Playlist:
Bedroom Hymns – Florence + The Machine
Good Enough – Evanescence
Battle Cry – Beth Crowley
Something to Believe In – Young the Giant
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words. Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight series, and the songs belong to their respective people.
Bedroom Hymns
"Thirty minutes, love; then you can come get me. I'll be in your mind the whole time. You must see Josephat, it can't wait. You need a healer, Edward."
Bella had been trying to convince Edward to let go of her for the last ten minutes. Bella dreaded leaving Edward almost as much as he was dreading leaving her, but there was no way in hell she was putting Edward through the conversation she needed to have with her regent and commander.
"Bella, why can't you come with me? I know you want a shower, but-"
She cut him off by shaking her head. "No, no. I just have to go to council, catch Marcos and Kay up on the events of the day. Thirty minutes, love. You can monitor me."
"I can't read your thoughts usually, just impressions. Don't ask me to let you out of my sight. Prisoner, remember?"
Bella's lips twisted in an indulgent smile. "Edward. We are in Camp. Look, I'll take Carlisle and Emmett with me, come on, let me go."
"... and Jasper. Thirty minutes. Then, I'm coming to get you. Seriously. Don't- Please don't do anything stupid or selfless or brave. For me."
"Wouldn't dream of it." She shot him a reassuring smile. "Go on, Jo's probably there by now. He's gonna be pissed about your aura. Better not keep him waiting. I'll be in council chambers, just down the hall."
Edward narrowed his eyes at her, but he unwound his arms where they were wrapped around her waist. "Take Rosalie too. Marcos will be there, if anything happens, right?"
"Yes. Nothing will happen. Go, Edward." He went, with Esme and Alice tugging him along.
As soon as she was sure he was out of hearing range, she sighed deeply. Taking in her vampire family around her, she almost sighed again.
Nothing stupid, selfless, or brave.
She was pretty sure what she was about to do qualified as all three. How was she going to get rid of the Cullens that Edward had left her with? Before she could decide, Marcos and Kaedra ran up to her, obviously fresh from the training grounds.
"Okay, what the hell happened now? I swear, Izzy, I can't leave you alone for two seconds." Marcos was breathing hard from his sprint and sporting a developing bruise around one eye.
"Her? I wanna know what the fuck happened to the vamp-lover. Did you see his aura? It looked like it had been put through a shredder. You have a story to tell, Isabella." Kaedra was imperious even in her training clothes, her boxer's wrap hanging from her closed fist.
"Oh, do I ever. Please don't kill me, Kay. I really need a little grace here. I am all out of fight for the day and my shoulder hurts. Come on."
Kaedra, Marcos, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Bella, and Rosalie made their way slowly to the council chamber. Carlisle fussed over Bella's shoulder the whole way, until Marcos finally passed him a strand of healing magick just to get him to shut up. Bella felt much better after Carlisle healed her dislocated and strained shoulder, but she still really wanted a shower. She was frazzled and worn, and didn't want to have this conversation, ever, but especially not when she could still smell the Anubi on her skin.
She felt an unnatural rush of energy and determination fill her. "Thanks, Jasper."
They had barely made it to the council room when Emmett pounced. "Okay, I, for one, would really like to know what happened. I have never seen my brother have such a meltdown, and you weren't exactly serene. What the hell does Anubis have to do with anything? Isn't that like, an Egyptian thing?"
Kay's eyes went wide. "Anubi? Please God, tell me you did not aggravate that wasp's nest. Bella. What have you done?"
"Okay, so first, not my fault. Muse sent us in there. And second, um, well...Kasdeya might be dead."
Marcos and Kaedra blinked at her, long and slow. Carlisle cleared his throat. "Who's Kasdeya?"
"Fuck that. Vampires, out. NOW. Holy shit, Bella, what the fuck have you done? Ohmygod. This is bad. Like, I knew it was gonna be bad, but holy shit, bad." Kaedra had gone from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat, already shifting the Cullens out the doors and locking them.
"The Anubi. Kasdeya. Are you sure she's gone? Oh no. Oh no. The Master is gonna kill us all. No wait, forget him, the Anubi are gonna kill us all. Why would you kill her?"
"I didn't. Edward did. That's why his aura is all screwed up. It was sort of necessary at the time. She sicked Miko on me, she was gonna kill Edward if I didn't let her...well. You know."
"Why were you even in her territory anyway?" Marcos cut in. "This is like, apocalypse-now bullshit, Izzy. Wait. Did you say she sicked the Anubi on you, and you're still breathing? How did that happen? Oh god, if she really is dead, who's gonna hold the dogs' leash?"
"No one is. The Anubi will run free through our world once more. Isabella, what were you thinking?"
"If you shut up for two seconds, I'll tell you. I may have a plan to contain the dogs. It's not a very good plan, but it has a reasonable chance of success."
Bella explained what she knew of the situation to them, watching their faces grow more and more horrified. By the end, Marcos had to conjure his own bucket to throw up in, and Kay looked distinctly green.
Kaedra took a long breath to center herself. "Well, that's horrifying. Jesus. What is it about you that attracts nightmarish crap? I can't even be mad that the vamp killed her- I might even be grateful to him."
"Yeah, but what do we do now? The Anubi can't be unrestrained, or others will have worse stories to tell. I'm not blaming you, Izzy, but this is gonna be really bad for a lot of people. They won't stay in the badlands. They'll cross the line, it's only a matter of time. You said you had a plan?"
Marcos' practicality was very welcome.
Bella took a deep, centering breath to quell her shaking. "Yeah, I have a plan. You're not gonna like it."
"Spill."
Bella met Kaedra's eyes, as serious as she could be. "The Master doesn't want the Anubi unleashed any more than we do. He could be convinced to help us- if I reached out."
"What?" Marcos was thunderstruck, already yelling. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "That's not a plan. That's suicide."
Bella kept her eyes trained on her Regent, and Marcos turned to Kay.
"You cannot be considering this. Kaedra, tell her no."
Kaedra was silent.
Bella nodded at her.
"Marcos, it must be done. The Anubi will kill thousands, on both sides of the line. Those damn dogs are a plague, and without Kasdeya to restrain them, my story will be the least horrific. I don't want to do this any more than you want me to, but Master will be reasonable about this. I'm not saying he won't try to twist the situation to his advantage, but he can see the bigger picture here. You can't dominate a population of dead people."
Marcos ran his hands through his hair. "No. I mean, just... no. Where'd you send the vampires? They can talk some sense into you. Kay, why aren't you fighting her on this? She'll fall. It's dangerous."
