*** This story contains some mild language, suspense, romance, and some frightening images and situations—13 and older, please.

In the Grip of Twilight

By:

Olivia Tannis Moore

Chapter Sixty Eight:

Where is Alice?

By the time I entered Muriel's cottage, Jasper knew Alice wasn't there. He was coming out of Muriel's small kitchen, his eyes darting from person to person. The panic in his face made my heart wrench.

"She's not here, Bella…nobody's seen her or knows where she is."

"I'll find her…I'll go back and I'll find her," I told him.

"I've tried to talk to her several times…she won't even answer me…" Jasper said hoarsely. "Why won't she answer me?" he asked no one in particular.

"Maybe she's in an area where the reception isn't all that good," Rosalie offered.

She wrapped her arms around Jasper's shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Jasper shook his head. He had calmed to a wide-eyed stupor. "I shouldn't have let her go back alone, no matter what she said—I should have gone with her when she went back to the room to find Edward."

Emmett pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Probably wouldn't have made a difference…if Alice wants to go alone, then, she goes alone. You know how headstrong she is. No sense in beating yourself up about it."

A door opened off the narrow hall and Esme emerged, joining us in the living room. She looked at me hesitantly as if she wanted to say something, her slender hands reaching for me.

"Edward?" My eyes went to the door she'd just exited.

"Yes…" she said calmly. "But dear, it looks worse than it really is. He's going to be fine. Just let Demetri explain everything, alright?"

I nodded and bolted into the room.

The shades were pulled down over the single window behind the single bed.

Demetri instantly rose from the bedside chair. "Bella…" His head nearly skimmed the low ceiling; he looked like a giant in a child's playroom. And although there were several blankets heaped on the bed, Demetri's size made the form resting there look that much smaller…in fact, I thought it must be a mistake. Edward couldn't be underneath all those blankets…My Edward couldn't possibly fit on a bed that appeared to belong to a child…

My hand shook as I reached out to pull the blankets back and confirm for myself that it really was Edward underneath…and that he was alive.

"Bella…why don't you wait? He looks stronger every passing hour."

My hand froze mid-air and hovered there. My courage was faltering—I was deeply afraid of what I would uncover in that bed.

I let my hand fall to my side as I stood over the bed, and when I could find my voice it was low and raspy, "What did you do to him?"

I watched as Demetri slid a drawer open in the nightstand and removed a bulging wineskin. "I took this…" and then he collapsed back into the chair holding the brown pouch in one hand as he held his head in the other.

I couldn't bear to look at the pouch and lowered my eyes. My bottle lip trembled. "What…what is it?"

"Edward's venom," he said. "Once I add this to the venom I still have stored from the transformation, it will be enough to convince Aro that he's dead."

I recoiled in horror. "His venom…he can't live without his venom."

"I didn't take all of his venom," he tried to explain. "I promised I wouldn't kill him, remember?"

"But you took a lot—" I moaned, looking down at the small figure huddled beside me.

He sighed. "There has to be conclusive evidence that Edward is dead, Bella…or else Edward and his family won't survive. This situation with Elena has become a personal vendetta with Aro—he won't let it go. Do you understand that?"

"Bella?" Edward's weak and muffled voice drifted from beneath the covers. "Don't be mad." The top of his head poked up from the covers. I could see the bones of his skull protruding from his forehead and quickly looked away.

I sat on the edge of the narrow bed and rested my hand on top of the covers where I thought his shoulders would be. Softly, I said, "I'm not mad…how could I be mad? I'm just a little worried, that's all."

I could hear the effort in Edward's voice when he replied, "In another hour or two, I'll be up…and walking around…you'll see. It's like after you give blood…you have to recuperate…no difference."

I refrained from saying that I didn't lose half my weight when I donated blood—not that I gave blood, not with my past phobia.

"Okay," I said, trying not to sound as if I were only pacifying him.

"Where's Alice?" Edward asked.

My head snapped up to look at Demetri who shook his head back and forth. Don't stress him.

"She'll be here soon. No worries," I told Edward.

"Good," he said. "She tried to contact me while I was…donating…" he attempted to chuckle but it came out garbled, "but I was too weak to answer…thought there was trouble."

I bit my lip and fudged the truth, "No, no trouble."

"Yeah, that's what Demetri said…" His voice was coming in whispers now.

There was a long pause, and then, "Bella?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to rest for a few minutes, okay?"

"Sure," I said, gently patting his shoulder.

I turned to Demetri. We need to talk.

***

(I wasn't going to update until Friday, but the wealth of reviews drove me to the laptop.

And now you guys know why there was only one transformation session with Demetri and Bella. If I had a dollar for every PM I got asking me when there was going to be another session…I couldn't exactly tell you guys that Demetri had to save that venom for Edward later on, now could I? So I hedged a bit and hoped you'd become distracted by the other drama going on in the story. Some of you were…and some weren't. Nevertheless, I'm glad that's past us now. Thanks for reading. OTM)