I stared at Edward, he loved me. My torn and patched heart was suddenly whole, my entire world was pulled together by those three much awaited words.
"Edward I..." I began, my heart glowing.
He pulled his hand away from under my chin.
"Yeah I get it Bella. Don't pretend please, but I can't live with that," he said, his lips forming a thin line and his arms crossed over his chest.
"What?!" I yelped, didn't he just say he loved me?
"What do you expect Bella, we can't live like this can we? Don't be stupid," he replied, voice cracking.
"Edward, what are you on about?" I asked, my eyes staring at the back of his head.
I saw the familiar sight of vampire tears at the edge of his eyes. I ran forwards and caught him in a hug.
"Bella, don't do this to me," he whispered into my hair.
"Edward. Stop this. What on earth are you on about anyway? You said you loved me!" I said, scared.
"What do you think I'm on about, two hundred years, two hundred years I waited, you waited, for you to say you don't have the same feelings now," he mumbled.
"Edward," I whispered, "I do love you."
"I thought..."
"Oh Edward, no, no, I'm so sorry," I cried, remembering Edward and his trait of thinking the worst without evidence.
He tilted my chin up towards his face and brought his lips to mine. The kiss was full of love and passion, I grabbed the hair at the base of his neck and he tangled his fingers in mine. He pulled away to look at me.
"I love you Bella," he said.
"I love you too Edward," I whispered.
***
We pulled up outside the Cullen's gargantuan house. Alice opened the door with a click but shoved Edward in before her. I raised my eyebrows at her but she just shook her head, scrutinising me carefully. I sighed and followed Edward in.
"Edward!" Esme called.
"Hi," he muttered to his family.
"Hello Edward," said a silky, feminine voice that I immediately disliked.
I looked up to see a tall, blond haired vampire, boy was she beautiful.
"Hello Tanya, this is Bella," Edward introduced us.
Tanya met my gaze, she had jealousy written across her face. So this was the mysterious vegetarian friend vampire, Tanya, that Carlisle and Esme originally thought he should marry. She walked towards us and we shook hands, or should I say, she shook any remaining 'life' out of my hand.
"Hey hey Tans, leave Bella's hand alone! It's one of a kind," Emmett joked.
"I'm sure we'll be great friends Bella," she said.
Could nobody else see the jealousy on her? It radiated out like heat from a fire! I stared at her cold, stone eyes, to the hate and resentment that appeared to be directed at me. She turned to Edward and her eyes immediately softened. Great, her stone impression was saved for me. Christmas has come early.
She leant in for a hug and Edward obliged. Her eyes filled with lust as she breathed in his scent. I felt my heart prickle with jealousy, my Edward!
She rubbed his back and seemed about to kiss his cheek when Alice interrupted, probably spotting my furious expression.
"Um, great to see you Tanya, but I'm going to er, vamp-sleep, you know? Night. Bella?" she asked, touching my lower back meaningfully.
I nodded at her and turned around to give Edward a peck, but he was talking and laughing with Tanya.
"Jazz?" Alice asked, staring doubtfully at my no doubt incredulous expression.
Jasper came over and I felt calmer as I followed Alice up the stairs. She opened the door to her bedroom, pink and taken up mostly by a walk-in wardrobe. She sat down on her bed and motioned for us to follow suit. If Jasper weren't there, I probably would have refused.
"That bitch!" I hissed.
"Bella, shut up! I know, I also know that she thinks Edward is HER soul-mate..."
"Thats ridiculous!"
"I know that too. But she does, so she is planning on getting Edward to herself," Alice explained.
"How?"
"Manipulating you, making it look like you're doing awful things to her for no reason, or to Edward, then offering herself to him, the usual," she shrugged.
"But Emmett told me that Edward refused Tanya's love before he even met me," I exclaimed, eyes blazing in hatred.
"I know," she replied doubtfully, "But Tanya has, ways," she said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Ways?" I asked, a frown plastered to my face.
