Chapter 13—Hidden Truth

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Buddha

Edward's POV

Kicking myself for making Bella afraid of me, I kneeled down next to her and begged her to let me explain. Relief—and the always present tingle whenever we touched—washed over me the moment she took hold of my outstretched hand. The need to make things right coursed through me as I helped her up off the floor. I led her over to the couch, and after sitting on the opposite side, I turned to face her.

"Bella, you don't know how sorry I am. I didn't mean for you to find out the way you did," I said, hoping she would accept my apology.

Her lip trembled, and she wiped her eyes as she replied, "How were you going to tell me?"

Well, that was a good start, I thought. "I was going to begin by asking if you believed in magic. Then move to a person possessing magical power."

Bella had relaxed a little. "What sort of magical power?" she asked.

Thinking briefly, I said, "The night of the shooting"—she flinched—"well, before I took you up to Rosalie, I concealed us from sight." Her eyes went wide. I didn't know if she was scared or surprised.

"You can do that?"

Surprise it was. "Yes. That and more," I answered.

Her lip disappeared into her mouth. "Show me."

A smile crept over my face at her request; I was hoping she would ask for proof. Placing my hand on my knee and picturing the room behind me, I recited aloud, "Give the air a disguise not viewable by human eyes. Give this trick a little fix and boost it with a magic mix."

Bella reached out and didn't come in contact with me at first. She did on a second try, and only because I leaned forward.

She jumped back. "You're still there."

Not wanting to startle her, I resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her face. Instead, I recited the reversal, revealing myself once again.

"That's some trick," she said.

I could still hear a little trepidation in her voice. "Yes, it is. I used a different illusion to conceal us at the bar, though."

"What else can you do?" she asked.

Her back was still ramrod straight, but she was slowly relaxing. "Just about anything," I answered.

"How about raising the dead?" she asked.

I had a feeling on why she was inquiring. "If I could, I wouldn't," I replied, taking hold of her hand. Relief once again washed over me when she gave mine a gentle squeeze. "Bringing the dead back to life goes against everything I believe in."

With her free hand, she swiped at her eyes again. "What do you believe?"

I had never really vocalized my beliefs before with someone outside my family, and it took me a moment to gather my thoughts. "I believe in a deity, whether that deity is named God, I don't know. I honor the gods and goddesses of nature. I believe there is a cycle for life, and death is a part of that cycle. There's more I believe, but I think the most important thing I believe in is doing no harm."

She sat back and regarded me. "If you don't harm, then what type of warlock are you?"

Her posture, at ease but guarded, was far better than the stiff pose she had held up to this point, but her question gave me pause. It was a logical question. The jump in questions from powers to belief and back again wasn't the way I saw this conversation going. "I practice what is known as white magic."

Her face scrunched up. "White magic?"

I expelled a long breath, and thought, How to explain? "I use my powers and knowledge to help others."

Once again her lip disappeared into her mouth. She didn't ask or say anything for a while. "How do you help others?"

"I have a vast knowledge of herbs and spices, gemstones, and I share that information with others."

"So the décor that's in my room—you're the one protecting me."

Whoa! That was a huge jump. How in the world did she make that correct deduction? "What makes you think that?" I asked, confused by her supposition.

She looked like a doe caught in headlights. "Um … well … I have a little knowledge about gemstones myself."

That didn't explain her blunt statement; in fact, her explanation made me question it more. If it had been a question, it would be different. "And because we have that in common, that makes you think I'm protecting you?"

She started to fidget. "Yes. Isn't that why I'm staying here? You don't have some ulterior motive, do you?"

"Of course, that's why you're here, Bella. And, no, I have no ulterior motive for protecting you."

"And what are you getting out of helping me?"

"Other than getting to know you, nothing," I answered.

Bella's POV

I stood and started for the door. Stopping after only few steps, I turned back to face Edward and asked, "Why did you want to tell me?"

He closed his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. "Because I woke and found you in my bed. I thought I used my powers to summon you to my side, and that scared the hell out of me. If you had woken before me, what would you have thought?"

