A Soul Darkened
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 07:
It was decided that Alec and Jane would accompany Carlisle and Esme back to Volterra while Demetri, Felix and I continued on to look for the rest of the Cullen coven and the girls Edward had involved himself with. They would take one of the Cullen vehicles to the airport and would leave on a commercial flight. We would be needing the Volturi jet for transporting the girls.
Demetri now had a file with the information on the human girls that Edward had had a relationship with, and we would address them prior to finding the rest of the coven. Basically, Aro had decided that he would read each girl/woman to see if they had knowledge and if so, whether they had told anyone else.
What that meant for each of the girls that Edward had involved himself with was ultimately death. They wouldn't be leaving Volterra alive, just like I didn't. I'm sure if they had a gift and weren't too old by now, they would be offered the option of being changed. Either way, their lives as they knew them were over.
I watched as Alec and Jane drove away with Carlisle and Esme before turning to Demetri and Felix. "Shall we go collect the local girl now, or do you want to wait."
Demetri answered. "I see no reason to wait. It will just prolong this mission. There is one other girl, well woman now, that is very close to here that we may as well collect now too."
I had yet to see the file and I was curious. "You say she's a woman now. How old?"
We turned to walk back into the house. "Close to fifty now. She lives two counties away from here. It should be a days trip to retrieve her, but we should plan for two in case of complications." He turned to Felix. "We'll leave you here with the first girl while Bella and I go retrieve the second."
We entered the house and sat down in the living room. "Demetri, we have to go buy food and stock the kitchen before we get the first girl so that she can take care of herself while Felix keeps an eye on her. We can't starve her."
He smirked. "You mean we have to feed and water it?"
I slapped at his shoulder but he ducked and laughed. "Yes, she's going to need to eat, you ass." I smiled. "Come on. Pop in some lovely contacts. We're going shopping dear, and you get to push the cart." He looked appalled.
He now looked to be a mixture between offended and disgusted as he pushed a shopping cart down the aisles of the local grocery store. I couldn't resist and whipped out my phone to take pictures. His expression darkened rapidly. "You're going to regret that Cara. I will punish you when the time presents itself. I will bide my time, but I will have retribution."
I simply laughed and danced my way down the aisle, tossing things into the cart as I went. "Oh Demi, you're so cute."His eyes narrowed dangerously. "er, devastatingly handsome when you're mad." I walked back to him and made sure to give my hips a little extra sway. I kissed him slowly and caressed his cheek. I whispered to him "But whether you're cute or devastatingly handsome, you're mine and I love you." I kissed him again and he pulled me close. It would have been a perfect moment if not for the old lady that picked that moment to run her cart into ours.
After gathering enough human provisions for two days, we made our way back to the Cullen house where we found Felix in a trance in front of the T.V. I looked from him to Demetri and whispered "I think he's broken." Demetri laughed.
"No Cara, this is Felix on a good day." Felix didn't even flinch, but his right hand rose into the air and flipped us a perfect one fingered salute.
Then he spoke. "Have you seen this show? I can't stop watching it."
I glanced over as I put away food. "Oh jesus Felix! You're watching 'How it's Made'. That show's evil. It sucks you in before you know it and then you're stuck staring at it, all the while asking yourself 'why the fuck am I watching this?'. It's evil mojo I tell you! Turn the channel at the commercial break because if it's a marathon, you'll be stuck there all day." Demetri was laughing. He knew how I hated that show.
After putting everything away and rescuing Felix from his television plight by changing it to a movie, we decided to head out to try to collect the first girl.
We arrived at her neighborhood and parked in the shadowed area next to a small central park. Hopefully our vehicle wouldn't be noticed there. We began to walk to her address and I took Demetri's hand. We were just a couple taking an evening stroll to any observers.
Her home was flanked by large trees and we slipped into the shadows on the side of the house that looked to contain bedrooms. There were lights on in one upper window and I scaled the tree outside it to get a look. We were in luck. It was her room and she was in it, sitting in the middle of her bed doing what I assumed to be homework. It would be simple to get from the tree to her window. I smirked to myself when I pictured Edward doing just that.
I hopped down. "That's her room and she's in it. Do we wait for her to sleep, or do we take her now?" He took me in his arms and kissed me. "While it would be ideal to take her after she sleeps, that gives people more time to wonder about our car that's parked. We should take her now."
I nodded. "I'll get her. I'll knock her out and be right back." He kissed me again slowly and then let me go. "I'll be here."
I scaled the tree again, reached out and slid the window open and was on her before she could see me. Stealth was much easier now as a vampire. Just a little tweak on the right pressure point and she was out like a light and I was back with Demetri with no one the wiser, my burden over one shoulder. He took her and we used our speed and the shadows to get back to the SUV.
