His body seemed to tremble slightly as he closed the distance between us. He is now just an arms length away. I could practically feel his breath against my face.

He gave me a tight smile. "Bella, what a surprise,"

Not exactly the response that I had been hoping for. I had expected just a bit more enthusiasm. I wasn't expecting him to fall to his knees in excitement, or wrap me up in his muscular arms. But something more than, what a surprise, would have been nice.

"You two met?" Emmett watched between us with a bewildered look.

I felt my face warm as realization struck me. I slept with both of them. The awkwardness of this moment was overwhelming. I almost wanted to throw myself under the desk and hide.

"Do you remember when I was mentioning a few weeks ago, running into the artist that captured Tanya and Jasper in the midst of their affair in a painting?"

So that was her name, the woman that Edward had been married to. Tanya. I wonder if she was a reaper, like the two of them. She was probably beautiful. I don't why it even mattered to me one way or the other. It really wasn't my business. But I couldn't choke back the slight distaste in my mouth.

Emmett snorted, before clearing this throat. "Something like that, but I think you were more hung up on the earth-shatteringly amazing sex that you wouldn't stop bragging about."

He really thought that?

My face heated up all the way to my ears.

Edward sheepishly glanced at me, before throwing a glare at his brother. "Anyway, this is the artist," He said as he narrowed his eyes. "Care to explain, why is she here, standing in my office?"

Emmett's jaw dropped open slightly, his eyes going wide. He glanced between me and Edward. But suddenly he was enraged.

"Are you telling me, you are a bastard that marked her and just left her alone? You didn't bother explaining anything to her?" He took a few steps closer, moving slightly between the two of us.

Edward didn't even flinch, but his expression turned sour. His eyes shifted to a dark ominous dark gray. "Not that it is any of your business."

It was clear to me that the two of them didn't naturally get along. Hard to understand why that is. They seem like basically the same person. They are two hot-headed jerks. But I've seen the kindness in both of them. I don't know why they were acting like sulking children.

"It's my business now, because I ended up marking her as well. But unlike you, I explained things and brought her in to get these marks removed."

Edward's jaw snapped shut as he got in his brother's face. "You marked her?! Why in the hell would you do that?" I've never seen anyone this outraged. Papers began to fly around the room as the tension in the air was escalating. They appeared to be two volcanoes, about to erupt. I didn't think getting in the middle of this discussion was going to make things any better. And even if it did, I couldn't find my voice to speak.

Emmett shrank back slightly, sensing that a fight was about to ensue. "I didn't do it on purpose, it must have happened when we were…" He paused, glancing towards me for a second.

I swallowed hard, still unwilling to speak up. I didn't want to be under Edward's mercy next.

Edward's eyes just seemed to get darker by the second, his face twisted in rage. "Let's hear it,"

"We had sex, we were drunk, it probably happened then," He said with a frown.

At his words I gasped in shock when Edward drew his fist back and launched a hard punch, right in Emmett's face. I quickly backed away from them as they began to fight. Punches were flying, furniture was thrown, the room was turning into a disaster area. Glass started to shatter from behind them as debris was thrown around. There was some kind of wind blowing around us, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It didn't start until Edward lost control over his temper. Maybe if I could just calm him down…

I couldn't find a safe place to stand. I had to stop them, before they killed each other.

"Stop, you two are brothers," I shouted at them with some force.

Edward was the first to respond, he turned to me, still glaring, he looked as though my words had cut him like a knife. Emmett appeared to be calming down, he attempted to straighten up his clothing.

They separated from each other, Edward on one side and Emmett on the other. They looked out of breath and worn out, but what was amazing was neither one had even a scratch on them. Edward's shirt was ripped up a bit, revealing his glorious body. While Emmett's entire shirt was in pieces. He only seemed really concerned with his brown curls at the top of his head, he hastily tried running his hands through the knots.

"She is right Edward, I don't know what I did to offend you, but I'm sorry. Alright?" He held his hand out to his brother with a heavy sigh.

Edward ignored him coldly, instead he turned his back on him and walked over to where I stood. My body went tense at his closeness. But I didn't feel fear. He was much taller than me, I could feel his body just brush up against mine.

"Edward," I muttered quietly.

But his hard look on me made me stop talking. He was upset with me. I couldn't understand why. Did he think I was using the money he gave me for alcohol? I had promised him that I wouldn't use that money for anything like that. And I kept my promise. I used the money that I earned from working to go out to the bar last night. Or was it just the fact that I slept with his brother. I guess I would have been upset as well.

