5 YEARS AGO

A third whale passed overhead. Its low hum reverberated through the water.

Edward draped his arm over my shoulders, allowing me to lean into his side. The gesture was natural and human. As if we were enjoying an outdoor concert in a park, rather than the magical music of whales at the bottom of the ocean. We shared a small smile, unable to speak as we held our breath.

Once the whales had passed, we began the journey back home. Hand-in-hand, we walked up the sloping sand. Shiny, silver fish darted past as we wandered through a kelp forest. The kelp towered over our heads like trees as yellow sunlight shone fitfully through the canopy. I ran my fingers through tufts of slimy kelp blades and toyed with the fins of a brave, curious seal.

Back on our island, our cottage was just coming together. There was painting to be done, shelves to be built, and windows to be put in, but it felt more and more like a home with each passing day.

Edward emerged from the shower several minutes after I did, rubbing a towel through his tousled bronze hair. I turned Edward's chin to face me, then, ran my finger along the dark circle under his eyes. "You need to hunt."

"I need nothing but you."

Though I rolled my eyes, I was unable to keep the smile off my face for very long. Edward's ridiculous confessions of love still made me senselessly giddy.

"Shall we?" he asked, an arch in his perfect brow.

"You want me to come with you?" I'd been force-feeding myself cow blood since the fiasco in Alaska.

"If you'd like to."

I nodded once. "Yes, I would."

He smiled as his hand enveloped mine. We had just dried off and changed after our whale concert, so we elected to take our small dinghy rather than swim to shore. Once on land, he continued into the forest.

"I had an idea that might help you feed."

"Alright…" I agreed, uncertain. My reluctant feeding habits hadn't improved. I simply did not have the taste for animal blood. I was perfectly content to spend my life unsatisfied in that regard. Whale concerts, private islands, and Edward's glorious presence made up for the shortcoming tenfold. Though I was content, Edward would not rest until he deemed my life perfect and happy. So, I let him test his theories and plan his tricks without argument, or high expectations.

"Give me…" he calculated something in his head, pursing his perfect lips in the most enticing way, "…six minutes. Then, follow me."

After six minutes, I did as I was told. Edward's honey-orange scent was easy to follow through damp moss and sharp pine needles. When the breeze hit just right, the scent struck me. Rust and salt. Unappetizing, yet I knew my role as hunter, and I knew I had to follow it. I discovered the limping creature several yards away. Edward cut a deep gash in its hind leg.

Then, I understood. Edward wanted to entice me with fresh blood.

I supposed it worked. Thick venom filled my mouth as I watched the blood bead up and trickle down into the grass.

The creature was mutilated by my hands before I thought to look at what it was. I drank. Allowed my hunter's instinct to take over cognitive thought. The creature was drained in seconds. I perched up onto my hunches, smelling the air. When the unmistakable scent of blood filled my lungs, I ran after it, unthinking.

As I neared the sound of low growls, I leaped up into the canopy above. I crawled along the branches of the tree like a panther, instinctively avoiding twigs to snap and leaves to rustle. Below, in a small clearing, two mountain lions were engaged in a fight over a large deer. The deer twitched, only partially dead.

I watched their fight with morbid fascination. They circled the deer, never allowing the other to get too close. They clawed at one another, occasionally lunging for their opponents' necks when there was an opening. My mouth watered as blood coated their paws and muzzles. Finally, one overpowered the other, and wrestled it to the ground.

The victor stood over its prey as I dropped into view. It stilled, startled by my sudden appearance.

I smiled.

It bolted.

Though the spoils of battle already lay at my feet, I tore after it, hungrier for the thrill of the hunt than I was for blood. I caught it just as I leaped into a tree, bringing the branch down with it. A loud crack shook the leaves. Whether it was from the wood or the creature's bones, I did not know. I ripped into its neck. Warm, thick blood oozed out over my fingers. I licked each one.

Just as I lowered my lips, something more enticing tickled my nose. Blood richer and more decadent than what lay before me. A molten chocolate cake compared to a rice cake. I cast the creature in my lap aside in favor of this new, tempting scent.

I followed the scent deeper into the woods. Just as I was about to close in on my prey, the scent traveled further into the woods. I followed. Soon, I was chasing it at my fastest speed. I didn't understand. No creature in the world could outrun a vampire, other than a vampire.

I pushed myself to move faster, and eventually, I came upon a red-headed vampire. He held my prey captive, slung over his shoulder.

I roared with fury.

"Stop," he growled.

I bared my teeth, prepared to fight.

