Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Thanks to all of you who liked the lemon & reviewed! XOXO!!

AHHHH!!! Twilight is out this weekend! [Squeals] I have tickets for Saturday and ironically the theater I'm going to is called "Edward's Theater". I'm so serious. What's also funny is my school is on Cullen Blvd. Anyways, I'm super excited!

So excited that my head wasn't screwed on right for this chapter. When my beta DarkRedSlice read it, he said I was moving too fast. So, he and I co-wrote this chapter! Remember to give it up to him, you guys. I think he did an amazing job.

Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Beckon

I giggled as Edward and I walked into the backdoor of the mansion after our evening hunting trip before class. He was ruffling my hair to shake out the snowflakes that threatened to dampen my brown locks.

"Are your newborn instincts dying out? That coyote nearly had you by the neck," Edward teased.

"It had me by surprise, is all. I wasn't paying attention," I defended hitting his chest lightly.

It was the absolute truth. I was too distracted in watching Edward hunt to pay attention to anything else. He was stealthy hunter, light of the balls of his feet, and definitely more controlled than I am. There was a beauty in his form that I admired, but the most important thing was that he enjoyed it. The kill satisfied him in a way that it never seemed to satisfy me.

I hunted to please Edward, but the coyote tasted vile in my mouth. My stomach told me to spit it back out and find something tastier, but that would be a very ghastly scene. I debated on whether or not I should tempt Edward in letting me cheat just one more time, but he looked really proud that I was doing well. So, I drunk without tasting. To be honest, I'm still incredibly thirsty.

Edward caught my wrist in his hand, calling my attention back to him as he held my gaze intently. Moments of our passionate night together flashed before my eyes, and I could see it lingering in his. Was this enough to take away the empty feeling in my stomach? My smile faded gradually the longer I stared into his topaz eyes. We had spent the whole day in the comfort of each others arms until our hunger forced us into the woods.

"Ah-hem!" Someone cleared their throat quite noticeably.

I turned around to see the whole family staring at us in the kitchen with goofy grins on their faces. Well, everyone except Carlisle and Esme. They just looked beautiful and at ease. It's so odd to see them gathered around a place where they hardly spent any time in.

"Oh," I breathed. "What's everyone doing here?" I wondered.

Alice smile grew wider, "How did your English paper go last night?"

I froze, and that's when their goofy grins made sense to me. How could I not see this coming? I could just imagine how red my face would be if I were still human. Regardless, I felt embarrassed and wanted to high-tail it out of there as quickly as possible. Those feelings were quickly crushed and replaced with content.

"Umm…I-It was…uh, fine," I stammered like an idiot caught in the act.

Emmett bit back a chortle.

"There are no secrets in this family," Edward murmured in my ear apologetically.

Alice frowned, "That shouldn't be news to either of you."

I shifted on the balls of my feet uncomfortably, "You didn't see anything, did you?"

Her tiny hands tugged me to her side with a sincere smile, "Not anything important."

That made me feel better…Until Emmett spoke up.

"Less can be said about the noise, though," He burst into chuckles. Rosalie joined him.

Edward pulled on my hand, "Let's get to school before we're late."

"Not so fast. The dean of admissions called me this morning," Carlisle declared.

"What does he want?" Edward asked on edge and antsy.

He really wanted to leave the clutches of his siblings teasing more than I did, but then I recalled, they were probably still jeering at him inside their heads. And the worst part, he could hear all of it.

"A student is missing and the dean believes Bella was last seen with him last night. He wants to have a talk with her," Carlisle announced.

"Whoever he believes did it. It wasn't Bella," Edward's voice was on the defense.

Carlisle smiled, "Of course not. She was with you the whole night, wasn't she?"

Edward groaned and complained, "Not you too!"

Obviously, Edward's father was also teasing him but silently. I wondered if the teasing would be less annoying if it was out loud instead of inside their heads.

Carlisle patted Edward's shoulder with a fatherly smile, and any annoyance he caused vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Doesn't he know I can vouch for Bella? Why is he making this such a big deal?" Alice asked obviously aware of this dean's personality.

Jasper, who is always so introverted and in the background, finally spoke up. The only person he probably speaks more than a few sentences to has got to be Alice. She didn't perk up and listen to him like the rest of us did.

"Bella is still a newborn vampire. He fears she will sway and endanger the whole campus," Jasper replied to Alice's questions.

