I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own a bag of chips that will not be here much longer.
Chapter Six
"Edward, why do you have bottle of Hyronidian?" I asked. I watched as he stiffened, then turned around slowly to face me.
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, each word sounding cold and forced.
"Because it's banned. How did you get it?"
Edward stopped fidgeting and cast his eyes away from my face.
"You know what it is," he stated unnecessarily, not really asking.
I fiddled with the ring on my finger, unwilling to meet his eyes. My thoughts were twisting madly, trying to think of a minutely good reason to have such a thing in his possession. Try as I might, I could only come up with one thing: murder.
My breathing grew a little faster, and I could feel the paranoia bubbling up like acid. "Edward," I began unsteadily, "who are you trying to kill?"
The room became audibly quieter. I winced when he gritted his teeth.
"No one, Lady Isabella. The poison isn't for me to use."
He finally looked up, and his verdantly green eyes caught mine. I held his gaze in disbelief. "Why should I believe you?" I asked shrilly. A thousand scenarios ran through my imagination. I was here alone with him in a room containing deadly liquids, pressing him for information. Edward stepped closer, and I thought my heart would stop beating. And to know that I had let him kiss me only hours earlier!
"Why shouldn't you? You said yourself that I haven't wronged you. Was I mistaken to listen to your words?" he demanded. He obviously knew what I was thinking. I shrank back into the seat in the face of his sudden hostility.
Briefly I wondered if he heard my sharp intake of breath, but I refused to answer him. My automatic reaction to panic was to shut down; I would feel no pain, or fear, if I was numb, locked away in the shadowed depths of my own mind.
At first, when I didn't answer, he just sighed deeply and leaned on the chair nearest to me. Several long minutes later, I was vaguely aware him towering over me.
"Bella?" I heard him say. Concern blossomed in his voice, and I felt his hands, warm and calloused, on my shoulders.
"Bella!" I heard him cry, now sharp and laced with alarm. The sound of his voice jolted me out of my numbed, emotionless state, as shocking as if icy water was splashing on my face.
I tugged at his hold on me, and he let go. He loomed over my sitting form, but his face was etched with relief.
"Alright, I'll tell you. But don't be judgmental, and remember that I'm trusting you, even if you won't put the same faith in me," he muttered, eyeing me. I shuddered.
A little lump formed in my throat and made it a little harder to speak, so I nodded my acceptance.
"My uncle, the one that died in the fire? His name was Aro. He was King Caius's brother. My father and Marcus were the two youngest siblings. No one knew much about them. My father was a prince, though I'm not, because my blood isn't royal enough to take the throne, and there are several people in line to inherit before me," he said, all in one long breath. He watched my face with caution, though I wasn't sure how he expected me to react.
"So you are indirectly related to the king?" I made certain. He seemed considerably relieved to hear me speak. When he nodded, I felt the air rush from my lungs. "That doesn't explain why you have a toxic substance in your private study."
"It leads to how Jasper made attempt on my life. That's how I met him, you know. He's a trained assassin and in any circumstances likely the most dangerous person you will ever meet."
***
I reached and covered my mouth while I yawned, out of sheer habit. My belly was full, and I was pleasantly warm. I sank deeper into the arm chair and relaxed my stiff muscles. Being on edge at a near constant rate had its negative effects on both mind and body.
I glanced over at Edward, who was in a chair opposite from mine. I was suddenly struck by how domestic this scene was. A wife and her husband, relaxing in their private study by a warm blaze, soon to go to bed… and do very little other than sleep. I was driving myself mad over this- I seemed to have developed a relentless obsession with the topic.
I thought back to earlier, when Edward told me how he met Jasper, and why he was storing such dangerous chemicals in his rooms. I had to admit, I'd believed something very different than I was told- and now, it was only a little better, because I was aware of just how dangerous Jasper was. It made me that much more dependent on Edward, though I wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not.
A slow, stealthy fog crept across my vision. By the time I realized I was drifting, I was already lost in the sweet-smelling haze. I felt like I was in a boat, on a gently rocking sea. I imagined I saw green stars in the sky above, shining with such fervor and strength it stole my breath away.
The swaying ceased unexpectedly, and I struggled to sit up, bleary eyed, until I realized I was being lowered to my bed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I carried you to our room because you were sleeping so deeply," I thought heard Edward murmur softly from somewhere nearby. I was still mostly asleep, and didn't notice that I had latched onto Edward, not even when he tugged gently at my hands. There was a soft chuckle before the world ceased to filter through to my awareness.
