Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

11

I stood slowly, my hand out in front of me. "Carlisle." I said uncertainly. "Calm down."
He glared at me. "What," he ground out. "Did you do to my wife?"
"I didn't do anything she didn't initiate." I said.
"What does that even mean?!" He screamed, moving closer.
I backed up, hand up. "Everything I did was in self defense. She started the fight. I ended it because I couldn't see any other way out."
"How did you, a mere human, kill my wife." He asked, stalking menacingly closer.
I took my eyes off him only to glance at the other vampires piling into my house. It looked like the rest of the Cullens has finally shown up, but whether they were there to help Carlisle kill me or stop him from killing me, I didn't know.
"I had a sword made." I said swallowing hard. "It's a sword that, when activated, lights on fire and can cut the flesh of a vampire. I wasn't even sure it would work when she attacked me, I defended was only defending myself."
I knew that what I was said wasn't exactly true. I had technically acted in self defense, but I had also been itching to test my skills and sword against a real vampire. The Cullens didn't need to know all that. They just needed to know enough not to kill me.
Carlisle was still raging, although having his family around him did seem to have calmed him a bit. I was glad to have them there, Edward and Emmet were on either side of their father and seemed ready to restrain him if necessary.
"You killed my wife." He said finally, after a good long time glaring at me, the tension in the room growing. "You may not pay today or even tomorrow but I swear on whatever god you worship you will pay someday."
With that Carlisle turned and stormed out of my house, his children following behind him. Not one of them looked at me once their father had turned away from me except Alice who shot me a scathing glance as she followed her siblings out the door.
——
I didn't sleep that night. Or eat. I was haunted by the expression Carlisle had aimed at me when he burst through the door. The panic in his eyes. The blonde hair that was never out of place, strewn across his head. The way his normally spotless clothes were creased and wrinkled. He'd looked a mess. I didn't blame him. I'd killed his wife.
I remember when Renée left me. The first night sleeping alone I'd cried more than I slept. She's gone and taken Bella with her. And then she moved to Arizona and I didn't get to see either of them anymore. I was devastated. I couldn't even imagine if they died. If either Bella or Renée was hurt I'd go off the handle. How Carlisle had kept from killing me was a mystery, his self control must be legendary.
I made a promise to myself to stay away from the Cullens as I finally drifted off into a troubled sleep. They didn't need me messing with them anymore than I already had.