Chapter Six

My eyes bore into the blue light of the alarm clock someone had so conveniently placed on the table sometime during the night. I think it was around four, that’s when I heard the door click closed, and couldn’t sleep after that. Of course I knew they didn’t sleep but knowing one of them had been here while I was asleep? Didn’t like any part of that. They could have bit me! I’d almost jumped out of bed to check but that meant I had to go across the hall to the bathroom. I didn’t feel like stepping outside the room while I was half asleep.

Listening to the house during the night had been odd. I lay in bed running my fingers over my neck, arms and legs as quiet voices and video games went off outside the door. Around four-thirty-ish I heard a piano softly singing from downstairs; I saw it once when I was exploring, a huge black Steinway sitting at the back of the den, and had played it when everyone was gone. I wasn’t good but Renee had forced me to take lessons until I did what all my friends did—whined and begged until she caved and stopped taking me. I couldn’t even remember how to play a simple nocturne. Whoever was playing then had impeccable skill, and I shouldn’t have been surprised seeing as how I was surrounded by “perfect” beings, and having a million-billion years to exist gave plenty of time to practice perfection.

It was soothing for a while, I think I fell asleep between one song and the next, but then the music became angry and I was shot right back to awareness.

Now the clock said it was five twenty-eight in the morning and footsteps went back and forth in front of my door; if I didn’t know any better I’d say someone was pacing. They disappeared down the stairs with the next minute. It was probably Carlisle collecting his things for the day. I remembered when Charlie was up at the crack of dawn, had a cup of coffee with the morning paper, and cleaned his gun before going into the station—but not without kissing my head and ruffling my hair goodbye. Those days seemed so far away. Poor Charlie had quit the force when things started to get bad; the vamps made it almost impossible for the police to do their jobs.

The second the clock shifted to five thirty a soft knock sounded on the door. “Bella, are you awake?” Alice whispered.

“Yeah, I’m awake, Alice,” I groaned. Awake and grumpy—this was going to be a fun day. I hated how I could identify them by voice, and that I remembered and used their names. Time around these vamps was definitely bad for me. “Come in.”

Light from the hallway barely lit the room and her small silhouette leaned against the frame. “I’m turning on the light; close your eyes.” I didn’t and almost regretted it when the harsh light flickered on overhead, causing me to flinch. My eyes adjusted in time to see Alice smiled, moving into the room cautiously. I noticed out of all the Cullen siblings, from what little time I spent with them, that she seemed uncomfortable around me; she was careful with what she said, even if she talked a lot, and every motion she made was deliberate and she made sure I could see it before it happened. Perhaps Alice was just being mindful of my “condition,” as she so nicely called it.

I hated vampires—I wasn’t scared of them.

“How was your night?” she asked kindly. “Did you sleep well?”

I sat up in bed running my fingers through my hair to flatten it, knowing it would be a mess from my tossing and turning. “Can’t complain, I guess. Still alive, right?”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, we’re really not that bad. Maybe if we had met before all this we could be really good friends, you know?”

“No thanks; even without vamps in Forks, I think we’re too different to be friends.” Shut up and get to the point. “Was there something you wanted?”

“Oh, right. I just wanted to let you know that Carlisle is waiting for you in his study. He said he had something important to give you before he left, and the offer to ride with him still stands.”

My heart fluttered at the thought of getting my gun back. Finally! “I’ll go see what he wants then.”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, that uneasy smile still on her face. What was she thinking? Did I really want to know? I’d rather stay out of a vamps mind; there was no telling what kind of nightmarish scenes lurked there. “One more thing, Bella; what happened with your friend Seth, it wasn’t your fault. The vampire had a sure grip on him, you couldn’t get past him.”

That fluttery feeling I’d had? Yeah—gone. My heart sank into my stomach and I could feel my face turning white. “What are you talking about? How do you know about that?”

“I know a lot of things I’d rather not, but when you don’t ask for this you can’t choose what you get.”

My hands fisted the blanket. “Carlisle killed you, didn’t he?”

“What? No! Oh no, no, no you’ve got it all wrong! Me and Jasper—no, we weren’t—that’s to say . . . no, of course not. But we’re talking about Seth, not me. If you keep your hopes up and an ear to the ground, I think he might still be alive out there somewhere. You survived worse, after all. Anyway, go see Carlisle, he’s expecting you.” With that she ran out the door, closing it behind her.

Didn’t kill her, huh? Why else would she get defensive if that was the case? She didn’t even want to enter into this life and he forced her to. I guess I could feel a little sorry for Alice, having to adjust to an odd life without asking for it. I’d kill myself before I ever became a vampire.

But giving me false hope about Seth was unforgivable. He was dead, he wasn’t coming back, and I had to accept that fact. Letting a little vampire lie to me about my friend—what on earth was I thinking? I could have at least punched her for it . . . if I knew I wouldn’t break my hand in the process.

I sighed and crawled out of bed, stretching my arms over my head. I had to admit, I liked this bed a lot more than I liked my own; it was way more comfortable than what I had in Forks and Jacksonville combined.

Last night, while I was cramming the pillow over my head to block out the deafening piano, I decided I would accept Carlisle’s offer to leave me at a bus station. Sneaking on shouldn’t be a problem, right? So many people rode buses I could easily slip into the crowd. When I got to the Black’s house I’d have no problem with money. I just wanted to get to California and get the gear waiting for me; it was about time I got back to Forks and put a few more kills under my belt. Maybe make a necklace out of shrunken vampire heads.