He lay the unconscious human on the forest floor, keeping his gaze locked on mine.

I threw myself at him, lashing out with all my limbs and gnashing my teeth. He caught me by the jaw and slammed me onto the ground. He began to pin me to the ground, placing his legs over mine. One of his hands held mine, the other remained on my jaw. I slammed my elbow into his eye socket with all my might. He reeled back. Inspired by the mountain lions, I crawled onto his back and bit between his shoulder blades.

He flipped over, crushing me into the ground. I flailed my limbs, helplessly. He was too large, his body covered every inch of mine. The pulsing of the wet, meaty human heart called to me, begging me to crush it in my palms. Trapped as I was, it would continue to beat, taunting me. Devastated by my loss, I screamed so loud I thought I would rupture my throat.

The vampire eased up the smallest bit to look back at me.

His dire mistake.

Gifted that opportunity, I rolled toward the body, prepared to smash my hand through the ribcage. The body slipped from underneath me at the last moment. My fist hit the ground with a thunderous boom.

"God damn it, Bella!" he roared. He pulled me back by the ends of my hair. My head slammed onto the forest floor. There was a crack and a dull ache in my leg. I ignored it, blindly crawling towards the human scent. There was another crack. And suddenly, I couldn't move my lower body anymore.

I dug my fingers into the dirt, prepared to drag myself to my prey.

"Stop!" The vampire begged. "Please!"

The breaking voice tore at my chest like a claw. I keeled over in agony, granting him the opportunity to overpower me once more. His golden eyes stilled me into a stunned silence. An undeniable sadness swirled within their depths. I knew something was wrong. Nothing so beautiful should ever suffer such sorrow.

I blinked. "Edward?"

"I'm so sorry." His voice shook, breaking me.

I reached for his face. "Edward…"

"I was never supposed to hurt you. I promised you I would never, ever hurt you."

I remembered the ache in my lower half. Edward removed himself from on top of me, revealing my knee, completely crushed. My other leg was in worse shape. Mangled beyond recognition.

Cradling it gently in his hands, he spoke between sobs. "You weren't supposed to come this way… I set your trail the other way… but you came across those lions…"

I unwillingly tore my eyes away from him towards the human to our left, unconscious, but alive. I strayed from Edward's planned route, towards an innocent hiker. Edward found him before I did, tried to escape with him. But I was relentless. I hunted them down, forcing Edward between a rock and a hard place. He saved this man's life.

A feat that was completely lost on him.

"You wouldn't stop… I didn't know how else to get you to stop…" Edward's hands gripped his hair as he collapsed in on himself. "What have I done to you?" Tearless sobs rippled through him.

I took in the sight of my agonized lover with horror. I did this to him. I caused him pain. Because I chose vampirism, Edward would suffer.

"God," he cried out. A strangled cry that pierced through my gut like a knife. His fingers flew to my face, gentle as a butterfly's wings. "Are you okay? That's all that matters. That you're okay."

"Yes," I lied. "I'm okay."

His shoulders dropped with visible relief. My heart dropped with them.

CURRENT DAY

La Bella Libra was located off the Main Street of the tiny mountain town of Black Mountain between an old-fashioned barber shop and the lush landscape. Located high up the in Smokey Mountains, the shop's windows were clouded over by the ever-present fog.

The first floor was a typical bookshop, stuffed with our favorites, popular titles, and new releases. Up a central staircase, we tore out an old apartment and opened it up to display an impressive collection of older books—many rare first editions that the Cullens were willing to part with. Among the shorter bookcases, vignettes of comfortable couches, tables, and chairs were spread around the room. The apartment kitchenette was turned into a commercial-grade bar, where customers could buy treats, teas, coffees, and cocktails created with our special lavender-infused honey. Further up an iron spiral staircase Edward installed, the old attic was transformed into a quiet study space, where people could rent rare texts from Carlisle's private collection or study their own materials.

Owning a bookstore was one of my wildest fantasies. Since the morning I woke up and saw Edward in my rocking chair across the room, nothing had felt like real life. This bookshop was a testament to that. It was a dream come true.

I set up the mugs and cocktail glasses on the floating shelf above the bar, following the diagram Esme drew up for me. If I focused, and didn't squeeze too hard or move too quickly, I could handle the glass without breaking it. It had been a slow process for me to control my strength. I was still convinced I had retained my clumsiness from my human life, despite Edward's protests. No other trait or power had become apparent in almost six years. No invisibility. No shield. No mind control.

No cool powers for Isabella Swan.

