Vengeance

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter 27
Lambs Become Lions.

It’s a brand new day, and the sun is high, all the angels sing because you’re gonna die!
-Dr. Horrible

The breath hitched in my throat as the rich, velvet, sinuous tones of Edward Cullen’s voice snaked their way into my ears.  My own words escaped me, as did the hostile intentions behind my vicious actions today, and all I was left with were my own memories.  As the seconds ticked by, I noticed that my body had gone rigid, and I had stopped breathing.

“Hello?” Edward’s voice demanded on the other end; he was growing impatient. 

I opened my mouth to speak but failed to provide any type of sound; the shock of hearing him after so long had silenced me.  Glancing over at Esme, I pleaded with my eyes, wanting some form of help from her.  She glared at me, her gaze cutting through me like a knife, and pointed to the phone, mouthing the word “talk.”

“Speak or I’m hanging up,” Edward growled on the other line.

“Ed-Edward?” My voice was weak, but it still sounded beautiful, like silver Christmas bells.

There was silence on the other end, and I was starting to wonder if he’d actually hung up when I heard a sharp intake of breath. “Bella? Is that you?”

“Y-Yes,” I answered, feeling a bit more confident—but not by much.

“Oh my god, Bella,” Edward cried through the phone, his voice wavering in a way I’d never heard before.  With my inhuman ears, I could hear his choked sobs, his heavy breathing, and the soft praises to God coming from his lips; they were quickly cancelled out by a barrage of questions.  “What happened? Are you all right? Where are you?  Are you in Forks?  I’ve been looking for you everywhere. ”

“I know.”  It was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.  In fact, I was quite shocked to hear that Edward had been looking for me; after the phone call Tanya had received, I had guessed that Carlisle was searching for Esme, but I had no clue that Edward was looking for me.  I felt a soft twinge in the corner of my silent heart at the thought of Edward driving himself mad searching for me.  A slight smile threatened to appear. With effort, I held it back. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, love,” he answered quickly, laughing bleakly into the phone.  “Bella, please, where are you?  I want…no…I need to see you, to know you’re okay.”

“I’m close,” I answered, still dumbstruck by the direction of this entire conversation.  Edward was talking as if things were fine between us, like he hadn’t committed an atrocity against his wife; he really had no idea what was coming.  “Can I meet you somewhere?”

“Meet me somewhere?” Edward’s voice changed drastically at my suggestion. It was still soft, but there was skepticism beneath his words.  “Bella, tell me where you are and I’ll bring you home.”

“It’s not that simple,” I responded slowly and bit my bottom lip.

“Of course it is,” he insisted and I caught the familiar edge in his voice, the one that arose when he was frustrated.  “I’m in the Volvo now.” As he said it, I heard the soft click of a door shutting. “I can be wherever you are in less than ten minutes—if you’re in Forks, I mean.”

I panicked slightly as Edward’s voice began to lose its soothing qualities. I glanced back at Esme, not knowing what to do.  Should I have him pick me up, allow him to drive me back to the Cullen mansion, and then attack him?  No, that wasn’t good.  If Carlisle was at the house, which was highly likely, taking them both on was suicide.  I had suggested to Esme that we separate them, and separate them was just what I was planning on doing.