She didn't stir until we had put her on the couch in the living room of the Cullen's.
She sat up and looked around the room. She didn't look all that confused until she saw us. "Who are you? Where's Edward and how did I get here?"
Demetri spoke up. "Hello Ashley. We are acquaintances of the Cullen's. Due to your association with Edward Cullen, you will be our guest for the time being. We will be retrieving one more person and then we will all be leaving for Italy where you will join the Cullen's." Her eyes were huge. "Do you know Carlisle and Esme, Ashley?" She nodded. "You will see them in Italy."
I stepped forward. It didn't seem right that she wasn't more frantic and asking more questions. "Do you know why we're here Ashley? Do you know who we are?"
Eyes still huge, she nodded. "Since you're like him and you're from Italy, that means you've got to be the Volturi and you've come for me."
Demetri and I looked at each other. It would seem that she knew quite a bit. He looked back at her. "You are quite right Ashley. Am I correct in assuming that you know that it's futile to try to escape?"
She nodded and slumped. "Yes, Edward showed me how fast and strong you all are. I know I can't get away, so I won't try."
I had one more question for her. "Ashley, have you told anyone else about any of this? Have you shared what you've seen and heard?"
She shook her head desperately. "No! No, please. No one else knows anything! Please leave my family alone? They don't know anything!"
I nodded. "What about your friends? You didn't chat with your friends about your boyfriend? Share secrets?"
Again she shook her head, eyes wide. "No, never. I don't really have many friends and I'm not very talkative. I mostly keep to myself. I read a lot. But I was never the type of girl to gossip or do the girly group type things. Please! I'm telling you the truth. I don't want anyone else hurt, You've got to believe me!"
Demetri stepped in. "Alright Ashley. Calm yourself. We will verify your story when we get to Italy. Until then, make yourself comfortable. There is food stocked in the kitchen and you will care for yourself until we depart."
She nodded and slumped into the couch crying quietly.
Demetri and I sat down together to speak. "Do you think we have time tonight to at least recon the other woman?" Demetri nodded.
"Yes, this one didn't take long at all and I don't feel like wasting time here." He smirked. "Felix can only handle so much American T.V. before sustaining permanent damage." Again Felix' middle finger made an appearance. I chuckled.
"Alright then, for all our sakes, let's go."
We drove for two hours to reach the other woman's residence. It was a quiet neighborhood of middle class cookie cutter houses all with equally manicured lawns. Good thing the houses were numbered. We checked through the windows and spotted her in the last. It was late enough that she was asleep, but she wasn't alone. Who we assumed to be her husband was with her.
Demetri turned to me. "We'll have to go in together. You take the woman while I knock out the man. Do you want to share him as a meal?"
I shook my head. "Not him. They have kids. Let's leave them with their father at least." Demetri kissed me. "You see Cara? Not heartless at all. But we need to hunt after we take her. That way we can take over watch when we get back and Felix can go find a meal. If we're lucky, we may be able to depart tomorrow."
"Okay, sounds like a good plan. We'll need to give her that sedative though to make sure she stays out while we're hunting." He nodded. "Let's get to it."
We scaled the house and went through the window. Demetri knocked out the man before he could wake, and I got the woman. I handed her off silently to Demetri so that I could grab some clothes and shoes for her. She was in night clothes after all.
We made our way back to the vehicle and put her in the back. Demetri got the injection and shot her in the arm with it. We were ready to go.
We found a bad area of town with lots of bars and proceeded to find a couple of drunks to feed from, getting rid of them in a dumpster and lighting it up before leaving. It wouldn't burn them completely, but it would make determining cause of death difficult.
We got back to the Cullen's without incident and laid our charge on the unoccupied couch while Ashley looked on in fear.
"Who's she? she asked. I didn't see any harm in answering her.
"She's another one of Edward's former dalliances."
She furowed her brow. "But she's so much older."
I chuckled. "Yes, this one was quite some time ago."
Demetri patted Felix' shoulder. "Go find a meal before the evening is over Felix. Bella and I hunted before returning. We'll keep watch."
We settled in on the loveseat and I looked back over at Ashley who was huddled into the corner of the couch she was on.
"Ashley, why don't you go up to one of the bedrooms and try to get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow and you'll fare much better if you're not exhausted. You're safe for now, and no one here will hurt you." I left the word 'yet' unsaid. None of that was my call to make.
Her head had snapped up when I began speaking to her. She still looked terrified, as well she should I guess. After all, she had just been abducted by human drinking vampires. "Okay, I'll try."
We sat still until we heard the sheets on one of the beds rustling and her heart beat slow in the rhythm of sleep.
