CHAPTER SIX
I left the familiar corridor, the research part of the facility and my realm, my world, to enter the empty, echoing vampire common room. I concentrated on taking deep even breaths and not thinking of anything other than my goal—all my goals.
I was about to touch a vampire. Smell one. Smell him.
Edward.
I stood in front of the door to his cell, sweating, scared, lightheaded and wobbly with fear and anticipation. I pressed my head against the polymer material, wondering what the hell I was doing. If anyone knew—if anyone found out—I'd be fired instantly. If I didn't die instantly, of course. If Edward wasn't overcome by bloodlust and attacked me the instant I opened the door.
"Your heartbeat." His voice came through the door, and I jumped, my nerves getting the best of me. "Your blood. You've got to calm down. Please, don't open the door until you calm down, okay? Promise me."
"Okay," I said shakily, taking a step back and rolling my shoulders. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing. In and out. Deeply in, slowly out.
He wouldn't be concerned, he wouldn't warn me, if he meant to hurt me. Right? No, of course not. He wouldn't. Not Edward. I opened my eyes and took one last, deep, reassuring breath. I counted my heart rate, controlled my breathing, until I felt calmer. Until the blood wasn't rushing hotly through my veins, throbbing in my neck, vibrating in my chest and pulse points. I could do it. He could do it.
I took a determined step forward, my hand hovering over the latch. It would open when I touched it, scanning my palm print and clearing my access.
"Okay?" I whispered.
"Better," his voice assured me, low, deep, and beguilingly soft. "That's better."
Letting the timbre wash over and reassure me, I grasped the latch, and the door swung open with a quiet, anti-climactic click.
He stood in the center of the room, having moved back when he heard my hand on the door. The first thing that hit me was the smell of him, how the room was filled with the light, sweet fragrance. I inhaled, and my head swam. I swayed, my hand reaching out to steady myself on the doorframe. I must have been more lightheaded than I thought, because he suddenly appeared in front of me without seeming to move, and the wondrous scent intensified.
"Dr. Isabella Swan, I presume."
"How did you—" I couldn't complete my thought. He was there, right in front of me, no barriers, nothing to stop me from touching him. A vampire. Him. Edward.
He smiled, that slow, sweet, sexy smile, and I followed his gaze as he dropped to focus on our hands only inches apart. His fingers reached for mine, and I watched in wide-eyed wonder as he took them, bringing them up until they were chest level—his chest level, my eye level, he was so tall—between us. His skin was hard, cold, and smooth as marble, his grip gentle, and he exhaled slowly as those long fingers tangled with mine.
"Warm," he breathed, staring intently at me. "So warm. I'd forgotten…I didn't know…"
He brought our entwined hands to his mouth, and his lips were just as hard, cold, and soft as his hands. A weird sensation. Where I had expected warm, he was chilled. Where I expected give, there was solid, but the soft silkiness was there. His icy breath washed across my knuckles, and I shivered in reaction to both the temperature and the sensation.
He let go of my hand and closed his eyes, allowing me to trace the firm cushion of his lips, the blade of his nose, the hard curve of his cheek. My fingers tested and stroked, cataloging the familiar landscape but alien texture of his lovely face. I smoothed a winged brow, traced the bell curve of an ear, brushed the living satin of his hair. My touch was gossamer light over the fan of his lashes, sliding over his closed lids, and then I brought both of my hands up to hold his face between them.
"You're beautiful, Edward. You even feel beautiful."
He let out a huff of laughter, wrapping his fingers around my wrists to gently tug them away. He stared down at me and then pressed my captured palms to the hard planes of his chest. He moved in closer, his honeyed, fragrant breath washing over my face, and I greedily sucked it in. Another wave of lightheadedness rippled through me, and I floated, his intense golden gaze the only thing anchoring me to the earth.
"Stay still," he murmured, and I inhaled deeply again. "That's it, Bella. Don't move."
"My name," I managed to say. My lips felt heavy and full, like they'd ben shot full of warm Novocain. "How did you know my name?"
Were my words slurred? I bet my lips would feel better if he kissed them. Yes, that would be a lot better. I swayed toward him, trying to lift my suddenly weighty head, hoping he'd take the hint.
"I have to admit to telling you a bit of untruth," he whispered, pursing his lips—yes!—but only to blow that intoxicating breath across my face.