Downstairs, I heard Edward explain our business plan to a curious woman. She had wandered in from the sidewalk, and Edward let her in. As I unpacked the wine glasses, the woman—named Francesca of all things—helped Edward arrange the books on the shelves.

"Oh," she marveled. I wasn't sure if the awe in her voice was inspired by our shop or Edward's face. "The students at UNC will definitely want to escape campus to study here."

"That's the hope."

"I hope to come here as well. You will be around, won't you?"

I rolled my eyes at her shameless flirting. It was something I would have to get used to. After all, Edward was—.

Crack.

Crap.

I broke one of the glasses.

"Bella?" Edward called from downstairs. "Bella, Sweetheart?"

"I'm alright," I called back, loud enough for the customer to hear as well. "Dropped a glass."

"Sorry about that. My fiancée is a bit of a klutz," Edward explained, a smile in his voice.

"Fiancée?" she repeated, a pang of jealousy in her voice. I felt for her. The poor thing thought she stumbled into a sweet romance with a gorgeous local bookshop owner. She handled the news better than I would have. If I had first encountered Edward posing as a bookshop owner in a small town, I would have gone absolutely feral with desire for him. Tore through anything and anyone that would have kept us apart.

Luckily, there was no need. I got to live the fantasy romance with the gorgeous bookshop owner and the immortal vampire behind the façade.

"Yes. She's… not well." Edward began our agreed-upon cover story with an appropriate amount of sadness in his voice.

"She's sick?"

"Not infectious at all, not to worry. It's chronic. She's been prone to fainting, recently. Pun intended." His chuckle to lighten the mood felt perfectly forced. It held the amount of worry that someone would expect. Hollywood celebrities aspired to be as good of an actor as Edward was.

Carlisle suggested this story after I disclosed my interaction with Jasper to him—his son's belief that I wasn't fully ready to integrate into human society. As I knew he would, Carlisle found a solution that would appease Jasper, allow me to put forth my best effort, and keep Edward completely clueless.

The chronic illness gave people an excuse so they wouldn't wonder why they rarely saw Edward's fiancée. Fainting would be our signal if something was too much for me, so Edward could quickly swoop in and rush me out of the room.

"That's so sad," Francesca whispered.

I was certain the returning smile Edward offered was dazzling. In fact, I could hear her heartbeat pick up.

The sound of her heartbeat brought unwanted venom into my mouth. I swallowed it, but more followed. Without my consent, my muscles tensed, ready to pounce.

"Edward!" I called out.

"Excuse me."

"Oh," Francesca started, "I should go."

"I'm so sorry," Edward called back, already rushing up the stairs. "We open on Saturday!"

I was prepared for moments like this. Cut off my breath. Squeezed my eyes shut. Held every muscle tight.

"It's alright, Love," he whispered, scooping me up and into his arms. He kicked open the floor-to-ceiling window we had installed solely for this purpose and hurled me into the woods behind the shop. I tucked and rolled out of the way of a tall pine tree, only to land in a bush with a face full of dirt.

I rolled over onto my side, bringing my knees into my chest. Already, the crisp mountain air dulled the bloodlust. And the embarrassing crash landing shamed the monster within me back into hiding.

Edward landed lightly beside me without a jolt, like a cat.

"This is a bad idea," I said, resting my cheek against a pile of damp leaves.

"Nonsense, it's a great idea. You can remain hidden and out of the way as long as you need to."

"No one will believe you can run that shop by yourself."

"Esme or Rose will help me. Or I'm sure Francesca would be happy to swing by and help whenever she could."

"Ugh." I rolled back onto my back and spread my limbs out wide. "Of course, she would. Every eligible bachelorette is going to be in that store waiting for me to die."

"I'll make it perfectly clear I would never move on from my beloved."

"And just how will you casually convey something like that?"

"I'll wear it on a T-shirt."

I laughed. Then, stood and walked into his awaiting arms. Edward rubbed his thumb against the spot on my neck where he used to always find a knot when I was human. There was no knot, there never would be again. "You haven't hurt anyone in years, Bella. You're strong enough to stop yourself. That's what we all are. Strong enough to stop ourselves."

Edward's words were kind and comforting, but simply not true. I sighed.

"I didn't remember an engagement being a part of our cover story."

He laughed. The sound caused a stray beam of sunlight to push through the clouds.

"Like it or not, you did agree to marry me, eventually. So, technically, you are my fiancée." His playful grin grew wicked, "I can get a ring and make it official."

"You can't trust me with anything nice. We both know I'll lose it."

