Chapter 7
Titillation & Translation
"Son of a mother fucker…this had better be important or I'm tearing a limb from each of you and hiding it," Edward mumbled as he made his way, at human speed, to the den. Acting the petulant child really wasn't his modus operandi but after all the frustration, fear, and pent up sexual tension of the last week he couldn't be bothered to care how childish his actions seemed.
The look on the faces of his family as he entered the room seemed to be a mix of amusement and seriousness. The effect was confusing and to make matters worse, every single one of them was reciting a different poem to block their thoughts.
"All right, what the hell is it?" he huffed, throwing himself onto the leather couch with an audible creak of the wooden frame.
"Sorry son, we know you were…er, otherwise occupied but this can't wait. I may have found the text we need to make the translation, though I'll wait until Bella wakes to expound further on that point. The other issue, as it were, is that you are in desperate need of a hunt. We all know what you were in the middle of, and to be honest, I think it reckless to be intimate with Bella while you are so obviously in need of nourishment. As she's asleep now, I would suggest you go on a quick hunt and pick up where you left off when you return." Edward could see the corners of Carlisle's mouth twitching. Obviously his adopted father found humor in his physical pain. Wonderful.
"Fine, I'll hunt but I won't be gone long. When I get back, I would prefer that you all make yourselves scarce, by at least fifty miles. I don't need Jasper screwing with my emotions or the sound of my family's comments." Edward stood as he finished and took a moment to glare at each of the four Cullens around him. His face softened momentarily before asking, "I did mean to ask if anyone has heard from Em and Rose. I want to make sure they aren't having any difficulty getting Angela to the Denalis."
Jasper, looking for all the world like he was trying not to smile, was the first to answer. "Rosalie called about ten minutes ago and they're still on the road. They've not experienced any issues but they both seem rather nervous. I think they might have trouble upon their return, to be honest."
"Alice, haven't you had any visions? I know we rely on you for this but I just think if something were to go awry that you would be the first to know." Edward sat back down and buried his head in his hands, awaiting Alice's response.
"Someone is messing with my vision. I'm not sure but I assume the Volturi have amassed a great number of talented individuals and perhaps one of them can block me. As for complications with Em and Rose, well I had a vision while you were, er, occupied. Someone is following them, a big guy but together they are able to subdue him. I've got nothing past that. Angela and her family are quite safe with Tanya's family so, again this is only an assumption, I feel that the Volturi are concerned with only Bella at this point. I wish I could give everyone more," Alice whispered.
Standing up once again and walking purposefully to his sister's side, Edward wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He didn't need to be an empath like Jasper to know that she was hurting. Alice's visions were always the family's savior, and Edward feared that she felt quite useless without them.
"Alice, you're doing everything you can. Don't let it get to you. For now, train with your husband, as we all should and prepare those skills while your mind rests." Leaning down he kissed his sister on the head. "I'm leaving now and expect all of you to be gone when I return."
-BS-
One hour, two deer, and a shower later, Edward was crawling into the guest bed with Bella. His mind was still a buzz with questions regarding what he felt toward this warm human and why.
Pushing all thoughts of confusion or fear for the breakable creature next to him aside, he carefully pulled the blankets from her body. Still naked, she lay exposed as his hands and eyes caressed every soft inch of her skin. Her demand before he left still fresh in his mind, he decided that an orgasm would be quite a pleasant wake up call and situated himself between her legs.
The moment he parted her thighs her scent intensified, thick and musky, and enveloped his senses. Every part of her aroused every part of him. If vampires could have soul mates then she was surely his.
Leaning over her slumbering form, he placed a gentle kiss on her open mouth as his fingers massaged the soft hair of the vee between her legs before sliding further into her heat. She was wet and warm and all things female. He had to have a taste. Returning to kneel between her thighs, he took a deep breath in and was suddenly very thankful for Carlisle's insistence that he hunt before he continued touching Bella. The ever present burn he felt in her presence was harsh but controllable.
Breathe.
Touch.
Lean.
Lick.
As his tongue made its way through her pink folds the taste was ambrosia and the thought struck him that if her body tasted this incredible her blood would surely do him in. That was most definitely not a train of thought he wanted to continue so he threw himself into pleasuring his sleeping human in the hopes she would wake soon so that he could once again feel her touch.
Taking her slightly swollen clit in between his lips, he tugged playfully before letting his tongue run a relentless circuit around the reddened flesh. Pulling back slightly he exhaled, letting his icy breath bathe her heated sex, eliciting a shiver from Bella. Before she could react any further he began flicking his tongue across her clit rapidly, knowing the effect this move would have on her.
"Mmmmmmmm, Edward? OH FUCK, just like that. Right there," Bella moaned and Edward's dick jumped.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We have some things we need to finish," Edward whispered. Looking up at her through hooded eyes, he stroked her with his cool tongue again and watched her squirm with pleasure. His fingers traveled from her thighs to her stomach and back to her thighs, leaving goose bumps in his wake. He traced indecipherable images into her flesh before sliding two fingers into her heat, curving them just so to find that one spot that would drive her mad.
-BS-
"HOLY…FUCK…EDWAAAAAAAAARRRRRRD!" Bella exclaimed as her entire body shook beneath Edward's skilled touch. She had arched her back off the bed in an effort to get closer to his delicious tongue and fingers as she came.
Every muscle pulled tight and still arched, she let the remainder of pleasure wash over her as Edward continued his slow teasing. The sounds falling from her mouth were wanton and a little slutty but she couldn't find it in herself to care, not that she would anyway.
"Mmmmmm, so good," he hummed, sending tiny shockwaves through her body as his lips were still touching her sensitive girly bits.
"Is that a compliment or did you imagine I had a skanky vag?" Bella laughed. Sex with this man was all encompassing and thoroughly passionate but there was never a time that didn't require a little laughter to keep it all grounded.
"Bella, the shit you say should totally turn me off…skanky vag? Really?" he inquired, pulling himself up her body. Not waiting for her reply he continued, "Actually, I had imagined it was pretty fucking awesome but that was…that was heaven, an oasis in the desert, my favorite things all rolled into one pretty pink package."
"Cullen, you sound like a girl. Are you sure you're a vampire? Do vampires carry man cards, cause I'm positive your brothers will be tearing that shit up soon after that little display." She giggled. In truth, she found what he said truly beautiful and had never met a man that was so open, especially when talking about her nether regions. Come to think of it, she should probably be squicked out by his comments but opted to focus on the romance of the situation instead.
"Shut it, Swan and let me hear you scream my name…again," Edward said, leaning down to kiss her. The evil glint in his eye should have bothered Bella but it only served to make her wetter.
Reaching between them, Bella grabbed his cock and began stroking firmly as he groaned into her mouth. Realizing that this might be her last chance to enjoy giving a man head she pushed on his shoulder to urge him to lay down. Though she was sure it put her in a minority of women, she enjoyed pleasing a man with her mouth and this man was sure to solidify that particular fetish.
"Edward, I'm going to give you a little taste of your own medicine so just lay back and enjoy it."
Using both hands she scratched down his stomach and the tops of his thighs until they nestled in the hair between his legs. Her mouth kissed the underside of his rigid flesh as her fingers played teasingly with his balls. She loved the feel of the skin there, cool, smooth, and just a little pliable. Almost like giant marbles surrounded by a metal mesh yet strangely erotic. This was as close to nirvana as she would get without sitting in a pit of dirt.
"Shit. That feels amazing. UNG!" Edward moaned.
His noises pushed her to new levels of ferocity as she plunged her mouth onto his dick and sucked greedily. Knowing he was indestructible gave her pause. What would normally be too rough for a guy might totally feel good to him. As inspiration struck she began kneading his balls, pulling them roughly and squeezing them as hard as she could.
"HOLY FUCK BELLA JUST LIKE THAT!" Edward grunted.
Continuing the rough play, she decided to ramp up her efforts another notch. The intense sucking she was doing seemed to be delivering some pleasure but her cheeks were burning with the effort. Her teeth on the other hand might be just enough to send him over the edge. Testing this theory she ran them along his shaft on her way up, which caused a sharp intake of breath and shudder from her willing subject. He also screamed unintelligibly, again.
After just a few more strokes and a well-placed nip on the sensitive tip she felt his muscles tighten as he tried to pull away. Shaking her head she sank back down onto him fully, letting his cock hit the back of her throat and swallowed hard. Just then she felt his hands land rather solidly on her head as his hips flexed minutely into her mouth. Normally being held down like that would have put her in a panic but, again, it only aroused her more…and then he started swearing.
"SON OF A BITCH…FUCK…SHIT…DAMN IT…MOTHER FUCKER! YOUR MOUTH IS FUCKING AMAZING… I'M COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…" Edward screamed.
In that moment Bella was just glad he had a manly sort of scream because if it had come out high pitched and squeaky she wouldn't have been able to continue. As it was, listening to him come completely undone made her, you guessed it, even wetter. She was fairly sure she was leaving a spot the size of Lake Superior on the bed.
Cleaning him off completely, she snaked her way back up his body, enjoying the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he panted. She took stock of the torn sheets and mattress topper below him, realizing that she was indeed lucky he took out that passion on the inanimate objects around him rather than her head. Reaching his face, she paused to trace his lips with her fingertip. His lips were perfectly shaped and soft but firm. Leaning in she took his bottom lip in hers and nibbled it with her teeth while Edward tried to talk around the assault.
"Woman, you have no idea how long I've waited for someone like you. The fact that you're human makes it all the more bizarre and oddly perfect." He sighed, gazing into her eyes as though he were looking for answers to the world's great mysteries.
"I gave up looking ages ago, myself. I'm really hoping this isn't just a last bid to scratch an itch before we die," she whispered in return.
"If it is, then what a way to go. But I have a feeling there's more between us than desperate sex. For now, let's just enjoy what we have."
Between them she could feel the strong pulse of his dick as it throbbed back to life. The sensation and sheer quickness of it set her laughing and she couldn't stop.
"You know, laughing whilst in the middle of mind blowing sex is irreversibly damaging to the male ego, Swan." Edward snickered.
"Yeah, it sounds like your ego has taken a huge hit, asshat."
"What are you laughing about anyway? Did I look that ridiculous or something?" Edward pinched his eyes closed tight as though he were waiting for her response to land an embarrassing blow.
"Not at all. As a matter of fact you have the sexiest 'O' face I have ever seen and the screaming…holy mother! The screaming was the best. I'm laughing because I find the fact that a mere nibbley kiss on your mouth could start Mr. Beautiful Jr. off again. I figured someone of your advanced age would need a little more recovery time before round two," she quipped, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"My advanced age? You know, I'm actually only 17, or my body is. Being a vampire only ensures that I will never need much 'recovery' time, my beautifully warped Bella. As a matter of fact, why are we talking when we could be…"
Instead of finishing his sentence, he grabbed her face gently and kissed her ferociously. She was floating on a cloud with kittens and butterflies and unicorns and…just as she was about to lose herself in the intensity of the kiss her grabbed her hips and ground them into his lap. He hit all the right spots and the sensation made her toes curl with excitement. Not one to lose an opportunity, she resituated herself, lips still firmly attached to his, and sank down onto his cock with a satisfying hiss.
"Ohmagah, you've been blessed with the most perfect peen," she mused, out loud.
Beneath her she heard her hiss echoed in his as well as some more well-placed sentiments about her own highly blessed lady bits.
-BS-
The sheer magnitude of pleasure Edward received as her pussy hugged his raging hard on could never be measured by human standards. She was hot, wet, and tight. He could feel every contour and ridge inside her walls and knew if he didn't take a few minutes to just absorb the feelings, he would blow before she could make a full up and down motion. Holding her hips firmly, he looked in her eyes, praying she would understand that he needed her to stay still for just a few moments. She returned the look with one of her own that seemed to indicate she needed that time as well.
With a deep breath, he rocked his hips into her and pushed her down further, trying to bury himself as far inside her as possible and moaned when he felt her contract around him. Reluctantly he eased up on his hold and they both began an easy motion that caused them to whimper with each push and pull.
"Christ, you feel so incredible," Edward moaned.
"Fuck me, keep talking," Bella demanded.
This statement took Edward by surprise. He had never had a partner ask him to talk during sex…dirty or otherwise. He also realized that not being able to hear Bella's every thought made the entire experience so much better.
Bella's rhythm became more desperate, filling the room with the sounds of her ass hitting his thighs. Grunts, moans, and the occasional curse word fell from her lips as he followed the motion of her tits before reaching out and molding his hands to them, squeezing gently.
"Bella, fuck…faster. Uh, your…is…FUCK!" He was unable to finish his sentence as she rode him hard and fast. Her tempo changed again when she stopped pumping and began grinding in small circles, allowing him to feel every part of her core. If he let her continue this titillating dance he would be done in a matter of seconds so he took things into his own hands, literally, and flipped them over, never losing contact.
"Unnnnnnnnnnng. Ohmagah thah issssss sooooooooo goooooooooooo…" Bella muttered.