My entire body felt numb and tingly, a warm, pleasant lull, a rise and fall of soothing waves. I wasn't sure how my legs still supported me, and my arms were so heavy. As a matter of fact, I couldn't feel my legs. My breath came in slow, deep draws, my heart thumped in sluggish, reverberating beats. What was happening to me? And what did he mean, untruth?
"I can hear you through that worthless barrier you've developed. Hear you, smell you, sense you, every second you were there. And I could hear everybody else, right here." He tapped the side of his head. "That's another part of my untruths, you see. I do have talents, very special ones. Playing the piano is insignificant compared to what else I'm capable of, sweet Bella. For one, I can read minds."
I jerked in response, and his shy smile made an appearance, but I was beginning to suspect that was yet another of his untruths.
"I can't seem to read yours, though, which is curious. I don't know if that's because of what you are to me, or…" He gave his head an impatient shake.
I tried to move away, my heart rate tried to accelerate, but he'd done something to me, drugged me somehow. I'd heard about vampires putting humans under their thrall but never seen any evidence of it—until now.
His breath. It had to be his breath, his scent, and his eyes. We were so careful not to come in contact with them, so of course they'd have no opportunity to use those weapons. Only I had been stupid enough, naïve enough, to believe a vampire when he swore not to hurt me. Silly, foolish girl, to fall for a pretty face and even prettier manners and manipulations.
"I'm sorry for this," he murmured, his cool hands running over my hair, his fingers tracing over my cheeks. "But it seems I've finally run out of patience."
I tried to jerk away, but I couldn't move. I could only stare into his deep, golden eyes. He saw the twitch of my hand and took it in his, bringing it to his lips and placing a kiss to the back of my knuckles. I put every ounce of my fury and protest into my glare, and he smiled.
"It's the only way I can guarantee you'll listen. We don't have long. They'll be coming soon."
Surprise must have shown in my gaze, because his smile grew lopsided.
"An alarm goes off when a human enters one of the cells."
My eyes would have widened if they had been capable of the movement.
"No one knows about it but William Black and the head of security, Not even you. And, of course, me." He tapped the side of his head again, reminding me of his incredible revelation that he could read minds. "They think it's a failsafe measure, but it will fail. As if humans could develop anything that would hold me. You have no idea, Bella, what I'm capable of. You only know what the Volturi have allowed you to know. All these years, you thought you've had some control, but the truth is you haven't. They've allowed you to study us out of amusement and…boredom, I suppose. You've managed to eliminate a few vampires, but even those are ones the Volturi wanted to be rid of, anyway. You've been manipulated, you and everyone who works for the Institute."
My legs shook with the strain of standing locked in place for so long, and of course, he noticed.
"Come with me." The words were soft, but they were a command.
He backed up slowly, never taking his eyes from mine, still holding my hand as he guided me to the chair. I had no choice but to follow, going farther into the room instead of toward the door where I so desperately wanted to be. I briefly thought of a line from a movie: "We regret to inform you your children are dead because they were stupid." That expressed exactly how I felt. Who would tell my dad? I would cause him so much pain, so much grief, with my death, all because I was so stupid.
My breath hitched in my throat, trying to accelerate, but he controlled even that.
"Sh, Bella. Calm down, please. I'm not going to hurt you."
He sat me on the chair and lowered himself onto his haunches. We were almost eye level, more to secure whatever weird control he had over me than to be polite.
"I said I would tell you about my family when I felt I could trust you. I couldn't risk their safety—their anonymity—before, but you've shown me your trust by coming to me, face to face, and I can show you no less."
His eyes were open and earnest, and had the circumstances been different, I would have believed every word coming out of his perfect, lying mouth.
"The reason I'm here, the reason I let myself be taken and brought here, that reason is you. I came for you, Bella." His hands tightened ever so slightly on mine when I would have protested or instinctively recoiled in denial. I couldn't, though. I could only sit and listen to him, just as he intended. And then…and then I had no idea what he would do to me. I had no idea what would happen after that.
"I have siblings—a few of them, actually. Also, my father, the vampire who changed me. His mate, who I consider my mother. My sister, Alice, she's just…different. You'd be very intrigued by Alice." He smiled, and I wanted to slap his pretty face. "You see, Alice has a very special talent. She can see the future."
