Chapter 10: The Compromise
I was amazed how numb I felt as my body plummeted toward the ground beneath me; a strange calm overtook me. The last time I felt this I was in a hotel room with two vampires—one who could manipulate emotions. The swift memory was cut short and my tranquil state was interrupted by a hard impact. I gasped out of shock and lack of breath; whatever I hit had knocked the wind right out of me. My hearing was muffled but I could vaguely make out distant cries as my consciousness began to fade. Moving my hand around, searching for the object that I fell on, I traced my fingers against something extraordinarily hot. Before I could identify the object, I fell into darkness.
I blinked slowly, wincing at the raging pain in my head, and lifted myself up weakly. The room was dark, save for a sliver of light protruding from an open curtain; after glancing around, I easily identified the room as the McRae's living room. How did I get here? Did I survive the fall? I didn't get a chance to form any more questions, as raised voices caught my attention from the adjacent room. I glanced up and spied Ary and Avarice, staring at one another with stern expressions and arguing. I listened closely, curious what they were speaking about.
"Aryana." Avarice's voice was very stern. He moved his hands from his hips and crossed them angrily. "It's hard to be compassionate when you act so careless."
"Please, spare me the dramatics," Ary responded offhandedly and turned away from him.
"These are not dramatics," he hissed and she shifted to look at him again. "Against my opposition, you insisted on bringing Bella into our lives and, despite my adoration for her, she is your responsibility, Aryana!"
"I'm sorry," Ary muttered softly, crossed her arms, and lowered her head remorsefully.
My brow softened at Ary's response. What is she sorry for? I was the one who fell off the darn balcony! I'm the one whose coordination is so bad it's a disability.
"Don't apologize to me," Avarice interrupted my thoughts and laughed incredulously. "I'm not the one who fell off the third story balcony because you lost your nerve." He sighed, rubbed his temples, and crossed the room to the window. "Maybe it would be better if he were here instead of me. He could take care of this…" Avarice trailed off and I heard a low growl from the opposite side of the room—Ary.
"Don't you growl at me, Aryana McRae; it's not my fault that you two are at odds right now."
"I've got an idea Avarice," Ary seethed. "How about we pretend I already feel terrible and you don't need to rub it in anymore." There was a brief silence and I began to wonder if they were done with their conversation when Ary spoke. "For at least 800 years I have been in control and yet, I find myself getting more and more distracted. It's beyond frustrating."
Avarice sighed, almost too softly for me to catch, and chuckled. "Well, at least Bella is helping you."
Ary scoffed with a doubtful expression. "Helping me? And how is that?"
"I've seen you phase sporadically before," Avarice said evenly. "You would never try to stop the change, but around Bella, you're careful and think hard about your actions—the majority of the time anyway."
Ary groaned loudly. "It won't matter now," she murmured dismally. "You'll see, as soon as she wakes up she'll never want to see any of us anymore." She sighed heavily. "No one can be that forgiving."
What? For the last time Ary, it's not your fault! I was about to speak up but I waited to her Avarice's response.
"I think," Avarice said, a look of heavy thought on his face, "you should leave that up to Bella."
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked in a broken whisper. "Do you regret finding me?"
A deep guttural growl seethed from Avarice's lips. "How can you even ask such a question?" He ground his teeth and grasped her shoulders, pulling her in a tight embrace. "You are my sister, Aryana. I will never ever regret anything about you."
"But have you ever wondered why I'm with you all?" Ary's voice was a faint whisper now.
"No, I don't," Avarice answered. "When I'm sent a blessing, I never ask why."
My bottom lip quivered as I listened to the touching interlude between Ary and Avarice. I pushed my arms down, trying to lift myself up even more, but a sharp pain in the back of my skull distracted me and my hand slipped off the couch. A small cry exited my lips, as my body suddenly slid off the couch. I caught myself with my hand, but not before hitting my head on the tip of the coffee table. Holding my head with my hand, I moaned loudly.
"Are you all right?" Ary's voice was frantic behind me.
"I'm fine," I mumbled without looking at her. My face was beginning to grow hot. "I just hit my head on the stupid table." Still rubbing my forehead, I hoisted myself up and leaned against the plush sofa. Ary had moved from behind me, she now stood across the room, by the fireplace. Her eyes burned into me with a haunting expression.