***
I blinked lazily, and felt a familiar sensation prick at my memory. I debated it inwardly for what I deemed to be an eternity before I decided to move. As soon as I realized I couldn't, I figured out what was nagging at my mind. I 'd woken up in a near identical position yesterday- which meant Edward and I were splayed haphazardly across the bed, with my head on his chest and his arms around me, holding me to him as if I were a precious doll or beloved toy of a young child.
Instead of stealing away as I had tried to the day before, I loosened the tense muscles of my body and forced them to calm, though it was difficult with the heat buzzing through me and curling in odd ways in my stomach.
I laid there for a long time, mulling over the fact this was only my third day waking up in this room, and the fourth day of my marriage to Edward. In some bizarre way, it felt like I had been here for weeks, not a handful of sunrises.
I felt the rise and fall of Edward's chest pick up speed as he awoke. I stilled myself, because for some indistinct reason I wanted to maintain the appearance that I was still asleep.
Eventually, when Edward made no move to rouse me, I rolled off of him-being very careful to ignore the heat flashes and chills it gave me- and proceeded to yawn again. My eyes sought put his, and I spotted an edge of guilt in them. I immediately propped myself up, and realized that I was still in my clothes from the day before. I looked at Edward inquiringly, and he offered me sort half-smile that went well with his features, melding itself there.
"You fell asleep, so I carried you in here. You were sleeping deeply enough that you didn't wake up until I put you down. I would have offered you a choice about sleeping in the same bed but… you were asleep, and wouldn't let go of me."
I watched as he grinned wider, revealing straight, white teeth. I felt my face grow warm, and wished that I had even an ounce more of control over my body. Instead, the persistent internal tugging in my abdomen was trying to align itself-with Edward. I fought severely against the urge to lean forward.
As if noticing my preoccupation, Edward angled himself enough to form a little hollow formed by the crook of his arms.
"Come here," he whispered, and I shivered, though I wasn't chilled.
I hesitated, and in that minute I had an epiphany; I, so far, had found no reason to disbelieve Edward's intentions, desperately craved his nearness, and now I knew I had to give up my life of doubt. This place was different from my home. I was going to have to grow out of my circle of surety and extend my existence into realms of understanding I'd never even breached before. And in a way, my short time as a Masen had already changed me enough to find the inward strength necessary. I was ready to find my own place in the world.
Feigning indifference, I allowed myself to be tucked into his cradling embrace, where I settled down and passed by the early, serene morning.
When dawn had fully passed and lost its hold on the earth, the two of us split, and the spell of easy peace woven between us was broken.
Edward and I had our morning meal in the study, which I found odd but refrained from commenting on.
Edward was the first to break the silence when we were satisfied. "Bella, does it bother you that I'm six years older than you?"
His question startled me, especially as it came so unexpectedly. I observed his expression and it shifted between sorrow and hope. The light cast a pallor over his skin that failed to dampen his strong features.
I caught my lip between my teeth and considered how to answer without offending him. "A few days ago, yes, it did." I saw the anticipation fade from his face, and I hurried to finish. "But now, I don't. I t makes no difference, be it a day or a hundred years."
The look on Edward's face was enough to keep at bay the worry for having said something so private aloud. It was as if the sun was abruptly unveiled, glorious in all its grandeur. I realized that I wasn't breathing and mentally chided myself.
Edward stood from his place at the dark-wooded table and pulled my chair out for me so I could do the same. He took my hand and helped me up. I attempted to take a step towards the doorway, assuming that we were going somewhere, but Edward kept a hold of my hand and placed it on his face. I gasped as I felt the smooth flawlessness of his skin, and impulsively ran my fingers along the edge of his jaw, and putting my right hand on his shoulder.
I had the powerful urge to check the room to make sure no one saw us, though I knew the door was locked. All thought went out the window like a butterfly on a thermal wind when I realized that Edward was leaning towards me, and the hot ball of heatless fire stirred in my belly. Over Edward's shoulder, however, I noticed that the little bottle of poison was gone.
Notes: Okay, so this is really just a filler chapter that was neccesary for the plot to keep moving, but it does contain some foreshadowing.
I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though it was short and slow (and maybe sweet?). The next one will be much longer! This was actually supposed to be a part of the next chapter, but Chapter Six and Seven were too long and this part was irrelevant, so I cut it out and put something up to entertain you all until I next post.
As always, I thank everyone who stops to review, and hope you will continue to do so...because I'm getting far more 'Favorite Author' and "Favorite Story' notices than reviews...
Here are my new questions: 1) Do you like dogs or cats better? 2) Do you like warm or cool weather better?
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