My mind whirled with disbelief. I wanted to scoff. I wanted to know more. I'd heard of vampires with precognitive abilities, but no one at the Institute had ever encountered one. Well, that we knew of. I began to realize the Institute wasn't the driving force in vampire research we had thought it to be.
"She's seen my future, and it's linked with yours." He paused, waiting for me to absorb the new, stunning information. "I'm sure you're aware that the Volturi are planning another Uprising."
I nodded slowly, and he continued.
"Alice has seen this, and she's seen the possible outcomes. Alice's visions aren't perfect. They're based on decisions we make, and can change along with those decisions. She can see…outcomes. What she's seen is the destruction of both of our races. Complete obliteration. Humans won't survive, not one, and we can't survive without humans. Not even with animal blood." He blinked his gold eyes. "But she's also seen how we can stop it. How I can stop it."
His fingers stroked my hand, wrist, and forearm. The touch was strangely soothing, but I didn't want to be soothed. I wanted out of there.
"I'm different than other vampires. I always have been, ever since I was changed. That's why the others are all terrified of me. They can sense it. I'm so much stronger, faster, smarter. More aware, more capable, and a mind reader on top of that. I'm the only one that can stop the Volturi from destroying both of our races. But even my vastly superior attributes aren't quite enough.
"There is a legend among vampires of la cantante, a singer. A human whose blood sings to a particular vampire, blood that will fortify and increase whatever abilities they possess. When the blood of that human and that vampire mix, the result is unbelievable power. I have that possibility, Bella. We have that together. You're my singer. When your blood mixes with mine, I can stop the Volturi."
My mouth worked as I tried desperately to speak. He touched my chin, his fingertip lingering on my lower lip with an electrifying tingle.
"Go ahead," he said softly.
"So you're saying—" I had to clear my throat. I struggled to speak through a thick, rich syrup coating my tongue. "You're telling me that you have to drink my blood, that you have to kill me, in order to save the world?"
I wasn't capable of my usual inflection, but I'm sure he could hear the condescension and disbelief I did manage.
He laughed softly. "I know. It sounds crazy. It is crazy. But true, nevertheless. I didn't believe it at first, either, but with what I know of the Volturi and Alice's visions, it is true." He paused to look at me, an odd light coming into his eyes as his smile faded. "Alice has seen a couple of possible outcomes. Drinking your blood is not the only way to mix it with mine."
I stared at him, having no idea what he could be talking about. Images of test tubes and petri dishes, beakers full of blood being poured from one to another, mixing and blending filled my head. He stood and walked a few paces away, running his hand through his hair before turning back to me, his gaze entreating.
"I don't want to do this, Bella. I don't want to drink your blood. Well, I do want to drink your blood—you have no idea how amazing you smell to me, none at all—but I don't want to kill you. But the other option, the other option Alice saw…" he gave a sharp shake of his head. "No. I can't bear that, either."
"What is it?" I was so very curious. Not only because it was an option other than killing me, and I was all for that, but the look of fear and anguish on his face made me want to know what else his sister had seen.
"Actually, it's more the human way of mixing blood, but the result would be definitely vampiric in nature." He paused, waiting to see if I would catch on, but I just shook my head. I still had no idea what he was talking about.
"We could have a child." His voice was soft, but it lashed me like a whip.
I gasped in denial, in horror, in…amazement. Vampires could have children? How was that possible? How could that be? I wanted to run screaming from him, but at the same time demand to know. It was my greatest weakness, the desire for knowledge.
"If we did, if we had a child, it would have the powers I have. And with the addition of your blood, it would have the same extraordinary powers I would gain by drinking it. But, Bella…I can't. I can't do that to another person, a child. My child. I couldn't bear to put that kind of pressure, responsibility, that obligation on another." He shook his head again. "I can't. This has to end with me. I can bear that. I can do it, take on the Volturi—the responsibility of saving our races, the consequences of what I must do. I can risk my own life, but not that of my child. But the alternative could mean killing you. And that I can't bear, either."
I believed him. At some point during his speech, I had seen his despair, the conflict, how he wrestled with his knowledge of what could—what would—happen. I wanted to weep at his words, not only because of his obvious anguish, but also the thought of any innocent child, let alone my child, our child, being thrust into those kinds of circumstances.