Demetri reached for me and pulled me astride his lap. He promptly tangled his hand into the hair on the back of my head and pulled me down to claim my mouth. His tongue tangled and tasted with mine and then he backed off a bit and sucked my bottom lip in-between his biting it lightly. I ran my hands up his shoulders and into his silky hair, moving myself forward again to taste him fully. I backed away and whispered "Do you think our guest will be out long enough for a quickie my love?" He ran a hand over my ass and gave a light squeeze.
"She'll be out for hours yet my sweet. No need for quickies."
I leaned down and kissed his neck right below his ear. I whispered "Should we move to a bedroom?"
* * *
He shook his head. "No I want you right here. I want to watch you ride me"
I gave his neck a little nip and got up. "These clothes will be in the way of that. I suggest we get rid of them." I smirked and began undressing. He stood and was undressed and sprawled back on the loveseat in no time, waiting for me.
I stepped back toward him and leaned down kissing him as I sat astride his lap. I felt him, hard and silky at my center as I sat so I reached down and guided him into my entrance and sank all the way down on him. He groaned and threw back his head. "God you feel so good wrapped around me Cara."
I placed my hands on his shoulders and began to raise and lower myself, feeling him glide within me. I moaned his name and threw my head back while increasing my speed. He began to meet me with thrusts of his own as he grasped my hips. I looked back at him and his eyes were hooded, his luscious lips parted. I moved my hands from his shoulders up into his hair and leaned down to take those lips in a heated kiss, sucking and nipping between moans and pants. I circled my hips as I dropped down on him a few times and felt the coil tightening in my center. "Are you close Demi? I want to feel you fill me."
He groaned and thrust up into me. "Yes Cara, come with me now."
I felt him begin to pulse within me and dropped down twice more, taking him as deep as I could circling my hips. I clamped down around him and felt my orgasm shatter through me.
* * *
He pulled me down for a kiss while staying buried deep inside me. "God I love you Bella." He met my eye. "How did I ever live without you Cara? You are everything to me now."
I don't know why but I felt a little fear shoot through me at his words. I knew I loved him, but his devotion was scaring me for some reason I couldn't fathom. So I did the only thing I could to put off dealing with the seriousness of it all.
I smirked and gave him a peck of a kiss. "I love you too Demi. Now we should get dressed before we wind up damaging Felix beyond repair." I got up and grabbed my clothes while Demetri still sat there looking a bit disappointed and confused until he too got dressed.
Turns out Felix took another hour to make it back. The sun was just turning the horizon a deep purple when he strolled in.
Demetri and I had resigned ourselves to reading. Okay, I was avoiding the conversation that I knew he wanted to have so I grabbed a book in order to do that. Demetri resigned himself to reading. It just didn't seem like the right time to have what I knew would turn into a deeply emotional conversation. So yeah, avoidance it was.
Felix looked to the lady on the couch. "She hasn't stirred yet? What the hell did you give her Demetri? Elephant tranquilizer?"
"What are you complaining for? You were gone and it's been nice and quiet. I quite enjoy that to the alternative of hysteria interspersed with non stop questions." He shrugged and put his book aside.
I couldn't say anything because I quite agreed with him. There was time enough to get her questions out of the way and still make an evening flight.
Felix cocked his head a bit, listening. "The other one upstairs asleep?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I got her to go up just after you left. She'll probably be up in a couple of hours."
Felix flopped onto one of the arm chairs. "Jesus, this has been a boring assignment. No fights whatsoever."
I smirked at him. "You wanna play some poker Felix?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. "No. And now you don't have Jane here to threaten me with." He smiled widely.
I shot him a dirty look. "Fine, stew in your boredom. By the way, you'll be on your own for a bit today before we leave. Demetri is going to take me to find some good tequila before we leave for the airport. I figure if we're good enough to slip past everyone with two women in tow, then a bottle of tequila shouldn't be a problem."
Demetri glanced over at me. "It's not that we're good per se, it's just that we're that fast. Doesn't take much at all to get past them and to the jet."
I know I looked baffled. "Then why the hell did we suffer through customs and all the B.S. before?"
He shrugged. "We usually do unless we have a reason not to such as abducting people." He shot me a smug smile.
"Yeah well, next time I'll just meet you on the plane or by the rental car. Screw security." I smirk.
"Bella, Bella" He's shaking his head. "What would society be without laws?"
I give him a dark look. "That's all for human society Demi. I didn't burn for three days so I could stand in lines with the rest of the sheep. I'm a vampire now and we live by our own laws, screw all the rest." I feel an evil grin bloom on my face.
He had the audacity to laugh at me. "My, my, who's the arrogant one now Cara?
I shrugged. "You rubbed off on me."