Edward mumbled a few expletives as he sat up on his knees and grabbed both of her legs, throwing them over his shoulders while he continued his gentle movement.
"Yesssssssss. Harder, please Edward. Harder," she whimpered.
Mindful that her harder and his harder were quite different, he increased his speed by a hair and pushed into her with a touch more force. He could feel her breathing pick up and her muscles quiver. He could smell the intoxicating aroma of her blood as her body temperature rose. He could see her eyes lose focus and finally close as the rest of her mouth began forming the 'o' of a guttural moan. All these signs alerted him that she was close to release. Teasing her clit with whispered touches, he finally pressed on her engorged flesh, sending her screaming and arching as she came…hard…again.
The violent writhing and constant moans drove him over the edge and he too plunged into the depths of pleasure. Pleasure such as he had never felt with any partner in his life, immortal or living, but had dreamt of when he let his mind wander.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" he ground out, body tense with orgasm. He couldn't move nor did he want to. His only thought was to prolong the feeling by staying tightly situated inside Bella's warmth for as long as possible. Looking down, he thought she might feel the same way.
-BS-
Edward's grip on Bella's thighs was bordering on painful as they both came down from the orgasmic high they were riding, but she could not and did not want to move an inch. Eyes closed, mouth open, she sat up enough to grab him and bring his body to lay next to hers. The chill of his skin was a welcomed balm to her thoroughly overheated body.
Panting, they lay beside one another, hands still rubbing and soothing for what seemed like eons. It was nice and caring, two things she had never had never come across in her post coital experience.
"You do know we can't just lay here basking in the glow of fuck hot sex forever?" she asked.
Edward sighed deeply before responding. "I suppose you'd be right if we thought we were done but I'm pretty sure I have a few more rounds in this old worn body of mine. What do you say we have another go?"
"I guess I could take one for the team and give you another chance to prove you deserve your man card. Besides, there's this thing I can do with my tongue that would blow your…"
Edward's mouth descended on Bella's before the final word could pass her lips, signaling the start of round two…
Which led to rounds three,
four,
and five.
After which Bella needed a few human moments to freshen up in the shower…leading to round six.
Figuring it was a good thing to keep the numbers even and not wanting to exhaust Bella overly much, she fell asleep while Edward hummed her various tunes from his childhood. Relaxation took her as she floated on a cloud of bliss, pleasantly numb.
-BS-
After two hours of dreamless sleep, Bella woke. Edward was no longer beside her but had left a note to meet him and his father in the den. There was a development with the tablet translation.
She was completely lost without her field journal, which was sitting uselessly back in the cave with the damn camera. If she had had that journal when she and Edward had begun trying to decipher the text in his apartment, they might have actually made some headway. 'Oh well,' she thought, 'no use in crying over lost material.'
Launching herself from the bed with the grace of an elephant, she stumbled to her bag for a change of clothes. Her breath was coming in hard pants as she struggled into her t-shirt and jeans, nearly tearing a hole in the crotch of the pants with her heavy foot. Opting to forgo socks or shoes, she threw her hair up in a messy bun and all but ran down the stairs in her haste to learn the news.
It was precisely this overzealous rush that clouded her judgment as she wheeled around the corner at the bottom of the stairs and was met with a solid object and flailing arms. It took mere seconds for the crunch of her nose to register before she felt the warm ooze of blood trickle onto her lip. The growl from the wall she hit took her by surprise. At that point she realized it wasn't a wall at all as the hands that she assumed had been hers flailing about were quite a bit larger and cold.
Looking up, she was met with the most predatory face she could ever recall seeing and just as she saw her life flash before her he was gone. She felt a breeze of Edward infused air whiff by her face at the same time Jasper disappeared, and realized that not only was her hot vampire lover a killer in the sack, but he was also now her own personal hero.
Collapsing to the ground, Bella tried desperately to wipe away the one thing that could most definitely get her killed in a house full of vampires when she felt a new set of equally large and cold hands grasp her upper arms to pull her up and lead her into the den. It was Carlisle and his face was anything but predatory. His face was that of a saint, a doctor, a father. He looked sad and weary though she knew he didn't need to sleep. Moments after she sat down he handed her a wet cloth and then began speaking.
"I'm so sorry Bella. Jasper is our newest member and still finds it a tad difficult to be around humans, let alone bleeding humans. Edward and Alice have taken him some ways away now, so I can get you all cleaned up. He intends to apologize when he returns and please know that his reaction was merely that, an instinctual reaction. I am actually quite pleased that he had the ability to fight the urge to kill you immediately and send a warning cry to Edward telepathically. It pays to have an abnormally fast vampire living in your home. And by abnormally fast, I do mean that by vampire standards." Carlisle chuckled before continuing the examination of her nose. "Well, it doesn't look severe but I'm sure there's a slight fracture given the crunch I heard when you hit Jasper. You'll likely have little swelling and some dark circles under your eyes but there's no need to split it. Just be careful and keep your eyes up, ok?" He smiled kindly at Bella and pulled her into a soothing hug before leaving the room.
When he returned he handed Bella a new shirt and left the room to let her change. When she was done she signaled and he returned, taking her bloodied shirt and dowsing it in alcohol before setting it aflame in the metal trash bin.
"Now then, let's get down to business and decipher this tablet. What do you say, Ms. Swan?"
"I say, hell yeah! Lead on, Dr. Cullen."
Settling in front of the coffee table that housed the tablet, Carlisle handed Bella one of three books sitting out. One was clearly a field journal that looked like it belonged in a display case in a museum.
"Um, this looks remarkably like a very old field journal but I was told you weren't an archaeologist," Bella muttered.
"Well, technically I'm not. No formal training and all, but there was a time when men learned all they needed in the trenches, so to speak. This is my field journal from my time in Egypt during the early part of the 19th century. There was still great debate about what the Egyptian hieroglyphs meant, even with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. Having been around a few centuries by then I had taken time to study all the ancient languages and saw things others didn't. All my notes are based on what I observed. I actually worried that my book was lost to time when I uncovered it in a box of my things in the attic. It will likely prove the most useful."
Bella flipped through the age stained pages with care and marveled at the detail on each page. She held a piece of history in her palm, something she was quite used to but never had she had a chance to speak to the person who had created it. The magnitude of that small revelation hit her like a Mac truck, leaving her breathless.
"Are you okay, Bella?" Carlisle laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.
"Um…oh! Yeah, I just realized that not only am I holding a book that is 200 years old but I'm also sitting here with its author. It's kind of an archaeologist's dream. Just hit me, you know?"
Carlisle let loose a very loud laugh and squeezed her shoulder once more before he let go.
"It's nice to see someone so in awe of something I find common place anymore. It helps me remember things I've relegated to the depths of my memory. Thank you. Now, to the task at hand, I had intended each of us to take a book but seeing as how Edward is currently unavailable, I suppose that will leave us to finish this task," Carlisle mused.
A dainty throat clearing near the door caught their attention. Their eyes quickly fell on Esme, who was tapping her foot with her hands on her hips and looking quite put out
"What am I? I may not be some history buff or archaeologist, but I can read and I can sure as hell look for corresponding images and their meanings," she huffed indignantly.
"By all means, my dear. Pull up a chair and help us unravel this most amazing mystery. I actually thought you had gone to help soothe Jasper. I would never have left you out intentionally," Carlisle smiled. He was a smooth player if ever Bella had met one. And she had, his name was Edward.
"Dr. Cullen, I think the best approach would be to divide the text into three parts, with each of us taking one and working on it. If you look here," Bella pointed to the tablet, "you will notice that there are three very delineated sections. I think it would be safe to do a light rubbing of each to make it easier to spread out. I don't know about you but I also need a lot more room to work than we have right now," she said.
"Agreed. I will leave the rubbing to you and Esme and I will see to making more room."
Bella set about gathering several pieces of paper, her white gloves, and the stubby piece of charcoal from her bag. After putting on her gloves, she rubbed out the markings softly and methodically on three separate sheets of paper and handed Carlisle and Esme their assignments. Without any further discussion, they all began digging through the texts in front of them, hell bent on bringing to light the message hidden so long ago.
-BS-
Deciphering ancient text is never easy but the task at hand was proving more than difficult. The writer seemed to blend several types of cuneiform into one unique form. Bella surmised that the author might have actually developed this language on their own and future civilizations took away from or added to it on their own. If she could carbon date the tablet she wondered if it would predate all written language found to date.
Shaking her head, she continued pouring through Carlisle's field journal and slowly began seeing the text in front of her take shape. It was mentally exhausting but she was getting a defined picture of the first section on the tablet, which served to push her to uncover the rest.
"How are you two coming with your sections?" Bella asked as she stretched her back and arms. They felt tight from all of the hunching and writing she had done over the course of the last few hours.
"I'm about a quarter of the way through what I have. Do you think we've uncovered enough that we can put it all together and get it done faster? I've written down several repeated forms to make it easier for me," Esme said.
"That sounds like a decent idea to me, Esme. What do you think, Carlisle?"
"Well, I've run into a few that I'm just stumped on so I don't think it will make the process any slower if we actually combine our findings to finish what we have here. I've noticed some Latin and Greek mixed in with the cuneiform. Making sense of all of this is maddening."
Scooting together, they began looking over each other's notes and realized that in most cases they all had uncovered the same things but there were a few instances when one of them deciphered something the others were stuck on. They also noticed that the writing in the different sections didn't look consistent. Bella's only conclusion was that this was something of a diary and was written at different times in the author's life. This mystery seemed to go deeper than she ever imagined. It made her stomach flutter and her brain work that much harder to unravel the knots of time and bring to light the tablet's purpose.
After another hour they had uncovered enough to gain a general idea of what the author was writing. They all read and reread what they had written down, mouths hanging open, not a breath to be heard between them.
"Bella, breathe. Carlisle and I don't need to but if you don't, you'll pass out," Esme prompted.
"Are you both reading what I'm reading? She was a fallen angel? The first vampire was Lilith?" Bella whispered.
"Yes," Esme and Carlisle said in unison.
They continued reading, awed faces firmly in place:
I am Lilitu, Inanna, Lilith. I am cursed, an angel cast out like Lucifer. My soul is gone. My life is to be spent walking the earth alone. I survive off the blood of God's children, my punishment for my jealousy of their free will and ability to love physically. I have been called succubus, witch, demon, and vampire. I am immortal. I have the ability to change a human but they will never carry my curse. They might live forever but they will always have a soul. Only God can take that away.
My sons are greedy. They will ruin the world with their need for power. I have asked that they kill me but they refuse, they love me. I know this is untrue. They need my wisdom. I no longer take human life and I will never change another. Aro calls me coward. He knows not the meaning of that word. I will live off animals or starve completely. One serves to keep me alive, though I am not. The other serves to remind me of my punishment. I have no soul yet I pray for the lives I have taken. I feel remorse now. It is a new development. I can no longer take the life of a child of God to sate my thirst. I fear my sons are damned for eternity, though their souls are firmly intact.
This stone, if found will serve as a warning and beacon for my children. I have been released from Volterra and its self-righteous rulers. The world will see me no more though I will still live. Those that come after me have the same free will as any human. I pray they use it wisely and learn to live amongst humans as equals rather than predators. The gates of Heaven will be open for them if ever they give up their immortal ties. I am weary. The world has changed so much. People are faithless and wander the land blinded by possessions. Take heed, preserve life, and know that your soul is safe as long as you do both.
Chapter 8
Mystery Revealed
The Cullen house was not normally so quiet. Vampires, while sneaky and fast, were also creatures of extreme noise. Most usually the noise was because at least one couple in the house was busy...getting busy. The moment Emmett and Rosalie walked in the door, they knew something was up.
"Hello?" Rosalie called. "Em, didn't Edward say Bella was here with Carlisle and Esme?"
"Uh, yeah. Hello?" Emmett echoed Rose's first call as he made his way through the door with the little bit of something they had picked up on the way, whose name was Demetri, as far as they could gather. They found it was much easer to deal with him after ripping his arms off. Rosalie would have been happy to decapitate him while they were at it because he was a mouthy little shit, but she was sure he had information that they would need in the very near future.
Rose continued walking further into the house, peeking her head around the corner into the living room. When no one was there she continued on to the study with Emmett hot on her heels.
"Oh, thank God! I thought something hap…" Rose halted her declaration as she viewed the three in front of her.
"What's up, baby? Did you find everyone?" Emmett asked. He hadn't realized Rose had stopped, and ran right into her back causing Demetri to collide with his own backside. They were a vampy train wreck of jumbled limbs on the floor of the den.
"What the fuck, Em? Shit…grab hold of that bitch before he's able to scramble to his feet!" Rose yelled. The high pitched vibrations of her voice brought Bella, Esme, and Carlisle out of the trance they were in and they all scrambled to help Rose and Emmett off the floor.
Emmett indicated his need to remain on the floor, as he couldn't seem to get a good grip on the small bit of chain he had used to secure Demetri earlier. His weight was the only thing that continued to keep their prisoner from jumping up and running away.
