1
BELLA wasn't admittedly sure when it started, that suffocating feeling of panic that had become all too familiar to her since the day vampire and now her husband, Edward Cullen, came into her life. Tonight should have been one of the happiest nights of her existence thus far, but the familiar feeling of panic still came for her.
The awning underneath where she and Edward had just recited their marriage vows and exchanged promises, words of love and affirmation, rings, and finally, a kiss, seemed to close in around her. Her chest suddenly felt tight, and black spots were beginning to creep into her line of sight, causing her to sway on her feet.
She turned to leave, gathering the skirts of her wedding gown as she did so, and struggled to avoid tripping over the dress's hem in her ridiculously high-heeled shoes that Edward's sister Alice had insisted on, for some reason that Bella would never understand. More than once, she'd been tempted to chuck the shoes off and go without for the remainder of the evening. However, she knew that Alice would see it, given her unique ability to have visions of the future—her future—and would likely give her seven shades of holy hell for it through the evening.
A fiery heat crept to Bella's cheeks as she caught Edward's eye and she quickly tried to shoot him an unconvincing smile of reassurance that she was fine as she struggled to make her way through the crowded throng of people that had come from all over, not just Forks where they lived, to celebrate her and Edward's wedding.
Edward was by Bella's side before she could make it ten feet and reaching for her hand and murmuring into her ear.
"Bella, what's wrong? Are you alright? I told Alice this would happen, this is too much for you," Edward muttered worriedly, his voice and his expression strained as he slipped his icy-cold hand into hers, the shock of how frigid his hand was nearly making her recoil.
Though the sensation was somewhat unpleasant and very nearly burned her and made her hand numb with the cold, Bella did not let herself pull away. She waited for the tingling sensation to subside, and as she did so, so did the worst of her panicked feeling. Just feeling the vampire's hand in hers was enough to instantly ground Bella.
Edward had anticipated this. Her sweet Edward.
So aware and in tune with everything she felt, even if he couldn't read her mind.
Bella thought that he never needed to.
"Edward, I-I'm fine, I-I just…need some air. I promise. Please, give me this time?" she questioned, unable to ignore the faltering crack in her voice as she hoped to soothe him and supplicate her new husband's worries.
And even as she spoke the words, she knew they were true.
It wasn't a ruse on her part. Though she'd wanted to sneak away from the wedding party the moment it started, she would have been more than content to elope with Edward in secret, but Alice would never allow that, and she knew Carlisle and Esme would have been hurt not to see their youngest son marry the woman of his dreams.
A little fresh air and she hoped she would be as good as new, and in truth, she wanted a moment alone with just her thoughts.
Throughout the last several days leading up to tonight, she and Edward had sat through several long discussions, sometimes lasting late into the night and to see the sunrise, discussing her future and the prospect of Edward biting her. She'd learned it was called the Turning.
Vampire kind called it as such when an immortal vampire bit a mortal with the intent to transform them like them.
Bella had initially thought she wanted it, though after Edward had brought up the point that she would not be allowed to see Charlie or divulge the truth following her Turning, Bella had begun having second thoughts about her desire to become immortal and live forever. Charlie had been there for her at a time in her life when she had needed him most, and he had done so much for her and asked for so little in return. He truly was a blessing in disguise and Bella was suddenly not so certain she could do such a thing to her father.
To disappear from his life completely without sending a word—a note—something. The thought sent a wave of crushing guilt over her, and she knew then that she especially needed a moment alone to herself.
Bella bit down on her lip, something of a nervous tic of hers whenever she was especially troubled or thinking about something, and a habit she was trying to curb lest one day she bit it off completely and looked towards Edward, trying to gauge his reaction to her need for solitude. His expression was blank, but Bella looked into his eyes.
Edward did not look especially pleased that she wanted to go off on her own for a moment, but the kindness and compassion outweighed whatever worry he might be feeling for her right now.
One of a million reasons why she loved this vampire—her new husband, just the word sending a secret thrill through her—was the way Edward seemed to understand her so well. He nodded, albeit reluctantly, and leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss on her temple. His lips on hers were freezing and sent a chill down her spine.