Just then we heard Ashley waking in the upstairs bedroom. I glanced up. "Looks like our guest will be joining us soon." Both Felix and Demi nodded. Felix eyed the other woman with mild disgust. She was snoring a bit.
"Wonder when that one will awake? Hope it's soon. Her snoring is irritating." I laughed.
"Yeah, I don't know how Edward spent so much time watching me sleep."
Demetri's brows shot up. "He watched you sleep? Like, night after night?
I was nodding while he was speaking. "Yep, night after night."
He shook his head slowly. "The more I hear about him the more disturbed he seems. What the hell possessed him to do such a thing? Did he ever tell you?"
I turned to face him, curling one leg under me on the couch. "I guess I used to talk in my sleep, you know mumbling his name and stuff like that. I guess he liked that." I shrugged a shoulder.
Felix shook his head. "Strange vampire, that one."
We finally heard Ashley descending the stairs. She joined us, timidly taking a seat in an open chair.
I tried to break the tension. "Good morning Ashley. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded slowly. "Well enough I guess."
I smiled. "Well that's better than nothing, right? Now, there's food in the kitchen. You should probably make some breakfast, and while you're at it, if you could make enough for...." I looked to Demi. I didn't know the woman's name. He came through for me.
"Her name is Lydia." I smiled at him in thanks.
If you could make enough for Lydia here too, that would be great. You can cook right?"
She looked a little offended. "Of course I can cook. And I'll make enough for two." She got up and headed for the kitchen.
Felix groaned and sat back. "Now we have to live with the smell. This assignment just gets better and better."
I looked at my phone for the time. "Nope WE don't have to smell it, YOU do. Demetri and I are leaving to go buy some kick ass tequila. You want anything?
He looked morose. "No thanks."
By the time Demi and I got back, Poor Lydia was huddled into the corner of the couch looking terrified with Ashley sitting next to her.
Demetri surveyed the scene and asked Felix. "What's up. Have you told the other one anything?"
Felix shook his head. "No, and I don't think the other girl has either. I thought I would leave that up to you two since you're better at those sorts of things." He smirked at us both, sat back and turned on the T.V. Jerk.
Demetri and I sat down across from the two women. He started. "Hello Lydia. I assume you don't know where you are, correct?" She nodded cautiously. "Alright then. You are in the home of the Cullen family. Does that name sound familiar to you, from a few years ago maybe?"
She looked thoughtful and then her face drained of all color and her eyes went wide. Demi continued. "I see from your response that you do recognize the name. Correct?" She nodded.
Demetri looked at me. "I can see this is going to be one hell of a conversation." I smirked.
"What was that you were saying about hysteria and non stop questions? I laughed.
He shot me a dirty look and continued with his questions. "Lydia, what can you tell me about the Cullen's? And please be honest. We will eventually know all anyway, so there is no use lying or omitting. It will just prolong things."
Lydia cleared her throat nervously and looked around at all of us. "Well, I met an Edward Cullen in high school. He was very polite and a gentleman and we liked each other immediately." Demetri held up a hand. "We really don't want date by date details or anything. What we need to know is how much you know about him and his family, specifically any big secrets he told you that you had to keep. And like I said, no lies or omissions."
She nodded and wrung her hands in her lap. "By secrets you mean about him being a vampire." She looked up and met Demetri's eye.
He nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. And have you ever shared that knowledge with anyone? Have you ever told anyone of the existence of vampires?"
She shook her head . "No. He told me that it would mean death, so I never breathed a word to anyone. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to forget. He had to leave me, and it broke my heart. It took me a long time to forget, but I did." She looked from Demetri to me. "And now you're here and I can only assume that I'm going to die now because I know this secret."
Demetri gave her a level look. "Our kings will be deciding your fate in Italy, not us. We will be departing here later today for Italy. I apologize that you did not have the chance to say goodbye to your family, but it would be dangerous for them. If it's true that they know nothing of our world, rest assured, they will be safe. That is the most consolation that I can give you."
She began to cry silently. "At least you left them well when you took me." She looked up. "You did, didn't you?"
Demi nodded. "Yes, we used a pressure point to knock out your husband, and we never even entered any other rooms in your house. They are all safe."
She sagged in relief, and began to sob. Ashley moved over to her and embraced her.
We departed for the airport a few hours later. a much calmer Ashley and Lydia in tow. They both seemed to know enough to know that trying to escape or fight would be futile so they didn't even try. We made our way to the jet using the shadows and our speed and were in the air in no time. It strengthened my resolve to never go through customs or security again.
I sat next to Demi and put my head on his shoulder. I looked up at him while he looked down to me. "I love you, you know? And I realize that I owe you a conversation." He nodded. "Yes Cara, you do.”
