AN: Hey hey! Been a minute, but here I am.
Previously: Peter has killed Carlisle and Esme, and blown his house to bits. It's possible Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie will survive. The Cullen's exchanged Bella's life to pay a debt, but as the Volturi didn't want her, Victoria took her and tortured her because she could and wanted to.
So our trio are now to the wind.
Chapter 7: Night Terrors
PPov
I had many places all over Montana, so getting to my second home wasn't an issue. I looked down at Bella as her teeth chattered. I led her towards the large circular chair that sat in the corner, grabbing the blanket off. I don't even know why I had this thing. Not like I used it. I bundled her up in it, rubbing my hands up and down her arms.
I squatted down to her level, running my hands through her hair. "I'm going to get things turned on and Garret is going to the store to grab essentials. Okay here?" I asked her, watching her closely.
She shivered, but nodded, leaning into me. I kissed her forehead before going around the house. This house was just one floor, but many different rooms. Everything interconnected, leaving the bedrooms on one side of the house and the common area on the other. Each side had two different breakers, and I started with the living room.
Flipping the switches, I heard the power immediately turn on, and I went ahead and turned up the temperature a bit. "I'm not turning on the heat just yet sugar, this place has got to run a bit." I heard her quiet 'Okay', and went about the rooms, opening doors to get things ventilated.
As I fiddled with the sheets in the master bedroom, I heard Bella's soft footsteps traveling the hall. "Peter?" She called, her head popping into the bedroom.
I turned towards her, raising my brows. She wrung her hands, stepping in. I dropped the sheet onto the bed, giving her my full attention. "You look nervous." I stated, walking forward to grab her hands. She wrinkled her nose, shrugging. "That's an understatement." She whispered.
I waited for her to tell me what was wrong as she fidgeted under my gaze. She sighed after a few seconds, letting my hands go. "Am I crazy?" She asked, looking up at me, her brown eyes looking ever darker in the soft light.
"No. Like I said, trauma. You've been through an ordeal Bella." She let out a breath through her nose, worrying her lips between her teeth. I gently coaxed her lip forward wondering what had her wound up. "But Carlisle…" She started, and I held up my hand stopping her. "Is dead. He's no longer relevant. You're not crazy, your reactions the other day were totally rational. I'd be worried if you brushed everything off like it meant nothing."
I pushed some hair behind her ear smiling softly. "We'll get this taken care of. Don't worry about anything." She nodded, leaning into my palm. "I'll make her suffer Bella. I can promise you that." After getting the bedroom situated, Bella decided to shower and wind down for the night.
I heard the water start, and decided to get her food together. I still wanted her to have soups, but her digestive system seemed to be up for sandwiches and other solid foods. I made her grilled cheese and tomato soup with a glass of water. I set about grabbing her medicine and the different things she would need.
I froze as my senses seemed to stand on end, my nose taking in any unfamiliar scent or listening for any movement in or out of the house. Bella's heart rate spiked briefly before calming down.
I still didn't move as I focused my attention down the hall. Bella had stopped moving again, and her heart was now fluttering in her chest at an anxious pace.
"Peter?!" The second my name left her lips I was in the bathroom, taking in every corner. The room smelt like nothing but Bella and her scented shampoo. I pulled the shower door open, her wet hands clung to my shirt immediately. I grabbed the towel off the rack, wrapping her in it. I shut the water off, pulling her in the bedroom.
"I swear I saw someone. For real this time." I handed her the clothes she had on the chair, uncaring about modesty at this point. "I felt something. What did they look like?" I asked, tuning towards the bathroom. I walked through every inch, eyes roaming every surface. "I didn't get a good look, it's like he disappeared." I didn't like the sound of this, not one bit. There was someone in my home, someone that I couldn't see or sense.
"Get dressed, change of plans sugar." I pulled out my phone and sent Garrett a quick text telling him to meet me at midnight with the truck. We'd be going across the state and into Idaho and then Oregon. I knew that if Victoria was still on the chase, she'd follow.
