A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter as I have finally finished my debut novel. Now that it's published, I had some free time to work on this story. I have another chapter that I am currently working on so hopefully you won't have to wait long for it! Happy Reading!

Amelia was sitting in the carriage as they moved forward. They had stopped in the small town to stock up on food. She watched the world go by out of the small window of the carriage. She hadn't seen Julius but she felt his presence. She was on edge because of it. Amelia knew it would drive her insane eventually. Her nerves would be shot because she couldn't settle them. She constantly looked behind the carriage as far back as the window would let her. She just needed to see Julius, then maybe that would calm her fear. She didn't trust him but she didn't trust not seeing him even more. She wondered how far behind them he was. She didn't see a horse with him when she discovered him behind the tree. Carlisle was driving too fast for him to keep up at a walking pace.

Amelia sat back in the carriage. Just knowing that he was out there sent shivers down her spine. She hoped that she would regret the decision to run away, but she was grateful that Carlisle intervened with her death. She thought back to the moment in the alley. She was trying to remember the conversation. She remembered something about changing her. Changing me to what? She thought to herself. She needed to get answers from Carlisle but he could be so evasive sometimes. When they stopped, she decided she would press him. She would get her answers.

Amelia felt the carriage slow down. She must have lost track of time. She peered out and noticed the sun was starting to set. She hopped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped. Carlisle was at her side.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered curtly. She knew that Carlisle felt her coolness.

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving." She didn't know why she was so upset. She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

"Let's fix something to eat."
She saw Carlisle pull down some supplies. He had pulled over into area that was covered with trees. The path they drove on was barely worn. She wondered where they were.

"We should be at your parent's home by mid-afternoon tomorrow." Carlisle said. Amelia wondered if he could sense what she was thinking.

"I don't want to see my family. They abandoned me. Take us elsewhere."

"Amelia, darling, you should see your family. One day they might not be around."

Amelia scoffed. Her family hadn't cared about her when her husband threw her out. She was out on the street. "I do not want to see them Carlisle. What I want are answers."

"What kind of answers? What questions do you have?"

She stared at him. She saw worry cross his face. She braced herself, it was now or never. "Who were the men who captured me?"

She saw Carlisle hesitate. He looked in the woods. Out of nowhere Julius was by his side. Where did he come from? "Carlisle, tell me. Who were those men?"

"Don't Carlisle, you know that's against the laws," Julius said quietly but Amelia still heard him.

Amelia was confused as to what laws he was talking about. She waited for a reply. She saw the angst in Carlisle's face.

"They will kill you, Carlisle." Julius stared at him.

"They are the law, the authority of my people." Carlisle finally said vaguely.

"Your people? Who exactly are your people?" Amelia didn't like his vague answer.

Carlisle reached out for her and Amelia smacked his hand away.

"I can't tell you."

"Tell me or so help me…" Amelia trailed off.

"I can't my love. They will kill me."

Amelia was taken aback by his comment. What kind of ill-mannered people did Carlisle associate with? What did Carlisle do to have them focus on her?

"If you love me and you trust me, then tell me." She put her foot down. She was tired of being naïve about the man she ran away with. She loved him and she wanted to help him but she couldn't unless she knew who he truly was, who these men were.

"When I am around you, what do you feel?"

"I feel my love for you," Amelia replied confused by his statement.

"No, what do you instincts tell you to do." His stare hardened.

Amelia took a step back and focused on him. If she stripped away the love she felt for the man who took her in, her gut told her to run as far away as she could. "To run."

"Why?"

Amelia felt her demeanor change. She stared at him and her hardness melted away under the changing gaze of Carlisle. Slight panic started rising in her. "I don't know. Sometimes I'm scared of you. The way you move, the way you look at me."

"Because I am the monster they tell you about."

"You are not a monster, Carlisle. You are a loving and-"

A feral growl cut her off. Amelia gasped and took a step back. "Don't Amelia. I am a monster."

Amelia didn't recognize the voice she just heard from Carlisle. He took a step towards her and stared. It was the first time that Amelia was truly afraid of Carlisle. Tears pulled in her eyes and she took another step back.

"You feel that Amelia. I'm a monster. I can stalk you in complete silence, I will feed on your blood, and I am your worst nightmare. I'm vampire."

Amelia wasn't sure if she heard Carlisle right. Vampires weren't real, they were made up stories to get people inside after dark. She wasn't sure why Carlisle was trying to frighten her. She heard another growl come from him. Her hardness came back to her. "You are not."

She took a step closer to him and stared him straight in the eye. She saw something flicker in his face then he scowled at her. The man in front of her now was not the man she knew. She went to shove him but he didn't budge. He felt like ice and hard as stone. She looked back up and tried shoving him again. He laughed at her. Amelia felt the fear creep up again.

"I am stronger, that was a mere tickling right there." He grabbed her and Amelia felt the strength in his grip. He shook her. "Feel that? I can crush your bones with a flick on my wrist. You should fear me but instead you love me and now you have to pay for my mistake."

"Carlisle, enough!" Julius broke in. "Leave her be."

Amelia saw another flicker cross Carlisle's face. He let her go and took a step back. Amelia felt the tears fall down her face. Her nightmares were coming back. The stories were true.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," Carlisle said. Amelia heard the softness in his voice.

He took a step towards her. "Don't!" She screamed at him. She took a step back again towards the carriage.

"Amelia, I'm sorry. I don't know what that was."

"Don't!" She slapped his hand away as he approached her. "Don't touch me!"

He took another step closer. She turned and ran into the woods. She had to get away from the monster that led her out here. Carlisle appeared in front of her and she ran right into him. Amelia screamed again and turned back the way she came. Again, Carlisle appeared in front of her. She panicked and turned again, tears falling down her face, blinding her at the same time. Everywhere she went, Carlisle appeared before her. Eventually she fell to the floor of the woods in a sheer panic. The panic must have made her vision darken. The world around her was disappearing. The only thing she heard was Carlisle's voice as the darkness took over.

"I'm so sorry, so, so sorry," then nothing. Darkness took her under.