Kaedra kept her eyes locked on Isabella's. "Because she's right, Marcos. This is bigger than winning or losing. This is apocalypse now, you said it yourself. They'll cross the line, wipe out every Fae in Havana. No one will survive. He'll see reason on this. He's not insane, just greedy."
"And evil. He won't let her go. Kay, Izzy...please." He turned to Bella, forced her to meet his desperate eyes.
Green; huh. Maybe she had a type.
"Don't do this. I can't lose you like this. What about Edward and the vamps? They'll be devastated. That man just tore himself to shreds to get you out of the lion's den, and you're just gonna walk right back in? Are you suicidal?"
"Should I let them die, then? If you have a better idea, Marcos, I'm all ears."
Marcos was silent. He released her and backed away. She could see him struggle to contain his temper. "Just- fine. Fine. God help us all, fine. There might be—I might be able to help you hold it, a little. Just hold on a second, let me grab something. Not yet, okay? Wait 'till I get back."
He unlocked the doors. On the other side were Carlisle, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett; Rosalie looked guilty as she straightened from where her ear had been pressed to the keyhole.
Bella felt a slightly hysterical giggle rise in her. "God, so nosy. I assume you heard everything, then?"
Rosalie nodded, looking horrified. "And the boys?"
She shook her head, still mute.
"Well, thank god for the small mercies. It's gonna be okay. It's almost over now. We've got this. Nosy vampires."
"Are you gonna fall?" Rose's voice whispered quietly, cracking on the last word.
"Nope. Well, hopefully. There's a good chance I won't ... okay, fifty-fifty. There are worse things, believe it or not. Not many, but some. Carlisle and Jasper will keep an eye on me, and Marcos and Emmett will help. Don't worry about it." Bella summoned up a wink from somewhere, ignoring Emmett's dismayed face.
Marcos shifted back into the hall, carrying a small silver box. "Okay, so these are called forget-me-nots. Some mortals use them to increase focus. The normal dose is one, but I'm thinking we should probably do three. They work fast; they might help you keep your head. Should we do it here?"
"Wait, now?" Bella shuddered. "I was sort of hoping for a shower and maybe a little time to meditate first."
"No time like the present. You really think meditation will help? Not to mention, if I were still your lover and I heard a whisper of this plan, I'd lock you away for the rest of eternity; I might, anyway. I can't even imagine what Edward will do."
"I agree; let's get it over with, Izzy."
Bella hadn't thought of Edward's reaction to this plan; she had avoided the thought deliberately. Fourteen minutes until he came for her... a lot could happen in fourteen minutes. She nodded. God, she hated lying to him. "Okay, well. We'd better hurry, then. Edward's gonna be pissed. I am so not getting laid tonight. I need a holiday- a long holiday."
She settled into her lotus pose on the edge of the steel table. "Carlisle, can you monitor my aura, please? Emmett, stand guard with Rosalie. Jasper..."
Bella trailed off, shocked, when Jasper came over to her and took her hand. "I'll be right here, Bella. We won't let anything happen to you. Edward would kill us. What, exactly, are you doing?"
"Um, well. That will be quite clear in a minute. I don't have time to argue. I just need to talk to the Master about something. No worries, it'll only take a second."
"One way or the other." Marcos snarked, pulling three red pills from the silver box. "Open. These will dissolve on your tongue."
Bella allowed him to put the drug on the tip of her tongue and closed her eyes. She straightened her back and felt her focus sharpen as they dissolved away.
"Be right back."
Good Enough
Bella fell into her meditative trance quickly. Her mind was already pushing her to escape reality; leftovers of adrenaline surged randomly across her mindscape. She thoroughly walled off the section of her mind that was telepathically linked to Edward; the last thing her lover needed was more telepathic damage. She distantly felt Josephat digging around in Edward's mind, trying to root out the insanity Kasdeya had left behind.
Right, no more stalling.
She reached for the ever-present chant in the back of her mind, removing and unlocking the defenses that held the Master at bay. She could feel his fury from way over here. Oh, this is gonna suck so bad. The thought was filled with wry resignation.
Her eyes flashed black and held.
His turn.
She braced herself for the explosion, but it didn't come. Instead, the Master sent her a thin thread of black magicks; it was an invitation to come closer. Nonplussed and helplessly curious, Bella followed it. When she arrived at where the Master wanted her to be, she felt a surge of tightly controlled rage from him. He cut her off from Edward's telepathic link instantly, and his anger flared when he couldn't get past the barrier she had placed between Edward's mind and hers. She distantly felt Jasper's hand tighten on hers.
She bowed low from the waist, letting her physical form go lax as she focused on their shared mental link. It was always worse when the Master kept control of his temper.
He swept her into a tango hold, forcing her to dance with him as he whispered into her mind. He was wooing her, softly drawing her to his side with promises of non-harm and ecstasy. Her submission would guarantee her freedom. She could take Kasdeya's place, she would be his new favorite. It was only fair. She could stay just like this, safe in his mind.
He could be reasonable; he could show mercy. He wasn't evil, just older and wiser. He would allow her to reign by his side; he would allow her to save her family and friends. He would teach her to restrain the Anubi to save her people. He didn't want to hurt the Fae, he whispered with sincerity; he just wanted her soul. It was such a small thing really, one person's soul. It was for the greater good. She was selfish to deny him. She was the cause of this war. It wouldn't hurt, all she had to do was stay.
Bella didn't know if her desperate whimper was physical, or just in her mind. Master kissed her forehead and began to sway, holding her like Fio had, so long ago.
No.
She was going too far, allowing him too much control. She threw magicks at him, forced him to release her and spun to face him. Master snarled in response to her defiance; his anger was pounding out a bass beat just under the surface.
Master took her face in both of his hands and forced her to meet his black eyes. He would take care of the Anubi, those pests. They would fall to his control as they had to Kasdeya's. She would give in to him, or he would do what was necessary. He would release them on Camp and let them tear her friends apart, starting with Edward.
She cried out and fell to her knees at his feet. She was begging him not to be angry, trying to remember why she was resisting.
She wouldn't; she couldn't.
No.
Master began petting her hair. They would all be better without her, he said. She wasn't good enough for the Fae. She was good enough, here. He would care for her, keep her safe. He wouldn't hurt her if she did as she was told. She was just right for him, all she had to do was give in. Fall, as Fiore had fallen, as Adeline had fallen. All she had to do was stay.
She bowed her head, and his smile grew pleased and gentle.
… all she had to do was stay.