I felt offended. A person I have never met before, who is also a vampire, thinks that I'm a risk to his school and suspects me in a missing person's case. Then, he expects me to sit down with him and chat about it. Yeah, right!

"Don't be offended, Bella. He knows you're with a good family. He's only trying to keep the school safe and perform his job," Jasper directly said to me.

"How do you do that? How do you know what I'm feeling?" I asked him.

He gave a short laugh, "I can feel what others are feeling around me, and alter them if the situation calls for it. You'd think Edward would've told you that by now."

I shook my head and shot Edward a glance.

"I'll speak with him when I arrive at school," I informed Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded, "Thank you."

My agreement was based on the fact that I didn't want to cause any trouble for Carlisle, but I also wanted to see what this vampire of a dean had to say to me.

"Maybe I should go in with you," Edward insisted when he parked in front of the school.

I smiled and shook my head, "I'll be fine. Besides, you can't be late to your presentation."

Edward was working on a model of artificial lungs that was supposed to replace real human lungs. Something that was beneficial for people with lung cancer. But it was still all theory at this point.

"You're right," He agreed with a sigh. "Don't let him bully you. You haven't done anything wrong," Edward said.

I nodded and reached for my backpack.

"Bella, I-" He paused reluctantly.

"Yes?" I answered.

"I- It's nothing. I'll see you later," He stated with a weak smile.

It was snowing again when I stepped outside. The cold, white flakes fell serenely from the sky casting a light ambiance against the night. I wondered what Edward wanted to say, but I think I already know. The very same thing I wasn't ready to declare yet and even more reluctant to do so.

Slowly, I made my way to the dean's office by walking up a flight of stairs. A couple squeezed past me, and I ignored the venom pooling into my mouth from their scent. Drinking animal blood never satisfied my thirst nor did it stop the craving. All it did was make me crave for the real thing even more.

I knocked on the door, and waited for an answer before walking in. The man sitting behind the mahogany desk was entirely vampire. He had all the characteristic, pale skin, beautiful features, but a more rugged demeanor about him. I closed the door behind me, and his eyes lit up as if I somehow drained his boredom. The name on the gold plaque read, 'Mr. Kyle Berkeley'.

"You are…?" His voice trailed off.

"Bella Swan," I answered.

He smiled, "Ah, the new member of the Cullen clan. Just the person I wanted to see."

Long, pale, smooth fingers curled out to offer me a seat. I reluctantly sat down just to humor him. It seems like that's all I've been doing lately. Humoring other people. When am I going to humor myself? Instead of talking, Kyle Berkeley decided to stare at me and I stared back just as silent.

"I'm aware that you were with Adrian before his disappearance yesterday night," Mr. Berkeley finally spoke.

"Was that his name?" I asked thinking how such a pretty name is wasted on an ugly guy.

The look on the dean's face told me he expected me to deny something, and when I didn't, it nearly ticked him off.

"Were you with Adrian before his disappearance, Ms. Swan?" He asked more firmly.

"Yes," I replied.

"Would you like to tell me what happened to him?" Mr. Berkeley questioned slightly irritated with me already.

I smirked, "I don't know what happened to him and I didn't kill him either if that's what you're wondering. But I can tell you the boy has a thing for danger."

Mr. Berkeley scrutinized me carefully while I smiled at him. I could tell I was working his nerve the way his left brow twitched ever so often.

"I suggest that if you have any information about Adrian, you tell me now," He advised.

"I have no information for you," I said standing up. "Except maybe, the Cullen's aren't the only vampires on campus," I finished letting the door slam on the way out.

Feeling quite frustrated after that talk, I decided to ditch class and take a walk outside. It was probably a good idea since I was still hungry. I wondered if Mr. Berkeley was going to expel me, but I figured since him and Carlisle are friends. He probably wouldn't do that and hurt Carlisle's feelings.

Of course, I knew exactly who it was that killed Adrian. Why didn't I just tell him about James? I felt the need to protect him, because maybe he protected me once before.

Looking up, I saw a missing poster taped to a pole with Adrian's smiling face in the center. I tried to come up with reasons why he deserved James' wrath, but I couldn't trick myself into believing any of them. He was human, something I have no hopes of being anymore.

"So, you finally came looking for me, huh?" A voice asked behind me.