"What are you staring at Ary?" I asked as the pain at the back of my head began to throb.
Ary softly closed her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing," she murmured, almost too softly for me to catch. She uncrossed her arms and took a seat beside me, barely making eye contact with me. "Bella, I'm so sorry." She sighed and hung her head.
"Sorry?" I said incredulously, my exasperation over her conversation with Avarice broke through. "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who fell off the balcony! What do you have to be sorry for?"
I stared at her with a shocked expression. Did Ary really blame herself for what happened? It
was me who was a walking disaster waiting to happen.
"I'm just starting to think," she said hesitantly without looking at me. "Maybe it would be a good idea if I…if you…" Ary trailed off and instinctively I knew what she was hinting at.
"Ary," I said sternly and waited until she looked at me to continue. "Please tell me you are not going to say you shouldn't be around me." I raised my eyebrows and her sheepish expression told me that was her plan. "Don't I have any say in what happens with me?" I asked and threw up my hands.
"It's nothing personal," Ary insisted, leaning forward to try and catch my eye. "I just think you would be better off." She sighed and looked away. "Everyone would be safer."
"Ary, trust me," I said sarcastically, "it's not a good idea. I'm a danger magnet, a catastrophe on two legs."
She grinned and scoffed at my reply. "Well, on another note, how's your head?" She let her hand trace the back of my skull; I winced at she touched a sensitive area. "That was quite a tumble, maybe we should take you to the hospital." She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"No, please," I shook my head, cringing as the pain surged from my head. "No hospitals." I was slightly thankful that my head pain was canceling out the normal dull ache in my chest; however, going to the hospital would certainly open the wounds I was avoiding.
Ary shrugged and leaned back casually, but continued to stare at me cautiously.
"So," I said, trying to change the subject. "I actually survived the fall?" Ary smiled at me and I mirrored, laughing a little at my dumb luck. "I mean, unless we both died."
"Bella," she said slowly and tried to refrain from laughing. "You didn't hit the ground." There was a devious look in her eyes that was both unsettling and humorous.
"What do you mean?" I asked as my brow furrowed in confusion. "I fell off the balcony, didn't I?" I know I did. I felt myself plunge several feet and saw the ground rushing up towards me.
Ary nodded slowly. "Yes, you fell off the balcony, but not for very long." I stared at her and her smile grew wider. "Argos caught you. You fell maybe about ten feet." she said with a ripple of laughter following short after.
I cocked my head to the side. "Argos caught me?" I asked, a warm feeling growing in my stomach. Argos had caught me; he had saved me from death. A feeling of adoration began to well inside me. "Wait, how did I hurt my head?"
"Are you kidding? Have you seen my brother? He's a walking piece of stone," she said in between hysterics. She proceeded to explain that Argos has been laying in the shade beneath the balcony, and when I screamed, he moved directly under me, and caught me; however, my
head had snapped back and slammed against his rock hard chest. "You scared the death out of him when you fainted," Ary finished and held her sides. "He thought you were dead."
My hands covered my face in an instant. "Oh my gosh," I cried and shook my head. My face flushed a bright red.
Seeing my distress, Ary patted me on the shoulder. "Don't worry Bella," she said happily. "Look on the bright side, you're alive." I rolled my eyes but had to agree with her.
Sighing softly, I thought back to the conversation that she had been having with Avarice, before I interrupted. "For at least 800 years I have been in control." My eyes widened as I realized just what she meant. Ary is at least 800 years old, holy crow! I turned to her, wanting so much to
ask her about what she said, when the front door swept open.
The wind moved through the open threshold and Eric materialized before us, as if the air brought him in. He grinned from ear to ear and crossed his arms.
"So, how's London Bridge?" he asked with mock concern.
Ary and I both rolled our eyes. "It took you long enough!" Ary said incredulously, shook her head and headed toward the open door. As she started out the door, she looked at me and then narrowed her eyes at Eric. "Bella, call me when you're ready to go home," she said and I
nodded as she disappeared outside, leaving me alone with Eric.
"So," he said happily as he took a seat next to me. "What exactly did you say to set her off?" He jerked his head towards the door, indicating Ary.