"I got him! Carlisle, we need more chains or something to secure his legs. I left mine in the Jeep," Emmett bellowed.
"I'll get some. Rose, come with me and fill me in on why we have an armless vampire in our home that seems hell bent on getting away."
Emmett struggled to control the writhing hot mess below him while Bella and Esme waffled between total shock and violent giggles as it looked like Em was trying to wrestle a salamander. Just as he gained control of the situation, Carlisle returned with a set of large chains and began securing the captive vampire's legs.
"So, Rose tells me you two ran into this one and two more just outside of town? What happened to the other two? Has he talked at all? Do we know who he's with?" Carlisle questioned.
"Unless he's spouting curses he seems to have been rendered mute without his arms, isn't that right, buddy?" Emmett mussed Demetri's hair like he would a petulant child.
Demetri growled and tried to scoot across the floor to the corner of the room. His body was straining to free himself from the chains to no avail.
"Son, we truly mean you no harm but we have to know who you are with. We protect our own." Carlisle's soothing tone had no effect on this young man.
"They are coming and you will all pay for your impudence. Aro shows no mercy and you have what is his by right of birth." Demetri spat.
"Well, I guess your ability to talk wasn't connected to your pasty extremities. So, what you're saying is this dude Aro is gonna get us 'cause we have something he wants? Isn't that the shits!" Emmett replied.
Demetri sat stock still as he eyed the hunk of etched stone on the other side of the room. The tablet.
"That is what he wants. That belongs to the Volturi."
-BS-
"That is a matter of historical record for your kind. The Volturi have no more right to it than any of the vampires that live in this house. Besides, I found that and possession is nine tenths of the law," Bella said as she stood over the man. "I will not give it up without a fight and it might interest you to know that the Volturi have lied to your people for centuries. You still have a soul and with it, free will. Killing humans is as unnecessary for you as it is for me."
Just as Bella finished her sentence she felt as though all the air in the room was sucked away with the collective gasp of the people surrounding her. Both Emmett and Rose looked astounded by the revelation and though she didn't even know they had arrived, the effect was the same on Edward, Alice, and Jasper.
"You lie, human! We could not survive without the blood of the weaker species. Vampires were built to hunt humans just as lions stalk the wildebeest. It is nature's course." Demetri wheezed.
"Without the wildebeest, a lion would still have gazelle or even smaller creatures to prey on. You have the same option. Surviving on animals not only nourishes you but also saves your soul. The tablet makes that perfectly clear."
"They will flay you alive! All of you! My sacrifice is but a small token for the larger good. You mark my words." His face took on the look of a man haunted before quickly turning back to that of an unfeeling monster.
"That is quite enough. Emmett, as much as this pains me, we must dispose of this man. He is clearly a danger to us as well as the good people of Forks and it doesn't look like he'll be sharing any more information with us. Please, just see to it quickly and with as little pain as possible," Carlisle requested.
"Righto, pops! Alright there, Mr. Martyr, let's see what kind of pretty flames I can make with your legs!" Emmett bellowed, causing the rest of the family to cringe and Bella to gag.
"He's just not right in the head, is he?" she asked.
"My man just can't handle the heavy, Bella. He's always looking for the silver lining and this time it just happens to be the bright blue flame created by burning vamp fuel. I'm not saying it's right, but his heart is in the right place," Rosalie added.
"Fuck, you're both twisted. I'm torn between wanting to be your best friend and rocking in a corner."
"Whatever floats your boat, my dear," Rosalie responded, letting a slight smile light her face as she followed her husband and the screaming vampire he was carrying.
-BS-
Bella sat motionless in the den as she watched Rose and Emmett leave. Demetri had been the man sent to her apartment in France to wait for her. After looking into his eyes, she knew she wouldn't be alive if he had found her those few days ago. This realization made her all the more thankful for Edward's involvement.
"Bella, are you feeling okay?" Edward asked as he gently rubbed her shoulder.
"Uh, yeah. I just realized that he was the guy they sent to my apartment. I'm just glad I met him when he was armless and surrounded by a family of vampires instead of on my own."
She heard Edward laugh before she heard him speak. "Bella, you just never say what I think you're going to say. Amazing."
The coolness of his body embracing hers was oddly comforting. She supposed not all things comfortable need be warm.
"I like to keep you on your toes, Cullen. The mystery that is me will never be revealed completely," she snickered. The lightness of their conversation and the sensations caused by his proximity were enough to unravel the myriad of knots currently residing in her shoulders and back. When he was near she felt at home, which was a truly foreign feeling. Foreign, but good.
"I would give anything to have eternity to take you up on that challenge," he whispered. She wasn't sure if she was meant to hear it but she did and her responding smile shocked even her.
"As strangely out of character as this may seem, so would I, Mr. Beautiful."
With that Edward began to laugh, loudly. "Again with the surprises, Swan! Let's say we make it through this fucking fiasco with all limbs intact and then you let me take you up on that offer?"
"Edward, if we make it out alive then I expect you to take that offer and fucking run with it to Timbuktu. Stress or no, I think we have discovered the start of something really good here." Bella gazed up at the handsome creature before her and sighed. "Now, enough girly bullshit. It seems my former employers are hot on our trail so we need to formulate a plan of action, like yesterday!"
As Bella turned to the remaining people in the room, she noticed a far away look in Alice's eyes. She wondered briefly what would cause such a firecracker to seem so solemn. Before she had any more time to ponder this sudden change, Alice's eyes returned to their normal brightness but her face fell.
"They know where you are and that we have the tablet. They're on their way now and will arrive before Maria's troops. If we don't do something they will destroy Forks and everyone in it," she sobbed.
Jasper stood holding her up, his eyes full of understanding. "It seems facing them on home ground is now a risk we cannot take. I think the best option is to hide the tablet and Bella but I've no idea where or how to stop the Volturi's progress to Forks. Give me a few moments to ruminate on this. All hope is not lost we just need to change our course a bit. Carlisle, will you please inform the pack of the news but tell them to stay alert and that it is likely we will still need them."
Jasper left the room, head down, fingers locked in front of him. Bella knew two sides of this enigmatic vampire but could see that the facets of Jasper's personality were many. She also knew that even though he had nearly attacked her, he was quite possibly their only hope in this race against time.
-BS-
The entire Cullen clan, minus Jasper, spent hours discussing the repercussions of the Volturi's lies. Everything they had ever come to believe about their true nature was false and that gave them hope.
Edward spent many quiet moments staring at the beautiful and strong human in their midst. She was truly remarkable and if they did indeed make it out alive, he would hold her to her invitation…literally. That thought made him laugh as his family looked at him curiously.
"What? Am I not allowed to laugh? Now, where were we?"
Just as Carlisle began offering more options, though not very good ones, Jasper strode into the den with a smile the size of the Mississippi.
"I think I have plan. Scratch that. I know I have a plan and a damned good one at that. I've already contacted Maria to get her take on the situation and she agrees with what I've come up with, so listen up. Bella and the tablet need to "disappear"," he said, crooking his fingers into quotes. "Both Maria and I think the best place to send her is the Grand Canyon. With its spider web of valleys and caves it's the perfect place to hide the tablet and I know she's familiar with the area as she's been a part of several digs there. Maria and her crew would meet her there after she hid the tablet and they would be accompanied by a large group of Navajo bear shifters who will be beneficial in getting in and out of the canyon as well as helping in the fight. I think we can count on at least a few of the pack to follow us down there as well but we must make sure they leave the majority behind in case the Volturi don't take the bait."
"Jasper, this sounds really risky. How do we know we can trust Maria to keep Bella safe? And I hope you intend on keeping a very close eye on our brother. You know he can't turn down a good fight with a bear, shifter or not." Edward snorted.
"Yeah, I didn't really think about that. Emmett, I trust you to put the mission before your stomach, though these shifters are plenty capable of holding their own. Their help will be invaluable and not just because their claws can tear through our flesh like butter. They owe Maria a debt and this is the perfect time for her to collect. As for Maria, I know she can be trusted because she despises the Volturi's reign and I just added fuel to her fire with the whole "we still have souls" bomb. Every drop of human blood she has ingested has been to rid the world of an evil presence or add newborns to her clutch. I may not agree with her lifestyle, but there is a reason that a bunch of Native Americans owe her their lives and it's not because she's a threat to them."
"Fine, so Maria will keep her safe with the help of some giant fucking bears. But what about the Volturi's plans to come here? How do we stop them?" Edward asked.
"Well, that will entail leaving Carlisle, Esme and I behind. Carlisle has incredible control over his thoughts, the best of all of us, and I know that if Aro touches him he'll be able to let through only what we need them to believe and no more. Leaving Esme and I will simply make it look like we weren't expecting them. I will likely be able to influence some of the emotion during that time to keep them from going ballistic and ridding the world of the entirety of the Forks population."
"Jazz, I can't leave you! Let me stay too, please?" Alice begged.
"Darlin' there is nothing I want more than for you to be with me but everyone else will need your gift and if you're here it will be wasted. We'll be fine, I promise."
"So let me get this straight. I'm essentially being turned into a big, fat, tasty worm on the end of a fishing line held by a family of vampires?" Bella mused.
"Uh, yep…that's pretty much it. If there were any other way I wouldn't put you in this position but we really don't have many options. I promise you will be in the best of hands down South and Edward will be right behind you. You must hide the tablet on your own though. If the Volturi get hold of any of us I would feel much better about them not knowing the exact whereabouts of that stone and I have a feeling you might be as blank to them as you are to Edward. Edward, Alice, Rose, Emmett and the Quilutes will give you a day to get to the canyon and hide the tablet. I'm banking on your professional abilities to get you in and out without the need of a written map. We have to cover all our bases and having a treasure map that could fall in the wrong hands would undo everything we are trying to accomplish."
"I understand and I was just kidding with the analogy…sort of. When do I need to leave? Oh, and how will we know if Aro's crew took the bait? It's not like you can call if you end up being their prisoners."
"I've taken the liberty of booking you an early morning flight out of Seattle in the morning. You'll have to leave in a few hours to make it on time. I'm sorry there isn't much notice. As for how you will know what is going on here, well that, my dear is where my lovely wife will come into play. As soon as they've made a decision she will be able to tell you. Alice, I will need you to be tuned into the Volturi's future specifically. Don't worry about us, if we fear we're in danger we will find a way out." Jasper walked to his wife's side and pulled her into a fierce hug. "We've come too far to lose each other now."
Edward watched Alice melt into Jasper's arms. He felt like an intruder even though they were clearly aware they were amongst others. Where once he might have made some flippant remark about "getting a room" or "bleaching his eyes" he decided to simply take in the love and adoration the two possessed. It was something he realized he wanted for his future, if indeed he still had a future.
-BS-
Bella sighed and sank into the cushiony warmth of the sofa. She was to be bait. Perfect. Wonderful. Fucking great.
As she sat scrubbing her face with her palms she felt the cushions sink and looked over to see the same look she was sure she had on her face mirrored on Edward's.
"Are you sure you're ok with all of this, Bella?"
"Nope, but I'm pretty damn sure we don't have any other options. It sounds like the Volturi will stop at nothing to regain the tablet and to be honest, your kind deserves much better than the lies they've been told all this time. I'm a small sacrifice. Besides, I'll have you beside me for protection and from the sound of it some behemoth horses and wolves. It's like an American version of Clash of the Titans, without the water, of course." As serious as their conversation was, she couldn't help the vision she had in her head of herself tied up like a virgin awaiting the rescue of her very own Perseus, aka Edward. Just the thought of her as anything virginal after what she had done to Edward earlier made her nervous laughter turn into something altogether infectious and pretty soon Edward was rolling on the couch with her. It felt good to be a little light hearted through all this strife.
After a bit they were both able to calm down and Bella settled into Edward's side. He really did comfort her like she had never imagined.
Just as her eyes were drifting closed she heard a throat clearing and looked up into Jasper's crystal blue eyes.
"Bella, I was wondering if I could talk to you alone for a moment? It won't take long, I promise." He looked defeated and sadness marred his down home good looks.
"Of course. I suppose when we're done I should pack up my things again and prepare for another lovely flight. Edward, will you excuse me for a bit?" She stood and bent to place a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning to follow Jasper.
"I'll be waiting in your room, Bella. Alice, Rose, Emmett and I will be taking you to the airport and then driving on from there," he replied as she walked through the door behind Jasper. With his final words she looked at him and nodded her head not even trying to hide her smile.
She followed Jasper to the back of the house and out onto the deck. The view was magnificent and the air was alive with the smells of the forest.
"It's really beautiful here, even without the sun. I don't remember ever seeing so many shades of green before," she said.
"It is beautiful. There are many times I long for the brown of my home, though. Being in Arizona will almost feel like being back in Texas." He sighed. "Bella, the reason I asked to speak with you privately was to express my sincere regret for nearly killing you before."
