Chapter 17: Vegas

I sat in the Cullens' massive kitchen with Alice as she poured over her plans for the big graduation party they were throwing.

"That's a lot of plans for a high school house party," I noted.

"I want it to be perfect," Alice practically sang. "How was your weekend?"

"It was great," I said. "Oh, and you don't have to worry—Paul's not planning on going after Emmett and Rosalie or anything. He was over it by the time he got back to his apartment."

"I figured he would be—Carlisle just wanted to make sure."

"Yeah, I understand that," I said. "How are Emmett and Rosalie feeling?"

"They're fine now," she said. "Emmett can't really stay angry for long periods of time and once Rose realized he was fine, she calmed down about it too."

"It sounds like it was intense."

"It was," Alice confirmed. "I don't know what would have happened if Jasper and Carlisle hadn't been there."

"I don't even want to think about that," I said with a shudder. "Who's the vampire you were hunting, anyway? Paul mentioned she's been holding a grudge against you guys?"

Alice took a deep breath. "Her name is Victoria. A year ago, she and her mate, James, and another vampire named Laurent were passing through Forks and heard us playing baseball. That happened to be the day that Edward invited Bella to join us. James was a tracker and caught Bella's scent and when he saw how much we were going to protect her, it became a challenge to him.

"We snuck Bella out of Forks, but he found our trail and almost got her, but we interfered just in time," she continued. "We killed James and Victoria's held a grudge ever since. She basically wants to go after Bella so it'll be a mate for a mate."

"And she's angry with the wolves for killing Laurent," I said quietly.

Alice nodded. "This is the last thing we need to worry about with the newborns getting closer."

"They found another body yesterday," I noted. "Paul and I saw it on the news."

Alice nodded. "They just keep getting sloppier and sloppier. Whoever's behind them doesn't seem to care about keeping a low profile."

"By the time they're near here, they may have taken each other out," I said.

"Carlisle's theorized that as well," she said. "It'll make our job a lot easier."

"Here's hoping," I mumbled. "Oh, I meant to ask—Edward didn't turn Bella this weekend, did he?"

Alice furrowed her brow. "No, why?"

"Sam Uley called me yesterday morning asking if their trip to Florida was just a cover for him turning her."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he'd think that. They actually went to Florida to see her mother—Edward is trying to do everything he can to delay turning her."

"Paul said it was against the treaty."

"It is," Alice said. "Bella doesn't know this, but it's part of the reason that Edward's so reluctant to turn her. The bigger reason for his reluctance is that he doesn't want to destroy her humanity."

"I can't imagine choosing this life," I said.

"Neither can I," she agreed. "But…at the same time, Edward's decided that he can't live without her and there are other things to consider."

"Like the Volturi."

"Exactly," she said. "I've told both of them that if he won't do it, I will. We don't need the Volturi knocking on our door demanding to know why she hasn't been turned yet."

"Definitely not," I mumbled.

"Anyway, are you going to come to the grad party?"

"Probably not," I said. "I wouldn't know many guests and being in a room full of humans probably isn't the best idea."

"I'm sure you'd be fine," she said.

"Probably best not to risk it."

She pouted and continued pouring over her plans for the party.

"Sorry I almost killed your boyfriend, Nat," Emmett said, entering the kitchen with Carlisle and peeking at Alice's party plans.

"I wouldn't have been very happy with you," I said.

He laughed. "I could take you."

"Nah, I would've kicked your ass."

Carlisle chuckled. "Luckily it didn't come to that."

"Do you need a reminder on where the treaty line is, Emmett?" I teased.

"It was neutral terr—"

"Please don't start arguing about this again," Alice practically begged. "I don't think my brain can take it."

Emmett laughed his booming laugh. "Don't worry, Ali, I'm over it. No promises for next time, though."

"It's funny, Paul said the same thing about you," I said.

"You should be angrier with Rosie than me," he teased. "She's the one who got a couple hits in."

"Nat, do you want to see what Edward just bought me?" Alice asked, cutting in and suddenly bouncing with excitement.