Edward relinquished Bella's hand and allowed Bella to leave their wedding reception. His eyes took on a twinkling sheen and the edges of the vampire's lips curled upward into something of a boyish little grin.
"Don't take too long…Mrs. Cullen," he told his new wife, a slight teasing lilt to his voice as Edward paraded his back to Bella and promptly engaged in a conversation with Renee and Sue.
The sigh Bella let out as she began to walk away told Edward how grateful she was for his toleration of her wanting a moment alone to collect herself. She smiled to herself as she began to slip through the crowd and did not let herself stop until she was at the front of the Cullen's house, at the end of the driveway.
It did not matter that the path and the street were packed with cars, all of them belonging to various wedding guests tonight. Only when Bella made it to the end of the driveway did the flustered young bride feel the tension in her shoulders dissipate and vanish. The noise of the crowd's conversation coupled with the music now sounded muffled.
Bella inhaled a deep breath of cool air, as though she were resurfacing after being submerged underneath murky water. She tried to force her racing heart to relax and struggled to pay attention to the way the world around her steadied.
She nervously glanced down at the thick plain silver wedding band she now wore proudly on her ring finger and twisted it. She was married and she was now a Cullen.
The furrow of confusion between her brows deepened as she thought of her life with Edward. Of course, she did not want to age and grow older if Edward could not but…
Neither did she think she was entirely ready anymore to completely give up her mortality for the sake of her partner. If she were to let Edward Turn her, she would live an entirely different life. After a while, her family, Renee, Charlie, and her friends, Angela, Jessica, and Mike would die of old age and everything would become stale.
Life would go on and she would live.
Bella had thought she wanted that at the time, immortal life and eternity in Edward's arms, but…what good was living forever without the rest of her family and friends?
The thought of having to cut herself off from Charlie, to not be able to even tell him the truth or even be near him if she were bitten, did not feel right to Bella the more she contemplated it.
She thought she was beginning to understand why Edward had been so dead set against anything that would make her anything less than a human being.
Several minutes ticked by before Bella realized, shocked that it took her this long, that she was not alone at the end of the driveway. A man stood a few feet from her with his back facing her, looking lax and grim altogether. He was probably taking a break from the crowd just as she was, yet he did not turn to face Bella.
Bella grew curious and tilted her head to the side, studying his attire.
He was not a wedding guest that she recognized and had been introduced to yet, and she and Edward had met nearly all of them as they had stood alongside one another and accepted congratulations and well-wishes from their guests as the humans in attendance had moved towards the reception area to help themselves to food.
Bella was far too overcome with curiosity to be afraid of this stranger as she tried to place who he was.
Though she did make it a habit to purposefully step on a few fallen leaves in the process with the seven-inch heels that were a death trap just waiting to happen for her, wanting to alert the man to her presence.
A chill went down her back as a wave of icy air washed over her the closer she got to him, and Bella knew without the man even needing to twist his head to face her that he was a vampire.
The stranger, sensing he was being watched, slowly turned his head to eye her.
This new vampire's eyes were striking even in the moonlight. His jaw and cheekbones were sharp, his skin as white as parchment paper and his form tall and somewhat intimidating in a suit and overtop of his formal attire, he wore a black woolen coat. The man's thick black hair was tousled and in dire need of a comb, though she suspected no matter what he attempted to do to his hair to tame it, it had a mind of its own.
Judging by the look of his coat alone, this vampire, this 'guest' had not intended on staying long. It was the stranger's eyes, however, that gave Bella something to think about. They were a deep crimson red that suggested to Bella perhaps he was here on behalf of the Volturi, or at least was an immortal who did not follow nor condone the Cullen's 'vegetarian' lifestyle of animal blood.
His eyes, though red, were dark and piercing, and Bella, who considered herself a person who could read others quite well with just a single look, was unnerved by what she found. She could detect no discernable emotion within the vampire's crimson eyes. No fear, no happiness, no anger, no sadness. Nothing. He merely looked…blank.
Bella felt a shiver run up her spine as she looked at him.
For a moment, she felt lost in the vampire's almost hypnotic stare that was hot and dark, his penetrating stare almost making her feel as if she were wearing no clothes.
