The Edge of Insanity | Rosalie Hale

Chapter 17: She knows

1905

Daniel lurched awake, a strangled scream ripping from his throat. Tears welled in his eyes, blurring the darkness of his room. Panic clawed at his chest, constricting his lungs until each breath became a desperate gasp. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against his terror.

His mother materialized beside him, a beacon of comfort in the storm. She enveloped him in a fierce hug, her warmth a fleeting anchor in the churning sea of his anxiety. The familiar dread of waking his father, of unleashing another torrent of his rage, gnawed at him even amidst the terror.

He yearned for a single, cleansing breath, but his chest heaved in a rapid, shallow dance. His vision tunneled, the edges of his room dissolving into black. "Breathe, Daniel," his mother's voice cut through the panic, a lifeline thrown into the chaos. "Match your breaths to mine. Slow and steady."

She placed a hand on his chest, mimicking a slow, deep inhale and exhale. Each ragged gasp felt like a betrayal, a desperate counterpoint to her measured rhythm.

"One," she began, her voice a soothing mantra. "Two, three."

He mirrored her movements, a choked sob escaping with each exhale. "One," he rasped, the word a broken echo. "Two, three."

With each repetition, the frantic edge of his breathing softened. The room came back into focus, his mother's worried face etched with concern. His grip on her loosened, a fragile truce negotiated with the terror that still lurked at the edges of his mind.

"One, two, three"

2005 - Present

The heavy oak door creaked shut behind Daniel as he slipped into the house. Black contact lenses hid his eyes, a shield he'd adopted throughout the evening.

"What did Edward want?" Rosalie's voice, laced with suspicion, echoed from the living room before he could even shed his coat. He winced internally, he hated lying to her.

"Bella was attacked," he began, his voice strained. "He needed backup. I helped him get her away from the situation discreetly, of course." He avoided turning, the weight of her gaze heavy in the air.

Rosalie's sharp reply cut through the tense silence. "Since when do you care about the human girl?"

A strained laugh escaped Daniel's lips. "I don't. They were just a bunch of scumbags who needed a good thrashing, that's all." The lie tasted bitter on his tongue.

"Then why can't you look at me?" Her voice turned colder, a storm brewing beneath the surface.

Daniel swallowed, the urge to confess warring with the fear of her judgment. "No reason, love. Just heading out for a hunt." He knew full well his disguise wouldn't fool her for a second.

"Daniel," Rosalie's voice cut through his flimsy excuse. "Look at me, please."

He couldn't resist her plea. Slowly, he turned, meeting her gaze head-on. The crimson of his true eyes burned through the black contacts, betraying his actions.

"You didn't!" Rosalie shrieked, anger twisting her features. "You fed on humans!"

The sound of Rosalie's voice drew the rest of the Cullen coven into the room, their faces etched with concern.

"Daniel," Carlisle, the family patriarch, spoke, his voice grave. "You know our stance on humans. They are off-limits."

Daniel straightened, a defiant edge to his voice. "I know, I know. But you don't understand the thirst. For a long bloody time, I relied on human blood. Animal blood simply doesn't cut it. You expect Jasper and me to be content with that? You have no idea the power it offers, the rush that surges through you."

Esme interjected. "We understand the difficulty, Daniel. You've been doing so well. If the craving became too strong, you should have come to us."

"They deserved it, Esme," Daniel insisted, his tone unwavering. "They were scum."

"Even if they were," Carlisle interjected, "we don't take human lives. Not only is it wrong, but a single mistake could put us all at risk, especially if the Quileute Tribe finds out."

Their conversation was abruptly derailed as the front door slammed open. Edward rushed in, his face a mask of worry. "She knows" he blurted out.

The urgency of Edward's revelation washed away all other concerns. Daniel's transgression shoved to the back of their minds.

A collective gasp ripped through the room as, surprisingly, Jasper's scream shattered the tense silence. "What?!" he roared, a tremor of fury shaking his usually stoic form. He stalked towards Edward each step a thunderclap in the charged atmosphere.

"You've just painted a bullseye on our backs, Edward!" Jasper snarled, his voice laced with a lethal cocktail of fear and rage. "Do you even care if we're all in danger? This isn't just about you! Alice is in jeopardy because of your reckless stunt!"

Before anyone could interject, Jasper's tirade continued. "And that's not all! Daniel's still technically affiliated with the Volturi guard. If he exposes us, we're all dead men walking. If he doesn't, the Volturi will shred him to pieces anyway! Do you grasp the gravity of the situation, Edward? Can you comprehend the magnitude of your selfishness?!"

Jasper vibrated with barely contained fury, his honeyed eyes blazing a dangerous gaze. "I will kill her," he growled, a chilling prospect hanging heavy in the air. "Mortals sleep, blissfully unaware they may never wake. It wouldn't be a difficult task."

Edward lunged forward but Alice stepped between them, a shimmering shield against his wrath. "Edward, stop it!" she cried, her voice laced with desperation.

"We're not killing her, Jasper," Carlisle interjected, his voice a steady anchor amidst the storm of emotions.

"Then what?" Jasper retorted, his voice tight with despair. "Do we resign ourselves to a massacre?"

Edward, his face a mask of conflicting emotions, finally spoke. "I've waited for my mate for what feels like an eternity. I can't simply abandon her and suffer for an eternity of solitude."

"Then turn her," Alice proposed, a hint of hope flickering in her eyes. "I've seen it happen."

Edward shook his head defiantly, instead he answered. "The Volturi will never know. Bella won't speak of this, and there's nothing to suggest they'll stumble upon us in the next few years."

Daniel, who had been an unsettlingly silent observer until now, finally broke his stoic facade. "You better be bloody sure about that, Edward," he said, cutting through the tension. "Because if they do find out, if they come here and slaughter the entire coven, there will be nothing else stopping me from destroying you. I swear on God, I'll join them for one last act after everyone is dead. Just so I can personally be the one sending you straight to hell"

Author's note:

Bella KNOWWWWWWWS, I hope you liked it. I'll probably post another one later, at night.

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