"That was fast," Emmett noted.

"Pulling into the garage now!" Alice practically sang, grasping my arm and pulling me out of the kitchen. She led me through the foyer of the Cullen house and into the garage, where I saw Edward parking a shiny, canary yellow Porsche with dark tinted windows.

Alice clapped her tiny hands together in excitement and Rosalie wheeled out from under a black Mercedes. Despite working on the car, she still looked perfect—not a hair out of place or speck of dirt on her.

She met my eyes hesitantly and sent a small smile my way before turning her attention to Alice's new car. "Looks good, Alice."

"Was that a compliment for me?" Edward asked, exiting the car.

"You didn't pick it, Alice did," Rosalie said.

Edward laughed and rolled his eyes at her, while Alice approached the Porsche and ran her hand along the hood. Rosalie shifted slightly before throwing another anxious look at me and hurrying out of the garage and back into the Cullens' house.

I watched as she left, brow furrowed.

"She feels bad," Edward said quietly, drawing my attention back to him. "She's not sure if you're angry with her about what happened with Paul and she's actually a bit embarrassed about it."

"I should go talk to her," I said.

"Come for a drive with me first!" Alice practically begged.

"I already told you—not in Forks," Edward warned lightly.

"I know," Alice said, rolling her eyes at him. "I bet I could get to Vegas in less than twelve hours in it."

I glanced back at the door that Rosalie had disappeared through. "I don't know…"

"She'll still be here when we get back," Alice said. "Edward's spending the night at Bella's and Jasper promised Emmett they'd go hunting tonight. Please, Natalie?"

"Okay, fine," I said. "Vegas it is."

Alice practically squealed in excitement and snatched her new car keys out of Edward's hand. We got into the Porsche and she started it, revving the engine. She backed out of the garage and began weaving through the streets of Forks to get out of Washington.

I gazed out the window as we sped past trees and through neighbourhoods on our impromptu road trip, feeling the familiar rush that always came with travelling.

"So you guys just…repeat high school over and over?" I asked.

"That's right," Alice said. "We've all taken college courses before, too. The earlier we start high school, the longer we can stay in the same place."

"Doesn't that get boring?"

"A little," she admitted. "But it's the only way we can keep up appearances and live a somewhat normal life. It would draw too much suspicion to have a house full of teenagers who keep to themselves and don't attend school—especially in a small town like this. People talk regardless, so we do our best to look as normal as we can."

"Makes sense," I murmured. "Don't you have to go today? Or tomorrow?"

"No, it's going to be sunny in Forks for the next couple days so we can't exactly attend our classes when the sun shines through the classroom windows," she explained. "Our cover story is that Carlisle pulls us out of school for the day to enjoy the good weather."

"And everyone believes that?"

"Edward hasn't heard anything in anyone's head that would imply that they're suspicious of us—people just tend to think we're weird."

"And everyone from your school is going to show up to a graduation party you're hosting?" I asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of my voice.

She grinned. "They're more curious than anything—we're a bit of an enigmatic group."

"So everyone just wants to pop in and see the coffins," I teased.

We sped through Portland, making it there in half the time it would normally take to drive there and I knew that Alice had been correct in her estimate of getting to Vegas in less than twelve hours.

"This car is so nice!" she exclaimed. "He really picked the perfect one."

"Why did he get it for you anyway?" I asked.

"It's a bribe from him," she said. "He wants me to kidnap Bella for the weekend while he, Emmett, and Jasper go on a hunting trip."

"He wants you to kidnap her?" I repeated.

She nodded. "Bella has a bad habit of running down to La Push and spending time with a young pack member there."

"Jacob," I said, recalling a time that Paul had told me about Bella and Jacob's somewhat tense relationship.

Alice nodded. "The pack can extremely volatile and Bella is something of a danger magnet so Edward doesn't want to take any chances."

"They really aren't that bad."

"It's different for you—you're a vampire," she said. "If you were put in a sticky situation, you'd be able to defend yourself. That's not the same for Bella."