Bella tried desperately to stifle her giggle but was wholly unsuccessful. Jasper looked mortified as she continued to laugh so she straightened herself out as well as she could and began explaining her response.
"I'm so sorry, Jasper. I wasn't laughing at your apology. It was wonderful. It's just that hearing you say you're sorry for nearly killing me seems so ridiculous and yet the reality is that you almost did. I think I might be losing my mind and my body's natural response is to laugh. I accept your apology and am just so fucking glad you had the presence of mind to send a distress call to Edward. Honestly, while you may have tried to attack me, you also saved me as much as Edward did. Thank you for that," she said and clapped the stunned Southerner on his shoulder before turning to go back inside. "By the way, your plan, while a little deranged and quite dangerous, is absolutely brilliant. I'm glad you're on my side, Jasper."
-BS-
Edward paced the small confines of the spare bedroom waiting for Bella to join him. The plans laid out by Jasper had him tied in knots. He wasn't sure if it was a suicide mission or sheer damn brilliance on Jaspers part or possibly a little of both. Either way it made him edgy and fearful that he was about to lose the only person he had ever wanted in his long and quiet existence.
Raking his hands through his hair and over his face for the millionth time his mind went to early morning hours when he and Bella were wrapped up in each other. The completeness he felt in her arms was more than he could have ever wished for. How the hell would he continue on with out her if something were to happen? Before he could think himself into a corner the door opened and Bella walked in.
"Hey Cullen, what's with the long face? It looks like you're preparing to send your lover into battle. Oh wait, you are!" Bella smiled. He could tell she was trying to make light of the subject to ease her own fears but he couldn't bring himself to smile at her words.
"I really wish I could go with you, Bella. Please promise to be careful until I get there? I've just found you. I can't let you go now," he said sullenly.
"Hey now, no heavy shit, Edward. I promise to be careful but you have to promise not to turn into some kind of sniveling emo puddle on me. I need my smart, funny, positive vampire back. And I feel the same way. I plan on fighting with all I've got so that when this is done we can see if what we have can withstand who we are as individuals. Though I have to say that I think you were fucking made for me." She smiled and this time Edward returned the sentiment. "How about we see if we can torture the rest of your family the way they tortured you for so many years and make some happy noises in here before we have to go?"
"GAME. ON. SWAN."
For the next few hours Bella relished the feel of Edward's cool touches and tingle inducing tongue all over her body. She held nothing back and moaned and screamed to her hearts content while enduring the rounds of "ewwwww's" and "keep it down" from the others in the house. She also delighted in pleasuring Edward countless times before finally demanding he fuck her until she passed out. That comment got her a nice earth shattering orgasm and the funniest comments from the peanut gallery she could have ever imagined. If she had been the type to be embarrassed, she would have been the color of an over ripe tomato.
-BS-
With the sun still firmly on the other side of the earth, the rag tag group of four vampires and one human loaded into a shiny silver Volvo after receiving round after round of hugs and kisses from those being left behind.
Carlisle had arranged for Edward and crew to meet up with the members of the pack that had volunteered to help in Seattle. From there they would start the trek to Arizona and pray that the plans they had set in motion would unfold in the manner they wanted. Edward also hoped the Quilutes had a fast car as they would need it to keep up with him.
Edward decided that it would be best if Emmett drove so that he could concentrate on helping Bella stay calm. He, Bella, and Alice took up residence in the back seat with Bella curled into his side. Alice simply stared out the side window, her thoughts most assuredly on her husband and our adoptive parents.
"Alice, they'll be fine," he reassured.
"I know, but this is the first time I've been apart from Jazz for any real length of time. I'm just not sure what to do with myself without him."
"I know, why don't you tell me where you're going to take me shopping when this is over, Alice," Bella piped in.
From where Edward sat, the light that came on behind Alice's eyes was brilliant. His lovely Bella knew exactly how to occupy his sister's time to keep the melancholy from taking her under.
He squeezed Bella's arm in thanks and bent to whisper words he never imagined saying, especially in a time like this.
"I think I was made for you, my Bella. I think you should also know that I do believe I'm falling in love with you."
Edward felt her gasp as much as he heard it.
"I'm sorry, that was probably too much too fast. I just wanted to be honest. If I never get the chance to tell you again, at least I know I've said it once."
"Oh Edward, no "sorry's". You make me insanely happy, and that's more than just my hooha talking. I never knew being close to someone could feel this way. Thank you for that and when this shit is over I plan on taking my time figuring out what we have and how I can keep you close to me always. Now, I need you to shut the hell up so I can focus on the torture Alice is going to put me through after this debacle. She just mentioned something about shoes and corsets." Bella wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Edward laughed until the image of Bella in nothing but fuck me heels and a kick ass corset forced him to rearrange his now hard dick before it broke the zipper of his jeans.
He decided it was going to be a very long ride to Seattle.
-BS-
Bella sat listening to Alice yammer on and on about designers, shoes, and some Agent Provoca-something that she could only surmise was either a high end Victoria Secret or some super sexy spy. She also endured countless wiggles from Edward as he listened to Alice talk about various types of lingerie and what she thought would look best on her. Bella thought Alice was trying to purposefully make him uncomfortable, perhaps payback for their romper room fun earlier. In any event, he seemed both antsy and uncomfortable so she figured that Alice had accomplished her mission and her smile would indicate she was aware of this.
As they pulled up to the airport, Bella felt a heaviness in her chest that she had never before encountered. While flying wasn't her favorite thing to do, it had never bothered her very much. To be honest, she was fairly sure it wasn't the flight that made her feel so damn awful; it was who she was leaving behind.
Edward climbed out of the car first and then helped her out by gently grabbing her hand. She held her back pack full of meager possessions and the tablet in one hand, and wrapped the fingers of the other hand tightly around Edward's cool touch.
"I'll be there by tomorrow morning. One of the tribe will pick you up at the airport, Gage, and he'll take you to the canyon to meet up with Maria. She'll meet you at the Toroweap Outlook. It's remote and she says there should be plenty of places relatively hidden to place the tablet that won't take you two days to hike to. We'll meet everyone at the opposite end of the canyon just in case any of the Volturi are near. Take care of yourself, Bella. I don't think I could live without your brand of snark in my life."
"Is it just my wit and bad attitude that you can't live without Cullen?"
"No, but it's a good start."
"You be careful, too. I'll be waiting for you in the canyon."
Bella walked through the automatic doors before turning around. He was staring at her with hungry, sad eyes. She waved and winked at him, letting the small smile on her face fade as she thought about the short time they had known one another. Perhaps the heaviness was more than just her reluctance to let her knight go. Perhaps it was another sign that she felt for him what he had professed feeling for her. Perhaps it really was love.
Sighing deeply, she made her way to her gate, eyes darting all around and constantly on guard for creepy guys with terminator glasses. Settling into her seat to await boarding and hugging her pack close, she prayed for the first time in ages.
"God, I have no idea how or if I'm going to make it out alive but I promise if I do to make the most of the life I have left. I promise to give love a chance and to have more faith. I would promise to curb my cursing but I have a feeling I'd break that one in record time so how about I just try not to take your name in vain anymore? I think I can do that. I also promise to find your fallen angel and let her know that her words were not without merit. Maybe I can try to convince her that her life, though in exile, is definitely not without purpose. She may have been cast out soulless but I believe she's more than regained it…"
Before she could continue the prayer her seat was called. She left the shades of green, the unending rain, and a family of vegetarian vampires behind to save a relic and herself from the clutches of an evil she never imagined existed. For the first time she felt brave and a bit like her childhood hero, Indiana Jones.
If only she had a Fedora and whip instead of a dusty back pack. She marched to the plane humming her hero's theme song and feeling just a little bigger than she had when she arrived.
Maybe it really would be okay.
Chapter 9
How Grand is this Canyon?
The flight was uneventful…unless you count the snoring behemoth behind her, the wailing child in front of her, and the Fran Drescher clone beside her. Bella could have handled the snoring and crying but Frannie was another issue all together. The woman wouldn't stop interrupting Bella's iPod listening to regale her with disturbing stories of her car salesman boyfriend and their four illegitimate children.
Un-fucking-eventful but annoying all the same.
For the second time in less than a week, Bella felt the urge to kiss the dirt beneath her Sundowners when she finally made it outside the terminal. If she made it out of this alive, she was avoiding airports and commercial flights for a very long time.
Just as her urge to drop to her knees was almost impossible to ignore, she found herself enveloped in a very Emmett-like hug except with tanned arms.
"What the FUCK!"
The arms squeezed a bit tighter before releasing her.
"Hi. I'm Gage, Maria asked me to pick you up. As for the invasion of personal space…" He shrugged. "You looked like you could use a hug." The laughter that followed his statement was loud and free. Like a kid whose just been told he gets to go to Disney World for the first time ever, and it was contagious.
Bella wasn't sure if it was the stress of the last week or just the fact that Gage's fun loving spirit was that potent, but she laughed so hard she cried.
"S'okay. I think it's safe to say that a hug is the least of my worries," she said while wiping the tears from her eyes. Her stomach muscles ached in the best way. As a matter of fact, the only ache that was better was the one induced by a certain caramel-eyed vampire. This thought brought on a flood of images from their short time at the Cullen homestead. Perfectly sculpted naked man bits swam through her mind and the ache in her stomach traveled to her hooha.
With a deep sigh she pushed all thoughts of Edward away, save one.
"Do the Cullen's have your number?" she asked Gage.
"Uh-yep. The one, what's his name? Edmond or something, called earlier to give me your flight info. He said he'd call when they were halfway here."
"It's Edward," she replied softly.
"Yeah, that's the one. Are you ready to get on the road? We have a bit of a drive and I need to stop and pick up a few more guys on our way."
"Lead the way! Um, I have what I hope isn't a rude question, but what do you shift into?" Bella inquired with a whisper.
"Brown bears. There aren't any real ones in the area anymore but when my ancestors were given this gift the land was rich with them."
"I didn't get a chance to ask back in Washington but why do you change? I mean, is it just because you can or is there some deep spiritual meaning?"
"Well, I think the dudes up north change as a protective measure. Like the only time the change happens is when their land is threatened by a mortal enemy or some shit. Our change happens in every generation regardless of threat but then we do live in a pretty hostile environment." Gage finished.
"So how the hell did you come to owe a horde of vampires a debt? I mean, that's why you're helping right? By the way, you can tell me to shut the hell up at any time. My natural reaction to something I don't understand is to question it to death."
"No worries. Maria…now that's a funny story! She and her rag tag band of newbies were wandering up from Mexico and ran into some of my brothers and I on a nightly sweep of the area. Dudes were high on some primo peyote, religious purposes, of course, and were doing a cleansing ceremony. Weeeeell, we had a few new guys with us who might have wandered a little while they were shifted. They got lost. We searched for those three fools for two fucking days in the desert. It was July and we were all sure they'd died of exposure until this Hispanic beauty came waltzing onto the Rez with my brothers in tow, fucking smiles plastered to their faces. If I hadn't known better I would've guessed they were still high. Seems that when they wandered off, they just kept walking til they passed out. They had gone over the border and that's where Maria found them, only she and her crew weren't the only vamps in the area. A rival newborn horde had surrounded the boys and were about to pounce on their unconscious asses when Maria jumped in to save the day, creating a life debt the size of Texas."
"That's a story to pass around the campfire! If I weren't so happy to have Maria and her crew on our side I might actually share my condolences." Bella snickered as she commented. The image of two large Native American's waking up surrounded by vampires should have been disturbing but humor won out.
-BS-
When the fuck, a raft? She is winding down a river, dodging whitecaps and rocks the size of small countries in a rubber raft filled with air. This could end very badly, she thinks. Suddenly, she turns toward a disembodied voice calling her name as the raft bears down on a particularly rough patch of water. There's no one on the cliffs but the voice is getting louder…
"Bella! BELLA!"
Her questionable ride gains momentum as the voice grows louder and more persistent, expletives flying past her ears with the same force as the rocking of the raft.
"Son of a bitch! I told you not to…"
She can feel herself turning green but knows if she puts her head over the side she will both fall into a raging river of death and be soaked in her own vomit. Neither is appealing, though death might be a welcomed relief from the damn voice she can't find. Looking up and around she notices the sky growing dark with forceful looking clouds and claps of thunder ring through the canyon she's careening down. She's going to die…she knows this and just as she's considering embracing it golden eyes surround her. Their warmth brings her comfort as the face they belong to comes into focus and she…
"Dude, she looks green. Stop fucking rocking her, asshole! I don't want chunks on the upholstery!"
"Bella, we're at the res. Hey, wake up! This will be the last stop til the canyon and we've gotta get going, it's almost 10 in the morning!"
The fog of the dream lifted and Bella realized that the voice that was annoying her belonged to Gage. The same Gage that gave her a hug before formally meeting her. The same Gage that is currently shaking her so hard that she feels the need to puke and can hear her bones rattling.
