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Chapter 108
Red Eyes
Bella
"Since when do you sneak like that?" I raged from the passenger seat, loudly nagging Jazz. I asked this for what felt like the hundred and fifty-eighth time. Always with the same answer.
"I'm driving as fast as I can without putting you guys in danger!"
"Please calm down, Bella. After all, Edward said that Jake and Leah aren't badly hurt. They're probably back on their feet by now and getting something to eat from Esmé," Alice meant.
Also, for the innumerable time.
Becky and I looked at each other.
We didn't believe a word they said and wanted to see with our own eyes that the two were really fine.
Again and again, fearful tears ran down my cheeks.
Because every time I imagined my children, only the image appeared in front of my eyes as we had not known if they would recover from the injuries after the encounter with those four vampires. And the fact that Jazz and Alice were picking us up now was a very bad sign for me.
Alice was yakking the entire time, but I wasn't listening to her.
"Knock it off!" I snapped again to the driver's side.
Jazz has also been trying to manipulate our emotions all along. To exchange fear for confidence.
Finally, the gate appeared in the forest, after which Jazz finally stepped on the gas.
As we approached the house, my angel was already coming out of the front door. Edward opened the door for me, held out a hand as usual, which I grabbed, got out and startled.
Wow ... He looked spooky with the red eyes. I hadn't even thought about the fact that he would look like that now. I would never admit it, but somehow I found those eyes totally ... dangerous. Forbidden. Hot! But what was most important about this moment was the fact that he smiled. Then the children seemed to be doing really well. Still, I wanted to see them.
"You can't listen to me, can you?" he teased me, putting his hands to my cheeks and kissing me.
I briefly forgot what I actually wanted. When I opened my eyes again and looked into the blood-red eyes, I was tingling.
"You are dangerous!" I stated.
"Oh ... Have you finally understood that now?" my angel of death chuckled. "About time, too. But if you want to banish me from your life now, I'm afraid I have to tell you that it's too late for that!"
"To me there is quite something else, that I want to do with you!" I purred and stretched myself again to those sweet lips. I wanted to eat him up!
A clearing of throat woke me from our rather greedy kiss. I felt the heat in my cheeks even before I looked at Jazz.
He will have felt my desire with guaranteed certainty and passed it on at least mentally to Edward!
He winked at me, smirked slightly, put an arm around Alice, who smiled blissfully, and disappeared into the house with her.
"You're embarrassing Jasper with your sensations!" the angel kissed me again, again consuming that it burned inside me, but he broke the kiss far too quickly. "Jake's waking up!" he said, sighing heavily.
I had to remind myself for a moment that I was a mother. Mother to said Jake ... And Leah. Hurt. That was the only reason I had drove here. And Becky had driven with me.
I looked around.
"Becky's already with him," Edward said, chuckling.
Uh ... I hadn't even noticed.
We quickly went inside, and I already had the doorknob in my hand when Edward grabbed my hand. Confused, I looked at him. When he knocked against the wood and waited a moment, I bit my lower lip.
Oh yes, I no longer had small children. And yes, my son knew what loving meant. Of course, I didn't know all the details of what he was doing with Becky - and I didn't want to! - but I knew quite well that the two were not playing Monopoly!
"How long do we have to wait?" I asked after what felt like an eternity.
"I'd say we give up waiting. He doesn't really seem to notice anything except Becky," Edward said with a smile after the third knock and immediately opened the door.
My naked son lay across the bed on his - fortunately for us still fully clothed - girlfriend, legs knotted together, elbows propped up on the mattress. Downright smooching. As it belonged for teenagers in love.
When the door opened, Jake lifted his head, grinned innocently, and chewed his lower lip caught.
I smiled.
He stood up, somehow laboriously pulling his bathrobe around him, and came toward me. He said he felt excellent, while he whirled me so lively and buoyantly through the air that I had to giggle.
Okay, that was proof enough.
"I see that!" I confirmed and was reassured. At least as far as Jake was concerned. "Maybe you should still take a shower!" I said, seeing small streaks of blood and some more forest on part of his torso.
Esmé had brought him a plate of sandwiches and water, which stood unnoticed on the table until now.
Becky was apparently the better medical choice for him.
"How's Leah doing anyway?" inquired Becky, who had sat up in the meantime.