I knew who it was without seeing his face; the air seemed to get thinner by his daunting presence.

"Are you sure you're not looking for me?" I asked still staring at Adrian's picture.

He took a few steps closer and I felt the pull between us. I wanted to step back, but my legs wouldn't let me, couldn't let me, like two cement filled buckets around my feet.

"What if I am?" He asked. "Your scent is the only worthwhile hunt to follow up on this dead campus. You smell surprisingly alluring for a vampire. Floral somehow," He sniffed the air with a pleased smile.

"What do you want from me?" I questioned trying to ignore his comment.

When he didn't answer, I turned around to face him. "Do you want to kill me, too?" I asked.

He let a small chuckle escape from his lips, "Silly girl, if I wanted to kill you, I'd be done with you before you knew I was coming."

James swiftly closed the distance between us and brought my body against his. Somehow, his advancement didn't make me uncomfortable; it was almost inviting to have him so close. With his lips just inches from my ear lobe he whispered, "I just want you."

I was speechless with shock, frozen by his declaration. Not since I've been with Edward did my body feel warmth yet again. His words stirred strange emotions within me. As if he spoken promises that Edward could never give me. Why was I feeling this confusion? Was it because I wanted something different than what Edward was offering?

"I see how you are with him, Bella," His voice was fleeting like the wind at my ears.

"Scared of showing him what you're really thirsty for. Afraid to disappoint him. You hide what you really are from him. Why?" James asked caressing my lower back.

I found the strength to yank away from him shaking my head, "You don't know that. I'm happy with him. He makes me happy."

James advanced like a coyote upon an unsuspecting prey, and I recoiled as my vampire instincts heightening. Not the sharp alert of danger, but an awareness that someone is near.

"Really?" He queried. "Or is that what you tell yourself to hide from him? Can he really be enough for you? To satisfy your every need and desire?"

"I think you should leave…You killed Adrian," My voice sounded shaky.

I couldn't tell if I was upset or angered at his incessant bludgeoning, it made me take a look at my own reasons for being with Edward. 'He does make me happy, doesn't he? Of course he does, but I know he won't allow me to have what I really want.'

My mind raced with thoughts of regret and confusion at this sick mind game. Just when I thought I was coming to grips with it, I felt myself giving in, and it was all James' doing. Why was I letting him get to me like this?

His jaw tightened, "I did kill him Bella. It was a marvelous death, and an even greater feast. But at least, I don't have to hide who I really am. I don't have to crave the one thing that sustains me. Unlike you, a sightless soul always masking your thirst with fake blood. Tell me, does it satisfy you?"

No.

"You're thinking about it now aren't you? Your lips tingling with excitement from the thought of fresh blood, real blood. Your taste buds begging for the truth, wanting a fresh coat of what you truly desire. Let go of that wrenching pain you feel inside Bella, satisfy it," James demanded.

I wanted to. My stomach churned with hunger and my mouth watered with thirst. My breathing quickened with the fantasies James painted in my mind. For that instant it all seemed worth it. I mean, why is Edward keeping me from being who I am, becoming who I want to be?

"He's holding me back…" Did those words really make it out of me? Did I mean that?

James allowed a devilish smile to crawl across his lips as he watched me.

"Edward is holding you back, he wants to change you. You have the potential to be so much more. Experience life in a crimson shade, and learn to penetrate the bounds you've only dreamed of with me," James finished with emphasis on the end.

"Edward would never allow me to cross such boundaries," I replied.

"But I can," He said extending a hand. "I think you should come with me."

I hesitated, as if my mind was attempting to stop me from crossing over to this new world. To this dark side where I wouldn't know where to turn back if I lost my way. Would I even be able to leave bread crumbs?

"I can give you what you truly desire Bella. What he denies you of everyday, strips from you time and time again. Your very right as vampire", James beckoned me with his fingers. Each curl, an inviting wave taking me one step closer till it was inevitable.

I so dreamed of smelling that sweet aroma once again, tasting the crimson elixir as it flows down my throat, quenching my hunger. That's when my world stopped spinning, and my universe started spiraling out of control...

To be continued…

Cliffhanger...Sorry.

Those of you going to see the movie opening weekend, I really hope you enjoy it! Wear your Twilight t-shirts this Friday. Spread the word because Twilight is taking over the globe! LoL…

Please send in your comments!!! Gracias.