Edward's angry voice whispered across her mind, a memory: snarling determination coupled with the memory of his ever-gentle touch. Can you please be more careful with yourself? … If you ever do that again, I will put you over my knee.
Wait. What about Edward? What about the Cullens?
The Master couldn't hide his flare of disgust at the thought of her vampire family; he couldn't conceal his loathing for Edward and all he stood for. An echo flashed across their link, an unintentional projection of Master's thoughts—The Cullens screaming as they burned.
Bella snapped her head up to meet Master's eyes with a determined snarl of her own.
Never.
When she tried to stand and face him, chains of shadow reached for her. She manifested her sword and cut them away with the ease of long practice, but they had hidden Master's true intention. The familiar memory of the cage in the Marketplace flashed across her mind, and with it, the sudden weight of despair and self-loathing. She struggled for long moments with the insidious emotions, fighting to keep the bars of the cage from closing around her and trapping her within her connection to the Master.
Darkness flashed as the Master began to tear at her mind. She was losing the fight.
Unnoticed, a soft gray mist had rolled in from somewhere outside the place where Bella and the Master struggled for control. Slowly, a new echo formed, an outline of a person painted in slate gray and the shimmer of dense fog. Jasper Cullen stood between Bella and the Master, and he frowned as he ripped the door off the cage and jerked Bella out from inside it.
Master screeched as Bella's despair lifted, replaced by the memory of how she felt when she was surrounded by her family and all was well. Happy, contentment sang through her as Jasper took her hand just like he had moments ago in the council room. When Master struck out, a sage green Emmett revealed himself. Emmett grabbed him and threw him backward, pulling back quickly as Master's mental presence burned him. He stood ready to defend her, pushing the Master away with a powerful push of determination and protection that made Bella stand tall.
Rosalie manifested behind Bella in a lavender haze to shelter her in a fierce faith. Rosalie was glaring into the Master's face from over Bella's shoulder, unafraid of his black gaze as she wrapped her hands around Bella's waist. When Bella turned back to face Master again, an ice blue Carlisle stood between her and him, his hand reaching back and tangling with hers.
Ours. My daughter; my sister. Family. You cannot have her. We will not let her go.
Bella began to feel something powerful manifesting inside the link she shared with the Master, some new brand of magicks that was slowly cracking the Master's grip on her mind.
He shielded his black eyes, drawing away from her as Alice appeared in a shining bright white light, bringing with her an all-seeing assurance that all is well, sister; you shall not fall. Her hand was placed delicately on Bella's forearm.
What was this? Was it a memory? A miracle? Some insane projection of her mind, some visualization of her determination to live and be free?Bella found that she didn't really care, too awash in the majesty of the moment to search for answers; she curled into herself like a child, letting her siblings' minds support hers.
Esme was there now, brushing her hair back from her forehead; she brought with her a soft pink shelter that brought tears to Bella's eyes and shielded her tired golden aura from the Master's poisonous touch. For the first time in years, Bella felt her magicks rest.
Bella basked in hope and faith; she soaked inthe affection and pride that her family held for her, using it to renew her aura with its powerful energy. As the Cullens adjusted to this plane of existence, they slowly drew away from her, standing in an arc between her and the Master and shining brightly in their aura colors. Master screeched at the bright light they cast; he lost his temper and struck at her desperately, but he couldn't reach her through the shield her family had formed. He snarled and reached for Rosalie with malice in the movement. Bella prepared herself to strike, but Edward manifested in crimson love at the head of his family; a pulse of magick threw the Master backward violently.
Leave this place, dark mage.
The Master's hold on their mental connection was broken; his borrowed visage disappeared, and the whispers were cut off suddenly. The drumbeat faded and warped until Bella couldn't hear it over the sound of her own heartbeat.
For just a moment, Bella could see herself as her family saw her, and the vision was beautiful; they saw her as everything she wanted to be, the very best version of herself. The Cullen family poured themselves into Bella, strengthening her and gifting her with their energy where hers was worn thin. They were a puzzle, finally whole; the picture was crystal clear, love in every form. Edward-Carlisle-Esme-Rosalie-Emmett-Jasper-Alice breathed her first conscious breath with her, and there was joy, love, peace at the sharing.
Whole. One.
Family.
When Bella refocused on the council room, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Battle Cry
Jasper shared a nervous look with Emmett and Rosalie as Bella went into her meditative trance. Carlisle was about to start shaking Kaedra if she didn't give him the answers he was demanding; Marcos rushed over to soothe tempers, hurriedly explaining why Bella was reaching out to the Master.
Jasper considered Bella's profile as her face went soft and her posture relaxed, an uncomfortable reminder of her limp form from minutes ago. Carlisle may have needed to know the reasons that these events came to be, but Jasper knew that his siblings shared his helpless frustration at the situation they were in, regardless of how they got there. Jasper didn't really care to hear an explanation; he was too busy drowning in regret.
He had screwed up.
Jasper had twisted Bella into someone she wasn't so easily when they had been arguing, but the battle at Haven had altered his viewpoint permanently; if it hadn't been enough, seeing Edward ride a mythical creature into Camp with Bella too-still in his arms most certainly would have been. And now, here she was, taking another risk with herself for the good of the people she cared for.
Jasper was getting fed up with the underhanded tactics of their enemies, with just how often Bella stepped between them and a death sentence. He tightened his grip on her hand; he wanted more than anything in that moment to help her somehow, to be able to fight this battle with her.
Bella's form suddenly went boneless; Rosalie reacted quickly enough to keep Bella's head from slamming into the steel table. She shot Jasper a quizzical look, questioning why he hadn't reached to help protect Bella from harm; Jasper couldn't reassure her. There was something...strange...happening to him. He couldn't focus on the council room; he couldn't focus on the physical world, and he closed his eyes to stop the disorienting input. He needed to focus on the figures that danced impossibly across his mind's eye.
The Master looked like Fiore Salem, but his eyes were a consumed black that was hollow and haunting. Bella danced with the Master in an elegant tango, letting him lead her through the steps; objectively, the dance was beautiful, dark and sensual. Jasper couldn't focus on that though, too distracted by the hissing and seductive whispers rising from the corners of the Master's mind and the horror that rose in him as he watched the Master's black aura infecting his sister's golden one.
Jasper shuddered as the whispers swore empty promises and played on Bella's wants and needs. The malicious voices played Bella's worst memories like music; the Master threw the blame for her pain and the tragedies of war at her feet.
