CHAPTER EIGHT
It's you and me, there's nothing like this
Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince
We're so sad we paint the town blue
Voted most likely to run away with you
~ Taylor Swift, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
Edward Cullen
Carlisle stood in the small clearing a few miles away from the main house. I did a quick mental scan to make sure there was nobody within earshot.
"The wolves?" I asked as soon as I was confident we were clear.
"Gone, for now. They left with the promise to check on Bella whenever they see fit."
A growl rumbled in the back of my throat. "They have no claim to her."
"No," he agreed. "But they're close with her father. They're doing it more for him than anything, I think."
I sighed but nodded. It was hardly an ideal situation, but I couldn't argue against them trying to look out for her for her fathers sake. I felt the guilt come off of her in waves whenever he was mentioned.
"She passed out from over exertion, Carlisle."
I figured, he told me silently. She's better now?
I gave him a curt nod. "She's hunting again. We're going to start training today."
Her aversion field was… impressive. Carlisle's eyes met mine. I didn't need my telepathy to be able to know the direction his thoughts were going.
There had been no limit to Bella's power. And if that theory held true…
Alec's sensory deprivation.
Jane's mental torture.
Chelsea's ability to manipulate emotional ties.
Every power Aro has spent centuries carefully curating were at her fingertips. Powers none of us had ever thought imaginable were very likely brewing inside of her.
The thought nearly made me nauseous.
Not because of the power itself. I had spent ninety years surrounded by Aro's most prized possessions. And after the first few years the boredom set in and I made a habit of studying each and every one of them. Learning how their powers worked. How they ticked.
I could train her, build her mental endurance and hope that once she got a better handle on her power there would be no more fainting. Maybe even fewer earthquakes.
No matter how controlled her power became she would never be safe. Never as content as she said she was last night.
Bella would be hunted for all of eternity if anyone ever found out about her.
"How much do you trust Eleazar? The rest of the Denali clan?"
Less now than I did before your arrival.
"We'll take Kate up on her offer to help Bella train today. But I think it's best if we go our separate ways tonight."
They'll keep what they know quiet, he said, answering my unspoken question. But I agree that it's best if they don't know the extent of her power. And we leave before we find it out ourselves.
I hesitated for a moment. "Carlisle… if you and your family want out—"
"We don't," he said firmly.
One of my brows rose. "Even Rosalie?"
Carlisle sighed. "Rosalie's problem is more about you than Bella."
I nodded. I knew she didn't trust me, not yet. But there was a small part of me that hoped Carlisle took the offer and ran. Took himself and Esme and their family as far away from us as possible.
The more Bella trained, the better handle she got on her power, the bigger a target she was.
We already know too much for running to do any good, he told me quietly.
I flinched. "I'm sorry. I—"
No apologies, Edward. We'll figure it out as a family.
"Figure what out?" Bella asked, surprisingly chipper as she appeared beside me. She reached up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to my chin, her hand sliding into mine. "Oh," she sighed, frowning before anyone could answer. "Me, probably. Sorry. Sometimes it's hard to tell if people are talking or thinking. Which… makes me sound insane. I mean—"
"It's alright," Carlisle said with a kind smile. "Edward had the same problem after his change. Took him a solid year to stop answering my thoughts unprovoked."
Bella smiled over at me. As if that minuscule glimpse into a moment nearly a hundred years ago made her day.
"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked, his mind quickly going through her fainting spell yesterday.
"Peachy," she smiled.
I smiled down at her. She was in an adorably playful mood. As it turned out, an evening of hunting and a copious amount of sex was all she needed to recover.
Her mouth popped open as she stared at me. She quickly snapped it shut, looked at Carlisle with wide eyes, and pressed her lips together.
"Edward and I were discussing our plan," Carlisle said calmly, mentally fighting the urge to chuckle at Bella's rather unimpressive act of nonchalance. "We don't want to overstay our welcome here in Denali, but I've got a house deep in the rockies. Far away enough from civilization for us to work on your control."
"Oh," she sighed. "We're leaving?"
We think it's best if the least amount of people as possible know the true range of what you can do, I told her. Carlisle might trust the Denali coven to an extent, but I don't.
Bella's lips pressed together, her hesitation a surprise to me.
