Chapter 18: Condemned
I sat in the living room, not an inch of me relaxed, waiting for one of the most awkward moments of my life. Having stumbled and stuttered my way through asking Eric to pick me up, I now had the arduous task of introducing him to my father. My face flushed as I remembered how Edward was eager to meet Charlie, though I didn't know why he had been so excited. Eric was so different from Edward; I couldn't help fear the way my dad would respond, especially since Eric was the first guy I brought home since the Cullens left.
At exactly five o'clock, there was a firm knock at the front door and I immediately shot up like a rocket. I pulled the door open and sighed when I saw Eric leaning casually against the doorframe, his hair falling carelessly into his eyes.
"Eager?" He cocked an eyebrow and smirked at me, which sent tremor through my body. Appearing satisfied with my reaction, Eric straightened his posture and dug his hands in the pockets of his dark denim jeans. "So, when do I get to meet dear old dad?"
I snickered nervously at his twisted facial expression, his broad smile showing a little too much teeth, and stepped back to let him in. "Now, actually."
I turned to lead him further into the house, straight to my awaiting father, but he surprised me by grabbing my hand and intertwining his fingers with my own. The blush returned to my cheeks and I averted my open mouth stare, trying to concentrate on the task of introducing him to Charlie.
My father's eyebrows pulled together as the two of us rounded the corner, causing me to drop Eric's hand like a hot iron. The last thing I needed was Charlie interrogating Eric like a boyfriend when I wasn't even sure if that's what he was.
"Dad." My voice wavered as my father stood up, squaring his shoulders, and gave Eric a head-to-toe look. "This is Eric; Eric, this is my dad, Charlie Swan."
"It's nice to meet you, Chief Swan," Eric spoke softly and took a step away from me to shake Charlie's hand. "Eric McRae."
"Whoa, your hands are cold, son!" Charlie's eyes widened at Eric's touch and I had to stifle a giggle, knowing the reason behind his icy touch. "Nice to meet you Eric. So, where you kids headed?"
"I was going to take Bella to my house," Eric said with a quick glance back at me, and quickly added, "if that's all right with you, sir."
"What you two gonna do there?" Charlie inquired and crossed his arms at his chest, clearly not okay with the thought of Eric and me alone in a house.
"My family is having a game night, sir," Eric said and Charlie's face relaxed a bit. "My sisters have insisted that I bring Bella over."
"Is that so?" Charlie smiled lightly, which told me Eric had won him over, and uncrossed his arms. "Where do you live, son?"
"South of town, sir," Eric replied as Charlie moved beside me. "Just off the freeway; the private estate."
Charlie tensed up beside me, but, before I could ask him what was wrong, he relaxed. I knew it had something to do with those hikers that were found south of town, but I didn't know the specifics. My curiosity flared for the file folder sitting in the kitchen, and I wondered if I could chance a look at them.
"Well," Charlie spoke, cutting off my thoughts. "You two better get going. Bells, don't be home too late."
"Okay." I nodded and quickly turned to usher Eric out of my house. "See you later, dad."
"That wasn't too bad," Eric mused as he got onto the highway and started heading south.
"Easy for you to say," I grumbled as I leaned back into the leather seats, finally starting to relax. Eric didn't understand that the next time I saw my father I was going to be given the third degree, just because Charlie had seen us holding hands. "He probably thinks you and I are a couple."
"Hmm," Eric mumbled intelligibly beside me but, just before I was going to ask him what he said, he changed the subject. "So, I hope you're not horribly scarred from earlier."
"You mean, watching your family fight a pack of huge monsters?" I shrugged and smiled at the sudden worried look he gave me. "No, I'm fine."
Eric turned away, shaking his head and chuckling, and we fell into a silence that was strangely comfortable. As I watched the trees pass the outside of the car, I felt Eric's icy fingers intertwine in my own, and I smiled as an electric tingle made its way up my arm. When I looked over at him, he didn't meet my gaze but a soft smile spread across his face, one I had never seen on him before.
