𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 [𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔]

•26•

"...Maybe I was too harsh on her. She's right Edward–about what I did."

Bella's voice was dull, tired. Her limp brown hair curtained her dreary and sombre expression from him, her head pointed to look despairingly at the ground.

Edward, whose arms were wrapped around Bella's waist, leant his head on Bella's slim shoulder and watched Nora's car disappear from sight with no care or empathy in his golden eyes. "She isn't right, Bella. You told her the truth, you told her that Alice foresaw her fate and that she'd be safe. More than safe with the kings. She's the unreasonable one here, Bella. Clearly she has no respect for you if she won't even realize that you're right."

"But, I did just leave her in a foreign country in a castle full of blood drinking vampires. I don't even really know why I did it. I get that you and Alice said it was okay but...she's my sister and I can't deny that if the roles were reversed she wouldn't ever have left me, even if she knew I'd be perfectly safe. Maybe I should–"

"...Would she have stayed for you?" Edward spoke over her, his voice sickly sweet. He tightened his arms around Bella's waist when she fell silent and went rigid. "How do you know that, Bella?...Hm? How do you know she wouldn't have abandoned you? That she wouldn't have left you to die?"

Bella sighed as he whispered silkily in her ear, his hands rubbing circles against her clothed waist. "You did what you thought was best, there's no shame in that. If she were truly your sister she'd realize that you never abandoned her, you did her a favor. Look at her now–the Queen of the vampire race, doted on by the most dangerous men in our world. That's because of you, Bella. All because of you. She should be grateful."

He smiled, secretive and sly, when he felt her relax into him. It was good to know that even after all of their months apart, she still hung onto his every word. How much simpler his life was because of it was something he thought of fondly.

"I guess–I mean, of course you're right." He hummed, pressing a soft kiss to the delicate skin of her throat. His mouth filled with venom and his jaw clenched shut as he felt the blood rushing through her veins, pulsing against his lips.