Jasper was too far away to help, trapped in a space where he couldn't move, couldn't be part of the physical world and couldn't intervene in the heated and deadly dance playing out in his mind. In the world where Jasper was still made of flesh and bone, Bella whimpered desperately, tightening her hold on Jasper's hand.
Just like that, Jasper Whitlock-Cullen had endured enough.
When he forced the stab of defiance and pure energy through the place where he and Bella touched in the physical world, it lit up in a soft gray light. Jasper could see his empathic message crash into Bella's golden defenses and be consumed by a bubbling and angry blackness that connected back to the Master before it could reach her. In the world of energy contained in Jasper's mind, Bella had stopped the dance, throwing a stab of golden magicks and spinning away from the dance hold to take a fighting stance opposite the Master.
The Master snarled and reached out, his black poison spreading like blood through veins into golden energy that crackled like the sun. Jasper felt his anger and determination peak when the Master took Bella's face in both of his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Jasper let go of his physical form completely, discarding reality as irrelevant. He pushed his mind against the defenses between his empathic abilities and Bella's mind, sending stabs of gray at her that were quickly defeated by her shields and the Master's. Jasper concentrated harder on the color that felt like he; himself; he had to find a way through to Bella's golden presence.
He let his instincts lead him. Jasper pulled on his memories, envisioning clearly the first time Bella had come to their house in Forks, the contentment and happiness and peace that had emanated from her that day. Jasper hadn't known someone could be so softly pleased, so gently curious and fiercely accepting at the same time. The memories spread from him like misty tendrils of energy, weaving and dodging Bella's defenses to connect to her memories of that day; the tendrils left behind a path for him to follow.
Bella had loved his family from the start; she had felt that way about a coven of vampires. She had felt that way...she had felt that way about him. He threw the emotions at her, sharp stabs that weakened the Master's hold on her as they followed the path his memories had left behind. Her feelings hadn't changed when he attacked her at her birthday party; they hadn't changed since they left the mortal world and came to Havana. The emotions hadn't even faded when he called her a liar and accused her of manipulating them all. Jasper had never felt so accepted, so welcome, in all the days of his existence, and he threw his gratefulness at her too.
Bella's body jerked and began to rise from the table. Distantly, Jasper heard Kaedra running to go get Edward; Marcos was cursing as he started throwing healing magicks to a focused Carlisle. Rosalie cried out, but Jasper barely noticed. Reality had ceased to matter. As the memories and emotions built inside of him, they took the form of a dove gray energy that grew heavier with each passing moment, bleeding out of Jasper's focus and building around where the Master and Bella struggled.
Bella fell to her knees and began to beg. The Master was petting her hair as cruel words fell from his lips. The Master whispered gently that Bella would never be good enough for the Fae, that she would never be good enough for the Cullens to love her. The words took the form of an iron cage around where Bella kneeled, a trap ready to snap closed.
Hell no.
Bella had loved Jasper and his family from the start. She was his sister, and she was good enough for anybody, but especially for Jasper and his family. He could feel Bella's despair and self-loathing, and beneath it was that terrible longing Jasper knew so well. Bella was losing the fight; she was struggling to keep the cage from closing around her.
No.
The gray mist exploded from Jasper in a wide arc of happy and contentedness andours that Jasper couldn't have stopped if he had tried. The physical world disappeared, and Jasper reached for Bella desperately, pulling her from the cage and setting her on her feet.
Great, more mind-games.
Emmett couldn't help his frustrated thought as Bella fell into her meditative trance. Jasper and Rosalie both shot him a nervous look, and Emmett sighed.
It wasn't that Emmett didn't know that evil was born in the mind, or that he was a stranger to black whispers in his head. Maybe his dark thoughts hadn't been as literal as Bella's were, but they had been just as deadly. He remembered all too well the dim days of his human life, spent running from distraction to distraction and desperately trying to drown out the voices that told him he would never be good enough no matter how hard he worked.
Emmett was, in his heart of hearts, a simple man. When he was human, he had liked to hunt, to fish, to drive in a railroad spike with the strength in his hands and defeat his loved ones' demons with the love in his heart. Even now, he liked putting his hands to things, turning problems over and over in his grip until the edges smoothed out and he could fix it. Something had changed in Emmett since Bella had brought them to Havana. Something intangible, but powerful. Emmett knew his purpose now; he was born to defend, to fight; he was created to stand between the Fae and all that threatened them. It seemed to him that he had lived his whole life searching for meaning, and now that Emmett had found it, he wasn't going to let it go.
God, Emmett would do anything to be able to fight by his sister's side right now; he would do anything to be able to grab hold of those evil voices in Bella's head and crush them until they were silent. Emmett sent up a prayer as Bella's eyes flashed black and held.
Just let me fix it.
Slowly, Emmett became aware of something...weird. A low chant warped and grew louder as it filled his head. It wasn't a physical sound: it was a stream of hissing thought and low seduction, colored with the constant pulse of mine and possession, desire, greed.
As the chant grew loud enough for Emmett to focus on it completely, Bella's mental voice spoke suddenly. Emmett laughed aloud at Bella's darkly amused thought.
Oh, this is gonna suck so bad.
Her body went limp, and Rosalie caught her. Emmett couldn't focus on it, too consumed with trying to tamp down on his instincts to run from the voices in his head. His anger spiked when he caught a glimpse of Bella dancing with a man who had to be the Master- no one else could have such raging black eyes.
The whispers lied gently, hypnotizing and slow as they promised Bella safety and affection, and Emmett felt bloodlust stir in his gut. Jasper tightened his grip on her lax hand in his.
Memories flashed through Emmett's mind: memories of Bella laughing at his jokes in Forks, memories of Bella's frail form when they had returned. Emmett focused on a memory of Bella on the training grounds: she had eagerly accepted when he challenged her to a friendly fight. She had made him swear never to tell Edward, and then she had all but wiped the floor with him.
He could almost hear her gentle snark when he had picked himself up off the floor for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last half-hour. Come on, brother-bear, I've been dying to do that for ages. Don't look so glum, just implement some defensive strategies for once. Try again! It'll click eventually, and then you'll be the best warrior Havana has ever seen. You'll basically be my karate kid; I can't wait! He was so grateful for her faith in him, that he could be her soldier.
When Bella whimpered softly, Emmett lost it.
That was his sister. Emmett channeled his rage through his body, focusing on the solid weight of it as it tensed his muscles and flowed down through his feet to the solid earth beneath him. He could feel the stone beneath him absorbing the energy of his red-hot anger, and the ground began to shake. Bella's body was floating up from the steel table now as the whispers got louder.
