Moonspell (Harry Potter/Twilight Crossover)

Chapter Twenty-Five:

"Bella-" he begins, face, impossibly, even more horrified then before, but I interrupt him.

"I'm sorry dad, but I can't hide us both." I lie, "if you came with me... they would be able to track you and they'd kill us." Charlie sucks in a horrified breath.

"This can't be happening," he mutters, raking his hands through his hair, "this can't be happening!"

"I love you dad." I tell him, before I move around him, and rush down the stairs.

"Bella!" his voice is anguished, but he doesn't rush after me. He believes what I told him. That if he did, he'd cause my death. I ran out into the night, and Emmett was suddenly there, lifting me up into the Jeep, then the engine was purring, and the car accelerated away.

I didn't look at any of the vampires, just clutched onto my go-bag with shaking hands. They'd be curious, I knew they'd be curious, but I didn't want to talk, didn't want to explain.

"James heard the end of your conversation." Alice speaks up, suddenly, and I jolt slightly, startled.

"Oh." I say, non-committedly.

"That bag was already packed." Emmett speaks up, pointing at my go-bag. I don't answer him. "You said 'they' found you- who's 'they'?" he continued.

"Please," my voice is trembling, "just... don't." Emmett opens his mouth, but Edward cuts him off.

"Emmett, be quiet. It worked, that's all that matters." Emmett pouted slightly, but didn't say anything else, to my relief, and the rest of the drive passed in silence. We drove right up to the house, and Edward vanished from the driver's seat, and was suddenly there, opening the door, pulling me into his arms.

"I'm right here, I'm safe, I'm right here," I assured him, as he held me tight, inhaling deeply. He nodded, and shifted so that he was holding me with one arm, his other one darting into the Jeep to grab my go-bag.

I was glad that he walked, instead of ran, into the large white living room, but I was less then pleased when I saw Laurent standing in there. I could hear low growls rumble deep in Emmett's throat, as he moved into place beside me and Edward.

His burgundy eyes turned to meet mine and he inhaled again, shaking his head slightly. "I've never smelled anything like her," he murmured, "I can see why you keep her around. Even when I'm fully fed, my throat's never felt like it does now. So... soothed."

Ah, my scent. The scent that soothes, instead of burns. Cold water on the flames. A safety mechanism that was supposed to keep me safe, but instead landed me in the cross-hairs of a tracker vampire.

"He's tracking her." Edward stated, angrily, "he wants to kill her." Laurent's face was unhappy, and he turned, speaking to Carlisle.

"I was afraid of that, that when your boy there defended her, it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?" Carlisle asked, but Laurent shook his head.

"Nothing stops James when he gets started."

"We'll stop him." Emmett promised. There was no doubt what he meant.

"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven." His coven, I noted. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that- a show.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation between Laurent and Carlisle, instead concentrating on how I was going to get Edward to realize that I needed him here, in Forks, not with me, wherever in the world I was going to hide.

As soon as Laurent was gone, I turned to Edward. "Listen, Edward, wherever I'm going to hide, you can't come with me." I state softly, calmly. Firmly. Confusion is clear on his face.

"What?"

"James saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are." I told him.

"I can't do that." Edward's voice was firm in its resolution.

"She's right," this was Jasper, his voice smooth and leonine.

"So you're suggesting I should let her go alone?" Edward asks him, incredulously.

"Of course not," this was Alice, "Jasper and I will take her."

"I can't do that." Edward repeated, but this time there was a trace of defeat in his voice. The logic was working on him.

"It won't be for long," I keep my voice soothing, reaching up to cup his face in my hands, "hang out here for a week" -I feel the tightening in his jaw and quickly amend my words -"a few days and lead James on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he's completely off my trail, then take a roundabout route and come and meet me."

"Meet you where?" he asks, and I can see he's beginning to accept it.

"I'm not sure," I admit, before a flash of fear runs through me, "not Britain! I have to stay in America." I can tell by the look on his face that if the situation wasn't so dire, Edward would be demanding answers right now. But it was dire, so instead he concentrated on the other half of what I said.

"What about Phoenix?" Alice piped up. Edward frowned.

"Phoenix?" he questioned, "the only other place in America where she does have ties?"

"Of course," this was Jasper, who was nodding at his mate approvingly, "Phoenix is the one other place where he'd never expect her to go."

"And we'll be with her, Edward," Alice reassured him.

"What are you going to do in Phoenix?" Edward demanded.

"They'll stay indoors, and I will too." I answered for them, "Edward... this is going to work."

"Promise you'll be safe, Bella," he pleaded, "Promise me!" I reach up on my tip-toes and press my lips against his. We kiss with the hungry sort of passion borne from fear and desperation, clinging to each other as tight as we can.

"I love you," I mumbled between kisses, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He whispers against my lips.

As we broke apart, I wondered if he'd noticed that I'd avoided making that promise.

The living room was empty, giving us the pretense of privacy I guessed, and I allowed myself to collapse on one of the expensive looking couches. "Why me?" I asked Edward, "why, out of everyone, did James decide to hunt down and kill me?"

Edward hesitated for a moment, and then sighed. "It's not just your scent... I'll explain what Laurent meant about it being soothing later," he quickly assured me, and I pretended to be curious, nodding, and he continued, "he might have not bothered if it was just your scent, but when I defended you... well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant he perceives the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter, nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking and a challenge is all he asks of life."

I could see where this was going, and I let myself slump. "And we just provided him with one hell of a challenge." I state.

"Indeed," Edward nods, "one beautiful, hell of a challenge. A large coven of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is right now. It's his favorite game, and we've just made it his most exciting one yet."

Thirteen days, I thought; sourly, furiously. In thirteen days I'd be seventeen. In thirteen days I'd be of age. In thirteen days, I'd be able to kick James' arse.

In thirteen days I'd show him who the fucking vulnerable one around here was!