Feline Wiles

A Babies at the Border 2019 contribution

Disclaimer: As always, Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its affiliates. No copyright infringement is intended. The other elements of this story are of my own imagination.

A/N This story was donated to the 2019 Babies at the Border compilation to raise funds to help reunite children with their families, provide legal support and psychological help after their ordeal. It is a shame that families are still being separated at the border, and are now also being deprived of basic human needs! This is a continuation of my o/s Ancient Destinies Foretold, which you can read on my blog or FFn. You do not need to have read that story in order to read this one, but hey, why not get a bit of back story as well? MarieCarro made the gorgeous banner for me, and Tori Renae Quintanar beta'd. Also thanks to my friend Natalie for allowing me to bounce ideas off her and her valuable feedback. This part of the story is rated T, but when I continue it eventually, it'll probably change to M.

Settling in the backseat of Emmett's luxurious rental car, I pull out my pouch containing an assortment of gems, stones, and crystals, all with different attributes. Pulling out the blue calcite and fire opal I will need, I clasp the two stones tightly in my palm. Closing my eyes, I silently invoke Bastet to aid me in my projection. Within seconds, my limbs grow heavy as my mind disconnects from my body. The sensation is not unlike what dreaming must feel like to humans – at least, that is the way I remember it.

My mind flashes back to earlier this evening, and the reason I'm doing this astral projection now. I can hear the sound of the ocean, reminding me of the surf lesson I pledged a substantial amount of money to acquire. It is of no matter to me, though, as I remember the feeling of his hand in mine, and the all encompassing sensation of destiny as we locked eyes. Then I recall the sense of dread as he left with the little blonde witch with the orange glow in her eyes, signifying the use of powerful magic.

Jumping to the front seat, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the night-blackened windshield: black fur, white paws, and my cerulean eyes. Rosalie, my sire, opens her door to let me out, and offers a whispered "Be careful" before driving back to my sister Alice's house in Malibu. Although she sired us a few centuries apart, I consider Alice and Rosalie my sisters in all the ways that count. My human family consists of descendants of my mother's Gallic family. Through them I stay in touch with my tribal and magical roots, but my magical abilities were significantly enhanced when Rosalie turned me into a vampire.

I can still feel the invisible string connecting me to Edward, my feline shape heightening my senses, and it doesn't take me long to track him down. He lives in a modest apartment at walking distance from the beach. Scaling a fence and a garage, I find myself in his window sill, watching Edward and the witch enter the apartment. They left the bar shortly after I bought him in the charity auction, and she was visibly upset with him. It looks like they argued the entire way to his apartment. He is trying to hide his exasperation, but she is relentless in her argument. It makes me wonder if the spell she is maintaining blinds her to read his mood. I hide in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Come on, babe, what was I supposed to do?" he sighs.

"You could've said no!" she yells indignantly.

"Not that I need to justify my actions to you, but Jasper sprung this on me at the last minute. Plus, it's for charity; I couldn't really refuse."

"But Eddie," she pouts, and I hiss at the childish nickname while he cringes – again, she doesn't seem to notice his reaction. "It was a bachelor's auction…"

"Jared and I were both doing Jasper a favor-"

"Jared doesn't have a girlfriend!"

"Tanya," he hedges. "We haven't been dating that long. It's not like we're exclusive… Ah shit, are you crying? Please don't cry…"

He pulls her into him; I want to rip off the arms that slither around his waist, clinging to his shirt.

"It is to me!" she wails, the sound grating on my nerves, and my back arches, my body preparing to pounce, to defend, to attack.

He rubs her back, whispering an apology.

"Tan, please. It's just a surf lesson. That girl paid a lot of money for it."

"Oh, so because some rich brat throws her daddy's credit card around, I should be okay with it?" she huffs, to which he laughs.

"You're one to talk. You weren't exactly raised in the projects, either."

She starts to protest again, but he is quick to interject.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll tell her straight away that it's just business."

She sniffs and gives him a watery smile.

"We good?"

She nods and reaches up to kiss him. The sight nauseates me, and makes me want to claw out her eyes. The intensity of the feeling overwhelms me; I know there is some sort of destiny tying him to me, but could it be…? I am afraid to even think it at this point, resolving to wait until I can discuss it with my sire.

The girl leans into him and reaches for his belt buckle, but he stops her before she can undo it, stilling her hands and moving them to her side.

"Sorry, not tonight. I'm pretty beat and need to get up early tomorrow."

She frowns, but after a moment manages a smile.

"Let me make you some tea to help you sleep, and then I'll go home."