"So, you see what I've been dealing with, trying to decide—you, the future of our races, or our child. No one should have to make that kind of decision. But here I am." He spread his arms out self-deprecatingly. "The weight of the world on my shoulders. Quite literally. I've been turning and turning it over in my head, trying to find a better way, some way to fix this, to make it possible that it doesn't have to mean the death of one, or even many." His eyes gleamed. "And I think I've come up with a way. I did tell you I was very, very smart. I just don't know if even I'm strong enough."
"What?" I croaked. "How?"
He was crouching in front of me in less than an instant, and I sluggishly recoiled in reflex. His eyes shone with barely suppressed excitement and hope. "I would have to drink your blood, Bella. There's no way around that. Despite how much stronger I am than the typical vampire, I'm not strong enough to take on the Volturi, not without the power your blood will give me. But I can take it, take your blood, bring you to the brink and keep you there until I've taken what I need. I can't bring you back, but Bella… I can change you."
My mouth dropped, under his thrall or not. I was so shocked that nothing could stop the expression of disbelief. "Ch-Change me?"
He leaned in close to my face and inhaled. I strained toward him, bereft at the loss of his scent, his power, the essence of him that had invaded me. I collapsed into his arms, and he stroked my hair and back until I recovered.
"There you are. There's the woman I know." He held my shoulders, supporting me as he eased back to look into my face. "I'm sorry for that, Bella. But I didn't know how else to make you listen."
"Don't do that again." I scowled at him. "I'm not a fan of being without free will."
"I promise." His eyes searched mine. "Anything you give me from here on out has to come from your own choice."
"You're brilliant," I whispered, reaching out and placing my hand on the side of his face. "I can't bear the thought of so many people—and vampires—dying when we can prevent it. I can't bear the thought of putting our…child in that kind of danger, that kind of position. I just can't. And I don't want to die, either."
I smiled a shaky, trembling smile, and bit my lip. "So I guess I go with your last option."
"You do?" He blinked rapidly, going completely still. "You… You want me to change you? Drink from you?"
I nodded, unable to say the words, not quite yet. I wondered when I would be able to. I wondered how much time we had. I started to ask him, but was interrupted by a great commotion outside the door.
"They've come." He confirmed my suspicions that the security team had arrived. He examined my face, looking for the truth in my words, my acceptance, and that the choice I had just made was truly what I wanted. His tense face relaxed slightly, so he must have found what he looked for. "Bella, I'm going to ask you to trust me again, to take a leap of faith. Can you?"
"I trust you, Edward." And I did.
He pressed his lips to my forehead, hard, unyielding, perfect. "I can get us out of here, right now, just like this, but…I can do it much easier, and without hurting or killing anyone if…well, if I—"
"Had an energy drink?" I said with a lift of my brow.
He huffed nervous laughter. "Yes."
"It's okay, Edward. Yes. I'm sure."
I thought of the Institute's security team, men and women with lives, with families. If we could get out of there without anyone being hurt, I was willing to make that sacrifice. I bundled my hair into one hand and pulled it over my shoulder, baring my neck.
I heard him gasp, felt him lean in close. His cool breath fluttered unevenly against the warm skin of my throat, and I felt the trembling brush of his lips. My chest rose and fell in rapid pants, and I gasped when his icy tongue lapped my collarbone, dipped into the hollow of my throat to press and linger. It traced along my windpipe, slipping along the delicate skin just to the side. His lips pressed firmly in a soft, sucking kiss, and I felt the edge of his teeth. His voice vibrated against my throat, his lips and tongue moving to form my name. I felt it in every part of my body.
"Bella. Your blood is so much sweeter, so much more potent, when freely given. I have to admit to telling one more untruth. Well, quite a bit more than one, but these are the last that will ever concern you. First, this is going to hurt."
He licked, and I moaned.
"Second? I really don't think I'll be able to stop."
And then he bit me.
END PART I
My appreciation to Sarahsumbrella and Sunking for their time, beta expertise, patience, and friendship. SunKing just finished her Geekward story "Pity" - go give the sweetheart some love.
I have original romances in a couple of different genres contracted with a publisher and coming soon (updated information on my profile page), but never fear. I'll be here, as will all my fic stories. I've got a ton of all kinds floating around in my head.