"Honestly, I think there may be some jealousy at play," I noted.

"Oh, there absolutely is," she said. "Edward's just too stubborn to admit it."

"On the plus side, his stubbornness got you a new car," I said with a laugh.

"And it's gorgeous," she swooned. "I can't wait for Rosalie to get her hands on it to upgrade it."

"Speaking of Rosalie, any tips for when I talk to her about what happened with Paul?" I asked, thinking of how anxious she'd looked when we'd been in the garage together earlier.

"Not really," Alice admitted. "I assume she's more upset than you are."

"I'm not upset with her at all."

"Let her know that," she said gently.

"I will."

I couldn't be angry with Rosalie for reacting the way she had—I probably wouldn't have been able to control myself if I'd been in the same situation and thought that Paul was in any sort of danger.

I'd spent that entire night curled on a chair on his balcony and wrapped in his sweater, stomach turning with worry that he was going to get hurt while he was out there.

"Almost there," Alice sang as she crossed into Nevada.

"And making good time, too," I noted, seeing that it had only been eight hours since we'd left Forks.

"I haven't been to Vegas in years," she said.

"Neither have I," I said. Vegas didn't hold the best memories for me anymore—it was where I'd first tasted human blood and had nearly gone into a frenzy when I realized that I hadn't wanted to stop. Almost immediately, the memory of my first time in Vegas flooded into my mind.

William and I had been travelling together for nearly twenty years and had grown incredibly close—our relationship flourishing into something I never could have imagined. We never stayed in one spot for too long—my paranoia often got the best of me and made me think that the Volturi was tailing us. I'd demand that we leave wherever we were and Will was always more understanding than I deserved.

He and I felt like a perfect fit. We complimented each other perfectly, but the only thing that seemed to cause an unspoken bit of tension between us was our conflicting diets. When he was stepping out to hunt, he never wanted to tell me where exactly he was going, but it was hard to miss how he'd return with bright red eyes.

I hadn't voiced this to him, but a tiny part of me wanted to try human blood. I was curious to see how it differed from animal blood.

Will were curled in bed together after a long session of passionate lovemaking. We'd arrived in Nevada only a few hours prior and had quickly checked into one of the hotels and spent the entire afternoon in bed together, waiting for the sun to set so we could go out and explore under the cover of night.

"So I have an idea," he began, stroking my hair. "And I'm not sure what you're going to think about it."

My stomach tightened. "Okay."

"I think I want to start drinking animal blood."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I feel like we're going to be together for a while and I think we should have the same diet."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to change for me."

"I've been thinking about it for a while," he said. "There's a second part to my idea, though." He paused for a few moments. "I think I want to go out with a bang."

"A bang?" I repeated.

"Hear me out, okay?" he asked. I nodded. "You and I go out for one last human hunt. We both drink from humans and then that's it. Your first time will be your last—I won't let you get hooked on it, I promise."

I chewed on my lip. "Well…I haven't told you this, but I've been thinking about trying human blood—just to see how different it is from animal blood."

A smile lit his face. "Tonight?"

"Tonight."

Will had a clear plan set in his mind about where we were going to go hunt, but he was refusing to give me any information. All he'd told me was to get dressed up and to be ready by eight o'clock. I stood in the bathroom, fussing over my hair and making sure my makeup looked perfect before exiting and seeing him waiting by the bed, dressed in his favourite leather jacket, dark jeans, and a plain black shirt.

I watched the hunger fill his eyes as he took in my short, figure hugging black dress and spiky stilettos that I'd strapped to my feet. He came straight for me and gripped my face in his hands, capturing my lips in a deep kiss.

"If I wasn't so excited for tonight, I'd be tempted to keep you here all evening," he said, drinking in the sight of me.

I laughed in spite of myself. "I'd be okay with that."

"Cold feet?"

"No, I'm excited."

"Good," he said, pressing his lips against mine again. "Let's go."