I would be interested in that, too. Burning even.
"Good, actually. All her injuries have healed, but she has lost a lot of blood. Therefore, she is still a little weak. But otherwise enjoys the best of health," explained my angel.
"What about Marcus and his sister?" asked Jake as he now grabbed one of the sandwiches.
First girlfriend, then food. As a wolf, you had to set priorities, I thought with a grin.
"Jules' life is out of danger. What she knows about you, I cannot say. But you cannot deny the wolf facts in front of Marcus."
"Marcus knows?" I asked in shock.
My angel nodded.
Oh no. Hopefully Marcus won't react the same way Ben did. I didn't know how Leah would cope with losing a boyfriend again because of the wolf.
"Actually, they two were supposed to talk about what happened, but right now they're just keeping silent to each other," Edward said unhappily.
I asked what was going on inside Marcus' head.
"The overriding thought is that he's worried about Jake and Leah. He knows from Jules that she's doing relatively well. Ultimately, she's only really injured in the arm. But he hasn't seen Jake since the forest, where he could barely hold himself up. And Leah is sitting in front of him, but he doesn't believe that everything is okay with her. That she can be healthy! He's seen too much blood for that."
"He's worried about me?" chuckled Jake.
Edward nodded.
"He makes it pretty hard for you to dislike him, doesn't he?" asked Jake ribbingly.
My angel rolled his hot red eyes, but Jake was right!
"They're not talking to each other?" I asked.
He gave the conversation so far between Leah and Marcus briefly - but, by his testimony, completely.
"How are you, Leah?"
"With every minute, better."
"That's nice."
"Yes."
That's when the term loquacity took on completely new dimensions.
I asked where the two of them were and walked in a hurried pace toward the door of the library.
Edward put himself in my way.
He took the view that we should not disturb them. In front of others, Marcus would probably be even less willing to talk, while the presence of her parents in particular would be unpleasant for Leah.
"I know!" was all I said, and I gave him a quick kiss on his velvety lips.
Confused, he looked after me as I frantically walked toward the door. Excitedly, I ran toward my daughter and without taking a breath, I spoke to her.
Whether she was well, that she certainly still needed to rest, that she should eat and drink so that her blood pressure could stabilize. Everything I could think of. It was just as I had expected from Leah. She reacted annoyed to my really unfounded questions. If there was a reason to worry, Edward would have already told me down at the car. Not before. Not on the phone. Because he had to assume that I would come here if he brought the children to Carlisle first. Leah took me tightly in her arms again and then almost pushed me to the door.
She so wanted to get rid of me!
I pulled the door closed and eavesdropped.
"Not so bad?" I heard Marcus peeved and the conversation began.
It was clear to me that Marcus would react so indignantly. If his only thought was fear for her and she claimed the exact opposite, he had to go crazy.
"You're incredible!" my angel murmured to me, looking at me in awe.
I twitched my eyebrows triumphantly.
"Do I get a reward for that?" I asked seductively.
"Anything you want!"
"You!" I looked him in the blood-red eyes. I still thought that was hot!
Immediately his lips were greedily on mine, and he lifted me onto his hips. My hands ran excitedly through his hair and pulled him towards me. One hand went under my butt, which was massaged with exciting pressure.
"Can you ... control yourself ... until we ... are ... at our place?" I heard him say between our insatiable lips.
My mind told me that we were still in Carlisle's house and pretty much all the vampires were present. Everyone would know what we were doing, and Edward knew how embarrassed that generally was for me. And that I wanted to avoid that at all costs! But my desire didn't care at all right now.
"I don't know ... can you?" I asked back, struggling for breath, and had already awkwardly undone the first button of his shirt.
We released our lips from each other.
Only briefly.
We both glanced at the other side. A door to a currently empty and already tidy and cleaned treatment room. On his hips he carried me through the door, locked it and sat me down on the high stretcher.
Who cared about buttons?
I ripped with all my might. While Edward was looking at me, eagerly but quite astonished, I heard around me the small delicate bouncing of the buttons on the tiles. When it hushed, his tireless lips were on my neck and his hands seemed to be everywhere. It became wild and rampant. We kissed incessantly so we didn't get too loud. I constantly sought his gaze, which just turned me on. I was completely out of breath and my heart was about to explode when I found the sweet fulfillment and let myself fall on his cool upper body.
