Hello everyone! Welcome back to Bloodstream. Thank you all for the reviews, favourites and follows for the last chapter. Keep them coming!
This chapter is named after 'Friction' by Imagine Dragons. My favourite song right now
Bella Swan's Point of View
I hardly spoke to Edward after witnessing the mass feed I'd seen a few days previous, and it was for a mixture of reasons.
One of them was anger, pure anger that he would do something so dirty and disgusting and cruel. He had shown me before a slither of humanity and I'd always thought he was good and kind. The way he brought me clothes, looked after me, had always taken blood so gently… I had thought there was always a chance we could get on as acquaintances. Not friends, just acquaintances (I'd never be friends with the vampire who had taken me captive) But his actions that evening had made me sick to my stomach and my anger was strong.
But I also didn't talk from fear, complete and absolute fear. The scene that had played out that night had shaken me to the core. Any bravery and resilience I'd previously had and shown had simply disappeared in that moment, and the true nature of my situation had dawned on me. I was in danger and I was never getting out of here. And I could finally admit something my bravery wouldn't let me before.
I was genuinely terrified.
And so my silence came from the fear of what would happen next. Would I be witness a feed like that again? Would I be the next victim to be hung from those ropes and fed on? I didn't know, and I would do everything in my power to make sure I wouldn't be. So I stayed quiet, I didn't fight back. I became completely submissive in every way in order to preserve my own safety.
I had no choice.
Especially if I intended to return to my mother one day.
She needed me and I had to stay alive for her sake. And if doing exactly what these monsters wanted of me, then I'd do it.
So for the last few days I'd kept my mouth shut, doing exactly as I was told, obeying Edward perfectly. Sure, he disgusted me, but he also held the key to my fate.
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
He pulled his fangs away from my neck where he had just been feeding from me, licking the puncture wounds and sealing the skin to avoid any further blood loss. I had not made a sound the entire time, just the occasional hiss through my teeth as the initial bite stung my skin.
But otherwise I was as silent as a mouse.
Edward pulled away and brushed my hair from my face, frowning. I avoided eye contact with him as best as I could, staring intently at the soft black carpet on the floor.
"What's wrong?" he asked. His voice was soft but his tone told me he wanted an answer.
I shook my head. "Nothing," I whispered.
He took my jaw between his thumb and fingers, turning my head and forcing me to look at him. "Bullshit. Normally I can't shut you and your opinions up. But you haven't spoken in days. Now what's wrong?"
I sighed and remembered the fear in the back of my mind.
Submit and obey.
For my own safety, I had to do just that.
xXx
Edward Cullen's Point of View
This girl, this beautiful blood source, she was one hell of a fucking enigma. Not only did she smell delicious but she was completely silent, both in mind and voice. And it was pissing me off.
She hadn't spoken in days, and her mind was giving no indication as to what was wrong. If someone refused to talk to me, I'd always know the reason why through their thoughts. No one could hide anything from me, the world was an open book for Edward Cullen, and I knew every last secret.
So when this little beauty refused to speak, and her thoughts told me nothing either, I was ready to rip my hair out and scream.
I'd never been in this position before and I fucking hated it.
So I asked her, which was something I hadn't done in over a century. I'd always been able to find out through thought, so playing the detective was a very alien thing for me to do. Her answer was not what I expected to hear.
"I saw it… I saw you all feeding from the girl…"
I blinked and swallowed. Surely she couldn't mean the mass feed. No one but the vampires within that room were supposed to see it. Not even my sister was invited to them. Only the top vampires were allowed entry. So surely she couldn't mean that.
"Feeding from a girl? Isabella, I'm not sure what-"
"I saw it, Edward!" she interrupted. And for the first time in days she was showing some emotion. It annoyed me that she was fighting back, but I also liked to see Bella when she was feisty. Not only did she look beautiful but the smell of her blood rushing through her veins was insanely enticing. I swallowed the hungry venom back as it pooled in my mouth. I'd only just fed from her. To do it again this soon would be dangerous for her.
"You were not supposed to see that," I argued.
"But I did. What the fuck was that, Edward? That poor girl, she didn't deserve that, she didn't deserve to die in that way! But you took advantage; you all revelled in it and enjoyed it! How could you?"
She had stood up at this point, tears pooling in her eyes and I immediately felt guilt.
I wasn't sure why; I was a vampire, the ultimate predator. I shouldn't give a shit what this little human thought or what she'd seen. Normally I would have just killed her, not just because she couldn't be a witness to those feeds and our discussions during them, but because she was arguing back and fighting with me.
But with Bella I couldn't.
Her blood was too special and pure, her mind was a mystery I still had to solve. I couldn't hurt her and I certainly couldn't kill her. Quite the opposite. I wanted to protect her, preserve her, keep this girl and her blood safe. And it shook me that she had witnessed something as intense and scary as our mass feeds. I didn't want it to scar her or upset her… or make her think less of me.
I felt guilt and she could see it in my face as her anger lessened. She blinked, wiping away her tears as she sat back down again.
"I don't understand how someone could do that…" she whispered.
"Nothing I say will change what I did, Bella. And I'm sorry you had to witness that. But as a member of the Volturi, and an elite member at that, I have to show my face at those feeds. I have to join in. I have to preserve my status in this organisation or it could end badly for both you and me."
And it was true. I wasn't born into the Volturi, I was brought into it.
I was a vampire Aro had seen potential in twenty years earlier. He saw my mind reading abilities as a perfect weapon, and he took me in as his own, made me a prince and one of the most powerful vampires within the group. But this was only whilst he trusted me and believed in me. If I did anything to anger or betray him, he'd rip me limb from limb. I knew too many secrets for him to let me go alive.
And if he killed me, Bella would have no chance. She'd be killed instantly. And I was not about to let that happen. I had to live the Volturi life in every way.
"What do you mean?" she asked timidly.
"I only have power as long as Aro allows me to have it," I explained. "The second I do wrong or do something he doesn't like, I'm done for. And you'll soon follow. So in order to stay on his good side, I have to attend these meetings and feeds, whether I like it or not."
"He can't force you, surely," she tried to reason.
"Oh yes he can," I replied. "He brought me into The Volturi, he can remove me too, and I won't be removed alive. I do it for my safety, Bella. And now I do it for yours too."
She played with her fingers, looking at them thoughtfully, contemplating what I had told her.
God, the things I'd do to read her mind right now…
I hoped my reasoning was enough to pacify her for now. I couldn't help what I needed to do. I agreed with her, the mass feedings were disgusting and barbaric. There were better ways to obtain blood and show the humans who were in charge. But I did what I did for survival.
She looked up at me after what felt like hours and spoke calmly. "I know I need to rely on you for my survival. And I'm going to do that."
"You are?"
"Yes, she nodded with a sigh. "My need to stay alive is greater than my need to question your ways and anger your leaders. If you have to do… that kind of thing… then I understand. Just never tell me when you do it; I'd prefer not to know. And I promise I won't go snooping and finding these things happening."
"Sounds fair," I said.
She looked to me. "I don't like what you do, and I never will. But if it ensures my survival then I have to accept it. We have to be allies."
She held her hand out for me to shake. I touched it, her warm skin feeling delicious against my cold skin, the two temperatures making the hairs on my skin stand on end. I shook her hand, the two of us silently agreeing on a truce and an alliance.
It was one I intended to keep. Isabella was a special human being, and until I had figured her out, I knew I would keep her safe.
"Yes, allies," I agreed.