"Seriously Gage, if you don't stop shaking me I'm going to make sure I aim for your lap when I puke," she said coolly.
"Ahhhh, there's our little adventurer! Pee break and then back to the truck in 5. We're about an hour and a half from the north rim and we need to get a move on."
Gage ushered Bella out of the truck and into a tiny Adobe house, pointing toward the bathroom.
"I'm gathering plenty of water and some protein bars so take care of business and then we're out!" he shouted.
Bella made quick work of relieving herself and rushed back out to the truck, which had been joined by a mini van. Just as she reached for the door of the truck, she noticed several large men spill from the van and just when she thinks they're done, more come out. It's comical, reminding her of a clown car.
One by one they line up in front of her.
"Hi, I'm Ahiga. Ahi for short. Good to meet you, Bella Swan."
"The name's Cheveyo but everyone calls me Chevy."
"I'm Honaw. It's short so I don't have a nickname. Well, except Bear…my name, it means bear so some people call me that instead. I'll answer to just about anything except Bob. I hate that name…"
Bella was sure the young man before was going to continue his word vomit until Gage stepped in and laid a large hand on his shoulder.
"Honaw, it's okay, she gets it." He chuckled and ushered the man aside letting a new one take his place.
All in all there were ten men in the tribe that were shifters and she was introduced and shook all of their hands. Just knowing these guys were on her side made her feel like getting out of this situation alive might actually be feasible.
-BS-
The truck bumped along the dirt road, jarring every bone in Bella's body. She was trying desperately to put a lid on her thoughts but they weren't cooperating. Sighing deeply, she figured the time might pass quicker and less annoyingly if she were to try to make some kind of conversation with the two men she was sandwiched between.
"So, Honaw, you and the rest of the guys all gave me your tribal names, right?"
"Sure did, though I think I'm the only one that gave you my meaning," he said thoughtfully.
"Gage, what's your tribal name? I mean it can't be something as vanilla as Gage, right?" Bella asked.
"Naw, but it does sound a lot like it. My real name is Gahege. It means chief because I was born to lead our tribe when I came of age."
"So, I'm being escorted to my possible demise by a chief and a bear with a shit load of peyote smoking shifters behind us bound to protect me with the help of two vampire covens and another tribe of shifters. No can ever say my life is boring, that's for damn sure." Bella laughed at her statement until her sides hurt.
"Did that help there, Bella? I couldn't tell if that was a happy laugh or an "I'm gonna die soon so I may as well laugh maniacally" laugh," Gage said.
"A little of both? It doesn't matter. Drive on Jeeves. I have a tablet to hide and the canyon's gonna be hot as Hades by the time I get out there."
-BS-
"Here we are and there's Maria." Gage pointed toward a group of people ahead of us.
She was a dark haired, dark eyed beauty and if Bella swung that way she would totally be into Maria. As Gage waved, Maria drifted toward the truck, eyes gleeful with a hard edge and keen glint.
"It's a pleasure to meet the woman bringing the Volturi down," Maria said, extending her hand at the same time.
"Uh, yeah, I don't know about brining anyone down but thanks?"
"Don't you worry, my dear, with my army and the bears on your side there can be no losing. I have heard from Jasper's mate Alice. Aro and a few of his special guards are set to arrive in Forks this evening. As Alice has visions she will contact us, that is, until she arrives here herself. She is quite a handful, that one, but very helpful."
"You have no idea, on both counts. Okay, now that I'm here I'd really rather not waste time. Let's get this tablet hidden now. The sooner it happens the sooner I can be back here where I'll be safer."
Bella watched as Gage walked to his truck and came back to the group holding a piece of graph paper.
"This is a map Ahi made of the north rim. Follow it and hide the tablet somewhere on the way. Be sure to touch as much as you can on the way and as little as possible when you actually hide the tablet. Your scent will act as a roadmap for the Volturi dudes so you want it to be even. Understand?"
Bella nodded her head as she studied the map.
"As soon as you are in a place you recognize and can make it back here without aid, burn the map. Nahiossi "borrowed" a horse to get you in and out of the canyon as quickly as possible. It should take you about three hours to follow this map. If you're not back in three then we'll go in looking for you. Remember to go into different caves and touch as much as you can. Leave a marker only you would recognize when you hide the tablet and then continue on, spreading your scent as you go."
"By borrowed do you mean "stole"?" Bella laughed trying to place one of the many men she'd met earlier.
"His name doesn't mean "has three fingers" for nothing!" Gage winked.
Bella shook her head and followed Maria and Gage to the waiting horse. After a refresher introduction to the "borrower" Nahi, she patted the horse. It was loaded down with everything she would need for a three hour tour of the north rim and then some. The thought of getting lost in the endless maze of valleys and hills scared the crap out of her. It was true she had been to the Grand Canyon on several digs but they had always had guides and enough maps to paper the White House, luxuries she didn't have this time around. Fear or not this was something she had little choice in, Jasper and Maria's plan was sound and if it was followed, would likely keep her alive.
Mounting the horse, she turned to wave to the mixed group of vampires and shifters, aware of what a rare occurrence it was.
"Please tell Edward I'm safe if he calls," she called out to the crowd.
"We will and they should be here tonight. Be safe, Isabella," Maria shouted back, her accent thick as she said Bella's name.
As though it knew its rider was uneasy, the horse whinnied and snorted.
"It's just you and me, dude. If you get me in and outta this place in one piece then I promise to ruin you with enough apples to choke a water buffalo, okay? Fuck Bella, now you're making deals with four legged animals and talking to yourself. If the sun and heat don't get you then the obvious psychological disorder you have surely will."
With that she squeezed the horse's midsection to spur it into a fast trot. They both seemed anxious to put the next three hours behind them.
-BS-
Bella was well acquainted with deserts and the color brown was as soothing for her as blue or green but this shit was getting old. She had touched every possible surface she could reach from the back of her horse and dismounted, more times than her ass cared to admit, entering cave after cave. Unfortunately she still hadn't found a suitable place to hide the tablet.
Running her hands along the sheer face of rock to her side she decided that the next fucking cave she came to would have to suffice. She wanted to be rid of the piece of invaluable rock in her pack and finish the remainder of her ride. The solid feeling of dread in her stomach was inching it's way through her body and settling into all of her muscles, making her feel like she weighed a thousand pounds. She could only hope that getting back to the waiting posse would alleviate that feeling and allow her to focus on the fight ahead.
As luck would have it, the next cave she came to had several deep crevices in the wall. One in particular was the perfect depth and height to house the tablet. The trick would be touching things no more or less than she had before. If she lingered too long it would alert the Volturi and they would likely spend more time searching than they would anywhere else. Bella's mind set to work solving this puzzle in record time.
She quickly realized that she would not be able to wrap the tablet in anything with her scent so she opted (and cringed as she did) to leave it unprotected in the crevice. Pulling on her gloves quickly she retrieved the tablet and placed it into the hole. It was too noticeable left as it was and with vampire sight it would be recognized quickly. Standing in one spot she viewed the other walls and noticed that several crevices were almost impossible to see as debris had collected in them, some even holding birds nests. Scanning the ground she located a few small stones and twigs. She collected them and arranged them haphazardly in the opening of the crevice, praying it would be enough to disguise the tablet.
With her mission finished, she continued around the cave touching the walls and floor while also sticking her hand into as many of the crevices as she could. Smiling to herself with smug satisfaction, she was happy to have accomplished her goal of leaving the same mark on this cave as she had on the others and the trail outside.
Mounting her tired and rather disgruntled mare, she pulled the map from her back pocket and realized she was about half way to the start of the trail. She had hoped she was closer so that she could rid herself of the last tie to the area but knew she needed to keep it for a bit longer.
The next hour passed the same way the previous one had. Her slow progression with constant mounting and dismounting, touching all she could, and exploring caves that she was sure hadn't seen the steps of a human in years continued. Glancing at the map and her surroundings again, she felt safe destroying it and finishing the trek on her own. She also felt it was time to walk out the kinks that riding a horse for almost three hours caused.
Her horse seemed happy to be rid of the extra load as Bella grabbed the reins to lead her out of the valley. As they were nearing a bend, the mare halted and became agitated in a way that indicated danger, in one form or another. Reaching into the saddle bag, she groped around for anything of substance and came up empty as the horse continued to dip its head and hoof the ground.
"Shhhh, it'll be ok, girl. Just let me check the other side. Surely those asshats didn't forget to pack a weapon for me…idiots," she mumbled as she carefully rounded the horse to dig through the contents of the other saddle bag. Just as she was a bout to give up she noticed a shovel and pick ax secured to the back of the saddle.
"Yesssss. Okay, girl, just let me take care of this. That's a girl." She soothed and patted the horse's neck.
With careful precision she made her way around the bend in the canyon floor, eyes darting wildly for the cause of the distress. Shovel securely in hand, she turned to soothe the horse once more but caught an image in her periphery. Pretending to be ignorant of the presence in the valley with her, she patted the horse once more and walked a little way with her, head down, in the direction of the intruder.
Just as she rounded the corner, she saw feet and reacted before acknowledging whom they belonged to. Swinging the shovel in a wide and powerful arch, she felt every bone in her body vibrate as it made contact. If she hadn't seen feet she would have sworn she struck stone.
"Damn it, Bella! What the fuck was that for?"
She heard the voice as she pulled the shovel back toward her, her muscles still tingling from the impact. As the knowledge of whom she struck had hit her, she noticed the clear impression of a profile in the once smooth metal. She held the shovel in front of her as her head raised to look on her would be attacker and current lover in surprise.
"You dented the damn shovel. No…you left a near perfect impression of your FACE in the damn shovel. How is that…? You know what, I don't care!" She launched herself at him, letting all of her fear and frustration come through in her hug. "I can't believe you're here, Edward. They said we shouldn't expect you until tonight."
"The car was too damn slow so I had them drop me off in California and I ran the rest of the way. It's our preferred mode for long distance travel but the wolves were following in their own car so we drove." She felt his arms squeeze with the gentlest pressure before he continued. "I just had to make sure you got out okay."
"Thanks, but isn't this putting us in an awkward position? My scent mixed with yours is bound to alert them to our connection."
"The rest of the crew is just around this corner, so we're good." He smoothed her hair before bending down to pick up the shovel.
"Edward, do you watch cartoons?" Bella asked.
"Uh, not really. Why?"
"That," she pointed to the shovel in his hand, "is classic Looney Toons and if I weren't so freaked out by the fact that my vampire lover can dent metal, then I'd be laughing like Bugs when he does that shit to Elmer Fudd. Keep it, I'm going to need a good laugh when this fucked up situation is resolved." She leaned into his side as they walked back to the horse.
-BS-
"There you are!" Gage huffed. "I thought we were gonna have to come in and find you two fools! What the hell is that?" He pointed to the shovel Edward was still carrying.
"This is a perfect impression of Edward's profile on the end of a shovel."
"Dude, that's fucking Looney Toons brought to life! AWESOME!" Chevy hooted, causing the rest of the group to laugh uproariously at the visual that spoken thought evoked.
"Laugh it up, asshole. This little human has a helluva swing!" Edward rubbed the side of his face before handing over the horse's reins to Chevy, who was still laughing so hard there were tears streaming down his face. "I hope that horse shits on you, bear."
"Slow your roll, vampie! When you have a chance to step back for a minute and possibly watch an episode or 12 of Bugs then you'll understand the hilarity. I'll just take this ol' girl back to her barn." He turned to head toward the dirt road and swung his massive body onto the back of the horse. "See ya later taters! I'll be the one in the full body fur." He winked and spurred the horse to a gallop.
"Dude likes to make an exit. I'm pretty sure he thinks he lives in a Spaghetti Western." Gage shook his head as he watched his brother in arms disappear down the dusty road.
"All right, let's get everyone together and start making some decisions. Edward mentioned earlier that the Washington crew would be here in about 2 hours so let's have everything in place before they get here. The quicker we can all take our places after that, the better protected we will be."
In a blur of action, Maria set to organizing her group of vampires while Gage went over the terrain and placement of shifters with his tribe. All of this activity left Bella and Edward alone with far too much time to contemplate what lay ahead of them.
"You know the Volturi will likely plan their attack after nightfall, right?" Edward asked.
"No, I didn't realize that but now that you mention it I understand why. Thank God the shifters have primo eyesight, too. I guess this means I'll be the only one flying blind, right?"
"Not completely. I picked up some night vision goggles for you to wear. It isn't the same as seeing like one of us but it will suffice. My guess is that they won't give up until one of our groups is decimated or they find the tablet. It's likely to be a long night and I doubt anything will be resolved before daylight so maybe you should take a nap while you have the chance." Edward moved around Bella until she was snuggled up against his side in the back of Gage's truck.
"I think I will. I'll apologize now if I say inappropriate things. You make my head fuzzy," she said, laying her head on his chest and drifting off in record time.
-BS-
Bella woke in the cab of the truck, minus her own personal a/c unit and favorite vampire. Rising up, she peered out the windshield to see the group had grown by several people and a few cars.