I shrugged softly. "I was wondering that myself," I said with a laugh. "All I did was ask how she met the McRaes." Chuckling, I shook my head and looked at Eric.
He pursed his lips and nodded feverishly. "Yep, that'll definitely upset her," he said and smiled ruefully at me. "Bella calm down," he said in reaction to my wide horrified eyes. "You couldn't have known; don't feel bad."
I swallowed the pain that was building inside me. I was the cause of another supernatural creature losing their nerve. Was I really more of a danger to them than they were to me? I couldn't help wondering, what danger to them than they were to me? I couldn't help wondering, what was so bad about Ary's past? What happened that would cause her to simply lose her nerve over such a simple question?
"Eric." He leaned in and took my hand and I reveled in the coldness of it. "What happened to
Ary? Why does her past make her so upset?"
Eric's brow indented and he turned away from me. "Bella, Ary has endured the worst of humans," he said and rose off the couch, moving to the fireplace. "You see, for a long time, she was imprisoned in a side show."
"A side show?" I asked and tilted my head curiously. "You mean like a freak show?" There was a loud snarl from outside the door, and Eric threw up his hands.
"Don't say that word," he hissed angrily to me, sending a chill down my spine. "Yes, Bella, that's exactly what it was, and that's how Avarice and Lazarus found her." He sat in the chair next to the sofa and his voice became low and serious. "They had left Ireland and arrived in England,
maybe about 50 years after they had turned. Out of curiosity, they found their way to an advertised side show and saw the main exhibit: the cat girl."
He stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Bella, I can't explain to you what she went through. I can only tell you that it's a forbidden topic among the family." He sighed and turned his head towards the window. I could see frustration and a bit of anger written on his face. It appeared that the subject of Ary's mistreatment was a sore subject for more than just her. "You care about her a lot, don't you?" I asked and scooted closer to him.
He sighed. "You have no idea," he murmured without looking at me. As I stared at his face, trying to comprehend it, I began to wonder how Eric found his way to the McRae family. So far, I could tell that Ary had been in a side show before meeting Avarice and Lazarus, but what about Eric?
"Eric?" I called to him softly.
"Yes?" He replied and still did not look at me.
"Is it safe to ask you how you joined the family?" I asked timidly with raised eyebrows.
He cocked his head and smiled a faraway smile. "I knew you'd ask that sooner or later," he said and sighed heavily. "Yes, it is a safe subject Bella; it's just not one I talk about a great deal."
"You don't have to," I said quickly. "I mean, if you don't want to."
"No." he shook his head and leaned towards me. "I have to." Before I could implore what he meant, he maneuvered next to me, intertwining our hands together. We sat there in silence for a minute before Eric reached into the collar of his shirt, and pulled out a silver chain. Attached to the silver necklace were two shining rings; wedding bands. "Do you know what these are, Bella?" he asked while he twiddled the delicate rings in his fingers.
"They look like wedding rings," I said, admiring the shining objects in the dull light. "Did they belong to your parents?" I asked and looked up at him, he shook his head.
"These," he pushed the rings beneath his shirt and patted them, "belonged to me and my wife."
A deep knot formed in my gut as I stared at him. Eric has a wife…Eric is married? I tried to control my reaction but it was difficult. Is that why they disapproved of his attraction to me, because he's married? That's a really good reason. "Oh, I didn't know you were married." I tried my best tocontrol the tone of my voice, but it still came off as strained.
Eric laughed. It was an icy, bitter sound. "I was," he said bitterly. "When I was twenty my father wanted me to take over the business. So, to see if I could handle the job, he sent me to Italy to deal with one of merchants. It was there, that I met my wife." He sighed and leaned his head back against the sofa; his face was serene and content as he recalled their meeting. "I knew there was something different about her, she was too beautiful to be human."
"She was a vampire?" I asked, a little more intrigued now.
"Yes," he said softly and turned to me, a strange emptiness filled his eyes. "But she was more than that, more than my maker; she was my best friend and my greatest love." The hole in my chest returned and started to singe my insides, yet I held my composure while he continued to speak.