"How long do your eyes stay like that?" I inquired as I stroked his face with my fingertips after my circulation had calmed down. Had taken a while.
"Not long. One, two days at the most. The human blood is the first to be absorbed by the body ... Why?" he began to explain matter-of-factly, ending with a curious chuckle.
I said nothing.
The fact that I found his monster eyes totally hot was embarrassing to me. That actually contradicted his intended life after all.
I hid my face against his neck so he wouldn't see my undoubted blush and his skin cooled my cheeks.
"My eye doctor will probably put me on sick leave for tomorrow," he said, still chuckling.
Oh no! Edward - with those eyes - with me all day? We will not notice much of the day tomorrow!
While we were getting dressed again, I asked about Leah.
He eavesdropped intently for a moment.
Meanwhile, I looked for my bra, but did not find it.
"Where ..." I began and turned to Edward.
He smirked adorably.
On his index finger hung something that could have been a bra at some point. I was not sure, however. In any case, I could no longer put the part on.
Edward had already gone to Leah and Marcus to send them to bed while I was still putting on my shoes.
I saw through the door, how Marcus very affectionately wished her a good night, but that was not what Leah had certainly been expecting.
From her boyfriend!
I hurried and pushed Leah into the next free room. Fortunately, there were enough of them in this house.
Leah fell asleep sitting on the floor in our arms. Therefore, Edward took her to her room in this house.
Esmé had prepared individual rooms for my twins. Every now and then Jake and/or Leah spent the evenings here on the property. Then it sometimes got so late that they stayed here. Esmé thought it was appropriate that they got their own rooms. This house generally had so many rooms that I had not yet been in every one. A statement at which I shook my head every time in disbelief and rolled my eyes. So also now!
Edward returned with small bottles. Water and lemonade.
Quietly, he knocked on the door to the guest room with Marcus and Jules.
I remained standing in the doorway while Edward entered.
Jules seemed to be sleeping really peacefully, but Marcus lay awake and immediately sat up straight.
"Thank you," Marcus replied tensely when Edward said he just wanted to bring them something to drink.
"You should try to get some sleep. I know this has all been a bit much tonight, but your mind must calm down," Edward said gently.
However, I had a hunch that it wasn't just the amount of information that kept him from falling asleep.
I moved closer so he would understand me without disturbing Jules. On impulse, I sat down on the edge of the bed and put a hand on his.
"Nothing will happen to you in this house, Marcus. Sometimes the supposedly bad guys are the good guys, even if it may seem otherwise at first glance!" I assured him, smiling confidently.
He seemed to consider for a moment, but finally nodded. He took a sip of water, and we left the room.
We also took a quick look inside at Jake's.
Becky and he slept snuggled close together. Meanwhile both were naked.
Teenagers! They couldn't control themselves either! ... Okay. Was I even a little bit better today? Probably not. And it wouldn't get any better tonight, because the red eyes were looking at me when I pulled the door shut again.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Edward seemed to be eyeing me intently.
"You just really scare me sometimes!" said Edward with a rather offended undertone.
"Why?" I asked. I didn't understand. I was anything but scary after all.
"How did you know what was really bothering Marcus?" he asked, putting his arms around me.
He was really curious, but tried not to let it show so much. But I could already see through my vampire a bit in the meantime.
I chuckled, pulled him down to me and gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose.
"Mother's instinct!" I explained. Marcus was undoubtedly not my child, but in some things all children were the same. The older they got, the less they admitted to being afraid of anything on their own. "Marcus realized pretty quickly, though, that he didn't have to be afraid here," I reflected, however.
"He has a remarkable mind. For a human being ... He immediately realized through your words that - if we were after his life - he would have been dead long ago. He saw how fast the vampiress moved in the forest. He would be dead before he knew it. And if this was our goal, Carlisle would not have cared about Jules. I wouldn't have taken care of his wounds. We wouldn't have let him talk to Leah. In short, there were too many little things that went against the assumption that he would have to be afraid for his or Jules' life here," Edward explained and seemed somehow enthusiastic about it.
"And that quick perception ... fascinates you," I summed up the nature of his speech.
"Not a bit!" he lied to me.
I smiled patiently and we went down to the others.