Five minutes later I was feeling refreshed after washing my face and brushing my teeth in the immaculate bathroom, my hair was tamed into a loose ponytail, and I was dressed and raring to go. All that remained was to get my gun back.

I stood in Carlisle’s study while he taunted me about my gun. He already returned my shoulder holster, which I quickly slid into, feeling nearly complete. Where my gun was, however, I was still guessing. I turned this house inside out several times yet never found it. He had to have carried it on him when he left the house.

Carlisle was sitting behind his desk with his usual pleasant smile on his face while I stood across from him, too uncomfortable to sit. The house’s color scheme stretched into this room making it feel large and comfortable yet the walls were swallowed by the sheer amount of books he collected over the years. I suppose when time means nothing you can do whatever you want, including reading books for all time.

What a waste of a life.

“So are we just wasting time before we have to leave or are you going to give my gun back?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, tugging on the familiar old leather.

“I must say I’m surprised you even agreed to ride with me,” he answered.

“Lesser of two evils, what more can I say?”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, and gave me that look that said he was about drag me through another minefield. Yeah, I already had his mannerisms memorized; it would help if he tried to attack me. Old vamp or not, I wouldn’t be intimidated by him. “It’s not only physical protection why you carry that gun, is it?”

“What are you talking about now?” I huffed.

“At any time you could have run out of here, there are plenty of other guns out there just like the one you carry. Why do you cling to this one? It doesn’t have anything to do with the initials on it, does it?”

I tightened my arms around myself. This thing was too observant. “So you studied it, dusted for fingerprints? Is that why you’re keeping it?”

“I kept it because I knew you wouldn’t leave without it; it was the only way to make sure you healed. Also, I didn’t want any accidents for either party. If you shot yourself in my care, well, it would be very disappointing and disturbing.”

He thought I was weak enough I’d turn to suicide? I never once thought of it. Maybe if I was held captive by a different vamp I’d consider it, but I was too afraid to do it myself. What if I messed up and had to live with the injury? Besides, I killed vampires, not humans.

“My grandfather bought that gun with every intention of hunting vampires,” I answered reluctantly. “They got him before he could fire a shot.”

“They weren’t in rule then. Why would he hunt vampires?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They’ve always been around! Before the takeover they left bodies lying around, they attacked humans with no reason and had no repercussions. Thinking about it, I hate to admit it, but it is a little better now that the vamps have someone to keep them under control. We’re still cattle but as far as I know it’s illegal in their laws to kill someone not under their protection or without the human attacking first.”

“A shame. Don’t misunderstand, it’s wonderful when vampires are not attacking humans, but the ruthlessness is uncalled for.” Carlisle shook his head and stood, going to the cupboard behind his desk. I looked in there before; it was nothing but more books. He pulled a burnt leather book from the shelf, peeled open the crackling pages and pulled out my gun from the hollow space. I balked.

“It was there the whole time?” I shrieked.

He grinned. “I left my study unlocked on purpose so you wouldn’t suspect it was here. Didn’t you ever think to check? I expected more from you.”

“I did, I searched high and low and even considered checking the books but, come on, there’s entirely too many here.”

“I know,” he chuckled. He held out my gun, butt first, and I snatched it from his hands. I ran my fingers lovingly over the grooves and slick black matte paint; it used to be a shiny silver, but that reflects light. I popped the magazine to find it full, the same one I loaded before, and slid it into its spot under my right arm. It was like the lost piece of my soul had been returned and I nearly smiled with how good I felt.

“A Smith & Wesson 9VE, polymer frame, correct?” he asked.

“Yeah. It used to be in terrible shape but Dad refurbished the whole thing. It’s like a brand new gun.”

“It’s very nice but I don’t think it will kill a vampire. You need something with a bigger kick.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Think I don’t know that? I’m on my way to get something that’ll blow ‘em all up. Do you have any suggestions?” Honestly, I didn’t know what was waiting for me in California, I just know that our dealer set aside grade A weapons for me at Charlie’s insistence. I hoped it was a flamethrower. Poof! Crispy vampire!

“My hands are tied here, weapons are not my specialty. I couldn’t even tell how to kill a vampire.”

What a liar; vampires know their own weaknesses, I thought. Before I could call him on it, Esme’s voice floated up the stairs. “Carlisle, you’ll be late.”

“Coming, dear,” he said with a grin. “Well, shall we go, Bella?”

The ride was tense and uncomfortable—or maybe it was just me. Carlisle seemed completely at ease in his dark Mercedes. Perhaps it was only me that was uncomfortable with the tinted windows and classical tunes, not to mention the fact I was sitting in a car with a vampire behind the wheel. Was this his last ditch effort? He could wrap this sucker around a tree and kill me, walking away from the scene without a scratch. Was I really convinced he was trying to kill me after the week and a half I spent in his house, perfectly safe? Maybe a little. But vampires are obnoxious like that.