"She taught me so much about living, I mean really living, not the hollow existence I had had as a human. She showed me the beauty that existed all around me." The pain was pulsating, but I still did not move. "For twenty years, we lived a life of pure bliss and peace, true happiness." His bottom lip quivered as he turned away from me, his body shivering slightly as a sob escaped him. I stared at him in awe; in the time I had known Eric McRae, I had never seen him like this. In that instant, I didn't see the snarky, confident vampire. I saw a heart that, after all this time, had not healed—something I could relate to entirely.
"What happened to her?" I asked softly.
He closed his eyes and sighed. "She was killed," he answered with a soft smile, "on our anniversary." His hands tightened into fists and his jaw flexed.
I shook my head in disbelief. "Killed? By who?" I frowned and felt tears well in my eyes. My broken heart felt so miniscule next to Eric's—Edward had left me, while Eric's wife had been taken from him.
"Do you really want to know?" he asked without opening his eyes.
I nodded. "Yes, I do, Eric."
He sighed and looked at me seriously. "Aryana killed my wife," he said, his golden eyes smoldered in the light and burned right through me.
"What?" I exclaimed loudly. My face contorted to a horrified expression as I took in what he said. Ary killed Eric's wife? What…no! "No, that can't be right, Eric. Are you sure it was Ary?" He nodded slowly. "Oh my gosh."
"Bella," Eric said hesitantly and I turned to stare at him, his face was strained and almost pained. "You asked me, how I joined the McRae family, but you didn't ask why."
"Why did you?" I asked, confused by his demeanor.
"I joined the McRae family," he said slowly, "so I could kill Aryana."
The air caught in my and I instantly started choking. Eric moved forward, reaching out to me, and I pulled away from his touch. Had I heard him right? Eric had joined the McRae family with the sole purpose of killing Ary?
"I-I don't understand." I was able to choke out a few other unintelligible mutterings before regaining my breath. "Eric, you really want to kill Ary?" I demanded incredulously, still in shock.
He exhaled and lowered his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry for upsetting you Bella," he said softly. "But to answer your question, I did want to kill her, very much."
"Well," I threw my hands up, "what are you waiting for?" I stood up and immediately knew that was a mistake. The pain in my head had returned and I swayed uneasily as dizziness overtook me. Eric quickly caught me as I fell towards the floor, but I quickly shied away from his touch. "Why would you tell me this?" I asked while shaking my head in disbelief. I can't
believe that Eric wants to kill Ary. Why hasn't he killed her already?
"You asked," he scoffed sarcastically, but his face softened as he moved closer to me. "Besides, I don't want to keep any secrets from you." Eric's liquid topaz eyes burned with desperation as they bore into me.
"Well," I said, exasperated in disbelief, "does Ary know?"
Eric stared at me, eyes and mouth wide open for a minute, before lurching forward in a fit of hysterics. "Oh, Bella," he choked out, "of course she knows!" He shook his head as if I had said something utterly absurd.
I glowered at him until his laughter died to a soft chuckle. "She does?" I asked, thoroughly surprised. He proceeded to explain the dynamics of this knowledge and the feelings around it. All the while, I couldn't stop thinking about Ary. She knows Eric wants to kill her? What's wrong with her? Why is he still around?
"Bella, my sole purpose for joining the family was to kill Aryana," he said, emphasizing the word 'was'. Did that mean he no longer wished to? "But after a few years, she found out—they all did. It's not easy to keep secrets in the family, especially with Lazarus," he said sarcastically. "I had been with them for five years when they discovered my plan." He winced slightly and paused, rubbing his hands together.
"What happened?" I asked weakly, still disturbed by the whole conversation.
Eric chuckled and shrugged slightly. "What was expected, of course," he joked. "Lazarus and Avarice drug me out to a field, ready to rip me apart," his smile faded and his voice became serious, "but what was unexpected was Aryana. She refused to let them kill me."
"Really?" I jerked my neck back in surprise, causing a bit of pain.
"Yes, really." He seemed just as shocked as I was. "She took me on a walk and we made a compromise: one day, she will let me take her life, but only when she asks me to." He took another deep breath and lowered his head. "To be honest, as the years go by, I find myself hoping she never asks."
I smiled half heartedly and he reciprocated with a happy grin, revealing some of his perfect teeth. The conversation shifted to what was happening at school. Apparently Lauren and Jessica had both set out to claim Eric as a boyfriend.