Rose stood leaning in the front door looking at Marcus' bus.
Edward whispered to me that she was thrilled and indignant at the same time. In her mind, she had already completely restored him.
"For its age it is the really in good shape. Hardly any rust and most of the parts are original. But how can you let such a beautiful car come down like that!" she complained as we passed her.
Edward still thanked her.
She had searched for the remains of the vampires in the forest and burned them. He had not thought about it out of concern for the twins.
"Well, you're back too!" grinned Emmett smugly at us.
I couldn't stop myself from blushing.
It was clear that he, of all people, knew what Edward and I had done. Why did Edward always drive me crazy? But to complain about it was idle. I was at his mercy. And then still these eyes today with it! I had to force myself not to think back to our wild sex, because I was already tingling again. And Jazz suppressed a smirk in the background again. That's exactly why I had attached so far a lot of importance to the fact that no vampires were in the proximity. Now it was too late and earlier I hadn't really cared. So, eyes closed and through ... or what was it called again? Keep your composure, Bella, I reminded myself and pulled myself together.
"Envious?" I asked Emmett.
"Not in the slightest!" announced Em proudly.
"What do you care then? If you have a fulfilling love life, you can safely stay out of ours! ... Or do you need tutoring?" I meant, and Em looked at me in shock. Victory!
We all sat down in the living room and talked about the evening.
Carlisle laid out the medical basics in summary from all. We would not have to worry about any of the children in this regard.
So, we thought about how Marcus would deal with the truth and how much Jules could have witnessed in the forest. We didn't want to tell her the truth and discussed various explanations.
I fell asleep in my angel's arms while doing this and, of course, dreamed of red eyes.
The next morning my angel woke me up.
Still with quite red eyes, but the iris now had a narrow golden ring. Still ... hot!
However, I did not forget my children.
"They're still asleep. Only Marcus is already on his way to Portland with Jules. I think it would be good if you woke Leah up today. She will need her mother," Edward said, handing me a letter.
"You read it. He doesn't want to be with a wolf?" I asked.
"No. I listened to him write before he drove. He's asking for thinking time."
I read the letter while snuggling up to Edward and drinking my coffee. Afterwards, I let my head hang and asked what exactly was going on inside Marcus' head.
"He's confused more than anything. The fact that Leah is a wolf doesn't really bother him, basically. At least he hasn't really thought about it until now. But he is bothered about everything else around it. This world, of which he knew nothing until now. He thinks it's like in the movie 'Matrix'. Choosing which pill to take. Continue to live cluelessly in his known world, trying to forget everything, or know the truth and face the danger. He's not sure which of these he wants to do."
"Why couldn't he tell her in person, instead of leaving a letter?" I asked, slightly irritated.
"This has nothing to do with Leah. He woke up because of Jules. Early enough to get back to Portland in time for school. He hopes to appease his father with this. He called yesterday and seems to be a very strict and commanding man. But he didn't want to wake Leah. He is still worried about her and thinks she definitely needs the sleep to recover. I didn't succeed in convincing him otherwise, because Leah also slept badly and looks correspondingly debilitated."
Edward also said that Jules could pretty much remember nothing. She had seen a woman, but didn't know who or why she was there. Nor how long. So, she got the explanation that she had been bitten by a stray wild dog. Because of the force, she was knocked down and had lost consciousness when she hit the ground. The woman was a walker who paid only brief attention to her while Marcus went to get the bus. On the way, he had encountered Carlisle, who was making a house call late in the evening. Since Marcus already knew him, he had gone with him to his place.
I went to Leah - with coffee, of course - and after she read the letter, she cried in my arms.
I tried to comfort her. To tell her that this letter didn't necessarily mean that Marcus wouldn't come back. He just needed time.
She calmed down and even went to school.
I would have excused her for today, but I suspected she was trying to distract herself.
On that Thursday she still seemed very composed, but after Marcus didn't call her in the evening as usual and she didn't hear from him on Friday either, her condition became visibly worse.
She started out disappointed and ended up depressed on Saturday. She also didn't go running with Jake. She went to school, but otherwise withdrew. She barricaded herself in her room, turned on music and just lay on her bed – according to Edward -.
As I spent Saturday ironing, I thought about what I could do to help my baby.
But I just couldn't think of anything.
Thank you for reading!
