Big thanks to my girls for keeping me in line. So many details when creating a new world.
She leads me through the hallways of the palace, and I'm stunned when I realize how far away Edward has taken me. Just as I start to recognize my surroundings, two people round the far corner, and my breath lodges in my throat as my best friend spots me.
"Bella," she yells, tears streaming down her cheeks.
It's like a movie.
Both of us take off, arms open, feet racing.
We're hugging each other in mere seconds, and Rose sobs as I hold her. "I thought I'd lost you."
I rub her back, swallowing my own tears. "Royce will never see you again."
A roar echoes off the palace walls, and the connection between Edward and me strains under his distress. He can feel the cacophony of emotions that run through me, and it has him on edge—cagey and unsure.
I send serene waves of green through the cord.
He settles slightly.
Still impatient.
"What's going on, Bella?" Rose pulls back, wiping her face. "Emmett said something about a ceremony and you saving me. Please tell me you didn't make a deal."
Emmett, the guard from the transport, snorts.
"I didn't make a deal," I reassure her, linking our elbows as I urge her to follow Alice. Edward is pacing like a caged animal. "But something did happen."
"It must not be too bad," she replies, eyes moving over me. "You look beautiful."
"It's not bad at all." The bond between my prince and me strengthens, coiling into a giant ball and lodging in my chest. I feel like I could float away on pure love alone. "Prince Edward and I have bonded for life."
Her feet stop moving, and we come to a halt. "How? What…"
"I don't know how," I reply, shrugging. "It hasn't happened in over a hundred years, but it did. I can feel him, his love for me. It pulses inside me." I tap my chest. "And if you'd like, as Princess of Kingdom Cullen, I can offer you a position as my personal attendant and it will override a recall request from Forks."
"Oh, my god." She throws herself into my arms, the waterworks freely flowing once again. "I can't believe this. Yes. Of course, I'll be whatever you need. You're my best friend."
Alice and the guard, Emmett is what Rose called him, take the lead after that. They allow Rose and me the appearance of privacy to murmur among ourselves as we make our way to where the ceremony will be held.
"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend," she whispers, snickering quietly. "I imagined a lot of things when we set out on this trip, but this wasn't on my bingo card."
"Mine either," I reply, shrugging. "But when our eyes met, the world shifted beneath my feet."
"Whoa." She's quiet for a minute, processing. "So that's it? Does that mean all the applicants are dismissed or…"
I huff a laugh, knowing this answer only because Edward's mind is my own. "We haven't discussed it, but yes, they'll be dismissed and compensated for their time." I lean closer, whispering very quietly. "Even that ditsy redhead."
Alice's laughter fills quiet space, and my cheeks heat. "She would've never made the cut." When I tilt my head, confused, she elaborates, "The description was specific, and she didn't live up to it. Had Edward made it to her during the ceremony, he would've cast her out."
"Why?" Rose asks. "Bella's isn't blonde."
"Edward outlined a specific look," Alice replies, falling back to walk beside us. "Bella, here, destroyed that idea, but this,"—she smiles, sighing—"the mating bond, is truly special and better than we could've ever hoped for."
"You don't think it's strange that it occurred with a human?" Rose asks, and I'm glad because I'm so lost in my bond with Edward that I haven't questioned anything.
"Maybe, but our kind lost something precious when the mating bond disappeared, so this is a miracle for us," Alice tells her. "Edward has laid eyes on every female Cullenite in the kingdom, so it wasn't going to happen otherwise."
"Why didn't he just use surrogates from Kingdom Cullen for the breeding program I applied for?" Again, good old Rose with her excellent questions.
Alice's dark, soulful eyes fall. "Our community has shrunken so visibly that we're at risk of inbreeding. So our father decreed that we're to breed beyond our species so that we may thrive."
Alice's reasoning is sound, but I don't miss the glassiness of her eyes. "Something's wrong," I say, touching her arm. "What's bothering you about this?"
"I'd already developed feelings for a fellow Cullenite." A low rumble emits from her chest. "And now, I'm expected to produce children with another species. I don't have a choice."
"Oh, Alice," I say, wrapping my arm across her taut shoulders and pulling her into a side hug. "I'm so sorry."
"It really is okay, Bella." She sighs away the growl. "It hurts, but this experiment has breathed new life into our kingdom, and that's exciting. Who knows, maybe my human is out there too."
"When will male humans be brought in?" Rose is back to questions.
"That will be up to Father, but I won't be of breeding age for another year."
"Excuse me, ladies," Emmett says. "We've arrived at the ceremony space." He juts out two elbows. "Princess, Rosalie, would you allow me to escort you to your seats?" His cool blue eyes shift to me. "Edward will be out to walk with you momentarily."
Rose squeezes my hand, and I watch my best friend flirt with the canid guard as he leads her into the room. I also noticed he called her Rosalie. No one calls her that, except her mother whom she hates, so there's definitely been some story-sharing happening at some point since he dragged her away from me.
I'll have to keep my eyes on it.
Eeek!
One week from today we get a new chapter!
See you Thursday for the final O/S chapter.
P.S. I'll post a teaser Thurs on my FB profile Fyrebyrd Fics—friend me :)