"We'll see what kind of training Kate can offer you today and then head for the Canadian Rockies tonight," Carlisle offered.
"The Rockies…" Bella mumbled. "Do you think—if we're leaving and headed a little south anyway do you think I could check on my Dad? Just to make sure he's okay?"
My palm squeezed her hand.
"I don't think being near civilization before you're completely in control of your power is a wise move," Carlisle told her honestly.
"I'll check on him," I offered, tugging her to my side and letting my arm twine around her waist. "The Denali's don't trust me. Maybe you'll get more out of your training session with Kate if I'm not around. I can run down to Forks and be back before sunset."
"Esme could go with you," Carlisle offered. Keep you from getting into trouble with the wolves, he added.
The shield around Bella's mind faltered and I caught a quick glimpse of her sudden indecision and the sharp stab of fear at the thought of me leaving her, even for an afternoon.
I pulled her into my side, my lips pressed firmly to the top of her head. I'll be back before you have time to miss me.
Unlikely, I got back faintly before the shield was back in place. "You're sure you don't mind? I just wanted to make sure he was… okay. The wolves made it seem like he was struggling and I—"
"I'll check on him," I told her.
"I'll see if Esme is up for joining you," Carlisle said, discreetly giving us a moment alone.
"You'll be back," Bella said softly, as if trying to convince herself of it. "Soon?"
I pulled her into my arms. "Before sunset," I promised.
Stay with Carlisle, I told her quietly. I don't trust the Denali's. Not with you.
—Miss Americana—
The run down to Forks was quick and quiet. Esme accompanying me might have slowed me down slightly, but I had to admit Carlisle was right to insist she come along. If a wolf got in my way I would rather dispose of the problem quickly than let it delay me. Something I was sure Esme would keep me from doing.
She led the way once we crossed into the tiny town of Forks, Washington. I had seen the town in the minds of every Cullen, had seen it in Bella's already fuzzy human memories. And I had to agree with her assessment that there was something… comforting about the town.
It was small and on the edge of being dilapidated, but it was just a hair closer to quaint than decrepit.
Charlie Swan's home was small but sturdy. My unnecessary breath caught in my throat as I caught a glimpse of the clump of rusted metal sitting in his driveway.
"A car accident was the easiest to pull off in such a short amount of time," Esme said quietly.
I nodded, listening for the slow but steady heartbeat inside. "Wait here," I told her a moment before I carefully pushed open the unlocked back door.
The house was dark, but he was home. I could hear his heartbeat, smell his scent as it lingered. It was the early afternoon on a Tuesday. I supposed that meant the chief had taken some time off of work. I caught sight of his holster hanging by the front door, a thick layer of dust coating it and confirming my suspicions.
I took the stairs quickly but quietly until I found him in what had been Bella's bedroom for the short month she had been here. It didn't look like he had touched a single thing, save for the rocking chair he was sitting in. The bed was unmade, seemingly from the last time Bella had slept in it. There were a few miscellaneous clothing items thrown on the end of it, a few scattered on the floor.
Charlie sat in complete silence in the corner of the room. His mind was silent, but not empty. The same kind of silence I got from his daughter. The walls around his mind weren't as strong as hers, I got a few fleeting thoughts from time to time. All about the daughter he felt he failed.
I didn't have Jasper's power to feel what he felt or manipulate it in any way. I didn't have Bella's ability to give him any length of reprieve from the grief. All I could do was make him a silent promise to protect her from here on out.
Someone is on their way in, Edward, Esme's soft voice warned as I backed up toward the staircase.
I met her at the tree line in time to see Jacob Black pull up to a stop in front of the house, his father, Billy, in the passenger seat. They let themselves in, Billy bellowing for his friend and muttering something about a game starting soon.
Esme motioned for us to leave, but I shook my head. Jacob Black was already stalking toward the woods.
"Is Bella okay?"
I snapped, "Bella is none of your concern," at the same time Esme politely answered, "She's fine."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Esme swatted my arm before I could answer. "We were just checking on her father. Bella was worried about him."
"We're taking care of Charlie," Jacob insisted. "Billy spends every weekend forcing him to fish. We bring him dinner every night."
I groaned internally at the gesture I knew Bella would appreciate.
"That's very kind of you," Esme said. "I'll be sure Bella knows he's being taken care of."