They get into your head with their compulsion ability, take you off guard, and then when you think they’re your friend—bam! They kill you. At least I had my gun back, safety off and protective latch unsecured. On the bad side I smelled like a vampire. I couldn’t walk around in public with my gun in sight so I was offered a coat; unfortunately all the coats in my closet were too tight and showed the bulge under my arm. Alice stole one of Edward’s coats much to his—and mine—disgust. But we were similar in build—meaning I wasn’t bulky like Emmett or as tall as Jasper, and everything Alice had was too tiny, and the blond I only saw in passing was too skinny—and the coat hid my gun well while I could easily get to it. I couldn’t complain.

What would Billy Black say when I showed up smelling like a vamp? Sure, not many people could smell it, or sometimes it was incredibly pleasing to their weak minds, but when your life depended on being able to spot a monster you quickly picked up on small things like that. Being from the rez, he was especially aware of everything about vampires, and he’d probably put me on lockdown to make sure I hadn’t gone undead or turned into a bloodwhore. I shuddered just thinking about it. Why would anyone willingly do such a thing? Knowing there were people out there giving themselves up made me sick. It had to stop.

I laid my head back and sighed. This thirty minute joy ride seemed like an eternity. I didn’t even know if he was going the right way; I only had a single address to go on. Maybe I would be better off walking around in a pitch black box. Yeah, definitely have a better sense of direction there.

“It’s not much further,” Carlisle said. “You’ll see the hospital in a matter of seconds and the bus station is just beyond it.”

As he said that we finally broke out of the wooded area and into the large city of Portland. It was a little brighter out of the trees but it seemed incredibly overpopulated; everywhere I looked there was a house or store, people flooded the sidewalks. Were we in New York by mistake?

“I don’t even have bus fare,” I said. “How easy do you think it will be to slip onto the bus?”

“No need to worry, I have it covered. Esme and I made you a little thank you gift last night.”

“Gift? Thanks for what?”

He chuckled as he expertly maneuvered around cars parked on the road, squeezing into areas I thought his car was too big to fit. It kind of reminded me of Mike, except he would be going twice the speed limit and against the flow of traffic, laughing all the way. “Thanks for not killing us, of course. You are a fearsome vampire hunter, after all, and we are but lowly targets. At any time you could have destroyed us.”

I crossed my arms over my chest in a defiant pout. “That’s not funny. I couldn’t hurt you if I tried, not to mention I’d have to fight through your fledglings in order to get to you. There’s no way they’d stand off to the side while their master was in danger.”

“Those are very strong accusations for a young girl. How much do you know about vampires, Bella?”

“I know that you’re killers, you all fight a bloodlust, you take bloodwhores and create Renfields’, you make fledglings, and you’re constantly trying to move up the social ladder to gain a higher power while I’m assuming territory goes with it. I know you don’t fear sunlight, holy water has no effect against you, bullets only incapacitate when shot in the heart or head, and even thinking garlic can do something means that’ll be the first human dead. Did I about cover it, besides the whole being a thousand times stronger and faster than us thing?”

With each word out of my mouth I watched his eyebrows rise higher and higher on his forehead until they nearly touched his hairline. Apparently he wasn’t aware that living on the frontlines will teach a human a lot about their enemy; maybe he thought I was stupider than I looked, which was what I usually counted on from a vamp. Having them underestimate me was what made me stronger than them. It wasn’t all about physical strength.

A large tan building stretched against the sky in the middle of the town. It looked like every other hospital on earth with its high walls and hundreds of windows, nice courtyard though; there was one in Seattle that could be its twin, but this one was called Legacy Emanuel Hospital. It had to be Carlisle’s job.

“Is that where you work?” I asked, trying to shift the conversation to make him more comfortable. A childish question seemed the best way to do it.

He smiled, relaxing. “Yes, that is where I’m currently working. So far it’s been two years since we came to Portland and we’ve had a better experience here then anywhere else. I’ll be a little sad to leave this area, but I’m always upset I have to leave my patients in the hospital.”

“What age are you masquerading?”

“I was thirty-seven when I moved here, Esme was thirty-three; all our children are adopted.”

I scoffed. “You don’t look a day over twenty-four.” I slapped my hand over my mouth, wishing with every fiber of my being I could take that back. Did I just compliment a vampire? Without thinking? “S-so how old are you really?”

“That’s for me to know, and you to never guess. I assure you I’m old enough that I could . . . I could fly if I so choose!” He laughed at his stupid joke by himself; there was no way I was slipping up again, and the thought of flying vampires wasn’t exactly funny. Try more like scary.

Carlisle brought the Mercedes to a stop next to a curb and turned to me with a smile. “I suppose this is where we say goodbye.”

I looked out the window to find he hadn’t dropped me off at a bus station but a bus stop. I turned to him with an expression that got the point across very clearly. He said bus station, I say what the hell?

“This isn’t a bus station, it’s a stop,” I said irritably. “I could be standing there for hours.”

“Do you have that little faith in me after this past week? You are a strange one, indeed. Here, I have something for you, Bella.” He reached into the pocket on his door and produced a small blue velvet pouch tied with a golden ribbon. He held it out for me and I snatched it from his hand, all the while glaring at him.

I carefully pulled it open away from my face—just in case, anything could have been inside—but when nothing happened, I peered into the pouch to find . . . money. Carlisle continued to give me his patient smile when I asked, “What is this?”

“A gift from Esme and myself, I told you that. She was worried about you and wanted to send something small with you, just to make sure you get where you’re going.”

“I won’t accept this.” I tied the pouch up and set it on the console between the seats.