Fifteen minutes later, Eric and I were slowly approaching the front of the McRae house. As we climbed out of the car, I could hear shouting from behind the massive structure, and I turned to Eric with a curious look.
He simply laughed. "It's game night, Bella."
"You mean that wasn't a lie?" I quirked an eyebrow.
"You think I would lie to your father?" Eric feigned horror and brought his hand dramatically to his chest. "Miss Swan, just what do you take me for?"
I giggled as his look of shock melted to his normal mischievous grin. There was something about Eric, his humor and personality, which warmed me deeply and soothed the agony that the Cullens left behind.
I immediately froze, a horrified grimace across my face, and waited for the pain to creep in. However, as the moments ticked by, the only feeling was a mild burn in my chest, but nothing serious. My brow indented heavily, and I frowned, not understanding why I didn't feel anything. Usually the thought of Edward and his family brought the most agonizing, debilitating feeling in my stomach and heart; but now, there was barely any feeling at all.
"Is everything all right?" Eric's sudden question made me just a little, and he cringed apologetically.
"Yeah," I muttered, still distracted by the loss of torture, and decided to drop it for the time being. However, I vowed to myself to test it later, to see if the pain associated with the Cullens was gone permanently or temporarily.
"So, Eric," I said, trying to take my mind off the numb hole in my chest. "What exactly did you mean by game night?"
He turned to look at me, a sly smile stretching from ear to ear. "You'll just have to wait and see."
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but, just before the words could leave my lips, Eric bounded forward and launched himself off the ground. My mouth fell ajar as I followed him with my eyes, and I shook my head as he landed on top of the roof and waved at me.
"Come on, Bella!" Eric shouted from the top of the roof in a cheery tone. I couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that poured out of me. "I don't think that's going to happen, Eric."
"Sure it will," I heard a gentle voice respond to my statement.
The entire world was instantly beneath my feet and I felt completely weightless. I tried to look over my shoulder, but the ground suddenly rushed up to meet my flailing body, and I was screaming for dear life. The blood pumped through my veins, my breath quickened, and before I knew what was happening, I blacked out.
When I regained consciousness, I heard a very distinct voice whispering my name softly, and I opened my eyes. Eric beamed at me, a bright golden halo forming above his head, and trailed his hand across my cheek.
"What happened?" My voice was raspy and I had to cough a little to clear my throat.
Eric lowered his eyes and appeared to laugh softly. "Dante was trying to help you on the roof, and you passed out."
"Oh," I said, and as the realization set in I flushed bright red. "Oh." This had been one of many times I had had some kind of meltdown or black out at the McRae house. As I looked at Eric's amused face, I couldn't help but roll my eyes; with his silent chuckles and poignant stare, I was sure he found this completely humorous.
"Sorry," I muttered and tried to lift myself off the ground, only to get dizzy and fall right back down.
"There's nothing to be sorry for, Bella," Eric mused as he picked me up and wrapped his arm around my waist. "It's actually my fault; I should have told you that Dante was going to pick you up."
"That would have helped," I agreed, but quickly added, "but it probably wouldn't have done any good. I'm just accident prone."
"I won't contest that," he laughed and guided me forward. My eyes panned around and I realized immediately that I was on the same third story balcony that I have fallen from a few weeks earlier. My body tensed a little as the memories of the day resurfaced, but Eric's chilly touch was enough to distract me entirely.
The sounds from the back, which I had been hearing earlier, were much louder from where we stood. As I moved forward, towards the edge of the balcony, I saw what was making all the ruckus. Melena had Avarice in a tight headlock and was snarling viciously at him. Eric appeared in my periphery right as Melena threw Avarice across the open field, sending him into an awkward spiral through the air. With amazing agility, Avarice twisted his body midair and landed on his feet, just like a cat.
Melena turned her head in our direction, smiled, and waved eagerly in my direction. Eric and I both reciprocated the action right before Avarice hurled himself across the space between them.
"So, what's that?" I asked without tearing my eyes away from the action below.
