Emmett pulled into the dirt driveway of the two-story house and stopped. It was late, nearing two AM. The rain had finally stopped, leaving behind the smell of damp earth and rain. Anala ran a hand through her mussed hair. Her body was warm and sated. There was a welcome ache between her thighs and her breasts tingled faintly with the aftershocks of her orgasms. She had become very well acquainted with the backseat of the large jeep in the past few hours. They had even outlasted the storm, staying in their quiet little world long after the rain finally abated and the storm clouds passed. Emmett stopped and Anala couldn't resist climbing into his lap and pulling his lips to her own. She felt his lips pull up against hers in a smile. Somehow even after all that time spent entangled with him, Anala could feel arousal teasingly flutter through her belly. Emmett groaned, pulling back slowly. He moved a hand between her thighs, sandwiching it between them. "How about I come in and peel this hot little bikini off myself?"
Anala hummed as he carded a hand through her hair. "You're insatiable." her hand moved down his cheek and neck. "I'm going to take a shower. Then I'm coming over to watch The Simpsons because you mysteriously have every episode ever and I hate you for it."
A lazy grin tugged his lips. "Love you too sweetheart."
She kissed his jaw. "I know."
Anala exited the giant monstrosity that was his car and she listened to the jeep pull out as the front door shut behind her. The house was quiet, but there was evidence Javan had been here at one point or another. His shirt was tossed over the back of the couch and his camera and laptop sat on the coffee table. It was rare to see the house so empty. There always seemed to be someone milling about or passing through for something or other. She made her way upstairs and into her bedroom. Anala scanned her eyes over the unmade bed, at the items of clothing scattered on the black carpet, not all of them hers. She looked at the terrace doors unobscured by the heavy drapes and at the tidy corner where her alter sat. The room was kind of messy, but she didn't mind. Not yet anyway. She went into the bathroom, flipping on the lights. She turned on the shower and stripped before stepping under the hot spray. She was soaked in moments, the water weighing down her hair as it was absorbed. For a long moment she stood under the water, mind wandering. As she showered away the day, Anala was left with the imprints. Memories of ocean breeze and the sensation of being rocked by vast waves. Memories of sand, of warm blazing fires and satiated desire. Anala was sad to wash away Emmett's scent, but she was still kind of sweaty from sex, and she was pretty sure there was sand in her hair. She had just finished rinsing the last of the conditioner from her hair when a melodic chime echoed throughout the structure. The doorbell.
That alone was strange.
The house was away from town, their closest neighbors were the Cullen's and they never really had visitors from town, especially not this late. Anala exited the shower, quickly drying off before wrapping it around herself and making her way out towards the stairs. Also, and more obviously, no one ever rang the doorbell. Boundaries were all but nonexistent. Emmett didn't even seem to have the word in his vocabulary and Nolan, like her, was simply accustomed to it. Esme always made her way through at least once a day if one or both were not at her home, Carlisle merely following after his mate. Rosalie and Alice came and went as they pleased, and Jasper and Edward were known hang around whenever the mood struck. Rowan and Elias wandered through frequently and even members of the Guard payed visits, namely Zain, Lilith, Toben and Kadaus. Not to mention whoever else decided to stop by. Javan did what he wanted, of course. It was his house after all. The doorbell was greatly neglected. Anala made her way to the door, keeping her body hidden behind it as she peeked out.
Anala blinked and opened the door wider. "Bella."
"Hi."
The other woman stood on the darkened porch, illuminated from the light that flooded out from behind the door. Bella's hands were buried in the pockets of her jacket. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders from beneath her hood and her pale face was drawn, lips set in a grim line. Anala hadn't seen her since she went to see Jacob, not that Anala was particularly close to her. Bella didn't come over often and when she did it was always with Edward. Now Anala saw her even less, not that it was a particularly bad thing. In her experience, normal people had better chances staying away. But she supposed Bella was a bit of a special case. After all she'd been involved in the supernatural long before Anala and her brother had even known she existed. Chocolate brown eyes looked her over, the light reflected in them.