“I insist, Bella, please take it with you. You don’t even have to thank me for it, but you need the bus fare anyway, and our number is in there incase you ever need anything. We’re happy to help you whenever you may need us.”

He really thinks I need his help? Us humans can take care of ourselves! That was my first reaction, but then I remembered exactly what he was and how it could possibly be used. He was an old vampire who had a big coven and lived undisturbed by the rest of his race. Was he that respected, or was he a laughing stock because of his diet? The other vamps could see him as a disgrace to their world and that’s why they never bothered with him.

I shook my head and grabbed the pouch, stuffing it into the pocket of the coat. The money could come in handy; I’d tear up the number when I was on the bus. Dad would be so disappointed to know I accepted anything from a vampire, especially money.

“You’re welcome, Bella,” Carlisle said sincerely. “Esme and I were happy to have you this past week. I hope we’ll see you again on much better terms.”

I popped the door open, letting the cool fresh air into the stuffy interior, and stopped myself from jumping out. “What stop do I need?” I asked.

“You want to wait until the third stop, it’ll drop you off in front of an auto shop, follow the road south, that’s towards the shop’s garage, and Hancock is the first street.”

Towards the garage, got it. I mustered up all the sarcasm I’d withheld in the past week and threw it in his face. “Well, it’s been oodles of fun staying with your family but I’m afraid we’re just too different to carry on, so I guess the next time I’ll be seeing you is if you’re unfortunate enough to be staring down the barrel of my pistol.”

“Or one of the nice big guns you’ll receive in California,” he supplied dryly.

“Yeah, or that. See you around, Dr. Carlisle Cullen.”

“Good luck to you, Isabella Swan.”

I wasn’t going to ask how he knew my whole name, but instead went for something that I was a little more curious about. After pulling myself out of the car, I bent to see his face and asked, “Five hundred twenty-nine?”

He laughed. “Too far, Bella. You might get it one day.”

I slammed the door and waited for the Mercedes to pull away before sitting in the glass shelter. The bus appeared barely fifteen seconds later.

Chapter Five

Ten days passed since I was brought into the Cullen household. Surprisingly, we were all still alive. I figured if I had to stay more than a night blood would be spilt, yet here we were acting like a semi functional family. I didn’t go through a change of heart—in my mind, vampires will always be evil, even the Cullen’s couldn’t change that—but these golden eyed vamps weren’t too bad. They fed me, gave me clothes, basically gave me control of the house. I couldn’t complain.

By the eighth day I regained my strength. I must have inflicted more damage than I thought to stay down that long; my previous record had been three days. When I could skip in a straight line I asked for my gun on my way to the door. Carlisle immediately disapproved, saying he wanted me to stay for observation. Just to make sure.

Whatever! I threw a fit but he was serious about keeping me. So here I was in this grand house, waiting to retrieve my weapon—which I never found, despite all my snooping—and find the nearest bus stop. It was about time I got to Rainier.

In the meantime, I could enjoy my last few hours in their amazing house. The furnishings screamed “Rich family here, please rob us!” but they weren’t so opulent they were gaudy, in fact everything was surprisingly well picked and placed. The house was painted with warm colors, the floors made of parquet wood all in beautiful designs. I’d searched the upstairs on the rare occasion the house was empty.

Four rooms were filled with personality. One had a huge stereo system and a wall full of CDs, audio cassettes, and records with no bed. There was a seriously girly room full of ancient Vogue magazines. Another room was only defined by its giant bed, and then there was Carlisle and Esme’s room filled with medical journals. My gun wasn’t anywhere to be found.

Carlisle often spoke about his family so where were they? Did vampires take vacations? It was an interesting thought—imagining vampires on a beach in the Bahamas was especially funny—but I quickly shoved it away. Three extra vamps out of my hair was a blessing, I wasn’t questioning it.

I was thankful to have my strength back and took full advantage of walking on my own two feet. While the vamps were away I busied myself with work out routines and escape plans. Without my gun—forget it, I wasn’t going anywhere. They knew this, that’s why they hid it so well. Why they didn’t want me to leave was still unknown. Observation, sure, that’s a perfectly good reason to keep someone holed up.

At least they gave me run of the house.

The plasma screen was nice, making my own food even better, but the best part was the warm shower after all I’d been through. Smelling like strawberries wasn’t preferred but definitely better than sewage pipes and baby wipes. After my first conscious shower I felt so much better, but my clothing situation made me uncomfortable. The guest room closet had been filled with correct sizes in everything—pants, skirts, tops, dresses, even shoes! Were these vamps expecting me or was there someone in the house with the same size? Did I really care? Not so much. I only cared to have a bigger shirt; I wasn’t used to wearing brand name blouses with a “flattering figure,” according to the tag.

I glanced at the clock on the stove while I chopped lettuce for my salad. Four o’clock and still raining; it was nothing new, but the weatherman promised sunshine. Can’t ever trust them. I had hoped to go outside, get some fresh air, do something productive, but I didn’t have a coat to ward off the rain and had no idea where to find one. Not that I’m afraid of rain, I just didn’t want to ruin the clothes.

My eyes then traveled to the phone for the hundredth time in ten minutes. I knew the number of our contact in Rainier, Charlie had me memorize it in case something happened and we had the ability to call. Should I risk it? I could call for a rescue, ransack the house for human servants, and be on our way before the vamps got home. I bit my lip and set the knife on the counter, moving towards the shiny piece of black technology. I had a dial tone, hesitantly punched in the numbers, holding onto the edge of the counter.

