I smiled as I remembered the last time I had seen Alice and the family. My thoughts were broken by the crunching sound of sand and heavy footsteps.
"Howdy!" I opened my eyes as Edward instinctively tightened his grip on me. It was the man from the plane. Tall and lanky, he towered over us in the shadows, waving at us awkwardly as he said, "Howdy." His book dangled limply in the long, delicate fingers of his left hand. A book of poems by Matthew Arnold, a name I had only heard in passing at school. He flashed a huge grin at us, but his expressionless eyes focused only on Edward. There was a beat of silence before I realized that I would need to do the talking.
"Hello. You're were on the plane with us, right?" He brushed his hand through his amber hair.
"Gosh, yes. Sorry to be rude and all, ma'am, but you two are quite a sight." Edward shifted uncomfortably underneath me. "The name's Declan. Declan Bute." He stretched out his hand to me. I took it, while out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward's face tighten with disapproval.
"Bella Swan." The name shimmered in his eyes, the first sign of life I had seen from them.
"Well, Ms. Swan, yer prettier than a Georgia peach, ain't ya? I couldn'ta help but see you two lookin' so happy an'all. Newlyweds?" In the moonligh, I couldn't decide how old this man was. I looked to Edward, prompting him to enter the conversation, but he sat fixed on the stranger, who was looking back at him intently.
"Just last week."
"Aw, now that's somethin' special, it is. I been watchin' you two and I gotta say, I ain't never seen anything like what you got, not in all my years on this earth. Now, you," he said pointedly to Edward, "you must be the lucky man whose gone and snatched up this young lady. Declan Bute." He held out his hand to Edward, not knowing that it would take an earthquake to shake loose his iron grip on me. Even more than that. "Yer not a friendly soul, are ya?"
Edward considered him for a moment.
"Why do you keep thinking your name over and over again?" Something flickered across those eyes, but it was gone instantly, and back again were the dim shades of empty green.
"So's you can't hear what I'm thinkin'." And that was just as good as an earthquake. Edward was standing, gripping the man's white t-shirt, in an instant. His lips pulled over his teeth in a snar. "Well, ain't that somethin'. This was easier than I thought." Declan grabbed a hold of Edward's hand and smiled. "I mean, I knew getting you to shake my hand was a long shot."
Edward hissed, but not in fury, but in pain. The sound was so strange and alarming and it rang loudly in my ears. I leapt to my feet and grabbed a hold of his arm as he fell to the ground. Topaz eyes wide with pain and confusion, he tried to mouth words, but failed. No, no, no. Not here. Not now. Panic gripped me and my heart drummed in desperation. What could I do? Who would I call for help?
"But I never dreamed you'd be so territorial." Edward writhed softly on the sand, clutching at my arm. Declan laughed, but it was a forced laugh, laced with pain. He bent over, a smile still spread across his face, but his eyes widened with a spasm of pain. He clutched his stomach and groaned aloud. "Woo! Now that's something you just don't get used to." His knees buckled for a moment before he stood straight up, grasping at his stomach, making the same gasping, groaning noises Edward was making. "Enjoy your weddin' gift, girl. Thank me later." Edward gasped again and in the instant I turned to meet his eyes, Declan had disappeared.
"Edward. Edward, please, you have to tell me what's wrong. What do you want me to do?" Ivory hands held tightly on to me as he twisted in his agony. Tears filled my eyes and spilled over as I held him close.
"Bella…. Take me…back to the room…."
"How can I –"
"Just…get me there. I feel…. I feel fire…."