"Well good luck with that," I laughed but felt a tiny pang of jealousy. After hearing Eric's history and seeing him so broken, I was starting to see him in a new light. Besides, when I was with him, I didn't hurt as much anymore.
He chuckled and leaned forward, his grin contorting to his wickedly handsome smile. "No luck needed or wanted," he said smoothly in his silken voice. "I belong to you, whether you like it or not."
The butterflies filled my stomach and I laughed nervously, a blush running across my cheeks, warming my face. I was relieved when Ary appeared, telling me we needed to leave, in order to beat Charlie home. Eric was clearly disappointed—pouting his bottom lip and growling softly—but kissed me goodbye, which almost made me pass out again.
I still hadn't made my mind up about Eric. He was very attractive and I felt a strange energy course through my veins when I was with him, a kind of liquid electricity. However, I couldn't look into his eyes without longing for Edward, and that wasn't fair to Eric.
The ride home was very quiet. Ary didn't attempt to say much, aside from asking how I felt and remarking on being saved by her half-naked brother. Other than that, I gazed out the window and took in the scenery, as it whipped by quickly.
My initial shock of the compromise between Ary and Eric had receded, although I was still a little disturbed by it. Despite my repugnance for their arrangement, it was none of my business—their pact was made before my grandparents were even alive. I definitely wanted a chance to talk to Ary about it, but given my last attempted inquisition, I decided to put it off for another day.
The subject of Eric's previous marriage had dissipated from my mind as well. Like the compromise between Ary and Eric, he had happened before I was even born. I also thought of Esme, the Cullens' mother for all intents and purposes. She had been married and even conceived a child before Carlisle found her in the morgue. I guess it was too incredulous for me to expect Eric to have had zero life experiences before meeting me. They couldn't all be Edward.
About ten minutes later, we pulled down my street. I was relieved that my truck was parked in the driveway, and Charlie was nowhere to be seen.
"Eric brought your truck home," Ary said, answering my unspoken question.
I nodded in appreciation and turned to her. "Thanks for today Ary." She stared at me with a look of disbelief. "I mean, for getting me out of school. I didn't realize how much I needed it."
She smiled. "Anytime Bella." She rolled down the window as I shut the door behind me. "See you tomorrow," she called before speeding off down the street.
I was inside the house for five minutes before Charlie walked through the front door. "Bella," he called in a stern voice.
"Yeah, Dad," I responded and greeted him from the kitchen. His serious expression caught me off guard. "What's wrong?"
"I'd like to know," he started and moved forward with his hands on his hips, "why you left school today." His eyebrows were raised and his lips formed a tight line. I couldn't help but wonder how he found out about that.
"Oh," I said, the surprise brimming in my voice. "You know about that?" I frowned sheepishly and dug my hands in my pockets, looking more and more guilty.
He nodded and crossed his arms. "Karen Newton got a call from Mike." Damn it Mike. "He said you left class with one of those new kids." He uncrossed his arms and took a seat at the kitchen table, still looking cross. "Would you care to explain, young lady?"
I sighed and sat down across from Charlie. "I guess Mike skipped the part where I passed out," I stated bitterly and crossed my own arms, glaring at my father. I was a bit miffed that he would automatically believe what someone else has said about me.
"You…passed…out?" Charlie stuttered with confusion and his seriousness faltered.
I nodded. "We were doing a comparison lab in Anatomy," I explained hotly. "I saw animal blood and it made me faint. Aryana is my lab partner and she took me to her house." I leaned away from him, still glowering at him. "She didn't think I should be alone," I finished angrily.
We sat in an awkward silence, not really looking at one another, finally Charlie exhaled loudly and muttered something unintelligible, before hosting himself up. I was about to do the same when he turned back to me.
"Well, looks like I'm in this Aryana's debt," he mumbled softly. "Why don't you invite her to dinner tomorrow?"
The air caught in my throat and I almost coughed up a lung. "I-Invite Ary tto dinner?" I said incredulously.
"Sure, why not?" he asked and shrugged curiously.
Oh because she only eats bloody raw meat! "Oh…well…I…" I stuttered, not sure how to get out of this.
"Besides," he said with a rare Charlie smile. "I want a chance to meet of these new kids."
I sighed; there was no way around this. Ary was coming over for dinner.