"Game night," Eric replied simply and tapped me on the shoulder. He gestured to a spot a few feet from us; it was a pile of blankets and pillows oddly placed, but looked very comfortable.
"Okay, I'm going to need more of an explanation," I said and lowered myself onto the plush area and found I could still watch everything going on below me. My stomach immediately fluttered as Eric took a seat behind me, letting his legs fall on either side of my own legs. He wrapped his arms gingerly around my shoulders and smiled at me as I fidgeted anxiously.
"Game night," he began and paused, chuckling a little bit, before continuing. "Is what we do after we have a battle of some kind. Avarice will talk about where our strategy and skill are weak as well as what was acceptable."
"Okay," I nodded, though I didn't really understand, and leaned back against his chest.
"You don't get it, do you?" I snapped my head to face his humored smirk before shaking my head apologetically. "It's all right, I wouldn't expect you to understand, Bella. It's just one of those things that goes along with being in the family."
"I see," I muttered, remembering the McRaes strange habit of remaining in one place for only a year before moving. I knit my brow, still frustrated for being kept in the dark, but took a deep breath and tried to relax. But before I could change the subject, my brain decided to throw me a curve ball, and before long I was listening to a previous conversation.
"Wait, you know Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his family?"
"Dr. Carlisle Cullen? Yes, we know him; lapdog to the Italians and slave to his own convictions."
I narrowed my eyes and turned them sideways to Eric, who was currently watching whoever was fighting on the lawn below. Not too long ago, I was able to flirt, however badly, in order to get information about the Cullens; from the looks of it, I would have to do it again.
My face began to heat up, almost at the thought of flirting with Eric. I had no knowledge on what was the best flirting technique, but I knew that I was definitely going to embarrass myself. As I embraced that truth, I took a deep breath and pushed away from Eric's chilly form.
"Is everything all right?" he asked with a slightly curious look in his eyes.
"Yeah." I did my best to act casual but I knew by his crooked eyebrow it wasn't working, so I skipped ahead. "Hey Eric, can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything." The sly grin returned and I was forced to look away for a moment. Even in the fading light, Eric was absolutely breathtaking.
"Okay, um, ha ha," I stuttered nervously and glanced down at my fingers, twiddling them quickly. "I-I was w-wondering, w-why don't you guys l-like the C-Cullens?"
Eric's face darkened and my stomach clenched as a shiver ran up my spine; had this been a bad idea? Avarice had been quite forceful, the first time I met him, about telling me they would not answer any questions regarding the Cullens; would Eric be just as harsh?
He stayed quiet for quite awhile; in fact, I had turned my attention back to the field and was heavily involved in the current battle between Avarice and Skye, when Eric finally spoke.
"Bella," he said my name so softly, I could barely hear it, but it was loud enough to break my concentration. He stared at me for a moment, seeming to search my face for something, when he finally exhaled heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "That's a long story."
"Will you actually tell me?" My eyebrows shot up hopefully.
He cringed softly but nodded. "Yes, if you wish."
I was a little confused. Why was Eric suddenly willing to open up? He took my head and led me inside the house, from the small balcony door, and, after descending the stairs, he led me into a spacious modern room.
"Whose room is this?" I inquired as I inspected the interior of the lavish space. Unlike the rest of the house, this place was adorned with only the basic needs—well, for a human anyway. There was a black, box-shaped, sofa, black shelves cut into the wall, filled with books, c.d.s, and what looked like DVD cases. A mahogany desk rested by the window, overlooking the surrounding forest, and in the corner was an ebony colored acoustic guitar.
The colors contrasted with the white walls and the cream carpet, but there was an elegance about this room that seemed…understated.
"This is my room," Eric said a little quietly and took a seat on the sofa; his eyes not meeting mine.
"It's nice," I said and sat down next to him, curious why we had to come inside in the first place. Thought I was dying to poke around his room and see what I could learn about him, I was close to finding out about the McRaes' dislike for the Cullens, and that was more important. "So, Eric—"
"If I'm going to tell you this," he said, suddenly tense, "then I have to start from the beginning."