Someone please pick up, I silently begged. What if something happened? What if Mike and Tyler had been followed and . . . no, that wouldn’t happen. We had been tracked by amateurs; they wouldn’t let good blood go to find a bigger herd.

The phone rang three times before a gruff old voice answered cautiously, “Hello?”

I slid down the wall with relief. I knew that voice! “I am so glad to hear you, old man, you have no idea.”

“Bella? What in the world is going on? Why are you calling from Portland?”

“I’ll tell you in a second, just answer me this. Have Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley passed through?”

“Sometime ago, yeah. I heard about the accident. Everyone thought you were dead.”

“I thought so, too,” I sighed. “Turns out I was found and cared for by a doctor.” I swallowed the uncomfortable lump in my throat, my hands shook with the next words out of my mouth. I had to ask. “Hey, Old Quil, has Seth. . . .” I couldn’t say it; it was hard enough to say his name.

“No, not yet, anyway,” he answered quietly. “Sue and Leah are still here, do you want to talk to them?”

“Oh no, I c-couldn’t! I-I don’t even know what to say.” My fingers idly twisted the hem of my shirt. If Seth didn’t check in . . . he was dead. Even if he was bleeding out he would find some way to show up in Rainier. Who should tell Sue? How could we tell her?

Old Quil immediately changed the subject by asking, “Why don’t you tell me how you made it to Portland? I never took you for one to skip a check point.”

I recounted what happened to the best of my ability. Being unconscious for most of it made things blurry. I told him of the highway chase, about Seth, splitting up and fending off the vampires. When it came to waking up in Portland, well, I had to smudge some details. If Old Quil knew I was in the company of vampires he’d cross himself (if old Indian tribe leaders did that), have a heart attack, and send an army out to get me. I didn’t need that just yet.

“The doctor said he found me on the side of the road and I’ve been in his house ever since,” I finished, hoping he didn’t notice my stammering lies throughout.

“What took you so long to call? We were worried sick! Your father was ready to send out a search party,” he laughed.

“He didn’t before?”

“You’re a tough kid. He had faith.”

That made me smile. He believed wherever I was I still had the strength to fight. “You know we never carry phones so I wasn’t sure what to do. I was unconscious for a while, bedridden for eight more days. My back is still a little sore but I feel so much better.”

“That’s good, you need to keep up your strength.” There was a quiet voice on the other end and I heard him tell Sue I was still alive but no word on her son. Crap, it was going to be bad if we kept denying it. “Should we be expecting you at our door any time soon? Sue made a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.”

I laughed but it came out more as a defeated sigh. “As good as that sounds, no. Now that I know everyone moved on I don’t want to backtrack; I checked in, I can take provisions from here. Unfortunately I don’t know who I’m looking for here.”

His raspy voice crackled like a hundred wrinkling pages, laughing at me; seriously, the guy was like two-thousand years old. “His name is Billy Black, he’s from the rez, as well. Do you have a pen?”

I jumped up to pull open random drawers. Silver ware, linen napkins, cooking utensils—what the heck? Why do vampires need all of this? Where was their junk drawer? Finally the middle drawer on the island produced results. I couldn’t be bothered with paper that could easily fall into the wrong hands and wrote the information Old Quil gave me on my arm, repeating it back to make sure I had it right. I really hoped it was only a bus ride away.

“By the way, Bella, who are staying with?” Old Quil asked. His voice was waning and I realized this was the longest I ever heard him talk; it was probably wearing on him.

“Dr. Cul—” A sound from outside cut me off. A car door. Esme said she wouldn’t be home until six!

“What was that, Bella?”

Two more doors slammed.

“I have to go,” I murmured into the phone.

“Bella,” he sounded frantic, “please don’t tell me you’re with Car—”

I ended the call and grabbed the knife I had been using. Call it common sense, but I had a feeling the guests were not human. I barely peeked out the window facing the garage to see an unknown silver car sitting in the rain. Esme had a normal red car, Carlisle had something a little sleeker in black, but this one I had no idea.

The doorknob jiggled before the lock clicked, keys withdrawing. I took a wide stance and prepared to pounce.

The second the door opened I pushed it aside and plunged the knife into my closest target. I blinked and my wrist was stuck in midair, inches from a girl’s face; she and the tall guy restraining me didn’t look surprised at all. He squeezed my wrist, the knife clattered to the floor.

I stepped back, wrenching out of his grasp, before charging again. Sure, my bare fists wouldn’t faze a vamp but I had to protect myself. No one told me about visitors, they were probably here to kill me! I barely had enough time to swing my fist at the guy before he disappeared. One second I was rushing toward him, the next my arms were pulled behind my back and I was eating the polished wood of the hall floor.

“Who are you?” he demanded. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t answer him; he had a hand on my head, pushing my face down.

“Don’t hurt her, Jasper, she’s meant to be here,” said a lilting voice. Jasper, apparently the name of the manhandler, let up on my head yet kept my hands secured. I liked how careful he was being about my presence but the weight he was putting on my back slowly sent off numbing tingles of pain. I was about ready to squirm if I knew it wouldn’t hurt me.

I raised my head to see the black haired girl I nearly stabbed kneeling in front of me. She smiled kindly and I noticed she also had gold eyes.

