HAHAHAHAHAH the reviews killed me y'all! I was laughing my ass off reading some of the more 'excited' ones. Thank you, I loved them all so much!
Let's see who'll come to Bella's rescue after the nasty situation she finds herself in.
SarcasticBimbo worked her magic. :)
Thanks Lotus Wright for pre-reading and improving some sentences!
Chapter XVI: Terror
You know when you watch a video that's so horrifying, yet intriguing, that your curiosity doesn't allow you to close your eyes?
Yeah, I'm in that exact situation as I follow every move of these strangers.
They hiss at me, then laugh every time my heart jumps in fright.
They're playing with me.
Their sounds they're emitting remind me so much of the many times that Edward has growled at me that it suddenly clicks.
They're vampires.
My adrenaline kicks in and a cold sweat forms at the back of my neck.
The blond-haired man stops and tilts his head, smiling sadistically as he crouches and the other two follow, preparing to spring at me.
I never expected to die so young. I have dreams, aspirations, fantasies; fantasies which include strap-ons and ropes, but I digress.
It's not like I can run away without tripping over my own ass, so I resign myself to my fate and close my eyes.
A pair of intense topaz eyes appear before my eyes, filling me with sadness and pain at the finality of it.
Goodbye, Edward, I lo-
A deafening roar pierces the eerily silent forest and the thunderous crash of what sounds like boulders colliding hurts my ears.
I clap my hands over my ears and open my eyes, cringing, to see what's going on.
The orange-haired woman and the man with dreads are shocked still as two indistinct figures emit hisses and growl like rabid animals before a shattering crash against a tree stops the feral noises and only one growl is heard.
That growl is familiar.
A white blur flashes in front of me.
The leather clad figure with bronze hair sticking out from all sides, snarls and crouches.
It's Edward. He's here!
"Edward," I whisper.
His head barely moves at the sound of my voice, it's almost unnoticeable. Almost.
It seems, however, that the other two have noticed the slight movement as well because they smile a sinister smile.
Edward growls deep within his chest, each successive growl growing in volume.
I look around him to see a few trees have been split through the middle. Fractured trunks and branches cover the forest floor.
The vampire with the ponytail is already up and moving, jerking to a standstill next to the other two.
The orange-haired woman hisses at Edward, baring her teeth, as the other two step closer to where we're standing.
Their eyes have turned black with rage.
I'm sorry, Edward.
Edward responds by crouching lower and snarling like a feral animal about to attack.
Why would he fight for me?
Despite my fear of him, I never wanted Edward to die, especially not in my defense.
The trio of vampires look at each other and start to advance on us, spreading out as they do. From what I can tell, they mean to surround us and attack simultaneously, leaving Edward severely outmaneuvered.
Just as I'm beginning to think there is no hope, two more shapes fly out of the shadows, leaping through the air. They are moving so fast my eyes can't follow quick almost blur they are so fast. They stop on either side of Edward, flanking him.
Emmett and Jasper, as I now recognize them release what seems to be a warning growl at the vampires, crouching in a protective stance next to their brother.
Emmett's bulky form is enough to stop the vampires in their tracks. I can see the one with dreads eyeing him in fear, whereas the other two sneer.
When Jasper hisses at them, they notice something about him. Their eyes widen and travel from his face down his body to his hands, and they step back with looks of fear on their faces before quickly adopting a calm expression.
Fear? That can't be right, can it?
"This is our territory, nomads," Emmett growls.
The one with dreads speaks up with a faint French accent. "Our apologies, we didn't know that the territory had been claimed."
Edward snarls at the vampire's response. "We have marked the territory with our scents, so do not utter lies and tell us you were unaware that the area is occupied."
He sounds like a true vampire as he snarls the words.
Surprisingly, I don't feel scared that he's acting like a vampire; I feel safe.
The vampire clamps his mouth shut.
"We are quite hungry so we were just trying to get ourselves a snack on the way out of the area," the one with the blond one speaks. He has a calm voice, almost generic sounding. His features are more ordinary than the rest of them. If it weren't for the red eyes, I wouldn't even look at him twice on the streets.
He continues, fixating on me with menacing dark eyes. "There's been no harm done here. I'm sure there will still be plenty of people for you to hunt after we're finished with her. This little one smells… exquisite."
At his utterance, Edward lets out a terrifying roar that shakes the surrounding trees and causes birds to flee in fright.
There is nothing but chaos from that point. White blurs collide, crashing together. The sound of the vampires crashing into each other is thunderous, like an avalanche of boulders, interspersed with snarls and growls. Their movements creating a whirlwind of dust.
My heart hammers against my chest as I hear teeth snapping and clothes tearing but they are all too fast for me to follow what's going on. I press myself against Bob and slide down to the ground. My eyes burn from the force of holding my tears at bay.
Please, please don't die, Edward. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you or your brothers.
Branches are crashing and leaves are falling everywhere as the fight escalates.
