Burning Horizon

Burning Horizon; My Favourite Place in the World

Edward Cullen;

Chapter Nine: My Favourite Place in the World.

I couldn't believe how I'd been able to leave Bella there. Her head had smashed helplessly against the rocks and cracked like an eggshell under Demetri's grip and I had done nothing. Only watched as her eyelids had slid shut and her slender body had fallen to the dusted ground. However, that was so much better than the alternative that I had seen in Alice's mind as I flicked between strategies in my head. If I had let them take Bella, she would have refused to do anything they ordered her to and they would have burnt her. That image that I saw in Alice's head of Bella's body melting away into ashes was petrifying. The option of letting them take me seemed to be the safest, yet the future was unclear. Aro's decisions for what to do with me had not yet been made.

Why hadn't my mental strength slipped so I could turn around and help her? Alice was hiding behind the rocks, frozen as she flicked between the different possibilities of what would happen in the future. Sure she would help, but when she awoke her reaction could turn into anything. Bella wasn't exactly known for her emotional control, or sudden change for that matter. Would she go into a dead state again like when I had been compelled to leave her before, or another wrecking tantrum or even something suicidal? No. She wouldn't do something like that, she couldn't.

I wasn't dead; I was just gone for a while. She would have to know that.

Aro wouldn't be happy with them returning with me, they would still have lost their main offenses in the fight this would come to. Jane would most probably be delighted at my capture, another mind to tear apart piece by piece, another mind.

My daughter - I had being attempting to block the thoughts of her suffering from my mind to make myself even slightly useful; god knows why I had even tried.

"Edward." Demetri snarled, breaking my thoughts.

The wind had stopped flowing past my face. The landscapes had stopped flicking repetitively in front of my eyes. Two of the most beautiful and perfect girls in the world were both in pain, whatever type that may be now, because of me. Sometimes, I had to wish that Carlisle had picked one of the other boys to save that night in the hospital and that I had died then like I should have done. None of this fantastical story would have ever even been thought of.

Oh, bugger off Demetri.

I started to run again. A mound was gradually appearing in front of us on the horizon, towering above us like a deathly giant. I drew a sharp breath in through my mouth, Bella's scent still lingered on my clothes and it touched my tongue like silk. Volterra.

Her scent was disappearing from my reach. I could remember what she smelt like of course, I could never forget that, but inhaling it for myself felt so much more incredible. Demetri bundled a dark, hooded cloak into my chest.

"Put it on, there's no need to cause a commercial today. We wouldn't want to give Aro a reason to kill you at all would we?"

Their sickly sweet scent swung around me as I tugged it on, stuffing my arms through the rough, tight sleeves. The narrow cobbled streets were so familiar, for all the wrong reasons. At least the place was less crowded with tantalising humans, only a few wandered absentmindedly through the shadows. This amount would be inadequate to satisfy their hunting needs, they couldn't just wipe out the entire population of the town unnoticed.

"Aro is waiting in the central chamber for you." Felix mumbled, leading the way through the large oak doorway out of view and knowledge of the humans. "Well, he's waiting for your wife."

Our footsteps echoed eerily off the marble floor. Bella would have recovered for certain by now, if only we'd been more careful that day, warned our daughter to watch out, we would have never been in this mess. Or would we? This wasn't really about Renesmee's breach at all, no; this was something much deeper than that. Ongoing hatred between two clans, such a deadly and powerful thing isn't it, hate. The doors flew open ahead leading into a dimly lit room; blazing torches secured in silver plated brackets along the walls were providing the only light.