(21) Dreams
Hallucinations can be a funny thing.
I could feel "his" presence before I opened my eyes. I knew it was him the smell alone was strong enough to assault my nostrils. I longed for that smell and felt drunk with happiness. I greedily breathed the air. The mist surrounded me as I lay on the mountainous grass blades. Everything was perfect.
A soft hand stroked my cheek urging me to wake up as the hand traveled down my face with feather light touches. His hands were more dangerous than a venomous snake yet I was not afraid. I felt the gentle caresses as my body shivered from the dramatic drop in temperature.
The voice that I have missed for months came to me in an instant. The beautiful melodious voice that brought tears to my eyes and I rejoiced at the sound of my name.
"Bella." The voice whispered soft and alluring. I smiled from ear to ear and opened my eyes. "I hope you're not mad at me." Edward stared at me with a fixed determination. The sadness I carried for months faded and the ice around my heart melted at once.
"Edward." I said so pleased that I could say his name without clutching for my chest in heartache. I reached out and touched his hands. The solid weight was the best feeling in the whole world.
He pushed a few tendrils of hair away from my eyes. "What have you done?" Edward's eyes crinkled in amusement as he gazed down at me.
I tried to push myself into a sitting position but felt a little dizzy. I must have swayed because Edward righted me and stared at me with concern.
"You're hurt." He said his voice full of anguish. "You have to be careful you could have an concussion." He shoved a hand through his hair and I got lost in the tousled waves of bronze. I practically had to sit on my hands to keep from touching his hair.
"I'm okay. It doesn't hurt, I promise." I lied and wandered why he didn't hold me in his arms and sing me to sleep. I wanted to be close to him even if it was only for a little while.
"I can't stay long." Edward murmured. He looked at me with regret and his golden eyes transfixed on me.
"What do you mean? You just got here." I said dumbly. Why couldn't I stay asleep forever?
Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace. I heard him suck in his breath. "I could stay like this forever." He snuggled closer to me and smelled my hair again.
"So stay I won't tell anyone." I half kidded trying not to let the urgency show. I rested my head on his shoulder and melted into him. His clothes were tattered and the jacket he wore smelled musty. I recognized the clothes they were the same ones he wore on my birthday. I cringed at that memory.
"You mean everything to me. You know that right." Edward pulled back so I could see the love filling his eyes.
"But not enough to stay with me?" I asked sadly. "I needed you." If I could freeze this moment I would. I tried to memorize his exact position so I could dream about it later when I was alone. Alone.
I looked away and felt the loneliness coming to me slowly. "I don't think you realize how difficult this is for me to leave you with Jacob. That's the last thing I want to do." Edward spewed Jacob's name with a sickened look.
"Jacob knows about you and the rest of your family." I stated. I don't know why I brought up that piece of information. Maybe I wanted him to come back and reason with Jacob or set a new treaty.
Edward did look surprised. His eyes were paused with confliction. "Really, well I suppose he would have figured it out sooner or later. I know he pays attention to the legends his father tells him." He shook his head in disbelief as if Jacob was naïve because of his age.
"He's probably going to tell Charlie because he doesn't like you too much." I tried to get Edward mad. Hopefully he would come back to stop Jacob. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Edward is too practical and saw through my facade.
"Charlie is a good police officer he'll use his judgment." Edward continued to stroke my hair and the clouds cast a gray shadow on the rocks. He looked paler with the dark sky threatening rain. Water trickled down and landed on my shoe.
"Bella promise me something." Edward whispered again and he pushed my chin up so I could stare into his topaz eyes.
"Anything." I declared then saw his eyes turn serious.
"Don't do anything dangerous. I can't begin to tell you how worried I've been about you. I can't explain everything at this moment but know that my heart is with you." He kissed my lips gently. The soft kiss sent shudders down my frozen body. "Always."
"Edward." I moaned and reached for him again.