He held out my own leather jacket for me and I shrugged it on before he led us out of our hotel room and walked along the Strip. I stared around us in wonder as I took in the neon lights popping like stars along the skyline. Will's arm was firm around my waist as he led me to a nightclub where there was a long line of people; I could feel the music from inside the club vibrating and pulsing. Will and I strode right past the long line of people and directly to the bouncer at the door. I watched as Will sneakily handed him a hundred dollar bill and the bouncer tilted his head to tell us to go inside.

Will flashed a cocky smile at me and we strode inside. Will immediately went to the bar, ordered us two drinks, then led me to a table. I slid into the booth and he sat next to me, setting our drinks down in front of us and putting an arm around my shoulders.

"What now?" I asked.

"We wait."

I watched as his eyes slowly scanned the crowd and we pretended to make small talk. Through our conversation, we both pretended to take sips of our drinks, until…

"Is it okay if we join you here?" A girl asked breathlessly, approaching our table. She was pretty—inky black hair that reached her waist and skin so fair that I could see the blood rushing to her cheeks despite the layers of makeup that she'd caked onto her face. She was with her boyfriend—a tall, blond man who looked like he'd already had a few drinks.

"Of course," Will said with a sly smile.

"Thank you!" the girl said, sliding into the booth. "Sorry—all the other booths are full. I'm Erica and this is Dan."

"It's no problem at all. I'm Natalie," I said, smiling warmly at her. "And this is Will." When I'd begun to speak, Dan slowly turned his eyes towards me and I noticed him trying to subtly give me once over which I pretended I didn't notice.

"Are you two from around here?" Will asked.

"No, we're just here for a little weekend getaway," Erica said. Her face flushed even more when Will spoke to her and I could tell he noticed the effect that he was having on her. "What about you two?"

"We just arrived today actually," I said. "We're staying at Caesar's Palace."

"We're staying at The Flamingo," Dan said. I did my best to give him flirtatious looks, realizing what Will's plan was and what we needed to do to achieve it. I noticed Erica's eyes lingering on Will for a bit longer than I appreciated, but it was what had to be done. I heard her heart rate increase and I felt the burning in my throat increase.

"Why don't we dance for a bit?" I suggested. Dan nodded vigorously and I had a feeling that I had him. The four of us moved onto the dance floor together and Will wrapped his arms around my waist from behind as we swayed to the music. He trailed kisses along my neck and collarbone as we danced and I noticed Erica and Dan watching us, seeming unable to tear their eyes away.

At one point, we switched partners and I began to dance with Dan as Will began to dance with Erica. As Dan and I danced, I found myself getting closer to him until my mouth was inches away from his neck. I could feel his blood pulsing through his jugular and I opened my mouth…

…until Will met my eyes from over Erica's shoulder and shook his head slightly at me—not yet.

The four of us danced together for another hour before returning to our table. Will grabbed drinks for everyone and set them down on the table, sliding into the booth and wrapping his arm around my shoulders again. I could tell that he didn't like the way Dan was looking at me, just as I didn't like the way Erica was looking at him.

"Can I just say," Erica began breathlessly after taking a large swig of her drink. "You two are such a gorgeous couple." She immediately slapped her hand across her mouth and started giggling. "I did not mean to say that."

Will tightened his hold on me slightly. "You two aren't too bad yourselves. What do you say we get out of here?"

I watched as Erica's eyes widened a little bit, the true meaning behind Will's words slowly dawning on her. "Oh…I mean…I don't know."

She glanced at Dan and he smiled wolfishly at her. "Why not, Erica? It'll be fun."

She hesitated, finished off her drink, and drunkenly said, "Yeah, let's go!"

Will and I led them out of the club and we began to walk to their hotel. Will had his hand on the small of my back and Erica and Dan were trailing slightly behind us. She was clinging to Dan's arm, needing his help to walk because of her sore feet from the shoes she was wearing. I heard her giggling as they walked together and I began to feel a twinge of remorse.