The Master's voice was deep and threatening as he promised to send the Anubi to destroy the Fae in Camp, and Emmett saw another flash: Bella was on her knees, begging the Master to be merciful, demeaning herself completely to keep the Fae from harm. The voices were turning smug and victorious, relishing every moment of Bella brought so low and hissing their pleasure. Emmett had never been more disgusted by anything in his life. His eyes narrowed in hatred as he closed them.
On the back of his eyelids, Emmett could see things that he couldn't quite explain; it was just...there, though he had never seen it before. He could see something-that-was-Jasper attacking Bella's mental defenses, being defeated by the black anger of the Master's mental shields but rising again and again to try to reach Bella.
Distantly, Emmett felt his lips curl into an anticipatory smile. He let his instincts take over and started his hunt, burrowing down behind Jasper's mental presence and waiting for his moment to strike.
He stirred when Bella bowed her head in defeat, but his instincts told him it wasn't his time, yet. His anger cracked the floor of the council room when the Master threatened to burn his family, but still, Emmett held back. When Jasper broke through the last of the defenses and pulled Bella from the cage of her despair, the Master screeched and struck.
Now.
Emmett exploded from his tense waiting pose in a sage green burst of protection. He struck out harshly at the black shadow of the Master's aura, ignoring the burn of magicks against his mental grip.
That's my sister, you dick.
When Rosalie met Jasper and Emmett's nervous gazes, she tried to silently transmit her desperate concern for Bella in her heavy look. Bella had told her not to worry, but her sisterly comfort had fallen on deaf ears. Bella walked a tightrope at the best of times, and Rose knew things her family did not. The wire beneath Bella's feet was getting thinner and sharpening to a cutting edge. It was a long fall to the bottom. Rose was scared for Bella, scared that the demons in Bella's past would swallow her whole.
Why was she suddenly so protective of the girl she had privately thought of as "that stupid human"?
Rose didn't like to admit her mistakes, even to herself. As a human, Rose had known the cost of being wrong. Things were okay if she was beautiful and poised, but when she dared to show her flaws, Daddy stopped smiling and Mommy got that pinched look. Her human parents had tried every trick in the book to stay wealthy and famous in a time when one misstep could lead to ruin; it had taken a long time for Rosalie to find a family that loved her for her flaws as well as her perfection. A lifetime, in fact.
Rose had tried so hard to lock Bella out of her family, but she had to admit her excuses were running thin. Rosalie didn't like this feeling; she didn't like being so vulnerable. If Bella broke, Rose's family would break with her. If Bella couldn't outrun her demons, what hope did Rose have of outrunning hers?
When Bella went lax, Rosalie caught her around the waist, shooting a bewildered look at the frozen forms of her husband and her brother. The moment Rose came into contact with Bella, everything changed.
Rosalie could see a deadly tango playing across the backs of her eyelids, a nightmarish blend of gold and black energy. Lies whispered in her ears like music, and Bella's body shuddered. In Rose's mind, a whimper rose from battered golden light.
The ground shook beneath Rose as the Master kissed Bella's forehead, and Rosalie began to feel her long-suppressed protective instincts rise. She would give anything to be able to keep Bella safe right now.
Bella's body was levitating off the table, escaping her lax grip. In Rose's mind, Bella's echo fell to her knees. There was a glitch—Rose saw her family burning, and Bella's head snapped up.
Oh, now she can bring herself to stand up to him. Rosalie almost rolled her eyes. Rosalie could identify with Bella's protective fury, if nothing else.
The question haunted her: Could Bella be family?
Rose remembered her ridiculous preoccupation with Carlisle, Esme, and Edward when they had come to interrupt her small-town fame so long ago. She remembered how jealous she had been, how hateful. All along they were the base of her beloved family - the only one she had ever known that could love her, flaws and all.
Bella completed that family. She made them better, she made them alive. Rose wasn't fond of sharing, but just this once...she could make an exception.
She had been wrong. Bella was not some stupid human. Bella was...Bella was... Bella was her sister, and Rose loved her sister. She wasn't strong enough to take on the Master, but Rose would always defend her kin.
Rosalie felt herself turn to energy and lose her form, turn into the purest part of herself. She settled her lavender presence over Bella as Jasper broke the cage and Emmett attacked the Master.
Yes.
Rose would keep Bella safe. Bella was her sister, and Rose loved her little sister. Bella was...
Family.
Carlisle Cullen felt every year of his long life course through his veins as he argued fiercely with Kaedra, trying to understand what could possibly justify this horrific circumstance. Kaedra cut herself off in mid-sentence when Bella's eyes turned black; Carlisle felt a shudder ripple through him as he too, went quiet and still.
Those were the eyes of a predator, and they were unnatural in his daughter's gentle face.
Carlisle had seen eyes like that before, several times over in fact. He had seen them in war-torn men who had seen too much violence, had seen them in the faces of people who smiled when they saw death; he had seen those eyes in the faces of abusers and murderers and villains for centuries now. A long, long time ago, Carlisle had seen those eyes in his father's face. Human memories faded with time, but Carlisle would never forget his father's predatory and hateful gaze as he ranted about witches and vampires and evil and sin. Carlisle had lived in fear of his father's wrath, and he had learned to hide at the sight of those eyes early on.
As his father grew frail, Carlisle finally took over the raids. He had done so mostly to save his own skin, but he could never relish the deaths of those they hunted like the flinty-eyed zealot who raised him. He was sickened by loss and grief, and it drove him to be sure, to be certain of evil before he sought to drive it out.
God had surely laughed at his prideful foolishness when Carlisle was bitten. He could still remember the fear and how it had surpassed even the pain. He could still remember the wetness of the rain on his face and his desperate thought. Good, the rain will keep the dogs off my scent. In the painful days of his transformation, his father's hateful eyes had haunted him, and Carlisle had finally known that hatred was the evil that must be driven out.
He had been a fool then, and he was a fool now, but if he knew one thing it was that the black eyes in Bella's face were the true evil here. Bella was so much like himself, willing to destroy herself to destroy the evil that preyed on her people. Carlisle could remember the weight of his despair, the days and weeks of planning his own death just to see his attempts fail, the certainty that his life was not worth those who would die so he might live.
Bella went lax and Jasper's hand tightened on hers as Rose caught her. She whimpered, and the ground began to shake. Carlisle's children were too-still. When Bella began to levitate, Marcos shouted and yelled for his attention, needing his medical knowledge and instincts to guide his healing magicks. Kaedra ran from the room to retrieve Edward.