"Are you still in Denali?"
Esme wasn't as quick to answer this time.
"Our whereabouts are not your concern."
"They are," he snapped fiercely. "You don't— you bloodsuckers don't understand."
"Understand what?" I sighed. I understood perfectly, but he had no idea I could hear his pining in his thoughts.
That pining shifted as he tried to formulate what he wanted to say. How to get his point across. That tinge of romantic interest in her had faded and been overtaken by something different.
"Bella is… ours."
The growl in the back of my throat reverberated through the woods.
"To protect," he clarified. "Something shifted the day she di-the day she changed. We—the pack—we felt it. This call to protect her."
"Goddamn mutts and their instincts," I muttered to myself.
In the grand scheme of things; in a world where Bella's change was spontaneous and she somehow possessed every power ever known, it was the least outrageous thing to happen. Wolves—shifters—followed the natural order of things. They possessed those natural instincts of their ancestors. It's what usually left them howling at the moon or chasing their tails.
It was another unfortunate piece to the puzzle I didn't want to slide into place.
Bella: her existence, her power, it had a role to play. She had a part in something larger than any of us could comprehend at the moment. A role even the wolves were tasked with protecting.
"Let me come with you," Jacob said quickly. "Seth, too. The two of us—"
I shook my head. "No."
"We're two more people watching her back," he countered. A smugness tingeing his thoughts as he knew he hit his mark.
"Two more mutts," I countered.
The extra protection wouldn't hurt, Edward, Esme added silently.
—Miss Americana—
The run back to Denali was quick. Less peaceful than the one down to Forks because I had to listen to the panting of two dogs in the distance. Thankfully Esme and I ran upwind of the stench.
The main house was empty when we arrived. The backyard barren, save for the scorched ground that had not been there when we left. I walked over the blackened ground, the grass shriveled and roasted.
"Christ," I gasped, leaning down to pluck out a few blades of grass. They disintegrated between my fingers into black rubble.
"She's in the meadow with Carlisle," Rosalie's voice rounded the corner a moment before she did herself. Her eyes were a fresh, bright topaz. Freshly hunted. "In Bella's defense, Kate deserved it. We have been given our eviction notice by Eleazar, though," she sighed.
"What happened?" Esme asked, concern nearly trembling her voice.
"Kate was trying to provoke Bella. Teach her how to use her power defensively. She made some remark about using Edward as bait and Bella, well…" Rosalie motioned to the charred ground.
"Coolest shit I've ever seen," Emmett boasted, rounding the corner and ending up at Rosalie's side. "Kate can knock you on your ass with her shock but Bella can knock you on your ass five miles away. Fucking awesome to watch."
"Eleazar wasn't as impressed. Went off on another omen rant before saying we were no longer welcome here. Carlisle has been trying to calm her down."
I didn't waste any more time with questions. I stopped just on the outskirts of the meadow, a palpable, entirely unsettling feeling thick in the air. I was within range of Carlisle, could see him sitting beside Bella in the center of her meadow.
"Do you… do you think I'm an omen?" Bella asked carefully, her voice strained. Tired.
Carlisle sighed, not bothering to think over his answer before replying. "The word omen tends to come with a dark connotation. I believe in fate," he started. "I believe I was made to find Esme, she was made to find me. Just as you and Edward were destined for each other. That being said, you do seem to… test everything I know of this world. As out of the ordinary as it was, I don't believe it was a coincidence your change started once you were safely with us. I think there is a reason you were actively searching for Edward before you even knew of his existence. I think there is a reason Alice had a vision of you ninety years before your birth. But I do not think any of those are bad things."
"But you think… There is a reason I was born now. Changed now with these powers."
Carlisle sighed. "Vampires with abilities is nothing new but your range… Yes, Bella. I believe there has to be some reason for it. For you."
An icy wind blew through the meadow. "What happens when I can't control it?"
"You'll learn. Everyone always does. Just because one training session ended poorly doesn't mean–"
"I think poorly is an understatement, Carlisle."
He gave her a kind smile. "You'll learn," he repeated. "Perhaps another reason Edward was with the Volturi for so many years. He'll have knowledge on how their powers are handled that nobody else in the world does."
Bella nodded, seemingly unconvinced.