Here we were, leading this young couple to their death and they had no idea. They'd gone out expecting to have a fun night of partying and we were cutting their lives short. Part of me wanted to tell them to go back to their hotel alone—to make up some lie about a migraine to save them.

I turned and glanced back at them and the scent of their blood stopped all feelings of remorse or apprehension. Their blood smelled phenomenal and it made me feel like my throat was on fire.

"How are you feeling?" Will murmured.

I smiled at him to reassure him. "I'm excited."

"Just this once," he said with a grin. "God, I can't wait to sink my teeth into him, though. I don't like the way he's been looking at you."

"She smells better anyway."

"They've had a lot to drink," he murmured. "We'll be able to taste it in their blood, but it'll just add to the high we get from them."

By then, we'd reached The Flamingo. Will led us through the parking lot and into a back door so we could avoid anyone at the front desk seeing us. We got into the elevator and as the doors slid shut, I grabbed Erica's face and began to kiss her. She stiffened for a moment before she melted into my arms and I glanced at Will to see that he'd done the same to Dan.

The elevator dinged open on their floor and I grasped Erica's hand, pulling her into the hallway and to their room. She fumbled a little bit with her keycard but it didn't take long for her to unlock the door and we went into their suite.

Once inside, we wasted no time. Will and I pushed our respective partners onto the bed and climbed on top of them, straddling their waists. Both of us bent down and started kissing their necks. I trailed gentle kisses down Erica's neck and along her collarbone, feeling her heart pounding against her chest.

Will and I sat back up at the same time and kissed each other. As we broke apart, an unspoken understanding passed between us.

This time when we bent back down, we sunk our teeth into our partners' necks.

The taste of Erica's blood exploded in my mouth.

I barely heard her guttural scream as I clamped my mouth harder against her neck, draining her of all of her blood.

This was nothing like drinking animal blood. It felt like every single cell in my body was alive again—it was euphoric.

After Erica was completely drained, I sat back up and met Will's eyes. He grabbed my face and kissed me wildly, the taste of Dan's blood exploding in my mouth just as Erica's had. Will shoved their bodies off the bed and practically lunged at me.

We made love for the rest of the night; drinking human blood with him had made me feel more connected to him than I ever had before.

I never wanted to stop.

"Only eleven hours," Alice said smugly, snapping me out of my reverie.

I watched as the neon lights from the Vegas Strip slowly came into view. "I'm impressed."

"Where should we stay?" she asked. "I have my own suite at The Venetian, but I haven't stayed at The Bellagio for a while…"

"You have your own suite at The Venetian?" I repeated.

She grinned. "It was a gift from Jasper."

She drove along the Vegas Strip and pulled into the valet area where a driver opened our doors for us and took Alice's car keys from her. He looked extremely excited to get into the driver's seat and drive her car, no matter how short of a time he'd have with it.

We entered the lobby of The Venetian and I gazed around us, taking in the high, arched ceilings with the intricate paintings on them. The Italian themed architecture of the hotel only made me slightly uncomfortable—the constant sound of slot machines being played reminded me that we weren't actually in Italy, despite how realistic the decor looked.

Alice strode to the front desk of the hotel and flashed a card at the concierge. He nodded at her, looking slightly dazed, and she flashed a grin at me before leading me to the elevator.

Her suite at The Venetian was just as luxurious as I would expect given the Cullens' lavish lifestyle. It was a huge room with a kitchen, dining area, separate bedroom and bathroom, and a sunken-in living room area. The decor was elegant and chic—everything was either a rich purple or a clean, crisp white with gold accents peppered throughout the entire suite.

We spent the entire night gambling at the casino in the hotel, both of us taking home large amounts of money through our winnings. Alice was amazing at picking the right machines to use and predicting what cards the dealers would play by using her future-telling gift to our advantage.

I was sure the casino employees had their suspicions that we were somehow cheating, but there was no way to prove that we were, even if they reviewed footage of us.

We returned to Alice's suite just as dawn broke the horizon and we watched as the sun rose over the Vegas Strip, illuminating the city in a soft, warm glow.