It was decided that Alec and Jane would accompany Carlisle and Esme back to Volterra while Demetri, Felix and I continued on to look for the rest of the Cullen coven and the girls Edward had involved himself with. They would take one of the Cullen vehicles to the airport and would leave on a commercial flight. We would be needing the Volturi jet for transporting the girls.
Demetri now had a file with the information on the human girls that Edward had had a relationship with, and we would address them prior to finding the rest of the coven. Basically, Aro had decided that he would read each girl/woman to see if they had knowledge and if so, whether they had told anyone else.
What that meant for each of the girls that Edward had involved himself with was ultimately death. They wouldn't be leaving Volterra alive, just like I didn't. I'm sure if they had a gift and weren't too old by now, they would be offered the option of being changed. Either way, their lives as they knew them were over.
I watched as Alec and Jane drove away with Carlisle and Esme before turning to Demetri and Felix. "Shall we go collect the local girl now, or do you want to wait."
Demetri answered. "I see no reason to wait. It will just prolong this mission. There is one other girl, well woman now, that is very close to here that we may as well collect now too."
I had yet to see the file and I was curious. "You say she's a woman now. How old?"
We turned to walk back into the house. "Close to fifty now. She lives two counties away from here. It should be a days trip to retrieve her, but we should plan for two in case of complications." He turned to Felix. "We'll leave you here with the first girl while Bella and I go retrieve the second."
We entered the house and sat down in the living room. "Demetri, we have to go buy food and stock the kitchen before we get the first girl so that she can take care of herself while Felix keeps an eye on her. We can't starve her."
He smirked. "You mean we have to feed and water it?"
I slapped at his shoulder but he ducked and laughed. "Yes, she's going to need to eat, you ass." I smiled. "Come on. Pop in some lovely contacts. We're going shopping dear, and you get to push the cart." He looked appalled.
He now looked to be a mixture between offended and disgusted as he pushed a shopping cart down the aisles of the local grocery store. I couldn't resist and whipped out my phone to take pictures. His expression darkened rapidly. "You're going to regret that Cara. I will punish you when the time presents itself. I will bide my time, but I will have retribution."
I simply laughed and danced my way down the aisle, tossing things into the cart as I went. "Oh Demi, you're so cute."His eyes narrowed dangerously. "er, devastatingly handsome when you're mad." I walked back to him and made sure to give my hips a little extra sway. I kissed him slowly and caressed his cheek. I whispered to him "But whether you're cute or devastatingly handsome, you're mine and I love you." I kissed him again and he pulled me close. It would have been a perfect moment if not for the old lady that picked that moment to run her cart into ours.
After gathering enough human provisions for two days, we made our way back to the Cullen house where we found Felix in a trance in front of the T.V. I looked from him to Demetri and whispered "I think he's broken." Demetri laughed.
"No Cara, this is Felix on a good day." Felix didn't even flinch, but his right hand rose into the air and flipped us a perfect one fingered salute.
Then he spoke. "Have you seen this show? I can't stop watching it."
I glanced over as I put away food. "Oh jesus Felix! You're watching 'How it's Made'. That show's evil. It sucks you in before you know it and then you're stuck staring at it, all the while asking yourself 'why the fuck am I watching this?'. It's evil mojo I tell you! Turn the channel at the commercial break because if it's a marathon, you'll be stuck there all day." Demetri was laughing. He knew how I hated that show.
After putting everything away and rescuing Felix from his television plight by changing it to a movie, we decided to head out to try to collect the first girl.
We arrived at her neighborhood and parked in the shadowed area next to a small central park. Hopefully our vehicle wouldn't be noticed there. We began to walk to her address and I took Demetri's hand. We were just a couple taking an evening stroll to any observers.
Her home was flanked by large trees and we slipped into the shadows on the side of the house that looked to contain bedrooms. There were lights on in one upper window and I scaled the tree outside it to get a look. We were in luck. It was her room and she was in it, sitting in the middle of her bed doing what I assumed to be homework. It would be simple to get from the tree to her window. I smirked to myself when I pictured Edward doing just that.
I hopped down. "That's her room and she's in it. Do we wait for her to sleep, or do we take her now?" He took me in his arms and kissed me. "While it would be ideal to take her after she sleeps, that gives people more time to wonder about our car that's parked. We should take her now."
I nodded. "I'll get her. I'll knock her out and be right back." He kissed me again slowly and then let me go. "I'll be here."
I scaled the tree again, reached out and slid the window open and was on her before she could see me. Stealth was much easier now as a vampire. Just a little tweak on the right pressure point and she was out like a light and I was back with Demetri with no one the wiser, my burden over one shoulder. He took her and we used our speed and the shadows to get back to the SUV.