"All right." I nodded my head and placed my hands in my lap, a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
"Tell me something, Bella," he said as he laid his head against the back of the sofa. "While you spent time with the Cullens, did you ever hear them speak about the pure bloods?"
"The pure bloods?" I repeated the word, trying to see if it brought back any memories; it didn't. "No, they didn't."
"Hmm," he responded and stood up. "The short definition of a pure blood is a creature that was not bitten, but born a vampire. There are only a few of them, but they're powerful enough to control those around them."
As I watched him pace around the room, I was reminded of my talk with Edward about the Volturi—the so-called law keepers. "Do you mean the Volturi?" Eric stopped and looked at me with a curious look. "Aren't they supposed to be like royalty or something?"
His neck jerked back and he let out a short laugh. "The Volturi? Royalty? Hardly." He shook his head and knelt down at my feet. "I can see how some might assume that the Volturi are royalty, but that is a very inaccurate."
"How so?"
"Well." He leaned back and appeared to think it over before he continued.
"The Volturi are created beings, Bella. They were all bitten by one of the pure bloods; Caius was bitten by Zador, Marcus was sired by Vienne, and Aro was changed by the Lord of the pure bloods—Bane. They were all made a couple thousand years ago."
"A couple thousand?" My eyebrows arched.
"Yes." Eric nodded and smiled. "You see the pure bloods, similar to the Volturi, hardly ever leave their home. They have food and entertainment brought to their home, and they have those who carry out their wishes on the outside. Since they have no purpose outside their home and there are none stupid enough to attack their nesting ground, they are thriving still."
A shiver ran through me as I thought about these creatures, thousands of years old, living and feeding in the world I lived in. "How many are there?"
"The pure bloods?" he asked and I nodded. "There are eleven of them; six males and five females."
"So, what does all this have to do with you and the others?" I asked, not clearly understand how a coven of vampires that never left their home could be relevant to the McRaes.
"About a year after Lazarus bit Aryana," Eric's voice grew serious as he continued, "they received an invitation to visit the pure bloods. Apparently, word had reached the coven about a group of powerful vampires moving throughout Europe."
"How'd they find Ary and the others?"
"They have trackers and hunters at their disposal," he said offhandedly, like it was no big deal. "The Volturi have one rule, Bella. The Pure bloods have two: keep the secret at all costs and never tamper with the bloodline."
"The pure bloods accused Lazarus of breaking the law." Eric laced his fingers and his mouth formed a thin line. "They took one look at Aryana and Argos, and condemned them to death."
"What?" I almost shrieked in my shock. Just how many vampires wanted to kill Ary?
"Yes," he nodded gravely. "They told Lazarus and Avarice that, if they killed Ary and Argos, their lives would be spared."
"Well, they said no, of course," I responded quickly and Eric nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Then what happened?"
"After a small fight, they were able to escape." Eric finished and sat down beside me again. "Although, they've been running ever since."
"You mean the pure bloods are still chasing them?" It made sense; all the moving, the secrecy, the reason that Lazarus was in the south right now. Everything was starting to tie together, except their dislike of my former family. "So what about the Cullens?"
"Ah," Eric face grimaced. "Well, you see, Aryana and the others went to the Volturi for help. It's a wide known fact that the Volturi are jealous of the pure bloods' control in the supernatural world. However, when Lazarus and the others pleaded for assistance from the coven, Aro wanted to aide us but there was one vampire who changed their mind."
Eric stood up, his mouth set in an angry grimace and his eyes black and narrowed. "One individual who said that it was more beneficial if the Volturi did not intercede on the business of others. He stated that the pure bloods never declare war on innocent creatures, and therefore the McRaes must be guilty."
I pulled my knees to my chest as Eric stared at me. I'd never seen him look so furious.
"So the Volturi, agreeing with the arguments of this young vampire, shut us out and threw us to the lions. Bella, that one vampire was Carlisle Cullen."