Without a word, he lifted my arm. He bitterly made a face as he analyzed Emmett's mark on my skin. Closing his eyes, I felt a pulling sensation, it only took a second before the tattoo began to slowly pool up to the surface of my skin, turning to dust and disappearing from sight. There was no pain or discomfort from this, but it did seem to affect Emmett; who winced, from the other side of the room. He was watching us closely. I couldn't tell what was going through his mind. But I had a feeling that he wasn't happy.

Once the tattoo was completely gone, Edward's eyes captured mine. "I don't want anyone to ever touch you like that again." His voice was dark, but gentle.

Before I could respond, Emmett walked over with an annoyed look on his face. "What about your mark, aren't you going to remove it as well?"

Edward rolled his eyes, barely giving his brother a look. "I can't remove it."

Silence fell upon the room now. The only thing I could hear was my own heart skipping in my chest. It was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"What do you mean, you can't remove it. You didn't even try." Emmett said with narrowed eyes.

Please don't tell me they aren't going to go back to beating each other senselessly again. I don't think I could handle another round of their insane reaper fighting. I don't think this office could handle another fight. This room was wrecked, beyond belief. It would surely take forever to get this place fixed. I mean, one of them had managed to put a filing cabinet through the window.

"When I realized that I marked her, I tried removing it immediately. But it didn't work." Edward continued, turning back to look at me. His eyes shifted to a deep emerald. "That's why I didn't stick around and explain things. I wanted her to be free to make her own choices and live her own life."

I couldn't stop the tiny smile that came to my face as I realized what he was saying. But with the realization, nausea hit my stomach as well. Did this mean… that I was Edward's life partner? No, nope. This wasn't happening. I wasn't ready. I didn't want this. It's not that I didn't like the guy, but I sure as hell am not ready to date anyone. I've never had a boyfriend, let alone some kind of supernatural soulmate nonsense.

"Edward, come on, that's not possible. Try again." Emmett insisted.

"Look, if I keep coming in contact with her and the mark, it's only going to strengthen the connection. I was able to separate myself from her the first time, because it was a weak connection."

"W-well what would happen, if you did try again? How would it affect us?" I spoke quietly. I chewed my bottom lip, hoping to calm myself down.

"It would make things much harder to stay away from each other. This connection is linked soul deep. There will be a permanent desire we will feel to be together. It's something I have no experience with, so it would more or less be something we would learn along the way." Edward admitted.

I couldn't gather any information on how he was feeling about all of this. At the moment he was a stone wall.

"So, you didn't mark Tanya?" I muttered quietly.

Edward wrinkled his nose as a look of distaste came to his face. "Thankfully no, the eternal marking can only be given to one person. It's actually not a very common phenomenon. I only know a handful of others that had actually found their life partner to mark."

"Would it be worth giving it another try?"

"I'll leave that up to you. That's exactly why I chose to keep you out of my world. I wanted you to make the choice. I don't want you to feel that you are forced to care for me." He spoke, but as his eyes flickered down my body, I felt a spark of desire bounce between us.

With him being so close, it made it hard to concentrate. I took a shaky breath, feeling my legs tremble just slightly. He noticed and a slight smirk came to his face. Edward took a tiny step back from me, giving me a little space. He knew that his presence had an effect on me, and he was enjoying every second of this.

"Okay, let's give it one more try. If it works, then we can part ways as friends," I said with a nod.

"And if it doesn't work?" Edward mused.

"I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there."

Edward chuckled, giving a genuine smile for the first time. "So you are a woman of chance. Something tells me that you are going to be troublesome."

"You should think this through carefully Bella. This could change your life dramatically. Being connected to a reaper is not an easy life." Emmett said gently.

I laughed darkly, finding his choice of words to be ironic. "Well, at this point in my life, things couldn't get any harder than they already are. But since I met the two of you, things are starting to get a little better. So, I'm willing to take the leap. I have nothing left to lose."

Edward eagerly took my arm, the one he had marked a few weeks ago. He eyed his inscription with a look of pride. The contact between us, sent a pulsating jag up my arm, from my wrist to my shoulder. He closed his eyes as he took in a slow breath. I did the same, hoping that this might help our chances.

