I wasn't paying much attention to what Edward was saying, focused on my worry for the other. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to them because of me. I flinched as my father's voice broke through my thoughts.
"You've been dating a vampire?! How long have you know?" I gulped. His face was read and his eyes were bulging.
"I knew before we were dating. Dad, he would never-"
"I don't care what he would never do! He's dangerous! I- why am I even accepting this? Vampires aren't real; they're a myth. You… you're not real!" Edward calmly met his gaze.
"I can assure you that I am real, and that I am a vampire. I, we, do not drink human blood. We eat animals. I'm not going to deny that I'm dangerous, but you know Bella can be very stubborn. I promise you I would never hurt her." Charlie didn't look convinced.
"You would never hurt her," he said incredulously. "So what happened in Phoenix? You didn't really fall down the stairs and through a window, did you?" We both avoided his gaze as he paced in front of us.
"That was not her fault, but you are right. James, another vampire, did that to her. He was a tracker. He saw her when she was with us. We tried to keep her safe, but he saw through our plans." Edward began explaining as my mind drifted. I knew I should be paying attention, especially since my dad was furious, but I couldn't focus. What if Noxtual killed one of them? I could hear any outside noises. Edward stopped mid sentence as Roselisle came in. Edward was at her side faster than I could blink. My dad was silent, still as they talked too fast for our human ears. I knew it was only a matter of time before my dad snapped.
"I still don't understand. Fine, you're vampires, whatever, but why are we in this room? Where is Carlisle?" Rose spoke up.
"Carlisle is on his way. He's finishing the negotiations."
"Negotiations? Whom is he negotiating with?" I asked, surprised. Surely she wasn't referring to Noxtual.
"It's what you think it is. We seemed to have misunderstood her intentions for this visit."
"Misunderstood? How could you have misunderstood with everything that you told me?" Rose helplessly shrugged her shoulders.
"Could she be setting a trap?" Edward voiced. Rose shrugged again.
"I told him we shouldn't trust her, but you know how Carlisle is."
"Are you sure it's completely his decision?"
"No," she smiled. "Esme definitely made the decision for him. Noxtual's very… different from the last time we saw her. Something's wrong. She said she wants her help." I knew Edward didn't believe this, but before I could say anything my dad snapped.
"Whom are you talking about? I have a right to know! I'm the Chief of Police of this town. This concerns me and my family so tell me RIGHT NOW what is going on!"
"Carlisle is talking to Noxtual Rim, a powerful enemy of yours, because she said she needs our help."
"If she's your enemy, why does she need your help?"
"We don't know," Edward answered. "We'll find out when Carlisle gets here. Bella is safe though. Noxtual has amazingly made no threats that she is going to hurt us. If she does, we will get you and Bella out of here immediately. I am not going to let anything happen to either of you."
"Just like you let like nothing happen in Phoenix?" My temper flared at my father's words.
"Dad, he didn't know I was going to go. I didn't tell him I was going to go James alone because I knew he wouldn't let me. I knew another way out of the airport. Edward saved my life. James had bitten me, and Edward sucked his blood out of me. It's like taking poison from a snake. That wasn't his fault and you have no right to accuse him of it! You used to defend him against the Blacks. Is that going to change now that you know they truth? They're the same people! Nothing about who they are has changed. They just have to go out and hunt for food!"
"Bella, this doesn't have to go with them being vampires! I am not going to like anyone, vampire or otherwise, who puts you in danger that leads to you being broken in a hospital bed!"
I stopped trying to come up with a rebuke. Was he being sincere? He didn't care that Edward was a vampire; he cared because he thought my being with him had led to me being hurt? "Dad, it wasn't his fault. No one knew James was going to be there, or that he would decide to track me." This didn't soothe him.
"It might not have been intentional, but he wouldn't have come after you if you hadn't been with him. I'm right, aren't I?" I didn't have an answer to this, but I didn't want to let my dad win.
"He still might have. Apparently, I smell good to most vampires." I hadn't thought my dad's eyes get any longer. They were going to fall out of his head soon.
"You smell good to them? What the hell does that mean?"
"Charlie." I jumped as Carlisle spoke. I needed to be more observant. "I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise they will all be answered, but right now we all need to go meet with Noxtual. She says she has some very interesting news for us." My dad was still fuming, and I knew he was considering demanding answers before he would leave, but after several long seconds, he followed us up the stairs.
I didn't know what I expected Noxtual to look like, but it wasn't the small woman sitting on the couch. I suppose I did still have all the stereotypical images of witches in my head. I had thought she would be tall, and that I could simply tell my looking at her that she was powerful; I knew something was different with the Cullens when I had first set eyes on them. It wasn't the case now. Noxtual had no air of powers about her. I would've thought her a normal, olive-skinned, sad looking woman. There was one thing that did set her apart, her beauty. All of the Cullen women, especially Rose, were all beautiful, but there was something different about her beauty. She had no pouty lips, no perfect eyebrows, no brilliant, shiny hair. She was still beautiful; a muted beauty. She shook out her mid length black hair as we sat down on the couch. She was dressed plainly in a black button up shirt and jeans. Her face was a pinched, drawn, eyes haunted. Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair messed. There was dirt spotting her cheeks and arms.
"Now," Carlisle spoke, hands on his knees, "how can we help you?"
"I need shelter and protection. I need you to form an alliance with the werewolves among many things. Those are the only things you can help me with."
"Werewolves? There are werewolves here?" My dad didn't know when it was wiser to keep his mouth shut.
"Yes," Carlisle answered patiently. "I don't have time to explain, but they are no danger. Noxtual, I assume you are going to explain why you need these things, correct?" I could hear her sigh as I blinked, coming out of my trance. Edward's beautiful voice was nothing compared to her. It was enticing, melodic, and enthralling. I would still love Edward's more, but I was beginning to think that I was falling to one of Noxtual's powers. Her voice was high pitched, almost like a child, but even in her current state it demanded cooperation and obedience.
"I really would rather not explain." Carlisle sat back against the couch and crossed his arms. "It is a very long story, and I'm sure your guests have other places to be." She looked expectantly at Charlie and I. Edward's grip tightened on my hand.
"They can not go home until we take them. If you do not explain why you need shelter and protection, and why you wish us to form an alliance with our natural enemies, then I am afraid we can't help you."
She was angry, furious, but said nothing. Her eyes closed and she drew in a deep breath. Everyone was tense; I could feel it in the air. Everything was going to depend on this story. A million questions were running through my mind. Why did she need protection? Couldn't she kill anyone who got in her way? There was no way they could form an alliance with the werewolves. Edward and Jacob would kill each other. What would I do if they did form an alliance? Jacob didn't want to see me. He had only agreed to out last meeting because he knew Noxtual was coming. I quickly snapped to the present as Noxtual's musical voice fill the silent room.
"I'm going to start at the beginning, five years ago when my father, the most powerful Shiva of his time, died."
Author's Note: Sorry it took a little while to update, but my laptop is not usually with me when I'm in the mood to type something up, but I'm at work on the next chapter. Sorry it's a little short, but I intended to post this almost two weeks ago, but that obviously didn't happen. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
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