I just didn't have the time to look for an invisible ghost. Bella stayed glued to my side, and I wasn't letting her out of my sight either. This vampire could be a scout. The only reason I hadn't taunted he or she yet is because I'm unsure of what I'm walking into.
"Close your eyes." I murmured to her, pulling her close to me as she snuggled into my arm. "I'm not going anywhere." I promised. "What happens now?" She asked quietly. "We keep going. I've already made a call to the Volturi. They don't scare me. Victoria is next."
She was quiet for a moment, and I could almost hear her thinking. "If I asked, would you turn me?" I looked down at her for a moment, taking my fingers through her brown locks. "If that's what you wanted." I kissed her cheek, pulling her closer. "If I wanted to remain human?" She asked, turning to look at me.
I'd hate it, but I'd never go against her wishes. "If that's what you want, yes. I'd try to convince you sure, but if remaining human was what you truly desired, then so be it."
It was like a tension released from her body, and she relaxed, opening some part of herself to me. It all made me quite curious about what she saw her future like.
DD
It was closing in on midnight, and as I awaited Garrett's return, I took a glance at Bella who was curled up on the couch, her face contorted in what I would call discomfort. Her small fingers were gripping at the cover around her, brow crinkling. I read somewhere that humans didn't like to be startled out of their sleep, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to wake her from whatever was plaguing her mind.
"Why?"
I couldn't protect her from her mind, it would be something she had to fight on her own. I knew that what flashed behind her eyes was her tormentor, and this just added to the list of all the reasons that I would give Victoria a slow torturous death. She was asking a question I don't think even Victoria herself could answer, and it made me feel helpless.
"I don't….Peter cares…" I could feel my features soften, and I sat back down next to her. "More than you know darlin'." I whispered in her ear, watching in delight as she seemed to pull herself out of whatever hole she had herself in. "He'll never leave…" She snuggled into my arm, sighing in content. I looked around the room as my senses perked up, putting me on edge.
"I might not be able to see you, but I can feel you. Tell Victoria that she's fucked with the wrong human. She won't like it when the devil makes his appearance. I won't kill you...yet, but keep spying' on my mate while she's vulnerable. You'll wish you were burnin' in hell."
The feeling disappeared almost immediately, and I leaned my head against the couch. "Aren't you two a pretty picture?" I gave him the finger shooting him a mock glare. "Yeah yeah. Got everything together?" Garrett nodded, grabbing the last few bags that Bella had, putting them in the truck.
"You made the call?" I nodded to Garrett's question, smirking. "Yeah, he's in play as we speak." I lifted Bella easily in my arms, smiling slightly as she mumbled my name. I'm not sure how I could go as long as I did without this woman, but I can't imagine a life where she didn't exist.
DD
Idaho was better than Montana, warmer weather than before but cold nonetheless. Bella took quite a shining to this home of mine, and after letting it slip that she'd always wanted to live in a cozy little home such as mine, I knew that this would be hers.
She needed something in her name anyhow, and what better than this? I set her up with new ID's and a birth certificate, and I needed to get her life set up. What was concerning me more than anything was that she wasn't getting any sleep.
She sat and watched tv until she could no longer keep her eyes open, sleeping soundlessly through the night. I watched her fall into bed, her eyes barely staying open.
I reached for the remote before she could grab it. "Rest." I urged, sitting down next to her. "This is a fight you have to win on your own. But know this, I'll never leave your side."
I kissed her fingers, watching her eyes flutter close. My cell vibrated in my pocket, and I quickly stepped out of the room. "Whitlock." I answered, looking back at Bella. "I've tracked her Captain." My nose twitched, and I couldn't hide the smile that graced my face. "Where is she?"
"Heading North." I frowned at that, wondering where she was going.
Forks.
Fuck.