Dust flies everywhere and I find it difficult to see anything. Bob's headlights are still on, so I can see some, but not all of what's going on. I squint, trying to follow the fight.
Amidst the sounds of gnashing teeth, violent pounding fists and animalistic snarls, I hear a metallic screeching.
I look in the distance to see Jasper, whose clothes are torn and tattered in places, tearing the orange-haired woman's head right off of her shoulders. Her two companions instantly stop what they are doing and gape at the sight of her limbs being torn from her torso.
The nauseating sight causes my breath to come in short gasps, and black dots appear before my eyes from the acute anxiety and fear.
Darkness creeps around the edges of my vision and I feel myself surrendering to it.
Before that darkness can engulf me, I hear a voice cry, "Edward, get to Bella!"
~E&I~
Something warm and soft is wrapped around me. I feel as if I'm in a cocoon of comfort as I burrow deeper into it.
The warmth smells so nice, too; like cinnamon, leather, and pine. It's very familiar, but I can't place where I've smelled it before. It relaxes me further and I feel my body sag in repose.
I deeply inhale the scent and bask in the comfort and safe feeling it brings to my battered psyche.
Mmmmm, Edward smells amazing.
Edward?!
I try to go back to the dreamless slumber, but recalling Edward's scent and the terrifying memory of the woman's head being ripped off wake me up.
In an instant, I'm sitting upright in my bed, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
Why am I smelling him on my sheets? Was he in my room? How did I get here?!
The last thing I remember is the screeching sound of a vampire's head being ripped off.
I quickly scan around my room for any indication that Edward was here and find nothing out of place.
My clock shows that it's 11:05 pm.
It was only a few hours ago that I almost died!
OMG! Charlie! Did he find out?!
My panic stops when I notice a folded piece of paper on my nightstand and grab it with trembling hands.
I open it and the first thing I notice is the elegant writing. Without a doubt, I know it's from Edward, just from looking at the penmanship.
Dear Isabella,
I apologize profusely for subjecting you to that horrible situation. I wish you never saw what took place because you shouldn't have to bear witness to such horror.
I gasp in terror as I realize it wasn't a nightmare. His brother did tear off the head of that vampire. What happened to the one with the dreads and the ponytail? Did they die, too?
I have never been so scared in my life as I was when I found out that I was going to lose you forever; albeit, now, I fear that you might be afraid of me. I don't ever want you to be afraid, especially not of me.
Girl, he has strong feelings for you.
You think so?
Yeah, or else he wouldn't care if we fear him or not.
Bob is mended and parked in front of your house. Don't worry, he will operate as you are accustomed to.
I also discarded the note you had left to your father, if I was out of line by doing so, I apologize.
I let out a sigh of relief. Charlie won't suspect a thing. So he brought me to my bedroom. But how did he find the key?
I am well aware that, by now, you have suspicions about my nature. I'm prepared to answer whatever questions you have for me.
Enclosed is my personal number. I am at your disposal any time, so please do not hesitate to call me.
If I do not hear from you again, know that I shall stay clear of you because I don't want to be the cause of any discomfort to you.
I do hope you will call. If not, I shall respect your wish and never contact you again.
I'm sorry, again, that it came to this.
Sincerely,
Edward
Underneath his signature his number is scribbled.
Why is he apologizing for frightening me? Shouldn't I be dead right now for knowing their secret? And why did they stop those vampires from killing me? Don't they feed on humans as well?
I contemplate these questions as I look down at myself to see that I'm still in my clothes from this morning. Only my shoes have been taken off.
Oh god, please tell me he didn't tuck me into bed.
And what's wrong with that, girl?
It's weird!
The damn butterflies in your stomach say otherwise.
I run a hand through my tangled hair, tugging at the end of my curls.
I need to braid it.
Getting up from bed I grab my bag that's placed next to my window. Before grabbing my phone, I look out the window and see that Bob is parked in place.
How in the hell were they able to fix Bob so quickly?
This myriad of questions gives me a headache and the only person who has the answers is on the other side of the phone.
With my mind made up, I grab my phone and dial his number.
The call goes through and after two rings, Edward's deep, soothing voice answers.
"Good evening, Bella."
A/N: Reviews prompt me to write faster ;)
Also, look out for an update of Looks Bad on Paper by Lotus Wright and Divine Black Rain by MissBreakingSanity. And if you haven't read it, yet, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR! Looks Bad will make you laugh your ass off (I guarantee it) and Divine Black Rain is this kick-ass, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic story that you don't want to miss reading.
Story rec time!
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3. The Haunting of Bella Swan by ericastwilight
4. Wanted by fyrebirch
5. Three's a Crowd by RobzBeanie
6. Remember by Crazy ExGirlfriend 23
7. Evergreen Loop by Vican
8. Playing Cops and Vloggers by LyricalKris
9. Other Men It Is Said to Have Seen Angels by Magic Within Us
10. Lumiere by illarione