"The Cullens and Quilutes must be here," she mused.
As quickly as her sleep heavy limbs would move, she pulled herself out of the truck and made her way to the expanded mass of people waiting near the mouth of the trail.
"Well, lookie there! Sleeping beauty has arisen and looks like she could rip a dude UP!" Emmett bellowed.
"Wow, I see your constant traveling hasn't affected your jovial fuckery, Em. Good to see you too, dickweed," Bella snarked. Her surly attitude caused a round of snickers among the new arrivals.
"Eddie boy, you sure can pick'em!" Emmett walked over to Bella and pulled her into a crushing hug. Rather than feeling annoyed though, it served to make her feel safe and cared for, something she desperately needed at this point.
"Thanks, Em," she whispered.
"No problem, Belly. OKAY! That's enough touchy feely, I'm ready to kick some Volturi ASSSSSSSS! Who's in charge of this lil soiree?"
Gage and Maria started going over the plan with the Cullens and Quilutes as Bella listened intently, knowing she wouldn't really be an active participant. She pondered the new faces so similar to the Navajo's yet invariably different. She supposed at this point introductions would be best done after the fighting was through, assuming she made it out alive. Turning toward Alice, she realized there was something visibly wrong with her and rushed to her side.
"Alice, what is it?"
Alice continued to stare blankly, her face a study in quiet fear before she refocused and answered Bella.
"They're coming. I'd say 30 minutes tops and they have Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper. They all look fine but Jane is aching to torture them."
Edward put his arms around Alice's shoulders and squeezed.
"Jasper will keep the mood as light as he can. As long as they don't suspect his talent then they should be fine. As soon as they get here we will attack the group holding them and free them to fight. Have faith sister, all will be fine." Edward's words were positive and bright but his tone was tired and unsure. It did nothing to reassure Bella.
Over the next few minutes the entire group took their positions along the canyon and at the top of some of the lower cliffs. Bella was flanked by two bears, with Edward directly in front of her. Maria, Gage, and half of the Southern vampires made up the front line with a smattering of vampires and shifters, wolf and bear behind her.
She felt cocooned and safe but didn't figure that feeling would last past…
"They're here."
Chapter 10
Showdown at Dusk
Edward was alerted to the nearness of the Volturi guard the minute Alice's vision took hold. They were around a bend in the canyon that he and Bella had exited earlier and were coming forward at a steady pace.
"They're here," he said resolutely.
He could sense everyone behind him tense in preparation. Bella's pulse soared on wings of nervousness and anticipation; this only served to heighten her already mouth watering scent. If she kept it up, the Volturi would slaughter her simply because they wouldn't be able to stop themselves.
Stepping back slightly, Edward spoke to her in a smooth calm tone, praying his own trepidation didn't show through.
"Swan, it'll be okay. Wherever you go, I'll be right behind. We are all here to protect you." He reached back to wrap his cool hand around hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Thanks, and Edward if you get staked or burnt to a crisp or whatever the hell it is that kills you, then be prepared to meet me on the other side for the beating of your life, 'kay?"
Bella's half-hearted threat made him laugh. "If I don't make it, then you have my express permission to go postal on my ass."
Turning around fully, he saw Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper walking ahead of the front line of the guard.
"It's good to see you three," Edward said.
"As it is you, son." Carlisle was pulled to a halt fifty yards from Edward.
"Ah, isn't this splendid? A family reunion, of sorts. Carlisle, let us not be rude, please introduce your lovely family to me." The man who spoke was short with long, straight, dark hair pulled into a low ponytail. His features were sharp, almost hawk-like in appearance and his voice carried the melodic cadence of a born and bred Italian.
"Aro, please meet my remaining adopted children: Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice." Carlisle gestured to each and in turn they bowed their heads slightly in acknowledgement.
"The pleasure is all mine. Now, my brothers and I would very much like to avoid a confrontation. If you will kindly hand over the human woman, we will return those of your family in our care, and we'll be on our way," he said flippantly.
Dude has balls the size of Texas. Edward heard Emmett's thoughts and nearly choked trying to hold back the laughter.
"I don't believe that is possible. You see, we've all vowed to protect Isabella with our lives. The world deserves the truth that you and your court would hide."
"It seems we are at an impasse. You will not surrender what we need and we will not let her or any of you leave here alive. Guards, begin!" Aro yawned.
-BS—
In milliseconds, Bella felt the air of moving bodies whoosh past her in all directions. The sun had set completely, forcing her to engage her night vision goggles. The scene that awaited her was terrifying and beautiful wrapped in one hell of a warped package.
Bodies flew and the sounds of stone meeting stone surrounded her, filling her head 'til it pounded. She was still surrounded by her guards, realizing quickly that their ranks had grown by three, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle. She thanked whatever forces were at work that they had made it away from the Volturi's front line with all body parts intact. Except, she thought, Jasper might be missing an ear.
Whatever, dude has supersonic hearing with both so he can afford a downgrade.
Slowly, her circle of protection widened and moved to take her out of the fray. They were gaining ground…but suddenly everything changed. The group was being pushed closer together in seconds as wave after wave of attackers lunged forward. Bella was forced into a crouched ball, unable to actually move anywhere. Horror stricken, she witnessed her protectors being picked off, one by one, the victims of an invisible predator. They writhed on the ground around her, unable to respond to her questions as she went to each of them. Edward was her last stop, and it was all he could do to grab her arm and whimper for her to run. So she did.
After just a few short strides, her ankle was attacked by hands…large, cold hands. (this fragment doesn't make much sense. You may want to expand on what the hands were doing to her.) Looking down, she could barely contain the shriek that threatened to rip its way through her throat.
A legless body was attacking her as it tried to climb its way up her body. She used her unhindered leg to kick the disabled vampire, finally getting it to release her other leg and allow her to gather her wits. It continued to crawl toward her with a fierce determination and sneer on its face. Looking around, she grabbed the first thing she could find to defend herself, a really large rock.
Without thought, she hurled the rock at the head of the crawling vampire but it did little to deter it. The rock broke into a million little pieces and didn't even leave a dent. She continued to back away as the damned creature clawed through the dirt in her direction.
Picking up another rock, this one quite a bit larger, she repeated her action and threw it at the body on the ground. Again the rock was simply pulverized into dust; it didn't hinder the vampire's progress at all.
"Leave me alone, you motherfucking, legless shit!"
Frustrated with her inability to stop the approaching vampire, Bella picked up any pebble or loose dirt she could find and hurled it as fast as she could.
"Why... Won't... You... Just... Fucking... DIE!" She screamed in frustration.
Just as she was about to completely lose it and start stomping on the thing; she felt arms around her and a large hairy mass next to her. Turning in the arms that held her, she looked up into Emmett's face as he grinned ruefully at the suddenly terrified, motherfucking, legless shit on the ground.
"Bellsy, we'll take it from here. You just stay close to the shifters and try to find a safe place to camp out 'til this is over, okay?" Emmett had to yell his instructions for her to hear them over the din of battle.
"Okay. Be safe, Emmett." She gave him a quick squeeze and turned to find a way out of the middle of the fighting.
Trying to stay close to the larger bodies of the bears and wolves, Bella made her way through the moving mess and into a very small cave. From her vantage point, she could still see the fighting but had lost track of the Volturi rulers. It was hard to calm herself enough to sit quietly in her stone sanctuary with adrenaline coursing through her veins. But sit she did. She sat so long that she nodded off, which was her first mistake.
The feeling of being pulled roused her from her nap and she opened her eyes to a scene that shot panic through her system faster than a cheetah chasing a gazelle. The short blond vampire girl in the Volturi's main guard had hold of her right leg and was pulling her toward the small grouping of leaders several yards away.
Bella ran through her options quickly and decided the best thing to do was to not fight; that would likely end up with her gaining a broken bone and no more freedom than she currently had.
"You know, I'd walk if you'd just let my fucking leg go."
"I'm sure you could but that would take all the pleasure out of dragging you, now wouldn't it?" Great, Bella was being dragged to her death by a sadistic pre-teen with the strength of ten men.
Fucking perfect.
By the time the duo reached Aro, Bella's back was scratched and bleeding. The look on the faces of the vampires with Aro spoke volumes, but she knew she was safe for a little while as he needed her and dead bodies don't give directions.
"What do you have there, my darling Jane?" Aro asked.
"I have the human woman, Master. My talent doesn't seem to affect her." She pouted.
"Very good, Jane. Now, now, dear, we mustn't pout when things don't go our way. There are plenty of other bodies for you to punish right now. Go and have your fun. If I need you I will send Renata."
Bella could feel Aro's beady eyes raking over her. He was lecherous and the evil rolled off of him like heat off of pavement.
"It seems your motley collection of protectors failed in their mission, little one." He grabbed Bella's hand in his own. A look of complete amusement lightened his face before he continued. "It also seems that you are completely immune to all of our talents. Pity I have to dispose of you when the tablet is found, because you would make a delightful addition to my fold. No matter." He sighed. "Since we will not be able to resolve this as easily as I'd hoped we will have to find a nice quiet place away from this ruckus to pry the information from you. Renata, carry our guest please."
-BS-
Edward searched frantically for any scent of Bella. He had finally broken away from the fighting after that crazy blond nut job was done with her mind fuckery, and he immediately began looking for the woman at the center of the drama. He followed her scent to a small cave and then found traces of her blood on the ground for several yards before it abruptly ended.
Standing on the last spot he could smell her, he huffed in a large, unnecessary breath before marching back over to the fighting. Kicking both limbs and the occasional odd survivor hell bent on continuing the fight out of his way, he checked on any from their side that had fallen, noticing that there were by far more casualties for the Volturi than their own.
On one side, he noticed Jasper and Carlisle gathering bits and pieces and throwing them into a fire that hissed and crackled with every new addition.
"Bella's missing. I'm going in deeper to find her," he said resolutely.
"Take as many of the shifters as you can, and remember to check with those stationed along the ridge. Be careful, son." Carlisle reached in to give Edward a one armed hug.
"I will."
After gathering Emmett, shifters and a few of the Southern coven together, Edward laid out a plan of attack. They would split up and each group would take one path into the canyon. If all went well, one of them would find Bella while the other denied the Volturi the ability to retreat.
-BS-
When Bella came to, everything was too dark and smelled of damp earth.
I'm in a cave. Figures.
As her thoughts brought about an audible grunt, she felt the air around her swirl violently and then cold, hard fingers attach themselves to her upper arms.
"I see our captive has decided to awaken and just in time. I was becoming quite impatient. Now, I have some questions for you, pet." Aro purred grotesquely.
"Oh, really? Well, I doubt I'll be much help, you egomaniacal little bat!"
"Are insults really necessary, Isabella? I simply need to know where the tablet is. It's a fairly straightforward question. I would much prefer not to have to torture you, though I know my dear brother, Caius, would take extreme pleasure in doing just that. So, it would please me if you would simply answer the question. Afterwards I can kill you quickly and painlessly."
Bella's small laugh turned into something dark and menacing before she could even contemplate answering him.
"Aro, what makes you think that giving you the key to continuing your charade is any better than being tortured? I will never tell you where it is. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, dickhead!"
"Very well, torture it is. Caius, do what you must but be sure not to kill her and draw as little blood as possible. We shall wait outside to avoid any…accidents."
As Bella peered around the inky hole she sat in, she could discern movement through the little light coming in the cave opening. This was it. She would die in a cave in the Grand Canyon to protect a world she had never imagined could really exist. She just hoped it wasn't in vain, because that would really piss her off.
"Well now, we're alone at last. I think I'd like to see just how much you can take, my little human."
And with that the beating began. Bella's screams for mercy went unanswered and every now and then Aro would saunter in and ask where the tablet was, expecting her to have had enough and give in. Each time she refused to answer. This happened four times before Bella lost count; the next thing she could remember was hearing bones crunch and feeling a searing pain in her thigh. She promptly passed the fuck out.
-BS-
Edward's and Emmett's teams both heard Bella's screams at the same time, and they raced to the source. The minute they reached the area outside the cave, three of them fell to their knees as the crazy blond attacked them with her mind. Edward was able to scoot around the perimeter and avoid her notice long enough to knock her down. Meanwhile, Emmett took on the other woman that was always at Aro's side.
Dude, these chicks fight dirty! Emmett's mind chuckled as he fought to keep Renata's hands away from his "family jewels". Her persistence was admirable but she made one mistake and lunged when she should have ducked, allowing Emmett to get his hands around her head and pull swiftly. Edward bit, clawed and finally ripped Jane's head from her shoulders just as she had begun her slow torture. He sat on her torso when he was through to rid his mind of the lingering pain she had caused. One of the shifters immediately grabbed her head and started a fire.
Having disposed of two of the bigger threats, they made their way into the cave to hear Aro and another man in a heated argument.
"I told you not to kill her! Why do I trust anyone else to take care of things appropriately? And you…you're a leader! Bah! Bring her to me gently before we lose all hope of ridding the world of the tablet."