"Now," Carlisle sighed. "If he's done snooping, I'll leave you two to get ready for our departure."
He gave me a nod as he ran by, and I took his spot beside Bella. She kept her eyes downcast, her head falling to where she hugged her knees to her chest.
I pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
She stayed frozen.
"Do you think he'll be okay… eventually?" she asked quietly.
My long-dead heart ached. For her. For her father. "Eventually."
Bella nodded, head still down. I didn't push the subject. Wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it. She had seen what I had, knew as much as I did. There were no words I could give her that would heal the loss of her father, or his loss of his daughter. Eventually would have to cut it for now.
The meadow was silent. That thick, unnerving air swarming around us in an icy wind until it went utterly still as Bella whispered, "I'm scared."
I reached over and gently nudged her chin until she reluctantly lifted her face to meet my eyes. "It's okay to be scared."
Her head fell to my shoulder and I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
That disturbing undercurrent in the air vanished. Bella pressed herself closer to my side and the crisp early spring air was fragrant with wildflowers and sunshine again. She peered up at me, her chin resting on my shoulder, and everything else in the world ceased to matter.
"You lied," she said softly.
I frowned.
"You said you'd be back before I could miss you."
I smiled down at her, brushing a few unruly curls out of her face and cupping her cheek. I pressed my lips to hers once, twice, three times before I lost the willpower to pull away. She crawled into my lap, never breaking the kiss. Her fingers gripped my hair with enough strength to coax a growl from the back of my throat. Mine drifted down her back to her ass, grinding her against my cock to earn a growl of my own from her.
She had me pinned in the grass in an instant, her hands disentangling from my hair and reaching down to tug at the hem of my t-shirt with uncharacteristically careful hands.
I raised my brow at her as she finally tugged the scrap of cotton over my head with a triumphant smile.
"I'm working on not destroying everything I touch," she said, grinning down at me as she shimmied down to my thighs and began to carefully unbutton my jeans.
"Hell of a time to practice," I grunted, resisting the urge to tear the clothing away myself.
She grinned down at me the whole time she carefully tugged the material off of me until she settled herself back on my thighs. She leaned over me, her hair falling in waves around her as she peppered kisses down my chest. Her tongue came out to play as she made her way lower down my abdomen. Her teeth scraped against my hip.
I growled out her name as her palm wrapped around the base of my cock, her tongue coming out to taste the tip. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her eyes locked on mine as I watched her wrap her lips around the head.
I grunted out a curse, fingers reaching up to keep her hair from falling back into her face and getting in the way of my view.
Her eyes never left mine. With every bob of her head taking more and more of me down her throat she kept her attention on me. I felt them on me when my own had to break the contact, my head falling back as her throat constricted around me. They only fluttered closed as I came down her throat.
She pulled away, her tongue darting out to take one last lick before I had her beneath me. The pretty little lavender sundress she had been wearing shredded easily enough, the taste of my own release still on her tongue.
I had no restraint. No patience to take my time. Not with those deep amber eyes pleading up at me or the soft whimpers escaping her throat as my cock brushed against her before I took her. Hard and deep. Until her hair was knotted with grass and flowers, until she came with a scream of my name.
I still didn't stop. Couldn't, not when I had those strong legs wrapped around my waist and her whispered pleas drowning out everything else.
Because I was scared, too. Scared that maybe I wouldn't get enough time. No measure of time would ever be enough with her, but ours seemed doomed from the beginning. Almost destined to be cut far too short.
A/N: Okay, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is I've started working on a short little holiday sequel to my other story, 'tis the damn season. The bad news is I need to put one of my current WIPs on hold in order to get that one finished and ready for posting this fall/winter and the overall consensus from what I've gathered from readers is that they'd prefer this be put on hold.
I am not abandoning this story. I have never and will never post something and not finish it. I adore this story and will complete it.
This isn't a year long break or even a six month break. It's a month, maybe two. And another bit of good news is I do have one chapter pre-written of this still and I'll post that hopefully in the middle of the break so you really won't be without an update for too long.
I just wanted to promise you guys that if you go a few extra weeks without an update on this one, you don't need to worry.
PS: if you're ever wondering about updates or anything, I try to keep everyone updated over on twitter (fragilefanfic).
