Disclaimer: These are not Stephanie's vampires.
Chapter Six
Isabella Swan
The alley is dark, the lone streetlight on the other side of the road barely throws light in this direction; even so, as Edward steps out of the pitch black shadows, I am able to see just enough of his face to be simultaneously calmed and panicked. My eyes have adjusted during Paul's attack and I just know I'm not seeing things, though I hope I am.
Paul's hand is still on my face, but it has gone slack – I can even tell that he has stopped breathing as he takes in the menacing expression on Edward's face and there is no mistaking the fearful tremor of Paul's body behind mine.
Edward steps forward again, closer to us, further from the shadows, and I think I see a glint of something sharp on his mouth – white, pointed, long and poking into his lip – but I banish the thought, blaming the adrenaline in my system. "I told you to stay away from her," he says lowly, something in his voice close to a deep melodic rumble.
"Shit," Paul curses, pushing away from me.
His shove is quick and violent, sends me stumbling forward, and down, towards the dirty, gritty alley ground and the mud puddles that sink into the gravel. My jeans and underwear are pushed down to my knees, leaving me unable to maneuver my limbs; I close my eyes, expecting the humiliating fall that will leave my backside exposed.
But instead of meeting the damp asphalt, I am pulled close – and gently – into a hard, cool body.
I look up at Edward briefly, wondering how he got to me so quickly – because he was at least ten feet away. Nobody moves that fast.
Edward is polite enough to keep his eyes averted from my exposed bottom half, though that might be because his lethal glare is directed towards a stuttering Paul. Carefully, slowly, Edward steps in front of me, shielding me from Paul and helping me gain back my modesty – I don't waste time once I am hidden from view, my shaking fingers pulling up my panties and struggling to button up my jeans. I am suddenly much colder than I had been before and, I realize with a start, that I'm going into shock.
With wide eyes and shallow breathing, I watch Edward's broad shoulders as he walks closer to Paul; his build is much more lean than my assailant's, but there is a certain precision in which Edward moves that makes him seem dangerous. I'd noticed the same thing earlier – the sort of planned, measured grace he seemed to possess – but now, I was seeing it in a different light.
He seemed nearly primal in this moment.
Wind pushes at Edward's dark hair as he gets in Paul's personal space, pushing Paul to lean his body against rough brick. "You remember that, don't you?" Edward asks with a hiss.
"Re-remember what?"
I can now see Edward's profile, the sharp, straight angle of his nose, and the cut of his jaw and the almost iridescent pale of his skin contrasting with the dark shadows. His top lip pulls up, exposing his gums and the undeniable presence of elongated incisors. "That I told you to stay away from her," Edward answers, a menacing emotion of sheer glee crossing his face. "But somehow, you came back. Why is that?"
Paul gulps but says nothing.
Edward continues, ignoring the silence, tilting his head at Paul while I watch, strangely entranced – wanting to move, wanting to simply run away screaming, but also wanting to stay because I knew Edward meant my safety. "I believe you said you wanted to have her?" Edward sneers. "You can't. Isabella is mine."
My heart flutters in my chest – an opposite and completely wrong reaction to the events unfolding before my eyes. I can't even analyze my betraying emotions, because Edward is moving, tilting Paul's chin up and to the side, exposing his neck.
"I let you live last time," he says.
Paul whimpers.
Edward looks over to me and though it is too dark to see the exact shade of his eyes, I can tell the pupil is huge and otherworldly. He stares at me until I look away – and based on the sounds I hear immediately after my gaze is diverted, that is probably a good thing.
There is a quick, sinking sound.
Paul's agonized groans that trail off into silence.
And the drop of purely dead body weight, a hand – maybe – splashing into a mud puddle.
Hearing the silence, I keep my eyes steady on the alley exit, not able to bring myself to look at Paul or his surely dead self.
There was no way he was alive.
And a large part of me was happy about it.
I knew it was a survival thing – being happy about the death of a predator was all too common in the world of animals. But I wasn't in the environment. I shouldn't feel glad that Paul would no longer be a problem for me.
Yet, I was.
A sudden, heavy weight is placed on my shoulders and a distinctly male, musky scent surrounds me. My fingers brush against Edward's dark cobalt, heavy wool coat – it engulfs me, brushing against my thighs above my knees, and protects me from the growing wind. I hadn't even realized I was shivering.
Edward circles me, coming to stand in my direct line of vision, and grasps my shoulders. I might have expected his face to be covered in red stains, but it was clean and his eyes only held worry for my wellbeing.