"Ways. Her gift. She can plant thoughts in people's minds, almost the opposite of Edward's, and I've never seen anything like it, manipulating is a good word for it," Jasper said, speaking for the first time.
A low growl erupted from the base of my throat. How dare she? She couldn't take my Edward, he was mine.
"Mine," I growled.
Jasper looked to me, extremely uncomfortable from each negative emotion rolling off of my being, creating a stuffy aura. I suddenly felt waves of calm, washing over my stiff body. I relaxed the muscles I hadn't realised I had tensed and looked to him gratefully.
I rose from the bed and floated down the stairs as gracefully as I could, in a failed attempt at intimidating Tanya. She smiled sweetly at me, the smile not reaching her crystal eyes.
I looked at her figure in horror. I knew that I was beautiful now, I had no doubt. But Tanya. She took the word to a whole knew level, her mid-thigh length crimson dress hugged her curved body, her pale skin shinned even without the sun, her face had the look that every human teenager worked for hours to achieve with make-up, but Tanya's was make-up free and flawless. Her soft, lush, full lips drew every man in, her teeth were perfectly straight and a natural creamy-white which complimented her deep red lips, and honey eyes.
I smirked in a slight satisfaction, her eyes, although pretty, were nothing to my own. I remembered looking at them for the first time when I once consumed a few deer, a gentle, soft butterscotch gold, flecked with the chocolate brown of my human eyes, with a mahogany edge towards the inside, just enough to melt in, in a visually pleasing manner. Though usually, they were black, with the sepia flecks, not butterscotch.
Tanya stared at me while I scrutinised her for a fraction of a second, my vampire senses allowing me to come to a conclusion in that time. I was nothing to her. Nothing.
"I'm going for a walk!" Esme announced in a fashion very unlike her, a strange, shrill, uncomfortable voice.
I looked to her.
"I'll come too Esme," I said, in a voice which I realised was very monotone.
She nodded and motioned Emmett away from the door with a sweep of her arm. I couldn't help but grin at Esme's hold on the household of the Cullens. I swept out of the door, looking back to the living room at Edward, seeing him slapping Emmett cheerfully across the back of his head, away from Tanya, who was shooting my back death glares.
I chuckled at her childish behaviour and ran, with Esme, away from the house to talk without anyone hearing.
"Tanya is making you uncomfortable," she said. It was a statement not a question.
"Yes," I sighed, "Alice had a vision. Tanya was using her gift to take Edward, and she was succeeding."
"Tanya isn't welcome at Denali," Esme said quietly.
"What? Why?" I asked at human level.
"She had a fight with Kate, and Carmen kicked her out. I don't know the details, but it was pretty bad," Esme said shuddering. Not from the cold.
"Oh," I said, wondering where this was going.
I had liked Kate, the one time I met her. In fact, the only one of their clan I disliked, was Tanya, though I hadn't met her before today.
"And Tanya isn't welcome here either," Esme said it so quietly that I thought I had misheard, except for the deadly look on her face, "She wouldn't be here if Carlsile weren't so hospitable, so certain that she is family," Esme said.
"What about you?" I asked, struggling to believe that Esme could be so cold-hearted.
She sighed.
"I don't know. In one way, yes, she's family, she has nowhere else to go. But the looks she was giving you..." Esme trailed off.
I nodded in understanding at her dilemma. Then I remembered what I had needed to ask her.
"Esme? Can vampires...sleep?" I asked.
She laughed softly, obviously thinking it was a joke.
"No, Esme, I sleep," I stated clearly.
She stared at me like I had lost my mind, then something crossed her face, pain? Or hate? Both?
"Bella, dear. Who bit you?" she asked.
It seemed an odd question, but from my research I supposed it could have a connection.
"Victoria," I said.
"Victoria wanted you dead. She-Bella, you're not a vampire," she said.
"What?!" I shouted, loud even for a 'human'.
"No, no, you are, of course. But you can't be you, with Victoria's venom in you, you're Bella Swan mixed with Victoria. That's why you drained hundreds of humans, why you get so much more angered than Bella, why Edward is terrified," she finished.