Carlisle let Marcos' magicks run through him and pulled all his knowledge of medicine to the front of his mind, but he was only half-focused on his medical training. There was only so much medicine could accomplish, and Carlisle knew that his experience with the physical body was useless here. For once, he could not operate with a doctor's detachment, and the instincts and emotions pulling at him were not unlike the heaviness of drowning and the panic of crashing waves.
Carlisle took two long strides across the room, cutting off Marcos' magicks from his mind and ignoring the commander when he cried out in panic. A strong wind pushed Carlisle forward, tousling Rosalie's hair gently. The ground shook constantly now, and clouds were forming between the stained-glass ceiling and Camp proper.
Carlisle couldn't be a doctor and keep his promise to never leave Bella behind. His medical degree was useless right now, and his daughter needed help. He thought briefly of Aphroditus, the fighter that he had been. He regretted not possessing Aphroditus' knowledge or skill, but Carlisle wasn't a fighter either. He wasn't a zealot like his father, or wise and steady like Josephat. Still, the water blessing had chosen him, hadn't it? Carlisle had never felt so complete as when he had healed Bella in the ballroom.
Of course.
He was not a fighter or a politician. He was not a doctor, or a pastor. He was a healer.
Carlisle just wanted to heal his daughter. He took Bella's hand and closed his eyes, losing himself in the reality where his children fought true evil.
My daughter.
He didn't even notice the rain, a gentle, cleansing flow that glowed ice blue as it soaked the city.
Something to Believe In
Esme was dragging Edward to the medical wing by his arm, eyeing the tense set of his shoulders and trying not to pay attention to the manic giggles and twitches that escaped her son without his notice, when she first saw it.
She had to blink twice, a slight falter in her brisk pace. Edward's eyes were...Edward's eyes were green. Alice shot her a startled look as she too processed the change, and then Alice's eyes got even wider.
"Mom...Edward is glowing."
Esme blinked, looking again at her son as they entered the medical wing. Edward was glowing, a deep crimson aura shining from his chest, radiating around him. When Josephat rushed around the corner with his medical team, he stopped dead in his tracks.
His voice was commanding. "Over here, sit him down on the exam bed. Can he talk?"
"I can talk." Edward's voice was full of suppressed fury, the words ground out between gritted teeth.
"I know what happened, the seers filled me in between their screeching. Edward, I need to examine your mind, immediately. Esme, Alice, please wait elsewhere."
"I most certainly shall not."
"Me neither! What the hell is going on? First Bella blows up the world and then Edward and she come into the cavern all fucked up, and I thought Bella was dead and now Edward has green eyes and he's fucking glowing! Someone is going to tell me what is happening right now!" Alice was shaking, visibly frightened.
"Alice. Calm down. Josephat, perform your examination, please. My daughter and I will remain with my son." Esme turned her attention to her sighted daughter. "We need some way to check in on Bella. It will comfort Edward to know she is okay. Alice, could you see her, if you tried?"
"I... I don't know! The Fae sight is so different than mine; the visions won't come when I call, and when they come, they are so strong...it scares me, Esme. I don't know what's happening. I'm scared."
Edward and Josephat were speaking softly, but Esme paid them no mind. Long ago, Esme had lost everything, including her child, for an impossible love. Now, Esme had six wonderful children and was married to her eternal love; nothing made her happier than to be able to shelter them and give them a home. It had been a lifetime since Esme had let despair convince her that nothing was worth living for, and she wasn't about to stop trying now.
"I know it's scary, Alice, baby. I know it is. Everything seems scary when it's unknown. You were right all along, Alice. We belong to Bella, and she belongs to us. I don't know why God has given you the Sight, but I know that you won't let fear stop you from using your gifts. I don't know what is going on right now, but I know that you can help, Alice. You can help Edward and Bella right now. Try to see."
Esme reached out and clutched Alice's hand, knowing that what she was asking was unfair but asking it all the same. She gripped Alice's hand hard and looked into her daughter's big honey eyes. The ground below the Castle began to shake and dark clouds cast long shadows in the room. A strong wind whistled as it blew through Camp. Josephat and Edward were still now, Josephat's hands glowing blue across Edward's forehead. Edward's crimson glow was getting stronger.
"Try, little one."
Alice nodded, taking a deep breath. She went suddenly still, her eyes turning a cloudy white. She went stiff and Esme embraced her before she could fall. Just as suddenly, Alice was dead weight in her arms, and a shuddering inhale shook her sighted daughter from head to toe.
"I... I See." Alice's words were a shocked gasp.
Alice shuddered and seized, and then Esme heard a great crash as Josephat flew into the medical cart. Edward was already slamming Kaedra into the wall of the medical wing, and his voice was deadly.
"Where is she? Tell me and live."
"Council room. Run."
Edward ran, with Keadra close on his heels. Bella needed help; Esme knew it in her bones. But Alice needed her too. Esme bowed her head over Alice's shuddering body, and a prayer fell from her lips. She would not, could not, lose a child again.
Something rose in Esme's spirit, then. In her mind's eye, she could see Alice pulling her along, shining brightly in white light as she drew closer to a strange, voided place filled with gold and black light. There were other lights, too, a soft gray glow and a sage green ray of light, shining on a lavender haze that shielded Bella's golden aura from harm. A starburst of pale blue light burst into existence, and Esme felt her breath catch, far away in the physical world.
She would recognize her husband anywhere, no matter the form he took.
Esme longed to be closer, to provide shelter and rest to those precious lights as they battled with black poison. She had lost a child, once. She would not lose her children again. She faced the black poison head on, pulling the golden glow away from it, into herself. Her daughter.
You cannot have her. We will not let her go.
She focused on her determination to help and pulled sharply on Alice's white glow. The world turned a hot pink that flashed across her vision; she and Alice had shifted to the council room. Esme reached out to her Fae daughter as soon as she was sure she was real, brushing Bella's bangs back softly as all her fierce determination turned to gentle care. She cast a net of pink peace over her daughter's mindscape.
Hush now, child. It is merely the passing of winter. The light will shine again. Be still, rest.
The golden glow did as Esme bid, finally ceasing its pained writhing in her arms, curling into her comfort like a sleeping child.
All through Camp, gardens bloomed in vivid growth to celebrate a mother's love.
Alice was freaking out. She tried to hold it together by ignoring everything but the sound of her own hurried footsteps being matched by those of her mother and her still-twitchy brother, but it wasn't working. She could see the crimson glow around Edward growing, and his eyes were a vivid emerald green that burned into her.
