a hand across my eyes as I jumped into the truck, starting the engine even before I'd fully settled myself into the seat. He called my name as I peeled out of the parking spot, heading toward the highway beyond, but I still refrained from looking back as I made the turn and picked up speed. I idly thought that the only reason I'd escaped had been because he'd let me, but I pushed that thought away as soon as it formed.

My mind was racing frantically, trying to come up with a plan, but his whispered promise ran through my thoughts over and over again until I thought I'd go mad from listening to it. "I'm going to make you mine," he'd said. Those words were frightening enough, but it was the way he'd said them that scared the hell out of me; fully confident with not a single trace of doubt. Crap! I was in serious trouble here. What should I do? Leave, I thought, get the hell out of Forks and never look back. As tempting as that was, it would never work. No money, no job, nowhere to go, and it would kill my parents if I just disappeared like that without a trace. I was well and truly stuck here in this small slice of hell, and I was going to have to deal with Edward whether I liked it or not. Not, my mind answered, and I absently nodded my head in agreement. I didn't like it at all.

Considering that he likely knew where I lived, I ruled out home as a possible destination at the moment, and was just aimlessly driving along until I spotted the turnoff to 101. Acting on a whim, I took the turn, and tried to let the passing scenery calm my ragged nerves. Unfortunately, even the techniques I'd learned for breathing weren't enough to help at this point, and the highway came to an end long before my nerves had relaxed. I pulled to a stop on the shoulder facing the forest, and from this high vantage point, it seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. With a slight shrug, I got out and decided to take a walk; maybe that would help where all else had failed.

A hiker I was not, so it was slow going, but gradually I noticed myself calming beneath the massive canopy of trees overhead. Sunlight filtered through them in a soft, greenish haze that seemed almost mystical in nature, bestowing an ethereal appearance on the trees and shrubbery I was walking through. While hiking wasn't high up on my list of fun things to do, I loved nature, and felt most at home when I was close to it as I was now. The energies of the earth called to me in a way I'd never fully understood, but my own energy always seemed easiest to control when I was in the midst of any type of natural growth.

I suddenly came upon a small meadow hidden within the forest, patches of wildflowers growing amidst the tall green grasses in shades of violet, white, and red. The silence of the surrounding trees standing sentinel imbued it with a spiritual tranquility, and I inhaled deeply, letting the natural serenity of the place calm the last of my raging nerves. I slowly walked toward the center of the meadow, then leaned down, gently sifting my fingers through the soft earth beneath my feet, and I smiled as small sparks began to dance around my fingertips. The only time I was ever able to truly be myself was when I was alone like this, and the urge to let loose and enjoy it was almost overwhelming. Pushing all thoughts of Edward from my mind, I surreptitiously looked around before letting go of the rigid control I was always forced to keep around my energies.

Immediately, my aura flared, extending several feet around my body as I gave it free reign, the golden energy pulsing slowly in time with my heart. A laugh of pure joy escaped me as I spun in a circle, sending showers of energy sparks outward in every direction that made small snapping sounds as they harmlessly struck the trees before dispersing into the air. I began to chant beneath my breath, my voice rising clearly and growing in power as I spoke the ancient words in a language last heard on earth over four millenia ago.

"Karileth, pa la cora, a ma tir."

"Karileth, ko lo dran, a ma tir."

"Karileth, pa lo al ti leth narta, a ma tir."

As the last words left my lips, the wind began to pick up around me, swirling through the meadow as it grabbed fallen leaves, grass, and flowers within its grasp, flinging them through the air in a wild dance. I laughed once more as I twirled among the flying debris, my hair streaming out wildly behind me as it, too, was caught by the wind. I hesitated for barely a moment before increasing the energy levels rising around me.

"A ta lo tier alar kona. Pa lo tor adra la son!"

The clouds began to swirl above the meadow as hundreds of energy bolts struck the ground in a matter of moments, leaving it unharmed, and the wind intensified until it was howling through the trees like the screams of a banshee. My peals of delighted laughter fought for dominance against the screeches of the wind as my hands lifted, long streams of golden energy surging from them into the forest beyond, and the air began to take on the particularly distinct smell of ozone as I danced among the wildflowers. The only time I was ever graceful was when I was using my energy, and it had been so long since I'd been free to indulge myself that I'd forgotten how wonderful it truly felt. Freedom was life, and energy, and being connected to the life-force of every living thing around me. Most importantly, it was the ability to simply be me and forget for a short while that I had to pretend to be human most of the time. I wasn't human, and it felt so damned good to just let go.

Time passed, perhaps minutes, perhaps hours, before I eventually threw myself onto the ground, my breaths coming in soft pants as I buried my fingers in the dirt beneath me. I could feel my body recharging its energies from those within the earth as I relaxed and simply listened to the wind. My thoughts slowly turned toward the home I hadn't seen in ten years, and a few tears trickled from my eyes as the longing to see it once more rose within me. I missed The Hollow, so badly that I ached at times, but I was needed here, and so here I would stay. Earth could be a cold and lonely place for one such as I, but my duty had to be placed above my personal desires. I had to stop what was coming, too much depended upon it, including my ability to ever return home. The Trentolaran were fierce and...