"Bella, wake up." A voice called and Edward started to disappear. I struggled to sit up and clutch his arms but my body was so stiff. Pain took precedence over my urge for Edward. I laid my head back.
"Bella." The voice grew in urgency. "BELLA." I jerked upwards and my eyes snapped open.
Jacob's dark eyes looked relieved as my body became alive with throbbing and the shivering couldn't stop my teeth from chattering. Jacob shrugged out of his windbreaker jacket and laid it on top of my chest. He bit his lip in concentration.
"I'm not paralyzed am I?" I tried to make my body sit up and couldn't. Fear crept into my mind.
"I don't think so the only major injury is to your head." He put his hand on my leg. "Can you feel that?" He asked.
The squeeze made the pain cease in my head. "Yes." I gasped comforted that I was not going to have to go to the hospital.
"Put your arm around my head and I'll carry you up the embankment." He leaned down to grab my arm and I put my hand up.
"You can't carry me Jacob I weigh too much. I'll try to walk." I sat up slowly and the dizziness made my stomach nauseous. I closed my eyes and waited for it to pass.
"Yeah right. You can't even sit up without falling over. Just let me carry you to my truck and we'll go to the hospital." Jacob squatted next to me and leaned closer. The black irises of his pupils intrigued me.
"No." Jacob flinched and I said quietly. "You can carry me to my room and I promise to stay up awhile so I don't get a concussion. But no hospitals, please." I begged.
Jacob bit his bottom lip and looked towards the creek. "Okay but you have to call me every hour so I know you're still alive." He leaned down and picked me up in one swift motion.
I clutched to his arm and was amazed that he carried me so easy. We made it up the embankment rapidly. Jacob wasn't straining for air or struggling against my weight. His arms were more defined the bulge of the bicep was outlined through his tan long sleeved shirt.
He put me on the ground when we reached the top of the hill and I could see the house through the twirled branches ahead of us. Something was bugging me and I had to know how I reached the bottom of the embankment without plummeting to the ground. At first, I thought it was a large bird that caught me but I had the feeling that giant bird was a Native American teenager with remarkable abilities.
"Jacob did you catch me when I fell?" I stared into his eyes waiting to see if he would tell me the truth.
He rubbed his hand against his temple and shrugged. His skin looked sickly. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you catch me when I was falling off the cliff?" I moved closer to him. "Answer me Jacob Black."
"I can't tell you just be happy that I was there when you fell." Jacob laughed without smiling. "You're damn lucky let's just leave it at that."
"No, I need you to tell me the truth. Please Jacob I have to know." I pleaded and grabbed his hand shocked that it was so hot.
"I can't tell you. I literally can't tell you." Jacob moved away from me. "Remember that story I told you about the legend my father used to tell me."
"Yeah the cold ones right?" I struggled to stand without stumbling.
"It figures that's all you remember but please just try to remember the other parts. It's important. Try." Jacob walked me to the door of the house. "Promise me that you'll try."
I shook my head yes. Lily was walking to the kitchen and saw us on the porch. She paused and stood there awkwardly. Her hair was up in a high bun and she had tights under a long black sweater.
"Okay, bye." I gave him a half hug and walked inside.
"I'm going to call you soon." Jacob announced before he turned to leave.
Lily smirked as she came towards me that stopped and her smirk disappeared.
"What happened to your head?" Her voice was filled with panic. Shoot, I forgot that my head was cut.
"I tripped no biggie. My head hit the side of a rock. I'm such a klutz." I started to walk to our room.
"I'll bring some ice and the first aid kit." Lily answered and walked into the kitchen. I walked to our room holding Jacob's jacket close to my chest. I changed into another pair of jeans and sweater. My head was throbbing so I took a couple of aspirins for pain.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes briefly. Jacob asked me to remember the story he told about the cold ones where I learned that my suspicions were confirmed about Edward. I tried to remember the story but my mind couldn't comprehend anything. My eyes felt heavy and it was harder to keep them open.
I remembered and bolted up from the bed.
"Oh." I muttered in shock.