She retreats to the kitchen, and I follow on the outside of the wall. After rummaging through some cupboards, she sets some water boiling. It all looks very innocent and honest, until she touches the dark green pendant around her neck. My sharp eyes recognize it as sardonyx, and I am instantly alarmed. That stone, like all objects used in magic, can be used for both healing as well as darker purposes. This one in particular protects, and enhances willpower, while promoting relationships. Normally I wouldn't worry about a witch implementing a stone like this, but based on her previous actions, I take a closer look. She rubs the pendant, while her eyes are closed and her lips move quickly, murmuring something unintelligible.

Instead of taking regular tea, she pulls out a small bag from her purse, and pinches its contents into a large mug. Through the open window, I can smell some of the ingredients – rosemary, apple blossoms, and calamus root. My suspicion rises further when she adds some mint leaves, thyme, and cinnamon from the herbs and spices near the stove. The tea she is brewing is a love potion! How long has she been administering it to him, and how effective is it? I have to restrain myself from slipping inside and knocking the mug off the counter, preventing her from continuing, but I remind myself that I need to know more before I can intervene.

As she pours the boiling water over the herbs, she chants, "My ancestor Morgaine, I invoke thee. Aid in my magic and hear now my plea. As I desire, so mote it be."

Her eyes glimmer again with the orange glow I noticed earlier, and her breathing becomes more labored. Whatever magic she is invoking, it is draining her of her energy. This simultaneously pleases and worries me; on the one hand, she must not be as powerful as I am, but on the other hand, someone more powerful may be instructing her. I will have to gather more information about this witch.

I slink bank to the window sill outside the living room to find Edward slumped down on his couch, a book opened across his chest. My enhanced vision identifies the cover, and I'm somewhat amused that he's reading a fantasy novel with quite a bit of magic involved. Filing that apparent interest away for future reference, I notice Tanya emerging from the kitchen with a steaming mug of love potion tea. Finding him asleep, she sets the mug down on the coffee table. She then leans over him and kisses his temple. The gesture would appear innocent, loving even, if it weren't for my heightened senses. She is, in fact, murmuring a spell while rubbing the pendant around her neck.

"My ancestor Morgaine, I invoke thee. Aid in my magic and keep him true to me. As I desire, so mote it be."

I can barely contain my hiss at realizing she's trying to bind him to her with magic. One of the things my human mother taught me was that you never mess with people's hearts. Not wanting to alert Tanya to my presence, and without my pouch of crystals, I do the only thing I can do, and cast a spell of my own, hoping to somewhat counteract her magic. My feline shape doesn't hinder me in this regard, as a spell cast silently is just as affective, provided the witch casting it is powerful enough.

"Queen Isis, mother Juno, and Aphrodite, I call on thee. Strengthen his heart and set him free. False affection now broken shall be. As I will, so mote it be."

Realizing there is nothing more I can do at this point, I concentrate on reversing the astral projection. I can feel my feline form dissolving and my mind is transported back to my body with the speed of light. When I open my eyes, I am in my bed in Alice's house, as three vampires look at me expectantly.

~o.O.o~

"She what?!" Rosalie practically shrieks.

The last word is so loud and high-pitched, the glass in the windows actually rattles. We are gathered in the open-spaced living room, glasses of wine in hand, as I regale the others of my observations and thoughts.

"I thought love potions were a hoax," Alice muses.

"They're not infallible, but the right combination of herbs and incantations can be quite effective," I explain. "She's not that powerful herself, but she must have someone backing her up, and I don't understand why…"

"He's important to you," Rosalie offers. "Your destinies are tied. Maybe hers has a role in it as well. I don't think her magic will affect him much longer, though." At my questioning look, she elaborates, "The way you explained it to me, magic can enhance pre-existing qualities, but not counteract them. He may have been physically attracted to her for the potion to work, but this spell she is maintaining is artificial."

"I'm not following," Emmett admits.

"Edward is her mate," Alice states simply, causing both Emmett and I to whip our heads around at her, while Rosalie just nods in agreement.

"What does that mean?" Emmett asks at the same moment that I demand, "Are you sure?"

"It makes perfect sense. He is in Maggie's visions of you. He may even be the man the pythia told you about when we were at Delphi. Remember how restless you've been the last few decades? Somewhere, subconsciously, you knew he was alive. And we all saw you two last night. It was tangible. So surreal. And amazing to watch."

"It's like when you and I met, darling," Rosalie further explains to her husband, and a knowing look crosses his face.

"That was such a strange experience," he remembers. "I barely even knew you, but I just had to be with you. Nothing made sense anymore, and at the same time, things were perfectly clear."

"Is that why I wanted to scratch the witch's eyes out?" I ask, only half kidding.

