CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
I ate breakfast that morning without tasting the food and dressed in a rush. My stomach was twisting itself into anxious knots, which was freaking me out a touch. Anxiously combing my fingers through my hair, I sat down on the sofa and tried to watch the morning news- unsuccessfully.
When the sound of knocking reached my ears, I had to hold myself back from flying towards the door. Instead, I walked over, ignoring the fact my heart was thrumming like a hummingbird.
I opened the door and was instantly greeted by a dazzling smile that took my breath away. He looked at me for a second then chuckled softly. I drew my brows together, suddenly worried. “What is it?” I asked, looking down to check if my clothes were stained.
“We match,” he told me, gesturing to my top. I looked down and realized the tan sweater I was wearing matched his own.
“Crap,” I mumbled, my cheeks going slightly pink. He reached out with one hand and gently touched the Ravenclaw pin on my collar.
“You wear that a lot,” he muses, “I don’t recognize the crest.”
“Um, it’s a family thing,” I mumbled, before locking the door behind me, and leading the way to my truck. As he walked around to the passenger side, he shot me a martyred expression. “We made a deal,” I remind him, smugly.
As I listened to his directions, my thoughts strayed again to the inner-debate I’d had last night. To tell him, or not to tell him? I wondered, before sighing heavily. Something cold touching my arm made me jolt slightly, and I turned to face Edward. His expression was a mix of curious and amused. “I hope I’m not that boring,” he teases, “I said your name almost three times.”
“Wrackspurts.” I shrug, a smile playing on the corners of my mouth as I observe his confused expression. It reminds me of the expression people wear around Luna. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“A place I like to go when the weather’s nice,” he answers, vaguely. “It’s a small hike.” He adds. I groan aloud.
“Hiking?”
“Yes, hiking.” He confirms, voice amused, “not a fan?”
“No,” I grumbled, “this place better be pretty spectacular.”
“It is.” He assures me.
The road he’d directed me to ended at a constricting thin foot trail with a small wooden marker. As I stepped out of the car I grimaced slightly, as the weather was warmer now, warmer then it had been in Forks since the day I’d arrived.
“Surely it was hotter in Phoenix,” Edward’s amused voice washes over me, as he correctly interprets the reason for the putout expression on my face. Maybe the fact I was glaring at the sky was a give-away.
“At least it wasn’t muggy there.” I retort. He chuckles, before starting to walk… away from the trail? “No trail?” I just about squeak.
“I won’t let you get lost.” He says, his expression annoyingly amused. I resist the urge to scowl.
“If I sprain my ankle, it’s all your fault.” I tell him, “and if you want me to hack five miles through the jungle before sundown, then you’d better start leading the way.”
It can’t be as bad as the Forbidden Forest, right? I try to convince myself, chewing my lip as he led the way.
I was right, it turns out. It wasn’t as hard as I’d expected- in fact, it was mostly flat. For the most part, we walked in silence. Occasionally he would ask a random question, and I would try to answer it as honestly as possible.
I nearly groaned out loud with relief when he pointed up ahead. “We’re nearly there- can you see the brightness?” I peered into the thick forest.
“Should I?” He smirked.
“Maybe it’s a bit too soon for your eyes.”
“Species-ist.” I muttered, and his smirk grew more pronounced. After another hundred meters or so, though, I could definitely see the lightening in the trees ahead, and I picked up my pace. Edward let me lead now, following noiselessly.
Finally reaching the edge of the pool of light, I stepped through the last fringe of ferns into a beautiful little meadow. It was small, perfectly round, and filled with wild flowers- violets, yellow and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling music of a stream. It looked like a scene straight out of a fairy-tale.
“It’s beautiful,” I admit, turning around to Edward who was still avoiding the sunlight, standing in the shade. “Almost worth the evil hike.” I add. His lips quirk into a smile.
“Only almost?” I tap my lip with my forefinger.
“Hmm, well a bit of company might make it fully worth it.”
“Is that your way of telling me to hurry up and step out into the sun?” he asks, dryly.
“The polite way. If it doesn’t work, I’ve got a back up though. And it’s foolproof.” I inform him. He arches an eyebrow.
“Oh really?” he asks, voice teasing.
“Oh really.” I confirm, a wide grin on my face. He folds his arms across his chest.