The words were stunned and quiet as she shared a panicked look with Esme. "Mom...Edward is glowing."
But it was more than that. When Alice looked at Edward, she could see him in a way she couldn't before. She could see who he was outlined in crimson light around him: there was his bravery, over there was his stubborn streak, and there was his telepathy; all of it was spelled out right there in front of her in a way she just couldn't explain.
Bella would know. Bella had always believed her, even before she knew that Alice had the Sight. She listened to Alice, and she was always more worried about Alice's well-being than whatever it was she Saw. Honestly... Bella had said, once, when Alice was complaining about her faulty Sight. ...you don't need the Sight to shine the brightest in the room. Consider this the opportunity the rest of us need to catch up. Bella had laughed then and distracted her by offering to braid her new long hair.
Bella would know what was going on, but Alice did not. Alice had always known everything that was happening. Well...not always. She still remembered opening her eyes all alone in that forest, finally released from the pain of her turning only to find she knew nothing. The frightening feeling she had now of not-knowing was too similar. She needed to know, she needed to help.
They had reached the medical wing. Alice saw a blue glow around Josephat, and she knew him too. She could see him more clearly than ever before. There was his age, and an intricate thread of love and grief and longing that had to be for his Chosen and his lost daughter. There was a vivid thread of gold, a fierce loyalty that could never be torn apart. A tenuous peace and a heavy brushstroke of self-discipline. Jo's serious nature shown through, and she saw him set aside his frustrations, felt his focus sharpen.
What was this? It was confusing and completely disorienting. Alice could see colors around the medical staff too, she could even make out a faint pink glow around Esme. For a moment, Alice thought she would be sick. Maybe she should be the one on the exam table.
But no, her brother's crimson had a bleeding tear in it that oozed pain and rage, and she could see Josephat's healing magicks beginning to reach out and race across it.
Alice couldn't help her frustrated outburst when Josephat asked them to leave. She turned to Esme as her mother protested. She wasn't going anywhere until she figured out what the hell was happening.
"Me neither! What the hell is going on? First Bella blows up the world and then Edward and she come into the cavern all fucked up, and I thought Bella was dead and now Edward has green eyes and he's fucking glowing! Someone is going to tell me what is happening right now!" She was shaking now, and she knew she looked frightened.
Alice felt dizzy as her sight seemed to...expand. She could see all around her now, colors bubbling up in her head that moved and danced around the medical staff and beyond. Bella's ethereal golden aura shined brightest in Alice's head, awe-inspiring all on its own, but orbited by still more specks of marvelous color.
Beyond that, beyond the Castle, beyond Camp... She could see people moving about Havana now, each with a special shade of color around them that spelled out who they were. Her Sight was growing and growing until Alice held the universe in her head and all the world came alive, singing to her about life and loss and love and heartbreak. Far in the distance was a black menace that consumed all the colors around it, and it reached for the brightness of golden light.
"...Alice, could you see her, if you tried?" Oh, Esme had been talking to her. Does she mean Bella? Alice didn't know, she was overwhelmed.
There was so much.
She forced herself to speak, to reach for her mom and hope she would be heard.
"I... I don't know! The Fae sight is so different than mine; the visions won't come when I call, and when they come, they are so strong...it scares me, Esme. I don't know what's happening. I'm scared."
The all-consuming blackness was infecting that beautiful golden glow, and the colors of Alice's family flared around it, linking to it. Jasper was gorgeous, a dark knight filled with fierce passion. The blackness must be the Master. Alice shook at the very root of herself in her terror. The blackness was hideous and ugly, with no compassion or empathy. It was tragedy to watch it feed on that bright golden energy.
"I know it's scary, Alice, baby. I know it is. Everything seems scary when it's unknown. You were right all along, Alice. We belong to Bella, and she belongs to us. I don't know why God has given you the Sight, but I know that you won't let fear stop you from using your gifts. I don't know what is going on right now, but I know that you can help, Alice. You can help Edward and Bella right now. Try to see."
The lights...the auras of her family flared in defense of the golden glow, and Alice saw pain run across Bella's aura again. Esme took her hand, and Alice summoned all her courage, remembering her training.
She nodded at Esme and began.
She narrowed her Sight, shutting out the overwhelming life of the universe until she could focus on her family in the council room. Distance meant nothing, here, and as Alice slowly funneled out the noise around her, time stopped mattering, too. Reality was an unfortunate distraction, and Alice let her body fall away from her mind.
"I... I See."
Alice did see. Alice would never doubt Destiny existed, ever again. Bella's destiny was written in her aura as though it were carved into her bones, as though it were carved in cavern walls and the beating heart of Havana itself. And there, so close to Bella's glorious destiny, woven all through golden energy, the aura colors of her family shone brightly. She pulled Esme closer to them, unwilling to lose her mother's comfort and knowing the gold needed Esme too.
The black glow was suddenly nothing, a drop of oil in the ocean deep. Alice marveled that she had ever been afraid of the Master. She could see it all: the past, the present, the future. She felt Esme shift them to the council room and reached for Isabella's forearm, pledging a loyalty that had always been and always would be and sealing it with a thought.
All is well, sister. You shall not fall.
Alice Cullen saw Isabella Swan, and her loyalty would not falter. Hope grew in Alice's aura, and she shared its soothing softness with Bella. The Master shielded his eyes at the power of Alice's loyalty, and Alice smiled as Edward's crimson drew closer.
Right on time, brother-mine.
Edward had been feeling...strange... since he and Bella had returned to Camp. So, when his instincts told him something was desperately wrong, he should have listened. He let Bella charm him into leaving her, and that had been his mistake.
He tried to ignore the wrong feeling as Josephat asked permission to examine him. Something was off in Edward's head, even more than the unreal and psychotic rage ravaging his telepathic senses. Kasdeya's rage was a burning wildfire in his head, a tornado that ravaged everything, consuming him slowly and turning him to ash. It was like a slow-motion hell on the edge of his senses, driving him mad.
Josephat coughed gently in surprise as he met Edward's eyes. "Your eyes! Why are they that color?"
Edward tried to respond; he really did. Josephat's words had brought back the memories of this morning in full force, and Edward shook to think of all that could change in a day. Josephat cleared his throat in the silence. "Ah, well, I expect it is an effect of your consumption of her majesty's blood, then."
Edward glared at the healer. If Josephat started lecturing, Edward might kill him before he could be healed.
"Look, Edward. I'm not going to say I understand. But that doesn't change the fact that you need to lower your mental defenses and allow me to examine the damage Kasdeya has done."