She didn't stir until we had put her on the couch in the living room of the Cullen's.
She sat up and looked around the room. She didn't look all that confused until she saw us. "Who are you? Where's Edward and how did I get here?"
Demetri spoke up. "Hello Ashley. We are acquaintances of the Cullen's. Due to your association with Edward Cullen, you will be our guest for the time being. We will be retrieving one more person and then we will all be leaving for Italy where you will join the Cullen's." Her eyes were huge. "Do you know Carlisle and Esme, Ashley?" She nodded. "You will see them in Italy."
I stepped forward. It didn't seem right that she wasn't more frantic and asking more questions. "Do you know why we're here Ashley? Do you know who we are?"
Eyes still huge, she nodded. "Since you're like him and you're from Italy, that means you've got to be the Volturi and you've come for me."
Demetri and I looked at each other. It would seem that she knew quite a bit. He looked back at her. "You are quite right Ashley. Am I correct in assuming that you know that it's futile to try to escape?"
She nodded and slumped. "Yes, Edward showed me how fast and strong you all are. I know I can't get away, so I won't try."
I had one more question for her. "Ashley, have you told anyone else about any of this? Have you shared what you've seen and heard?"
She shook her head desperately. "No! No, please. No one else knows anything! Please leave my family alone? They don't know anything!"
I nodded. "What about your friends? You didn't chat with your friends about your boyfriend? Share secrets?"
Again she shook her head, eyes wide. "No, never. I don't really have many friends and I'm not very talkative. I mostly keep to myself. I read a lot. But I was never the type of girl to gossip or do the girly group type things. Please! I'm telling you the truth. I don't want anyone else hurt, You've got to believe me!"
Demetri stepped in. "Alright Ashley. Calm yourself. We will verify your story when we get to Italy. Until then, make yourself comfortable. There is food stocked in the kitchen and you will care for yourself until we depart."
She nodded and slumped into the couch crying quietly.
Demetri and I sat down together to speak. "Do you think we have time tonight to at least recon the other woman?" Demetri nodded.
"Yes, this one didn't take long at all and I don't feel like wasting time here." He smirked. "Felix can only handle so much American T.V. before sustaining permanent damage." Again Felix' middle finger made an appearance. I chuckled.
"Alright then, for all our sakes, let's go."
We drove for two hours to reach the other woman's residence. It was a quiet neighborhood of middle class cookie cutter houses all with equally manicured lawns. Good thing the houses were numbered. We checked through the windows and spotted her in the last. It was late enough that she was asleep, but she wasn't alone. Who we assumed to be her husband was with her.
Demetri turned to me. "We'll have to go in together. You take the woman while I knock out the man. Do you want to share him as a meal?"
I shook my head. "Not him. They have kids. Let's leave them with their father at least." Demetri kissed me. "You see Cara? Not heartless at all. But we need to hunt after we take her. That way we can take over watch when we get back and Felix can go find a meal. If we're lucky, we may be able to depart tomorrow."
"Okay, sounds like a good plan. We'll need to give her that sedative though to make sure she stays out while we're hunting." He nodded. "Let's get to it."
We scaled the house and went through the window. Demetri knocked out the man before he could wake, and I got the woman. I handed her off silently to Demetri so that I could grab some clothes and shoes for her. She was in night clothes after all.
We made our way back to the vehicle and put her in the back. Demetri got the injection and shot her in the arm with it. We were ready to go.
We found a bad area of town with lots of bars and proceeded to find a couple of drunks to feed from, getting rid of them in a dumpster and lighting it up before leaving. It wouldn't burn them completely, but it would make determining cause of death difficult.
We got back to the Cullen's without incident and laid our charge on the unoccupied couch while Ashley looked on in fear.
"Who's she? she asked. I didn't see any harm in answering her.
"She's another one of Edward's former dalliances."
She furowed her brow. "But she's so much older."
I chuckled. "Yes, this one was quite some time ago."
Demetri patted Felix' shoulder. "Go find a meal before the evening is over Felix. Bella and I hunted before returning. We'll keep watch."
We settled in on the loveseat and I looked back over at Ashley who was huddled into the corner of the couch she was on.
"Ashley, why don't you go up to one of the bedrooms and try to get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow and you'll fare much better if you're not exhausted. You're safe for now, and no one here will hurt you." I left the word 'yet' unsaid. None of that was my call to make.
Her head had snapped up when I began speaking to her. She still looked terrified, as well she should I guess. After all, she had just been abducted by human drinking vampires. "Okay, I'll try."
We sat still until we heard the sheets on one of the beds rustling and her heart beat slow in the rhythm of sleep.
