The Bonds Between Us • E.Cullen x Fem oc x B. Swan

Chapter 22

A/N: I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read so far! We just reached 9k reads as of 12/1/23! That's amazing. I never thought this story would be this big. Thank you guys so much, and love you guys so much!

~D

The many small houses seemed to just blend together as Cori searched for the specific one. The small white and wood cabin like house came into view, as it sat farther away from the rest, its hand painted flower boxes setting empty, though still beautiful.

Knocking on the door, Cori waited, that was until the woman who was like an older sister to her, answered the door.

"Cori? Why are you doing knocking? Get in here!" Emily said practically dragging the redhead into the house. "Sam!" Emily shouted up the stairs and Cori laughed she heard his fumbling footsteps closer to the stairs.

"You know you don't have to yell Em." "Oh, I know." "What did he do this time?" Cori asked. "Ask him" Emily said with a small smile, making sure to let the girl know he wasn't in too much trouble but as the man appeared, her smile was gone, and she turned around, headed to the kitchen.

Sam sighed, watching Emily with pleading eyed. "Heard your in the dog house." Cori said and Sam side eyed her. "Why are you here?" Sam asked her. "I can't come annoy my favorite dog boy?" Cori asked and Sam's brows furrowed. "I hate when you call us that." "That's what you are." "We're shifters. Spirit warriors." Sam corrected.

"And Paul is two heads away from being Cerberus. Still a dog." Cori said causing the male to snort. "You never answered me. Why are you here?" "You don't like me any more Sammy?" She asked and he glared at her teasingly. "Don't call me that, and you only come over here when you need something or to annoy me, or Paul, or have a girls day with Em."

"Remember the girl who broke my face?" Cori asked and Sam nodded. "Jessica?" "Yeah, she is with some friends and they were making fun of Edward." Cori grumbled. Sam raised a brow. "You realize this is not the place to get sympathy for your leach." Sam said and Cori huffed. "I don't want sympathy Sam, and don't call him that! I didnt leave my date to deal with this." She huffed, then gasped as she realized what she said.

"Date?" Sam and Emily asked looking at the girl. "Yeah." She said looking at the ground. "Does Edward know?" Emily asked. "Yeah. He knows everything. He would be with me if it- well if it wasn't here." Cori said and the two looked at her. "Cori-" "I know how it sounds but we're mates, the three of us."

"You can only love one person at a time." Sam told her. "No, I love both of them. Edward and Bella." "It's not right!" Sam told her and tears sprung to her eyes. "Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean I can't. They're meant for me!" Cori cried, tear fighting to be let out but Cordelia would not let the man have this hold on her.

"It's not natural, nothing about them is natural!" Sam yelled. "You turn into a giant dog, Sam! I'm mated to a disco ball. We're all freaks then I guess!" She yelled at him, tears streaming down her face as she turned, running from the house, back towards the beach. "Cordelia!" Emily yelled out as she watched the girl run down the dirt road, her dark glare had turned back on her fiancé, and Sam shrunk back.

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"Bella. Bella!" Cori cried out when she got back to the van and her Jeep to see no teens. "Cori?" Bella asked as she walked back to the vehicles, Jacob at her side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, a friend and me got in a fight. It's okay, I was trying to find you to figure out if you were ready to go or if you wanted to stay." Cori told her, making sure all the tears were off her face, but her eyes were still red, something had happened.

"I'm quite literally shaking in my shoes. I'm ready to go. Let me run and tell Angela we're leaving." Bella told her, as she ran off, leaving Jacob alone with Cori.

"I saw you run off towards the houses. Where did you go?" Jacob asked. "Why's it matter?" Cori asked. "Curious." "Curiosity killed the cat you know." Cori smirked. " I'm more of a dog person." "Figures." Cori snorted. "I was visiting a friend." "I got that from the whole I got in a fight with a friend. Who? The only people who live out that way are elders and Sam Uley and Emily Young." Jacob said, realizing she tensed at the names.

"Sam, really? You a part of his cult too?" "Cult?" Cori asked. "You don't know? He's bad news, stay away from him." Jacob told her and she looked at him. "I don't take orders from any one, especially people I just met. Not even my boyfriend. But rest assured he won't see my face for awhile."

Just then Bella came walking back. "Ready to go?" Cori asked her and she nodded. "I guess I'll see you around." Jacob told Bella and she smiled, "See you Jake."

"He seemed nice." Cori said, starting up the Jeep, cranking up the heat. "You seem off." "You seem like you're avoiding the topic." Cori countered. "He is. We are childhood friends. Now you."

"Nothing else?" Cori asked. "What do you mean?" "Do you have feelings for him?" Cori asked and Bella got this horrified look on her face. "Jake is like my brother. Plus he's like a year or two younger than me." Bella said and Cori smiled.

"Is that what this is about?" Bella asked. "What?" "You've been off since we got to the beach, since Jake had gotten there really. Do you like him?" Bella asked her. "Bella, I didn't get cheeseburgers and milkshakes with him." Cori told her and at first Bella was confused, but then her face turned red. "No, you didn't."

"I like you Bella." "You can't." Bella told her back, panicking,  thinking of the redheads boyfriend. "You have Edward." "I love him, and I, we, want to love you too. We both like you, you mesh with us both well, even if doesn't seem like it. You even us out. You don't have to decide anything, not now. Think about it. Let us know. For now, let's just be friends." Cori told her and Bella nodded.

"Okay." "Great. Did you want to go back to my house? I have games, books, paints, lots of different stuff to do, plus I have hot cocoa." Cori said and Bella nodded, a grin on her face making Cori relax slightly. "Sure, sounds fun." Bella smiled and Cori smiled back. "Alrighty." She said as she put her Jeep in gear, and headed back to Forks.

A/N: GOALS!