I knew how I ended up at his side, and so did he, but I saw his point. "I would have been frightened, but I would have woken you up and asked why I was in your room instead of mine."

He nodded. "I should have done that," he said, sounding disappointed … in himself?

Looking away from him, I asked again why he wanted me to know. His answer was important. There were things Jacob told me that still frightened the living daylights out of me, and at the moment, I was still scared of what me knowing this about Edward meant.

Edward heaved another sigh, causing me to turn back to face him. How many sighs was that now?

"Do you feel like there's something growing between us? Pulling us together?" he asked.

My heart skipped a beat. I had a similar thought a couple of days ago. "I'm not sure. Maybe," I replied.

Edward took a few steps toward me. "That's why I told you. If there is something growing, I want to be upfront about who I am."

Taking a small step forward, I asked, "Who else have you told?"

"No one outside my family knows. You're the first."

Disbelief coursed through me. I'm the first person he's told, but I'm no one special. Jacob often told me that and made me feel that way by belittling me.

"That's not true, Bella."

Huh? I hadn't said anything, had I?

"You are special. Everyone is, it just takes someone else to make us see that," Edward whispered in my ear. "You don't need to fear me or my powers. All I want to do is keep you safe, and I have been since I brought you here."

When had he drawn me into his arms? It didn't matter; I was more afraid of my thoughts than of Edward. With Edward, it was more fear of the unknown and not of him. His actions had shown nothing to be frightened about. I did feel safe, and if he trusted me enough to share what he was, then I should trust him with who I was. "I've never met a warlock other than my dad," I whispered. "He didn't like the term and preferred to be called a sorcerer."

"Is that so?" Edward commented, and a beat later, he was holding me at arm's length. "Wait! What did you just say?"

I swallowed. "My dad was a sorcerer," I repeated. "My mom was, too."

Edward's POV

I started laughing. Bella had made me jump through hoops, and her parents had powers. Just as suddenly as laughter came over me, I stopped. Whoa! Did that mean Bella was … had powers? "Are you a sorceress?"

When she took a step back, I let her go. "Yes," she answered as her gaze fell to the floor, looking repentant.

I heard footstep in the hallway and knew it was most likely Ms. Cope. My gaze shifted to the door. It was open. With a quick flick of my wrist, the door shut. When I turned back to Bella, she was looking at me. "I believe we have more to talk about, right?"

She nodded. "She won't come in, will she?"

Both our gazes shifted to the door. The handle was turning. I looked around the room for something, anything. My eyes landed on Bella's Kindle. With a single word, the device was in my hands.

"I need Wi-Fi access," Bella said, sitting on the couch again. "Can you set it up?"

Grateful for the assistance, I smiled at her before taking a seat next to her. "It should already be connected. Alice had me set it up before wrapping it," I said, hitting the Silk browser. A message appeared on the screen, and my brow furrow in confusion. Why would it say it wasn't connected? Restarting it should work.

"Ms. Cope said I could find you in here," Rosalie said.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I asked, powering down the Kindle.

"Not in my vocabulary," she responded. "Is your offer to help clean the bar still good?"

I glanced over at my sister. "Of course. When do you need help?"

"I can open back up tonight if the cleaning is done by six."

I handed the Kindle back to Bella. "You're good to go."

"Thanks," Bella said. "Do you mind if I come along?"

"Give us a minute," I said to Rosalie at the same time she answered Bella with, "I don't mind."

Rosalie stared at me. "Fine. I'm heading to the bar. I called in some servers I know who can use the money and don't want them waiting outside long for me."

I waited as Rosalie left the room. "Bella, I don't think it's safe for you to go. Jacob or one of his henchmen could be watching the bar."

"A concealment spell," she suggested.

"The ones I know are better in a dim room, and when you appear, everyone will wonder when you arrived."

Her head fell against my shoulder in defeat. "The same would hold true for a traveling spell."

"We'll talk some more when I return."