He slid his fingers under mine and gave them all a little flutter. "I can weld it to your hand now."

I couldn't tell whether he was joking or not.

"Why don't you go home?" He pulled my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on the knuckle of my thumb. "I'll close the shop and meet you there."

"No, we need to finish setting up. I'm okay now," I lied. "Really."

I expected Edward to insist I go home. It was what Jasper would have done. Instead, he nodded and gestured to the back door of the shop. I led the way, unsure of how I felt about Edward's unshakable trust and love.

After a full day's work at a steady, human pace, La Bella Libra was ready for customers. Paneled in pine and draped with colorful, bookish tapestries, it was more perfect and beautiful than I ever could have hoped. As if he was thinking the same, Edward's arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me in for a deep kiss.

"I can't believe I get to live this life with you one hundred times."

"One thousand times." He corrected, resting his forehead against mine. "Let's check up on the rest of the family."

Our houses were high up in the mountains. The main house was so isolated amidst the difficult terrain, that it had a helicopter pad in lieu of a driveway, though we never used it. No human would be able to accidentally stumble onto the property without climbing equipment or a parachute.

Rosalie and Esme were already inside, giggling over a failed pottery experiment involving horsehair and an open flame. Carlisle bought his wife and daughter studio space in a prime location in the River Art District of Asheville, overlooking the water. They threw mud in front of a large window, so people could watch them work. We all assumed most people stopped to gawk at the beautiful women rather than the art being carefully sculpted.

Across town in downtown Asheville, Alice ran a charm bracelet shop, where people could choose from hundreds of charms to create their own jewelry. In the small college town of Cullowhee, down the road from Asheville, Jasper and Emmett took over a bowling alley, against everyone's better judgment. They thought owning the failing business was hilarious and spent their time subtly pranking senior leagues, college intramural teams, and children's birthday parties.

Alice arrived after we did, complaining about late shipment orders from an artist in LA. Jasper and Emmett came home after closing their bowling alley at midnight. Carlisle was the last to arrive from his shift at the hospital and embraced his wife.

There were no chores to perform. No meal to make. The eight of us retreated to the backyard, where Emmett started a bonfire and we all talked about our days.

"There's actually a fascinating science behind these glazing techniques," Rosalie spoke to Carlisle, "I would love to show you."

"There's also a fascinating science behind bowling that I have to show you," Emmett teased.

Rosalie frowned at her husband. "I know you're trying to make fun of me, but there is a science behind bowling. It's called physics."

As the hour grew late, the couples split up to have a few quiet moments to themselves before the day began all over. Rosalie and Emmett were first—as always, according to my new siblings-and had a gorgeous cabin in the woods surrounded by rose bushes and filled with plush, velvet furniture. Alice and Jasper had a roofless structure way at the mountain's peak, for star gazing. Alice's desire for closet space kept them at the main house with Carlisle and Esme most of the time, so they only needed a small retreat every once in a while.

Edward helped build our small house—the smallest of them all, at my request. Neither of us had an eye for architecture and design, so our house was simple. The cabin surrounded a large tree, incorporating the ancient oak into the living room. An upright piano sat up on the loft, along with a record player and Edward's favorite records—the Baby Grand and the majority of his collection was kept at the main house.

As I changed into something comfortable, the gentle titter from the piano filled the air. A soft soundtrack to my movements, as Edward watched from above. A flutter of high-pitched notes as I brushed my hair to the side. A jaunty tune as I crossed the room. A key smash when I dropped my clothes on the floor had us both laughing.

I joined him up in the loft where he continued to compose. As I read my book, I listened to him play and rework sections until they were perfect to his ears. He played the song all the way through, and it tugged at a memory from the deep recesses of my mind.

"The plane ride home from Italy," I guessed. The song was triumphant, with a deep, underlying tone of dread. On the plane ride home from Italy, both of us were thrilled to be alive and reunited while terrified of the other's looming rejection we both thought was inevitable.

"That's right!" he beamed. Edward's current project was to compose our relationship while I was human into song. In the end, he would have an entire orchestration of the beginning of our love. His hope was for the music to keep the memories fresh in my mind. Details were getting fuzzier with every passing day, but thanks to Edward's compositions, I retained the large picture.

Pleased with myself, I returned to my book, nestled under a pile of blankets on a daybed under a large, circular window. Edward started the composition from the beginning, to ensure the new piece flowed seamlessly with the rest.

It was perfect. A life only described in idyllic novels. As long as I could keep the bloodlust in check.