Bellezza Swan | A Carlisle Cullen Love Story

Chapter Nineteen: Coven

          I looked away quickly once they separated and I didn't even notice everyone was also in the foyer. Angry voices overlapped but they blurred together in my head. Blinking back tears, I ran out of the front door and stood alone outside. I'm a human. Victoria is beautiful. How can I compare to a vampire? Edward was right about one thing, I'm defenseless. As the voices grew louder behind the front door, I ran around the house and into the forest.

          I've never been in this part of the forest before. Clouds rolled in like mist and the trees grew so tall that their trunks were wider than my arm span. I doubt I could hold my hands if I tried hugging the trees. Leaves crumpled beneath my feet and it was the only sound aside from my panting. There weren't any animal sounds but I neither cared nor noticed. I was hurting and I've never been in this type of pain before.

          However, that pain was now challenged when my foot slipped on some mossy rocks. My ankle rolled but my momentum of running sent me tumbling forward into an open field of flowers. I landed on my back and thick gray clouds covered the sky above me. Rolling my head to the side, I was surrounded by small round soft white flowers and purple meadow sage. The faint smell of them was contrasting the earthy ground and approaching rain. I sat up and saw my red swollen ankle.

          "Ow.." I groaned and tenderly touched it.

          "Well, well, well," a man's voice drifted in the cloudy mist, "What do we have here? You look familiar but I was certain you-"

          "James," another man's voice accompanied the other, "I have a bad feeling about this."

          I attempted to stand up quickly and stood on my good foot, "Who are you? What do you want?"

          The faint yelling of Edward, Carlisle, and his other children began to grow louder but a blonde man made himself visible in the mist, "What do I want? I want you."

          A dark man with black dreads also came into view beside him, "I am Laurent. This is James."

          "And I," Victoria said from behind me, "am Victoria. Or Annie."

          I jumped and realized I was in terrible danger, "Why are you here?"

          Victoria came up to me and played with my hair as James also approached me, "We want you, little lamb."

          "Belle! Belle! Where are you?!" Carlisle's yelling was nearby.

          "They're looking for me. Just leave me alone!" I yelled, hoping they would hear me.

          "Tsk, tsk," James said, "Wouldn't you like to join your sister?"

          My racing heart stopped and I turned my back on them when I heard Carlisle and his family running towards me, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

          James was suddenly whispering in my ear, "That animal attack? It was us, little lamb. Victoria could smell your scent off of Edward. We knew there were two of you. Now, why don't we play a little game?"

          "Enough," Laurent said before going into the trees, "I grow tired of your games. This is not the coven I initially wanted, James."

          For all I knew, Laurent left but Carlisle ran towards us, "Belle!"

          Behind him were his children and before I could say anything, James covered my mouth with his cold hand and his arm wrapped around my body, pinning my arms against myself, "You ought to keep a better leash on this lamb."

          Carlisle bared his fangs, "Release her. Now!"

          Victoria laughed, "She's so.. Human, Dr. Cullen. I hardly had to do anything to get her to run from you. You're soft for someone so old. If you don't mind, we're going to unite her with her sister."

          "No!" Carlisle roared as James bolted away with me.

          Tears fell from my face as I was stolen from him. I was overwhelmed with the speed a vampire was capable of and I noticed Victoria split from us. Laurent was no longer here. I was afraid. Victoria played me to get me alone. I began to cry out of guilt. Carlisle, I'm so sorry.