Chapter 9
Bella had a vampire stashed in the den, but that didn't keep her from opening the house as she'd planned. After being greeted back to town by one of her mom's many friends, she walked to the supermarket, stocked up in groceries, made a phone call to both her parents to let them know she's home and safe (she almost broke in a fit of giggles then) and busied herself cleaning and putting around candles she loved to light at night while curling with a good book.
The cranberry and pine-scented candles went hand in hand and later mouth with chocolate cookies that she made and put in the living room table. Supposedly they were to be eaten tonight. In reality she dipped into them every few minutes.
She wondered if she should save some for her unexpected guest but Edward threw up one single bite of pizza she made him eat. then again Damon had drank a whole bottle of Glendif- however that scotch was called and now seemed to be in a hangover induced sleep. Can vampires, albeit different from the Cullens, get hangovers?
Truth was, keeping her hands busy allowed her mind to roam free. Free to think about Edward and how easy it was to think his name when only a few hours ago the single word felt like a vortex in her heart. Free to think about her Damon and the the power in his eyes. About what it felt like when he'd touched her.
And he's not your Damon, she told herself firmly. Shaking her head she decided to turn on the radio to muffle her overactive brain. It worked. for a millisecond. Then her thoughts turned on how her insides jangled when she thought about him.
"Focus Bella"
She growled to herself and scrubbed the marble top counters harder. The doorbell rang. She jolted out of her thoughts and tossing the wet plastic yellow gloves in the sink she hurried across the room. She peered through the glass in the upper half of the door and spotted a horde of playmates. Opening the door, she was slapped by a hot wave of air that screamed 'home'. Squinting, she half hid behind the door and asked,
"Yes?"
"Delivery for Damon Salvatore"
The first one that could give Rosalie a run for her money said in a southern accent.
"I'm sorry?"
Bella rasped. Why were... then it dawned on her. Damon was expecting a package. Edward's voice in a memory told her dismissively about human drinkers and bile rose to her throat. Wordlessly and with no clue as to why she felt cheated Bella pointed to the den and watched as the fifteen, half naked girls walked mechanically inside and to the indicated room reminding her of puppets.
Her mind played a tape for her with the girls and Damon first in an orgy and then in a feeding frenzy. One night she stayed over at the Cullens Emmett had thought it would be a great idea if they watched a documentary about bears attacking and killing their victims. She hadn't been able to sleep well for a week after that and Charlie had forbid the sleepovers.
After breathing heavily for a few minutes Bella decided that Renée was right. Fleeing is the better option sometimes. Grabbing her bag and a bicycle from the garage she went for a drive.
If she had looked back for a single second she'd see Damon watching her from the closed shutters of the den.
She returned hours later just as the sun was setting. In the cute girly white basket on the bike sat a few flower bouquets and a cloth bag filled with books from the library. Parking the bike by the white picket fence Renée had put on because she always wanted one; she grabbed her purchases and entered the house.
Damon grabbed her at the throat. She yelped, dropped everything and he let her go instantly. Staggering back, Bella gulped in some air and forced her heart out of her throat and back into her chest where it belonged. She flipped her hair back out of her eyes and glared at him.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Announce yourself. I didn't know who the hell might have discovered this house"
He muttered, moving to the living room. With a surge of satisfaction Bella noted his still not healed skin. Unless the mass consumption of phoenix youth didn't heal him or the girls left alive her house. By the way...
"I'm not going to announce myself in my own house"
Bella bit and knelt to pick up her bags feeling the strength of his grip imprinted on her flesh as her hair teased her throat.
"Sorry."
He paced to the far wall, spun around and looked at her. He kept a safe distance from her now, as if to convince one or both of them that he wasn't going to hurt her.
"Enjoyed your meal?"
She asked without looking up at him. Damon felt a smirk build on his face but schooled his expression as soon as he felt her about to look up
"What meal?"
Bella did look up to glare at him making him feel like a scolded child.
"The girls are alive. I don't need to kill if I don't feel like it"
He said conversionally picking up a new bottle of his favorite scotch. Glenfiddich wasn't well known to most people but Bella had a whole case in her house even though he smelled zero alcohol in her scent. Even though he had wanted to drink from the coeds before he had found himself unable to. Sure he bit them but the blood tasted so foul he had to wonder just where had those girls been. So he pulled a Stefan
"I've got connections at a blood bank."
"Wow. 'Blood bank' sort of takes on a whole new meaning for me now."
Bella muttered and he chuckled
"Trust me; I don't like it any more. Blood is much better when it's from the source and I've lived on the bottled for far too long already"
Bella was about to ask if he tried the animal diet but then realized just how calmly they discussed about the consumption of human blood and closed her mouth. Damon came around the table, laid both hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.
"I could ignore the package in the den and kill you right now. It's not safe"
Holding his light eyes Bella gave a deliberate yawn.
"If you're going to stay in here we need to establish some rules. 1. Never. Ever. Tell me how to live my life. 2, eat in the garage. Blood makes me queasy"
Damon blinked. He did not expect that.
"How to steaks sound for dinner?"
She asked stressing the word 'steak' as she moved to the kitchen to begin cooking. Damon smiled at her back.
This was going to be fun.
