My Mate Saga (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter One

  Locked up. 

That's what he was, locked up.

Edward Cullen was lying down on his simple bed, in his den, in his habitat, in the research lab.

If he had cared to calculate the time he would have realized that he was reaching the date that would spell one full month of this strange involuntary confinement, but as it was he had weeks ago surrendered himself over the mind numbing monotony of the forced routine. For the last four weeks he had woken each night, fed from his allotted daily rations, run the short perimeter of his simulated 'natural' enclosure to stretch his painfully unutilized muscles, and returned to his den for a sleep that would ensure the continuation of said cycle.

The only part of the last month of his life that wasn't devastatingly predictable was the randomly timed laboratory sessions when the humans would invade his bubble of seclusion to poke and prod in the name of discovery.

He wore simple clothing; a tight black shirt, and matching pants. He didn't bother with shoes—there was nothing in this world to step on that could permeate the stone like skin on the soles of his feet-as always, his hair was a brilliant bronze mess, finally grown out from the beginning of the month. His topaz eyes still held the same ancient sadness. The captivity did nothing but exacerbate the crippling loneliness that had haunted his 149 years of life.

In his existence outside this thinly veiled prison cell Edward, had two younger siblings; an exuberant sister, Alice, and a dim yet endearing brother, Emmett. His mother, Esme, and father, Carlisle, had raised them on the blood of animals. Their large coven's bazaar diet earned them a sort of respectful skepticism from others of the vampire species. Even his sibling's mates, Rosalie and Jasper had struggled to leave behind the smooth pull of rich human blood for the gritty unpleasant drags that came from the throats of a beast.

Carlisle insisted it was a matter of ethics... that humans were not so different from them. Edward had always more or less accepted his father's logic but as he faced another day as a glorified lab rat he was beginning to reconsider.

He could remember his first trip to the lab; it was only an hour after they brought him into this dreadful facility. He had growled, snarled, hissed, and even snapped at the scientist that stabbed him with a unique needle that could pierce through his diamond hard skin. His blood had filled the large syringe in only a few seconds. Next was a sharp looking knife cutting his bronze color hair short into a neat cut, just like his mother use to do when he was little with a sharp rock.

Much to his distaste. He had liked his longish shaggy hair.

Then before he knew it, the humans had poisoned his skin with a toxin that made him fall asleep. He woke up what seem like minutes later on a creaky bed that cried every movement he made.

They say that a male vampire can only have one mate. They would give their own life protecting that mate without a second's hesitation. The males were built to protect their females; they were strong, fast, physically massive, and completely consumed with possessing and defending their precious mates: while their fairer sexes were contrastingly tiny, delicate and naturally submissive. The relationship between vampire couples was a skewed imbalance of provider- nurturer.

Males carefully selected mates based on beauty, temperament and fertility to insure a strong bond and equally sturdy offspring.

Edward had seen it... the way mates complete each other... fulfill each other.

He had seen it the way his stately father melted into a playful juvenile when his mother smiled. He had seen it when Jasper, a male that had spent half a decade as a bloodthirsty warrior, cooed adoringly to the tiny baby girl Alice had given him. He had even seen it in the way his lighthearted brother ripped into the throat of a rival male to earn his rights to Rosalie.

He had seen it but he had never been able to experience it for himself. He had seen many females in his life, but none had ever spiked his interest. At one time, years ago, his father had arranged a courtship with the eldest daughter of the Denali Clan of Alaska. Tanya; the name gave Edward shivers as he recalls the horrid moments he had to spend with the blonde female. Even though Edward tried, he couldn't find a connection with her, he didn't find blondes attractive at all.

Suddenly, a knock came from the metal door the scientist use to enter his den whenever they wanted something. Edward looked up, shaking his head to clear the errant thoughts as Jackie, his 'care keeper', came in with his tray of luke-warm animal blood.

Jackie supported a small, frail body. She was quite old with black hair mixed with a bit of grey. She looked eastern, probably from an Asian country. From day one she had been very nice to him. She had never been afraid of the huge vampire and seemed to accept him easily for what he was. Besides, with her age she did not oppose a threat to him at all.

The old woman had become something like a God sent, treating him like an equal, a friend even, in a facility full of humans that viewed him as some monumental new species of wild beast. Despite the impossibility for verbal communication she had managed to give him a brief daily reprieve for the constant silence.

Jackie walked over and placed the tray on the small wooden nightstand by his bed. He sat up to take the can of blood and drank quickly, biting back a grimace at the taste. It was even worse than fresh animal blood and straight from the vein, wasn't anything to write home about. After he was done he placed it back on the tray and sat quietly, waiting for Jackie to let him out.