Before anyone had a chance to touch Bella's unconscious form, Edward ran full force at the man Aro was arguing with while Emmett took down the last two remaining guards; Aro was left on his own. He started forward in an attempt to reach the girl before Edward or Emmett could scoop her up but was stopped by the menacing tone of Edward's words.
"Don't touch her. It's over, Aro. Admit defeat and surrender, or die. The choice is yours."
"Defeat and surrender have no place in my vocabulary. As for dying, I would like to see a young whelp like you try to bring down the majesty of my reign."
"Your time is up, and when I throw your body onto the fire I will feel no sense of remorse for having been the one to cease your endless prattle about the way our lives should be lived. Volterra will remain the capital of the vampire world, but its rulers will have been whittled from three to one. Marcus is well aware of your involvement in Didyme's death, and we received word just today that we have his blessing and backing to protect the tablet as well as Bella."
"That traitor! After all I've done for him. That woman wanted nothing more than the status that went along with being mated to a king! She was useless." Aro continued to rant as Emmett carefully made his way to Bella's side.
Her pulse is weak, Edward. She's dying. There isn't much time.
Edward's mind spun with the implications of Emmett's revelation. There was nothing else to be done.
"I'm sorry to cut your monologue short, Aro, but it seems as though the young woman on the ground is dying, and I'd never forgive myself for allowing that to happen. Emmett will take care of you. I hope you rot in the fires of hell, and the devil makes you his bitch."
As carefully as they could manage, Emmett handed Bella's broken body to Edward before launching his hulking form on a retreating Aro whose speed and size were obviously no match for Em's.
Edward sunk back to the ground and settled Bella into his arms, her bottom resting on his outstretched legs.
"Why did you do this, Bella? We could have caught them. You didn't need to sacrifice yourself when victory was so clearly ours." If Edward could have wept he would have.
There was no welcomed snarky return from his beautiful girl's lips; only uneven breaths mixed with the sweet smell of her blood as it trickled from the side of her mouth. His long silent heart ached with phantom pressure. He would change her though he couldn't imagine his life without the grounding presence of her own rhythmic heartbeats. He felt selfish for wanting her to be with him always and for taking her life but without this she would die anyway. Feeling the need to put words to his pain he began talking to her.
"You've really left me no choice, Swan. I can't live without you, and I'm not really all that hot on dying. Damn it! I know this is a truly selfish thing to do, but you can't give me an answer. I'm going to make you like me, Bella. We can be together always, and I promise to find a way for you to see your family and friends again, though you can only be honest with Angela. Forgive me for this, sweet girl."
His hand wiped the sweat and grime from her face as he lifted her breast to his mouth. If he had to change her, then he would take first from the one place he knew he wanted most: her heart. He drank greedily, only stopping to seal a bite and move onto another artery, knowing this would speed up the process, even just a little. With every suck and gulp, he had to fight the urge to drain her completely; his feelings for her were the only thing that stopped him.
Once the deed was done, he simply sat and held her, wishing he would have met her when he was young and human. As the hours passed and Bella became vocal about the pain she was enduring, Edward tried desperately to focus on what life together would be like. He had hoped to have the chance to court her, even though they had already screwed that up with the whole "hot animal sex" back in Washington. He supposed it wasn't too late to follow through with his initial intentions; they just wouldn't be following the same rules his parents had over a century ago. Lord knows he couldn't keep his hands to himself for more than a few minutes while in her presence, let alone keep his dick under control long enough to propose without fucking her silly.
At the five hour mark, his thoughts were interrupted by the soft murmurs of voices outside the cave entrance. His family and the remaining vampires and shifters had congregated to decide when they should interrupt his time with his mate, for that is what she was and he hoped that didn't disappoint her when she woke.
"You can come in. It's begun."
A symphony of shuffles made its way closer until he was surrounded by those he had fought beside earlier. A firm hand found purchase on his shoulder before the owner spoke.
"You did the right thing son," Carlisle said.
"I hope so, Carlisle. It wasn't easy but I was able to control myself. Is there anywhere we can take her?"
"I have a cabin about fifty miles away. It's stocked with linens and large enough for your family. You're welcome to use it," Maria whispered.
"Thank you, I think we will. I'm very grateful for everything you brought to the table, Maria. You are an extraordinary woman." Edward gave her a grateful look.
"Thank you for giving us back our souls."
"We didn't give you anything you didn't already have, other than knowledge. I think I'm ready to get her someplace a little more comfortable, Carlisle."
Edward stood, refusing to hand Bella to anyone, and began walking to the cave opening with everyone else trailing behind him. The fight was done, as was the cleanup. The only evidence that something monumental had happened were the fresh gashes in the walls of the canyon and the scorch marks on the ground. They had left their mark, and it had been worth it. Edward could only imagine the ghost stories that would be born from the sounds that had echoed off the rock that night. He was sure they would be truly entertaining and just hoped that dead vampires didn't like to haunt places.
-BS-
Fire. Ice. Everything nice!
What the fuck? They play show tune inspired shit in hell?
Bella's mind was awash with pain and really poor attempts at hell-inspired show tunes, it seemed. This caused more pain but of the mental variety instead of the physical.
She tried to move her limbs but it was if they had been set in cement; they were heavy…too heavy. Everything was heavy, and she could barely vocalize the pain sweeping through her. Somewhere on the edges of sanity she could hear the voice of God. She was sure it was Him because it was beautiful, and during the short bits of time that the pain receded enough for her to concentrate, it set her mind ablaze in light. He was singing to her, not the crappy shit the devil would have you listen to in his dominion but something ethereal and calm. Then, much too soon the pain would fill her up again and God's melody would be relegated to the outer limits. If she could just focus on that she might be able to live her lifetime in hell and not…
Wait a minute! If I'm in Hell then why the fuck would God be singing to me? Dude gave up on me! This isn't right…
Before her thoughts could continue she realized the pain was lessening and the heaviness in her body was lightening. Perhaps she wasn't in Hell, but then where was she?
-BS-
Time passed in short bursts: seconds, minutes, hours. Everything ran together as Edward sat trying to soothe away Bella's pain with the only tool he had at his disposal, his voice. There were moments when he was sure she could hear him; the perpetual mask of pain she wore would slip, and her mouth would turn up at the edges. It would kill him a little more when the mask would resume its place and the almost-smile would fade.
Most of the time, Edward hunched over her still form, himself in agony too, but there were the few minutes when her ramblings would take on a more Bella-esque quality. He only hoped she remembered some of what she was dreaming because he had to know why she muttered about Hell, fucking show tunes, and God's voice. He was sure there would be quite a story behind it all.
The only time he permitted himself to leave the room was when Rose and Alice shoved him out. They were determined to clean Bella up and have her wake looking "marvelously poised"-Alice's words-rather than caked in dirt and blood. After thinking on it, he agreed that it would be a much better way to wake up to a new world. When they were done, he promptly kicked his family out and told them to await him and Bella in Alaska. They would have to leave their cabin in the Canyon and avoid returning to Forks until they knew Bella would have no problems being around humans.
As the end of the third day approached, his anticipation became fevered and his foot tapped uncontrollably in such a violent manner, that it brought down several pictures on the wall of the bedroom. What would she be like when she opened her eyes? Would she remember him? Would she remember his reason for changing her? Would they still feel that overwhelming connection? Would she allow him to still fuck her silly?
What? I'm a guy!
He could hear each and every tick and tock of the clocks throughout the cabin. She had to be close to waking. To soothe his nerves, he began singing again and his fingers played the melody on his legs. He closed his eyes to imagine they were a piano instead.
He was lost in the music when something touched his hand, causing him to jump like his ass was on fire and put his leg through the floor of the cabin on his way down.
"What the hell?"
"Edward?" He heard her voice and focused all efforts on releasing his leg from the mangled wood, so he could go to her.
"I'm here, Bella. Are you okay? Do you remember what happened? Do you need something?"
She chuckled but remained lying as she was with her eyes closed. "Slow down, Trigger. I'm not sure about anything right now, but I need to know if we're dead and in Hell. If we are, then I believe I owe you a beat down for not only getting yourself killed but letting me get killed too."
Shit! She hadn't wanted to die but here she was…dead as a fucking doornail. Shit, shit, SHIT!
"Well, the good news is you're not in Hell, and I made it out without a scratch on me. Which is actually more than I can say for Jasper, but we did find his ear so it's all good now. Uh, what was I saying? OH, right, not Hell. Um, the bad news is you are…kinda…dead."
"What do you mean 'kinda dead'? Either I am or I'm not or… OH, you changed me?" Bella lifted her head and opened one eye. Her gaze pinned Edward to his seat, his leg still stuck in the gaping hole in the floor.
"Yes?"
"That sounded like a question, Cullen. Either you did or you didn't. My guess is you did because otherwise I really am in Hell and your leg will be stuck there for eternity just so we can't touch each other. That would suck major donkey balls."
She continued to ramble about donkey balls, sucking, and the unfairness of the devil's devices while Edward's small chuckle turned into loud belly laughs.
"Stop! Please, for the love of God, stop talking about sucking any kind of balls! My dick can't handle that shit coming out of your mouth! I did change you. I just wasn't sure it's what you wanted. I thought you might go postal on my ass even though we're both on the earthly side of the pearly gates!"
"Oh. OH! So I'm a vampire, huh? That must be why the clock sounds like it's sitting inside my head. Good to know! OKAY! What do we do about…" Her voice faded as her hand flew to her throat and her head tilted back, her nose twitching. "What is that? It smells like really rare roast beef."
"In theory, it is. What you smell is the herd of cattle about ten miles down the road. You're hungry, Bella. That burn you feel replaces the human rumble of an empty stomach."
"Hmmm," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I suppose there's no time like the present to figure this shit out, huh?"
"I suppose you're right, my dear. Shall we?" Edward offered her his hand to help her rise completely from the bed. "And when we're done, I have a few more ideas on how you can stretch your new and improved body." He wiggled his brows suggestively.
"Dude, a proper date is dinner and then nookie. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
-BS-
"So how long do we have until we need to meet your family in Alaska?"
"Erm, doesn't really matter. It's gonna take me a bit to fix the damage we've caused here. Maria would burn me alive if she saw how our fun has fucked with her cabin."
"Speaking of fun…" Bella wrapped her hand around Edward's wrist and spun him to meet her nose to nose. "How about we fuck with her house one more time? Ya know, one for the road and all that? Then I can help you fix'er up better than new!"
Bella caught a low groan, or possibly a growl from Edward before he was on her like white on rice.
"God, woman! You drive me crazy. How is it possible that we can still want each other after so much already?"
Bella didn't answer, unless ripping every shred of material off his body was considered an answer. Her hands worked their way from his face to his torso and then lower. She felt his cock harden and throb as she worked it over with sure hands.
"Bella. Don't. Stop."
And so, she didn't. Turning their bodies quickly, she hovered over him bringing her lips to his cock and licking the tip. Over the two days since her change was complete, she had memorized everything that made him moan, squirm, and grunt in satisfaction. The licking thing worked like a charm, and she received all three.
As she continued her adoration of his nether regions, she could feel Edward tug at her hair. It was annoying, as she was very much enjoying her current occupation.
"Cullen, if you ever want me to blow you again you'll cease and desist. I'm enjoying myself down here."
"God, I must be fucked up, but I need you to stop. I want to try something."
This one little phrase peaked Bella's wandering newborn mind and she looked up.
"I'm waiting."
"Come here and lay down."
Such a simple request shouldn't make her pussy clench, but it did. As a matter of fact she began wondering if she could crack a nut using only her vag muscles. That would be handy except she didn't need to eat food anymore and she was fairly sure her friends and family wouldn't appreciate the party trick.
She did as she was asked.
"I want to make love to you, Bella, slowly, lovingly, and without destruction. Do you think we can do that?" As Edward spoke, he peppered her belly and breasts with feather light kisses. In her human life it would have tickled, but now it merely worked to heighten her already smoking senses.
"I can try…for you, love. Make love to me, Edward. Please."
Her quiet request was met with a passionate kiss. Edward's hands roamed every inch of her body that he could reach without breaking the kiss. Bella's hands found themselves woven into his hair as she soaked in the meaning of his gentle caresses. He loved her: body, mind, heart, and soul. But what was more stunning was that she reciprocated tenfold.
Their thorough exploration continued as Edward made his way down her body, paying special attention to the swollen peaks of her breasts and milky curve of her stomach. The sensations were at once, overwhelming and perfect.
"Edward, please. Your mouth."
Her writhing body lying beneath his seemed to drive him further; but never so much that he lost sight of his original goal. He leisurely brought his finger down her swollen lips and teased her entrance before making his way to her clit. Her sigh of pleasure was his indication that he had hit his intended target.
With a smirk he bent his head, inhaling her unique scent. He flicked his tongue out to tease her clit just a little more before going in for the kill.
