Thanks to M&M!

"This is going to be a long two days," I say, admiring the sleek profile of my mate as he combs through his mane.

"Tomorrow night at the latest." He meets my eyes in the mirror, the bond around us dancing with barely restrained lust. "I'll ride into the early morning just to wake you with my cock." My thighs clench, and my mate growls. "The longer it takes me to leave, the later I return."

I sigh, pushing down the need that smolders like a pit of lava inside me. "Fine." I'm petulant, but also pragmatic. "You should go immediately, then."

Edward chuckles, putting down his comb and pulling me into his embrace. His tail strokes my thigh. "Walk me out?"

"Of course," I reply, savoring this final private moment.

His green eyes are bright and youthful, full of aspiration that he can accomplish his goal. His mane is perfectly kempt and regal, with dark tones where it grows from his skin and golden and flowy where it cascades across his shoulders and down his back.

I close my eyes and sear the mental image in my mind.

Reserved but hopeful.

Dedicated and determined.

If there's one abundantly clear thing, it's that King Carlisle is right. No being aside from Edward has the power to persuade Kingdoms, and this trip is a vital component of Rose's permanent freedom. It's a very small price to pay for such a treasured prize.

I recognize the glint in his eyes as he bends forward, and I meet him halfway, pressing my mouth to his. Shimmery bright pink sizzles and pops in the air around us as his tongue invades my mouth. As expertly as only Edward can, he twirls and thrusts, surrounding me in sandpaper and love, tongue-tying me in the most delicious way.

And when the pink darkens as it fades into red, he pulls away with a sigh. Pressing his forehead against mine, he murmurs, "I love you, Princess Isabella."

"And I love you, my prince." I cup his cheek for a brief moment before taking his proffered elbow and encouraging him to lead me from our home.

As are most, it's a bright, beautiful day in Kingdom Cullen. Tiny puffs of white float in the deep blue sky and the pale-yellow orb that warms Planet Eclipse is beaming almost directly overhead. The star we orbit is too far away to support life, but a group of Canines who settled here long before humans engineered the orb, and it's much like a giant solar panel. It absorbs heat and projects it onto us so our small planet can thrive.

"I've been sent to see what was keeping you," Rose says as soon as the elevator opens on the ground floor. "How wonderful that you're almost on time. I know how hard this is, but I promise to take excellent care of her in your absence, Prince Edward." She does an un-Rose-like courtesy, and I nearly roll my eyes.

But Edward humors her with an approving tilt of his head. "I trust you implicitly when it comes to my mate, Rose."

"That's lovely news, your highness." She offers me a cheeky smile. "My plan is to keep her so busy she's unlikely to even notice your absence."

He lifts a thick brow, sending a threadlike string of red passion meandering through our bond. "That won't be as easy as you think, but good luck."

My heart thrums as it dances through me, from my chest, wrapping around my heart, to my belly, swirling and flipping it upside down. Then it dances lower, a zap of electricity, a whisper against my thighs as it disappears and leaves me yearning. Staying upright has suddenly become a chore as I ache to take my prince and retreat to our home, locking the world away and forgetting everyone else exists.

Rose narrows her eyes, moving them between us, and I ignore her completely.

"Has Garrett prepared the transportation I requested?" Edward asks before she can say something inappropriate.

"He has," she replies, furrowing her brow as she looks at him. "Why have you asked him to accompany you on the trip and not Emmett?"

Edward pauses, burning her with a scorching glare. "My most trusted guard stays here."

"No, my prince," I say, worried now as I had no idea he'd planned to leave Emmett behind. He is traveling to his home, after all. "He is meant to guard your life."

"Oh, Bella," he says, cocooning my cheek in his large, soft palm. "You, these babies, are my life."

Tears rush to my eyes, but as soon as the anguish takes hold, he pushes a new emotion through our bond and into my heart.

Trust.

And it's easy to accept since I do.

Wholeheartedly.

I expel my worry with one long breath. "Garrett will be a fine traveling companion."

Edward huffs a laugh. "If I don't kill him before we arrive."

"He can be insufferable," I say with a snort.

"I'd take him over Emmett any day," Rose adds, causing both Edward and me to look at her before shifting our gazes to each other and bursting into laughter.

"Can it," she snaps, causing us to laugh harder. "Oh, look. You're already running late."

That sobers us up.

Two desert scrapers sit running with Garrett standing at the ready. "My prince," he says, straddling the dangerous-looking hunk of metal with two giant inline wheels. "Time is of the essence."

Edward turns to me one final time, and with a kiss on my forehead, he utters, "Tomorrow."

He straddles his scraper and never looks back.

Rose and I stand there for another five minutes listening to the whine of the engines as they move further away. She puts her arm around my shoulder and says, "Everything is going to be okay, Bella. I feel it in my gut."

But that's the thing about gut feelings.

They have no basis in fact.

Because several hours later as we laugh and joke while working in the twins' room, everything comes to a screeching halt.

A jolt of energy surges through my bond with Edward, and it's so exhilarating that by the time it fades, I'm left disoriented and confused. It takes me several minutes to get myself together enough to understand that something is wrong.

I close my eyes and reach for Edward's calming force, his reassurance that everything is fine.

But I run into a roadblock.

A nasty, gaping wound.

And that's when I realize, I don't feel him at all.

Our connection has been severed.

Eeeeeek!

See you Monday :)