“Well, let’s see it then.” I smile sweetly at him, fold my arms across my chest, and let myself fall backwards. My body rushes towards the ground and I have to lock my limbs in place, forcing myself not to break out of my position and catch myself.
There’s a blur of white, and suddenly a pair of arms has caught me. I look up, opening my mouth to tease Edward, when my voice dies away in my throat. Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I’d seen photos of vampires in the sun, yes, but none of them could possibly compare to the glory that he was.
His white skin, flushed only slightly from his hunting trip the day before, sparkled like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. I swallow, well, gulp is probably a better word, before I speak. “Told you it was foolproof.” My voice is annoyingly breathy, but I forgive myself.
Edward scowls at me slightly. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“You told me too.” I grinned. He groaned, shaking his head.
“You are incorrigible.” He muttered, under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear, as he gently sinks to the ground, me still resting in his arms. I have to resist the urge to trail a finger along his jaw, wanting to touch, explore, the diamond-like skin.
“And irresistible.” I tease him, trying to distract myself from my urges. His gaze turns slightly forlorn.
“You are irresistible. I find myself drawn to you far more then I should be. It’s irresponsible of me. I should have left long ago.” My heartbeat quickened slightly, a small tendril of fear running through me. No, no, no.
“I don’t want you to leave.” I said, somewhat pathetically, internally wincing as my voice cracked.
“Which is exactly why I should. This isn’t your world. But don’t worry, I’m essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company far too much to do what I should.”
“I’m glad.” I tell him, honestly. But not honestly enough. Because it is my world. Edward’s expression suddenly turns fierce, and he moves out from under me with enough speed to thoroughly disorientate me.
“It’s not only your company I crave! Never forget that! Never forget I am more dangerous to you then anything else in your life!” I can’t help it. A small bubble of hysteria escapes my lips, then I’m laughing, laughing harder then I’ve laughed in a long time.
Edward’s expression is bemused as he watches my laugh so hard that tears run down my cheeks. The lack of sleep has caught up with me, I decide, as I clutch my aching sides. This is definitely not normal. After a few minutes when my laughter doesn’t die down, Edward’s expression turns concerned.
“Bella? Are you alright?” he asks, kneeling back down beside me, gently brushing his hand against my cheek. His touch sobers me, and I give him a rueful smile. I blame the temporary loss of my sanity on lack of sleep, especially as I blurt out what made me lose it.
“You’re not more dangerous to me then anything else in my life.” I tell him, with a conviction that surprises him. My brain finally catches up to my mouth, and I resist the urge to face-palm.
The curiosity in Edward’s gaze is almost as strong as another emotion, one that takes me a few moments to identify. Protectiveness. A fierce protectiveness. All remaining traces of amusement vanish from my system, as I feel my face pale.
And here is another reason why I shouldn’t let Edward in on the secret that is my world. A vampire is no match for a witch or wizard. If he tried to defend me against Snatchers or Death Eaters… I just barely resist the urge to shudder.
His sudden question surprises me. Not the question itself, but the timing. “Are you ever going to tell me how you know about vampires?” he asked. I blinked. Twice. And then inspiration strikes me.
“The twins,” I blurt out. Edward looks confused.
“What?”
“Rachel and Rebecca Black. I hung out with them a lot when I was younger.” I tell him, embellishing the truth… a lot. “We had a sleepover once where we told each other scary stories. They told me some of the tribal legends… like the tales of the Cold Ones.”
Edward stiffened beside me, somewhat, but as I peeked up at him, I was relieved to see his expression didn’t look suspicious. Good. He believed me. “How did you connect the legend to me?” Edward asks, quietly. I fidget slightly.
“It wasn’t exactly hard. Pale skin, strange eyes, extreme beauty… plus the fact the story kinda includes your surname.” I mumble the last part, not sure if it’s true or not, but using it anyway. “Like I said, it wasn’t hard.”
“Huh.” Edward murmurs, his face thoughtful. A wave of anxiety suddenly rushes through me.
“It’s not their fault!” I blurt out, “don’t get mad at them- they were just kids!”
“I’m not mad at them,” Edward assures me, and I let out a small sigh of relief, grateful that my hastily spun together lie hadn’t just started a war between the Quiluetes and the Cullens.
One war in my life was enough.