"We'll figure out how to get rid of her," Rosalie assures me.

"Well, before I can do anything else, I need to feed," I declare.

Alice is quick to flit to the kitchen, but I call out after her, "I don't want to deplete your special supply, sweetie. And it wouldn't be wise to have the taste of human blood in my mouth when I'm meeting Edward in the morning."

"Smart thinking," she agrees.

We decide to head into Angeles National Forest for a few hours, before Alice will drop me off at Edward's surf shop in Manhattan Beach. A quick online search tells me I should be able to find some coyotes, black bears, or mule deer there. There might also be cougars and bobcats in the forest, but, as I explain to Alice during the drive, I don't feel comfortable hunting felines due to my association with Bastet. I'd actually rather feed on rodents before drinking from a feline.

My main thirst sated, we pile back into Alice's car. There's a text from Rosalie asking me to call her.

"We've got something," she says by way of greeting. "We did an online search of Edward. By the way, you should definitely check out his surfing photos. Emmett is already a fan and itching to befriend him. Anyway, his social profile lists him as single, but the little witch has tagged him in a bunch of pictures. Her family is from New England, same as Edward's, so we'll do some more digging. Would your human cousin be able to help?"

"She might, if that family still has ties to covens in Europe," I muse. "Can you call her for me? It's late morning over there, so she should be available. I'll text you her contact details."

"Will do. Good luck on your meeting with Edward. Hopefully you'll know more afterwards. And don't forget to have some fun while you're at it!"

With that, she ends the call.

~o.O.o~

Edward greets me in front of his shop and ushers me inside after a quick wave to Alice. He grabs me a wetsuit and shows me to the dressing room in the back.

"It's nice of your friend to drop you off this morning," he comments while I'm squeezing into the tight neoprene.

"She's my cousin, actually," I reply. "I'm visiting, so I don't have my own car."

"Where do you live, then?" he asks.

I give him the basics of my current identity, which is actually quite close to the truth, give or take a millennium or two. I'm glad I don't have to lie too much. Hopefully I'll get to tell him the truth eventually, and it'd be nice being able to reference things I've already told him truthfully then.

Once I'm changed, Edward quickly slips on his own wetsuit and stows my bag in his office. He comes out carrying a short, pointed board with a wedge cut out at the bottom edge, or tail as he calls it. He sets it against the counter, allowing me to see what is obviously a custom paint job. It features a dragon emerging from a wave splashing against rocks. The dragon bears quite a lot of resemblance to the drawing Maggie gave me a few days ago, describing the man I would meet.

… a Chinese-style dragon, running across an upper arm, shoulder blade, and down the right side of a torso, the head taking up most of the ribcage. The drawing is mostly in grays, but there are a few brightly-colored accents…

"Let's go," he calls my attention, and I notice he's picked up another, much larger surfboard and has moved to the front of the shop.

He explains that I'll be using the large foam board, while he'll be using the smaller fiberglass one, which he calls a fish. He tucks his board under one arm, then helps me carry the larger board down to the beach. We walk to just before the wet sand, digging the fins of the boards into the soft sand.

He takes me through a bit of a warm-up routine, then has me practice paddling and popping up on the sand. I feel silly doing this, but he assures me this is a true and tested way for a beginner to learn. I guess I'll just have to trust that he won't make me look foolish on purpose. Once I'm comfortable popping up, he attaches the leg rope to my right ankle and helps me guide the board across the waves. I'll be playing around in the surf, where the waves have already broken, he explains, to get a good feel for the waves carrying the board.

"Once you get the hang of that, we can try you on a shorter board, and then move back behind the break," he promises.

I'm enjoying the lesson more than I expected, so I look forward to learning more. Getting to spend time with Edward is also a substantial bonus. It takes me a few tries, but eventually I manage to pop up and ride out a wave. The euphoria it gives me feels disproportionate to the actual achievement, but I relish it all the same.

All throughout the lesson, we haven't had a chance to talk, aside from instructions and encouragement regarding the surfing at hand, and I do still wonder about his role in the prophecy I received at Delphi all those centuries ago, as well as my human cousin's recent premonitions. So when we take a breather on the beach, I decide to probe him with some questions, without trying to be too obvious.

"Have you always lived here?"

"No, I grew up in New England. My mom's family still lives there, as does most of my dad's, though they're originally from Scotland, so I've also got relatives there. But my parents moved us out here when I was thirteen."

His background in New England bears further investigation, considering the witch's coven originates there as well. His Scottish heritage is new information, and might offer deeper insights, so I file that away to discuss another time.

"Do you like SoCal? You seem very at ease here."