But Bella could not move, unable to think, much less open her mouth and form a coherent reply. Goosebumps broke out over her skin as a small, sensuous little smile spread to his lips and he spoke to her softly.
"I suspect, that you are out here for the same reason I am, Mrs. Cullen. I suppose…congratulations are in order," he murmured, his voice richly accented and deep. It lulled Bella even deeper into her involuntary haze. He was an enchanting sight, and yet, something within her harbored a twinge of caution toward this vampire whose name she did not know and could not recall seeing among the crowd of wedding guests.
The man's head tilted down and the edges of his mouth pinched and turned down into a frown. Bella felt heat rise to her cheeks and her stomach turn when she came to understand, that this mysterious vampire was slowly, openly, without shame, ogling her.
She could see him eyeing the coloring of her cheeks with an almost critical interest despite her best efforts to hide her blush as she clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away, trying to pretend that she didn't notice.
Bella had been told countless times throughout her life that she was beautiful, though she had never quite been able to believe the compliments given to her.
She was pretty enough, she supposed, having been given most of Renee's features.
Reddish brown hair, pale skin, not too skinny but athletic. She had been used to creeps checking her out when she had lived with Renee in Phoenix and then again when she had moved here to Forks, but… the fact that this vampire's silent appraisal was occurring on her wedding night of all nights, did not sit well with her. Bella coughed once to clear her throat and nervously twisted her wedding band, trying to let the moonlight catch a glint of her ring's metal, hoping he would see it if the fact that she was wearing a wedding gown was not an indication enough.
Bella could not stand how loud her thoughts were in the silence that now stretched between them past the point of comfort. For once, she wished that Edward or anyone else in his family for that matter could read her mind and come and save her from this awkward and painful situation. But no help was coming by the looks of things.
She was going to have to try to save herself. Swallowing down past a lump in her throat and when she did, it felt like she was swallowing knives, Bella managed to summon enough strength to her throat to speak to him.
"I'm sorry, but…do…do I know you?" she asked, her words sounding clumsy and blunt.
The wind took hold of a strand of her hair and blew it loose from the bun that Rosalie and Alice had worked so hard on earlier this morning to ensure not a stray wisp or strand was out of place. Letting out an annoyed huff, Bella did her best to tuck her wild hair back into place, all the while looking at the vampire expectantly.
She was waiting for a remark on what the hell he was doing here, and what he wanted with her or Edward.
If you've been here all along, why did I not see you? She wondered, raising an eyebrow at the vampire as she noticed him staring at her in a rather melancholic manner.
"My apologies. My plane was delayed, I'm afraid. Otherwise, I would have introduced myself to you and your husband following the ceremony. No, Mrs. Cullen, you do not know me yet, but you will," he answered, his voice a smooth buttery purr that set her on edge. "Please. Call me Cristofer. Cristofer Tepes," he muttered, a shadow of some foreign emotion flitting across the vampire's sharp features.
It took Bella a moment to realize that the question this vampire had answered was not the one that she voiced out loud. Then she was struck with the realization of this new vampire's last name and stared, certain she'd misheard.
Bella was taken aback and made curious as to his namesake, and despite her stomach still lurching and urging her to be cautious, she could not stop the tiny smile from tugging her lips upward.
"Tepes, sir? As in…Vlad Tepes?" she mused, hardly daring to believe this man.
Bella wondered if he was a direct descendant of Vlad the Impaler. If any of the family's things had survived the centuries. Her friends had always thought her crazy for thinking this when they covered the Count in their history class, but she did not think it was so far a stretch. The Tepes family had been known to be famously reclusive for the last few centuries. It was said the family rarely left their ancestral home, a castle, and when they did, it was always under great efforts to remain unknown. Bella supposed she should not have been surprised at all to learn that a direct descendant of Vlad himself, was, a vampire, and she wondered if Vlad himself had been a vampire too.
"The very same," the vampire whom she now knew was called Cristofer answered, bringing Bella back to herself.
She blinked in time to see the vampire lower his head, seemingly in gratitude for Bella's awed attitude at his namesake. She noticed how the vampire's eyes lingered slightly on her pink cheeks before he looked away.