Demetri reached for me and pulled me astride his lap. He promptly tangled his hand into the hair on the back of my head and pulled me down to claim my mouth. His tongue tangled and tasted with mine and then he backed off a bit and sucked my bottom lip in-between his biting it lightly. I ran my hands up his shoulders and into his silky hair, moving myself forward again to taste him fully. I backed away and whispered "Do you think our guest will be out long enough for a quickie my love?" He ran a hand over my ass and gave a light squeeze.
"She'll be out for hours yet my sweet. No need for quickies."
I leaned down and kissed his neck right below his ear. I whispered "Should we move to a bedroom?"
* * *
He shook his head. "No I want you right here. I want to watch you ride me"
I gave his neck a little nip and got up. "These clothes will be in the way of that. I suggest we get rid of them." I smirked and began undressing. He stood and was undressed and sprawled back on the loveseat in no time, waiting for me.
I stepped back toward him and leaned down kissing him as I sat astride his lap. I felt him, hard and silky at my center as I sat so I reached down and guided him into my entrance and sank all the way down on him. He groaned and threw back his head. "God you feel so good wrapped around me Cara."
I placed my hands on his shoulders and began to raise and lower myself, feeling him glide within me. I moaned his name and threw my head back while increasing my speed. He began to meet me with thrusts of his own as he grasped my hips. I looked back at him and his eyes were hooded, his luscious lips parted. I moved my hands from his shoulders up into his hair and leaned down to take those lips in a heated kiss, sucking and nipping between moans and pants. I circled my hips as I dropped down on him a few times and felt the coil tightening in my center. "Are you close Demi? I want to feel you fill me."
He groaned and thrust up into me. "Yes Cara, come with me now."
I felt him begin to pulse within me and dropped down twice more, taking him as deep as I could circling my hips. I clamped down around him and felt my orgasm shatter through me.
* * *
He pulled me down for a kiss while staying buried deep inside me. "God I love you Bella." He met my eye. "How did I ever live without you Cara? You are everything to me now."
I don't know why but I felt a little fear shoot through me at his words. I knew I loved him, but his devotion was scaring me for some reason I couldn't fathom. So I did the only thing I could to put off dealing with the seriousness of it all.
I smirked and gave him a peck of a kiss. "I love you too Demi. Now we should get dressed before we wind up damaging Felix beyond repair." I got up and grabbed my clothes while Demetri still sat there looking a bit disappointed and confused until he too got dressed.
Turns out Felix took another hour to make it back. The sun was just turning the horizon a deep purple when he strolled in.
Demetri and I had resigned ourselves to reading. Okay, I was avoiding the conversation that I knew he wanted to have so I grabbed a book in order to do that. Demetri resigned himself to reading. It just didn't seem like the right time to have what I knew would turn into a deeply emotional conversation. So yeah, avoidance it was.
Felix looked to the lady on the couch. "She hasn't stirred yet? What the hell did you give her Demetri? Elephant tranquilizer?"
"What are you complaining for? You were gone and it's been nice and quiet. I quite enjoy that to the alternative of hysteria interspersed with non stop questions." He shrugged and put his book aside.
I couldn't say anything because I quite agreed with him. There was time enough to get her questions out of the way and still make an evening flight.
Felix cocked his head a bit, listening. "The other one upstairs asleep?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I got her to go up just after you left. She'll probably be up in a couple of hours."
Felix flopped onto one of the arm chairs. "Jesus, this has been a boring assignment. No fights whatsoever."
I smirked at him. "You wanna play some poker Felix?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. "No. And now you don't have Jane here to threaten me with." He smiled widely.
I shot him a dirty look. "Fine, stew in your boredom. By the way, you'll be on your own for a bit today before we leave. Demetri is going to take me to find some good tequila before we leave for the airport. I figure if we're good enough to slip past everyone with two women in tow, then a bottle of tequila shouldn't be a problem."
Demetri glanced over at me. "It's not that we're good per se, it's just that we're that fast. Doesn't take much at all to get past them and to the jet."
I know I looked baffled. "Then why the hell did we suffer through customs and all the B.S. before?"
He shrugged. "We usually do unless we have a reason not to such as abducting people." He shot me a smug smile.
"Yeah well, next time I'll just meet you on the plane or by the rental car. Screw security." I smirk.
"Bella, Bella" He's shaking his head. "What would society be without laws?"
I give him a dark look. "That's all for human society Demi. I didn't burn for three days so I could stand in lines with the rest of the sheep. I'm a vampire now and we live by our own laws, screw all the rest." I feel an evil grin bloom on my face.
He had the audacity to laugh at me. "My, my, who's the arrogant one now Cara?
I shrugged. "You rubbed off on me."