My head suddenly snapped up and I jumped to my feet, quickly whispering a few words beneath my breath. With several massive thunderclaps, the energy swirling around me surged almost too powerfully to be borne, and as it peaked, the area was bathed in a brilliant golden light, obscuring everything from view for a few seconds. Then the forest was silent and still, the power gone back to its source, and Edward Cullen was standing fifteen yards away from me, partially hidden behind a tree with his mouth hanging open in shock. Oh Crap! How long had he been standing there?

The Present...

**********

Edward

I was spellbound. She was utterly captivating, utterly uninhibited, and she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever see, no matter how long eternity might last. She was... unearthly, and that golden light... what the hell was that? Time passed unnoticed as my thoughts raced in time with her dancing feet, and if I'd ever had doubts that she was other than human, they were gone. No human could do that. Of course, I had no idea what she actually was, but I was more determined than ever to find out. I had to know. It was time.

**********

I should have known he wouldn't let me get away with running from him. Why would he? He so obviously had the upper hand, and even worse, he knew it. But how the hell had he managed to find me? I was in the middle of a forest that stretched for hundreds of miles along the Peninsula, and there's no way he should have been able to locate me. Unbidden, my nightmare from the night before came to the forefront of my memory and my body tensed in sudden fear. This was too much like it, and my heart started racing until I thought it would break free of my chest and run off on its own. My instincts were screaming at me to run, but I was too afraid to move, remembering the feel of his weight atop me as I breathed in dirt and knew I was about to die.

I saw his nostrils flare as he stepped fully out of the trees and began to slowly walk toward me, his steps measured and sure. My breaths shortened into panicked gasps as he neared, and perhaps he saw how utterly terrified I truly was, for he stopped a few feet away from me and his voice when he spoke was low and soothing as if he were gentling a frightened animal.

"Easy, Bella. I'm not going to hurt you," he murmured. "You will always be safe with me."

His voice washed over me in a velvety caress, and I could feel my body relaxing against my wishes, as if it knew something that I did not and was impatiently waiting for me to get the memo. My instincts warned that he was dangerous to me in ways beyond even my present understanding, but some deeper instinct far more primitive than the others was convinced that he spoke the truth. For a few moments, I felt as if I were being torn apart inside by the war being waged between those two sets of instincts, and I was incapable of speech.

Edward stepped forward then, slowly closing the distance between us as one hand rose to softly cup my cheek, his thumb brushing across my skin so gently it was barely felt. His scent enveloped me fully and I felt my body react to it in the way I'd already become accustomed to. My skin heated, the electricity began humming beneath it, and all I wanted to do was melt into his arms and let the world fall away. He knew it, too. I could tell by the way his lips curved into that crooked half-smile, but then his eyes began to darken, and a flame lit behind them as if he were as deeply affected as I was. His beautiful face hardened slightly with desire as his eyes dropped to my lips, and I moistened them reflexively with the tip of my tongue. As his head began to bend toward mine, all I could do was breathlessly wait for what seemed inevitable.

I vaguely felt his other hand slide into the hair at my nape as his lips brushed against mine in a feather-light caress that instantly sent heat coursing through my body. I heard a soft gasp, but wasn't sure which one of us had made it as the tip of his tongue slowly traced my lower lip. I melted. There was no other way to describe how my body softened and seemed to flow against his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My lashes fluttered down over my eyes as my own hands lifted to rest softly against his chest, and he deepened the kiss a bit further, his lips moving against mine in ways that made it impossible to think coherently. All I could do was feel.

Time had no meaning as our lips meshed together as if they'd been made to do so, and I honestly don't know what would have happened next had he not slowly pulled away, breaking the kiss but leaving his hands where they were. I could feel the ever-ready blush heat my cheeks as I began to regain my senses, and was afraid to open my eyes and see his expression. In my wildest dreams, I'd never imagined I'd be standing in a meadow kissing Edward Cullen today, and loving it no less. Something was really wrong with me. Apparently, I had no sense of self-preservation, whatsoever, and I was sure I was going to regret this once my thoughts would properly come into focus again. Our breathing gradually slowed, and after a few minutes of standing there with my eyes closed as I tried to work up enough courage to open them, his soft whisper finally broke the charged silence between us.

"Are you ever going to look at me again, Bella?" he gently teased. "I won't bite. At least, not hard."

For some reason, that drew an unexpected chuckle from me, and my eyes opened to see him staring at me with a soft, loving expression, something I'd never seen on his face before. It seemed out of place considering all our past confrontations, but there was a part of me that drank it in as if I was parched and he was a tall glass of refreshing spring water. A sense of rightness filled me then, as if everything in the world was suddenly just as it was meant to be, as if everything in my life had led me to this place at this time with this person.

Could it be true? Was my destiny unfolding right in front of my eyes at this very moment? As I took a few seconds to think about that, the words of my Tuan came back to me as clearly as if she was standing beside me now, though it had been ten years since last I'd seen her...

"He is out there, child, waiting to sense your essence. When he does, no force within Creation will be able to stop him from coming to you, and your destiny will begin to unfold."