Bella could have sworn she saw the vampire's tongue dart out to flick over his mouth, but later dismissed it as a trick of the moonlight. Perhaps the confusion was written all over Bella's face, for Cristofer Tepes looked towards the young woman and offered a morose chuckle, and smirked a bit. He gingerly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and then brought his hand to run through his thick black hair.
"I came on behalf of the Volturi, Mrs. Cullen. Aro sends his regards and regrets that he could not attend in person. Aro, he would see you Turned soon."
Bella frowned, the blush on her cheeks intensifying as she realized that the Volturi had likely sent this man, this direct descendent of Vlad the Impaler if she was to take him at his word. He had likely been sent here to Forks to ensure that Edward intended to follow through on the promise he'd given Aro. She looked at him, licking her lips, the words leaving her mouth before she'd even decided to speak them, even if she'd come to regret it later.
His words seemed so strange and so abrupt, that Bella could not help but answer immediately as she felt her solar flare of a temper ignite.
"I understand what you're saying but...shouldn't that be my choice?" she demanded, almost sounding haughty as she hardened her expression in response to his words.
Bella watched, her stomach sick with dread, as Cristofer Tepes tilted his head to the side and gave her an incredulous smile, though he chuckled with mocking, a thing that seemed to come naturally to him.
"There is no choice, Mrs. Cullen. You are a part of our world now and you became such the moment you met your mate and especially now that you have married him and bonded your mortal life to his. Being a part of our world means abiding by our customs. Our kind yields to the wishes of the Volturi. Like it or not, if you wish to remain alive and unharmed, and your family as well, then you will forsake your mortality and allow your husband or another vampire that you trust to Turn you. You cannot remain this way for the rest of your life, with one foot in each world. I don't think I've met a creature I pity more than you," Cristofer snapped. There was no warmth or affection in his voice. He did not give Bella a chance to intervene but instead continued, seemingly in the mood to convince her. "I do not expect you to understand the problems that it could cause. You've no idea the hell it could unleash if you stay this way." He trailed off then, almost sounding concerned as he met Bella's gaze, nearly looking worried.
Bella looked up at Cristofer Tepes in surprise and alarm, a dark look appearing on her face, which, oddly enough, reminded Cristofer Tepes of Aro whenever the vampire was in a foul mood.
"I know exactly what the consequences of this decision are, Mr. Tepes," Bella remarked, sounding exasperated as she placed a firm hand on her waist and stood as tall as she could muster, staring directly at him. "I've known about the existence of vampires for a few years now, and I've married one, so please don't pretend to even think there is a chance I don't know why you've come. I'm sorry to tell you that you've made a pointless journey to Forks for no good reason, and there's only one thing you need to tell Aro. The decision to become…like you, should be my choice, and I want to hear exactly nothing from the Volturi regarding this, from now on, and for forever, is that understood?" Bella snapped.
"Yes, of course," Cristoffer purred, secretly finding himself in awe as he stared at the prickly mortal girl before him. No wonder the bridegroom was so tormented. She was no match for him, even as a mortal, if the blazing passion he saw in the woman's dark brown eyes was anything for him to go off of.
"Good," Bella said coldly, before looking up at the vampire again, slightly confused by his behavior. "Then you and I have nothing more to say to one another. I need to get back and please do not try to speak to me about this again. You do not know me or my family, sir. The choice should be mine," Bella answered flatly as she turned away once more.
Out of the corner of her gaze, Bella thought she saw the beginnings of understanding flash across Cristofer Tepes' face that she was not about to assent to Aro's demands, but he was not allowing himself to believe it, that a woman and a mortal one no less, could be so stubborn.
"Despite what people back home think of me, of my family, Mrs. Cullen, I came here to you because I do not like to see a woman threatened by Aro. I'd hardly consider coming to you tonight as a kindness. I've read your husband's thoughts. He's reluctant to Turn you, though I'm sure you already know this. I could provide for you, I could do it in his place. There will be pain, but the alternative is unthinkable. Aro will never allow you to remain human and married to your husband. You seem an intelligent enough young woman to know this, and you're playing with fire if you think this has a happy ending for you where you stay as you are," he snapped, an edge to his voice.