Just then we heard Ashley waking in the upstairs bedroom. I glanced up. "Looks like our guest will be joining us soon." Both Felix and Demi nodded. Felix eyed the other woman with mild disgust. She was snoring a bit.
"Wonder when that one will awake? Hope it's soon. Her snoring is irritating." I laughed.
"Yeah, I don't know how Edward spent so much time watching me sleep."
Demetri's brows shot up. "He watched you sleep? Like, night after night?
I was nodding while he was speaking. "Yep, night after night."
He shook his head slowly. "The more I hear about him the more disturbed he seems. What the hell possessed him to do such a thing? Did he ever tell you?"
I turned to face him, curling one leg under me on the couch. "I guess I used to talk in my sleep, you know mumbling his name and stuff like that. I guess he liked that." I shrugged a shoulder.
Felix shook his head. "Strange vampire, that one."
We finally heard Ashley descending the stairs. She joined us, timidly taking a seat in an open chair.
I tried to break the tension. "Good morning Ashley. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded slowly. "Well enough I guess."
I smiled. "Well that's better than nothing, right? Now, there's food in the kitchen. You should probably make some breakfast, and while you're at it, if you could make enough for...." I looked to Demi. I didn't know the woman's name. He came through for me.
"Her name is Lydia." I smiled at him in thanks.
If you could make enough for Lydia here too, that would be great. You can cook right?"
She looked a little offended. "Of course I can cook. And I'll make enough for two." She got up and headed for the kitchen.
Felix groaned and sat back. "Now we have to live with the smell. This assignment just gets better and better."
I looked at my phone for the time. "Nope WE don't have to smell it, YOU do. Demetri and I are leaving to go buy some kick ass tequila. You want anything?
He looked morose. "No thanks."
By the time Demi and I got back, Poor Lydia was huddled into the corner of the couch looking terrified with Ashley sitting next to her.
Demetri surveyed the scene and asked Felix. "What's up. Have you told the other one anything?"
Felix shook his head. "No, and I don't think the other girl has either. I thought I would leave that up to you two since you're better at those sorts of things." He smirked at us both, sat back and turned on the T.V. Jerk.
Demetri and I sat down across from the two women. He started. "Hello Lydia. I assume you don't know where you are, correct?" She nodded cautiously. "Alright then. You are in the home of the Cullen family. Does that name sound familiar to you, from a few years ago maybe?"
She looked thoughtful and then her face drained of all color and her eyes went wide. Demi continued. "I see from your response that you do recognize the name. Correct?" She nodded.
Demetri looked at me. "I can see this is going to be one hell of a conversation." I smirked.
"What was that you were saying about hysteria and non stop questions? I laughed.
He shot me a dirty look and continued with his questions. "Lydia, what can you tell me about the Cullen's? And please be honest. We will eventually know all anyway, so there is no use lying or omitting. It will just prolong things."
Lydia cleared her throat nervously and looked around at all of us. "Well, I met an Edward Cullen in high school. He was very polite and a gentleman and we liked each other immediately." Demetri held up a hand. "We really don't want date by date details or anything. What we need to know is how much you know about him and his family, specifically any big secrets he told you that you had to keep. And like I said, no lies or omissions."
She nodded and wrung her hands in her lap. "By secrets you mean about him being a vampire." She looked up and met Demetri's eye.
He nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. And have you ever shared that knowledge with anyone? Have you ever told anyone of the existence of vampires?"
She shook her head . "No. He told me that it would mean death, so I never breathed a word to anyone. To tell you the truth, I just wanted to forget. He had to leave me, and it broke my heart. It took me a long time to forget, but I did." She looked from Demetri to me. "And now you're here and I can only assume that I'm going to die now because I know this secret."
Demetri gave her a level look. "Our kings will be deciding your fate in Italy, not us. We will be departing here later today for Italy. I apologize that you did not have the chance to say goodbye to your family, but it would be dangerous for them. If it's true that they know nothing of our world, rest assured, they will be safe. That is the most consolation that I can give you."
She began to cry silently. "At least you left them well when you took me." She looked up. "You did, didn't you?"
Demi nodded. "Yes, we used a pressure point to knock out your husband, and we never even entered any other rooms in your house. They are all safe."
She sagged in relief, and began to sob. Ashley moved over to her and embraced her.
We departed for the airport a few hours later. a much calmer Ashley and Lydia in tow. They both seemed to know enough to know that trying to escape or fight would be futile so they didn't even try. We made our way to the jet using the shadows and our speed and were in the air in no time. It strengthened my resolve to never go through customs or security again.
I sat next to Demi and put my head on his shoulder. I looked up at him while he looked down to me. "I love you, you know? And I realize that I owe you a conversation." He nodded. "Yes Cara, you do.”
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.