Guilt washed over me as I drove away. There was one way Bella could have come—masking her appearance—but I wasn't sure of her abilities or level of experience. It was a high level spell.

~~ L.C. ~~

Almost four hours had passed since I left to help the slave-driving Rosalie. She had me carrying in case after case of alcohol. It was worth it though; I needed a good workout. The bar would be open soon, and by the time I had left, there was a line forming.

A scream of laughter greeted me when I walked in the front door. I knew by the car out front that Alice was here. I wonder what Bella, Ms. Cope, and she were laughing about. Following the sound, I found the three in the kitchen. I had to hold in my chuckle at the scene I entered in on. Flour covered every surface, including Alice.

"Who knew if you dropped a sack of flour it would explode like that?" Alice said.

"I did," Bella and Ms. Cope answered in unison, erupting into giggles again.

Alice stuck out her tongue at the pair. "Laugh all you want. You're not getting any cookies."

"Neither are you by the looks of it," I said, a hint of laughter in my voice. "The flour is ... everywhere."

Alice jumped at the sound of my voice. She hadn't seen me like Bella and Ms. Cope had, and they both doubled over in another fit. And, of course, Alice started to giggle.

"You know where the broom is. Clean up your mess," I said. Once Alice was otherwise occupied, I motioned for Bella to follow me. I didn't want to delay finishing our talk any more. "Alice and Ms. Cope will see to the kitchen."

"As they should—I was an innocent bystander," she said, going ahead of me when I indicated for her to climb the stairs.

"To the left," I instructed when she reached the top. "There's a room I'd like to show you. We can continue our talk uninterrupted in there."

Bella's POV

Edward was right behind me and hadn't given me any further direction by the time I reached the end of the hall. "Uh," I said, turning to face him.

"Do you trust me?" he asking, holding out his hand for me to take.

Trust him? I hadn't been sure if could until I spoke privately with Alice. She was surprised he had told me, but assured me that he was more of a protector than an evil doer. Without much hesitation, I placed my hand in his and was rewarded with a lopsided grin.

With his free hand, he pointed to a spot on the wall—it was about where you would find a doorknob. "Can you see the faint circle and the line on the right side?"

"Yes."

"On the other side is a short entry hall. Knock on the wall to the left of the circle and line and recite, 'If your passage is blocked, all you do is knock.' Of course, you have to hold the image of the hall for the door to open. If the image is incorrect, the door will not open."

Bella laughed. "Good thing I have a good memory."

Soon, we were outside another door. I turned and studied the hall. It wasn't what I expected, but then, I didn't know I was what expecting. It was plain, painted a soft yellow; however, I suspected it was the door at the end that held the key to the spell. It was wood, and painted in the center was a blue lion standing on its hind legs. "This must be some room to be hidden by magic and this lion," I said.

He said nothing as he opened the door. "Go ahead."

Books, hanging herbs, and a table with a small cauldron and other implements on it was what I immediately saw. Walking farther in the room, I was confronted by a stone hearth. To my left was a shelf of crystals, and to my right unidentifiable jars of "stuff." I now understood the need for this room to be protected. "An altar room," I said in awe, turning around in a slow circle, taking in as much as I could—which wasn't much. A chuckle had me spinning to face Edward.

"That's all the confirmation I need. Only a witch would know right off what this room is," he said.

I nodded, still looking longingly around, wishing to use the tools and books that surrounded me. Instead, tears started, and I dropped to my knees. Seeing this room brought back memories of my parents teaching me how to use my powers, how to make potions, and more. With those memories came the question of whether or not they had the proper rights performed at their burial.

Edward drew me into his arms and just let me cry. "I'll find out," he whispered. "It's never too late to bless the dead."

This time I knew I had spoken aloud, and I was grateful I had a shoulder to cry on and that I wasn't alone.

A/N: The two spells in this chapter were copied from the Spells of Magic website. They are free spells, but they were written by others. I did use a little creative license on the door spell when Edward said the image had to be right in order for the door to open.

A big thanks to Jennej and JCat for their help in editing this chapter.