I wasn't sure how long we stood like that, but the longer I felt his hand on me, the faster my heart pounded. Suddenly I felt an emotional wall melt away like butter on a hot stove. I opened my eyes to look into pools of green. Dizzily my hands reached out to lay on his firm chest. His arms slid down to wrap around my waist. His gaze was intense. Every cell of my body was screaming to get closer, to press my lips against his, I wanted more and more until I would overflow.

"It didn't work," He whispered quietly, leaning down to let his chin rest on the top of my head.

Instinctively I felt my own head lay on his chest, I could hear his strange fluttering pulse under my ear.

I forced my eyes back down to my arm, his mark appeared to have spread all the way up to my shoulder and now was even darker than before. It was intricate and very beautiful.

"I see that, but… well at least it is nice to look at."

Edward chuckled, bringing me in closer. "Not as nice as you are to look at."

My cheeks ignited by his comment, I let my eyes close again. I wanted to stand like this forever. I felt safe. But I could hear an annoyed sigh coming from behind me.

"Emmett, if you have something to say, then spit it out." Edward grumbled at him, lifting his head just enough to meet his brother's cold gaze.

"As lovely as this all is, it's against the rules for humans to know the truth about the reaper society." Emmett continued with a deep frown coming to his face.

"I believe you were the one to tell her everything, weren't you? I haven't broken any rules." Edward shot back with a smirk.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Yes, with the intent of kindly removing the marks and erasing her memory of all of this. It's protocol. We came up with these rules for a reason."

"These rules don't apply to a human that's been marked. And you know that." Edward snapped at him.

I could feel his anger, it was almost as if our emotions were tied together in a knot. I could sense my own feelings, but Edward's as well. The anger was just a small flicker of unpleasantness. Easy to ignore, but uncomfortable all the same.

"So what do you propose we do? She can't just go back to her normal human life. Your marking is going to make her a target."

I stiffened, looking up to Edward curiously. "A target?"

Edward frowned slightly, his hand rubbing a small circle against my back. The feeling brought me to a state of bliss.

"Reapers aren't the only supernatural thing in the world. But that conversation is for another time." Edward said lightly, letting go of me.

The lack of contact left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. I swung my arms around myself, attempting to sedate my frazzled nerves. I instantly missed his touch, so badly that I could barely breathe.

I didn't like this feeling, not one bit. I couldn't rebel against my emotions. I couldn't take a step back and rebuild my wall. My door was permanently opened, for Edward to have full access. It was terrifying. I've never allowed someone into my heart this way before. I felt sick. Part of me wanted to leave, but the other part of me wanted to never leave Edward's side. It felt like I was going through some kind of emotional crisis. The more I fought against these new feelings, the deeper I felt myself slip.

Edward cleared his throat as he tried to neatly fix his shredding clothing. "I think I have a solution to this little problem." A smug smile flashed across his face.

"Well let's hear this brilliant idea of yours." Emmett snorted, not appearing amused at all.

"I've been meaning to fire Alice for a while now. She has my reaping lists a complete mess." Edward said casually as he walked over to his desk; that was nearly broken in half. The files and paperwork that had once been all over this desk was spread all over the floors. But this didn't seem to bother Edward.

"Seriously, you're going to fire Alice, she has been your books-keeper for the past six years, she is the best of the best." Emmett said with the click of his tongue.

"Yes, she was the best. So, I'm sure she will be able to train Bella to take over her position easily."

Emmett rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "You are being completely irrational. This isn't like you at all brother." He muttered, before looking in my direction. "Are you alright with this?"

Edward looked at me as well, raising a brow.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know a thing about book-keeping. I've only just recently learned that reapers exist. I'm not sure that I am qualified to accept the position." I admitted with a sad smile. "Besides, I'm working two jobs right now, I would probably have to quit one of them…"

"You have a lot to learn, that's acceptable. You can train with Alice for as long as you need. And being a book-keeper for a reaper is very profitable. You would easily make double or triple the amount you are making now." Edward said with a slight shrug to his shoulders.

"How much money exactly?"

"Well, I believe the book-keepers are paid about two thousand dollars a week. I'd have to double check with our human resources department of course." Edward said with a thoughtful look.

I almost choked at the thought of making that much money. I wouldn't have to worry about paying for Ana's medications. And better yet, it would make the time it would take to pay for her surgery shorten exponentially. But this was a big choice. I would be letting Billy down and as much as I couldn't stand Rosalie, I would feel bad to leave her without a cleaner for the apartment. But I made a promise, Ana comes first. The whole reason I moved to the city was to make money. Any way that I could. The way that I'm doing it right now, I'm not so sure I could do this consistently. I was running on very little food and very little funds for the basic necessities. Almost every cent I made went to Ana's medication. If I decided to take this new job, it would make things so much easier.