"Bella?"
"Hmm?"
"Let's get you home, princess."
I nod absently, my body easily drifting towards the direction of his hands as he leads me out of the alley slowly. My mind is playing catch-up – remembering Edward's sudden appearance, the things coming out of his mouth, Paul's dead body – and I stop, pulling my hands away from him with force.
Edward's brow furrows. "Bella, what's wrong-"
"What are you?" I demand lowly, stubbornly not allowing my voice to tremble.
I don't know why I ask.
It's so obvious.
It's above asking, because I know.
And for some reason, I fail to be scared – I should be.
He could kill me.
But, if he wanted to kill me, he would have already done it.
Instead, he paid me to take a test.
And out of everything, this irks me. "You lying son of a bitch!" I tell him, raising my hand to hit him; he stops me, carefully taking my hand into his own. "You could have taken that test! I could have slept in or picked up another shift!"
Edward's brows rise in surprise. "I'm sorry-"
"I thought you were an idiot! Obviously, that's not true. God, and that teacher? I could have gotten caught – I could have gotten suspended, Edward. Are you kidding me? Here," I say, pulling away from him and digging his money out of my pocket. "Take this. I don't deserve it since I didn't do anything you can't do. How lazy do you have to be-"
Edward laughs, his head thrown back, his mouth open and revealing two slightly larger than normal incisors. His teeth are incredibly straight and white, despite the staining blood should cause – I mean, blood would cause staining after a while, right? But his teeth are perfect.
I stop my inane tirade, simply staring at his too-good-to-be-true features and his impressive height and build, as he laughs heartily.
"You killed him," I state once he stops laughing.
Edward nods. "Yes. I did."
"What will happen to his body? Will he…turn into someone like you?"
"My brother will take care of it," Edward tells me. "No, he won't become….like me."
"And I can trust you?"
Now that we're in the lights, I can see the exact shade of Edward's solemn eyes. "More than anything," he answers reverently.
I believe him instantly, sighing into the cool October air.
It wasn't a question of whether or not I should trust him – I already did. There was no denying that. It wasn't even a conscious decision I made; and I had a feeling that there was never going to be a choice in if I should trust Edward or not. It was more a question if I could trust my wellbeing with him – trust him to take care of my life.
He had just entered me into an unknown world and we both knew it.
By protecting me, Edward had made a statement of proportions unknown to me.
I'd already put him in charge of my safety, as soon as I saw those pointed teeth.
Now, it was just a matter of Edward living up to it.
He moves to my side, securing a strong arm across my back, and leads me quietly towards the dorm. My shivering had stopped, but I refused to take off his jacket and I honestly could care less if he minded or not. I took what little comfort I could from the warmth because I knew as soon as I got to my room, I would be asking questions.
Edward walks me up to the door of my building and holds it open for me; he does not follow me inside and, for some reason, I'd suspected that he wouldn't. "I'll meet you in your room," he tells me softly, a pale hand reaching forward to push hair away from my face.
And then, he's gone – faster than I can blink.
I guess since his little secret is out, he's not holding anything back.
As I ride the elevator up to my floor, entirely too exhausted for the stairs, I reflect on my thoughts about Edward; I've barely known the guy for three days but I feel as if I've known him all my life, almost like he's been a presence since birth.
He seems familiar.
I'm not surprised when I find his lanky body lounging across my bed, hands behind his head and a small smirk across his face. My eyes dart to the barely open window and back to him. "Well, I guess that answers my first question," I tell him dryly. "You are the window culprit?"
Edward grins.
"Why?"
He shrugs, a sort of forced nonchalance from his controlled shoulders. "I had to acquaint myself with your scent somehow."
"It was too much trouble to close the window afterwards?"
"It's hard to close a window from the outside."
I gesture to the swinging lock of my window, acknowledging his logic and asking a silent question at the same time – how did he get the window open then, without breaking the lock?
Edward follows my hand. "Ah," he says, brandishing his nails. "Something that will forever be a mystery."
"Are you serious? You can't tell me how you got in?"
"Oh, I can tell you. I'm just not going to."
I huff, annoyed, and strip off his coat, dropping it on my desk chair. I remain standing, not able to bring myself to sit beside him on the bed. "Are you ever going to answer my question?"
"About the window? No. The one about what I am…how about you tell me some theories."
I quirk one brow up. "It's not a theory."