Was this Carlisle’s family?

“I’m Alice Cullen, that’s my husband Jasper,” she said. “It’s a good thing he was there to stop you, otherwise you would have hurt yourself. Great reflexes, huh?”

She grabbed the knife as she stood, Jasper’s weight disappearing, and I jumped to my feet. No way was I lying around on the floor with these two around. I wobbled with the aching in my back and Alice held my arm before I found my footing.

“Careful, that’s a nasty injury you had. It needs more time to heal.”

I grimaced, shaking my arm free. “How do you know about that?”

She grinned mischievously. “Carlisle mentioned you over the phone. He said we should be on our best behaviors and try not to spook you, you’re an escapee from Washington.”

“She’s actually here?” I looked over Alice’s head to find more vamps outside; three of them, in fact. The largest one was smiling like Christmas came early while he grabbed a suitcase from the trunk of a second car. “Awesome, a real human in our house! I thought he was lying to us.”

“Bella, say hello to Emmett,” Alice said pleasantly. “He’s really not as destructive as he looks.”

“I don’t care.” I stepped back only to run into Jasper’s chest. “Who are you, and where did you come from?”

“We’re the Cullen siblings, children of Carlisle and Esme Cullen. We were out of the house on a camping trip, which is how you were found. Edward was the one who rescued you. You should thank him; he risked a lot to bring you here.”

“I don’t thank vampires,” I spat. This many dead bodies were making me bristle. They caught me off guard and now this little vampire was acting as if we’ve known each other forever. Or maybe I was just projecting, but damn it, I was scared. They had the advantage. I didn’t even have my gun; it would give me a slight advantage of range and time. Did it even still have ammo?

The burly one, Emmett, bounded up the steps and got in my face so quickly I pushed myself into Jasper’s chest without thinking. What was I doing? If one of their own attacked me, they wouldn’t stop them—like the blond guy would protect me. I straightened up and stared him right in the eyes. He grinned, his pale face lighting up with the childish addition of dimples.

“You’re kinda scrawny for the badass described to us,” he said.

“Joke all you want I can still put the final nail in your coffin,” I hissed.

“I wasn’t aware we slept in coffins, I thought we didn’t sleep at all!” he laughed. “You’re funny. I like you, Bella. Hope you stick around for a while, liven up the house a bit.”

I couldn’t say the same.

Carefully, like he was a live gun, I stepped around Jasper to get back to the kitchen. Now that I had company my appetite was pretty much nonexistent, but I didn’t want to waste the food. My poor chicken Caesar salad would have to wait—and I was really hungry, too!

Alice appeared at the sink, the knife clattering onto the stainless steel. I jumped and turned to find her frowning.

“I’m sorry if we ruined your day,” she sighed. “I thought Carlisle might have told you about us with your condition.”

Condition? What was that supposed to mean, and should I be insulted?

“He talked about you guys a lot,” I replied. Not like I cared to remember anything he said. “I didn’t expect you to just randomly show up; honestly, I thought you were in Canada or something. He said you all went away for a while, never mentioned when you might be back.”

“That’s odd. Oh, do you need any help? We’re all skilled in culinary arts, you know, we host dinner parties quite often. My specialty is baking. I like to make cookies for Carlisle’s patients; the smiles on their faces make all the gruesome taste tests worth it.”

I stared with open puzzlement as I put the chicken back in the freezer. What was she doing? I didn’t care what she did in her free time, actually I didn’t care to know a single thing about her so why was she making small talk?

“Would you mind if I made you something?” she asked innocently. “How do you feel about red velvet cake?”

“No thank you, I lost my appetite.”

The kitchen was cleaned with Alice’s constant monologue as my soundtrack. She couldn’t take a hint! Aside from screaming in her face I was doing everything to show I wasn’t interested. She kept going, often asking my opinion of something. Only when I left the kitchen did she start to slow down.

I went to the living room to find the siblings already settled in on the sofa watching . . . cartoons? Who cares. I didn’t even bother to ask, just went straight for the stairs. The guestroom was the place I could get away from them. Emmett called after me as I ran up the steps, tripping on the last one. Laughter erupted from below but I didn’t kiss the floor as I expected. A strong hand was wrapped around my arm. I looked up into dark gold eyes and immediately fought to get loose.

“Let go of me!” I screamed. His hand grew tighter the more I fought. “Get your claws off of me!”

He set me firmly on the landing before letting me go. “What is wrong with you?” he yelled back. “Is it so hard to thank someone?”

“I don’t thank vampires!”

“Edward,” Alice called from downstairs. It had a warning under it, the kind parents used with their misbehaving children.

So he was the one who saved me? I was thankful, but I wasn’t thanking him. I tried to slow my breathing—I felt infected, a vampire touched me!—and turn toward the guestroom but his glare rooted me in my place. Only after Alice called for him again did he drop his eyes to the steps. I ran for my room.

At nine o’clock there was a knock at the door. I knew who it was; he came home hours ago and I’d been surprised he didn’t check on me earlier. I told him to come in although I still felt ridiculous giving him permission to enter a part of his house.

The good vamp came through the door with a smile and peace offering, my salad.

“Ah, so she is still here,” he said to himself.

I rolled my eyes and stretched my legs. “I’m the only thing with a pulse in this house,” I said, accepting the offered plate. It looked even better than when I was fantasizing about it.

