Chapter Twenty Nine

Edward

My first instinct had been to keep running until I thought I was far enough away that the others wouldn't find me quickly but then a thought stopped me in my tracks. If I were to keep running I would never know if my ruse, using the wolf scent and bone to confuse the situation had worked. If it had I would have run for no good reason. If it hadn't then I needed to know what action Jasper and the others would take. One thing gave me heart at this time, if Bella really was Jasper's mate then chances were he would be so incapacitated by pain and grief that he would be unable to track me down. In fact, if Carlisle was right, he wouldn't outlive her by long.

I couldn't just hang around Forks just hoping to overhear something useful, with my gift still not having returned despite Bella's death I was a deaf as any mortal. That meant I would have to risk getting close enough to the house without being detected which wouldn't be easy, I had no doubt the family would be angry with me and watchful if they knew I had been responsible for the deaths. I didn't care so much about their feelings, I was more concerned that they might be on the look-out for my return. If only my gift would hurry up and manifest itself once more. Surely I wouldn't have to face the rest of eternity like this? That was an unbearable thought.

I was careful as I returned to Forks, avoiding all humans and approaching the house downwind and in the creek that runs along the bottom of the garden out back. The God's must have been smiling on me because Esme and Rosalie were outside standing by Esme's car and I could listen in quite easily from a safe vantage point.

"I have to fetch Renee and Frank from the airport Rose so promise me you and Emmett will stay with Jasper. I don't want him doing anything crazy. I know he wants to find Edward but now is not the time."

I smiled,

"No, now was not the time and with Emmett babysitting I couldn't see my dear brother starting a search anytime soon. He must be half mad with grief. Also, I wasn't surprised Bella's parents had flown up, after all, I knew Charlie had no family so it seemed his ex-wife would be busy arranging two funerals.

I heard another car on the driveway, Carlisle's Mercedes came into sight and he got out solemn faced.

"I just came from the medical examiner's office. He was satisfied it was a wolf attack which is good in some ways but not in other."

"You mean the Quileutes will be on high alert? It will certainly make it dangerous for them to patrol their border in wolf form."

"There is that to it Esme but I'm more concerned with what they might do if they learn the truth."

This was something I didn't want to hear, So, my ruse had only fooled the humans, still, it meant I hadn't broken any laws. No attention would be focused on strange beings, meaning us. What concerned me more was how they had known I was responsible, it must have been my scent, the wet dog stink hadn't masked it completely as I had hoped. Then he continued,

"How is Jasper?"

Esme looked sad,

"Conflicted, a part of him wants vengeance but he couldn't leave Bella now. I wonder if Edward knows she survived."

"If he does I assume he's running and if he wants any chance at survival he'd better continue running for the rest of his life. Jasper won't stop until he runs him down and I think Bella might want a piece of him too."

"I wouldn't mind a few minutes alone with the bastard myself."

Rose's face was granite hard.

I sagged back onto my heels, Bella survived? How could that be? She was almost dead when I left her and I doubted anything could have been done to save her unless of course, Jasper had reached her before her heart stopped and changed her. Carlisle was right, I was in mortal danger now but I couldn't leave, not yet.

I hadn't wanted to kill Bella, at least not until my hand was forced. I had wanted to find out what she had done to me and "persuade" her to give me back my gift and free me from the constant nagging pain in my head. Then I had thought that wasn't possible and all I could do was to wait for it to return when it was ready. No wonder it hadn't come back to me, Bella wasn't dead. So, once she woke as a vampire it might come back if not then I would have to find a way to force her to return it somehow. Of course, she probably wasn't aware of what she had done which would make things more difficult but not impossible, What all this meant was that I had to stay close, I had to wait my chance and at the same time see just what, if any, gift Bella manifested once a vampire.

I was still afraid I might be discovered but what could I do? I had another couple of days before Bella would wake, two days that just added to my peril. I needed an edge but that meant…..my mind shied away from the thought but I couldn't afford to be squeamish, not when my very survival might depend on my next actions. To have any chance against the family and especially Jasper I had to be fast and strong. I was already the fastest of us but not the strongest, both Emmett and Jasper outdid me on that score but if I were to fill up on human blood I would have the edge. Last time I had tried to live that way it had tormented me, almost sent me insane, but thanks to Bella, this time would be different. This time I would not be tortured by the last thoughts of my prey, their fear and pain, this time so long as I choked off any response I could drain them without any need to listen to their dying thoughts. Thank you, Bella Swan.

That would take care of the immediate danger but I was under no illusion that Jasper probably accompanied by a vampire Bella would spend eternity hunting me down. What I needed was a way out of this, some way to taking Jasper out of the equation, I wasn't so bothered about a new vampire, and if I could find a way to eliminate him, she would be powerless anyway. Of course, my first thought was to involve the Volturi, Aro would be interested in a newborn with a gift but it was never safe to approach them especially when I was aware Aro would be only too happy to add me to his collection. He made no secret of his interest in adding my gift to his guard and probably wouldn't believe it was gone, not for good anyway. He would insist Bella return it and then have both of us, Jasper, too maybe, which would make Volterra no safer than my present predicament. So, no Volturi unless it became a necessity, there had to be another avenue open to me, I wasn't ready to become one of Aro Volturi's toys or to die.

I was pulled from my reverie only to discover I had been sitting here an easy target for the best part of six hours. I had been careless and I knew I couldn't afford to make any more slip-ups like that. I could see movement in the house then recognized Bella's mother who looked as if she had been crying if only she knew the truth. After checking I was alone out here I moved a little closer to listen in once more.

"I could hardly believe it, Esme, to lose my ex-husband is one thing but to lose my daughter too and just before she was due to be married. No wonder Jasper couldn't face meeting us. It was good of you to go to the undertakers with me to see Charlie and even more comforting to know that Bella's body is resting here until the burial., I don't think I could have faced it all alone. She looked so beautiful, they'd hidden the wounds very well."

It seemed Carlisle had managed to hide the fact that Bella wasn't strictly speaking dead. He must have used some powerful opiates to achieve that but I bet once the lid was down on her box Bella would be spirited away somewhere secluded. This gave me an idea, at least some of the family would have to remain for the funeral and Jasper would be forced to make an appearance so I might be able to get my hands on Bella as she woke up and then I could persuade her to talk to me about my gift. Knowing that if I hunted humans I would have the strength to hold my own against her newborn strength, especially as I had the advantage of decades of skill and knowledge she didn't possess. I left immediately and decided to hunt close to home under the circumstances. I couldn't afford to be gone long so Port Angeles would have to do.