Moans of desire echoed off the walls and ceiling creating a symphony of sounds. She was close, and they both knew it. He continued his intimate kisses while tickling her entrance again. suddenly, he plunged his fingers into her dripping pussy and curled them to hit her sweet spot. After a few pressured strokes, she came undone below him, clawing his head and whimpering his name.
"I will seriously never underestimate the power of a finger again," she said, panting.
Rather than chuckle, Edward made his way up her body and stared down at her lovingly.
"And I will never underestimate the power of your voice. You could make me do anything with a simple request."
As he bent down to kiss her slowly, he heard what he imagined a sob would sound like.
"Bella, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, really. I…I've just never felt so loved or cared for. Wild Kingdom-style fucking is definitely still high on my list, but I think this whole making love thing is growing on me."
It was just like her to take something sweet and perfect and joke about it. But if she didn't it wouldn't be Bella, and Edward loved all of her, snarky asides included.
"Shut up and let me continue to make love to you, you crazy, dirty mouthed, beautiful woman."
As he said the last words, he pushed into her with painstaking slowness, relishing the feel of being surrounded by her. Never breaking his gaze, he pulled out almost completely before pushing back in. The euphoric feeling of orgasm was building quicker for both of them than it ever had before, but they longed to hold on to these amazing feelings. Their bodies continued to work together in a rhythm only lovers knew; only their keening moans were an indicator of the closeness of their goal. With one final crash of hips and legs and the stuttering squeeze of hands entwined, they came together.
Making love was indeed going to be high on both their lists from then on out.
Chapter 11
Life Goes On
Time passes; quickly or slowly is really of no concern. Things began to fall into place for Edward and Bella the moment she woke from her change, but the real test was waiting at the end of the road they were currently traveling.
"Jesus, Bella. Stop fidgeting! It'll be okay," Edward barked.
"Why didn't we charter a plane? I mean I know we have the money. Must you really challenge me to a dare while your face is between my legs? You know I'll cave every time just to keep you going!" Bella whined.
"You need this and you can control yourself. Just last week you were stuck in an elevator with five other people, and everyone made it out alive. Even that guy you said smelled like prime rib!"
The banter in the car continued with neither side winning. By the time the duo made it to their terminal, Bella was once again sweating bullets, metaphorically of course.
"Just don't breathe, babe. You fed before we left, and we have a day layover in Paris before we continue so you can hunt there too." Edward's encouraging whispers not only soothed Bella but made her a little wet in the knickers too.
Before long they were taking off and flying across the country to Dallas, where they would board a plane headed for Paris.
"Edward! Look!" Bella pointed at the small screen on the back of the seat in front of her. The minute her mouth opened her mouth filled with venom as her senses were assaulted from all sides. She pushed the reaction away and concentrated on what had gotten her so excited she needed to speak in the first place.
"What?" Edward looked around trying to decipher what had his crazy mate whipped into a tizzy.
"This screen tracks where we are! You know what that reminds me of?"
"Fuck, Bella. I thought something was wrong. No, I don't know what that reminds you of but obviously it's exciting."
"Just for that, asshat, I'm not gonna share."
"I'm sorry, B. I'm just a little on edge what with trying to control my own urges and making sure you control yours." He whispered.
"First, fuck you. I can control myself. See? I'm breathing and not eating anyone, even though there's a chic up ahead that smells like a fucking fruit salad. You know the real thing would totally gross me out, but when someone smells like it I wanna just take a lick to remember what it was like. Where was I going with this? Oh, that's right. Second, I was trying to share a little bit of my life before fangs with you, but you obviously don't give a shit."
Bella huffed in her seat and crossed her arms dramatically.
"You win, and I am sorry. By the way, I'm really hoping that insane newborn ADD thing goes away soon because I miss my clear-headed Bella. What does that screen remind you of, love?"
"Just so you know, that was the shittiest apology in the history of apologies but I'm too damn excited to care. IT'S LIKE INDIANA JONES! You know, on the movies they always had the map with a plane and a red line that showed where it started and ended. Christ, I feel like a real adventurer now."
"Let me get this straight. Digging up an ancient and important artifact, flying across Europe and the US-in disguise no less, hiding said artifact in the Grand motherfucking Canyon, and fighting a slew of mythical creatures with another slew of mythical creatures at your side didn't make you feel like an adventurer but that damn screen does?"
"Uh, yeah. I guess. I mean the other was essential to right an incredibly huge and old wrong, you know? This just makes me wish I had a bull whip and a fedora. Fuck me, Indy is one hot piece of man meat."
Edward sat back in stunned silence as Bella continued to carry on about the levels of Indiana Jones's hotness. If he didn't know she loved him, he might be put out by her over exaggerated lust for a fictional character but he was secure in her feeling and his manhood. He could so take Indy in a fight.
As flights go, theirs were all fairly uneventful. Aside from the occasional smell of a particular human they had little trouble controlling their thirst. The layover in Paris had been a very good idea, though it didn't allow them time to take in the scenery. Still, Bella was exceptionally happy for the chance to fill her stomach with prime French deer before making their way to Greece.
In her travels she had been to Greece, but never taken time to appreciate what it had to offer. Seeing it now through her improved vision made her wish for a memory to compare it to. The water was the color of turquoise in some places and in others, that of sapphires. No matter where she looked the brilliance was near blinding.
"I suppose we should secure a boat and make our way to Nea Kameni."
"Lead on, captain mine," Bella quipped.
After leaving Edward to secure rental on a boat, Bella wandered around the port in Athens taking in the sights. Athens was decidedly not the cleanest of Grecian cities, but it had its charms.
"Are you ready to go, love?"
"Sure thing."
Edward led the way to a nice and rather large sailboat. Bella had never been to sea on a sailboat and couldn't help being as excited as a kid at Christmas.
"This is so cool, Edward! What kind of boat is this? Can you teach me how to sail? Pahleeeeeeze?"
"It's a schooner and of course I'll teach you. It's not like we can drown if you screw up."
That comment landed Edward in the harbor but he came up smiling.
After getting safely out of port, without Bella's inexperienced hands, Edward gave her a quick lesson in terms.
"This should be a cake walk for you, Swan."
"Famous last words, Cullen."
"Sailing, by definition is traveling in a boat with sails. These large canvas triangles are sails. This is a rudder and it moves the sail so that the wind carries you in the direction you want to go. So, when you push the rudder like this it picks up the wind and you gain speed. If you want to slow down you pull it back like this…"
As Edward continued with his "Sailing for Dummies" routine, Bella's attitude became increasingly more hostile. She opted to give his ego a break and let him continue as long as he didn't start talking like Mr. Rogers to those damn puppets. That she couldn't handle.
"Do you understand?"
If Edward had been a smart man or, at the very least, a man of attention he would have noticed the reddening face of his mate. Unfortunately, his excitement over sailing such a marvelous boat mixed with his innate need to show off for his woman blinded him to the fact that she didn't appreciate either.
"Sure do, Mr. Rodgers. Were you an elementary teacher in another life?" Bella was barely able to contain her ire as she spoke. "How about you cut that shit out and just tell me what to do before you end up swimming with the fishes, capiche?"
"You know, you're really hot when you're all pissed off and inserting foreign languages."
"Really? Well why don't you try to find out what happens when I'm really fucking mad. I can't believe you said…"
The verbal sparring that was meant to be a sailing lesson led to more primal urges as Bella and Edward made use of the small bedroom on board. Repairs would be needed before the boat was returned.
Finding a secluded spot on the volcanic island of Nea Kameni was harder than they had imagined. The island was closely observed by several scientific communities, and was also a destination for amateur geologists. How Lilith managed to hide here and survive was beyond their comprehension.
Anchoring the boat off shore Edward explained that they would have to swim to the beach as he held his hand out for Bella to take. Once on dry land, they made their way around the barren landscape of the island. The vegetation that grew was sparse and brown, littering the island's black rocks at sporadic intervals. The question regarding how she hid herself so completely was quickly revealed as several small cave openings on the side of the hill came into view.
"Fuck me, more caves. Edward, is it possible for a vampire to have a neurosis? Because I'm pretty damn sure I have a real fear of fucking caves."
"You know, I bet if we turned this into an actual 'fucking cave', your fear might disappear," he said, wiggling his eyebrows comically.
"That idea has merit but I think first we should see if we can find what we came here for and give her back her diary…uh, the tablet. Do you suppose we just start going in screaming her name?"
"It's as good a way to start as any. And don't think I'm going to forget about my idea with merit, Swan. I plan on curing you of all your ills."
"Holy fucking cheese balls, Batman, my boyfriend is off his nut. How about we just have fun trying, and if it doesn't work, at least some good came of it?"
"Fine, but I'm 98.3% sure I can fix this."
Bella was admiring how attractive determination was on Edward as she followed him into the dark cave when he came to a sudden stop.
"Looks like we didn't have to search long to find her," Edward said.
Bella peeked around him to view the fabled Lilith and found her…frail. Her skin was ashen and brittle looking, giving her the look of the walking dead, literally. Her hair, she could tell, had once been lustrous and raven black but now appeared almost grey. Bella immediately wanted to help this creature, bring her back to whatever life she had originally had.
"Hello, Lilith. My name's Bella Swan and I have something of yours." Bella spoke the one language she and Edward had decided the ancient would know, Greek, and held out the tablet for her to take.
"Hello, Bella. It's a shame you found that piece of rock. I'd meant for it to remain hidden for all time. How very much trouble the two of us have caused, myself and the tablet, that is." Lilith responded in a broken version of the Greek Bella had begun with. Her conversation skills were lacking and with good reason. Her seclusion on this island would have given her no one to converse with.
"Actually, ma'am, your tablet has set a lot of wrongs right and given many of our kind hope they never thought they would have. There was a little trouble in the process but nothing we couldn't handle." Edward put his arm around Bella and held her close.
"You know, just your run of the mill chase around the globe and fight to the death with the bad guys. Nothing we couldn't handle."
"Would you share with me who was at the root of the ill will? I have a feeling I already know but would very much like confirmation." Lilith asked as they walked out of the cave and into the sunlight.
Bella watched the elder move with a grace that was at odds with her frail body. She assumed Lilith's body was the result of poor nutrition but her healthy gait spoke volumes. Perhaps her delicate figure was merely the result of the thousands of years she'd spent on earth. Either way, both Bella and Edward gawked awkwardly at the woman in front of them as she stretched and soaked up the warm sun like a cat after a long nap.
"Aro and Caius were the ones searching for the tablet. Actually, they hired us, as well as several others to search for them, though we didn't know it at the time. Edward and I just happened to be the ones to find it. I think it only fair to tell you that the only surviving member of the original three is Marcus, but we all feel he is trustworthy." Bella continued, telling the entire story from beginning to end, noting several times that her colorful language made Lilith flinch or smile. When she was done, the ancient one looked on the two of them with kind eyes.
"The lengths you and your family went for the protection of the truth gives me hope that all is not lost, as I'd thought so very long ago. I want you to know that I never meant for my selfish act to create the chaos that followed. Thank you for returning my tablet and for putting an end to the brutality of my sons."
Bella listened and let every word soak in before stepping forward to envelope Lilith in her arms.
"It was the least we could do for the woman behind the tablet of truth. I pray God is watching you now and absolving you of your past deeds. No one need suffer as you have and continue to."
Lilith walked the couple back across the barren trails to the anchored boat off shore. She noticed Bella's pinched brow when they stopped.
"Child, is there something bothering you?"
"Honestly it's the silliest question and I feel ridiculous asking but what do you eat here? There are no large animals, and I'm not even sure I noticed any rats."
"Hmmm, yes, no large animals to be sure…on land. There is rather a lot of fish around here though, so that makes up most of what I eat, when I need to. Otherwise I make do with the bats in the caves. Flying rats I believe I've heard them called."
"Fish?" Bella's look of total disgust did not go unnoticed by Edward or Lilith, and it was the first time the old vampire laughed. It was like tinkling bells, light and melodic. "Isn't their blood, what they have of it I would assume, kind of gross? And don't even get me started on the irony of you eating bats."
"What does "gross" mean?"
"Um, disgusting, putrid…you see where I'm going."
"The larger fish have plenty of blood and while it doesn't taste wonderful it does keep the pains away. I find your language very entertaining, little one. I'm not sure what irony there is in my eating a bat, but it is what I do. This island is my penance, and I shoulder it as best I can though I do make my way to Santorini on occasion. My clothes only last so long and there are those that would throw away a perfectly good tunic. Now, I believe the two of you should be off as there is a rather large boat of scientists landing on the far side of the island, and I must take shelter. Thank you again and remember me kindly."
Lilith gave gentle hugs to both Edward and Bella before they swam back to their boat. Heaving a sigh she turned to seek her shelter before she was discovered and thought about the lovely couple that had given her back the truth she had hidden away. If ever she hoped it was now that what Bella said about God absolving her was true. She understood his punishment and would live a thousand lifetimes in isolation to prove herself worthy of His trust. Perhaps fallen angels could be heavenly creatures once again.
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