Bella stopped walking and had to catch herself as this time, she nearly did almost lose her footing, though she was grateful she did not. Her jaw clenched and she whirled around in a twist of her skirts and glared at the centuries-old vampire angrily.
"I don't care if you dislike my decision, Mr. Tepes, but I do care when you disrespect me so blatantly. This is my life that is on the line, my soul, and therefore, it should be my decision, not Aro's, if I Turn. Don't try to contact me again. My mortality is worth the risk if it means I don't have to lose my family." She walked away from the silent and simmering vampire angrily and fumed. "Creep," she muttered out loud, knowing full well Vlad the Impaler's ancestor heard her words as she watched him turn away.
Bella was so preoccupied with keeping her gaze on him as he began to walk away, in no hurry, that she was not watching where she was walking and her angry strides accidentally met the wall of a man's broad muscular chest.
"I need to—excuse me!" she squeaked, turning around and jumping back, apologizing with a bright pink blush covering her face.
She clamped a hand over her mouth and waited for whomever it was to speak, perhaps to scold her for making them spill wine over his suit.
Though she let out a little breath when she saw it was Jacob, who'd come looking for her. The front of his white collared shirt was crumpled, and his black hair tousled, as though Jacob couldn't have bothered to tuck his shirt in or comb his hair. The skin of her friend's brow was pulled taut and tight, and the furrow of confusion there only deepened when he saw how flushed she was. Jacob Black reached out his hands to steady Bella, putting a hand on either of her shoulders and keeping her from falling over in her dress that she was uncomfortable wearing.
"Easy, Bells," Jacob muttered, casting a curious glance toward the dark-haired stranger she had been conversing with moments ago. "The little leech Alice sent me to come and get you. She says you were taking too long out here."
Jacob snorted and rolled his eyes to the sky and ignored the withering look Bella shot him at the insult he'd hurled just then at Edward's sister, but then her friend's playful expression hardened.
She could only watch as his expression grew grave as he looked towards the vampire who still stood silent as an owl and watched them both.
His jaw clenched and Jacob flicked his concerned gaze toward Bella, taking note of how flabbergasted she looked.
"Bella, is there a problem?" he asked, his expression now grim as a grave. Not wanting a brawl to break out on her wedding night, she quickly shook her head and tried to alleviate Jacob's concerns.
"Not anymore, but…will you tell me when he leaves? I'm just going to go find Edward. Don't tell him either, I don't want him to worry, but he's dealt with."
Jacob looked nonplussed for a moment, perhaps thrown off by Bella's odd request or perhaps it was the fact that she was choosing to keep a secret from her husband. But he quickly recovered and nodded.
For a moment, Bella thought she could see the shadow of the wolf flash across the werewolf's features as Jacob grew angry.
"Sure," Jake grunted, and Bella gave her friend's arm a reassuring little squeeze, trying to convey just how grateful she was with just a look. Her friend returned her look with one of his own, saying there was no need without him saying a word.
Feeling at least somewhat reassured, Bella began to make her way back up the driveway and toward the backyard. She took one last glance at the strange vampire the Volturi had sent to keep tabs on her before disappearing into the crowd of wedding guests. She was hellbent on finding Edward.
She frowned. Even now, she could still feel Cristofer Tepes' piercing gaze burning a hole in the back of her skull, even when she turned around again and saw no one in sight watching her.
"He's gone. He won't be bothering you again," Bella whispered, frustrated and angry with herself that she'd gone off on her own. She was beginning to wonder whether or not that had been a good idea, but Bella did not allow herself to look back over her shoulder after that. She still felt his eyes on her, watching her, waiting for her.
It was an uneasy feeling, one that Bella was too embarrassed to share, especially not with Edward.
He already fussed and fretted over her enough as it was, sometimes to the point of hyperventilation, and she was not about to spoil the mood on their wedding night. Even still, as she finally found her husband and rejoined Edward, and tried to make it through the rest of the night, Bella could not stop thinking about Vlad's ancestor's words.
She started to fear the worst. Secretly, her hope inwardly dimmed.