She smiled sweetly and gave Edward a little pat on the head. He tolerated her patronizing affection, he was certain her heart was in the right place. She walked over to the door that led to his habitat, pushing the code that opened the thick steel entrance and letting Edward run out into his makeshift forest.

The scientist had made him a little habitat that was clearly meant to mock a small portion of a typical US forest, with adult pine trees, little stretches of long-grass, even a river-like water feature.

Up until he'd been captured he had thought that vampire skin was the hardest substance out there but the clear material that made up the fishbowl like dome that keep him from escaping had proved him wrong. He had spent the first week scaling the damn enclosure for some sort of weakness, throwing his weight against the glass like a panicked bird, but had only managed to break his own sprit.

Once he gave up trying to smash himself into pieces he found that his time in the habitat was his favorite time of day; if he didn't think about it too hard he could almost convince himself that he was at home, that he was on a hunt and his family was waiting for him. He would run around, climb the tall trees, jumping across the gaps between each one like it was nothing at all.

It only hurt when he realized his family wasn't waiting. That they didn't know where he was any better than he did.

After a few hours of peace, the scientist came in and called for Edward. He obediently came over and followed the small man to the stark white research room. It took him two weeks to get use to this. The first few times they had to immobilize him to even get him close to the lab. There he would fight his hardest to get out. He stopped struggling after they introduced him to 'the collar'... The damn thing delivered different degrees of pain every time he stepped a toe out of line.

Now it was just easer to obey.

"How are we doing today?" One of the infantile scientists greeted Edward.

The vampire glared at him.

Just because he was required to cooperate didn't mean he had to roll over like a lap dog. They both knew damn well Edward didn't have a clue what the idiot was saying.

He lazily cocked his head to one side, a gentle reminder.

The pimply young man Edward estimated to be fresh out of some posh human college blushed behind his terrible complexion. "Oh yeah, that's right! You don't understand. I swear it's like looking at a human sometimes..."

Edward just blinked.

"Never mind." He muttered aloud.

He slowly started the tests and Edward lay down on the cold steel table, making a conscious effort to relax.

Edward closed his eyes, and forced himself into an uneasy sleep.

He was sitting in a meadow.

He looked around at the rolling flat of stunning purple flowers mixed in with long bright green grass. He hadn't been out in true daylight for years... he had almost forgotten how his skin captured the light and reflected it back in an array of multicolored gleams. The ring of birds chirping in the nearby tree didn't bother him like it normal would... it was almost soothing, peaceful.

He was so distracted by the eerie beauty of the scene he hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone...

Edward turned his head and his breath left him in one painful compression of his lungs.

She was striking... magnificent. The most beautiful vampire Edward had seen in nearly a century of life.

The tiny female's silky dark brown hair framed a perfect heart shaped face. Warm golden eyes told Edward she was just like him, as did her soft pale skin that was sparkling with equal brilliance.

Her full red lips began to move, "Edward," she smiled. Though she was gazing lovingly in his direction he sensed that she was looking straight through him.

Her voice was just a gentle whisper but without a doubt the most breathtaking sound to have ever met his ears. He, in fact, stopped breathing so that nothing would compete with that voice should she grace him with it once more.

Edward felt his whole world stop. Nothing mattered but the gorgeous girl beside him. Beside him... were he knew she was meant to be.

"Edward," she spoke again, calling for him as if he wasn't right in front of her.

He frowned, confused, and reached out to reassure her...to comfort her.

But instead of smooth warm skin his hand met only empty air. His face contorted in pain as his female melted away in front of his eyes like she was suddenly made of mist, blown from him by the gentle breeze.

"No!" He yelled, crestfallen.

Edward jumped up out of his bed and was standing in the middle of his fabricated den. He hadn't even felt the scientist moved him.

He was panting hard, desperately trying to remember why he felt so empty.

What did those humans do to him?

He looked down at the tray that was on the nightstand, and took the can and drank heavily, trying to ease his sudden unidentifiable need. He let the warm blood slide down his throat but it wasn't what he yearned for.

He lay on his bed as thoughts of her flooded back into his mind. The most beautiful female in the world and she existed only in his head. Taunting him. Teasing him.

He felt so close to her it physically pained him to wake without her in his arms.

Then, just as quickly as the emptiness had come it suddenly left him. The century old ache was gone and he was left with a deep, irrational sense of peace.

His beautiful girl hadn't come to him to mock him... she was looking for him... she was coming.

He wasn't going to be alone anymore. He was going to have his light. His angel. His life.

His mate.