Aelin
When I finally reach the Swan residence, Bella is already standing outside, waiting for my arrival. I grin at the brunette before I slide out my car, locking it after with the keyless fob. My black Timberlands crunch against the leaves as I hug the older girl in front of me as a greeting, her arms encircling my small frame the same way.
"We can walk through the woods behind my house. Me and uh, he...used to go there all the time. It was our-", "Well, now it's ours and we can make better memories there!" I interrupt Bella as soon as she started reminiscing, knowing that it would knock her back even more. She replies with a small sigh and a ghost of a smile before we begin our trek into the wilderness. As we begin to make our way through the tree-line, I pull my corduroy jacket around myself even more, feeling the drop in temperature straight away due to the thick, high branches shelling us from the small amount of sun that this Town has during this season.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Our laughs fill the dense forestry, mostly coming from Bella as I start to divulge in my previous life on British soil. The soft breeze dances throughout our hair that we've both decided to keep down today, small tuffs floating lightly. The sun breaks through the small gaps in the canopy, though it doesn't do much to warm us due to the current climate.
"So, you're saying that they just let you in? Even though they saw your sister pass you her ID?" The Swan's girls words came out in puffs, finding the whole ordeal hilarious, though I just nod my head in reply with a grin gracing my equally pale features, "Yep, even though she still has her dark hair - couldn't believe it! It was a good night though, first night clubbing too".
With more small talk keeping the silence at bay, us both going back and forth with wild stories Pre-Forks, we end up in a lush green opening. I look around the field in awe, though my face soon drops as I see a figure in the distance. As my eyes squint to try and decipher some of his hardened features, my stomach drops and twists; almost like my body knows something is happening while my brain is just confused. I stare at Bella as my breathing intensifies, her features morphing from happiness to fear.
As soon as I saw him metres away, he appears in front of Bella; just an arms length away. My breath hitches and I pull Bella closer to me out of instinct, though it feels like my breathing stops as I muster enough courage to stare him in his crimson, unholy eyes.
Vampire.
Bella latches onto my arms, her stare never leaving the immortal in front of us. I mimic her actions forcing my eyes to present an unwavering front when in reality I'm doing everything I can to not listen to the voice inside my head screaming to run. Fighting every natural emotion flowing through my fridge with fear body to not drag Bella and run, even though I know running won't do anything; not from one of them.
The blood rushing to my ears mutes their conversation after I hear Bella whisper his name, her own voice hoarse with fear. Laurent, his voice is as smooth as steel, but I know the words he's saying are so venomous, he could end us in seconds. I zone back into the conversation to pull Bella further into my grasp as the soulless monster reaches out to caress her face. He glares at me momentarily before a sickly smirk is replaced in its place, though my face kept in a stagnant glare.
"Victoria feels it's only fair to kill Edwards mate..." he licks his lips in anticipation before he uses his quick movements to separate us, his focus only on the cowering Swan girl in front of me, "given he killed hers".
"An eye for an eye", I whisper. Laurent chuckles and he listens to what I say. His body turning towards me. I stand straighter, knowing how to communicate with the likes of him, my hands balling into fists in response to his cocky attitude. Bella continues to babble on about how Edward would know who committed the hypothetical murder, and how the same man who left her unprotected will rest at nothing to kill them in retaliation.
"Victoria won't be happy of my killing you, and your friend", Laurent delicately pushes my head to the side, my light eyes never wavering from his dark ones. I grab onto his hand while he focuses on the scent of my blood, succeeding in pushing his well-built body away from mine. By the time he's out of his food-crazed daze, he turns to see me standing in front of Bella, my arms protectively encircling the older girl behind me.
"You're both so mouthwatering, please remember I'm doing you both a kindness-", He rushes towards us again with his super-human speed, causing a whimper to fall from the girl behind me. My chest heaves due to the once again, close proximity of us and the barbaric individual. He continues his rant once more, staring at us almost like he's trying to convince us that he is helping us from whoever this Victoria is. "-Victoria plans on killing you slowly, painfully...I'll make it quick for both of you!"
I feel Bella tremble in my touch, much like my body wants to do. "Please, don't!" Her voice is hoarse and shaking, causing me to gulp in response to her panicked attitude. Am I going to die? "Y-you helped us! Please, Laurent!", Bella flinches, almost like another person is here, telling her what to say and what to do. I soon have a realisation that I've been too quiet, maybe I could help diffuse the now dire situation. "We can leave, we won't tell anyone we saw you. You won't have to tell Victoria that y-you saw us either", my face hardens after my hushed tone comes out too quickly. I cringe at my stutter, knowing that he knows my hard front is now a lie.
"You will feel nothing", his voice is just above a whisper, smelling the air around us before he takes my throat into his hand, his other one doing the same to Bella. Entrapping us in his snare. I hear Bella declare her love for Edward, whereas I stay quiet. I've never had a beau to call out for in my last fleeting moments, though now I don't regret it. I would hate for someone to feel the epitome of grief for someone as normal and imperfect as me.
I await my end, my eyes closing and my breath stuck in my throat, feeling his fingers tighten to restrict the oxygenated blood; the thing he craves the most. Suddenly, his grip loosens until it becomes nothing. My eyes shoot open, staring at the now scared Vampire in front of me. "Impossible..." I look in the direction of his shocked stare, and I see a Wolf. Though, I know it's not just any old Wolf due to the structure and size of the animal.
A Shapeshifter?
Laurent stares at us a moment later, a fleeting glance of hunger glances his chiselled features before he sets off in a sprint. There's another Hunt happening now, and this time he's the prey. The black Wolf howls, the deep octave of the action sending comforting chills through my bones before they begin to chase the Vampire who nearly ended us. Several Wolfs begin to emerge from the woods to follow and join in with the chase, though two stay beside us for a moment; far enough away so we can't touch them, but close enough so we can take in their breathtaking features.
My eyes linger on one of the Wolves, almost as if there's a tug in gravity which makes me want to approach them, though my feet stay still. I study their build, a small gasp coming from my lips as I see their deep maroon eyes boring into mine. I take note of the Wolf's grey fur as well as the black spots which have formed in random spaces of their lush fur, I can see how the Sun reflects on it that it's silky; I also take a mental note of the darker grey nose that adorns its face. To put it plainly, whoever this was, was beautiful. And something inside me has now made it my mission to track down who can transform into this prepossessing creature.
A howl erupts through the valley in the distance, making the Shapeshifters snap their heads in the direction of the stated noise. A whimper comes from the Wolf which I was watching in awe before the one next to them bumps them in the shoulder, the one I now notice was watching Bella. With a second glance over their shoulder, they begin their run, leaving both me and the Swan girl to take in what happened, as well as what could've happened.