His smile grows, showing his genuine feelings.

"I love it here. The climate isn't as unpredictable as where I grew up, and I'm close to the ocean. The ocean has multiple personalities that change from day to day, and there is always something new and different to enjoy. Ever since I first saw it, I've been drawn to it. The tranquility and raw power combined in one... I think surfing is the perfect way to be connected to the movement of the water, using your board in rhythm with the motion of a wave..." he trails off.

We sit in silence for a few moments, taking in the relative tranquility of the beach on a weekday morning. It's bright, but thankfully overcast.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask.

He turns to look at me, which I take as permission to continue.

"The girl I saw you leaving with last night…"

"You mean Tanya?"

I nod, noticing the way his shoulders sag and the excitement seems to dim in his eyes. The name hangs in the air for a moment before he sighs and continues.

"We've been dating casually for a few weeks now."

"She seemed upset."

"Well, I didn't think we were that serious, so I didn't think to tell her I was going to be in the auction. It was a favor to my friend who owns the bar, anyway."

There is annoyance in his tone, more so than the night before at his apartment. I take that as a good sign. He also hasn't brushed me off as just a customer, yet, which makes me hopeful that my spell has had some effect. Now I need to make sure he doesn't drink any more of that tea.

Trying not to gloat at my inner musings, I say, "I'm sure she'll calm down eventually." I don't mean a word of it.

Or else I'll make her, I mentally add. I wouldn't mind an opportunity to take her down a peg or two, be it with claws, spells, or fangs.

Wanting to lighten to mood again, and anxious to find out more about Edward's connection to the ocean, be it merely spiritual or, as my hunch is telling me, something much more magical, I ask him to give me a little demonstration of his skills. His smile lights up his face again, which brings out an odd sensation in my stomach. He grabs his board, attaches the leg rope, and runs into the water. His strong legs take him through the shallow waves with ease, until the water becomes too deep for him to run. Jutting his board out in front of him, he propels himself through the air, landing behind the crest of a breaking wave, and starts paddling. It doesn't take him long to reach the seemingly calm waters behind the surf. He's quite a ways out, but my enhanced vision allows me to still read his expression.

He sits up on his board, scanning the water for an incoming set of waves. When we were warming up he said that the forecast was for relatively small, clean waves, but as he sits there, his fingertips gently moving through the water at his side, I see a larger swell approaching. He turns his head to check if I'm watching, and I see a golden glow in his eyes. It's much less noticeable than the fiery orange glow in Tanya's eyes the night before, hinting to his subtle use of magic.

Or perhaps he's not even aware that he's doing it.

He lets the first two waves of the set pass, then starts paddling, looking back to the one approaching as it grows in height. He catches it just in front of the breaking crest, then rides it down as he gains speed. Twisting his hips and knees he maneuvers the board to go up and down, and even back and forth, creating a spray of water when he turns. It almost looks like he's flying.

The glow in his eyes intensifies the longer he's on the wave. My excitement grows, both in seeing him clearly enjoying this experience, but also at the prospect of his power. With a latent power this impressive, there's no telling what he'll be able to do when he can actively use it. I can't wait to explore the possibilities with him and guide him along the way.

As he approaches the shallow waters close to shore, he moves towards the nose of the board, taking advantage of the additional speed it offers him.

Unable to stand still any longer, I rush towards him, meeting him in the knee deep water as he steps seamlessly off his board just in front of me.

"Edward that was…" I trail off, struggling to find the proper word to describe what I just witnessed.

"Such a rush, right?" he asks excitedly.

The atmosphere around us charges, Edward's magic still lingering in the waves lapping at our legs. He closes the distance between us and as one we reach for each other. I move up on my tiptoes as he tilts his head down, our lips meeting.

I've read about life altering kisses before, being described as an electric shock or something similar. This is nothing like that. I don't know if it's because of the prophecy, my heightened vampire senses, or if our magic is connecting as well, but I feel a surge of energy swelling deep within. The waves around us start swirling wilder, foam frothing at their tips. One of his hands wraps around my waist, pulling me flush against him, as the other gently cradles my head. It's a stark contrast to the raw passion with which he possesses my mouth.

His wetsuit doesn't provide much purchase, so I trail my hands up his chest and into his hair, playing with the wet strands. He must like that, because his hands flex against me and he pulls me even closer into him. As I gently pull on his hair, a groan rumbles in his chest, vibrating into me. It's as though every sense is heightened, and every feeling amplified, flowing back and forth between us.

Eventually he pulls back, breathless and wide-eyed.

"Who are you?"

A/N Edward's description about the ocean and his connection to it was inspired by a few quotes I stumbled upon on .