The only one that truly seemed opposed to this idea was Emmett. He and Edward were clearly the bosses of this business. I would have to convince Emmett as well, that I would be a good choice for the job. But by the look on his face, I wasn't so sure that was going to be easy.

Reluctantly I took a few steps further away from Edward, to stand over with Emmett on the other side of the room. He eyed me warily as I approached, his blue orbs narrowing.

Edward tensely waited by his desk, watching my every move.

"I don't want to take the job if you are against the idea." I said with a serious look.

Emmett raised a brow, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I am against the idea. It's not that I dislike you… but you don't know the first thing about reapers. You are human, it's not safe."

"Emmett," Edward growled with a glare coming to his face. "Don't be petty."

I turned to Edward quickly and shook my head. "No Edward, he is right. You two run this place together. His opinion matters. Even if you don't like it." My eyes went back to Emmett. "Is there anything I can say or do to change your mind?"

Emmett rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes slowly cascading down the length of my body, before he swallowed hard. "You have one week, to train under Alice. If you don't convince me that you can handle this job, I won't allow you to work here."

One week wasn't a lot of time to understand how all of this works. But I would do everything I could to catch on. Emmett was being gracious, he is taking a chance on me. I can't let him down. I would prove that I had what it takes to work here.

I offered him a smile and held my hand out to him. "You have a deal."

A smile cracked through his somber mask and he took my outstretched hand to give me a gentle handshake. At the contact, I felt prickles traveling along my wrist and up to my forearm. Right before my eyes, a new tattoo appeared, right where the old one had been.

Edward shot over to the two of us, grabbing Emmett by the collar. "What the hell do you think you are doing? His eyes are completely black now.

Emmett appeared completely taken off guard. "I have no idea how that happened, I swear Edward. I didn't even attempt to mark her. You know I wouldn't do something like that." His voice remained calm.

I winced slightly as this tattoo started to burn slightly. That's odd, the markings I've received never hurt like this.

Edward and Emmett noticed my discomfort and both seemed to forget they were annoyed with each other as they approached me.

"It's not supposed to hurt," Emmett mumbled with a look of guilt.

Edward cautiously took my arm, inspecting the new inscription. "This doesn't look like the usual marking of commitment."

"Commitment?" I repeated.

"Yes, that's what we call the mark we use on our employees. It's just a weak connection, to force obedience and loyalty. Like the one I gave you last night." Emmett said watching between the two of us closely.

Edward threw a cold look towards his brother, clicking his tongue before turning back to the marking. "It doesn't look like the eternal marking either," His eyes lifted up to mine. "Like the one I've given you."

His words sent my heart racing, but my stomach was twisting under the anxiety I felt. I had a strange new marking on me, and neither one of them knew what it was.

"Try to remove it Edward," Emmett said with a nod.

Edward closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating. Seconds ticked by, but I couldn't feel anything happening. I sensed Edward's growing frustration. His emotions were pouring out from him, worry, anger and confusion. I could feel it, as though I was experiencing it all myself.

"It's not working," Edward hissed, narrowing his eyes at Emmett now. "Leave it to you, to make a complete mess of things." Venom dripping from each word.

"Edward, don't say that, it's not like Emmett did this on purpose." I sighed. But I was concerned. I didn't know what this mark would mean for me. How would this affect my connection with Edward?

I quickly moved to stand in front of Edward, placing my arms around his neck. His arms folded around me, a smirk pulling at his lips. He appeared to calm down almost instantly. I felt the same way as I had before. There was a strong urge to never let go. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to kiss him. The feelings were strong and absolute. But there was still a burning sensation in the mark that Emmett left on me.

This pain intensified the longer I stayed in Edward's arms. I turned to look at Emmett, reading his expression closely. His face had turned hard, his brows pulled together. He looked away from us with his hands balled into fists at his sides. I couldn't quite figure out what he was feeling at that moment.

"Well, in any case, Esme will be stopping in at the end of the week. I'm sure she can tell us more about this new marking. Maybe she will even be able to remove it." Edward said, gathering a breath and exhaling heavily. I felt his breath roll over the top of my head, causing a chill down my spine.

"Who is Esme?"

Emmett made a slight face. "She's our mother."

Thanks for those to take the time to review these chapters. I really appreciate the support.