𝘊𝘙𝘐𝘔𝘚𝘖𝘕 ° 𝘑𝘈𝘚𝘗𝘌𝘙 𝘏𝘈𝘓𝘌 ✓

19 | PROMISE |

Esme gathered the baseball equipment while Rory jumped onto Emmett's back. In minutes, they were back at the Cullen house.

Emmett headed to Bella's house after receiving a call from Alice that James had indeed followed Bella and Edward to Charlie's house, leaving Rory and Esme alone to wait inside the house.

Rory looked out to the dark forest for the eightieth time in the last ten minutes. She was worried for everyone, Jasper the most, but she didn't want any harm to come to the other Cullens or Bella.

"Everyone will be fine, Rory," Esme said as she grabbed something from the cabinet. "I expect they'll be coming back soon."

Rory frowned. "What if the nomads come here? You couldn't possibly take them if they attacked all at once."

"They won't come after you. Did you realize that they hardly noticed you on the field?" Esme asked softly as she handed the teenager a glass of water.

Rory pursed her lips and nodded. She didn't want to mention that the redhead knew, but for some reason, hadn't gone after her.

"I don't know how or why," Rory shook her head. "Maybe I'm just lucky."

She had been thinking about the odd phenomenon for a while now, since Jasper had told her of the times he's almost killed her yet couldn't bring himself to, and none of the other Cullens had showed any interest in her blood beside it smelling good up close according to Alice.

"Maybe we'll know when you become a vampire, if it's a special ability," Esme suggested optimistically, not knowing Rory had no desire to become a vampire.

It wasn't the time to clarify that fact.

"Who knows..." Rory murmured as she sipped her water.

"I'm glad you're safe at least," Esme sighed, brushing Rory's hair affectionately. "Bella, however...James looked very determined..."

"You haven't known her for long, but you'll soon realize that Bella is a magnet for trouble," Rory let out a short bitter laugh. "James is going after her. Is it so bad that I wish it was me? Bella's like my sister and now she's the target."

"It's not your fault," Esme said, "Don't worry, all of us together outnumber them, but—" The motherly caramel haired vampire paused abruptly and stood up, her eyes trained to the forest.

"They're here," Esme declared as Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle and Laurent trailed into the room.

Esme Rory both stood, but the former in front of the latter wary of the red-eyed nomad in her home.  Jasper was instantly at Rory's side, his arm wrapped around her waist. "He came to warn us about James," he muttered to clear up the confusion and ease the tension. "The others are on their way."

"This isn't my fight," Laurent then he paused, setting his red eyes on Rory. "You're human?" he tilted his head in complete confusion as he heard her heartbeat loud and clear now.

He was clearly astonished by her existence, in fact, the Olympic coven's strangeness intrigued him. With their golden eyes, he really shouldn't have been surprised the bronze haired boy's mate wasn't the only human the Cullens were bonded with, even if the human girl was beautiful enough to have passed for a vampire back at the baseball field amongst the chaos.

Rory raised her brow. "Obviously." Slightly in front of her in a protective shield, Jasper glared at the crimson-eyed vampire.

Laurent arched his brow, ignoring the dangerous blond vampire. "A fortunate mistake, then. If James had noticed you on the field, you'd be in as much danger as your friend, madam," he shrugged as Jasper growled slightly. "I'm simply speaking the truth."