Chapter 11

B.P.O.V.

I smiled as Sheila and Henry embraced. He was weak but the Cullen's had helped him sate his appetite before reuniting him with Sheila. She was crying and holding him. She thanked me and I turned back to the rest of the room. There was scientific equipment and torture devices of all ages upstairs and some had clearly been used. There were racks and racks of chemicals all with different trial numbers on them. This guy had been desperate. It didn't really matter now though. He was dead.

The Cullen's had taken him down in less time than I could blink. We found out that he had originally had a strong vampiric force for protection but after hearing of our involvement they had left him to fend for himself. I worried that their retreat wasn't a sign of peace, but a sign that they were regrouping.

I had a feeling that this man's vain immortality experiments were a cover up for something bigger.

I shook these thoughts away and looked at Edward. Even with the blood of a human on his shirt, he still looked perfect.

I smiled at him and he returned the smile. He held me to him, until I remembered about his shirt and he transitioned me on his back.

We said goodbye to Sheila and Henry and to the family.

Alice winked, letting us know she'd tell them some excuse for us and we were off.

He sped through town and then through the trees of the forest, getting as much distance between us and that place as possible.

When we finally stopped I knew where he had taken me even before my feet hit the ground. It was the one place that I felt the safest after his home. Our meadow.

He took my hand and we walked to the middle of the clearing and lay down on our backs. After a minute of lying there together I rolled myself on top of him and kissed him. He deepened the kiss and then rolled so he was on top of me. I was surprised at how long he was going and that he hadn't stopped yet. He moved his hands under me to hold me to him and hugged me against him. He finally broke the kiss and stared into my eyes for a long minute.

Then he whispered in my ear, as I stared at the sparkling man in my arms surrounded by beautiful wildflowers, "I love you. You are mine. No one can steal you away from me. And you are safe." A single tear trailed down the side of my face. He kissed it away and then laid us on our sides, still embracing each other.