“I see you met my children. How are you getting along?”

“Peachy.” They stayed downstairs, they didn’t bother me at all. Yeah, we got along perfectly. “Did you kill all of them?”

“What a rude question. I should know better by now, what with your stubbornness, how brash you are.” He chuckled as he moved towards his usual spot. Apparently he was staying for dinner conversation. Oh goody.

“How could you condemn those kids? I thought you were a—and I use this term lightly—‘good’ guy. Are they accidents of your bloodlust?”

“They were dying,” he answered simply.

“Oh sure, great answer.” I scoffed and speared a piece of grilled chicken, popping it into my mouth. Delicious as always. “Like that actually makes it better.”

“How do you see that as a bad thing? I gave them a second chance at life.”

“You stole their souls like a monster from a perverted fairytale! There was a reason they were dying and you interfered. What does that say about you?”

“It says I’m a good man. There was no reason why those children were dying. Why else would I happen to be in the right place at the right time? Someone wanted me to save them.”

I munched on the crisp lettuce while I thought up a good enough retort. There wasn’t one. He always did this, leading me into these minefields, and on an empty stomach it wasn’t fair. He killed those children and that’s that.

“You’re not as flawless as you think you are,” I told him.

He laughed, slouching further in the chair. “I never thought I was; I know what I am and what it means for my eternal soul. My family understands and accepts it also.”

“You don’t have a soul.”

“This again? How about we agree to disagree and let that subject be? We’ll never persuade each other differently.”

“Whatever,” I huffed.

He was quiet as I finished my salad and downed the unopened bottle of water. What else was there to say to him? Our conversations constantly went in circles; the days we spoke I accused him of being dead and he left me alone. It was a tiring dance. Honestly, I was ready to get back amongst the humans. These undeads were driving me insane.

When I was settled back on the bed, my stomach one happy camper, Carlisle asked, “So how do you plan to get to your checkpoint?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but my hand tugged on the sleeve hiding the address, anyway.

“It’s obvious you want to get out of here already, and judging by your actions, I think I can confidently send you back out in the world. I saw the address when you took the plate. Writing it on your arm so no one could steal it—very interesting.”

“Do you know where it is?”

“By Rose City Park, about thirty minutes away.”

“That’s by driving?”

“Anything else will take you over an hour. It’s close to where I work, I could drop you off at a bus station, then it’s just a short ride.”

“I don’t know.” Riding with a vamp? Definitely not my thing.

“It’s important you get there, right? Your operation is already behind schedule, a few minutes saved is a good thing. Just think about it.” He stood and came to the bed, taking the plate with him to the door. “I leave at six, you can tell me then. Until that time, we’ll be downstairs if you want to come socialize.” The door closed with a soft click.

Ride with a vampire who killed innocents to make a family? Just because he saved my life didn’t mean I had to trust him. It didn’t change the fact that he was a vampire, that he should be dead, that he was evil. But a half hour with one vampire was looking a lot better than days with a house full. At least I knew Carlisle’s mannerisms a little; I didn’t think he would attack me. I would feel better with a gun in my hands.

I sighed and pulled the blanket over my head. The laughter downstairs seemed incredibly loud in the stillness of the room. How could they act like a normal family? It was disgusting.

If only the world would disappear.

Chapter Four

Sitting around in bed was getting me nowhere. Before the woman came back, I tried standing on my own again, only to collapse back onto the mattress. I caught myself that time.

Esme brought me a piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, which she boasted was handmade. I wasn’t aware vampires even knew how to cook. Did she flip on the Food Network and they happened to have a special on soup? They didn’t eat human food, so why would they need to cook?

My stomach flipped at the first whiff of the meal. It smelled amazing but I wasn’t willing to keep putting my luck on the line; so far it failed to keep me safe, I couldn’t imagine what it would mean if I ate this vampire’s food. But even if I got out, when would I next eat? I had to show up at Rainier which was probably a few days away. I would starve to death before then.

I glared at the deep bowl sitting beside the bed. Go away, I don’t need you—as if I could communicate with it. It was taunting me! I could imagine the chicken chunks splashing in the broth, giggling as they throw herbs at each other.

Oh my god, I was fantasizing about chunks of chicken meat playing. Maybe I really needed to eat. No, no, I had to focus on getting out of this house.

From what I could see the house was surrounded by trees. That was no surprise; vampires avoided crowded places to prevent drawing attention. Wish that went for vampires in Washington, too. Portland was a highly populated area so they had to be somewhere outside the city, but it couldn’t be too far because then the vamp couldn’t get to his job as humanly as possible. I sighed and slouched on the bed. Where was a computer when I needed one? Planning always went smoothly with technology.

There was a knock on the door. I jumped enough to make the bed shake, nearly spilling the soup beside it. “Bella, may I come in?” It was the doctor again.

I gathered my wits and steeled my nerves. He was probably coming to insult me again. Well he could try; I was a strong girl, and I wasn’t giving up. I would throw back anything he had to say, retrieve my gun, and be on my way before they killed me.

“It’s your house,” I called. Knocking gave the illusion of privacy but they heard every shift I made, so why waste the effort? “What do you want now?”

He entered the room, closing the door behind him. The calm smile was disarming and I fought to keep up my glare. “Relax. I came to check on you; it was a little too quiet up here.”

“I could have been sleeping.”