"Edward is terrified?" I asked, my brain unable to process the information properly.
"Yes, because you aren't Bella," she said sadly.
"How? I mean, how do I become the Bella I was as a human?" I asked, scared that the answer would be that I can't.
"Edward must bite you," Esme said.
"But surely you can't bite another vampire. Not for those results anyway," I asked, puzzled.
"No, but we don't want 'those results', we want the you that is in Edward's love for you to go to you brain, to eliminate any Victoria," she stated simply.
I thought about it, nodding slowly. It made sense, sort of, but since when had Esme known so much? Then again, two hundred years...
My thoughts were interrupted my an almost silent approach.
"Edward?" I asked cautiously.
He ignored my greeting and turned to Esme.
"I'm terrified because I can read Bella's mind. She thinks that her 'shield' is protecting Alice and Jasper, and you, Esme, but they aren't, there not there," he said, eyes searching mine for 'Bella'.
"I'll leave you two," Esme said, running of to hunt before we could reply.
I wanted to say so many things to Edward, but he beat me to it.
"You sleep, because your body cannot deal with the venom that is trying to kill you. Victoria wanted you dead, therefore, as you know, her venom does too, because it carries her trait. And I want my Bella back," he said, glaring at me like I was an enemy that had stolen his love.
And in a way I was. I wasn't 'Bella'. I was Victoria, taking over Bella. I was the remains of Bella.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a gasp escaped my lips instead. Edward sunk his teeth into my neck, draining my body of the pain I hadn't realised I held until it was removed. My already pale face drained to a chalk white, contorted and twisted in fear, in pain, and in remorse. How many humans had I drained? Innocent humans? I was a monster. I had drained a hundred times more than Edward ever had. A thousand times more.
The point on my neck that Edward was draining me from burned white hot. Much like when I changed. Then, suddenly, the pain changed. To a good pain. A pain that you like. A wanted pain. The burning eased a little, and a fire of hope grew in the pit of my stomach. And every emotion that I has missed previously was returned to me, my brain processed three emotions. Love, pain, and remorse. But then a fourth, hope. For the future, a future with no enemies, no Tanya, no pain.
Then the slick sensation of teeth in my flesh changed, it was rougher, but not deep, on the surface only. It felt good, it felt soothing. Then a softer texture was around the bite, smoother. I attempted to open my eyes, but they refused to obey.
I was vaguely aware of being moved at high speed. This slowed down in eighteen seconds, to a trot, then to a run again. But much shorter. And up. The light changed too, light, to a more yellow light, to darkness, to a natural light again. I was moved out of whatever I was in, and into something soft, easily condensed and feather like. I felt my hair being brushed from my eyes and then the same sensation as before. The soft and rough feeling, soothing the bite again.
I forced my eyes open as saw Edward gently massaging the mark with his tongue. Edward saw my open eyes and smiled gently.
"Relax my Bella, relax," he said, planting a kiss on my forehead tenderly.
"I love you Edward," I mumbled.
"I love you too Bella," he said, putting his arm around me and squeezing gently.
I sighed contentedly. How long we stayed there, in a comfortable silence, I had no idea. But our moment was interrupted by a sharp knock. I opened my eyes, easily this time, and looked around. From my human memories, I recalled that this was Edward's bedroom, it was completely unchanged.
The door was shoved open rudely and Tanya came in crossly, her eyes darkening as she took in Edward's caring position around me.
"Mind telling your brother to shut up?" she asked.
Edward laughed, his beautiful, velvet laugh. I looked up at him and realised that my human eyes had given him no credit, he still dazzled me.
"That's Emmett for you," Edward replied, oblivious to my discomfort.
Tanya looked to me and decided for the open target, seeing as Edward could read her thoughts anyway.
"Do you mind Bella?" she asked sweetly, "I'd like to discuss something with Edward," she said silkily.
I stood up, too quickly. Apparently being a vampire didn't stop me being clumsy. Edward was around my waist in half a second, steadying my form and leading me to the door carefully, shutting my out with a smile. Oh Edward...