"What?" Edward tried to think through the discordance and chaos in his head. "What defenses?"
"Your telepathic defenses."
"I don't have any telepathic defenses."
"Oh, you're unaware of them, then? Interesting. Well, yes, actually, you seem to have very strong shields. The wall around your mindscape is fortified well, there are very few cracks even with Kasdeya's mental attacks. You should know your mind is very strong."
"Bella doesn't seem to have any trouble accessing my thoughts."
"Yes, well." Josephat coughed again. "That would likely be because of Isabella's peculiar affinities and your special connection with her. With Kasdeya gone, you are most likely the strongest telepath I have known. Perhaps even equal to the Master's telepathic power. You are very gifted; you should pursue training. For now, envision the stone wall around your mind has a gate, and imagine allowing me through it."
Edward felt stupid, but he did as he was told. Josephat's brow crinkled immediately, and Edward could feel the healer's thoughts muttering away in the back of his mind as blue magicks lit up his nerves. Edward could see a city of crimson with a golden sky, and soft music wooed him closer. Josephat began to hum along with it, picking out discordant notes of rage and insanity one by one.
Edward probably should have taken a moment to marvel at the shape of his thoughts, but he figured there was nothing there he didn't already know about himself, anyway. The faster they got this done, the sooner Edward could return to Bella's side.
Josephat startled when Edward started to help him pick out the notes, occasionally shifting the key of the music to absorb one instead of healing it. Josephat sent him the impression of bewildered awe at his aptitude. Edward grinned and prepared to show off a little, but he was distracted suddenly.
The golden sky...it was...it was snowing across his mindscape. The golden presence of Bella in his mind was cold, suddenly separated from his crimson self. Edward didn't wait for Josephat to disengage before returning to the physical world, and the healer cried out in panic as Edward pushed him into the med cart in his haste to get to her.
When Kaedra burst through the doors, Edward didn't even slow down, driving Bella's regent into the far wall of the medical wing at full speed with his grip on her throat and ignoring the crash of the medical equipment.
"Where is she? Tell me now and live."
"Council room. Run."
Edward ran.
Edward Masen-Cullen was born on June 20, 1901, in Chicago; he was the only child of Edward and Elizabeth Masen. Throughout his human life, Edward had loved his parents and tried to be a good man. When his death came too soon, Edward had thought he had known love and life.
He had continued believing he was content and happy, formed a deep bond with Carlisle and then the rest of his found family. He had experienced rebellion and regret, love and loss. He had listened in on a million minds, lived a thousand lives in the thoughts of others. He continued; he went on.
And then he met Isabella Swan, and everything changed.
Edward had never known love before he met her; he had never known life or loss before she swept into his life and added color to his world.
Edward Masen-Cullen had been born the moment he saw Isabella Swan. His life mattered to him now, because of her. And the next time Edward Cullen had a moment alone with Isabella Swan, he was going to give her a piece of his mind.
The strange barrier that separated Bella from him burned him with cold when he tried to get past it, but it didn't hurt him. Bella would never hurt him. Edward threw his anger at the wall, and it rippled but did not crack. He threw his grief and hurt and fear at it, but there wasn't any change.
Then, Edward threw his love at Bella's mind, and the wall began to shudder and buckle. A thousand memories flashed across Edward's thoughts, every moment he had found himself loving Isabella Swan just that much more. His emotions burned through him like fire and blessed heat. When he burst into the room where Bella was, it took all his discipline to keep from combusting on the spot.
Bella was levitating up from the steel table with his siblings all grabbing hold of her. Somehow Esme and Alice had gotten there before him, and Alice's eyes were a cloudy white. All of his family had strange eyes, but Edward didn't let it pull his focus away from the form of his lover.
Bella had better make it through this so I can yell at her later.
Edward pushed harder at reality, forcing it to bend to his will with the fierceness of fiery anger and passionate love. The steel table below Bella began to throw heat waves into the air as Edward closed his eyes to see his family defending Bella from the Master in her mindscape.
Edward snarled and struck out, throwing all of who he was into his desire to be near Bella, to keep the Master away. He felt Bella give in, and when her mental wall fell, he was already manifesting in glowing crimson inside her mind.
He took his place at the head of his family and threw the Master back with a pulse of pure magicks that resounded throughout Camp.
Leave this place, dark mage.
Bella blinked her eyes back to brown. Was she on the floor? What? She tried to sit up, but her hair was stuck to something.
"What the hell?"
She was lying on her back with her family gathered around her; they had apparently been trying to call her back to herself for a while.
"Ow; why is it so hot in here?"
She tried to sit up again, but she still couldn't move properly. She turned her head and saw that Jasper was on his knees, clutching her right hand in both of his and looking at her like he was terrified she would slip away. Every Cullen was touching her somehow, and they all had echoes of death on them. She blinked. Had she hurt them?
Then, she finally noticed the source of the heat waving around her. The stainless-steel table she had been sitting on had melted into liquid metal, glowing white-hot in a pool around her and her family. All of them were floating a few inches above it, not harmed at all.
"Oh. Damn, I liked this table. Why can't I sit up?" She cooled the metal with ice from her fingertips and set all of them down softly once she was sure it was cold enough not to hurt them.
Emmett croaked at her. "Your hair. It's stuck in the table. It's still smoking a little."
"Well, I guess I needed a haircut anyway. That was awful, let's never do it again. In fact, let's just delete this whole day. Ugh. Now I need a shower even worse."
She released her royal blade and cut her melted hair away so she could sit up. It hung down in a sheared and asymmetrical bob at about chin length. She'd have to go to the market, see if they could clean it up.
When Bella focused on the room around her, she noticed something that made her freeze in place. Edward's eyes were...Edward's eyes were crimson. Carlisle's shown ice blue, Esme's were a gentle pink. Lavender consumed Rosalie's eyes, and Emmett's were sage green. Alice wore a bright white and Jasper's dove gray gaze was unsettling in its intensity.
Marcos and Kaedra stood close by with a shocked Josephat; Marcos had yet to pick his jaw up from the floor, but he stuttered out words anyway.
"You...you didn't melt the table, Izzy... Edward melted the table. And the rest of them... they..." Marcos croaked.
Keadra's eyes were wide and filled with happy tears. "...they...the Cullen-line just manifested. The vampyr can do-"
"-magick." Bella's voice was faint, nothing but a breath of hot air. She stared into Edward's consumed crimson eyes until they faded back to green irises.
The Cullen-line were Fae.