"Do you always shower in the middle of the night?"
Anala shifted. "No, the bonfire was today. Em and I left earlier, I didn't get here until a little while ago." Bella seemed confused by the large gap of time before realization made her eyes gleam. A red stain tinted her cheeks.
"Ah." there was something off about this, aside from the fact Bella had appeared in the middle of the night.
Anala moved to open the door further to let the brunette inside, frowning a bit in concern. "Are you oka—?"
At first, Anala thought that the other woman had fallen into her. Bella's body impacted roughly with her own, catching Anala off guard. Her body collided painfully with the side table as a sharp burning pain erupted in her side, stealing her breath away. She looked down to see the material of her towel become stained crimson. A dagger was protruding from her side peculiarly, thin silver lines decorating the flawlessly crafted weapon. That blade . . .! An inexperienced hand was wrapped around the hilt and twisting, the bony knuckles white. Bella's eyes were bleary, clouded with fury, her body shaking against Anala's. "You ruined it," she hissed. Bella's voice rose higher, turning into a loud screech. "He was mine! We were going to get married and you destroyed it! You already took Edward from me, I won't let you take Jake away too."
Anala screamed as the blade pushed forward, deeper. Her power lashed out instinctively, sending a force of black between them and shoving her attacker away. Anala felt a deep snap within her as Bella's body was sent flying back, her head hit the wall with a sharp crack and her body crumpled to the floor limply. Anala pressed a hand to her side as she fell. The shock wore off quickly, giving way to an acidic, tearing pain that began to spread through her. Her hand was quickly becoming warm and wet. Anala moved the towel away, trying to catch her breath. The wound was deep, a steady stream of blood running down her side. Under the blood Anala could see thin silver lines moving out from the tear in her flesh. The dagger lay on the floor, the tip jagged and broken. Panic and fear began to thread around her throat but she fought it as long-ago taught instinct kicked in. Anala had to be fast, but calm. Rational. Nolan. She needed to get to Nolan. Anala pulled her body up, tugging the towel around her body. She looked out beyond the house, to the dark forest and let the shadows consume her.
The figure tilted its head. There was evidence of a struggle here. The skewed side table, the knocked over flower arrangement and shattered glass. The blood. Precious crimson life. They walked forward silently. They moved through the home, touching nothing as they went. It left no trace, disturbed nothing. They lingered in the shadow of a door for a moment as if it were listening. the silent phantom returned to the front hall and lowered to tuck a stray brown lock behind a pale ear. Such a disappointment. Yet not entirely unexpected. A dagger lay a short distance from a badly burnt palm, the end broken and serrated. A smirk curled noiseless lips upwards. But not a total waste. The figure straightened, looking out into the darkness, and disappeared into the night.
The world flashed by in ghostly white shades. The trees were long-limbed effigies. A running steer a pale specter darting beyond her peripheral. It was all passing shapes of luminescent white against a black background Anala fell against a tree, reappearing in the quiet forest. The pain was getting worse. It was increasing and shredding through her coldly. Anala's body heaved and she retched. Blood splashed onto the earth. It was warm as it dripped down her chin and bitterly metallic on her tongue. She hand shook as she clutched the ruined towel around herself. A rational voice told her to summon Rowan but Anala's control on herself was unstable at best. The bottomless abyss hung just along the outskirts, drawing ever closer. If she was consumed, she would kill him or worse. Anala was losing herself. There was no doubt in her mind. There would be none to stop her. Not here. She could feel it, the shard inside her body ripping deeper, killing her from the inside out. The dark shapes of the surrounding shadows tremored and shifted. Her thoughts were distorted and distant. Her vision was going gray around the edges. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus.
She had to hurry.
Anala gathered her strength, concentrating, then disappeared into the shadows once more.