"Lay it on me."
"Vampire."
The room is silent after my statement and Edward's eyes are heavy on my body. He does not make a move, so neither do I.
After a silence that is far too long, he finally nods, smiling sadly. "You're not running and screaming."
"You saved my life, Edward. I'm not likely to forget that anytime soon."
"So, you're not scared?"
I shake my head, feeling my heart pound in my chest. "I didn't say that."
He frowns. "I don't want you to fear me."
"I didn't say that, either."
His eyes soften and he sits up fluidly, leaning towards me. I feel drawn to him by some outside force; I don't even fight it as my body moves within touching-distance of him.
And I definitely don't shake of his gently hands as they settle on my hips.
"I would never hurt you," he tells me softly.
"You don't want to eat me, then?"
A glint enters his eyes. "I didn't say that," he mimics.
My heart beats double time.
His fingers tighten intimately on my hips. "If I got hungry around you, Bella, I promise you would enjoy it."
"Is that so?"
He scoots closer to me and I notice that his head is level with my chest – he seems to notice this, too. "It's a fact."
We're both caught up in the moment – and I'm not sure if I lean towards him or if he leans towards me, but his cool lips are gentle on his face and traveling down towards my neck. I tilt my head back in the hopes that it would assist him in gaining access to my throat, even with my turtleneck in the way. His chin nudges the fabric down and his lips soon follow – and then, he freezes.
And a low growl fills the room.
"What is this?"
A/N: So, I haven't had a good day at all. Why are some parents really cruel? I mean, just because I don't have half-naked men plastered on my walls doesn't mean I'm gay, Mom. Because I'm taking care of her, I don't have time to go out and fraternize with other teens, let alone boys – and that makes me a "weird bitch" (her words, not mine)…. So, I'm upset and I cried myself to sleep last night, which has carried over into the next day, and I'm seriously regretting doing the right thing and choosing to go to college online….
Enough about my sorry life, let's go to reviews:
angelari7 – Or Eddie's gonna make someone be in trouble!
Sabrina – I hope she's nicer to him!
twilight-saga-lover95 – Loved your review-for-all-the-chapters thing! My vampires have a way to not be allergic to the sun…
Kimmie41 – Well, they were acting creepy….
Midnight Angels Say GoodNight – Edward seems to have lost his ability to be subtle, too!
host312 – Updated, pretty soon, on schedule and all of that!
Flavia Ribeiro – I feel bad for Vampward/Heroward!
sujari6 – Oh, no, Paul didn't get away with it this time.
Headinthecloudsss – Your review was hilarious, made me smile when I was feeling down!
Debslmac – A :D just for you.
vampyregirl86 – I try to keep it all as original as possible!
Maggiejoma – Oh, that cat has been trying to get out of the bag for a while…
Twilight Tink – This story in particular has been in my mind for years!
Twivampchick – He did cut it close! Almost too late!
CdrIvanova – No, Paul isn't a vamp! My vampires are very, very different in all aspects.
Valentine Rain – Paul must be, like, really stupid!
LunaDiSangue85 – So funny! No, this isn't payback for Assward in Phantasm….I don't think.
Welcome2MyWorldxoxo – Yeah, Edward, why didn't you kill Paul the first time?
SrslyGiGi – I did leave you hanging! And, I've done it again.
Kaygou – Ah, yes, in the Prologue, it was mentioned that she was born in 1993 (19 years ago). She also graduated high school a few years earlier.
Maysnrs – Bella the Jedi! It fits.
Muranda – You're right! It didn't happen twice….
Krystalwinds1990 – Nope, the transformation to become a vampire is much different now….
YesMyRealNameIsBella – Hmmm….well maybe if Edward had swag, Bella wouldn't have to be so mean?
james3142 – How did the big reveal go?
Lilypad10 – You got it right. It's all about her soul….
Cbmorefie – Sorry! Had to leave it there.
Holidai – That thing with her eyes is a latent ability.
Twilight Rocker 12 – I love this Edward, too!
velvetWhispers, VAlvr04, ch0c0lat3, Edward's spouse, solidae26, blve6, lovestwilight2010, dinotopian and tiffyboocullenjonas – thank you all for reading and reviewing! I appreciate your love for the story! Hope I don't disappoint.
And super special shout-out to the first review of the last chapter, mamacat20 – Paul is just your run-of-the-mill weirdo, I guess…
Now, I'm off to watch some mind-numbing TV and eat lasagna.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot