AN: Here is the latest chapter that took me some time to write. I know its a little short but I am swamped. A little more will be said at the bottom! All words that are out of place and spelled incorrectly are my fault. Word check does so much. LOL
Family time. Right now it was me in a room with seven vampires and a human. The only shifter that ever dared to walk into a room hand in hand with a vampire woman and take a seat in a love seat with the vampire herself sitting on the arm rest of the hair keeping a firm grasp of my hand. I was tense watching them all fill the room flitting to each others arms. Alice came down with Bella at a normal human pace to keep up with her best friend as they giggle and walks to their men. Alice went to the blonde who was watching me from the door to another room. It was dark; I couldn't see anything past him and his hard stare. Bella threaded her fingers through her dark tresses and sat next to Edward on the couch. He smiled and slipped his arm behind her back, she immediately leaned her body closer to his.
My eyes narrowed at them. I wasn't angry. I was Jealous. I wanted to do the same with my imprint but that would be a little much. The blonde who I remembered to be Jasper pulled his brows down staring at me with a question swimming in his gold eyes. I turn my narrowed eyes to him and glare. If I remember anything that Bella told me about the Cullen's, it was that this one can control emotions. I don't feel like being controlled today.
"Jasper won't do that unless he feels like you're a threat." Edward was the first to speak as two more vampires came into the room. I glance at him and huffed, stroking my thumb over my imprints. I heard Esme hum softly from my right and move her other hand on top of mine, helping to ease away my tension. A blonde woman who looked astonishingly beautiful took her rightful place on the lap of the larger man I had met in the car. Emmett was smiling over at me and tilted his head to the blonde who was ignoring me with a wrinkled nose.
"This is Rosalie. She's mine." Emmett said proudly and gave a kiss to her cheek. Rosalie smirked a little at his claim of her and swatted his trailing hand that had made itself at home under her white blouse.
"Not now." Rosalie whispered lifting her man's hand out of her blouse and held it in hers. She took her ignoring of my presence a step further and checked her nails. Not like they were perfect already. I sighed softly and glanced up at my imprint for help. Esme sensed my eyes on her and turned her scolding gaze off of Rosalie.
"Not everyone is a fan of shifter, sweetheart. Rosalie needs a little time." Esme smiled warmly down at me and I gave a nod. I smile back up at her and have the urge to kiss her. I quickly avoid eye contact and catch Esme puff her lower lip out in the most adorable pout I have ever seen. Ugh! She is not making this whole waiting game any easier. Am I even ready for that step?
Huh. We'll find out sooner or later.
Alice was the next to talk after the room had been filled with silence and soft whispers between couples. "Carlisle is home." She giggled and jumped by her mate's side. He had a crooked smile on his lips as he watched his mate, I can see the love in his eyes.
"Carlisle?" I ask softly, looking around the room as eyes landed on me. Everyone that is but Rosalie. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, picking up a magazine that was on the coffee table in the middle of the room.
"He is a father to us all, like Esme is our mother." Edward explained. He saw my expression change to shock and he continued before I fainted with the knowledge I was dating their mom. "They adopted us after we were changed. We are a coven and Carlisle is our leader, Esme is second in command. If he is gone for any reason she is in control." He smiled. "Much like parents."
I gave a small nod and looked to Bella. She was the one who offered that I come by for this sleep over. Does she know something else?
"He's a doctor too. He uh…helps out at the hospital." Bella added in when our eyes met. I tilt my head trying to wrap my brain around the idea of a vampire near hundreds if not thousands of humans bleeding out. My brows shot up. This Carlisle guy must be ancient to have this much control around humans.
"That takes a serious amount of control. How old is he?" I ask to everyone in the room.
"Around three hundred and seventy years I have walked this planet." Carlisle answers as she closed the front door behind him.
I twist in the love seat to look at the man who had answered. He looked just as they did. Dark circles under his eyes, an attractive beauty that would draw any human in and golden irises. Mentally I scoffed and glanced over at Edward letting him hear my thoughts.
"Still not as good as Esme." I comment, gaining a chuckle from the boy. Edward didn't look any older than me. His body must be frozen at sixteen…maybe seventeen.
"I received a text from Alice while I was at work." Carlisle set down a briefcase next to the door and walked into the room standing in the middle. He laced his fingers together in front of his body and took a seat on the edge of the couch's arm rest, his golden eyes calmly assessing me. "You want to know more about our family? Our... Kind?" He asks me in a calming voice that would make you fall asleep if you asked him to read you a book.
I nod my head quickly, scooting to the edge of my seat to show I am ready for what he has to say. Carlisle smiles catching the excitement I have to learn more about vampires.
"None of the shifters I have met ever wanted to walk into our home, let alone stay to talk about our family."
"Because they're smarter than they look." Rosalie was done reading her magazine and slapped the thing against the coffee table. I tensed up, the hairs on the back of neck rose as I took in her tone. She was still bored but her eyes held another emotion. She was ticked off that I was here. Why?
"They know better than to come into a home filled with seven vampires that can kill." She smirked at me and leaned back into her man.
I should be growling. What I should do is let go of Esme's hand, stand from this chair and attack her. My wolf agreed that we should attack this insolent leech for calling us out like that. In front of everyone—in front of our imprint The others were watching me closes waiting for my reply, waiting for the attack that would come after you tick off a shifter
"Thank goodness I'm in a house with vegetarians. I hear they're nothing but weak asses." I smirk back. You want to go Rosalie then let's go.
She huffed and shook her head. "What are we doing in this room anyway? She wants to learn more about our kind, great for her but we don't need to be here." Rosalie stood from Emmett's lap and took his hand. "We're going to enjoy ourselves, away from the stench."
Rosalie tugged on Emmett's hand and he followed her with his head hanging low. The big guy glanced back at me and mouthed 'I'm sorry' right before they were gone from the house. I can hear their feet softly gliding over the ground outside of the house, and that was when I caught another set of feet.
They were harder and moving fast through the woods, nowhere near as fast as a vampire. It was close to the pound of the wolves but this was different. A little lighter. What was it?
"Grace?" Esme was rubbing her hand along my arm to try an coax me out of my dazed gaze. I blink and look up at her, smiling and nod my head.
"I'm fine. She isn't always a hard ass, I know. She's acting like an old friend of mine. Testing me to see if I can handle it." I shrugged my shoulders showing that Rosalie had no affect on my well-being. I was in control of my anger, and she would not get me to snap.
"Good." Jasper took hold of Alice's hand and they stepped further into the room. "I would like to introduce myself. You'll be spending a lot of time here." He bowed his head. "Jasper Hale Cullen. I am a newer member of this family and diet, but with their help I haven't lost my control in some months."
"Your doing good so far, Jasper." I smiled and stood from the chair loosening my grasp on Esme's hand so I could shake his as he extended it out to me. I take it and we stare at one another. I feel a flow of emotions coming from him as his head tilted. I frown and try to understand what it was he wanted to say secretly without the others knowing anything.
My wolf growled feeling the cool touch of another vampire and my body pulsed with heat. Jasper released my hand immediately and stared down at it. "Hmm" Jasper hummed and rubbed his hand against his stomach.
"S-Sorry. She doesn't like you very much. Uhm. She really likes Esme's though. I think."
I was stuttering and I can feel the entire room sliding in towards me. The walls were closing in on my position, creeping in closer as black goo drips from the ceiling. I stare at the far left corner of the room freighted of what this sticky substance was going to do. What it was going to change into.
I can feel my heart pounding harder against the bones of my chest. I was afraid if I watched this black substance fall from the ceiling anymore my heart would jump out of my chest.
"Breathe, honey." I hear the calming voice that once washed over me while my dream turned into a horrible nightmare. I close my eyes and focus on Esme's voice. "No one is here anymore. You and I are the only ones here."
My eyes open again. Everyone in the room had left. Where did they go?
"You were starting to shake, Grace. Jasper says you were so overwhelmed with fear that it was best everyone exit the room." She came around from my side and slipped her arms around my neck, her fingers played with my hair on the back of my head. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her flush against me.
This wasn't anything romantic. We weren't going to suddenly make-out like teenagers and suck each others face off. No. This was comfort. She knows I'm scared of something and is willing to wait until I'm better to ask what it was that scared me.
"Thank you." I whisper as I lean my forehead against hers and sigh softly, closing my eyes again.
"Anytime, Grace. " I can hear the smile in her voice and couldn't resist but do the same. "I did say I liked that kiss earlier." She murmurs after a couple of minutes of silence.
My eyes slip open and I gaze down into the topaz eyes that grew darker as we stared at each other. I didn't waste anytime to do this right.
"Esme Cullen. May I kiss you?" I ask. She stares up into my eyes and hums, contemplating over the idea of having my lips against hers again. I patiently wait on her reply. She can tell me no and to leave this house, I would do it if it means she was happy. I'd do anything for her.
"Yes." She smiles, her eyes shinning brightly with an excessive amount of emotions.
We both lean in and share our first real kiss.
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