“Why didn’t you fake it? If you were sleeping I would have left you alone.”

“What good would that do me? You can hear my heart beating. I wouldn’t have a steady breathing pattern.”

“You think of everything, don’t you?” He shook his head. “Washington must be worse than I thought.”

“You’re one of them,” I barked. “Why do you care so much about what happens to humans?”

He went to the chair by the window again and stared out the glass. “You might have noticed something different about my family. The vampires you know have red eyes due to the human blood they drink. We have golden eyes, we drink animal blood. My family and I have adapted to a . . . vegetarian lifestyle, if you will. We don’t drink human blood.”

Vegetarian lifestyle? Was he kidding? Sure, I noticed his eye color—who wouldn’t?—but no vampire could resist human blood. It’s what fueled them, what all vampires lived for. There was no way animals placated them!

I laughed. This was too rich! A vegetarian vampire!

“How stupid do you think I am?” I gasped. “There’s no such thing as a vegetarian vampire. You need blood to survive, you can’t resist the call.”

He glanced at me, his eyes liquid sunlight with his anger, but returned his eyes to the glass. “What do you know about blood lust?”

I glared at him. “I know that it causes a lot of ‘accidents’ in the field. A small cut can set off a whole legion.”

He lost the pleasant façade to show something between anger, sadness, and disbelief. It disappeared quickly, replaced by calculation.

Did he realize he was an open book?

“How old are you, Bella?” he asked.

The question was unexpected but I didn’t let it show; I answered, immediately hating where this conversation was going. “Old enough to—”

“Honestly.”

I hesitated, biting my bottom lip. He was fishing for information, for what reason I didn’t know, and that was dangerous. Was there any harm telling a vampire my age? Perhaps he was wondering if my blood was too old for him. Did I want to tell him? “Eighteen.”

“Younger than I thought. How long have you lived in Washington?”

“You mean how long have I been fighting? I don’t know. I lived with my mom for a long time; I only met my dad once before moving here. I was seven; he taught me how to shoot a gun.”

“At seven years old?”

“Kids younger than that are learning now.”

“I suppose that’s true. So you fought since you were seven?”

“No. I didn’t move to Forks until a few years later. Mom had found a new boyfriend, she wanted to travel with him, and I didn’t. But Dad didn’t want me because of what was going on.”

“They were in power before you were born, correct?”

“I guess.”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s terrible you grew up in such a place. Did you know all vampires were ordered to reveal themselves? The group that controls Washington demanded that vampires around the world come out of hiding and rise up, take what is supposedly ours. I didn’t agree with them. I told them the world belongs to humans, that we forfeited our control when we were turned.”

“And they didn’t agree with you.”

“Of course not,” he smiled. “They firmly believe that vampires are superior and humans are nothing more than food.”

“Preaching to the choir,” I muttered, rolling my eyes, leaning against the headboard.

“I’m sorry. You grew up with that mindset.”

“No, I grew up with the mindset that vampires are abominations that need to die. Their existing is immoral.”

He sat up straighter, pulled his attention away from the outside to look at me, and I noticed a distinct glint in his eye. I was a step away from a landmine and I didn’t know where to go to avoid it.

“Immoral, you say? Why? Because we’re damned creatures, that our humanity was lost long ago? I certainly don’t see it that way. I didn’t make the choice to step into this life, it was an accident, but I never condemned the one who did it. Yes, I may not be fully human anymore, but I still have my humanity, my soul—humans can see it, they are more relaxed around me because of it. Just because I’m not human means I cannot live on this earth? Why, if that’s the case, you should hurry and destroy all the animals; they aren’t human, after all.”

The mine exploded in my face.

He smiled with triumph as my mouth gaped. I was frantically looking for something to say but only drew blanks. I hated to admit it but he made a good point. Who was I to say what could and could not live? But . . . the vampires in Washington deserved to die—they made us slaves! I fisted my hands in the blanket. The silence stretched on.

“Your soup is getting cold,” he said, sounding all too smug.

I glared at him, wishing I had the strength to punch the stupid smile off his face. “You don’t have a soul.”

“You can’t say that for sure. How am I alive?”

“You’re dead! When the body dies, the soul leaves. You only exist!”

“How am I alive?” he repeated.

“You’re not! Its black magic, voodoo—I don’t know, but you are not alive!”

He shrugged and stood up, coming towards me. I pressed my back harder against the headboard the closer he came, ignoring the pain, wishing it would swallow me. The look in his eyes had me worried. His patience was a lot shorter than he claimed; he was ready to kill me. He sat near the foot of the bed and I pulled my legs to my chest. He would have to move his whole body if he wanted to attack me now, he couldn’t drag me by my legs, and if I was lucky I would see it coming. Or maybe, because of my condition, I didn’t want to see it.

“Until you have experienced this life, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You may think you have it all figured out but unless you see the world through our eyes, experience the overwhelming emotions we face, you cannot judge,” he said quietly. He stood and grabbed the steamy bowl, holding it out to me. “Now please, eat. You need your strength.”

I gingerly accepted the bowl and watched him leave quickly. The first mouthful was delicious, the second was even better, and by the time I finished the whole bowl I realized something was wrong.

First, I just ate the best meal of my life—and it was soup made by a vampire. Second, I had a conversation with a vampire, Carlisle Cullen, and I didn’t kill him during or after. I actually almost . . . respected him.